Chapter 95

Obsession

Lee Seol-a.

To her, today was the best day she had had in a long time.

It was the day she showcased herself, alongside the man she had targeted, Egoistic, as they quelled a terrorist attack in front of the entire nation.

Not only did this boost her previously lackluster recognition and reputation, but it was also the perfect opportunity to link Icicle and Egoistic.

Moreover, the terrorist operation was flawlessly executed according to the plan they had made together, and already, the stock prices of her company were showing signs of rising. It was a perfect day.

...Except for the fact that Egoistic seemed much more exhausted than she had expected, which worried her, it was truly perfect.

Yes, it was perfect until the moment her friend Stardust suddenly appeared where she and Egoistic had been.

"....."

Swallow.

Lee Seol-a, seeing Stardust gradually approaching her, involuntarily swallowed.

Just a moment ago, Egoistic, who had been laughing and chatting with her, was now hastily fleeing with his ship.

And Lee Seol-a was left alone to face Stardust.

And soon, the day when she had to deal with Stardust arrived.

And the expression on that day's face was...

"......"

Completely expressionless.

...Extremely frighteningly so.

'...C, Could he have heard something?'

Seeing that expression, Lee Seol-a began to feel slightly tense.

She had known Day for several years.

Even after such a long time of being by Day's side, this was almost the first time she had seen him with such a cold, expressionless face.

But who was Lee Seol-a?

She was a seasoned person who had navigated the business and political worlds.

Panicking over such a situation was a rookie mistake.

Therefore, Lee Seol-a forced a smile and spoke to Day as if she were surprised.

"Oh, Day! What's the matter? How did you know I was here..."

"What did you two talk about?"

And such efforts by Lee Seol-a were sunk by Day's cold, expressionless one-liner, cutting her off.

Though his demeanor remained calm, Lee Seol-a noticed something different amidst it all.

...His eyes, which were unusually sunken, and the cold, expressionless tone of his voice, which she could hardly believe came from him.

Lee Seol-a was on the verge of losing her composure, but with superhuman effort, she managed to speak without stammering, still smiling.

"Uh? Oh, you saw that? It's nothing, Egoistic was just provoking me, so I responded. Haha... By the way, Day, weren't you in Seoul? How did you get to Busan..."

"You were smiling?"

And once again, Day cut her off.

"...You two, were smiling while talking?"

Looking at Day, who was still expressionless and sunken, Lee Seol-a felt as if her soul was being stripped away, but she managed to open her mouth and respond as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh, that? We were just mocking each other, so it looked like we were smiling. It's nothing."

Lee Seol-a thought she had answered naturally.

But without looking at her, Day, who was slightly twisting her side hair, already sensed something.

"......"

Then, he quietly looked down at Lee Seol-a and turned his head to look to the side.

There, in the distance, the airship Egoistic was on was seen rapidly moving away.

As soon as he confirmed this, Day turned his body and prepared to fly in that direction, to catch up with the ship.

And just as she was about to fly.

Someone grabbed her arm, which had just pushed off the air, and stopped her.

".....?"

"Day? Where are you going?"

Lee Seol-a, who had hastily stopped Stardust from heading towards Egoistic.

And at that moment.

A chilling word, which she could hardly believe came from Day, pierced her.

"Let go."

The instantaneous, almost murderous tone made her flinch and almost let go of his arm.

But she held on, standing firm and continued speaking.

...If she let Day go and Egoistic met him, who knows what could happen. Really.

With a firm resolve to stop her, Lee Seol-a calmly spoke to Day.

"Day. Egoistic said that if he chased him, he would bomb Busan. I don't think you should chase him. Think about the people below! R, right?"

Initially, she spoke with strength, but as she continued, her voice faltered as Day's expression grew colder.

Thus, an uncomfortable silence fell as Lee Seol-a still held onto Stardust's arm.

After a brief moment.

Day finally relaxed his arm.

"....Okay? Then there's nothing I can do."

Immediately, he returned to his usual, seemingly carefree self.

