-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Alive and Well
-----------------------------------------------------------------
An empty space.
Filled with a pure white light.
From that strange place, a voice echoed.
Child... only you... can...
I beg you.
Please... this world...
...I'm sorry.
And with those faintly heard final words,
My vision shifted again.
A sky dyed red.
A desolate street.
Collapsed buildings.
"...Oppa... Oppa!... Wake up... You!... Quickly... Unnie... Try..."
"...I can't... I can't... Anything... With my... own strength...."
And noises, heard from somewhere.
And.
"Cough... I'm... sorry...."
"...Rab.... Third line.... Please.... Even without me... Please..."
Muttering, and then the sound of sobbing again.
"Don't... die... You're not going to die, are you?... H-h-huk...."
"...."
"...Sorry..."
"No... I can't give up... I can't let... you go...."
A deafening, tearing noise from all directions.
The sound of something wailing, and at the same time, the sky brightening, the surroundings darkening.
And.
Kieeeeeeek.
"Hah! H-huh."
With that final tearing noise, I woke up from my sleep.
The first thing I felt upon waking was my body drenched in sweat.
Damn it, felt like another nightmare.
As I clutched my throbbing head, a loud voice rang out from somewhere.
"Oppa!"
"Ugh."
A sudden weight on my side.
Clutching my head, I barely managed to open my eyes.
"Haa... Haa. Oppa Dain, you're finally awake."
And opposite me, I saw Hayul, her hand on my stomach, trying hard to smile.
"Huk... Oppa..."
"Oh, Seoeun, Oppa's fine now. Why are you crying again?"
"Huk, if I, if I had just made it a little better, this wouldn't have happened..."
Seoeun suddenly burst into tears.
At the news of my awakening, everyone else who had been on the other side gathered, and the room quickly became crowded again.
Only after confirming that I was awake did everyone relax. After things calmed down somewhat and I finally managed to soothe Seoeun,
I realized my body was fine, save for being a bit hungry after waking up, and I couldn't help but be surprised by what Soobin told me.
"What? It's already been five days since I collapsed?"
"That's right. Dain, do you know how worried everyone was?"
With slightly reddened eyes, Soobin uncharacteristically raised her voice as she explained what had happened.
She said that while Stardust and I were locked in a fierce battle, they had worriedly watched me continue fighting without any special instructions from me. Then, in an unexpected moment, I was suddenly hit by Stardust's ultimate attack and completely shattered, which shocked them so much they immediately rushed to me.
Soobin explained that Silver Moon had flown at light speed to rescue me, and that's why I barely survived; otherwise, it would have been a real disaster. I had arrived back unconscious and covered in blood, with shattered bones and ruptured internal organs, or so she said. Hayul had struggled with all her might to heal me.
Healing me was good, but the problem was that I still hadn't woken up. She said they had all stayed up, watching over me.
"...Oppa, from now on, you can't go anywhere alone. If you go, go with us. Understand?"
Seoeun clutched me, her eyes swollen, as she spoke.
And, unusually, Seojayeong, who had been sitting blankly beside them, also chimed in.
"She's right... Seoeun's right. You push yourself too hard."
She poked my arm with her finger as she said that. Choi Sehee, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement with a worried gaze.
So, I had no choice but to promise from my sickbed that I wouldn't be reckless with my body anymore. It felt like a promise I'd made several times already...
Anyway, after resting for a while, eating some porridge, and sending everyone away to rest, I asked Soobin about the public's reaction to my surprise "terror" event. Even though I got thoroughly beaten at the end, I'd fought tooth and nail with Stardust, so wouldn't there be some positive reactions...?
I subtly asked Soobin,
And her answer to my question was shocking.
"...What? There are rumors circulating that Egostic died?"
I couldn't hide my bewildered expression as I asked.
No, why would such a load of nonsense...
At my reaction, Seoeun narrowed her eyes, tapping away on her phone as she spoke.
"Of course, Oppa. You getting hurt was filmed live by the broadcast cameras, so wouldn't everyone think that? Look."
Seoeun said that and showed me her phone screen. On it was an article.
[A-Rank Villain Egostic Severely Injured... Egostream 'No Comment'. Netizens Speculate Death...]
Below that sensational headline was a single photo.
The quality was a bit poor, likely enlarged from a distant shot, but my general appearance and the copious amount of blood were clearly visible.
"It's a complete mess right now, Oppa. Everyone's asking if you died."
"No... Do you really think I'd die that easily? Why is everyone like this?"
"This time you really almost died! Haa... Anyway, it's been on the news, it's chaos."
"...Really?"
Seoeun then showed me a few other things. Egostic's death trending in real-time, my video with Stardust and the robot still holding the number one spot on YouTube's trending list in Korea, and so on. It was just absurd.
