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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Hero Apple Mango
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"Today on Entertainment Beat! Alright, so what are we covering this segment?"
"Yes! Today's topic is none other than the self-proclaimed S-rank hero, Apple Mango!"
"Oh my, his hero name is Apple Mango? That's quite an endearing name."
"That's right. He's been absolutely setting the internet ablaze lately. Let's take a look."
The two women on the TV disappeared, and soon another video began to play.
The video looked like it was secretly filmed with a smartphone.
In it, someone was sitting atop a tower of chairs, speaking.
A voice emanated from the figure wearing a yellow mask.
[Did you call for me? I am the S-rank hero, Apple Mango.]
His words echoed, delivered in an arrogant tone.
The video cut off there, and the two women reappeared.
"Right! Ah, so he's the one who calls himself Apple Mango?"
"Yes, that's correct. During the Busan Signature Hotel terror incident recently, he subdued the terrorists faster than any other hero. Then, when three other heroes arrived, he said this."
"Yes. But I hear he said something strange afterward?"
"Ah, let's listen to that too."
The screen changed again.
It was the same scene as before. The man in the yellow mask continued to speak.
[Aren't all of you A-rank heroes? The difference between a senior and a junior is like heaven and earth, so all of you, use honorifics when speaking to me.]
"That's very... uh... striking. Asking them to use honorifics?"
"That's right. As many of you can see, the heroes looked quite stunned by his sudden words. His bizarre behavior continued even after that."
[I've eaten, drunk, and even gone to the sauna with your Association President, you punks!]
"Haha... Could that be true?"
"It's highly unlikely to be true. Even after that, he made various strange remarks, gave unexpected advice to junior heroes, and then vanished as suddenly as he appeared."
"Yes. It's quite an odd story just hearing about it. Is that why he's become the center of so much attention now?"
"Of course, that's not the only reason. There are several reasons, so let's explore them together."
The large number 1 appeared prominently on the screen.
Below it, large text appeared as a subtitle.
[Self-proclaimed S-rank hero Apple Mango. Is his true identity actually the villain Egoistic?]
"Oh my, what is this about?"
"Exactly as it says. Although he claims to be a hero, netizens have uncovered numerous pieces of evidence suggesting he's actually Egoistic. Let's take a look."
The screen changed again, showing another video.
The quality was much cruder than before. In the seemingly secretly filmed video, terrorists could be seen falling as they were struck by suddenly levitating guns.
"The first piece of evidence is psychokinesis. Apple Mango demonstrated the ability to levitate guns in mid-air, which perfectly matches Egoistic's abilities. And that's not all."
Another video. It showed Apple Mango vanishing instantly from where he sat after finishing his speech.
"As you can see, he also demonstrated teleportation. This too perfectly matches Egoistic. Dual-ability users are extremely rare in themselves, yet we can confirm that both of their abilities perfectly overlap."
"Wow. In today's terms, wouldn't you call this an open-and-shut case? Undeniable?"
"We're not done yet. When analyzed through video, Egoistic and Apple Mango appear to have almost identical physiques, as you can see. On top of that, let's listen to their voices."
"Right. This is Egoistic's voice from his first act of terror, the ship incident."
[After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united, didn't they? Ha, haha. Hahahahahahahaha!]
"And this is Apple Mango's voice."
[A villain? Me? Hahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!]
"What do you think?"
"This... they're completely identical, aren't they?"
"Yes. That's why many people are claiming their voices and speech patterns are almost identical. In fact, they're saying they're exactly the same!"
"At this point, can we just consider Apple Mango to be Egoistic?"
"Yes. While the Association hasn't given a definitive answer yet, it's widely accepted now that Apple Mango is Egoistic. Egoistic's fan club, the Mango Squad, is even getting excited, wondering if Egoistic has acknowledged 'Mango' as their affectionate nickname for him."
"The Mango Squad... Apple Mango. At this point, isn't he practically revealing his identity out in the open?"
"Exactly. So, some people have expressed 'enthusiastic welcome,' suggesting that Egoistic is finally abandoning his villainous guise and transitioning to a hero. There have even been petitions asking the Association to officially recognize Apple Mango as an S-rank hero."
