Sejak pelarian itu, fancafe Egostic tak henti-hentinya merayakan.
Itulah yang mereka inginkan, setelah mendapatkannya, rasanya sungguh ribut.
Tapi hanya seketika.
Setiap kesempatan bahagia pasti ada lawan-lawannya.
*
[Entah, apa sudah terlalu janggal ya, bahwa dia tak muncul sama sekali sejak kabur?]
[Emang proses pelarian penjara itu tak pernah disiarkan, dan justru ternyata direkayasa oleh Asosiasi ya?]
[Apa sih teori kesehatan mangga ini?]
[[Kaget] Wawancara dengan Sdr. S, Anggota Asosiasi yang Menjadi Kontroversi, Tercahirnya Bahwa Waktu Egotics Mungkin Terbatas]
[Sepertinya kekacauan mulai kembali, ya?]
[Sedang mencoba bilang kalau tak apa-apa sih, tapi kalau agak khawatir ya gapapa haha.]
*
Apalagi di fancafe, suasana semakin canggung. Ada juga cerita konyol seperti teori robot Egostic yang berbeda.
Djustu saat dia mulai cemas terhadap Egostic.
Tepat pada waktunya, dia muncul.
***
Hari itu, jumlah penonton siaran Egostic mencatat rekor tertinggi setahun.
Dan seolah menjawab semua kecemasan yang ada...
[Halo, semuanya, ini Egostic!]
Yang dapat dilihat hanyalah seorang pria sehat, tersenyum lebar di balik topeng.
Di tengah semua perhatian nasional setelah pelarian, inilah siaran langsung pertamanya.
***
Di atas langit Seoul, di bawah langit biru, di tengah angin sejuk, aku mengibarkan jubah dan tersenyum untuk kamera.
"Halo, semuanya. Ini Egostic!"
Kata-ku diikuti oleh munculnya jendela obrolan.
Seperti biasa, datang dengan cepat, tapi hari ini malah lebih cepat.
Meskipun sudah kubatasi termasuk pembatasan obrolan Korea, banjir komentar terlalu cepat bagi mataku menyikarnya.
*
[Stik mangga hahaha]
[Terima kasih sudah datang, Mango]
[Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga! Stik mangga!]
[Siaran Egostic sudah mulai. Ya, waktu akhirnya mengalir kembali]
[Relativitas adalah E=MC2. Dan apa arti pendahulunya, E=MC? Artinya Egostic = Stik mangga. Benar. Sel bahkan relativitaspun Stik mangga]
[Banget komentar, haha]
[Jumlah penonton memang sudah berbalik arah. Jumlah penduduk Korea sudah lama terlewati]
*
Di tengah semua itu, aku tersenyum malas, tangan sambil kantong, jubah terbang, dan melambangkan salam.
Bagus. Bagus.
Terasa nikmat bisa keluar setelah sekian lama.
Berjalan melalui langit mengapung dengan pemikiran ini. Siaran ini tindak kejahatan, tapi juga siaran yang akan menghilangkan semua rumor yang beredar sejak pelarian.
Dengan pemikiran itu, kujalan cepat melihat obrolan dan membuka mulut lagi.
"Ya ya. Selamat malam, senang bertemu kalian semua. Lama tak muncul di siaran teroris, rasanya segar sekali setelah dikurung."
Kujelasin penjara santai, dan obrolan pun heboh.
Apa yang kudi lakukan di penjara, bagaimana pelarian, apakah seharusnya kuditangkap sempurna, dan segala pertanyaan.
Ku ceritakan satu per satu.
"Haha, ya. Banyak yang bertanya apakah ini kesalahan pada serangan terakhir, atau memang sengaja. Aku tak mau cerita panjang, tapi... mari kita bilang Stardus yang menangkapku di sana."
Dengan jawaban itu, obrolan makin ribut.
