EP.17 Time of Choice
Terrorism.
At a mere mention, it seems like an easy task – just throw a bomb and it’s all done. However, in reality, it’s immensely complicated and requires extensive designing and planning. Take it from someone like me, who has already orchestrated two significant acts of terror: I assure you, this is true. Probably.
Tie someone to the railroad tracks as a train is approaching.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
One might think it’s as easy as abducting a person and tying them down.
But when you actually try to do it, you realize it’s not easy at all.
First off, I had a hard time even finding the right people to tie up. How would it feel, accidentally killing an ordinary civilian that’s been tied down? Guilt-ridden, I imagine.
Even though I’m a true villain with blood on my hands, such a mistake would keep me up at night. I was, until not too long ago, a law-abiding citizen of South Korea.
So, I picked out people with a certain… flair to their past. Those who got off easy after committing serious crimes and are still living life like nothing happened. Kidnapping them turned out to be relatively simple.
Kidnapping is one thing, but tying them to the tracks is another huge problem. It’s somewhat similar to the kidnapping issue. South Korea has too many CCTVs. They are not everywhere because of privacy infringement issues, but they are certainly present exactly when you don’t need them to be there.
Of course, I can maneuver around CCTV with my teleportation ability and Seo-eun’s hacking skills, but tying people to tracks…
South Korea has a hero called Shadow Walker, who becomes invincible at night. Getting caught by him during any nighttime activity spells disaster. It might be better if all villains committed their crimes at night since Shadow Walker can’t handle everything alone, but since most villains are cowards hiding in the night, going solo would be a problem. Sigh.
So, here I am, teleporting in broad daylight, tying people up. It’s utterly embarrassing and leaves me feeling strange. Even without CCTVs, doing this in the light of day just doesn’t feel right…
And then there’s the train. I’m primarily to blame here because, after recent ferry and building bombings by my followers, security checks for explosives on public transport have been increased. Hence, I couldn’t resort to planting bombs on trains. That’s where Subin came in, incapacitating the train driver and taking their place at the controls.
Subin claims to have been a loner since childhood, rarely leaving home. But Subin apparently knows how to operate a helicopter, an excavator, an airplane – you name it. When I asked how such a feat is possible, the reply that everything was learned via computer simulators nearly floored me.
It sounds absurd, but then again, this comes from a person who started studying for the national college entrance exam, the SATs, just a week before and still managed to get into Seoul National University. Yes, a genius is different indeed.
I mistook Subin for being timid like me, but I forgot that Subin can technologically connect with Seo-eun, both being geniuses in their own right. Am I the only normal one here? The thought is rather disheartening…
So, Subin agreed to drive the train. It would be problematic if the driver suddenly refuses to hit someone, stops the train, or – heaven forbid – attempts some form of drifting. If worst comes to worst, derailing the train can serve as a threat – a mutual annihilation tactic.
Terrorism requires time, effort, and insurance. As I always say, I have a frail body that could be destroyed by a single punch from Stardust. Pull the wrong lever and my spine could be plucked, bidding this world farewell. I need insurance. Subin, who can derail the train, is my first line of defense. And, to prepare for the possibility of Stardust attacking the train, I have planted bombs at the train-bound locations of the victims as a second insurance.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
