Ep.226 Intrusion
After the nationwide broadcast exposing Egostic as Kim Cheol-woo,
In just a matter of minutes, people flocked to the location where he lived.
It was an unprecedented scene, with people who were curious about whether this man, Kim Cheol-woo, was really Egostic, along with reporters looking for a scoop, and even fans, all gathering in a frenzy.
Fortunately, it was only those who lived nearby who had come so far, as time had not yet passed by.
However, on the flip side, it meant that in a few hours, even more people would flock to the scene.
As a result, the police officers currently guarding the apartment complex were on the brink of despair.
“Sir! Can’t we just arrest that guy, Kim Cheol-woo, or whatever he is? This is driving me crazy!”
One junior officer asked his superior while trying to control the crowd. In response, his senior officer, with a stern expression, replied,
“You fool! How can we arrest him without any evidence? Right now, all we have is a unilateral appeal from some villainous organization. We don’t even have a warrant.”
“But still…”
“Besides, anything related to villains is not within our jurisdiction. It’s the Association’s business. So, for now, we just have to stand guard until we receive orders from above. The higher-ups will take care of it.”
“Ugh… So, until then…”
“That’s right. For now, we need to manage these people. Hey, you! Don’t climb over the fence!”
In this way, the police officers were kept busy trying to control the growing crowd. This quiet area didn’t usually offer much work, but now, they were suddenly overwhelmed by this unexpected turn of events.
And fortunately for them, it wasn’t long before someone from the Association arrived.
It was none other than Hero Stardus herself.
“Haa, haa… Hello.”
“Oh, Stardus! It’s an honor to meet you. Please, come this way.”
As the spectators cheered upon seeing Stardus descend from the sky, she followed the guidance of the chief police officer toward the location where Kim Cheol-woo lived.
As she walked down the apartment corridor, the sight that immediately greeted her was a group of police officers gathered in front of one unit.
“Cheol-woo! We’ll take you to a safe place first. Come out and see for yourself. Cheol-woo!”
As the police officers knocked hard on the firmly shut front door, the people inside the unit spotted Stardus approaching, causing them to fall back in surprise.
“Oh, S-Stardus!”
“Yes, hello. From now on, I’ll take charge here, so please step aside.”
“O-Okay!”
With that, the police officers stepped back. Stardus paused for a moment, then grabbed the doorknob and forcibly opened the door.
‘…I can compensate for this later.’
For now, she needed to meet this man named Kim Cheol-woo.
She entered the house with such thoughts.
“Haa…”
Upon seeing the broadcast claiming that Egostic was Kim Cheol-woo, she had rushed to the location where he supposedly lived. However, in truth, she wasn’t entirely convinced that this man, Kim Cheol-woo, was Egostic.
That’s why she needed to find out, to confirm whether this man named Kim Cheol-woo was truly Egostic. With such thoughts in her mind, she headed to a closed room within the house. She could faintly sense a presence inside.
“…”
After taking a deep breath, she hesitated for a moment before decisively opening the door. As soon as the door swung open, she heard a scream.
“Argh! Please, help me! I-I’m not Egostic!”
Inside the room she had entered, the man who resembled the one in the photo, Kim Cheol-woo, was shivering under a blanket.
And finally, as she laid her eyes on the man suspected of being Egostic, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… “
She felt reassured. This man was not Egostic. Having seen Egostic up close, conversed with him, and even felt his embrace, she could tell.
The man trembling before her was not Egostic. His voice was different, his height slightly shorter, and his physique was different from Egostic’s. At a quick glance, they might appear similar, but as Egostic specialist, she could immediately discern the difference. This man, Kim Cheol-woo, was not Egostic.
‘…I wonder why those people grabbed the wrong person and caused such a commotion.’
…It was fortunate.
It was really fortunate.
Stardus felt relieved for a moment.
But then, a sudden doubt crept into her mind.
“…”
Wait a minute. Why am I feeling relieved? Shouldn’t I, as a hero, be disappointed that this man isn’t Egostic? It was a golden opportunity to apprehend the villain.
Yes, that’s right. It should be like that…
As she pondered these thoughts on her own, her introspection was interrupted by the anxious plea of the man who had been sitting in front of her.
“I-I really am not Egostic. Please save me! If I were Egostic, I would have teleported away a long time ago. Why would I still be here? I’m just a baker…”
“I know.”
“I’m just a normal college student… Okay?”
“I also believe that you are not Egostic, Mr. Kim.”
