Chapter 212: - That Day

Chapter 212 - That Day

After securing a promise for terrorism cooperation from Katana, I was working in the underground facility with Seo-eun for the first time in a while.

"So, Da-in. That woman Katana is coming to our country soon?"

"Yeah, she's coming on a private jet."

I nodded in response. Of course, the private jet was arranged by our trustworthy Yuseong Enterprise. Thanks, Seolaemong*...! *T/N: A combination of 'Lee Seola' and 'Doraemong'

Anyway, I sighed deeply at my own words, and Seo-eun smiled with an air of disbelief.

"Yeah... You've always been like that. Anyway, so we need to determine the location for the terrorism, right?"

"Right. It should be in a spacious area, somewhere people can quickly evacuate..."

"And it should be near the Seoul city center, right? Got it."

Seo-eun stopped her idle fiddling and began to work in earnest. We had originally planned it casually, but this time, Katana's abilities were quite powerful, so we needed to be more careful in selecting the location.

And so, in this workspace, which served as Seo-eun's central command, dozens of monitors were displaying incomprehensible code, while a few displayed Seoul maps. With a little manipulation, the monitors suddenly started calculating distances, population densities, and other relevant factors.

"Alright, soon we'll have the candidates for the target locations."

After taking a sip of her milk tea, Seo-eun, with a straw in her mouth, continued to fiddle with something, all while sharing this information.

Seo-eun was working diligently on the Ego Stream terrorism planning maker 2.0, a project she had automated. Of course, Seo-eun and Soobin were the creators behind it. It was somewhat amusing to think about a villain using a terrorism planning generator that also calculated how to minimize casualties.

Sipping on the milk tea Seo-eun handed me, I watched as the device did its work. Since most of our Ego Stream activities happened here, Seo-eun worked hard today as well.

After a while, several potential target locations appeared.

Soobin had joined us to help with this task.

"Oh, Soobin-ssi, you're here?"

"Yes, you're already here, Da-in."

Soobin answered me with a slight smile. She sat down naturally and began working with a series of pop-up windows appearing on the monitor.

Soobin had a computer science background, and I occasionally forgot that. She usually played more of a supporting role for our Ego Stream members, but in reality, she possessed hacking skills that were more than capable of assisting Seo-eun.

We continued our meeting, eventually selecting a location in Seoul. It looked like we could proceed with our plan here.

"We should start preparing for the broadcast too... It's going to be busy."

I leaned back in my chair as I spoke. Katana would be arriving soon, we'd be carrying out the terrorism together, and I'd also get to see Stardus after a long time. It felt like there would be a lot to do again.

While I was lost in thought about the future, Seo-eun suddenly spoke to me as if something had crossed her mind.

"By the way, Da-in."

"Yes?"

"Being here with Soobin and Da-in like this in the underground basement makes me remember the old days, the days when we lived here."

She said it with a smile. The old days... I can't believe it had been a while.

"Back when you used to call me 'hyung,' right?"

"Ugh, when did that happen? I've never done that. You remembered it wrong, please forget it quickly."

Seo-eun puffed her cheeks in response to my teasing and averted her gaze. The tips of her ears turned slightly red.

"Hehe..."

Soobin watched us and chuckled gently.

Indeed, for a while, it was just the three of us - me, Seo-eun, and Soobin - who did almost everything together in this underground facility. Later, members were added one by one, starting with Ha-yul, and we moved from the house to the mansion on the hill. We established Ego Stream, and it had been quite some time since then, judging by Seo-eun's height alone.

Of course, our actions didn't change much. Terrorism targeting Stardus, but this time as a global collaboration. Our Ego Stream is evolving!

So, after chatting in the underground basement for a while:

"Wow, look at how pretty this Katana Unni is."

Suddenly, Eun said as she searched for Katana on the internet, trying to ease her nervousness. We went on to prepare for the upcoming events by going to the PMC for additional training and taking care of other tasks.

"Thank you for coming, Katana."

"It's been a while, Egostic."

Katana finally arrived an hour after her announcement. After treating her to a meal as a pre-terrorizing ritual in Korea, I explained the final details of the terrorism plan to her.

"I understand. If the fight gets too intense or it looks like one side is winning, I'll withdraw."

"Yes, that's right. Since the terrorism itself is not easy, there's no need to push too hard."

