Chapter 55

EP.55 Interview

The masses, whether the bridge collapses or people die, blindly take the 100,000 won. A special event to instill a sense of alarm and guilt in them!

If you take the 100,000 won, I will interview the people who are about to die!

I walked towards the first target, a car.

The camera, levitated by my telekinetic power, was filming the entire scene.

Alright, everything is perfectly prepared. Hopefully.

"Knock, knock. Can you open the window, please?"

I knocked on the window, and it slid down.

Through the gap, I saw a sturdy-looking man in his twenties.

Phew, fortunately, he's not some weirdo. If there was someone like a North Sea Ice Maiden here, things would get complicated. Luckily.

"Hey, hello! Thank you for your hard work. Could you please introduce yourself?"

I proceeded naturally, like a recreation host.

Threatening and scaring them here would only make the atmosphere tense. The key is to proceed smoothly, like a snake crossing a fence.

Fortunately, the man responded to my words.

"Yes, hello. My name is Jeong Young-jin."

The man answered confidently.

Hmm... but.

He seems quite composed?

His demeanor doesn't match the situation, where he's caught in the middle of a terrorist attack, facing life and death.

Even with a potential terrorist who could kill him right in front of him, there's no sign of trembling in his body.

His eyes show no fear.

In fact, his eyes are bright and alert.

I pointed this out in my question, finding it intriguing.

"Mr. Jeong Young-jin, nice to meet you. But, Young-jin, you don't seem scared at all? Aren't you a bit anxious or worried?"

"Haha, anxious?"

The man laughed as if I had said something strange.

Then, he looked me straight in the eye, his eyes shining, and spoke clearly.

"Why should I be anxious? As long as 5 million people don't take the money, the bridge and I will be safe, right? I believe in the people of the Republic of Korea. My beloved homeland is a place where the Korean people, bound by a strong sense of community, do not abandon their humanity for a little capital. Why should I be afraid when I won't die?"

The man answered with clear eyes.

Ugh, his eyes.

They are so pure! Too pure!

It's like they're emitting a halo, stop it!

What kind of human hymn is this?

I closed my eyes tightly.

No, in my past life, people might have been like this, but in this Republic of Korea, it doesn't seem to be the case...

Somehow, as both the planner of this terror and a fellow Korean, my conscience was pricked.

To think there are such pure people in the world.

And from the chat window, it seemed I wasn't the only one feeling the pang of conscience.

[Ha ha ha]

[I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry]

[Oh... Watishi, why is there pain in my chest?]

[The triangle in my heart is poking me, is this cancer?]

[No, that's a pang of conscience. It means you're becoming human.]

[100,000 won... I already took it...]

[I was thinking about whether to take it, but I decided not to.]

[Damn, I won't take it. That measly amount can't compare to a human life.]

[No, why aren't you taking it? Because you didn't, I feel like I'm the bad guy.]

[Fact) The ones who took it are the bad guys.]

[I'm sorry...]

Hmm, but the atmosphere isn't bad.

What I originally expected were people trembling in fear of death.

I was hoping that when the public saw this, they would feel guilty...

Well, in any case, the conclusion is that they won't take the money, so it doesn't matter, right?

To be honest, the more people don't take the money, the better for me.

Why? Because I'm going to lie and say 5 million people took it and blow up the bridge anyway.

...

Well.

There's nothing I can do. You can't leave your life to chance.

I can't just awkwardly say, "Oh... only 4 million people applied? Then I'll back off..."! If I don't blow up the bridge, the world... or rather, Korean society, will fall into chaos. I need to destroy it first.

And who can prove that 5 million people took the money? Will they ask me to show the list of accounts of those who took the money? If so, the millions who took the money will protect me. They'll be protecting themselves, of course.

And to be honest, the money is a bit of a waste.

Of course, I have unimaginable wealth, enough to match a country's annual budget. After wandering aimlessly after falling into this world, I spent my days making money using my knowledge from the original world until I met Se-eun. I extorted money from corrupt American companies, found and used hidden money from villains in other countries... Of course, Se-eun's help was a bit of a factor later, but still.