“Really? Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Sob… Thank you, thank you…”
Holding back Kim Cheol-woo, who was almost about to prostrate in gratitude, she quietly explained. She told him that they needed to go to the association for an investigation, as it was too chaotic here. She assured him that once the investigation was over and his innocence was confirmed, she would announce to everyone that he wasn’t Egostic.
Listening carefully to her detailed explanation, Kim Cheol-woo appeared bewildered but nodded in agreement.
“…Will the investigation take a long time?”
“It probably won’t take that long, but I still think it will take a few days.”
“Sob… All right.”
Kim Cheol-woo got up with a sigh as he grasped the situation. He then followed Stardus outside.
“He’s out, he’s out!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Kim Cheol-woo, please look over here!”
And as soon as he appeared outside, a multitude of voices filled the air. He looked almost as if he would faint, and with the support of the police officers, he started to descend.
Stardus, while looking at the crowd that had gathered, let out an involuntary sigh.
…Do these people still believe that Egostic is this Kim Cheol-woo guy? When will they realize that it’s not him?
“Egostic! Egostic! Egostic!”
“Kim Cheol-woo, show us your face just once!”
With such thoughts in her mind, she let the various noises wash over her. Suddenly, she felt the surrounding buzz grow even louder.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“It’s Egostic! It’s Egostic!!!”
“What’s happening here? Everyone, Egostic has arrived!”
And as she heard these noises, Stardus couldn’t help but feel increasingly annoyed. No, this man is not Egostic. How long is he going to endure this?
…This won’t do. I should officially make a statement.
With that thought in mind, she turned her head toward the corridor.
It was only then that she could see.
“….?”
People were not looking at her, but rather, they were looking up at the sky.
What’s going on?
Intrigued by this, she took a step forward and raised her head to look.
It was only then that she could see.
“Hello, everyone! I’m Egostic, here for an interview with Egostic. Nice to meet you!”
Draped in a cloak, wearing a hat and a mask.
A man who was more familiar to her than anyone else, flying through the sky while laughing.
Yes.
Suddenly, he had appeared from the sky.
The ‘real’ Egostic. He was here.
“….Haha.”
Watching his appearance, Stardus revised all the thoughts in her head.
Yes. The perfect way to prove that Kim Cheol-woo, that man, is not Egostic was for both that man and Egostic to exist in the same place at the same time.
…That’s right.
Of course, you would do it like this.
Without causing any commotion, cleanly.
While Stardus, who hadn’t expected to see him like this, was lost in thought, she blinked her eyes at another sight that she only now noticed.
“Wow…”
“Oh my, Cheol-woo. How does it feel to fly in the sky?”
Clearly, Kim Cheol-woo, the man who had been walking with the officers in front of her, was now hanging in mid-air beside Egostic.
…No, when did he take him away? Seriously…
With such thoughts, she chuckled and looked up at Egostic. Yes, since he didn’t seem likely to cause harm, she would just observe for now.
But…
‘…Why does it feel like he’s avoiding my gaze?’
Suddenly, she had that thought.
…No, it couldn’t be. Surely not.
***
Above the sky.
Floating in the air and looking down at the people below, I recalled the events that had just taken place.
A strange organization that nobody had ever heard of, pointing out a random man claiming to know Egostic’s true identity.
Having roughly grasped how things were unfolding, I made a decision after a brief contemplation.
Yes, it was time to step forward.
‘…Actually, I had another idea, but…’
It was about our Ego Stream quickly releasing a statement. Something like, ‘Kim Cheol-woo is indeed Egostic. Return him immediately!’ You know, that sort of thing. Maybe it would have caused even more confusion.
…However, I didn’t want to create unnecessary chaos. Even though I was a villain from the start, due to hunting down other villains, other villains in our country were wary of me. So if I suddenly disappeared, it could cause as much confusion as if Stardus vanished – that was what Lee Seola had analyzed.
So, I had no choice but to step forward like this.
That’s right.
I was standing there, holding this man named Kim Cheol-woo, in front of the apartment where a crowd had gathered and in the sky above.
…But there was one unexpected aspect in all of this.
Namely, the fact that Stardus was also here.
‘…I hate you.’
Suddenly, I felt like I heard her say that, the way she had choked up when we last met. I didn’t expect to meet her like this again, and it was incredibly awkward.
Anyway, I decided to avoid Stardus’s gaze as she stood in the apartment corridor, and I immediately turned on the camera.
That was my goal for today. Since the purpose was simply to prove that Kim Cheol-woo and I were different individuals, I set one goal for myself.
…Avoid eye contact with Stardus.
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