Chapter 43

EP.43 At the Center of Attention

"Today's entertainment report! Yes, what are we going to cover this time?"

"Yes. Today's topic is none other than the self-proclaimed S-class hero, Apple Mango!"

"Oh, his hero name is Apple Mango? It sounds very endearing."

"That's right. He's been making a lot of noise on the internet lately. Let's take a look."

The TV screen shows two women disappearing, and then a different video starts.

It looks like a video secretly shot with a smartphone.

In the video, someone is sitting atop a tower made of chairs and speaking.

A voice coming from the person wearing a yellow mask.

[Did you ask about me? I am the S-class hero, Apple Mango.]

His words echo with arrogance.

The video cuts off, and the two women reappear.

"Yes! Ah, so he refers to himself as Apple Mango?"

"Yes, that's right. During the Busan Signature Hotel terrorist incident, he subdued the terrorists faster than any other heroes. Then, when three other heroes arrived, he said this."

"Yes. I heard he said something strange afterward?"

"Ah, let's hear it."

The screen changes again.

It's the same scene as before. The yellow-masked man continues speaking.

[But you guys, aren't you all A-rank heroes? The difference between seniors and juniors is like the sky and the earth, so you should all use polite language when speaking to me.]

"Yes. That's quite... impressive. He asked them to use polite language?"

"Right. As you can see, the heroes were somewhat taken aback by his sudden words. Since then, his eccentric behavior has continued."

[I've had dinner, drinks, and even gone to the sauna with your association president, you know!]

"Hehe... Is that true?"

"It's highly unlikely. Since then, he has made various bizarre statements and given random advice to junior heroes before suddenly leaving."

"Yes. It's quite a strange story just to hear. Is that why he's become the center of so much attention?"

"Of course, that's not the only reason. There are several reasons, so let's take a look together."

A large number 1 appears on the screen.

A subtitle in large letters appears.

[The self-proclaimed S-class hero Apple Mango. Is his true identity the villain Egoistic?]

"Oh, what's this about?"

"Exactly as it says. While he claims to be a hero, netizens have found numerous pieces of evidence suggesting he is actually Egoistic. Let's take a look."

The screen changes again, showing a video.

The quality is much worse than before, looking like a secretly shot video. In it, terrorists are seen falling after being hit by floating guns.

"The first piece of evidence is telekinesis. Apple Mango was seen levitating guns in mid-air, which perfectly matches Egoistic's ability. That's not all."

Another video. This time, Apple Mango is seen disappearing instantly from his seated position after speaking.

"As you can see, he also demonstrated teleportation, which also perfectly matches Egoistic. Dual ability users are extremely rare, and we can confirm that their abilities perfectly overlap."

"Wow. Is this what they call a perfect match these days? It's almost undeniable, isn't it?"

"It's not over yet. When we analyzed the video, Egoistic and Apple Mango are seen to have almost identical body types. Let's also listen to their voices."

"Yes. This is Egoistic's voice during his first terrorist attack, the ship attack."

[After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united. Ha, ha. Hahaha!]

"And this is Apple Mango's voice."

[Villain? Me? Hahaha! Hahaha!]

"What do you think?"

"This... is exactly the same, isn't it?"

"Yes. Many people argue that their voices and words are almost identical, if not exactly the same."

"Is it safe to assume that Apple Mango is Egoistic?"

"Yes. While the association hasn't officially confirmed it, the idea that Apple Mango is Egoistic has become the prevailing theory. The Mango Corps, Egoistic's fan club, is even excited, claiming that Egoistic has acknowledged their nickname, mango."

"The Mango Corps... Apple Mango. It's almost like he's openly revealing his identity, isn't it?"

"Right. Some people even believe that Egoistic is finally giving up his villain cosplay and transitioning to a hero, calling it a 'vigorous welcome.' There's even a petition to the association to officially recognize S-class hero Apple Mango."

"I see. But that alone doesn't explain his popularity. Let's look at the second reason why Apple Mango has become so hot."

A large number 2 appears on the screen.

Below it, a subtitle reads, "Egoistic and the association's relationship, what is it?"

"Egoistic and the association's relationship... What does that mean?"

"Exactly as it says. During the previous incident, Apple Mango mentioned the association president's former name. Let's listen."

[...And, do you guys know this? The association president's name is Park Jun-ho. He changed it. His original name was Park Mak-chun. Our Mak-chun always complained about his name, and he secretly changed it.]

"This is quite... a fresh story. The claim that the association president changed his name. He changed his name from Park Mak-chun to Park Jun-ho. Is this true?"

"The association has denied it, stating that the president's name change is a baseless rumor. However, netizens don't believe it. The association's silence and the reactions of the heroes suggest that it might be true."

"Amazing. If this story is true, how does Apple Mango, or Egoistic, know about it?"

"That's what's causing a stir among netizens. The claim is that the president's name change is not recorded in the system, so it's a fact that only family or close friends would know."

"So, how does he know? Is he really an old acquaintance of the president, or...?"

"Because of this, there are several conspiracy theories. One is that Egoistic was actually an S-class hero in the past, but had a falling out with the association and became a villain. It's an unverified rumor, but it's quite an interesting story."

"If this conspiracy theory is true, it would explain why the three A-class heroes let Apple Mango go. Perhaps they let him go because he is a senior hero."

"Right. We'll look into that later."

"Yes! I understand. What is the third story related to Apple Mango?"

"Yes, the third story is this!"

A subtitle appears simultaneously.

[3. What exactly are Egoistic's abilities?]

"A story about Egoistic's abilities. What is it?"

"It's related to what he demonstrated this time. According to the association and experts, Egoistic's telekinesis and teleportation were thought to be quite weak. It's a well-known fact that dual ability users are generally weaker than single ability users."

"But that's not the case?"

"Right. The telekinesis he demonstrated by levitating guns is a highly advanced skill. It was thought that Egoistic couldn't do it based on his previous abilities, but he did this time. The same goes for teleportation."

"Ah. So, how was he in Busan when he always operates in Seoul?"

"Exactly. He suddenly appeared at the moment the terrorist attack happened. This has led to the theory that he can teleport from Seoul to Busan."

"That's a very interesting story. It suggests that Egoistic has been hiding his true power."

"Perhaps. While nothing is confirmed yet, it seems certain that Egoistic will remain a topic of discussion in Korea for a while."

"Egoistic. The reason for the increased interest in his future actions."

She listened to this and turned off the TV she had been watching.

Click.

The TV went dark with the press of the remote.

In the empty black screen, her face was reflected.

"....."

Her reflection looked very complicated.

Egoistic, Egoistic. That damn Egoistic.

She lay on the sofa, pressing her eyes as if tired.

It had been a few days since the incident.

The hotel incident was already known nationwide.

And so was the information about Egoistic.

"...."

In fact, she had already been convinced that Apple Mango was Egoistic.

No, she had noticed it before anyone else. She was one of the few who had seen Egoistic in person.

Given this, her feelings were complex.

While investigating the recent incidents caused by Egoistic, she never expected to encounter him again in such a situation.

The doubts from the previous incident.

And this one.

She couldn't deny it.

Recently, a suspicion had begun to grow within her.

Egoistic.

Is he really a villain?

In other words, can he truly be defined as a villain?