Chapter 30 - The Terror Live

Seoul has so many houses.

Walk down any street and what do you see? Apartments, apartments...

Of course, detached houses can't be left out either.

Among all the houses densely packed across the ground, there's one particular detached house that looks perfectly ordinary.

On the surface, this house appears to have no problems whatsoever.

If you were to stand in front of it and watch who comes and goes through the door, you'd mostly see one woman going in and out, with occasionally a man and a young girl appearing as well.

So you'd think, "Ah, just an ordinary family home," and if you were to go inside...

You'd sense something strange.

Why is the door inside also locked with a passcode?

And even if you opened that door and went further in, you'd still feel something off.

Because the inside of the house is completely empty.

There are a few pieces of furniture, but they're all covered in a thick layer of dust, as if never used.

As if no one had ever lived there.

But then, what about that man and woman who keep coming and going?

Once your thoughts reach that point, you'd feel a chill run down your spine.

"It's a haunted house!" you might scream as you run away.

But actually, this isn't where ghosts live.

The house is just underground.

Deep, deep underground.

Starting from ground level and descending hundreds of meters down, down, down...

You'd find an incredibly vast space.

Dozens of rooms, equipped with all sorts of cutting-edge technology and amenities.

The current number one most influential villain in South Korea.

The number one person teenagers find most attractive.

Forbus's selection for "This Man is Amazing" number one.

The secret underground base where Egostic lives—South Korea's unprecedented villain with hundreds of thousands of fans.

Also known as the Ego-Base.

And I, the leader of this place...

Was currently drafting a plan.

"Alright, if anyone has good ideas, speak up!"

One of the many rooms somewhere in the house.

On a large blackboard attached to the wall, I had written:

[Third Large-Scale Terror Attack Related Meeting]

I wrote it myself.

"What's the purpose of this terror attack? You already have enough recognition, so you want to increase your intimidation factor?"

"Right. There seem to be a lot of people who think I'm good, who see me almost like a hero, and I want to correct that perception. I need them to think of me as impulsive, doing whatever the hell I want—a complete lunatic!"

"Uh... honestly, I think most people already think that to some degree... but okay. In that case, couldn't you just grab random people and massacre them?"

"Seo-eun!"

I looked at Seo-eun in shock.

To say something so terrifying so casually—I've raised this child wrong!

...Come to think of it, Seo-eun was originally a villain. She's just become much more mellow living with me. In the original work, she was the type who debated whether or not to destroy South Korea.

Anyway, this kind of thing needs to be corrected early.

I cleared my throat and spoke.

"What kind of terrible and horrifying thought is that? What did civilians ever do wrong? You can't just go around killing people indiscriminately."

"What? Why are the conditions so strict? You call yourself a villain but have zero deaths—that's more ridiculous."

"Hey now, I've killed plenty of other villains. Just look at Subin's friends—I dealt with them with my own hands, didn't I?"

At those words, I saw Subin flinch for a moment.

Sorry, Subin. Please don't let the hand holding your mug tremble.

"Hmm... fine, I get it. Then how about massacring criminals in prison? They're not civilians."

"Uh... well..."

I have no rebuttal for that?

Wait, I do.

"Seo-eun, looking at people's reactions these days, if we did that, my popularity might actually increase. They'd call it satisfying."

"I guess..."

"And it needs to be something more than just a random terror attack. Like, it should seem like there's a way to escape if you're clever enough? But in the end, they can't escape and everyone ends up dying. That kind of situation is needed. Look at what I've done so far. Prisoner's Dilemma. Trolley Dilemma. Of course, it doesn't have to be a dilemma exactly, but it needs to be a terror attack that requires some brainpower."

"Hmm... that's difficult."

Right? It's hard, isn't it?

This isn't easy. What kind of terror attack should I plan?

I used to be just an ordinary citizen.

I never sat at home thinking about what kind of terror attacks to carry out.

Seo-eun was racking her brain, working hard to devise the next terror attack. Subin beside her also seemed to be quietly thinking.

I planned the previous two terror attacks from start to finish by myself, so the two of them just had to execute them. But now I've run out of ideas and need to harness the power of collective intelligence. Help me!

Oh, I didn't mention this yet.

"Ah, and one more thing. It needs to be a situation where a hero can appear and save everyone at the last moment. Just when everyone's about to die, a hero suddenly appears and rescues them."

