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Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
"Phew."
I teleported straight into the underground basement.
Oh, shit… I might faint—I brought two people with me.
While I steadied my dizzy head, Lee Ha-yul and her younger brother looked around at everything.
What they were staring at were the white LED-lit walls.
I see this every day, so it doesn't impress me, but it must be different for them.
Of course, her brother… Was his name Lee Cha-yun? Cha-yun's eyes were sparkling as he looked around, while Lee Ha-yul stayed on guard, hugging her little brother.
Once my head stopped spinning, I told them:
"Oh… I feel like dying. Kids, stop looking around and follow me. Ugh."
I staggered forward, and the kids followed behind.
She was still cautious, but decided to follow me for now.
As we walked down the white corridor, Seo-eun and Su-bin popped out.
"Da-in! Oh…"
Seo-eun was coming toward me but paused when she saw the siblings behind me.
She looked a little tense at the sudden appearance of the two.
"Oh, right. They're in trouble, so I brought them here. But first things first—showers. Take them to the bathroom… and grab some spare clothes."
Seo-eun blinked at my sudden barrage of instructions.
Fortunately, Su-bin stepped in.
"I'll show you around. Kids, can you come with me?"
With a gentle smile, Su-bin led the way. Yeah, Su-bin looks like the nicest among us. Turns out she also looks the prettiest among us…?
At her soft coaxing, the siblings timidly followed. Well, after coming this far, it's obvious they have no choice but to go along.
Still, Lee Ha-yul looked more comfortable with Su-bin than with me. From her perspective, I probably look like a lunatic—dressed in black and carrying a gun—and Su-bin's a girl.
But the little brother wasn't like that. He kept glancing back at me as he walked. Why does he like me so much? Are elementary schoolers into me these days?
Anyway, after handing the kids off, I dragged myself to the fatigue recovery capsule.
Telekinesis is easy enough, but that last teleport was rough. Teleporting three people was a bit much…
"Oppa… that hat. You're finally wearing it!"
As I staggered, Seo-eun came up behind me and spoke as we walked together.
"Oh… yeah, this."
I touched the black magician's hat on my head.
"What do you think? Got some flair? I'm going to keep wearing it."
"Uh… haa. Well, as long as you like it."
What's with that sigh?
Anyway, I managed to reach the fatigue recovery capsule.
Once the machine started, I could feel myself recovering.
While I lay there, Seo-eun sat in the chair next to me.
"So those siblings… what are you going to do with them?"
"Ugh… them?"
The plan had been to keep building rapport and then recruit them. Things got a little complicated. But…
"Her brother really likes me. So I think it'll work out somehow."
"Really? That's amazing. Is he in your Mango Union or something?"
"I guess so. Man, I didn't know all the groundwork I've laid would come back like this."
"Haha… guess you're the president of elementary schoolers."
"That's possible. Anyway, did you finish installing the teleportation device?"
"I finished it the day before yesterday. Are you sure you want to move?"
"Yeah. We've been stuck here for three months, and I've realized this isn't the place. People need sunlight."
"Sob… I like it here, though."
"Now that we have a teleportation device in the old base, it'll still be practically next door to the basement. Don't worry."
After a bit of banter, the door opened.
Su-bin came in first; the siblings hesitated, then followed.
They'd showered and changed into clean clothes.
Wow, they looked totally different after washing up.
A while ago, they were grimy with dust; now in fresh clothes they looked like new people. Especially Lee Ha-yul—she's as beautiful as she was drawn in the original. Do they use beauty filters for villains in this world, too?
Anyway, the two came in.
I gave a quick wink and told Seo-eun and Su-bin to step out. They read my eyes and quietly left.
In the big room, it was just me and the siblings.
"Kids… grab those chairs and sit."
While I stayed reclined in the capsule, they slowly took their seats.
Where to start?
As I was thinking, Lee Ha-yul spoke first.
"Why did you help us?"
She suddenly asked. Her eyes were full of distrust. As in the original, she has no one but her little brother.
I looked at her for a moment and answered:
"I used to have a younger brother about your brother's age."
She frowned at the unexpected turn.
I continued.
I used to have a brother, but terrorists killed him.
Today, I was tracking whoever stole my wallet when I ran into you two.
Seeing terrorists go after you… it reminded me of my brother, so I jumped in.
I held my breath after saying that.
