"Today's Entertainment~ Show! So, what are we looking at this time?"
"Yes, today's topic is! The self-proclaimed S-class hero, Apple Mango!"
"Oh, the hero's name is Apple Mango? That's very affectionate."
"That's right. He's someone who's been heating up the internet lately. Let's take a look."
The two women faded from the TV, and another video began to play.
Someone must've filmed it secretly with a smartphone.
There, a man perched on a tower of chairs was talking.
The voice of the guy in a yellow mask.
[Did you ask who I am? I'm an S-class hero, Apple Mango.]
His words echoed in a haughty tone.
The video cut there, and the two women came back on screen.
"Yes! Aha. Did he refer to himself as Apple Mango?"
"Yes, that's right. During the recent Busan Signature Hotel terrorist attack, he suppressed the terrorists faster than any other heroes. After that, when three other heroes arrived, this is what he said."
"Yes, but I heard he said something strange afterward."
"Oh, let's listen to that as well."
The screen changed again.
As before, it continued with the yellow-masked man's words.
[But aren't you all A-class heroes? The difference between a senior and a junior is like heaven and earth, so use honorifics when you talk to me.]
"Yes, it's very… impressive. What does he mean, 'use honorifics'?"
"That's right. As you can see, the heroes looked a little lost at his sudden remarks. After that, he continued with odd behavior."
[I ate, drank, and went to a sauna with your president!]
"Hehe… Is that true?"
"It's likely not. He left just after, tossing out a variety of strange comments and unexpected advice to his junior heroes."
"Yes, it's such an odd thing. Is that why he's now the center of attention?"
"Of course, it's not just that. There are many reasons—let's take a look."
A large number appeared on the screen.
A big caption followed.
[Self-proclaimed S-class hero, Apple Mango. Is he actually the villain Egostic?]
"Oh, what's this about?"
"Literally. Netizens found a lot of evidence that the self-proclaimed hero is actually Egostic. Let's take a look."
The screen changed again and a new video played.
The resolution was much worse than before. In a sneaked video, terrorists dropped as sudden bursts of gunfire rang out.
"The first evidence is his telekinesis. Apple Mango showed guns floating in the air, which perfectly matches Egostic's ability. And that's not all."
Another clip. Apple Mango vanished from his spot the moment he finished speaking.
"As you can see, he also used teleportation. This also matches Egostic exactly. The abilities themselves are extremely rare, and the overlap between the two is complete."
"Wow, that's what we call 'you can't deny it' these days. Right?"
"That's not the end. From our video analysis, Egostic and Apple Mango are almost identical in body shape as well. Let's compare their voices."
"Yes, Egostic's first terrorist attack—this is audio from the ship incident."
[After listening to your speech, everyone suddenly became united. Hahahahahaha!]
"And this is Apple Mango's voice."
[Villain? Me? Hahahahahaha!]
"What do you think?"
"They're… exactly the same."
"Yes. Many people pointed out the similarity. They argue the voices are identical!"
"At this point, we can be sure Apple Mango is Egostic, right?"
"Yes. The Association hasn't made an official statement yet, but it's now widely accepted that Apple Mango is Egostic. Mangodan, Egostic's fan club, is excited that Egostic acknowledged their 'Mango' nickname."
"Mango Union… Apple Mango. Isn't that enough to reveal who he really is?"
"That's right. Some are even saying they 'strongly welcome' Egostic dropping the villain cosplay and trying to transfer to being a hero. There's even a petition for the Association to officially recognize the S-class hero Apple Mango."
"I see. But it's hard to explain this popularity with just that. The second reason Apple Mango is so hot! Let's find out together."
On screen, a big number 2 appeared.
The caption below read: "Egostic and his relationship with the Association—what is it?"
"The relationship between Egostic and the Association… what does this mean?"
"Literally. Before changing his name, Apple Mango mentioned the Association president by name—let's listen."
[…Did you know? The president's name is Park Junho, right? That's the new name. His original name is Park Makchun. Makchun, you kept whining that you didn't like your name, and then you changed it in secret.]
"This is very… new. The claim is that the Association president changed his name—from Park Makchun to Park Junho."
"The Association has denied it for now. They say the claim about the president's name is a groundless rumor. Netizens aren't convinced. It's true the Association has offered nothing beyond that statement, and given the heroes' reactions…"
"It's fascinating. If that story is true, how would Apple Mango—or Egostic—know it?"
"That's a hot topic among netizens right now. It's argued that the president's original name wouldn't appear in any computerized records, so it's not something anyone could know except family and old friends."
"So how on earth does he know? Is he an old acquaintance of the real Association president, or…?"
"Hence the conspiracy theories. Some say Egostic was actually an S-class hero in the past, later falling out with the Association and becoming a villain. It's completely unconfirmed—but… it's a pretty interesting story."
"In fact, that theory even explains why three A-class heroes 'missed' Apple Mango—maybe they let him go because he's a senior."
"That's right. We'll find out more later."
"Okay! So what's the third and final story about Apple Mango?"
"Yes—onto the third!"
The accompanying subtitles:
[3. What are Egostic's abilities?]
"It's about Egostic's abilities. What is this?"
"It's about what he showed this time. Until now, the Association and experts have speculated that Egostic's telekinesis and teleportation are quite weak. It's also commonly believed that dual-ability users are much weaker than single-ability users."
"But you mean he's not?"
"That's right. Holding multiple guns aloft with telekinesis—what he showed this time—is a very difficult technique. No one thought it possible based on Egostic's past showings, yet he did it. The same goes for his teleportation."
"Oh—then how was he in Busan if he's always active in Seoul?"
"Exactly. At the very moment of the terror attack, he suddenly appeared. From this, people are saying he can actually teleport from Seoul to Busan."
"Very interesting. Does that mean Egostic has been hiding his power all along?"
"Maybe. Nothing's confirmed yet, but either way, Egostic looks set to remain at the center of conversation in Korea for a while."
"Egostic—this is why attention is focusing even more on his next steps."
She turned off the TV she was watching.
A firm press on the remote.
The TV went dark, and the empty black screen reflected Shin Haru's face.
"….."
Her expression on the screen was complicated.
Egostic. Egostic. That Egostic.
She lay back on the sofa, tired, pressing her eyes and acupressure points.
A few days had passed since the incident.
The hotel incident was already known nationwide.
And about Egostic…
"…"
In truth, she was already convinced that this Apple Mango person was Egostic.
No—didn't she realize it before anyone else? She's one of the few who's seen Egostic in person.
Precisely because of that, her feelings were complicated.
As she continued investigating Egostic's recent actions, she hadn't expected to see him again because of this incident.
Suspicions from last time…
And now, again this time.
She had to admit it.
Recently, something had begun to take root in her mind.
Egostic.
Is this guy really, truly a villain?
So… can he really be defined as a villain?