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Translated by BiasNil
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If you tie people to the rail and just let the train run, it will hit five people, but if you pull the lever, only the one tied to the other track will be hit. So—will you pull the lever?
Egostic set up a dilemma.
In fact, it's a well-known philosophical one.
The so-called "Trolley Dilemma."
If the train keeps running, it hits five people. But if you pull the lever, it hits only one.
From a utilitarian standpoint, it's "right" to pull the lever—since you save four more people.
But can you really pull it?
It's a sad accident when a train hits five. In this world, they might even call it a tragic terror incident. But if you pull the lever, it's no longer an accident. When five die without intervention, that's an accident; once you pull the lever, you become the one who killed that one person. The one who didn't have to die dies because you pulled it.
…Well, that's the dilemma.
And I embodied it in the real world. Stardust made a brilliant breakthrough—solving with action what no amount of arguing could.
She didn't think about where to send the train by turning the lever.
She stepped up and stopped the train herself.
Stardust has superpowers.
She's different from a dual-ability user like me. She's powerful, and she can fly at the same time—specifically, superhuman strength and flight.
She's also a dual-ability user, so her abilities have some drawbacks like mine. Of course, not as much as mine.
Someone who has only superhuman strength can collapse buildings alone. Likewise, someone who has only flight can cruise the sky at Mach speed. (Both examples are heroes in the U.S.)
Stardust isn't quite at that tier. She's powerful, but not "one-punch a building" powerful, and she can't fly at supersonic speed.
…And sure, dual-ability users have inherent trade-offs, but she's still much better than I am… Still, it's true she's a little lacking.
Of course, dual-ability users are rare, and strength + flight is a highly compatible combo, which is why she's graded A-class—but there's that lingering 2% of disappointment.
But she's the main character of this comic.
Her unique trait is growth—her powers improve.
The more hardship and adversity she faces, the stronger she becomes.
That's why I arranged an event to build her "muscles."
Make Stardust Great Again.
Honestly, by the numbers she shouldn't have been able to stop a running train, but when the real moment came, her desire to save everyone overflowed.
And her favorability went up, too.
Somehow her popularity, which had dipped after clashing with me, rose again thanks to this. Her throwing herself at a speeding train like a human clamp impressed viewers nationwide.
It was good that people started to like Stardust again.
But why did a love scandal break out?
***
I'm watching TV in a daze.
After the incident, I teleported home and woke up after a good night's sleep in the fatigue-recovery capsule.
Seo-eun grabbed my hand and dragged me to the TV. She sat me on the sofa.
The big title of today's show blazed across the screen.
[Egostic – Stardust Love Scandal]
"What the hell is this?"
I shouted the moment I saw it.
But no matter what I said, the people on TV were already running their mouths.
"Hello, this is Weekly Entertainment! These two are the hottest topics right now, right? The villain Egostic—currently Korea's most popular figure! And the rising hero Stardust! Their love scandal is sweeping the Korean entertainment world. Reporter Park, how did this scandal even start?"
An entertainment program on terrestrial TV.
The female anchor lobbed the question to a male reporter who looked oddly professional.
"Yes, we can see it from Egostic's actions."
Suddenly, the man pulled out a panel and propped it up.
Stickers dotted the white board.
Across the top, in impressively pink text: "Egostic ♡ Stardust."
"The first reason—Egostic openly pursuing her."
He peeled off the white cover sticker; letters and pictures folded beneath snapped into view.
[1. Egostic's love letter]
The man continued, face dead serious. In that suit and horn-rimmed glasses, with that expression, he looked like a CEO giving a shareholder briefing.
Of course, what came out of his mouth was nonsense.
"Egostic's first step was killing the S-class villain Enzodiac and the A-class villain Rhino. But that's not the main point. This is."
He pointed to the photo on the panel.
In the picture, letters written in blood:
Death to a worse man than me.
Death to someone weaker than me.
To you, Stardust.
For the record—back then I picked a concept, and for my first crime in this world, I just barreled ahead without knowing how far I should take it.
First time jitters—I was very motivated. Also, since it was my first murder, I did drug myself a bit beforehand, and—having seen a similar line somewhere and thinking it looked cool—I wrote it in my own blood.
Sober-me didn't realize how unbearably cheesy it would be.
These days I adjust the cheesiness of the "concept," but back then I thought it was cool, wrote it, and now… sigh.
Honestly, at first I was proud of the rhyme. Of course, I realized how weird it was when Seo-eun burst out laughing as soon as she saw it… It's now my dark past. Every time someone brings it up, I blush. I might be traumatized because Seo-eun keeps teasing me—'Death to someone weaker than me, blah blah~'.
Anyway, that reporter just dug up the dark past I wanted erased. I glance to the side—Seo-eun is wheezing with laughter. Thank god Su-bin isn't here…
The reporter analyzed my dark past with grave solemnity.
"Now, see these words? This is a message Egostic left at the scene himself. What we should focus on is the last line: 'To you, Stardust.' From the outset, Egostic consistently flirted with Stardust. He eliminated villains and presented them to Stardust as gifts. He's openly pursuing her."
I didn't "gift" them—I was drawing aggro.
What if I went to all that trouble being bad and they sent some random hero instead of Stardust? That's why I addressed the note to her—to draw aggro. Do they even know how much Stardust hates vigilantes…?
"The second reason—the terror incidents. Honestly, you can barely call Egostic's terrorism 'terrorism.' The results: zero casualties. Notably, in both attacks he targeted Stardust, and she handled both perfectly."
Footage of my incidents rolled: Stardust addressing the passengers on the ships; Stardust stopping the train head-on. Hmmm, she looks cool.
"And what Egostic said afterward is also very significant. Let's listen."
Now my voice came on.
The lines I muttered to her after the ship incident was over.
*check the previous episodes*
[It was because of you.]
[Everyone suddenly became united after your speech.]
[Okay. Alright. I guess I underestimated you. It was something no one else could do. You can't just enlighten the public with a single word, right?]
…Oh, I said that?
Before my confusion faded, another clip played.
This time, what I told her after the train incident.
[Yes, Ms. Stardust. Good job. I did not expect you to save everyone in a way I could never have imagined. It's your victory.]
The reporter, who'd been quietly listening, suddenly leapt to his feet.
Ignoring the startled anchor, he began shouting.
"Look at this!!! If this isn't love, what is?!!! When Mangostic said that last line and closed Stardust's eyes, she fell sound asleep!!! If they're not dating, then what is dating?!!"
He was screaming and clutching at his hair! Is this guy for real? Am I actually watching terrestrial TV?
"What the hell is this?!!"
I yelled, snatching the remote and hurling it at the TV.
Seo-eun, beside me, had been laughing so long she could barely breathe.
The camera cut to the flustered anchor, then finally to commercials.
On screen: [Checking the Broadcast]. So yeah—broadcasting mishap.
For real—who calls me Mangostic on a show?
I could only hang my head and groan.
No matter how I think about it, the Republic of Korea is crazy.
I later found out the reporter was a member of my… enthusiastic fan club, commonly known as "Mango Union."
Although he was supposedly "demoted" over the on-air incident, he received a bonus instead of discipline—because the show hit sky-high ratings.
Seriously, the world is coming to an end…