Knowing Full Well
Knowing Full Well
A beach in South Korea.
There, under the blazing sun while everyone else was out having fun.
The most popular hero in South Korea and the most famous villain were standing face to face.
The villain, for the record, was wearing a swimsuit under a robe and sunglasses. The hero was in street clothes too.
And the surreal sight: the hero sitting on the sunbed next to him, quietly striking up a conversation.
The problem was that I was that villain.
This might be the biggest crisis of my life.
A situation where panic would be entirely justified.
But.
In a crisis like this, my brain actually started running colder and calmer.
Right. A pro villain keeps his head on straight and solves the problem calmly even in a crisis.
My brain kicked into low gear.
'...Did Lee Seol-ah betray me?'
Did Seol-ah actually sell me out and run to Shin Ha-ru like "That guy's Egostic~"?
In the Original Work she backstabbed and merged all kinds of companies, and now she finally backstabbed me too? That didn't seem like the vibe. Weren't we on good terms?
So I looked over at Stardus from behind my sunglasses.
Hm.
No matter how I looked at it, she didn't seem to think I was Egostic.
I mean, setting everything else aside, if she'd known I was Egostic, she'd already have lunged at me and arrested me. Would she really have approached looking as awkward as humanly possible and simply said hello?
'...Right, it's probably not that Seol-ah betrayed me... She just wasn't thinking?'
I had no idea what she was thinking.
From what I saw, she didn't even seem to fully realize Stardus has Hyper Sense. Did she seriously think Shin Ha-ru wouldn't recognize me at all? Was she trying to set us up to be friends or something?
Anyway, it did not look like Shin Ha-ru had figured out my identity.
Of course, her expression had changed slightly when she saw my face, but that was merely... uh...
Shit. I think I'm screwed.
"So, Ha-ru, you're a university student?"
"Yes... did you say you run a business, Dain?"
"Ah, yes. Seol-ah and I are business partners. I just run a small business myself. Haha."
I said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Ha-ru had settled into the seat beside me and kept striking up conversation.
What's with you, Shin Ha-ru? You're not the type to just chat up strangers. Since when were you so assertive!!!
I screamed internally, a silent wail.
I mean, did anyone know what it felt like to be a villain making small talk with the off-duty hero?
The constant anxiety that she might notice at any moment.
The dread that she might already have noticed with her Hyper Sense crept in, but I shoved that negativity out of my head. Speak of the devil and all that. Can't entertain those thoughts.
So I made a resolution to myself.
For the moment, I had to smile like a harmless person. I wasn't a villain. I was an ordinary civilian.
Did she have any proof that I was Egostic? Any proof at all?
Honestly, how good is Eun-wol's magic? In my opinion, she absolutely cannot see through it.
So Shin Ha-ru, very unlike herself, kept talking to me, a guy she'd just met.
And I became the nice man who kept the conversation going with a woman he had just met that day for plot purposes, nodding and playing along.
She even ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail, by the way. Just how long was she planning on sitting there???
The conversation went on a little more like that.
Before I knew it, the tension eased.
Now she was even showing a faint smile at my words.
Yeah. Looks like I dodged that bullet.
Honestly, with Perception Impairment Magic on me, how could she possibly recognize me? It made no sense.
I had worried for nothing, right? Yeah... my acting really was something.
Just as I finally let my guard down—
Shin Ha-ru, seated beside me with a smile, asked almost in passing.
"Dain... right? There’s something I’m curious about."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Do you happen to know Egostic?"
And at that question, my face nearly froze over.
What the hell, why is she asking that?
"...Haha, Egostic?"
Just as I managed a smile and glanced at her,
my eyes met her blue ones. Chin in hand, she was staring at me with a faint smile as though she knew everything.
Ah.
I thought I was truly, completely screwed.
'...No, calm down. Don't fall for a leading question.'
I barely stopped myself from gasping and put my brain to work.
Damn. She really does suspect me.
There was no other reason she'd have said that to someone she'd only just met. Why else would she have said it?
She was still smiling with her eyes at me, right in front of me.
...Honestly, that eye-smile hit my heart harder than anything else, but I endured it like a pro. A top-class villain must separate business from pleasure.
First, I had to determine the intention behind her question.
