Aku bangun setelah tiga hari dalam koma.
Saat bangun, Seo-eun menyambutku dengan air mata.
"Kamu benar-benar gila!", Seo-eun memukulku. Astaga, Seo-eun. Sakit banget! Berhenti!
Saat aku duduk dan mencoba menenangkannya, aku merasa betapa kagetnya dia. Mungkin dia khawatir karena aku tiba-tiba pingsan seperti mayat selama tiga hari.
Meski begitu, aku sedikit tersentuh oleh air mata Seo-eun saat bangun dari koma. Waktu kita bersama tidak sia-sia, dia menitikkan air mata untukku. Akhirnya aku merasakan hasil main game dan nongkrong bareng dia!
Aku tersenyum ke Seo-eun yang menitikkan air mata dan menyuruhku menjaga diri, serta berjanji hati-hati ke depannya. Yah, tidak ada jaminan aku tidak mengulanginya.
Aku bangun menenangkan Seo-eun, dan mengucapkan terima kasih ke Soobin yang sudah merawatku. Lalu aku langsung cek opini publik.
Apa kata orang soal aku?
Apa kata mereka soal Stardus?
Hasil analisisnya, popularitasku puncak. Banyak artikel bilang orang mengira aku, seorang penjahat, justru pahlawan.
Hm... Seperti dugaan, memang jadi begini.
Aku cuma membunuhnya karena aku dimalukan, tapi jadi nilai plus. Rasanya lumayan puas.
Dan yang mengejutkan, Crocodile Man itu hidup. Dia tidak mati terkena gas racun? Yah, memang aku pakai yang lemah untuk jaga-jaga... Tapi tidak sangka dia selamat. Yah, di komik asli dia juga hadapi situasi sama dan susah desak.
Kabernya dia kembali jadi manusia normal dari bentuk buaya, dan ditahan di Pusat Penahanan Superpower Timur setelah diobati.
Yah, jalan cerita sesuai komik asli.
Pusat Penahanan Superpower Timur. Disebut East Carcer. Tepatnya, tempat mengumpulkan dan memenjarakan penjahat berkekuatan super.
Seperti Asosiasi Pahlawan, tiap negara punya tempat bernama 'Carcer'. Carcer, bahasa Latin untuk penjara. Segera setelah Pusat Penahanan Superpower pertama, 'America's Carcer', didirikan di AS, semua pusat penahanan yang dibangun di negara lain sejak itu disebut Carcer.
Fasilitas keamanan tertinggi di tiap negara, juga tempat dipasang segala alat untuk membatasi kemampuan tiap tahanan sesuai karakteristiknya. Dibangun di pulau tak berpenghutan di Laut Timur, dijaga ketat sampai ada mitos tidak ada yang keluar sekali masuk. Tentu, di komik asli, Seo-eun bobol lewat hacking.
Anyway, dia terjebak hidup di sana, mungkin mati nanti. Dia agak bodoh, kurasa mati mudah. Tapi aku ragu apakah dia begitu hanya mode buaya atau juga mode manusia.
Anyway, aku main dan istirahat beberapa hari setelah itu.
Aku warga biasa. Setelah kerja keras, harus istirahat karena kelelahan.
...Kurasa Seo-eun lebih sering menemani dan nongkrong barengku dari dulu. Ada apa dengannya?
Tentu aku tidak cuma rebahan main tiap hari. Kadang, aku ceritakan ke Seo-eun dan Soobin soal masyarakat pahlawan Korea. Keduanya dulu di kamar belajar teknologi komputer, jadi tidak tahu banyak soal keadaan sekarang.
"Nah, hari ini kita belajar realita pahlawan di Korea. Soobin, tahu gak publik Korea mikir soal pahlawan?"
"Hm... Pasti suka kan? Karena mereka yang selamatkan orang."
"Bukan. Korea beda. Contoh: keluarga diserang penjahat. Mereka panggil pahlawan. Tapi sebelum pahlawan datang, penjahat sudah bunuh semua dan lari. Tahu siapa yang disalahin orang?"
"Tentu penjahat kan?"
"Ya, pasti penjahat. Mereka benci penjahat, tapi pahlawan disalahin sebagus penjahat. 'Keluargaku mati karena kamu telat', kata mereka."
"...Bukan salah pahlawan kan? Mereka tidak telat sengaja."