Aku memang sengaja ragu. Apakah maksudnya karena Stardus, karena ditangkapnya, atau karena suaminya dengan Stardus? Ini topik yang pecinta rumor cinta-cinta akan semangarkan. Meskipun aku tak suka rumor ini, ku tak bisa hindari.
Tak bisa kubilang sengaja ditangkap karena akan banyak masalah dengan Wish Granter dan Asosiasi Internasional. Jika kudengarkan dengan jujur, bisa saja tidak percaya, jadi terbaik rahasiakan agar publik tak fokus pada itu.
Tentu saja, tak ada cara Stardus dan ku bertemu di penjara, tapi kebenaran tak pernah penting, jadi kita biarkan saja bermain peran.
Mengabaukan obrolan yang meledak bertanya apa kuhubungi Stardus, kujalihkan roh suara lagi.
"Sekadar, semuanya, terima kasih sudah peduli, aku masih hidup dan sehat. Makanan penjara ternyata enak-enak, jadi anggap saja itu sebagai dorongan, dan buatkan serangan ini lebih sukses!"
Kata-ku, tangankerbangkan lebar.
Di belakangku, dua kembang api melesat ke langit, meledak siang. Bagus, ini memang kesukaan.
[Da-in, kita siap.]
"Oke."
Kubalikkan badan, mendengar komunikasi dari Seo-eun.
Target hari ini adalah kendaraan bermain di kejauhan. Kita akan buat lebih seru untuk yang suka thril, yaitu gyro drop, alias angin putar. Sebagai bonus, ada juga Viking terbang dan Comet Express terbang. Dengan keajaiban bulan, segala sesuatu mungkin.
Tinggal menunggu Stardus tiba.
Aku menunggu Stardus santai. Kenapa dia agak terlambat hari ini?
Aku menunggu Stardus.
"Voila. Ini rudal, semuanya! Kemana mau kupanjangkan?"
Sebagai bonus, kudaratemkan juga rudal yang sudah kudungunkan. Ini untuk ditempelkan ke Comet Express.
Aku gembira. Bukan Taman Bermain Mangga, tapi Taman Bermain Ego. Heh, sudah seru sekali.
Ach, apakah Stardus agak terlambat hari ini?
Tepat ketika kusedan.
"Egostic!"
Tiba-tiba kusendiri, mendengar suaranya dari kejauhan.
Kuhidung. Ketika kulihat Stardus yang terbang ke arahku, tersenyum ceria, seolah senang bertemu.
Apa sih. Kenapa dia tersenyum seperti bertemu teman dekat saat datang untuk menangkap penjahat?
Tentu saja, sepertinya mereka buru-buru mengalihkan kamera agar penonton tak lihat.
"Eh, Stardus. Apa kabar?"
"Ha ha. Egostic."
Dia sampai di depiku, lalu tercekikik napas.
Sejenak, lalu memandangku, mata penuh kekhawatiran.
"Kamu dapat seluruh ingatanku kembali, Egostic?"
"Eh? Uh, ya. Aku dah dapat semua, baik-baik saja."
Kujawab sambil menghindari pandangannya, tersenyum.
Tentu saja, kuingat betapa pun apa pun yang terjadi di penjara, tapi kuduga tak perlu jelaskan itu semua karena memang tak ada yang terjadi, dan tak enak pula mengganggu dia dengan terlalu detail.
Rencana dari awal ialah menghubungi Stardus untuk bantuan bila Wish Granter mogok, jadi aku tak heran ketikanya bertanya.
Yang aneh...
"Syukur, kamu merasa lebih baik?"
Dengan itu, dia mendekat, merekah di udara.
Aku juga ikut mendekat.
"Ah."
Tentu saja, ketika kudilakukan, dia menurunkan tangan dan sekilas terlihat terluka.
Aku tak punya posisi untuk memikirkan ini.
Aku penasaran mengapa dia berseraya seperti itu.
Dan mengapa dia tampak cemas dan gembira untuk diriku, seolah tak mau menyembunyikannya? Tapi ada pertanyaan yang lebih besar.
