I Became The Villain The Hero Is Obsessed With - Chapter 36
Chapter 36 – Let’s Go on a Trip
“Alright, let’s go!”
We set out from our home in the SUV I had bought a while ago. Our destination was Busan. Seo-eun mentioned she had never seen the sea before, so we decided to take this opportunity to visit.
“Oppa, can’t we just take the KTX now?”
Seo-eun, sitting in the backseat, grumbled.
“Seo-eun, do you see the bags in the trunk behind you? They’re filled with guns and such. How do you expect us to board a train with those?”
“Seriously, how much stuff did you pack for just a 2-night trip?”
Seo-eun turned her head to inspect the bags in the trunk. It was dangerous for her to do that while I was driving.
“Oppa, what’s this mask? I’ve never seen it before.”
Seo-eun pulled out a mask from one of the bags. It wasn’t the half-face mask I usually wear, but one that covered the entire face.
“We don’t know what might happen there. Just in case, I thought we should have something to cover our faces.”
Ms Su-bin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked with a puzzled look.
“Didn’t you get your face recognition suppressed?”
“Oh, I didn’t. Neither Seo-eun nor I have had our faces exposed to the public yet.”
“Ah…”
Ms Su-bin trailed off. Come to think of it, she was the only one among us who had her face recognition suppressed for this trip. And I was the one who broadcast her face to the public. Hmm. Let’s not talk about this. It makes me feel sorry.
Only Seo-eun was carefreely playing with her phone in the backseat. It must be nice to be so carefree.
And so we drove towards Busan. Driving for 5 hours was incredibly tiring.
***
“The sea!”
We arrived at Haeundae Beach. Seeing Seo-eun so happy made me feel good.
She ran off to play, and I spread out a mat and sat under a parasol. I was too tired to stand. I needed to sit for a while.
Ms Su-bin, sitting next to me, bought two drinks and handed one to me.
The sun was shining brightly, and there weren’t many people on the beach. It was best to travel on weekdays.
Ms Su-bin took a sip from her drink, brushed her hair behind her ears, and said,
“The last time I saw the sea, I was very young.”
“It’s been a while for me too.”
It felt like the first time I had seen it since I arrived in this world. Of course, the sea was just the sea, but looking at it gave me a sense of relief.
In this world, I had dealt with four villains and committed three acts of terror. I had been living too hectically.
It’s good to have chaos, but sometimes you need a good rest.
“I’m always grateful to you, Mr Da-in.”
While I was… what should I call it? Spacing out? Staring at the sea, Ms Su-bin quietly spoke.
“Grateful? For what?”
“Just… everything. For sparing my life at the beginning, for treating me well.”
“Haha, what are you talking about? I should be the one thanking you. You always take care of the house and even assist Seo-eun.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Ms Su-bin smiled softly after saying that. What’s with this atmosphere? Is this some kind of sign? In comics, people who say things like this either die or betray the next volume. I’m scared!
Before I could ask her why she was acting like this, Seo-eun, who had run off to see the sea, returned.
“You’re back already? Did you see everything?”
“Yes. But it’s not too different from the seas I’ve seen in games so often. It just feels familiar.”
Oh my… Feeling the real sea felt familiar because she had seen it in games. Was this a positive or negative effect of gaming? I was not sure, but you might need to limit your gaming when we get back.
“Still, walking on the sandy beach with bare feet felt new. I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars.”
I had never seen someone rate a beach visit. But she should at least give it a solid 4!
“Shall we go eat then?”
Let’s do that.
***
We came to a ‘gukbap1rice mixed into a meat broth‘ restaurant. When you think of Busan, you think of ‘gukbap.’
“Oppa, it says here to pour the radish kimchi juice into the gukbap. Is that for real?”
“Hmm. If you want to eat it that way, go ahead.”
“I don’t like it.”
Seo-eun actually poured the radish kimchi juice into her gukbap. Why would she do that?
“It’s actually good.”
Surprisingly, Seo-eun found it palatable. Was it? Maybe it was a matter of taste.
Well, seeing her eat well was good. It’s better to occasionally enjoy a meal like this, with the pot steaming, than to always eat homemade food. The gukbap here had a lot of meat in it, which was great.
The TV hanging on the wall of the restaurant was broadcasting the news.
[The Association has issued a condemnation statement against the A-class villain EgoStick, stating, ‘We are doing our best to catch him.’ However, the investigation is facing challenges due to his ability to teleport and manipulate information networks. Netizens have reacted with comments like ‘EgoStick is scary,’ and ‘Have you seen the fight between Stardust and EgoStick? It’s legendary…’]
Just my luck, they were talking about me. But something seemed off about this news…? While I was distractedly watching my face on the screen, Seo-eun, who was eating in front of me, asked,
“Oppa, why did you name yourself EgoStick?”
I almost choked on my radish kimchi. What is she talking about so loudly in a crowded place?
I quickly glanced around, but fortunately, it seemed no one was paying much attention to us.
Seeing my flustered face, Seo-eun seemed to realise something and pulled something out of her pocket.
“Don’t worry. I brought a noise-cancelling device because you told me not to talk about our identities in public places.”
She placed something that looked like a small walkie-talkie on the table.
“What’s this?”
As I asked carefully, she shrugged and said,
“It makes sure only we can hear our conversation.”
“Oh? When did you make this?”
“When you told me not to talk about our identities in public, I searched at home and found a blueprint. Han-eun Group has everything.”
“That’s amazing.”
“So, why did you name yourself EgoStick?”
Seo-eun asked with a mischievous smile. Didn’t she ask this before?