"Benar. Tapi warga tidak peduli. Bisa saja cepat, tapi mereka ngomong-ngomong jadi keluarga mati. Begitu dendam orang. Yah, bukan cuma itu, tapi hal serupa berkumpul jadi ketidakpercayaan ke pahlawan. Kesimpulannya, rakyat Korea tidak terlalu percaya pahlawan."
Tenggorokanku sakit bicara terlalu lama.
Aku minum segelas dari botol plastik yang dibuka sisi.
"Jangan sentuh bibir saat minum."
Aku ikut keluh Seo-eun dan lakukan. Astaga, Seo-eun. Kupikir kamu lihat HP, kapan mulai perhatian ke aku?
Saat Seo-eun lihat, dia akhirnya buka mulut dan minum. Seharusnya ambil air sendiri...
Tenggorokan basah, aku lanjut penjelasan.
"Jujur, pahlawan gila dan gegabah. Bukan, sedih kerja nyawa di taruh, tapi dikutuk. Faktanya pahlawan di Korea sedikit, sulit ada yang ke TKP darurat. Jadi keterlambatan tak terhindarkan. Tapi dikutuk."
"Ah ha..."
Soobin mengangguk paham. Seo-eun yang lihat HP juga mendengarku. Berarti aku bagus jelasin?
Faktanya, cita-citaku jadi guru sebelum jatuh ke dunia ini. Tentu sekarang urusan lain banyak, dan aku tidak bisa apa-apa karena tidak punya ID. Nanti kalau selesai, aku bersihkan identitas dan jadi guru.
Ini bukan poinnya. Aku lanjut.
"Jadi reaksi berantai seperti domino. Pahlawan kelelahan karena ketidakpercayaan berhenti jadi pahlawan. Jumlah pahlawan berkurang. Sedikit pahlawan bikin tanggap kejahatan lambat. Itu nambah ketidakpercayaan. Siklus jahat. Faktanya, alasan pahlawan B dan C sedikit. Keamanan negara bergantung pada tiga orang kelas-A."
"Seharusnya polisi bantu, tapi undang-undang larang polisi dikerahkan kekejahatan pakai superpower. Faktanya, satu penjahat bisa habisin semua polisi berpisau, jadi mereka tidak bantu banyak."
Jadi kesimpulannya.
Kacau total.
Pahlawan dihina, penjahat berkembang biak.
Penjahat terlalu banyak dibanding pahlawan.
Bagian ini nampak kenapa Stardus sendirian berputar.
"...Itu kenapa kamu hapus penjahat? Kamu kayak pahlawan gelap."
Seo-eun yang diam mendengar, sindir. Ugh, Seo-eun. Beberapa hari baik ke aku, sekarang balik lagi.
"...Aku bukan pahlawan gelap. Aku cuma peduli nasib Korea."
"Kamu bukan cuma urus kerja perempuan itu karena suka Stardus, kan?"
"Hei, Seo-eun. Maksudmu 'perempuan itu' apa? Bicara sopan."
Tapi itu benar.
Dia tahu dari mana?
Tapi situasi ini, sia-sia kalau akui langsung.
Aku ganti topik acuh tak acuh.
"Bukan itu, cuma aku merasa tidak nyaman..."
"Aku juga rasa kamu sangat tertarik pada Stardus."
Soobin memotong dan bantah.
Soobin memotongku. Soobin kita yang baik.
Saat aku bicara, Soobin yang dulu takut dan menangis cuma pergi...
Aku memelihara anak harimau.
Gadis-gadis tiba-tiba menatapku.
Tatapannya seperti interogasi, aku tersipu.
"Nah, nah, aku tertarik padanya? Ya, memang aku tertarik. Tapi itu tidak masalah. Karena tidak ada pahlawan lain selain Stardus. Dan penjahat butuh pahlawan jadi penjahat, kan? Jadi... maksudku. Ya, struktur kontras. Aku tetapkan Stardus jadi musuh bebuyutanku untuk sekarang..."
Aku sendiri membuat alasan sebelum sadar. Tunggu, kenapa aku bikin alasan soal ini?
Masih, Seo-eun menatap curiga. Seo-eun, ada apa? Tidak adil.
"Anyway! Itu bukan poin. Mari rencanakan serangan teror lain."
Minat Seo-eun pindah ke selain Stardus.
"Serangan teror? Lagi?"