Why had she asked that? To test my reaction and see whether I really was Egostic? Or maybe she was already certain and had only asked to mess with me—to make me introduce myself.
But Shin Ha-ru wasn't the joking type, so she was unlikely to say that merely to be funny. It was a test. Even if she'd connected me to Egostic, she was probably still only suspicious. That meant proving my innocence here was crucial.
At that moment, a thought flickered through my head.
This is a crisis. But a crisis can also be an opportunity. Meaning, I should think of this as an opportunity instead.
I finished judging the situation in an instant and opened my mouth.
"Egostic is a vile, piece-of-trash villain. I think he should be arrested immediately."
"...Excuse me?"
My sudden harsh words made her blink in slight confusion.
Good. This was it.
I started talking fast.
"He seems pretty popular these days, but honestly, I don't get it. He commits every kind of attack, founded a criminal organization, and tramples all over the law. The fact that anyone likes a psychopath like that is beyond me. He should face the full force of the law immediately."
At my logical, perfectly stated argument, her expression turned slightly sour. She probably hadn't expected self-deprecation. Yeah. Did I still look like Egostic to her then?
Shin Ha-ru paused briefly at my words, then spoke again, probably trying to agree with me and pile on to see how I'd react. Nice try. I could disparage myself better than anyone. Bring it on.
But contrary to my resolve, what came out of her mouth was the complete opposite of what I expected.
"...Still, hasn't Egostic stepped in to stop other villains' terrorist attacks quite a few times? To say he's purely evil is a bit..."
What, Ha-ru? Why are you covering for me there?
What is this? Advanced tactics? Right. I can't waver. I have to push through stubbornly, like the horn of a rhinoceros.
I came back firm once more.
"No. I'm sure he only did that to protect his own turf. Villains live on attention, don't they? Whether it was the bridge, Han-eun Group, or the Moonlight Church, I doubt he spared a thought for anyone else."
"...That's a lie."
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, never mind. That came out wrong."
She said that and smiled slightly.
...Ha-ru. It came out wrong, right? It did, right?
I just got chills...?
Shin Ha-ru kept smiling brightly as she slowly turned the cocktail glass in her hand. My gaze followed the motion before I knew it, and she spoke again with amusement in her voice.
"By the way, Dain."
"Yes?"
"You say you hate him, but you know almost everything Egostic has done. Anyone listening might think you were him."
"...Haha. Are you saying I resemble that evil villain?"
"...Haha. Are you saying I'm like that evil villain?"
"Ah, it's a joke. A joke."
She said that and grinned.
...I suddenly missed my mom.
"Then, Dain, what do you think of Stardus?"
She took a sip of her cocktail, then turned to me and smiled again with her question.
No, Ha-ru. Since when had she been a girl who smiled this much? It wasn't like her. Off duty, when she wasn't doing hero work, she was shy. Why was she doing that to me?
I nearly lost it completely.
"Stardus... is my absolute favorite hero."
"Oh my, really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"...She's the most righteous, and her convictions shine. She has a kind heart that worries about people more than anyone, and even when unrewarded, she keeps fighting for everyone to the very end. She's the most heroic person, more than anyone. And she's pretty."
"...Ah."
This was Eca-Cola. At this point, I was just letting everything spill out.
Yeah. That's me.
That was the eco-cola. I was simply going completely off the rails by then.
As I watched her cheeks turn a little red, I had another thought.
Ha. So this is how it ends.
As I stared blankly at the beach, my eyes suddenly met someone on the other side.
Honestly, it wouldn't have been strange if Shin Ha-ru attacked me at any moment. I had Teleportation, but my body was in poor condition and I couldn't run far. No, the moment my identity was exposed, I was already finished. My name had been revealed too.
Dazedly staring out at the beach, my eyes suddenly met someone over on the other side.
Seo-eun, Eun-wol, Choi Se-hee, and the other Ego Stream members, all standing there watching this place like they had no idea what to do.
Yeah. They all noticed Stardus came.
Guys. I'm screwed. What do I do?
Just as I was giving up in despair, a realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.
Wait. Seo-eun. Choi Se-hee. Eun-wol. Illusion Magic. An attack. An alibi. It could work.