I explained it to Katana like that, and particularly, if she ever felt overwhelmed, she should give me a signal, and I'd call it off. We couldn't risk anyone's life here.

Reading my concerns, Katana smiled faintly and reassured me.

"You don't have to worry. Besides, I can use this opportunity to improve my skills, so sparring is always welcome. It's been a while since I could wield my sword against a formidable opponent."

She said as she lightly wiped her Japanese sword at her waist with a cloth.

Well, with her skills, which allowed her to establish Japan's top villain organization, SamHyupPa, and defeat the Association, her abilities were undoubtedly top-notch.

"Shall we start heading out now?"

At my words, she nodded her head. I checked my attire one more time and grabbed my camera before leaving. Katana was also neatly dressed in her martial arts uniform, her black hair neatly tied up as always.

Alright, let's go.

I held her hand, and we headed for the location of the terrorism. The collaboration between Korea's top villain and Japan's top villain was finally starting. I was curious about people's reactions.

...Stardus's reaction was a bit intimidating, but anyway.

And so, I prepared to turn on the broadcast.

It's been a while since I've tried terrorism.

***

A-class hero Stardus, Shin Haru, had been feeling a bit uneasy lately.

"..."

The increasing number of villains, especially the direction they seemed to be heading, had her worried. Up until now, she could handle them all, but would it continue to be the same in the future? She had a feeling something big was coming.

But more than that...

"When will Egostic come...?"

Despite the change of seasons, Egostic hadn't arrived yet.

"...He said he'd be here soon."

'Well, maybe we'll meet again soon.'

Yeah, he had definitely said that. Smiling as if it were obvious, as if it were certain that they'd see each other again.

And so, he left.

Several months had passed, and the seasons had changed, but there was no sign of him.

...Of course.

"..."

Lately, whenever she thought of Egostic, a vague emotion and headache would wash over her. She didn't know why she felt this way, but whenever she thought about him, she could feel a tightness in her chest.

Especially since a few months ago, when she had suddenly shed tears on her own. It had been going on since then.

A feeling of something missing or forgotten.

A faint fluttering sensation in her heart.

In the end, all of these feelings were tied to one simple thought: she wanted to see Egostic.

She didn't know it, but only her emotions remained.

"Hmm..."

...In fact, despite the stress from the increasing number of villains, she justified her desire to see a villain by considering Egostic as something special.

In conclusion, recently, she had been thinking about Egostic more often. She found herself gently touching Egostic's cloak that she had hung on the wall as evidence, thinking when he would come. Of course, she quickly shook herself and tried to get back to her senses.

...Whenever she thought like that, she would pause, realizing that Egostic was a villain, but she ignored it. She convinced herself that her interest in him was just part of her job, nothing more or less. Probably.

"Really?"

...

...Sometimes, her inner voice would question her, but anyhow, that was that. On one hand, she was diligently taking care of all her tasks, completely neutralizing the villains, sending them to the detention center. The association was running smoothly, thanks to her.

...Of course, she occasionally found herself spending more time in the Egostic fan cafe, trying to figure out his whereabouts, but she justified that as part of her job as well.

So she would read prediction posts by his fans, check posts about Electric Mango, Purple Mango, Dragon Mango, and even silly posts, downvoting them when necessary.

Living day by day, simply by checking the calendar.

And then, one day...

[Hello, everyone. It's Egostic!]

Finally, the day had come.

"Stardus!"

"Yes, I know."

With a desperate attempt to control her expression in front of the association staff who were urgently delivering the news, she prepared to set out.

Finally. Finally, she could see him.

The last time she saw him was...

"..."

For a moment, images of a sunset, a rooftop, and a clear sky came to her mind, but they vanished before she could even recognized them. The last time she saw him... It was a park. Yes, the last time she saw him was at a park. The park where he got off the dragon. Since then, she hadn't seen him...

She didn't know why, but her chest hurt for a moment. However, she forcefully pushed that feeling aside. Right. Anyway, she could finally see Egostic.

'...'

And when she briefly watched the broadcast, it seemed like there was no one around him. Shin Haru couldn't help but feel her heart race slightly. This time, finally, it seemed like he had come alone. Without other... villains.

With a hint of hope and expectation, Shin Haru flew towards him.

...Until that moment, she was feeling good.

Until that moment.