...This is a problem.
I was flustered by it. No, a villain can get hurt during a terror attack. Why does that leap to the conclusion that they might have died? Isn't it common sense that no matter how badly a villain gets hurt, they always reappear perfectly healed after escaping? At least, that's how it was in all the hero movies I watched.
Anyway, I found my phone and quickly searched for public opinion. Indeed, there were quite a few theories circulating that Egostic had died. My Egostic fan cafe was even in an uproar.
And I took this matter quite seriously.
...A villain getting beaten to death while playing on an alt account? That's too much of a blow to my image...
More importantly, if people start genuinely believing I'm dead, new villains might emerge, claiming to be the second Egostic. This villain scene is all about recognition, you know. It's hard to gain popularity, and the rumors of my death are the perfect opportunity for others to grab attention. There's no telling what might happen during my absence. Especially considering I'm the most influential villain in South Korea.
...And of course, I don't think it'll happen, but if Stardust believes it, that'd be a bit problematic. Until she becomes strong enough, she needs to see me as her main rival, her goal to surpass. What would happen if I suddenly died?
Watching the South Korean public collectively displaying strange symptoms over the death rumors of the nation's number one villain, I made a decision.
"This won't do. I need to broadcast right away."
"...Broadcast? Now?"
"Yes. Just a broadcast to let everyone know I'm alive. It's too chaotic not to."
I made up my mind.
To quickly end this sudden controversy.
No, this whole thing was nothing, just a preview for the main event that was coming, so why all this fuss?
...Of course, after convincing Soobin, who was glaring at me like a hawk, asking what kind of broadcast I could do in my current condition, that I would just sit in a chair and talk.
I turned on the camera and started the broadcast.
Alright, the joke's over.
I'm perfectly fine, you guys!
***
After the initial reports of Egostic's suspected death,
South Korea was truly in an uproar over the death rumors of a single villain.
On the community side, there was a confrontation between Egostic's fan cafe, the Mango Corps, and Stardust's fan cafe, creating utter chaos.
Furthermore, experts warned that if Egostic's death were true, it could lead to an uncontrolled surge of other villains whom he had suppressed, and even the invasion of foreign villains into South Korea. Public concern grew, with worries about what would happen if Egostream ran rampant without its leader.
And then, just as something seemed about to explode,
Egostic's broadcast suddenly, unexpectedly, went live.
[Hello everyone, this is Egostic!]
A truly sudden broadcast.
On the screen, a seemingly healthy Egostic was shown sitting casually in a chair, speaking.
He said he'd tried a prank that failed, and that from now on, he would definitely win without such incidents.
And after saying just that, with the final words "The terror continues!", the broadcast simply ended.
A broadcast that suddenly started and suddenly ended, lasting only a few minutes.
However, its impact was immense.
[[Breaking News] Egostic Confirmed Alive... Appears to Be in Good Health]
[Egostic's Death Revealed to Be a Hoax...]
[Egostic, 'Will Work Harder on Future Terror.' Netizens Relieved.]
Within minutes of the broadcast ending, countless articles began to pour out.
And just like that, in a few hours, the Egostic death hoax incident cleanly concluded as a mere happening.
*
[Upvote if you never once thought Egostic was dead LOL]
Yeah, damn it, our Mangostic wouldn't fall so easily LOL
Upvote if you never doubted it LOL
[Likes] 3884
=[Comments]=
[Upvote LOL]
[Look at how fast the likes are going up, LOL. Is this the same place where people were asking 'What if Mango really died yesterday?' My heart feels so small...]
ㄴ[Haha, we were just kidding around!]
[Honestly, upvote if you were super relieved after watching this broadcast LOL]
ㄴ[For real LOL]
ㄴ[As soon as I saw Mangostic's face, I just smiled LOL]
ㄴ[Seriously, life would be so boring without Mango, it's impossible. For real... Half the meaning of life would be gone]
[What kind of fandom is this, cheering that a villain is alive instead of being happy he's dead LOL]
ㄴ[? This incident was about an A-rank hero challenging an S-rank hero, what are you talking about?????]
ㄴ[Isn't this guy a troll from the Stardust fan cafe??]
ㄴ[Halt!!!!!!! For such is faith!!!]
*
Just as South Korea quickly regained stability, as if the chaos had never happened.
"...Ah."
In a dark room, Shin Haru, sitting alone on her bed, unknowingly dropped her phone after seeing the news article.
...Thank goodness.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
She murmured, her voice unknowingly a little hoarse.
A hero feeling relieved that a villain was alive was something she would never have imagined for herself.
But at that moment, she had no mind to think of such things.
...It's a relief he didn't fall.
She thought only that.