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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Matter of Perspective
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"Our Haru actually believed the apple mango conspiracy theory... gasp!"
Her friend, Lee Seol-ah, said, hand clamped over her mouth.
When Shin Haru glared at her with a sulky expression, Seol-ah finally let out a sheepish laugh and lowered her hand.
"Hehe, just kidding, just kidding. Lighten up."
"I'm serious."
"Aw, is our little Haru pouting now? Oh dear~"
Seol-ah, who had been teasing with a wide grin, cleared her throat, her expression turning serious as she finally spoke.
"Right. Well, from what I've heard, it certainly sounds odd. A villain who commits acts of terror but doesn't want anyone to die..."
Seol-ah, lost in thought for a moment, twirled a strand of her sky-blue hair around her finger before continuing.
"...I mean, couldn't it just be that way? Like, what's that word, an entertainer? The type who enjoys drawing attention to themselves? Probably. Yeah... what was I going to say?"
She paused, searching for the right words, then clapped her hands and declared.
"You could say he's a villain who wants to cause terror but doesn't want to kill civilians. Especially since he contacted them to save people who were about to die from his own attacks."
Having said that, Seol-ah crossed her arms and nodded, as if the problem were solved. She then took another sip of green tea, wetting her throat.
Shin Haru, who had been quietly listening until then, finally opened her mouth and asked.
"....So you think he's harmless?"
"Huh? Harmless... Well, he still destroys buildings and planes, so he's definitely a villain. Just a villain who dislikes civilian casualties. Can that truly be considered harmless? He's certainly better than villains who try to wipe out entire populations."
"And seeing his hacking skills and how he's practically showering people with money this time, he's definitely got something up his sleeve. But honestly, hearing you talk about it makes me feel more at ease. If someone with that much power wanted to kill people, that would be truly terrifying."
Seol-ah, having said her piece, took another sip of tea.
Seeing Haru still wearing a troubled expression, Seol-ah smiled brightly again and said.
"Our Haru, is *that* what you're so worried about? You called your older sister here for advice, just to ask if that Egoistic guy is really a villain?"
"Who are you calling 'older sister'... No, well. There's just something that bothers me..."
"What's there to be bothered by? There are all kinds of villains in the world, aren't there? You have villains who dismember five people for some dark ritual, so why couldn't there be villains who aren't fond of killing? If anything, there's no need to worry. From now on, any terror he causes will likely be within the bounds of what you can prevent in terms of civilian casualties. As for him killing other villains... well, that's vigilantism, but it's not like he's harming civilians."
Haru felt a strange sensation, watching Seol-ah speak as if not killing people during an act of terror was a *good* thing, and what was there to even worry about?
Yes. Logically speaking, Seol-ah was right. He was simply a villain who wanted to cause terror without civilian casualties. Egoistic. Defining him that way would resolve the issue entirely.
His motive for terror could be seen as mere pleasure, just like any other villain.
That was probably the most normal interpretation of Egoistic.
Yet, a lingering doubt remained within her. She couldn't quite put it into words, but... a strong 'hunch' persisted.
The thought that his acts of terror weren't merely for personal gratification, but for some other, deeper reason.
When she observed his acts of terror, it felt less like he was simply enjoying them and more like he was aiming for something specific.
The idea that he was orchestrating these attacks with a different, calculated intention.
What could it be? Because she didn't know, all her thoughts remained dismissed as mere delusions for now.
Seeing Haru's face, once again lost in thought, Seol-ah chuckled.
"Haru, honestly. I thought you called me here for some massive crisis, but it was just about a villain? What are we going to do with a workaholic like you, huh?"
She shook her head, saying this.
"Haru. We're human, too. When we're not working, we need to clear our heads and relax, okay? You're a college student—you should be going to events. How else are you going to make friends?"
"....I *do* have friends."
"Oh, that senior you mentioned? That's not a friend, that's more like an older sister figure! Anyway, my point is, you need to rest when you can. How else are you ever going to date a guy?"
"You've never dated a guy yourself."
At Shin Haru's words, which struck a nerve after listening in silence, Seol-ah's face flushed slightly.
"No, that's because my agency controls my private life... I mean, if it weren't for all the surveillance, I'd totally..."
"Right, right. I get it."
Seol-ah grumbled at Haru's words, spoken with a slight chuckle, but soon found herself laughing too.
And so, the conversation about Egoistic faded into the background, and they began to catch up on each other's lives.
What Lee Seol-ah brought up next was her most recent concern.
"Ugh... Having my every move reported by the media is incredibly stressful."
Lee Seol-ah.
Her friend, an A-rank ice-powered hero responsible for Busan.
She was also, at the same time, the daughter of the chairman of Yoosung Group, one of South Korea's leading conglomerates—a third-generation *chaebol*, as they called it.