Gembira. Gembira. Gembira.
Kenapa, begitu kulihatnya, hatuku berdebar kencang dan menjadi memukulla. Karena jika itu kamu, akan kukatakan tidak apa-apa.
Ever since his escape, the Egostic Fancafe has been in a festive mood.
It's what they wanted, after all, so when they got their wish, it was quite the feast.
But it was only for a moment.
Every happy occasion has its detractors.
*
[But don't you think it's a little strange that he hasn't shown his face since he escaped?]
[In the first place, the prison escape process was not broadcast, and it turns out that it was orchestrated by the Association, right?]
[What is this mango health theory?]
[[Shock] Interview with Mr. S, a member of the Association Controversy as it is revealed that Egostics time may be limited']
[The mess has started again, right?]
[I'm trying to tell you it'll be okay, but if you're a little anxious, it's okay haha.]
*
Especially in the fan cafe, the atmosphere is getting more and more precarious. There are even ridiculous stories like an alternate theory of an Egostic robot.
So, just when she was starting to worry about Egostic.
At the right time, he appeared.
***
That day the number of viewers of Egostic broadcast reached a record high for the year.
And then, as if to put everyone's anxiety to rest.
[Hello, everyone, it's Egostic!]
All they could see of him was a healthy-looking man, smiling broadly from behind a mask.
In the midst of all this national attention after his escape, the first live broadcast took place.
***
Above the city of Seoul, under a blue sky, on a crisp breeze, I fluttered my cloak and smiled for the camera.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Egostic!"
As I said that, the chat window started to pop up.
As usual, they were coming in at a crazy pace, but today they were even faster.
Even with all the restrictions I've put in place, including the Korean chat restriction, the bombardment of the chat was too much for my eyes to keep up with.
*
[Mango stick hahaha]
[Thank you for just coming, Mango]
[Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick! Mango stick!]
[Egostic's broadcast is on. Yes, time has started to flow again]
[Relativity is E=MC 2. And what does its predecessor, E=MC, mean? It means that Egostic = Mango stick. That's right. Even relativity was Mango stick]
[The comments section just went crazy, haha]
[The number of viewers has really turned around. Korea's population has already been surpassed long ago]
*
And in the midst of it all, I smiled lazily, hands in my pockets, cape flapping, and waved at them.
Good, good.
It feels good to be out in the open after so long.
I walked through the floating skies with that thought in mind. This broadcast is an act of terrorism, but it is also a broadcast that will clear up all the rumors that have been circulating about me since my escape. As such, I'll have to answer some questions.
With that thought, I quickly scanned the chat window and opened my mouth again.
"Yes, yes. Good evening, it's a pleasure to see you all again. It's been a long time since I've been on a terrorist broadcast, and it feels even better to be out in the fresh air after being locked up."
I casually mention prison, and the chat room goes wild.
What I did in prison, how I escaped, should I have been caught in the first place, and all kinds of questionsI told the story one step at a time.
"Haha, yeah. A lot of people are asking me if it was a mistake that I got caught in the last attack, or if it was my intention I won't go into a long story, but Well, let's just say that Stardus got me in there."
And with that answer, the chat exploded even faster.
I was being vague in the first place. Did I mean I went in because of Stardus, because she caught me, or because I went in to do something with Stardus?
It's a topic that the public who are obsessed with dating rumors will be excited about. And even though I didn't like the dating rumors, I had no choice but to do this.
I can't say that I was caught on purpose, since that would lead to a lot of issues because of the Wish Granter and the International Association. People might not believe me if I told them I was caught by mistake, so it's best to be vague and distract the public from that.
Of course, there's no way Stardus and I would have met in prison in the first place but the truth never mattered in the first place, so let's just pretend.
Ignoring the chat window exploding with questions about what I'd been doing with Stardus, I turned the conversation around neatly.