"I see. But that alone doesn't quite explain his popularity. The second reason Apple Mango has become so popular! Let's find out together."
Once again, the large number 2 appeared on the screen.
Below it, the subtitle read: 'Egoistic's Relationship with the Association: What is it?'
"Egoistic's relationship with the Association... What does that mean?"
"It's exactly as it sounds. During the last incident, Apple Mango mentioned the Association President's name before he changed it. Let's listen."
[...Oh, and do you guys know this? The Association President's name is Park Jun-ho, right? He changed it. His original name was Park Mak-chun. Our Mak-chun used to whine all the time about hating his name, and then he subtly changed it, didn't he?]
"This is a very... fresh piece of information, isn't it? It's a claim that the Association President changed his name."
"That he changed his name from Park Mak-chun to Park Jun-ho. Could this be true?"
"The Association, for its part, denied it. They stated that the Association President changing his name was 'an unfounded rumor.'" Netizens, however, aren't buying it. The fact that the Association only released that statement and has remained silent since, along with the heroes' reactions, makes people wonder if it's actually true."
"That's fascinating. If that story is true, how would Apple Mango—or rather, Egoistic—know about it?"
"That's currently the hot topic among netizens. There's a claim that the Association President's name change isn't even in official records, so generally, it's not something anyone outside of family or long-time friends would know."
"So how on earth would he know that? Is he truly an old acquaintance of the Association President, or...?"
"Because of this, there are a few conspiracy theories circulating. The theory is that Egoistic was actually once an S-rank hero, but after a conflict with the Association, he transitioned to being a villain. It's a completely unverified rumor, but... it's quite an intriguing story."
"Actually, if this conspiracy theory is true, it also explains why the three A-rank heroes let Apple Mango go, doesn't it? It could even be interpreted that they let him go because he was a respected senior."
"That's right. We'll look into that later."
"Alright! Then what's the third story related to Apple Mango?"
"Yes, the third story is this!"
At the same time, a subtitle appeared.
[3. What exactly are Egoistic's abilities?]
"This is about Egoistic's abilities. What is it?"
"It's related to what he showed us this time. Until now, the Association and experts had speculated that Egoistic's psychokinesis and teleportation were quite weak. It's also a commonly known fact that dual-ability users are generally much weaker than single-ability users."
"But that's not the case now?"
"That's right. The act of lifting guns with psychokinesis, as he demonstrated this time... that's a highly advanced technique. Based on the abilities Egoistic had shown until now, it didn't seem possible, but he did it this time. The same goes for his teleportation."
"Ah. You mean, how could he have been in Busan when he's always operated in Seoul until now?"
"Exactly. He suddenly appeared the moment the terror attack occurred. Based on this, there's speculation that he might actually be able to teleport from Seoul to Busan."
"That's a very intriguing thought. So, are you saying Egoistic has been hiding his true power all this time?"
"It's possible, perhaps. Nothing is confirmed yet, but it seems certain that Egoistic will remain the center of attention in South Korea for some time."
"Egoistic. That's why there's even more interest focused on his future actions."
She listened until that point, then simply switched off the TV she had been watching.
Click.
With a press of the remote, the TV blankly went dark.
In its empty, black screen, Shin Haru's face was reflected.
.....
Her reflection in the TV looked incredibly conflicted.
Egoistic, Egoistic. That damn Egoistic.
She lay back on the sofa, pressing her eyes as if tired, massaging them.
It had already been several days since the incident.
The hotel incident was already known nationwide.
And so was the news about Egoistic.
....
In truth, she, too, was already convinced that this 'Apple Mango' or whatever he was called, was Egoistic.
No, it would be more accurate to say she'd noticed it before anyone else. She was one of the few people who had seen Egoistic in person, after all.
Given that, her feelings were complicated.
She had been continuing her investigation into the incidents Egoistic had caused recently, and she hadn't expected such an event to occur, forcing her to encounter him again.
The suspicions that had been brewing since last time.
And now this incident.
She had no choice but to admit it.
Lately, a certain doubt had begun to sprout within her.
Egoistic.
Is this guy truly a villain?
That is to say, can he really be defined as an 'evil person'?