"No, hero work is fun for me, and it's good for the company's image, but... why does everyone care so much about what I'm wearing?!"
She stretched her arm across the table, letting out a sigh.
All Haru could say to her was, "That must be tough."
Unlike Stardust, who meticulously hid her identity through things like perception-altering abilities, Icicle didn't make any particular effort to conceal hers.
From the beginning, even before she awakened her powers and became known as Icicle, she was already a widely recognized public figure under the name Lee Seol-ah, the third-generation *chaebol* heiress.
So, she didn't hide her identity; she went by Lee Seol-ah, and during her hero activities, she never bothered with perception-altering tricks or even a mask, appearing with her bare face.
"Still, it's good that they don't interfere as much as before since I started this. Honestly, they probably just think I have a positive impact on our company's image."
"You have it rough too, huh..."
"Yeah. At least Busan has fewer terrorist attacks than the capital region, which is a relief. If there were as many as yours, seriously, wow..."
Having said that, Lee Seol-ah clicked her tongue and pulled out her phone. She read an article, and her face crumpled.
Haru, curious, asked her.
"What's wrong?"
"No, you know our rival company, Haneun Group? There's this lunatic named Kim Seon-woo, who used to be one of their technical advisors, and apparently, he's been released. He was caught doing human experiments, so how on earth did he get out? They must have pulled some serious strings again."
"Kim Seon-woo..."
"Ugh. Nothing ever goes right these days."
Seol-ah clicked her tongue and placed her phone back on the table.
And so, their conversation continued.
Time passed swiftly, and soon it was deep night.
Outside, the rain was falling steadily.
"Shall we call it a night?"
"Okay."
The two decided to part ways there.
As they stepped out of the cafe, a line of bodyguards in suits and sunglasses stood waiting.
"Miss. Please get in."
"Oh. Haru, should I give you a ride too? It's raining."
"No, I think I'll walk a bit first. You go on ahead."
"Really...? Alright. But do you have an umbrella? Mister, could I get an extra umbrella, please!"
Haru received an umbrella from one of the suited men and expressed her thanks.
"Haru, I'm heading off. If you have any more worries next time, just call me right away, okay?"
"Yeah. Drive safe."
She waved goodbye to her friend, who departed in a black limousine.
Once the car was out of sight, she turned and began walking towards her home.
Rain pattered against her umbrella.
She walked through the quiet night streets, where only the sound of raindrops could be heard, relying solely on her umbrella.
It was good to meet her friend after so long.
Seol-ah was, in fact, the only friend she truly felt she could open up to.
As she walked slowly, she raised her head and looked up at the sky.
With dawn approaching, the sky was pitch black.
Staring at the solitary moon suspended in the dark sky, she once again fell into contemplation.
In the end, Seol-ah had only advised her not to worry too much about Egoistic.
Just a villain who was reluctant to harm people, nothing more, nothing less.
Yet Haru remained bothered by him.
The feeling that both Seol-ah and she were missing something crucial.
A gut feeling that his actions so far were part of some larger scheme.
And the persistent, baseless, and utterly absurd thought that he might not be as bad a person as she imagined... yet it continued to swirl in her mind.
Thus, Stardust, unknowingly, was attempting to pierce through Egoistic's true nature with her extrasensory perception.
Of course, since she didn't know his true identity, for now, she just felt a persistent unease and a nagging preoccupation with him.
"Haa..."
Staring up at the dark night sky, she could only sigh.
While she was so troubled and conflicted because of Egoistic...
That very Egoistic guy was probably lounging in his home, living it up and perfectly content, wasn't he?
***
"Cough, cough."
"Kyaaa! Oppa, what is wrong with you?! Don't we need to get you to a hospital for this? Let's go to the hospital!"
"Seo-eun-ah, how can I possibly go to a hospital, *cough*, right now? I'll be fine in a bit, *cough*."
"How can you be fine when you're practically coughing up a bucket of blood?!"
"Hyung, you can't die... *Sniffle*."
Inside a large mansion, nestled deep within the mountains.
Lying inside, I was currently coughing up a bucket of blood.
The mansion's occupants had rushed in, surrounding me with worried expressions.
I could see Hayul by the door, her face ashen as she stared at me.
Ah, damn it.
Did I overdo it with the bridge?
"Cough."
And then came another bout of coughing up blood.
This is so unfair. How much power did I even use for this to happen so suddenly?
What a damn useless ability...
I collapsed the bridge, then fainted as soon as I got home, only to wake up three days later.
And as soon as I woke up, I started coughing up a bucket of blood.
I'm going to die.
Will Stardust ever find out that I'm suffering like this for her sake?
No. Probably not.
Oh, man...
"Cough, cough."
"Kyaaaa!"
And Seo-eun-ah, please stop screaming...