The Monster Aspires to Be a Hero!

I arrived home, took a shower, checked my body, and turned on the TV.
Normally, this would be the time to study the NCS a bit more.
But after going through this experience and resolving to become a hero, it might be better to watch the news.
This society has monsters and heroes emerging, with villains using superpowers for crime.
Having even a bit more information would be advantageous.
That’s what I thought as I blankly watched the moment it appeared.

Today, a major incident nearly occurred near Eunsung Hospital in Seoul. Fortunately, it ended with 9 passengers and 1 driver sustaining minor injuries. What happened? This is reporter Eun-ji Lee.
The incident took place around 5pm today. A bus heading toward Eunsung Hospital started speeding while ignoring traffic signals. Although the road was wide and not rush hour so it was relatively empty, preventing a larger accident, the bus continued its reckless driving. At that moment, a man shattered the front windshield of the bus and went outside. The man in his early 20s is Mr. Mo Lee, an ordinary citizen, not a hero. It seems Mr. Mo Lee judged that continuing like this would lead to a major accident, so he tried to stop the bus with his body.

Bus Driver Mr. Kim Mo: The signal turned red so I tried to hit the brakes, but the brakes were malfunctioning. Changing gears didn’t work either, so I really thought this was dangerous. Luckily, the hero on board tried to pop the tires, but I judged that would cause the bus to flip over and lead to a major accident.

After hearing Bus Driver Mr. Kim Mo’s explanation, Mr. Mo Lee wasted no time and went outside to stop the vehicle with his own body.

Storm (Hero): There was no time to stop him. He suddenly shattered the windshield and went out to stop the bus. I hurriedly popped the tires and applied the brakes with Telekinesis.

As you can see in the footage, there were people crossing the walkway, and many vehicles waiting at the signal light just ahead. If it had been a bit later, it could have led to a major accident, but one young man’s bold choice prevented that.

Kim Jeong-su (Yangpyeong-gu, Seoul): I was waiting at the red light when something came speeding toward me with a huge noise. So I tried to open the car door and run away, but it stopped right in front of me. Wondering what was happening, I approached and saw someone clinging to the front of the bus! So I supported that person’s body and asked if he was okay, and his first words were ‘Are… the other people… okay?’ I told him they were, and he said ‘That’s… really… fortunate…’ before collapsing. I was startled. At first, I thought he was a hero and checked his chest area, but…

In a situation that could have escalated into a major accident, he went out without regard for his own safety to save people and showed more concern for others than himself. Even without the profession of being a hero, that behavior was already heroic. In today’s society where some use superpowers to commit crimes, his selfless act of throwing his body into harm’s way without expectation of reward, concerned more for others than himself – Mr. Mo Lee’s dedication could be seen as a new wind reminding the current hero industry, plagued by ranking obsession and unending incidents, of its origins. This has been KBC reporter Eun-ji Lee.

I sat blankly as if dazed, my attention captivated by the TV.
That story they just covered… was about me?
People were talking about me.
I couldn’t believe it.
After blankly watching it, I hurriedly turned on my computer and sat down.
Then I searched for “Eunsung Hospital bus”.
Despite it being just a few hours since the incident, there were already a considerable number of search results on Google.
I clicked on the most eye-catching title.
It was titled “Real-life Spider-Man.gif”.
Wondering why it didn’t have a title like “Eunsung Hospital Bus”, I clicked on it out of curiosity, and the text body did mention Eunsung Hospital and the bus.
The video showed me exerting all my effort to stop the bus and the scene of it finally stopping about 5m in front of the waiting cars at the traffic light.
The video below that seemed to be shot by a smartphone, shaking slightly.

‘Are… Are you okay?!’
‘Ah, uh, ah… Are… the other people… okay?’
‘Everyone… is safe.’
‘That’s… really… fortunate…’
‘Are you okay?! Hey?!’
‘Here! Someone, please help!’
‘Call 119! Call 119!’

