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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Villain's Interview
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Whether the bridge crumbled or people died, the public blindly accepted the 100,000 won.
A special event to raise their awareness and stir their guilt!
If you take the 100,000 won, I will interview the people who are facing death!
I walked towards the car, my first subject.
A camera, levitated by psychokinesis, followed me, recording the entire scene.
Good, the preparations are perfect. Probably.
"Knock, knock. Could you please roll down your window?"
As I tapped on the window, it smoothly slid down.
Through the now-open window, I saw a sturdy-looking man in his twenties.
Phew, thankfully, it wasn't some strange character. Imagine if some random 'North Sea Ice Maiden' or someone like that was in here—things would get a bit awkward. What a relief.
"Oh, hello there! You're doing great. Mind giving us a quick introduction?"
I conducted the interview smoothly, like a recreation host.
There's no point in threatening or scaring anyone here; it would only kill the mood. The trick is to keep things flowing as smoothly as a snake slithering over a wall.
Fortunately, the man picked up on my cue and replied.
"Yes, hello. My name is Choi Young-jin."
The man replied with confidence.
Huh... but wait.
He seems... surprisingly confident?
His demeanor didn't quite fit the life-or-death atmosphere of being caught in the middle of a terrorist attack.
Even with a terrorist who could potentially kill him standing right there, there wasn't a hint of a tremor in his body.
His eyes showed no trace of fear.
In fact, his eyes were surprisingly bright and clear?
I decided to point this out and ask him about it.
It was quite perplexing, you see.
"Alright, Mr. Choi Young-jin. It's a pleasure to meet you. But Young-jin, for some reason, you don't seem scared at all? Aren't you feeling a bit uneasy or anything?"
"Haha. Uneasy, you say?"
The man chuckled, as if I'd said something utterly absurd.
Then he looked me straight in the eye, his gaze shining, and spoke clearly and deliberately.
"What is there to be uneasy about? As long as five million people don't accept the money, this bridge and I will both be safe, won't we? I have faith in the citizens of South Korea. My beloved homeland is bound by the strong bonds of our Korean people, who would never abandon their humanity for a mere bit of capital. There's no reason for me to die, so why should I be afraid?"
The man replied, his eyes clear and bright.
Ugh, his eyes...
They're so pure! Too pure!
It's like his eyes are radiating a halo; stop it!
Is this some kind of ode to humanity or what?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
No, in a past life, perhaps, but the people of South Korea in *this* life don't seem like that at all...
As both the mastermind behind this terror and a fellow South Korean citizen, my conscience began to prick at me.
To think such pure people actually exist in this world.
And judging by the chat window, it seemed I wasn't the only one feeling that pang of conscience.
[Haha]
[I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry]
[Huh... Watis, why does my chest hurt?]
[The triangle in my heart is poking me relentlessly—is this cancer?]
[No. That's a pang of conscience. It means you're becoming human.]
[The 100,000 won... I already took it...]
[I was debating whether to take it, but I've decided not to.]
[F**k, I'm not taking it. That paltry sum can't compare to a human life.]
[No, why aren't you guys *not* taking it? You're making those of us who *did* take it look like the bad guys.]
[Fact) The ones who took it *are* the bad guys.]
[I'm sorry...]
Hmm, still, the mood isn't bad.
What I originally expected were people trembling in fear of dying.
So I was hoping for a scene where the public, seeing that, would feel guilty...
Well, either way, the conclusion for both is that they won't take the money, so I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?
Honestly, the fewer people who take the money, the more it benefits me.
Why? Because whether it hits five million or not, I'm just going to lie and say it did, then blow up the bridge anyway.
...
Well.
There's no helping it. You can't leave life to chance.
I can't just awkwardly say, 'Oh... only four million people signed up? In that case, I'll withdraw...' if it doesn't hit five million, can I? If I don't blow up this bridge, the world—no, Korean society as a whole—will descend into ruin. This *has* to be destroyed.
And even if I claim it's over five million, who's going to demand proof? Are they going to ask me to reveal the bank account list of everyone who took the money? Then the millions who *did* take the money will protect me. Or, more accurately, they'll be trying to protect themselves.
And honestly, the money is a bit of a waste.
Of course, it's true I have an unimaginable amount of money. To put it simply, it's roughly a country's annual budget. After falling into this world, I wandered until I came to my senses. Before meeting Seo-eun, I spent my days earning money using my knowledge of the original story. I'd extort funds from corrupt American corporations, track down and spend money hidden by villains from other countries who died before they could use it... Of course, Seo-eun's help came in handy later, but still.
I do have a lot of money, but burning through over 500 billion won in one go feels a bit much.
