Chapter 437: Lily of the Valley (12)

Chapter 437: Lily of the Valley (12)

The HanEun Group terrorist attack had many social ramifications.

First, the HanEun Group appeared with a large number of superhumans.

This was more newsworthy in other countries than in Korea. In a world where powers are supposedly gone, there are so many of them, apart from the two existing heroes. What kind of secret is Korea hiding?!- I thought.

As a result, many former heroes and villains, international association, and corporate managers lined up to visit Korea...but their efforts were thwarted by the Korean association, which noticed the anomaly.

And in the meantime, the reaction of Korean citizens...

Was it because of me and Stardus? It wasn't as big as I thought.

The fact that it happened at all was scary, but this was a place where terrorism was a regular part of the daily routine. The three-year hiatus was not enough to erase the sense of insecurity that is etched into the DNA of Koreans around the world.

...On the contrary, it was a long period of boredom that was followed by a period of excitement when a terrorist attack occurred.

None other than the Heroes Association, whose headquarters was bombed and forced to relocate to another temporary home...

"Damn you, you dastardly HanEun Group bastards...!"

The Hero Association's (temporary) headquarters.

In the center of the underground air defense that had been prepared for any eventuality, the president of the association shuddered.

"These bastards have kicked us out of our luxurious building in the golden spot, and now this...!"

"Calm down, Mr. President. It's being repaired now..."

After a few moments of anger, the association president wiped his bald head and spoke up.

"Haha, but now that we're fully prepared...Tell them to come out one more time. Lee Seola, are you ready?"

In response to the chairman's question, Lee Seola, who was sitting in front of her computer drinking wine, nodded and said.

"Yes. All CCTV cameras in all areas of the country are now running at all times, and we're monitoring for abnormalities 24 hours a day. If anything unusual happens, we'll be alerted immediately."

"I see. Last time it was a surprise attack, but not this time. If any of them jump out, I'll hunt them down to their roots and destroy the main camp..."

The Association President laughed sinisterly as he said that.

...He looked like some kind of third-rate villainous boss, but he was the head of the Hero Association, a proud organization that stood for justice...

Anyway, after saying that, the Association President pointed at me.

"...And. According to what Egostic here told me...the HanEun group must have figured out a way to artificially awaken their current abilities. If this technology ever gets out..."

The Association President's hands curled into fists as he said those words.

"Why does this have to happen in my later years...? Why does this have to happen in my retirement?" He muttered, "Why is this happening at the end of my life?" and fell into his own world.

Stardus took his place and spoke.

"...So, for now, all we can do is wait for the next time the HanEun Group shows up, because it's most likely that their leader, Kim Sun-woo, is trying to conquer our country with the help of the people he's awakened, and the terrorism will continue."

I nodded in agreement.

To summarize, after I told the Association what I heard from Seo-eun... I now have a clear position on the HanEun Group.

Number 1 seems almost certain, based on the circumstances and Seo-eun's words.

And number 2... Well, that was obvious, why else would they be terrorizing and trying to kill me and Stardus, taking down the Association and the government by force?

...Either that or they want the country destroyed, which I prayed was not the case. I doubt they're that crazy.

Anyway, since we didn't know where the HanEun Group was hiding, it was best to wait for them to show up again.

"Well, let's just wait for them to pop up again."

And that was the end of our last meeting regarding the HanEun Group.

Maybe the next time we meet, they'll show up again.

After the meeting, I returned home.

I went straight to the basement, and as soon as I got to the large underground room I had set aside for training.

"Hmm...!"

-Bam, bam, bam, bam.

Seo-Eun was flying around in her suit, dodging the automatic machine guns for training.

She was flying freely, as if she had always been able to fly, even though she had only just started training.

Wrapped in a silver steel suit, Seo-Eun saw me arrive in the room and spoke in a voice that seemed to come straight from the sky.

"Da-in...! Are you home?"

"Uh. Have you been training well?"

"Yes!"

With those words, Seo-eun descended to the floor.

After the suit's development was finished she had been training blindly every day with the intention of destroying the HanEun Group with me.

...and skipping school.

'Is this right?'

As Seo-Eun's protector, I had my doubts, but...

Still, her life was more important, and in terms of self-defense, it wasn't a bad idea.

"Do you have a sense of it now?"

"Yes! Honestly, Da-in, I'm ready to hit the field."

Seo-eun flips back the helmet of her suit, reveals her silver-haired face, and says that to me.

The way she spoke with such a confident expression, it was like she was radiating confidence.

And honestly, it was well-deserved.

She made her own training center and trains herself, and watching her, I realized that she's pretty good at it. She maneuvers her suit freely and flies in the sky. You'd think he'd been doing that for years.

...No. She's actually pretty smart, so it's only natural that she'd be good at that, right?

Still, I'll have to check her skills.

Thinking about that, I chuckled and said.

"Then, Seo-eun, I'll have to check it out. Why don't we have a training match?"

"Heehee. Honestly, you should be careful now. You might lose~"

Seo-eun says that while shrugging with her hands on her hips.

Ohhh. She's so confident.

I need to check this properly once.

With that, I slowly floated into the sky with the unloaded gun in my hand.

Let's see what Seo-eun can do.

Anyway, the days went on like this.

Seo-eun practiced hard on her own and with me, and once she had mastered the suit, she went back to school.

I tried to lead a normal life as much as possible, while also preparing for the HanEun group, who might pop up at any moment.

In that way, life went on as usual.

...There was also another difference.

"Da-in...Can I sleep with you again tonight...?"

Seo-eun would often come to my bed at night with a pillow.

One day, I had a late night meeting at the association, so when I came in at dawn, she was lying in my bed, sleeping with her hair hanging down.

...For reference, there was also a time when I turned on the light without thinking about it, and I screamed in surprise when I saw Seo-Eun lying in my bed...

The reason for Seo-Eun's behavior is, unsurprisingly, the appearance of the HanEun Group.

...What's wrong, what's on her mind, why can't she sleep alone? Seo-eun never told me directly, and always avoided answering, but...

"...No, I didn't, uh, throw it away... No..."

She occasionally mumbles in her sleep.

...And, from the information in the original. I could roughly infer it.

Therefore, when Seo-eun would do that at night, I would quietly stroke her back and pat her.

It seemed to make her sleep less restless and she would fall back into a deep sleep.

Anyway, since we had this problem.

...Looking this way and that, the destruction of the HanEun Group seemed urgent...If only to break Seo-Eun's trauma.

And so, I had come to the point of waiting for the group to attack.

Finally...The day came.

[Egostic! The HanEun Group has finally attacked! They're currently attacking three broadcasting stations at the same time!!]

"Yes sir, I'll be on my way immediately."

I replied and hung up the phone.

Seo-eun, who was eating melon next to me, jumped up from her seat.

"Da-in, are we finally going to be dispatched now?"

"Yes. Seo-eun, get your suit."

"...! Yes!!"

Seo-eun ran to the basement with excitement.

I looked after her and smiled bitterly.

...She seems excited because she doesn't know anything right now.

I wonder if she can remain so innocent even when fighting villains.

With that thought, I gathered my mask and guns.

Still. I'll have to keep an eye on her to make sure nothing happens.

'This is the first day in a long time that I'm going to turn on the stream.'

I smirked as I grabbed my camera.

We've got to introduce our new face.

***

[(Breaking News) Mangostick is back on the air after 100,000 years]

[Finally, Mango is on the air!]

[What is that wearing a suit next to him????]

The moment the terrorism of the HanEun Group happened, the fan cafe of Egostic was in a frenzy because the broadcast was finally on.