I have a lot of money, but burning 50 billion at once is a bit of a burden.

Capital will be quite important later, and it seems like I'm burning too much here...

The money flowing out through macro transactions is already several billion per minute. I must have gone overboard.

Ugh. Se-eun's nagging about how I spend money like water still rings in my ears. Ha-yul fainted while trying to count how many quadrillion is. Hmm.

In any case, the conclusion is that it's okay for people to take the money moderately.

To be honest, I thought the total number of people wouldn't even reach a million. No, with such a short period, it would be fortunate if it reached a million.

But as always, the people of this world surpassed my expectations.

[Bro, more than 3 million people have already taken the money?]

[...What?]

I recalled the message from Se-eun.

People! Have you really thrown your conscience to the bottom of the Han River?

Why are you only this enthusiastic at times like this...

In any case, this is why I felt my heart ache at Jeong Young-jin's pure words.

Sorry! The people of the Republic of Korea you believe in... have already betrayed you and taken the money happily...!!

I couldn't tell him, who was looking at me with trust and belief.

I just can't...

"Ahem. Understood. I heard your story, Mr. Jeong Young-jin, who believes in the Republic of Korea. Do you have any final words?"

As I said this, he looked at the camera with firm belief.

"Dear citizens of the Republic of Korea. I believe in you. Please help me return home safely. I always love you. Korea, fighting!"

Now he even struck a fighting pose for the camera.

Hmm, it's so touching.

I need to escape.

"Yes! I heard you. Shall we move on to the next person?"

Just as I was hastily retreating.

The man in the car shouted loudly.

"Wait!!!"

"Yes?"

He suddenly stopped me.

What is it?

"Why?"

"Mr. Villain, you said your name is Ego Stick, right?"

"Yes, but what is it?"

"I've been hungry for 4 hours now. I heard I'll be hungry for another 4 hours. Do you have any food?"

Now he's confidently asking me for food.

I... this is the first time I've met such a character in my life.

But what's even funnier is that...

I did bring food to share. I just forgot about it.

"Ah, hold on."

I teleported to a bag I had left somewhere on the road.

There it is.

The Ego-bag, containing everything I need, including a gun, tear gas, a microphone, and more.

I teleported back to the car with the bag.

"Wait a moment, ah, here. Have some cream buns."

"Thank you so much."

The man took the buns with a big smile.

He's really shameless.

[What is this lololol]

[A hostage asking a terrorist for food and the terrorist actually giving him bread lol Is this real?]

[So touching lololol]

[Is this a villain? lololol]

[He looks more like a hero who does villainy as a hobby]

[Seriously, destroying a bridge has a deeper meaning lol]

[A neighbor villain who buys you food lol]

Anyway, I'm really done with this car now.

I walked to the next car, feeling drained.

Phew... I didn't even have much of a conversation, but I feel drained.

"Yes, I'm going to meet the next hostage. I'm looking forward to who will greet me this time."

I said this to the camera and walked to the next car.

I hope this time it's a normal person.

Someone who's a bit... scared. When you're taken hostage by a terrorist and facing life and death, you should be tense and scared, right?

With that hope, I walked to the car.

Unlike the previous car, which had a single man, this one was a large SUV.

Oh, there's a bit more hope.

Maybe it's a family on a trip? A parent trembling in fear while trying to protect their child... perfect for instilling guilt.

Please, let's save some money.

However, as I approached the SUV, my hope faded.

The faint sound of music, and it was some lively rock music.

...This doesn't feel good.

But I'm a pro, so I knocked on the car door first.

"Knock, knock. Hello. Can you lower the window, please?"

As soon as I knocked, the window slid down, and at the same time, the loud metal sound hit my ears.

"AAAAAAH!!! MANGO STICK!!!"

"What do I do, it's really him, I can't believe it."

"I'm a MANGO STICK fan!!!!"

"MANGO! MANGO! MANGO! MANGO!"

It was a group of college girls screaming.

...This is going to be a mess, really.