“It’s derived from ‘Egoistic,’ which means selfish. Doesn’t it come to mind right away?”
“No, it just seems like you added ‘Stick’… But why did you drop the ‘i’ in the middle?”
“Why did I drop it? I… just did?”
‘Stardust’ was also shortened to ‘Stardus.’ Why can’t I shorten ‘Egoistic’ to ‘EgoStick’?2This is a shortening in Korean, as every syllable is another letter.
“Also, Stardus… Honestly, I don’t know why she dropped the ‘t’ from Stardust… Wouldn’t it have been better if you just dropped ‘tick’ and named yourself ‘Egois’? That sounds much better.”
“If I was with you when you were choosing the name, I could have chosen a better one. It’s a pity.”
Ms Su-bin, who was quietly eating next to us, also chimed in.
“If you keep this up, I’ll change my name to MangoStick. In my next terror act, I’ll say in front of the camera, ‘Welcome to MangoStick’s Mango Show.'”
“That sounds cute! I’m all for it!”
Seo-eun’s bright laughter made my heart sink. I was just joking… It was just a joke.
The news on the TV had moved on from my story.
[Breaking News: A-class hero Shadow Walker has reportedly collapsed. The Association stated that ‘overuse of his abilities during the day for special activities’ was the cause and promised prompt treatment. Netizens have reacted with comments like ‘The Association’s incompetence is frightening,’ ‘Is he faking it?’ and ‘The Association’s leader should take responsibility for this security gap and resign.’]
“Why did he suddenly collapse?”
I stared at the TV in dismay. It couldn’t be because of him moving Stardus to Jeju Island, could it? If it were because of that, I’d feel guilty.
[Stardus’s fan club, ‘Stardust Group,’ has seen a rapid increase in membership. Established after the recent aeroplane incident, the club surpassed 100,000 members in just a few days. It is quite unusual for a hero to have a fan club in South Korea.]
“Wow!”
I stopped eating and focused on the TV. Yes, I knew it! All my efforts paid off!
“You seem happier about this than when your fan club was established. Seriously. Someone might think you’re Stardus’s father.”
Seo-eun teased me from across the table. Did I show my excitement too much?
[Another breaking news: Experts have announced their preliminary findings on EgoStick’s recent aeroplane incident, stating that ‘it doesn’t seem like a bomb exploded.’ Although the exact details cannot be confirmed since the plane has sunk into the sea, experts say there are no signs of an explosion based on the last available images. Efforts are underway to salvage the sunken plane, and more details will be provided.]
“Shit, how can they not know that?”
The world seemed to be against me.
“Oppa, just give up. The current top trending hashtag is ‘#Believed_in_MangoStick’.”
Seo-eun showed me the horrifying truth on her phone. No, this couldn’t be real.
“Wait a minute. Whether I detonated the bomb or not, I did cause the plane to crash. Are there still people defending me?”
“They say you must have had a bigger plan. After all, there were no civilian casualties, right? The support from Mango Group is tremendous.”
“Does that even make sense? Despite what I did?”
“It’s surprising to me, too. Did they all take some kind of drug? Their support is abnormal. Look at this.”
“What is it?”
I took the phone from Seo-eun.
===
[MangoStick <— If you believe in him, upvote. lol]
First of all, me. lol
[Upvotes] 1355 [Downvotes] 32
[For real, lol. Who didn’t believe him?]
[Why wouldn’t he use a bomb? He probably did it to save everyone. lol]
[I agree he had bigger plans in mind.]
===
“Seo-eun, where did you find this post?”
“Mr Da-in, look at this. It’s a post from my school’s community.”
“What is that?”
===
[Author] Anonymous
[Title] An interview with the aeroplane passengers is out!
(Reporter) How was it?
(Passenger 1) Oh, it was scary. But after landing, I felt it was a meaningful experience. Should I say it reminded me of the preciousness of life? It felt like riding a slightly scary roller coaster.
(Passenger 2) It was kind of fun. The descent was thrilling. But, well, we safely arrived on Jeju Island, had fun, and returned home.
Rollercoaster. lol
[Anonymous 1] The passengers are so chill.
[Anonymous 2] The country of real men, South Korea
[Anonymous 3] For real, lol. If you ride a roller coaster, you shouldn’t be scared. lol
ㄴ[Anonymous4] Rollercoaster for real. lol
===
My reaction was simple.
“The world has gone mad.”
It was the end of time. The end.
*
After finishing our meal, we went sightseeing. We visited the Gukje Market and stopped by other famous eateries.
Before we knew it, it was night.
“Seo-eun, did you book a hotel?”
“Of course! I booked a 5-star hotel.”
“Oh, what’s its name?”
“It’s called the Signature Hotel.”
“Really? Sounds familiar…”
“It’s the biggest, most famous, and most expensive hotel in Busan! It was hard to get a reservation.”
“Good job. Let’s go and rest.”
I was so exhausted, damn it. Sigh. I needed to rest and sleep.
It was nice to relax after constantly causing chaos. There wouldn’t be any incidents for a while, right?
***
A dark space. People heavily armed with guns were lined up.
In front of them, a man who seemed to be their leader spoke.
“Tonight, we will raid Busan. Understand?”
“”Yes sir!””
“Where did I say our unit would strike?”
“You said the Busan Signature Hotel, sir!”
The soldiers’ shouts filled the room.
***
Hmm. There wouldn’t be any incidents, right?
“I have a bad feeling…”
“Oppa, stop mumbling and come quickly.”
“Alright…”
Well, even if something happened, it probably wouldn’t be today.
Translator Notes
- 1rice mixed into a meat broth
- 2This is a shortening in Korean, as every syllable is another letter.