Chapter 53

EP.53 On Air

Dong. Dong. Dong.

Against the background of the lively drumbeats coming from somewhere, a man stood in mid-air.

Wearing a black cloak, black robe, and black wizard's hat, he stood in broad daylight.

Smiling behind the mask that covered half his face, he soon shouted loudly at the camera.

"Hello everyone! I am Egoistic, the number one most influential villain selected by the Korean Association, and one of the best villains chosen by Phobos. Nice to meet you all!"

With a large bridge as the backdrop, the man floated in mid-air, took off his hat, and greeted the camera in a style reminiscent of medieval Europe.

His appearance, broadcast nationwide on the three major TV stations and YouTube, elicited a热烈的反应.

The chat window of Egoistic's official YouTube broadcast was filling up so fast it was hard to see.

[MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick!]

[Is Egoistic a god? Is Egoistic a god? Is Egoistic a god? Is Egoistic a god?]

[Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up! Mom, I want to be a terrorist when I grow up!]

[Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-woo!]

[Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!]

[LOL is this that famous Egoistic? Wonder if there is an English sub]

[Damn, the chat is going wild lol]

[It's been four months since I last saw him, kinda missed him lol]

[What the hell is he planning to do this time?]

[MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch! MangoPunch!]

[What the hell is he wearing on his head lol]

[The level of villains in Korea www compared to our great Empire of Japan wwww]

[The Hero Association was preparing for a happy gathering today, now they're crying lol]

[Damn, even foreigners are watching now lol look at the chat]

[What the hell is this place?]

"Hello everyone. Yes, I am currently at Mapo Bridge. Wow, it feels good to be back at the Han River. This was where I made my debut. It feels like yesterday when I carried out that terrorist attack, but it's almost been a year, hasn't it? Time really flies."

[Has it really been a year?]

[It was in spring, and now it's almost winter, so about a year?]

[A year with MangoStick lol]

[He went missing for four months during the year?]

[Three large-scale terrorist attacks in one year lol]

[He's planning something again today, this will be the fourth if you count this one lol]

[You, villain, what kind of nerve do you have to show your face! You damn scoundrel]

[Old man, you even know how to chat on YouTube lol]

"Anyway, ta-da! To put it bluntly, there are bombs attached to the Mapo Bridge below me! Heroes and everyone at the association, if you do anything foolish... you know what will happen, right?"

Egoistic waved the detonator in his hand towards the camera.

[Detonator, season 516731461 lol]

[Always carrying bombs lol]

[Public officials are in trouble. They've been checking for explosives every morning, noon, and night since he attacked the ship, train, and plane lol. Now they'll have to patrol the bridge for bombs every day lol]

[Why would public officials do that? They'll hire part-timers to do it]

[MangoStick creating jobs lol]

[But am I the only one who can only see MangoBro's legs in this situation? He's so sexy, isn't he? Pwease]

[MangoBro, I'm dying T_T]

[Bro, I'm really dying lol it's the Mapo Bridge]

[Damn, does that guy really look like he's going to die? lol]

"Ahem. Heroes, if you don't want to see the bridge blown to pieces, it's best to stay put. Actually, the only hero who can stop me now is Stardust."

After saying that, he cleared his throat slightly and continued.

"Yes, I recommend you don't come closer. I have a bit of a short temper, and I might do something if I see you."

As he said this, he fiddled with the detonator again, as a warning.

[Stardust cut off lol]

His body flinched slightly as if he saw something, but then he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Everyone... Oh, wait a moment. Um... Just a moment. Bang!"

As he spoke, a loud explosion was heard from both sides of the bridge.

At the same time, something collapsed, blocking both ends of the bridge.

At the same time, someone pulled out a large loudspeaker and shouted at the cars passing under the bridge.

"Everyone on the Mapo Bridge!!! Please stay where you are!!! If you do anything funny, I'll shoot!!!"

In response to Egoistic's threatening warning, the cars that had been speeding along gradually came to a stop.

Since he had blown up both sides as soon as he appeared, there were almost no cars on the bridge, except for two that had been caught by bad timing or had missed the radio announcement.

After saying his piece, Egoistic threw the loudspeaker away and smiled at the camera.

"Sorry, but terrorism is more fun with an audience, isn't it? I had to recruit some guests on the spot, so I was a bit delayed."

