Chapter 96

A Peaceful Daily Life

Desolate streets.

Collapsing buildings.

"No... please... get up... Ri..."

"...B...Bro!... Get up... quick... come on..."

"...I... can't... do anything... with my... strength..."

And, noises coming from somewhere.

And.

"Cough... I... apologize..."

"...L...L... third line... please..."

Muttering and, sobs heard again.

"Y... You... aren't... going to... die... right?... H... Huh..."

"......"

"...Sorry..."

"...I... can't... give up... can't... let you go..."

Creeeeak.

"Aaaah!"

Ha, ha.

I woke up in the middle of the night and got out of bed.

...No, damn it. What time is it now?

"...It's 3 AM."

I mumbled with my eyes still closed.

When I came to my senses, my back was drenched in sweat.

...I don't remember, but it seems like I had a nightmare.

To wake up from a nightmare at this age.

"Ha..."

I sighed without realizing it.

...Am I unconsciously feeling some kind of anxiety? Why am I having such dreams?

Thinking about it, I've been jolting awake even when I'm just sitting still lately. Just a sudden chill.

Maybe I'm really exhausted? Or maybe a ghost has attached itself to me?

If this keeps up, I should go back to that witch and get an exorcism. In this world, where almost anything you imagine can exist, a ghost might really be attached to me.

Sigh. But anyway, I'm already wide awake.

I lifted my head and looked at the window on the wall of my room.

The moon, shining brightly amidst the dim mountains, was the only light in my room.

...For some reason, I'm feeling a sudden sense of early morning melancholy. Men are the most sentimental at 3 AM.

Everyone is probably asleep except for me at this hour.

...Well, since I'm up and can't sleep anyway, and there's no one around.

Maybe I should start writing a bit of it down.

I got out of bed, turned on the light, and sat on the desk.

Then, I took out one of the books from the bookshelf.

This book, which looks ordinary but has metaphysical shapes drawn in light green on a plain diary.

Right. The notebook I received from the green witch, which can't be opened without my permission.

It can only be opened if I die.

"...Hmm..."

And I began to write down the major events that might happen in the future, and things that could lead to destruction if not prevented.

And important settings too. Like the event where time goes back once, or the method to resurrect after dying...

It's good to write these down in advance. You never know what might happen. A first-rate villain prepares everything in advance!

The title of the book could be something like 'Ego Stream Emergency Manual.'

I wrote all night and fell asleep while eating breakfast the next morning, getting scolded by Su-bin.

...I was working late, so it was really unfair...

***

[The government has approved redevelopment of the areas in Busan that were bombed due to the recent terrorist attack. Residents are excited as the regulations have been lifted after ten years.]

A peaceful morning.

In the living room, where only the TV sound could be heard from afar, I was lying on the sofa, dazed.

"Da-in. What are you doing?"

"Ah... I'm sunbathing..."

The warm sunlight coming through the window shone on me as I lay on the sofa, feeling recharged.

I've always liked basking in the sun since I was a child. It's necessary to recharge my Vitamin D.

"Here, have some fruit."

"Ah, thank you."

Meanwhile, the fruit plate given by Su-bin.

I picked up a melon and ate it.

It's crunchy and delicious.

"Ah, Su-bin. Is Seo-eun still downstairs?"

"Yes, Se-hee is also down there."

"Is that so? I wonder what they're doing..."

Lately, they've been whispering to each other and spending every day in the basement.

Seo-eun seems to be making something, and Se-hee is helping her... Sigh. As long as they don't make anything strange.

By the way...

I turned my head and looked out the window next to me.

The window, which is a large glass pane on one side of the living room, offers a view of the surrounding area, making me feel refreshed just by looking at it. It was the thing I liked most when I first moved into this house.

I was dazed, looking at the TV and waiting for a call.

The news on TV was buzzing about the chaos caused by me and Icicle. One peculiar point is that the anchor is enthusiastically explaining how great and capable Icicle is, and how he doesn't kneel even to Starseed.

...Has Lee Seol-a already taken over the broadcasting station?

While I was thinking about it, the phone finally rang.

Looking at my phone, the three words 'Lee Seol-a' appeared on the screen.

I saw it and immediately answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, hello?"

"Ha, I finally have some time. Sorry. I've been so busy with the association and reporters. There are also things I need to push forward immediately..."

"Okay, okay. I understand. But, quickly tell me about what happened. Yesterday, at the end, Starseed, that is, Shin Haru, suddenly appeared. What's going on?"

