Chapter 54 - Money Duplication
[Title] F*ck, isn't Egostic actually insane?
If 5 million people actually get paid like he said, isn't that over 50 billion won? That's crazy, is he some kind of walking mid-sized company? LOL.
=[Comments]=
[Anon1] Fr LOL I seriously don't know what his deal is.
[Anon2] There's actually a person who gives you 100,000 won when you say 'If you have that much money, give me 100k'?
[Anon3] Is this a villain? This is a hero LOL.
[Anon4] Hey, it's not 50 billion, it's 500 billion LOL.
└ [Anon5] ?
└ [OP] ???
└ [Anon6] Wow, sh*t, it's true LOL. 100k x 5 million is 500 billion LOL.
└ [Anon7] He's a walking conglomerate LOL.
└ [Anon8] ?? Wait, f*ck, isn't that like a country's monthly budget?
└ [Anon9] Walking nation, shivering.
└ [Anon10] Mango Nation, shivering.
[Anon5] No, but commonly speaking, is it possible to have that much money? Isn't it that you get robbed instead of getting money if you send your account?
└ [Anon2] Nope, I sent my account and got the money LOL. Burp.
└ [Anon5] Can't be helped. F*ck, I'm going to get mine too.
└ [Anon11] Don't take it, you crazy bastard.
*
[Are those guys sending their account numbers crazy?]
Do you have a mind or not?
I'm telling you, the mindset of 'It's just me~' gathers up and ruins everything.
I'm telling you, that bridge will break and the people on it will die.
Do you seriously have no conscience?
[Rec] 23 [Not Rec] 172
=[Comments]=
[Yep~ Already got it]
[Fact #1)]
└ [Even if everyone including your distant cousins participates, we won't pass 5 million in 8 hours]
└ [Fact #2)]
└ [If you don't live in Seoul, you don't care if the bridge breaks or not]
└ [Fact #3)]
└ [If people die, it's because the heroes couldn't save them, why is it because of us? Fr LOL]
└ [Fr LOL]
└ [Fr Stardus will take care of it LOL]
└ [Ah, so, were there any casualties in the terror attacks Egostic caused? LOL]
[As long as it's not meeeeeee]
[After seeing this post, I told my mom, dad, older sister, and brother-in-law to send their accounts right away]
└ [Hey, you too?]
*
[Since we're anonymous, let's confess honestly]
I got the 100,000 won as soon as I watched the video: Upvote.
People come first. I won't take it to live by my conscience: Downvote.
[Rec] 2476 [Not Rec] 51
=[Comments]=
[F*ck look at the upvote/downvote ratio LOL]
[? Didn't everyone send their parents' accounts to get it too?]
[Dinner tonight is prime rib, kya LOL]
[Money is being copied LOL]
***
A nationwide, social participation-type terror attack launched by Egostic.
If previous terror attacks involved people sitting unrelated in their seats, passively watching the terror helplessly...
The terror Egostic launched completely flipped the concept.
A terror where the perpetrators are not 'terrorists', but essentially the 'citizens'.
In this terror, people actively become perpetrators.
Everyone who received 100,000 won from Egostic is a perpetrator and a principal offender of this terror.
As he revealed, a terror to see how selfish humans are.
Actually, if everyone stayed still, this terror would naturally dissolve.
A terror that might not even happen.
However.
The citizens of South Korea did not betray expectations, as always.
[Real-time Search Terms]
Even though he clearly warned that the bridge would collapse if they took the money.
People started indiscriminately sending their accounts to receive money.
And now, with Egostic hijacking the three major terrestrial broadcasters to transmit how to get free 100,000 won.
It was no exaggeration to say that everyone in South Korea who was awake was talking about this.
"Uh, Assistant Manager Kim. What are you doing right now?"
"Ah. Department Head, look at this."
"Hmm? What is this?"
"They say if you send your account here, they just give you 100,000 won. You should try it too, sir."
"What? Really? Wait a sec..."
"Wait, it says if over 5 million people take money, Mapo Bridge explodes? Assistant Manager Kim, isn't this ethically problematic?"
"Oh, come on, Department Head. It's not like 5 million people will appear out of nowhere, and surely 5 million people wouldn't send it by 7 PM tonight? Just the few of us taking it won't even make a dent."
"Is that so? True, 5 million is a lot. Like you said, us doing it... Okay! I'll take it too. Did you already get yours?"
"Good thinking, sir. Yes, our team members already got theirs."
"Really? Then since we got money, tonight is a company dinner! Hahahaha."
"Ah..."
***
"Hello? Cheolsu. Why are you calling?"
[Oh, Mom. Send me yours and Dad's account numbers. Ah. Grandma and Grandpa's too.]
"Huh? Why? You're trying to do something weird again!"
[No. It's because we can get 100,000 won per person right now. Hurry and tell me.]
"Did you get scammed?"
[I said no! Just tell me quickly.]
"Goodness... Alright."
So she sent her account and her family's accounts to her child.
A while later, a notification flew to her.