By the way, it's all a lie. I don't have a brother.
But to lower her guard, I have to make something up. Hmm…
"Lee Ha-yul, Lee Cha-yun… I looked up your info while you were washing. Lee Ha-yul, you killed the head of the orphanage and ran, right?"
She jolted at my words.
Yeah, figures.
"Well, I'm not blaming you. The head was a real piece of work. I don't know why she treated you two that way."
Time to bait the hook while pretending I don't know she has the best healing ability.
If she knows I helped because of that, with her personality she'll never stay.
After setting the tone, I looked them both in the eye.
"I can help you."
"With my ability, I can fabricate things so it looks like you two just ran away. No murder—just a chance to escape. I've got more than enough ability to make that stick."
"And I can give you a place to live and money. Do you go to school? I'll send you to school."
"You two just live and have fun."
"I'll back you up."
I laid out the full offer.
Her little brother was already cheering for Mangostic…
He's not the problem. What matters is Lee Ha-yul's decision.
As expected, she eyed me with suspicion.
"…Why would you do that much for us? We only met today. It doesn't make sense."
She shot back, still doubtful.
But despite her firm tone, her body trembled slightly. Yeah, it's not easy to talk back to someone who could kill with a flick.
I gave her a wry smile.
"I told you earlier. You two reminded me of my brother."
"Think of it like finding a winning lottery ticket on the street."
She still couldn't quite believe it, but I sent them to bed for the night.
Su-bin came to lead them to an empty room and made the beds.
Su-bin takes care of kids better than I expected. Cooking, cleaning, tucking them in—she's basically a pro housewife.
Anyway, once we got them down, it was already the next day.
***
"This is where you're going to live."
The next morning, the siblings followed me out and their mouths dropped.
We had an awkward breakfast together, then I told them to come along. We went up from the basement and out of the nondescript house.
Then we moved via the suspiciously high-tech teleportation device.
A three-story mansion as big as a palace lay nestled in a deep, unreachable valley.
"I-I mean… this is a bit…"
Overwhelmed, Lee Ha-yul—who'd still been doubting me until recently—stared wide-eyed at me.
"Of course you're not living here alone. We're all living here. I'm on the third floor. I'll give you two rooms on the second floor, so stay there."
I grinned while they continued gaping.
"Didn't I tell you? I have a lot of money."
Time to flex a little.
We went inside, and I showed them the rooms. Each had a bed and its own mini-fridge—fully set up ahead of time.
I nudged the tense kids to explore, and they quickly adapted—kids are resilient. I told them I'd taken care of everything and they could start school next week; both of them were dumbfounded.
Even in a short time, we'd grown closer. Lee Ha-yul was definitely less nervous around me. Her brother and I got along fast because I answered every question he had. The kid really likes me. I didn't expect he was actually in Mango Union…
If things keep going like this, I should be able to recruit Lee Ha-yul, right? She hasn't revealed her ability yet, but still. If I ever end up on death's door… won't she save me with that healing ability?
Phew. When those terrorists burst in, I thought everything was screwed, but it's going smoothly now. Thank god.
Ugh, I'm wiped out.
But I feel like I forgot something…
What was it?
***
[Title]
Egostic isn't dead, right?
I mean, this makes no sense.
It's been almost 4 months. Where did he go?
Come back, come back, come back, come back.
=[Comments]=
[It's been 4 months since Egostic disappeared. I've spent the coldest 4 months in the world.]
[He hasn't shown up for 120 days? That makes no sense! Hahahaha.]
[Fuck, Egostic didn't retire, right?]
ㄴ[Oh my god]
ㄴ[Fuck, no way.]
ㄴ[But isn't it good if a villain retires? Why are you sad a villain isn't terrorizing you?]
ㄴ[?]
ㄴ[?]
ㄴ[Checking.]
ㄴ[You're a Stardust, aren't you?]
ㄴ[You Stardust bastard.]
*
"Haru, why do you keep tapping the cup? You seem nervous these days."
"Oh—sorry."
Inside a café.
Stardust—Shin Haru—stopped absentmindedly tapping her glass.
It's been almost four months since Egostic vanished.
Stardust had been burning to uncover his secrets, tricks, and plans, but now the nerves were creeping in.
No—he needs to be active for her to find out.
'Usually… he'd have shown up by now…'
Even today, she was spending another empty day, just waiting for him.