"...Ha, Haru. Don't even mention it. I was so tense, thinking that our relationship had been exposed."

"Was it exposed?"

"Fortunately, no. They saw us laughing, but it seems they didn't know anything more. I managed to handle it well."

"That's a relief. But, how did he come?"

"How did he come? He came because Shadow made him."

"...What, why did he come? There's no particular reason for him to come, right?"

As I said this, I heard her chuckle slightly on the other end of the phone.

"...Well? You figure it out. I don't know either."

"...Hey, hey."

"Anyway, that's not the important thing, right? Let's talk about the future. What are you going to do from now on?"

Lee Seol-a then naturally changed the subject and asked me about my future plans.

...Something feels off, but I'll just let it go for now.

I answered her straightforwardly.

"What to do? Now more than ever, I need to strengthen my villain alliance. I'll focus on continuously adding new villains to Ego Stream."

"...Alright. While you do that, I'll try to quickly take over the political sphere."

"....I don't think you need to do that so quickly."

"What are you saying? It's better to do it in advance to prevent sudden incidents like the president launching a missile at you. It's all for your sake."

For my sake, my ass. It's probably for her ambition.

I just smirked at her transparent words. I don't really mind her being so transparent. It's part of her charm.

We chatted a bit. She mentioned that she would visit my house sometime, and after a while, we ended the call.

Before hanging up, Lee Seol-a casually added one more thing.

"...And you, it's better to focus on Starseed for the time being."

"Huh? What, I was planning to focus on Starseed for a while anyway... Why?"

"...Just because. It will be better for you. I'll hang up now."

Lee Seol-a ended the call after saying that.

...What? So abrupt.

After the call ended, I got up from my seat.

I went out to the balcony by the window.

"Hmm..."

In the original story, Starseed would always open the window of his house and lean out to think whenever he had a problem.

...So I tried it once.

Feeling the clear mountain air and the wind.

I leaned on the railing and thought about my plans.

"From now on..."

Various, powerful villains will keep appearing.

And they will continue to cause chaos. Starseed will struggle to handle the diverse and powerful enemies.

Of course, the situation has changed now.

With me around, some of those villains will be recruited or eliminated by me before they fall, making the situation much better than in the original story. Like with the Leaps in this terrorist attack.

And especially, Starseed has become much stronger.

With his abilities enhanced much earlier than in the original story, he should be able to handle most villains well.

Well, things should go smoothly.

But, anyway.

I stood there, thinking deeply.

Why did Starseed suddenly rush to Busan?

I didn't think about it much because I expected Lee Seol-a to tell me the reason, but now I need to think about it.

"Hmm..."

After thinking for a moment, I quickly came to a conclusion.

Well, it's probably because he feels threatened by me.

There's no other reason.

"Good news!"

I concluded.

If he feels threatened by me, that's a good thing. He will take me more seriously and put in his full effort when dealing with me as his archenemy.

With that thought, I felt relieved and closed the balcony, returning to the living room.

When I came back, I saw Seo-eun sitting on the sofa. She must have come back from the basement.

As soon as she saw me, she made a strange expression and said to me.

"Bro. Do you know you have a new nickname?"

"Another one..."

"Look at this."

Seo-eun handed me her phone.

On the screen was one of the posts from my fan cafe.

*

[EgoStar? EgoTra?]

All of you, scram! 😂😂😂😂😂

<<<IceMango>>> is leaving!

(A photo of Icicle and EgoStick laughing and fighting)

(A gif of EgoStick praising Icicle)

=[Comments]=

[LOL, they both did well 😂😂]

[From today, I'll support IceMango unconditionally]

[IceMango, the chemistry is so good 😂😂😂😂]

[Hey EgoStick, stop playing in Seoul and come to Busan]

[MangoStick, Busan is better than Seoul!]

[If Starseed is <<<Icicle>>, that's so cool 😂😂]

[What are you saying? EgoStick's opponent is Starseed. It's natural to leave it to Starseed, the EgoStick expert. It's not right to pair him with a random hero.]

[@newday313, why are you so defensive?]

[The EgoStar group is putting up a tearful resistance 😂😂]

[Starseed was arrested at his home]

[From his profile, he seems to be a diligent member, but he's part of the EgoStar group. I've never seen him comment before 😂😂😂]

[Can't focus with the blue-haired tanned ruffian 😂😂]

[IceMango, lol 😂😂😂😂 Today's snack is this]

*

"Do you want to have IceMango for a snack today, bro?"

Seeing Seo-eun smirk, I facepalmed.

...Why do I feel like my nicknames are multiplying?