As you walk down the streets, you see apartment after apartment…
Of course, you can’t overlook the single-family homes.
Among all the houses that densely pack the surface,
There’s one that looks ordinary.
To an outsider, this house appears to have no issues.
If you were to watch who comes and goes from its front door,
You’d typically see one woman, and sometimes a man and a girl as well.
So one might think it’s just an average family home, but if you went inside,
You’d feel something odd.
Why are the doors inside locked with a passcode?
And even if you unlocked that door and went further in, something would feel off—
Because inside, the home is empty.
Though there are a few pieces of furniture, they’re covered in a thick layer of dust, as if they’ve never been used.
It’s as if no one has ever lived there before.
But then, what about that man and woman who have been seen coming and going?
As these thoughts come to you, and you feel a chill down your spine,
You might scream, “This is a haunted house!” and run away.
But in truth, this is no haunt for ghosts.
The home is just… underground.
Down in the deep depths.
If you start from the ground and descend hundreds of meters below,
You’ll find an expansive space.
This place, armed with dozens of rooms, all sorts of state-of-the-art equipment, and amenities,
Currently houses the number one most influential villain in South Korea.
Ranked number one as the most appealing figure to teenagers.
Chosen as number one in Prestige Magazine’s “This Man is Remarkable.”
This is the secret underground lair of the unprecedented villain, Egotistic, who has hundreds of thousands of fans.
It’s commonly known as Ego-Base.
And I, as its leader,
Am currently devising a plan.
“Alright, pitch me some good ideas!”
In one of the numerous rooms scattered somewhere in the house,
There’s a large chalkboard adhered to the wall, which reads:
[Meeting on the 3rd Major Terror Event].
I wrote that.
“What’s the objective for this terror event? We already have enough recognition, so is it about heightening the sense of fear?”
“Exactly. It seems that a lot of people believe I’m good-hearted, almost viewing me as a hero. I want to correct that notion and instill the idea that I’m impulsive, acting on whim, a madman!”
“Um… Truth be told, it seems many already view you somewhat that way… But okay. Then shouldn’t we just capture anyone and start a massacre?”
“Seo Eun-ah!”
I exclaimed in shock as I stared at Seo Eun.
To utter such a terrifying thought so nonchalantly, had I raised her wrong?
…On second thought, Seo Eun was originally a villain. Her nature softened a lot while living with me. In the original story, she was the one who considered destroying Korea.
Nevertheless, this requires preemptive education.
I cleared my throat and began to speak.
“What a horrible and frightful idea! What fault do the civilians have? You can’t just recklessly kill people.”
“But why are there so many conditions? It’s funnier that you call yourself a villain, yet there have been zero casualties.”
“Haha, other villains have killed many. I’ve even taken care of a few friends of Subin personally?”
At that moment, Subin shuddered at the mention.
Sorry, Subin, just keep that coffee cup steady in your hand.
“Hmm… Alright, got it. How about a massacre of criminals in prison, then? They’re not civilians.”
“Uh… hmm…”
Can’t think of a rebuttal?
No, there is one.
“Seo Eun-ah, but if you look at people’s reactions these days, doing that might actually increase my popularity. They’d call it refreshing.”
“That so…”
“Plus, it can’t just be any random terror plot. There should be a sort of loophole where it seems possible to escape, yet ultimately all fail and die. Think about the scenarios I’ve created before: the prisoner’s dilemma, the trolley problem. Not that it has to be a dilemma, but it needs to be a terror plot that requires some thinking.”
“Hmm… That’s tough.”
Isn’t it? It’s tough.
This isn’t an easy game.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