[Grabbing people who were driving normally and recruiting them as guests lol]

[What did those two people in the cars do to deserve this lol]

[He hasn't killed anyone in his terrorist attacks so far, so what's the problem lol]

[Isn't it more like a reward? It's a thrilling, heart-pounding, exciting terrorist experience lol]

[I wish I had been there]

[Every time I read the chat, I don't know if the world is strange or if I am strange]

[You're the one who's strange]

"Yes, yes. Now that everything is ready, let me talk for a moment."

At the same time, the lively music that had been playing stopped, and a suspenseful tune, like something from a white tower, began to play.

At the same time, Egoistic began to speak in a tone reminiscent of a news anchor.

"Everyone, do you know my name? Yes, Egoistic. But do you know where my name comes from?"

"Egoistic, meaning 'selfish' in English, is derived from that. I chose this name because... I wanted to become a villain to prove how selfish humans can be."

[He must have been really impressed by 'The Selfish Gene' wwww]

[Who appointed 'The Selfish Gene' as a must-read for teenagers?]

[Richard Dawkins must be wrong]

"Ahem. Anyway, I'm here today to live up to my name. Let's conduct an experiment to see how selfish humans are! If humans are selfish, I win. If they are less selfish than I think, I lose."

The viewers were all puzzled by Egoistic's words.

An experiment to see if humans are selfish? How?

Ignoring the puzzled reactions, Egoistic began to speak in a bizarre manner.

"This bridge, ah, the Mapo Bridge. It's truly grand and beautiful. How much money do you think it cost to build? It must have cost hundreds or even billions of won, right?"

Suddenly asking about the cost of the Mapo Bridge.

"But, with all that money, isn't it being used conveniently by the citizens? Without this bridge, the roads would be much more congested, wouldn't they?"

Then, his gaze turned back to the camera with a wicked smile.

"Now, let me explain this terrorist act."

"The method is simple. If you give me the address or link, or send me your account number via text, I will give you 100,000 won."

"I've already hacked the system, so there's no risk of getting caught. Anyone who is 19 years old or older and a citizen of Korea, just send me your account number, and I will send you 100,000 won without any questions. It's free money."

"But."

"If by 7 PM tonight, more than 5 million people have received 100,000 won from me—"

"I will blow up this bridge, along with the people on it."

"Everyone, make your choice."

"100,000 won for free, or this bridge that might explode?"

"Will humans be altruistic enough to easily give up 100,000 won for the sake of others? Or will they be selfish and take the money, thinking it's just one person?"

"Well, we'll find out today."

"Now, let me introduce you to a new concept of nationwide participatory terrorism: 'One Bridge or 100,000 Won.' 'The People's Choice 1vs10' begins now!!!"

At the same time, thunderous applause began to play in the background of the video.

With a smile, Egoistic greeted the camera and the video ended.

Next, the screen displayed only the site, phone number, KakaoTalk, blog, Twitter, and all other means to send Egoistic your account number.

At the top of the screen, the remaining time until 7 PM was displayed.

[8h 56m 45s]

[8h 56m 44s]

[8h 56m 43s]

...

Beside the silent video, a chat message summed up everyone's thoughts.

[He's gone mad.]

Thus, on an ordinary day in Korea, the unexpected [Great Money Era] began with an explosion.

***

"......"

At the riverside, where the Mapo Bridge was in full view.

Surrounded by police, blocking all access and in a standoff, Stardust clenched her teeth.

Egoistic.

She knew he would carry out another terrorist attack someday.

But she never expected it to be like this.

Her mood, staring at the bridge, was very bad.

Of course, it was because that scoundrel was doing such a heinous act, involving the citizens in his despicable terrorism.

...It was not because he was excluding her from this terrorist act for the first time.

Of course not. What difference would it make if he called her or not?

She didn't care.

She definitely wasn't caring about that.

She repeated this to herself.

"....."

But.

Until now, he had been calling her constantly.

Why did he suddenly tell her not to come this time?

"It's ridiculous..."

She muttered to herself.

Words no one could hear.

Still.

Last time, he called her to save the plane.

Is he planning to do the same this time?

He probably won't exclude her completely.

She just kept thinking that, for no reason.

***

"Bro, are you going to mention Stardust in this terrorist act?"

"Hmm? No, I won't. After all, if I blow up the bridge, she'll just fly over and save the cars... This isn't a trial for Stardust, so there's no need to call her."

Stardust will be happy that I'm not bothering her, right?