"Oh, come on! Why are there so many conditions!"

After hearing that last requirement, Seo-eun finally couldn't contain her frustration and snapped irritably. Subin, who had been listening quietly, spoke for the first time.

"...And that hero is Stardus again, I assume?"

"Hm? Well, yes."

"I see..."

After hearing that, she took a sip of water from the mug she was holding.

Slurp.

"Stardus this, Stardus that. Why don't you just go live with Stardus instead of living with us? Anyone would think you two are already married."

Seo-eun grumbled sarcastically, resting her chin on her hand.

Her face looked rather sulky.

Oh, I've seen this in parenting books before.

I once dreamed of being a teacher, after all.

A must-read for aspiring teachers—I think I saw something similar in Emile.

Children get jealous when their parents show more interest in someone else than in them, wasn't it?

Anyway, I recalled that in situations like this, you're supposed to say something like this.

"Oh, Seo-eun. I'm only calling her to use her as a foil to make myself look better. Why would I do anything for her sake? Obviously, my family and you come first."

"Hmph."

Seo-eun turned her head away sharply, as if sulking, but I could totally see the corners of her mouth turning up, you know?

Raising a kid isn't easy...

Wait, she's in ninth grade—she's not even a kid anymore, is she?

But honestly, Seo-eun.

I am doing all this for Stardus...

Burying that truth—which would cause a bloodbath if revealed—deep, deep down inside, we continued our meeting.

As we tossed around various ideas, Subin came up with a suggestion.

"So far, you've done terrorism on a ship and a train, right? Two incidents?"

"That's right."

"Then it's simple. Next time, do it on an airplane."

"An airplane?"

An airplane, huh.

Hmm. Ship, train, airplane.

A transportation trilogy?

Not bad.

"That's not a bad idea. But how do we bring down a plane? I mean, bringing it down is easy, but we need to put on some kind of dilemma or crazy show before that happens. We also need to give everyone hope that they might survive."

"Oh, then how about this?"

Subin went on to explain her idea.

After hearing her out, I said,

"Subin, are you a genius?"

"Haha..."

And just like that, our next act of terrorism was decided.

Since I'd already warned Stardus that the next attack would happen next month.

Until then, let's prepare perfectly.

***

A flight from Incheon to Jeju Island.

Though it was a small domestic flight, it carried passengers heading to Jeju for their own various reasons.

During the short flight time, people were occupied with different activities.

Some dozed off, others read books, and some watched movies on the displays mounted on the seats in front of them...

Each in their own way, passing the time.

Yes, that's how it was.

Until suddenly, all the lights on the plane went out.

"...?"

Truth be told, even at this point, people didn't think much of it.

However, when the displays in front of the seats suddenly all turned on and the same video began broadcasting to everyone.

Only then did everyone have no choice but to panic.

[THE EGO SHOW]

[Now Live]

"What the hell is this?"

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, complaints erupted from viewers whose movies had been interrupted.

People who had been quietly minding their own business also began looking up, wondering what was going on as the displays in front of them suddenly turned on.

Then suddenly, from the speakers normally used for announcements,

Not the captain's voice. Someone else's voice began to speak.

[Hello, everyone! Welcome to the greatest quiz show on earth happening at 25,000 feet—no! The greatest quiz show in the sky, The Ego Show Live!]

A male voice suddenly rang out from the speakers.

As his words ended, applause began playing from the speakers as if it were a comedy show.

[Wow—clap clap clap clap clap.]

The cheerful sound from the speakers contrasted sharply with the chilling atmosphere inside the plane.

"What the hell is going on? Flight attendant! Where's the flight attendant!"

But no flight attendant came.

Just as the passengers finally realized something was terribly wrong.

The voice from the announcement system continued to flow.

[Now, now! Well, for the dramatic tension of the show, there's a bomb attached to the plane! If you try anything funny... boom! Oops, better be careful, right?]

Even before his words finished, screams filled the cabin from all directions. Anyone who had heard of Egostic even once knew he didn't make empty threats.

Amid the countless screams, the voice from the speakers merely continued cheerfully.

[Now then, let's start the game!]

***

[Stardus, are you watching the broadcast Egostic started? That bastard's committing another act of terror...]

"Yes, I'm watching it right now."

What the hell is that bastard doing now?