"Ya. Yah, affinittasku naik terlalu tinggi. Bukan persis kesukaan, tapi harapan? Anyway, cara turunin lagi cuma teror masif."
"Haa... Kapan persiapannya?"
"Jangan khawatir. Aku istirahat sebentar setelah serangan teror ini."
Aku bilang sambil senyum ke Seo-eun yang mengeluh.
"Kamu istirahat? Benar? Kalau begitu kita liburan?"
"Liburan?"
Saat lihat mata Seo-eun berbinar, aku tanpa sadar setuju.
"Tentu, liburan. Bagus. Kita pergi setelah ini."
"Yay! Janji lho!"
Lalu tiba-tiba Seo-eun lari ke mana-mana.
Eh, kan suruh persiapkan serangan teror bareng... Dia tidak persiapan liburan kan?
Soobin hanya tersenyum diam melihat kita berdua.
I woke up after being in a coma for three days.
As soon as I woke up, Seo-eun welcomed me with tears.
“You’re really crazy!”, Seo-eun hit me. Gosh, Seo-eun. It really hurts! Stop it!
As I just sat up and tried to calm her down, I could feel that she was really surprised. I guess she was worried because I suddenly passed out like a dead body for three days.
Still, I was a little touched by Seo-eun’s tears as I woke up from the coma. The time we lived together wasn’t wasted, she shed tears for me. I finally see the effects from playing games and hanging out with her!
I smiled at Seo-eun, who shed tears and told me to take care of myself in the future, and to vow to be careful in the future. Well, there’s no guarantee that I won’t do it again.
I woke up to soothe Seo-eun, and said thank you to Soobin for taking care of me. Then I went through the public’s opinion right away.
What did people say about me?
What did they say about Stardus?
Well, and the result of the analysis is my popularity is at its peak. Many articles said that people seemed to think of me, a villain, as a hero.
Hmm… As expected, it turned out like this.
I just killed him because I was put to shame, but it became a favorable factor. I guess I feel great.
And the shocking part was that this Crocodile Man was alive. He didn’t die after being hit by the poisonous gas? Well, of course, I used a weak one just in case… But I didn’t know that he would survive. Well, he faced the same situation in the original comic and he had a hard time because of it.
He is said to have returned to his normal human form from the crocodile state, and has been placed in Superpower Detention Center of the East after the treatment.
Well, it went the way it was written in the original.
Superpower Detention Center of the East. It’s called East Carcer. Precisely, it’s a place where they gather and imprison villains with superpowers.
Like the Hero Association, each country has a place called ‘Carcer’. Carcer, Latin for prison. Immediately after the first Superpower Detention Center, ‘America’s Carcer’ was established in the U.S, all Superpower Detention Centers built in other countries since then are written as Carcer.
It’s the highest security-grade facility in each country, and it’s also a place where all kinds of tools are installed to limit the ability of each prisoner according to their characteristics. It’s built on an uninhabited island in the East Sea, and it’s protected with such strict security that there is a saying that no one can come out once entered. Of course, in the original comic, Seo-eun hacked and broke it off.
Anyway, he’s trapped there alive, so he may die there some day. He’s a little dumb, so I think he will die easily. But I’m not sure if he’s like that only when he’s in crocodile mode or even in human mode.
Anyway, I played and rested for a few days after that.
I’m a normal citizen in the first place. After working so hard, I have to take a break since I was worn out.
…I think Seo-eun has been staying by my side and hanging out with me more than before. What’s wrong with her?
Of course, I don’t just lie down and play every day. Sometimes, I tell Seo-eun and Soobin about the hero society of Korea. They both stayed in their rooms and studied computer technology, so they didn’t know much about current events.
“Now, today, let’s learn about the reality of heroes in Korea. Soobin, do you know how the public thinks about heroes?”
“Hmm… They must like them, right? Because they’re the ones who save people.”
“No, they don't. Korea is a bit different. So, let me give you guys an example. The family was attacked by a villain. So they called out a hero. But before the hero came, the villain had already killed them all and ran away. Then do you know who people blame?”
“Aren’t they obviously going to blame the villain?”
“Oh, of course, they will blame the villain. They resent the villain, but they will blame the hero as much as the villain. ‘My family died because you came late.’, they would said”
“…But it’s not the heroes’ fault, is it? They didn’t come late because they wanted to.”