And taking advantage of this, Lee Seol-a opened her mouth again to suggest to Day.

"...Then, Day, since the misunderstanding seems to be cleared up, shall we go back? People are waiting."

"Sure. Oh, and I don't think it would be good for me to show myself to the people, so I'll go back first. Got it?"

"U... Yeah."

With that, Day gave Lee Seol-a a slight smile and, in an instant, flew off in the opposite direction, towards the city.

And watching her back.

Lee Seol-a finally let out a sigh, and her body, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed, almost collapsing onto the ice platform where she stood.

"Phew... Really."

She had endured for ten years.

Seeing Day's astonishingly cold and expressionless face for the first time in her life, Lee Seol-a momentarily tensed, thinking their relationship with Egoistic had been exposed.

If it were discovered that all this terrorism was a staged act between her and Egoistic, she couldn't even imagine how Stardust would react.

But fortunately, from the atmosphere, it seemed he hadn't noticed that much. It seemed he had only seen them laughing and talking.

"...Huh?"

Thinking up to this point, Lee Seol-a realized something was off.

Just because of that, he created such a terrifying atmosphere? He had such a cold expression?

...Day wasn't usually like that?

"Hold on... Could this be...?"

Continuing to think, Lee Seol-a realized something and involuntarily smiled.

Could it be that Day...

***

On the sea, where a cold wind was blowing.

Day was flying over the sea, avoiding the inland where people had gathered.

"....."

From Seoul to Busan.

She had convinced the Association President to activate the Shadow Walker and moved to Busan in one go.

And the moment she arrived, what she saw was...

Egoistic and Icicle, who had just finished the terrorist attack, laughing and chatting.

Grinding her teeth.

Recalling that scene again, Day clenched her teeth without realizing it.

...Why did just thinking about that scene make her blood boil?

"....Right."

After a while, Day, who had calmed down a bit, took a deep breath and composed herself.

...I overreacted to Seol-a just now. I should apologize to her later.

However.

Separate from that.

She recalled Seol-a's face, which had been relaxed and smiling.

...No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't a face she should have made in front of a villain.

But, well. It could be.

Egoistic.

Thinking of Egoistic's face, which had been smiling as he faced Seol-a.

Feeling her face stiffen again, Day... felt the memories of all the times she had met Egoistic flash back.

His voice, which suddenly contacted her when she had given up and was in despair, saying he could do it and believing in her without a doubt.

His expression, which smiled weakly as he sacrificed himself to save her and embraced her injuries.

His arms, which held her protectively in the air when she lost her strength and was about to fall.

...Right.

Right. Maybe, just maybe.

If it were a different, weaker, more innocent, and ordinary woman.

She might have fallen for Egoistic.

Like Icicle, who had started smiling in front of him, even though she rarely did.

Like her, who laughed foolishly without knowing anything about his secrets or the reasons behind his terrorism.

"....Ha."

Only then.

Did she realize.

Right.

She finally understood why she kept thinking about him.

She was the only one who wouldn't be swayed by his manipulations.

She was the only one who could firmly capture him, no matter what he did.

She was the only one who could uncover his secrets without being swayed by his actions.

So.

He was someone she alone had to face.

Only she could face him.

"....."

It had been quite a while since Egoistic and Stardust had been linked.

The emotions, thoughts, and speculations she had accumulated over time while meeting him converged.

A conclusion about Egoistic formed within Stardust.

"Egoistic..."

Egoistic. He was.

Someone only she could face.

Her own.

Her own villain.

***

"What... What is this?"

"Why are you like this, Boss?"

While fleeing with the airship to avoid Stardust, I shivered involuntarily, feeling a chill run down my spine.

"No, wait..."

I had a bad feeling.

What is this?

I shivered with an inexplicable sense of unease.

Lately, I've been feeling sudden surges of intensity, but...

Today, it feels even more intense.

"What is this...."

I just muttered to myself.

Unconsciously, the genre of this world, based on the hero manga "Stardust!", began to change.