[Ms. Kim Juhee, 100,000 won has been deposited.]
"Oh my, it's real? Did the kid send allowance?"
Surprised, she checked her banking app.
It only showed that 100,000 won sent by [Ego Squad Co., Ltd.] had been deposited.
"What is Ego Squad?"
Just like that, not only her, but everyone who applied for the amount imprinted the name Ego Squad Co., Ltd. into their minds.
***
[Why is it that only Koreans can participate in this event? It's unfair. I wish they'd let foreigners participate too.]
[It's the first time I've been envious of Korea. To think their villains give money instead of taking it. The villains in our country need to take notes.]
[Did they say his name was Egostic? Unlike his name, he's not a selfish fellow at all.]
[My Korean friends are already bragging about receiving money.]
With the occurrence of an event rare even on a global scale, foreign press and international communities began to focus on the unique terror attack taking place in Korea.
Around the time YouTubers, noticing the reactions from foreign communities, were hurriedly producing content for Nationalist TV.
Egostic, the one who caused this entire fiasco, was sitting aloofly atop the bridge.
While shivering in the cold.
"Achoo."
Sitting on the main pylon atop Mapo Bridge, I let out a cough.
Sss, the weather has been getting chilly lately, and being high up in the sky makes it quite cold.
I considered quickly grabbing a heat pack, but if the paparazzi snapped a photo of me fiddling with a heat pack up here, it would look a bit pathetic.
So, I just sat there shivering, blowing out puffs of white breath. Wait, is it winter already? Why can I see my breath...?
Looking down from the bridge, the view of downtown Seoul is visible at a glance.
Particularly noticeable are the police cars surrounding both ends of the bridge.
It looks like they're blocking access so no one can approach this way.
Seeing that no one is walking on the bridge either, it seems the threat I issued was effective.
I wonder where Stardus is.
She's probably watching from the other side of the bridge, right? Ready to swoop in and save these two cars if things go south.
Hmm.
Looking around Seoul, I can feel the differences.
Although the Seoul from before my possession and the Seoul of this world are nearly identical, there are slight differences visible from this vantage point.
For instance, over there. There used to be a large building in that spot, but here, it's nowhere to be seen. And this bridge... In my memory, didn't Mapo Bridge have those suicide prevention slogans? Instead of those, it's styled like a suspension bridge. Why? Was the author aiming for a dramatic effect when the bridge gets smashed by a monster?
Anyway, thanks to that, I have a place to sit, so I'm grateful.
I went back to shivering and staring blankly into the void.
To others, it might look like I'm spacing out, but in reality, I'm watching the chat window through my mask.
[Used all my family's accounts and got 600,000 won LOL. Total score LOL]
[Ah f*ck, is this limited to one per person? I applied with multiple accounts thinking I could get paid multiple times, but everything except one got rejected.]
[LOL Do you think that would work LOL]
[Breaking News) Government tried to block the site sending accounts to Egostic but failed]
[He's a guy who even hacks broadcasting stations; you think he couldn't prevent that?]
[Tsk tsk... you rascals... have you sold... your conscience... for that petty money!!... Crazy... bastards....]
[Old man, put down the 100,000 won you received in your account and then talk.]
As I killed time watching the chat window like that.
Four hours had already passed.
Hmm, at this point, shall I start again?
I turned the camera back on.
The video, which had only been showing the remaining time and the website for account submission, switched back, suddenly revealing my figure.
Following that, the chat window, where people had been quietly chatting amongst themselves, became lively once more.
[Oh, what is it?]
[Broadcast back ON LOL]
Phew.
It's time to run my mouth again.
"Yes, yes. Good to see you, everyone! Egostic greets you once again. I trust everyone is lightly refusing the 100,000 won for the sake of your conscience, right?"
[Ahem LOL]
[Ah LOL Of course LOL]
[I seriously don't need a mere 100,000 won LOL (I need it)]
[For real even if given I won't take it LOL (Already took it)]
[You bastards, if you're going to write your inner thoughts in parentheses, why are you bluffing LOL]
"Since nearly half the time has passed, and for those of you who are still guarding your conscience, I'm going to attempt a special event."
As I said that, I jumped down from the main pylon and landed on the ground.
Thud—.
My cape fluttered from the impact of the jump.
From amidst the folds of the cape, I grinned and spoke to the camera.
"For this segment, I will be interviewing the people trapped in the cars."
"These people, whom you disregarded without hesitation to get your 100,000 won. These people, too, are someone's precious head of household, a friend, a son, or a daughter."
"I prepared this especially for those of you who took money from me without hesitation and feel no pangs of conscience."
"Please make your choice: will you save these people, or will you fill your wallets with 100,000 won right now?"
Saying that, I began to approach the nearest car.
But here's the thing.
I didn't rig the people inside the cars, so I have absolutely no idea who might be inside.
Praying that a broadcast mishap wouldn't occur, I walked toward the car.
Eh, surely not. I mean, what are the odds a weirdo is sitting inside?