“That’s right. But the citizens don’t care about that. They could have just come quickly, but they were rambling so the family died. That’s how people resent them. Well, that’s not all, but anyway, these similar things got together and became distrustful of heroes. In conclusion, the Korean people don’t trust the heroes very much.”
My throat hurts because I spoke for too long.
I took a sip of the pat bottle that was ripped off on the side.
“Don’t touch your lips while drinking it.”
I listened to Seo-eun’s complaint and did it. Gosh, Seo-eun. I thought that you were looking at your phone, but when did you start to have interest in me?
As Seo-eun looked at it, she eventually opened her mouth and drank it. You should have got your own water instead…
As my throat moistened, I continued to explain again.
“Honestly, heroes are crazy and jumpy. No, it’s sad to work with their life on the line, but they even get cursed at. In fact, there are only a few heroes in Korea, so it’s difficult for someone to go to the site in case of an emergency. So there’s inevitable delays. But they get cursed at.”
“Ah hah…”
Soobin nodded as she understood now. Seo-eun, who was looking at her smartphone, is also listening to me. So, does that mean that I’m good at explaining?
In fact, my dream was to be a teacher before I fell into this world. Of course, there are so many other things to do now, and I can’t do anything because I don’t have an ID in the first place. Later, when everything is done, I will try to wash my identity and become a teacher.
This isn’t the point anyway. I continued.
“So it’s a chain reaction like a domino. Heroes who are tired of the hero’s distrust quit being heroes. The number of heroes decreases. Fewer heroes make it slower to cope with crime scenes. That will add to the distrust of the heroes. It’s a vicious cycle. In fact, there’s a reason why there are fewer B-class and C-class heroes. The country’s security depends on three A-class people.”
“It would have been nice if the police could have helped them, but the law prohibits police from being dispatched in the event of a crime using superpowers. In fact, a villain alone can wipe out all the cops who have guns, so they won’t be a big help.”
So, this is the conclusion.
A complete mess.
Heroes are despised and villains are growing in number.
There are too many villains compared to the number of heroes.
It’s a part where you can see why Stardus is rolling alone.
“…That’s why you’re getting rid of the villains? You’re like a dark hero.”
Seo-eun, who was listening quietly, was sarcastic. Ugh, Seo-eun. You have been nice to me for the past few days, and now you’re back on track.
“…I’m not a dark hero. I’m just interested in the fate of Korea.”
“You’re not just doing that woman’s job because you like Stardus, right?”
“Hey, Seo-eun. What do you mean by ‘that woman’? You have to speak nicely.”
But that’s true.
How did she figure that out?
But in this situation, it’s a waste to admit it right away.
I changed the topic nonchalantly.
“It’s not that, it’s just that I feel uncomfortable…”
“I also think that you’re very interested in Stardus.”
Soobin cut me off and offered me a counterargument.
Soobin cut me off. Our nice Soobin.
When I say something, Soobin, who was always scared and teared up, only goes away…
I raised a tiger cub.
The girls suddenly gazed at me.
As her gaze looked like she was interrogating me, I was taken abashed.
“Now, now, I’m interested in her? Yeah, it’s true that I’m interested in her. But that doesn’t matter. Because there are no other heroes than Stardus. And a villain needs a hero to be a villain, right? So… I mean. Yeah, contrast structure. I’ve set Stardus up as my arch energy for now…”
I found myself making excuses before I knew it. Wait, why am I making excuses for this?
Still, Seo-eun was looking at me with a suspicious look. Seo-eun, what’s wrong with you? It's unfair.
“Anyway! That’s not the point. Let’s start planning another terrorist attack.”
Seo-eun’s interest was shifted to another place besides Stardus.
“Terrorist attack? Again?”
“Yeah. Well, my affinity has gone up too high. It’s not exactly likability, but the expectation? Anyway, the only way to lower it again is massive terrorism.”
“Haa… When are you going to prepare that?”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to take a break for a while after this terrorist attack.”
I said with a smile at Seo-eun’s grumbling.
“You’re going to take a break? Really? Then shall we go on a trip?”
“A trip?”
When I saw Seo-eun’s sparkling eyes, I unknowingly affirmed.
“Sure, a trip. That sounds great. Let’s go after this.”
“Yay! You promised!”
Then suddenly, Seo-eun ran somewhere.
Wait, I told you to prepare a terrorist attack with me…She’s not going to prepare for the trip, is she?
Soobin just smiled quietly at us.
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