"Anyway, everyone, thank you for your concern, I'm very much alive and well. I hear the prison meals are pretty good these days, so let's take that as a boost, and make this attack even more successful!"
With those words, I spread my arms wide.
Behind me, two firecrackers shoot into the sky, popping and exploding in broad daylight.
Good, because I'm a sucker for a classic like this.
[Da-in, we're all set.]
"Okay."
I turned my back to the camera, listening to Seo-eun's communication.
Today's target was the amusement park in the distance.
We're going to make it even more thrilling for people who ride gyro drops for thrills, aka air gyro drops. As a bonus, there's also a flying Viking and a flying Comet Express. With the magic of the moon, anything is possible.
So, all that's left is for Stardus to arrive.
I waited for Stardus in a relaxed manner. Why is she a little late today?
So I waited for Stardus.
"Voila. Here's a missile, everyone! Where do you want me to shoot it?"
As a bonus, I also brought a missile that I had already packed. This was to be attached to the Comet Express for reference.
I can't wait. Not Mango's Amusement Park but Ego's Amusement Park. Hey, it's been fun already.
By the way, isn't Stardus a little late today?
Just when I was thinking that.
"Egostic!"
Just then, I heard her voice from across the sky.
I turned my head at the sound of that familiar, but nonetheless pleasant voice.
".?"
I froze in my tracks as I saw Stardus, who was looking even more beautiful than usual, flying towards me, smiling brightly, as if she were pleased to see me.
What the hell. Why is she smiling like she's meeting her best friend when she's here to take down a villain?
No wonder they hurriedly sent the camera away so the viewers wouldn't notice.
"Uh, Stardus. How are you?"
"Ha, ha. Egostic"
She arrives in front of me, and gasps for air.
She inhaled for a moment, then looked at me, her eyes filled with concern.
"Did you get all of your memories back, Egostic?"
"Uh? Um, yeah. I got them all, I'm fine."
I smiled, avoiding her eyes, and replied that I was.
Of course, I don't remember what happened in prison, but I guess I don't need to get into all that because nothing happened there anyway, and it would be insensitive to bore her with that much detail.
The plan from the beginning was to call Stardus for help in the event Wish Granter goes on a rampage, so I wasn't surprised when she asked me about it.
The odd thing is.
"Whew, thank goodness. Are you feeling better?"
With that, she took a step closer, reaching for me in midair.
I did the same, taking another step back from her.
No, why are you reaching for me? You're trying to catch me, naturally.
"Ah."
Of course, when I did, she lowered her hand and looked hurt for a moment.
I wasn't in a position to pay attention to her right now.
Of course, I wondered why she had that look on her face.
And why did she look so worried and happy for me, as if she had no intention of hiding it? That was a question, but there was a bigger one.
Excitement. Thrill. Thrill. Thrill.
Why, as soon as I saw her, my heart was beating like crazy and I blush.
Because if it's you, I don't mind.
Delicious. Stardus, are you a good cook?
I'm not going to let you off the hook.
Aren't you a little cold?
Yes, it is. My hands are getting cold.
Are you warm now?
.Yes.
Egostic, you asked for it, so I'll do it.
Obviously, I don't remember.
Why, suddenly. I feel the urge to reach out to her, to embrace her, to blow away the villain, the plan, the whole thing, to be by her side.
I'm caught in a sudden, chaotic, uncontrolled wave of emotions.
I try to control them, to not let my agitated mind show.
I stiffened my face to keep from blushing, and before I knew it, I spoke to Stardus in a cold voice.
"Stardus, Im about to start a terrorist attack, so you might as well stop it."
Not this.
Up in the sky, Stardus had flown to meet with Egostic, and now she was in a panic.
Egostic changed.
"Stardus, Im about to cause terror, so why don't you stop it?"
Not so long ago, we were walking hand in hand
Watching him say that, his expression suddenly cold and not meeting her eyes, she felt her heart ache slightly. Just a little, just a little. Mmm.
No way, Egostic
""
Of course not.
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