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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Dating Scandal
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[Hello, and welcome to Entertainment News! Today, we've got some truly hot news for you, and it's none other than! Villain Egoistic's dating rumor!]
[Wow! A dating rumor about Egoistic! But, Chae-ryeong, hasn't he had a few dating rumors before?]
[That's right. This isn't his first. The very first rumor was with Hero Stardust. Let's take a look at the video from back then!]
As the host finished speaking, a video played.
It showed Egoistic, kneeling beside Stardust, who was collapsed after stopping a runaway train, speaking to her.
"Yes, Stardust. You did well. In a way I couldn't have imagined. To save everyone like that, I truly didn't expect it. This is your victory. I'll be going now, so please rest well. Other heroes will be here soon."
The video ended with his words.
The hosts reappeared on screen, continuing with excited voices.
[Everyone, did you see that? Instead of attacking the hero when she was collapsed and weakened after stopping his terror, he actually warmly encouraged her! It really made many people's hearts pound.]
[Yes! That's why a dating rumor broke out back then, with people wondering if the two were secretly dating! Of course, it was concluded to be false after strong denials from both the Association and the hero.]
[That was Egoistic's second terror incident, so it's quite a while ago now. Now, let's take a look at the next dating rumor!]
The screen changed, showing a new video.
It showed Egoistic, grinning broadly as he carried Electra in a princess carry.
[Chae-ryeong, how did the dating rumor break out this time?]
[Yes! Seeing Egoistic embracing Electra as if they were lovers, many people speculated that they were dating! Of course, as Egoistic's terror incidents continued, that was gradually concluded to be unlikely. And honestly, looking at this latest dating rumor, it's almost embarrassing to even call the previous ones 'dating rumors'.]
[Wow! What's this new dating rumor like, to make you say that?]
[A picture is worth a thousand words! Let's watch the video together!]
With those words, the video played again.
Against a dark night sky, Egoistic was seen embracing Mist from behind.
And at that moment, Mist turned her head and kissed Egoistic on the cheek.
Then, with a captivating smile, she whispered to Egoistic.
"Good work, honey."
With those words, the screen refocused on the two hosts.
[Oh my, oh my! I'm getting butterflies just watching it.]
[Yes. Honestly, at this point, it's less a 'dating rumor' and more just 'confirmed'! And perhaps because of that, netizens' reactions are incredibly heated. As of this moment, all online communities are buzzing with this story.]
[It seems to be even more of a hot topic because Egoistic is currently the most popular villain in South Korean history, drawing the most public attention, and this scene was broadcast live on all channels. So, Chae-ryeong, what do you think?]
[Well, I mean... isn't this just confirmed at this point? Anyone can see there's something going on between them. The online reactions certainly suggest it.]
[Oh, as I was speaking! A new fact has just been revealed! Here, in the footage, do you see the ring on Egoistic's hand? Netizens have just discovered this, and there's speculation that it might be a couple's ring. Specifically, Egoistic didn't wear a ring before, but he started wearing one after Death Knight joined him, and people are saying they might have started dating around that time.]
[The evidence is piling up! Oh, and speaking of online reactions, there's something I wanted to share: I heard that Egoistic's fan cafe, the 'Mango Faction,' is currently in an uproar.]
[Oh, why is that?]
[It turns out that fans who had been playing around, shipping Egoistic with various people, were deeply shocked. They're reportedly in an uproar, refusing to accept that a new woman has suddenly usurped his 'lover's spot'.]
[Oh dear, how unfortunate.]
..."Oh dear, how unfortunate," my ass.
"...This is a real mess..."
Night.
The living room of Ego-House.
Sitting on the sofa there, watching the TV, I felt a throbbing headache developing from the content on screen.
Seriously, why did Seo Ja-young have to do something like that there...?
Immediately after Seo Ja-young's sudden action, I rushed back home in surprise.
Before I could even ask why she did it, Seo Ja-young was grabbed by Seo Eun, Eun-wol, Soo-bin, and Choi Se-hee, who were all smiling with terrifying expressions, and disappeared somewhere.
Before being dragged away, she pitifully looked at me and stretched out a hand for help, but she was eventually pulled away, long gone. And so, Seo Ja-young was dragged off to some corner of the Room of Time and Spirit.
...Well, the ending was strange, but the terror incident itself ended fairly successfully.
Leaving the group who had vanished somewhere, I tidied myself up, then sat on the sofa, resting my tired body.
And as soon as I turned on the TV, that whole mess was already unfolding.
...But honestly, I wondered if this was really such a big deal. I mean, it's not like anything's actually going on between me and Seo Ja-young anyway... And even if there was, would it be such a huge problem? I don't understand why people are so interested in a villain's love life. I'm a terrorist, not a celebrity.