I instantly figured out a way to break this situation and barely held myself back from leaping up.
Right. There's exactly one way to cut through this deadlock. Just one. If this one thing works.
"...Um, Ha-ru?"
"Yes?"
She'd been sipping her cocktail through a straw, her cheeks still a little flushed. She looked up at my question.
To her, I said.
"Would you mind if I stepped away to the restroom for just a moment?"
"...Excuse me?"
My words made her expression harden instantly.
As if to reassure her, I pointed right in front of us and said,
"It's right there up front. I'll be right back."
The restroom stood right before us like a white shipping container, plainly visible from where we sat.
She looked at it, hesitated briefly, then reluctantly nodded.
"...Yes, of course. Go ahead."
"Thank you. Then..."
I gave a breezy smile and got up from my seat.
Done. It's over.
I cleared the hardest part.
As I stood up, I briefly caught eyes with Seo-eun, who was sitting in front of a sandcastle before I headed into the nearby restroom.
I winked one eye, and she immediately understood and ran off somewhere.
Yeah. That's our Seo-eun. She gets it with just a look.
With that thought, I walked into the restroom. Smiling.
...Stardus, Stardus.
You really think I'm getting caught here?
***
"..."
After Dain had gone into the restroom, Shin Ha-ru quietly watched the restroom area.
Three minutes. If he took longer than three minutes, she would move.
She was already almost certain.
He was Egostic. Definitely.
And he also clearly knows that she is Stardus.
Exchanging a few lines with him had brought her close to conviction.
But instead, she fell into a different thought.
'...So, what do I do?'
Should she pounce and arrest him right here? Should she drag him off to prison?
...Is that the right thing to do?
"..."
She had been sure that when this situation came, she would throw him in prison without hesitation.
But now that the moment was actually here—
Stardus began to hesitate.
'...I have to arrest him. I have to. That's right... it is, but...'
"Were you waiting long?"
While she was lost in those thoughts, a voice suddenly reached her.
"...That was fast."
"Of course. Did you think I'd run off somewhere?"
Watching him say that so shamelessly, she couldn't help a laugh from escaping.
...Strangely, whenever she was in front of him, her heart eased a little.
...He's clearly a villain.
Just as the unexpected feeling left her unsettled—
he sat back down on the sunbed and spoke first with a smile.
"So, Ha-ru."
"Yes?"
"What do you think about Stardus?"
"Uh..."
He smiled slightly as she got flustered by the sudden question.
...He was definitely doing all of that while knowing exactly who she was.
When she narrowed her eyes and looked at him, he just tilted his head as if asking what the problem was.
...Infuriating.
Even as she thought that, she found the situation faintly ridiculous.
...A villain and a hero, both having already noticed the other's identity, smiling and chatting away like they knew nothing.
Egostic was brazenly tossing out hints right in front of her, and she was smiling along with him.
...They both seemed insane.
...She had to arrest him. Attack him. Now that she knew his identity, even if he escaped, she had to report it to the Association and have him tracked down.
The thought made her chest tighten before she knew it.
...Right. She would finish this conversation, then pounce. Not yet. Just after they talked a little longer...
She made that promise to herself and opened her mouth.
From somewhere far away came the sound of an explosion.
—Boom.
"...?"
She turned her head at the sudden incident. Far off in the distance, black smoke was dimly visible.
As the beach began to stir at the sudden event, the phone in her pocket suddenly started ringing.
"...Dain, one moment."
[Association]
The moment she saw the words on the screen, she stood up, moved to one side, and answered the call.
An urgent voice came through from the staff member.
[Stardus! We have a serious situation. Egostic has appeared again and is carrying out a terrorist attack!]
"...Excuse me?"
Startled by the sudden words, Shin Ha-ru turned her head to look at where Dain was sitting.
He was looking around with a bewildered expression, staring at the place where the black smoke was rising. He looked perfectly innocent, as if he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"...Are you certain it's Egostic?"
[Yes. It is unmistakably him.]
Hearing the firm confirmation, Shin Ha-ru suddenly began to fall into confusion.
...Egostic appeared? Then who is that man right over there?
***
On the far side, Stardus was noticeably flustered.
Watching her panic from the other side, I smiled faintly where she could not see.
'Just as planned.'