Chapter 71

EP.71 Her Anguish

It has been a month since she investigated the basement of Hanen Group.

Since that day, Shin Haru has been lost in thought more often in her daily life.

"......"

Whether she was studying, doing hero activities, resting, or trying to sleep, the thoughts would surge up.

'...Why did he do that?'

She still couldn't be sure what had happened in the basement.

What was it?

Why did he do that?

It's natural to feel grateful to someone who saved you.

Especially if that someone sacrificed themselves to save you.

Anyone would probably be grateful for a lifetime.

But the problem here is that the person who saved her had no reason to save her.

What is the relationship between a hero and a villain?

Simply put, they are enemies.

They are sworn foes who consider each other their primary adversary.

There is no one a villain hates and wants to eliminate more than a hero.

A hero will risk everything to judge a villain.

So, a villain saving a hero is something that can't even be a joke.

But that's exactly what happened to her.

"...."

In the basement of Hanen Group.

Though she hasn't told anyone yet, Egoistic flew into action to save her.

If he hadn't, she probably wouldn't be here now.

Aren't villains the ones who would be the happiest when a hero falls?

In fact, it's not an exaggeration to say that all the villains in Korea wish for her disappearance.

There were dozens of villains who tried to kill her.

But why did Egoistic, that guy, save her?

No, even if he saved her, why did he go so far as to risk his own body?

"......"

Shin Haru, sitting at her desk working, found herself lost in thought again without realizing it.

Recently, these thoughts have been repeating, over and over. No, it's more like a sense of bewilderment, leading to a growing curiosity.

Why did he save her?

This incident was the final nail in the coffin of all her doubts about Egoistic.

Yes, from the beginning, something felt off.

He dealt with other villains.

All the terrorist attacks he caused had no fatalities.

And there were things only she knew.

He told her not to expose her face.

He told her to stop the terrorist attacks and believe in herself.

He destroyed a bridge to prevent a disaster he had predicted.

And this time, he risked his own body to save her.

Yes, yes.

Now, she really has to admit it.

Egoistic. He is not an ordinary villain.

No, can he even be defined as not ordinary?

In fact, she wasn't even sure if she should still call him a villain.

Of course, as soon as this thought crossed her mind, she immediately negated it. No, if he isn't a villain, who is?

But.

He has done many things behind the scenes that go beyond what he has caused.

In fact, no civilians have died because of him.

But how many people have been saved because of him?

The terrorist attack by his followers. He stopped it.

The terrorist attack by Alligator Man in the city. He stopped it.

The terrorist attack by Monkey Spanner at the hotel. He stopped it.

The disaster caused by the monsters created by Hanen Group. He stopped it.

...And even her. He saved her.

If we only look at his past actions, he is a villain.

But if we look at his achievements, he could be called a hero without any exaggeration.

Then why does he show such a dual nature?

If he is evil, there's no explanation for why he saves people.

If he is good, there's no explanation for why he causes terrorist attacks.

Actually, the former can be explained.

Why did he save people if he is evil? He explained it to her directly.

The terrorist attacks by his followers were to tarnish his reputation.

The terrorist attack by Alligator Man was because he mentioned him.

The reason he told her to save the people on the plane was to intensify their confrontation.

The terrorist attack by Monkey Spanner at the hotel was just because he felt like it.

The disaster caused by the monsters created by Hanen Group was to prevent his attention from being taken away.

Yes, there are reasons.

The reasons he explained in detail.

If these reasons are just excuses, it might be an overreaction.

No, let's assume they are true.

If all the good things he has done are as he explained, and he is actually an evil villain.

But even so.

How can he explain risking his own life to save her?

"Ha...."

Actually, her true feelings are.

It's hard to see Egoistic as a simple evil person.

No, whether he is evil or good, she owes him. He saved her when she was in mortal danger.

But it's hard to say he isn't a bad guy, given the terrorist attacks and the killings of other villains he has caused.

But if he isn't a bad guy...

"Ugh...."

Yes.

This is an unsolvable problem.

In fact, just thinking about Egoistic makes her head spin and her heart feel dizzy.

He is a bad guy, right? But he has done many good things too? Why did he save her?

And the most important thing is.

Deep down in her heart, in the realm of intuition.

For some reason, she keeps leaning towards the idea that he isn't really an evil person.

There is no logic or evidence in her heart.

It's just a feeling that keeps echoing.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding...

Maybe there's a deeper meaning behind the terrorist attacks Egoistic has caused...

"I must be crazy."

She shook off her thoughts and took a sip of water from the glass beside her.

Now, she even has such absurd thoughts.

"...."

And as she thinks about Egoistic in various ways.

She always ends up with one thought.

Is he okay now?

Actually, it's an absurd thing.

A hero worrying about a villain. If it were to get out, it would be a laughingstock.

...No. Considering Egoistic's popularity, it might not be that bad. Anyway.

Her thoughts about Egoistic always end in worry about him.

He was seriously injured.

If he doesn't get treated immediately, it could...

No. Before that, is it even a treatable injury?

When she last saw him, he had a huge wound, almost a hole in his chest.

...How could there be a way?

He must have some confidence to act so recklessly?

...No way. He couldn't have died like that.

Saving her, so pointlessly.

"....."

No.

She reminded herself to stop feeling depressed.

Egoistic, that guy with so many secrets, couldn't have fallen so pointlessly. He must be resting somewhere.

Even as she rationalizes this, she feels like she's doing something wrong, thinking about a villain as a hero.

...This isn't worrying about a villain. It's just that he saved her. Yes. Even if he is a villain, he shouldn't die like that; he should face the judgment of the law. Yes.

"Ha..."

She is worried, but.

It's hard to control her worry.

So, she just keeps agonizing.

...Yes. I need to confirm he's alive first. I need to confirm that Egoistic is alive.

With this logic, she went to Egoistic's fan cafe again today.

Maybe there will be some news about whether he's alive and what he's doing...

*

[Read before joining) Complaining about a month? Last time it was almost half a year lol]

[Thank you, Egoistic, for the mango stick... Day 26]

[Just wait patiently, he will return... Wait for him...]

[Highlights of the last horror broadcast ver.7]

[What? The clip was deleted?]

[What to do now?]

[I had a dream that Egoistic came to our university festival today]

*

Seeing the same useless posts every time, she sighed softly.

Yes, she will naturally know if he is alive when he causes another terrorist attack.

So, today as well.

In a sense.

The hero was waiting for the day the villain would cause a terrorist attack.

***

"I won't cause terrorist attacks directly for a while."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll live quietly for a while, so... please... please stop asking!"

"You made the right decision. After all the physical strain, you should take care of yourself for a while."

"Formal speech is for later... Anyway, I won't cause the next terrorist attack myself."

"What? Then how will you do it?"

"I'll outsource it."

I smiled after saying that.

Yes, how long do I have to keep running around and causing terrorist attacks myself?

To those who are waiting for my terrorist attacks.

There won't be any for a while!

***

[Ms. Shin Haru, you have been promoted to a loyal member of the 'Egoistic Official Fan Cafe'. Congratulations!]

".....Ah."