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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Ego Show
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Seoul truly has many houses.
If you look around the streets, all you see are apartments, apartments...
Of course, single-family homes are also not to be forgotten.
Among the houses that densely fill the ground.
There is a seemingly ordinary single-family home.
This house, seemingly unremarkable from the outside.
If you were to stand before it and watch who emerges from the door.
You would mostly see one woman coming and going, and occasionally a man and a young girl.
So, if you thought it was just an ordinary family home and decided to go inside.
You would sense something strange.
Why are even the inner doors locked with passcodes?
And even if you were to open those doors and go inside, you would feel something even stranger.
Because the inside of that house is empty.
There are a few pieces of furniture, but they are thickly covered in dust, as if they've never been used.
As if no one has ever lived there.
But then, what about the man and woman who were coming and going?
Once that thought crosses your mind, you might feel a shiver crawl up your spine.
You might even scream, "It's a haunted house!" and run away.
But actually, no ghosts live here.
The house is simply underground.
Deep, deep underground.
If you start from the surface and descend hundreds of meters down, down.
You will find an incredibly vast space.
Equipped with dozens of rooms, all sorts of high-tech equipment, and amenities.
Currently, the most influential villain in South Korea.
The number one figure most attractive to teenagers.
Forbes' "Most Impressive Man" selection.
This is the secret underground base where Egoistic, an unprecedented villain in South Korea with hundreds of thousands of fans, lives.
Also known as Ego-Base.
And I, the leader of this place.
Was currently planning.
"Alright, if you have any good ideas, speak up!"
One of the many rooms somewhere in the base.
On the large whiteboard affixed to its wall.
[3rd Large-Scale Terror Attack Meeting] was written.
I wrote it.
"What's the purpose of this terror attack? You already have enough recognition, so you want to increase intimidation?"
"Exactly. It seems many people now believe I'm good, almost seeing me as a hero, and I want to correct that perception. I want them to think of me as impulsive, doing whatever I please, a complete lunatic!"
"Um... actually, I think most people already think that to some extent... Alright. But then, couldn't you just grab anyone and massacre them?"
"Seo-eun!"
I flinched and looked at Seo-eun.
How could she say such a terrifying thing so casually? I've raised her wrong!
...Come to think of it, Seo-eun was originally a villain. She's just mellowed out a lot living with me. In the original story, she was the type of kid who'd just casually decide whether or not to destroy South Korea.
Anyway, this kind of thing needs to be taught early.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
"What kind of dreadful, terrifying thought is that? What did civilians ever do? You shouldn't just go around killing people indiscriminately."
"No, why are your conditions so strict? It's funnier that you're a villain with zero casualties."
"Oh, come on, I've killed a few other villains. I personally dealt with Soo-bin's friends, didn't I?"
As I said that, I saw Soo-bin flinch for a moment.
Sorry, Soo-bin, don't let your hand holding the mug tremble.
"Hmm... Alright, I get it. Then what about massacring criminals in prison? They're not civilians."
"Uh... hmm..."
I have no counter-argument?
No, I do.
"Seo-eun, but judging by people's reactions these days, if we did that, our popularity might actually go up. They'd call it a refreshing dose of justice."
"Is that so..."
"And it needs to be more than just a random, reckless attack. It has to be the kind of situation where it seems like there might be a loophole to escape, but ultimately, no one can escape, and everyone faces death. Look at the things I've done so far. The Prisoner's Dilemma. The Trolley Problem. Of course, it doesn't have to be a dilemma to that extent, but it needs to be a terror attack that requires some thought."
"Hmm... that's difficult."
Right? It's hard, isn't it?
This is not easy. What kind of terror attack should I plan, anyway?
I was originally just an ordinary citizen.
I never thought about what kind of terror attack I should cause while sitting at home.
Seo-eun was furrowing her brow, diligently conceptualizing the next terror attack. Soo-bin, who had been listening quietly, also seemed to be deep in thought.
The first two terror attacks, I planned from start to finish, so they just had to execute them. But now I've run out of ideas, so I have to resort to the power of collective intelligence. Help me!
Oh, I forgot to mention this.
"Oh, and. It has to be a situation where a hero can appear just in time to save everyone from a desperate situation. Right before everyone dies, a hero suddenly swoops in and rescues them."