Of course, seeing the photo of Seo Ja-young kissing my cheek plastered on the front page of news portals... it just made my head spin a bit. Seriously, shouldn't the focus be on the terror incident itself, not something like that on the main page?
"...Oh, right. My fan cafe is apparently in an uproar too, I heard."
I vaguely remembered hearing it on TV earlier, so I decided to check my fan cafe for the first time in quite a while.
Let's see. What are they talking about...?
As soon as I entered the main page, I saw countless posts.
I skimmed through their titles and felt my mind go blank.
*
[Yeah, say what you want, Purple Mango is already confirmed, bye lolol]
[Upvote if Mist is pretty and cute lolol. I'm first lolol.]
[The true main ship is EgoStar, what nonsense are you all spewing lolol.]
[The Ice Mango ship isn't dead yet...]
[These guys still can't accept reality wwww]
[Our Egoistic fan cafe acknowledges Mist Mango as the official ship.]
[Everyone shut up, there's no way our Ego Oppa would do that!!!!!!]
[F*** it, while everyone was talking about Star, Ice, Moonlight, Electric, etc., Mango already scored with Mist lolol.]
[Yeah, f*** off, that's just a deception! It's actually EgoStar~~]
[No matter what you say, it's all cut short by the ^kissing sound^~]
[Didn't you see how flustered Egoistic was? It was obviously a joke;;]
[Why is it so funny that all these guys' brains are collectively broken lolol.]
[The early adopters have already boarded the Mist Mango coin. Get on quickly.]
[This isn't a coin, it's already a listed currency lolol. Didn't you hear, "Good work, ^honey^"?]
[No, f***, I was only running circuits with Mango, but he's really dating some random girl who just popped up that I wasn't even shipping? I can't breathe.]
[Please, a clarification broadcast, please say it's not true, please.]
[These bastards aren't interested in the terror or Shadow Walker, only in shipping lolol.]
*
"...."
After quickly reading through the posts, I unconsciously pressed the home button and turned it off.
...There was a reason I hadn't visited this place until now, after all.
Just as I was thinking that, the door on the other side burst open, and Seo Ja-young stumbled in.
"Ugh..."
"You're back."
"Yeah... Haa, I barely managed to escape by selling out Stardust..."
She flopped down onto the living room floor as soon as she arrived.
I propped my chin on my hand and asked her.
"No, seriously, why did you do that? The TV's all about you and me right now..."
"Why? Well, because it was fun... or rather, I was curious about people's reactions. Why, did it make your heart flutter?"
"Yeah. It made my heart flutter so much I almost flicked your forehead right then and there."
"Ehehe..."
As expected, she said she did it because she thought it would be fun.
Right, I knew it... Of course.
Still wearing her black hoodie and lying on the floor, she answered me, then suddenly started to giggle.
"...Hehehe."
"Why are you laughing again?"
"No, I just remembered Stardust's expression back then, and it's funny..."
"What are you talking about?"
She continued to giggle, muttering incomprehensible words.
I approached Seo Ja-young and grabbed her cheek.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
"Are you going to do impulsive things like this again, or not?"
"Ugh, I won't, so let me gooo..."
I sighed and released my hand.
Even so, Seo Ja-young was still laughing.
"Haa... I guess I'll have to do a clarification broadcast."
"Want me to help?"
"You helping means you staying put... And honestly, I don't really *need* to, but if I don't, they'll keep making a fuss. I'll just mention it during the next broadcast..."
"Mmm... I suddenly feel a little sorry."
"Maybe stop laughing when you say things like that?"
"...Ehehe. Oh, here comes Seo Eun..."
Our conversation was cut short by Seo Eun and Soo-bin, who were walking towards us.
But really, if you think about it, it's not that big of a deal. What does it matter if the public thinks I'm actually dating her? All I need to do is conduct my terror incidents well.
It's not like she tried to reveal my identity like Lee Seol-ah did last time, so I can just laugh this off.
Nothing will really change because of this.
All I need to do is carry out my terror incidents well against Stardust.
***
CRASH-
"Eek?"
Hero Association Headquarters, hallway.
An Association employee, walking down the hallway with documents, was startled by the sudden noise and dropped the papers she was holding.
"...What was that? It sounded like it came from Ms. Stardust's office..."
She looked around, and saw Ms. Stardust's office.
The door was half-open, so the employee peeked inside. Seeing Stardust's desk, half-shattered as if she had slammed something down on it, the employee quietly turned and walked away.
...Well, she must have been upset about something...
'I should contact downstairs and ask them to send a new desk...'
The employee walked quickly, thinking that.
Having worked at the Association for a long time, she had realized it long ago.
That it was best not to provoke an angry hero, but to avoid them.
And so, the day was drawing to a close.