Capital will become quite important later on, and it feels like I might be burning a bit too much here...?
Even the money rapidly draining through macros is already several billion won per minute. I guess I overdid it.
Ugh. Seo-eun's nagging about why I spend money like water still rings in my ears like tinnitus. Hayul once fainted trying to count how many zeros were in a few thousand trillion with her fingers. Hmm.
Anyway, the conclusion is that people can afford to take a moderate amount of money.
Honestly, I thought it wouldn't even reach a million people in total. I mean, I gave them such a short window, so even hitting a million would be a stretch.
But the people of this world, as always, effortlessly surpassed my expectations.
[Oppa, over three million people have already taken the money?]
[...What?!]
I recalled the message I'd received from Seo-eun earlier.
Seriously, people! Did you really just toss your consciences to the bottom of the Han River?!
Why are you only so enthusiastic when it comes to *this*...?
Anyway, that's why Choi Young-jin's pure words made my heart ache so much.
Sorry! Those South Korean citizens you trust so much... they've already betrayed you and happily pocketed the money...!!
But I couldn't bring myself to say that to him, not when he was standing right in front of me, his eyes shining with such faith and trust.
I just couldn't bring myself to do it...
"Ahem. Alright. I've heard your story, Mr. Choi Young-jin, about your faith in South Korea. Do you have any final words?"
As I said that, he looked at the camera and spoke with unwavering conviction.
"Citizens of South Korea, I have faith in all of you. You'll help me return home safely, won't you? I'll always love you. Korea, fighting!"
Now he even struck a 'fighting' pose while looking at the camera.
Hmm, this is making my head spin.
Time to escape.
"Alright! Thank you for that. Shall we move on to the next person?"
Just as I was about to make my hasty retreat.
The man inside the car shouted loudly.
"Wait!!!"
"Yes?"
He suddenly called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.
What?
"What is it?"
"Mr. Villain. Did you say Egotistic?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"I've been starving for four hours now. And from what I hear, I'm going to be starving for another four. By any chance, do you have any food?"
Now, with a perfectly confident expression, he was demanding food from me.
Me... I've truly never encountered a character like this in my entire life.
But what's even funnier is this:
Come to think of it, I actually *did* bring food to hand out. I'd completely forgotten.
"Oh, just a moment."
I teleported to the cloth bundle I'd left somewhere on the road.
Right, here it is.
The Ego-Bojagi, containing everything I needed: guns, tear gas, a microphone, and all sorts of other things.
Holding it, I teleported back to the front of the car.
"Just a moment, ah, here we go. Have some cream bread."
"Oh, thank you."
The man took the bread, grinning widely.
He's certainly got a lot of nerve.
[What is this, lolololol]
[A hostage asking a terrorist for food, and the terrorist actually handing over the bread he prepared, lol. Is this for real?]
[This is making my head spin, f**k, lololol]
[Is this even a villain? lolol]
[No matter how you look at it, Mangostick is definitely a hero who does villainous things as a hobby.]
[For real, even trying to destroy the bridge has some deep meaning, lolol]
[The friendly neighborhood villain who buys you food, lolol]
Anyway, my business with this car was truly finished now.
I trudged over to the next car.
Ugh... I barely even exchanged a few words, but I feel utterly drained, utterly drained.
"Alright, now I'm going to meet the next hostage. I'm curious to see who will greet me this time."
I said that to the camera and walked towards the next car.
This time, I really hope it's a normal person.
You know, people who are actually *scared*? If you're caught as a hostage by a terrorist, facing life or death, shouldn't you be a bit tense and terrified? Shouldn't you?
Clinging to that hope, I walked towards the car.
Unlike the sedan where the previous man had been sitting all by himself, this car was a large SUV.
Oh, a little more hope sparked within me.
Could it be a family on a leisure trip? Parents trembling in fear themselves, trying to protect their children... perfect for stirring people's guilt.
Please, let me save some money.
However, as I approached the SUV, I couldn't help but realize my hope was increasingly futile.
As I got closer to the car, faint music became audible.
And it was some kind of boisterous rock music.
...Something feels very ominous about this.
But I'm a professional; I knocked on the car door anyway.
"Knock, knock. Hello. Could you please roll down your window?"
No sooner had I knocked than the window rattled down.
And simultaneously, a loud metal sound assaulted my ears.
"Kyaaaaaaaak!!! Mangostick!!!!"
"Oh my god, it's really him, the real deal, this is insane."
"I'm a Mangostick fan!!!!"
"Mango! Mango! Mango! Mango!"
They were female college students, screaming with piercing shouts.
...I'm going insane, seriously.