"Oh, come on! Why are there so many conditions?!"
Upon hearing that, Seo-eun finally couldn't hold back her irritation and burst out in annoyance, and Soo-bin, who had been listening quietly, spoke for the first time.
"...And that hero, is it Stardus again?"
"Huh? Well, yes."
"Hmm..."
She listened until that point, then took a sip of water from the mug she was holding.
Slurp.
"It's always Stardus, Stardus. Why don't you just go live with Stardus instead of us? Anyone would think you're already married."
Seo-eun rested her chin on her hand and spoke sarcastically.
Her face looked somewhat pouting.
Oh, I've seen this in parenting books.
I used to dream of becoming a teacher, you know.
I think I read something similar in *Emile*, a must-read for aspiring educators.
It said children get jealous when their parents show more interest in others than in them, didn't it?
Anyway, I think it said to say something like this in such situations.
"Oh, Seo-eun. I just call her up to highlight myself by having an opposite position, do you really think I'd do anything for her? Of course, our family and you come first."
"Hmph."
Seo-eun turned her head away as if sulking, but I could clearly see the corners of her lips twitching upwards.
Raising a kid isn't easy...
No, wait, she's in her third year of middle school, isn't she not really a kid anymore?
But actually, Seo-eun.
It's true that everything I do is for Stardus...
The truth, which would cause a bloodbath if revealed, was carefully tucked away deep down, and we continued our meeting.
As we were throwing around various ideas, Soo-bin came up with one.
"The terror attacks you've conducted so far. A ship, a train. Those are the two, right?"
"That's right?"
"Then it's simple. Next, we should terrorize an airplane."
"An airplane?"
An airplane, huh.
Hmm. If we do a ship, a train, and an airplane.
Is it a transportation trilogy?
Not bad.
"Not bad. But how do we make the plane fall? I mean, making it fall is easy, but before that, we need to show a dilemma or a crazy show, and then make it fall. And we also need to give everyone hope that they might survive."
"Ah, then how about this?"
Soo-bin continued her explanation.
After hearing all that, I said.
"Soo-bin, are you a genius?"
"Haha..."
And with that, our next terror attack was decided.
I'd already warned Stardus that I'd launch a terror attack next month.
Until then, I should prepare perfectly.
***
A plane heading from Incheon to Jeju.
Though it was a small domestic flight, everyone on board was heading to Jeju for their own reasons.
During the short flight, people were doing various things.
Some were taking a nap, some were reading a book, or watching a movie on the display in front of their seats...
Everyone was passing the time in their own way.
Yes, they were.
Until suddenly, all the lights on the plane went out.
"...?"
To be honest, people didn't think much of it at this point.
However, when the displays in front of all the seats suddenly turned on, and the same video was broadcast to everyone.
Only then did everyone gasp in surprise.
[THE EGO SHOW]
[Now Live]
"What is this?"
In the sudden situation, grumbles followed from viewers whose movies had been interrupted.
Even those who had been quietly minding their own business started looking up as the displays in front of them turned on, wondering what was happening.
Then suddenly, from the speakers normally used for announcements,
A voice that was not the pilot's. Someone else's voice began to speak.
[Hello everyone! The greatest quiz show on Earth happening at an altitude of 25,000 feet. No! The greatest quiz show in the sky, welcome to The Ego Show Live!]
A male voice suddenly boomed from the speakers.
When his words ended, applause, as if from a comedy show, also started playing through the speakers.
[Wow—. Clap clap clap clap clap.]
The cheerful sound from the speakers contrasted sharply with the chilling silence that had fallen over the plane.
"No, what is this? Flight attendant! Where's the flight attendant!"
But no flight attendant came.
Finally, when the passengers realized something was wrong.
The voice from the announcement continued to flow.
[Alright, alright! First off, to add dramatic tension to the show, there are bombs attached to the plane! If you try anything funny... Boom! Oh dear, it's best to be careful, isn't it?]
Even before his words ended, screams filled the cabin. Anyone who had heard of Egoistic knew he wasn't one to make empty threats.
Amidst the countless screams, he simply continued to speak with a cheerful smile from the speakers.
[Now, let's begin the game!]
***
[Stardus, are you watching the broadcast Egoistic just started? That guy is terrorizing again...]
"Yes, I'm watching it now."
What is that guy doing again?