That was the footage.
Since they didn’t show the chest area, it seems they realized I wasn’t a hero, so they didn’t film my face.
I heard some fucking crazy shit, so I looked in the rearview mirror and saw this bus speeding toward me at lightspeed.
Thinking ‘Oh shit’, I jumped out of the car, and it really stopped right in front of me.
So thinking ‘This is fucking unreal’, I started filming, and someone was clinging to the front of the bus.
Someone asked if that person was okay while supporting them, and the first thing they mumbled out in a dazed state was ‘Are the other people okay?’
Damn… my heart really started pounding hot, and I was sweating so much that the footage got shaky, so please excuse that.
Anyway, the people on the bus only had minor injuries, and that person also just had minor injuries, so they regained consciousness at the hospital and were discharged.
It was really fucking awesome.
Compared to these heroes obsessed with popularity contests or villains using their powers for crime, seeing someone like that felt totally refreshing.
It reminded me of how Forst used to defeat monsters and save people back then.
The hero on the bus did help with their Telekinesis, but honestly, how many heroes would pull such a crazy stunt?
From what I heard, this person was just an ordinary citizen without any Physical Enhancement ability or anything…
Maybe it was one of those cases where people awaken new abilities in critical moments, but to immediately do something like this without even understanding their own power after just awakening is really amazing.

3 line summary:

An ordinary person stopped a bus with malfunctioning brakes.
And the first thing they said was
Are the other people okay?

That was the gist of the post.
The comments below were also full of praise.
My heart felt so warm and happy that I felt like I could fly, making me want to keep reading.
But I couldn’t read any further as my superhuman vision seemed to have deteriorated below 0.5, blurring the screen.
It felt like the countless people here were cheering on my new challenge.
Dreaming of being a hero at 23 years old is quite late.
Children who awaken powers at a young age have 3 paths they can take:
Growing up as an ordinary person like me, receiving aid from national institutions, or attending private training academies that nurture those with powers.
Usually, the differences start becoming apparent from there.
Even for those who awaken a bit late, universities have departments prepared for superhuman students.
By studying there, even if late, they can gain opportunities depending on what kind of ability they have.
But being a 4th-year business administration student at 23 is quite late.
That’s why I had been feeling a bit uneasy.
But hearing this encouragement and praise… I can’t help but be swayed.
Even though I had just finished showering, I headed back to the bathroom.
I turned on the sink faucet and washed my face for a long while.
But no matter how much I washed, my deteriorated vision didn’t return.
I mean, for a really long time.

With a slightly more composed mind, I started packing up my belongings.

What are you doing?
Reminding myself of the beginning.
I took out some boxes I had tucked away deep inside.
After dusting off the dusty boxes, I carefully opened them.
And I took out the items inside one by one.
…Dolls?
They’re figures.
Hero figures.
Of course, the most numerous were figures of Forst.
They were birthday gifts I had pestered my parents for when I used to admire heroes.
There were also some I had saved up my allowance little by little to buy.
I carefully dusted them with a brush and placed them on the display shelf.
Why are you doing such a thing?
…Because I think I can do it now.
It was painful.
It was just an obsession.
I was truly happy collecting these figures of my goals and idols, one by one.
But once I realized the limits of my abilities and started running away from reality, these became an unbearable sight.
It felt like they were giving me accusatory looks, asking if I was really running away.
Their gazes felt so burdensome that I had hidden them away.
But now, I think I can take them out again.
I feel like I can live openly and proudly.
Trying to become a hero at this age is late, and if my identity is exposed, good results probably won’t be waiting for me.
And yet, this is better than running away forever.
I don’t want to keep lying to myself anymore.
I took out a canned beer from the fridge that I had stored away and not drank for a long time.
It felt like a day where I could drink a bit.
I popped open the lid and chugged down the beer.
The refreshing carbonation scratching my throat made me feel happy.
With a slight buzz, I started on the things I would have to do from now on.
After finishing organizing the figures and cleaning up the dust, I decided to prepare what a hero should naturally prepare.
This is it?
This brat says an awesome signature pose is essential for a hero…
Guess you really don’t know the basics, being a monster and all.
It seems like those basics might not even be needed?
You were just stuck there going ‘Kuhuhuhuh’, you little shit.
I hummed and practiced signature poses for a long while until it was time to lie down.
My heart was pounding too much for sleep to come, and I couldn’t focus on anything else.
Even lying in bed under the blanket, my pounding heart kept me awake.
I was so grateful for this break period called vacation today.

She had a long dream.
It was a dark dream where nothing could be seen.
No matter where she walked or how far, nothing could be seen, and no voice came out – a terrifying dream.
She cried out that she was here, pleading for someone to save her.
But there was no one who came to find her.
She kept trying to move forward, but her feet gradually sank into some cold, sticky substance.
She thought she would slowly die here, with her voice never reaching anyone.
Then, in that moment, she felt a faint warmth.
The moment that touch made contact with her body, whatever had been tormenting her temporarily stopped.
As if time itself had frozen.
When that touch disappeared, she was pulled back into that unknown force, but before long, that touch would reappear.
It was a touch that seemed to be cheering her on, telling her to persevere a bit longer.
She stretched out her arms with all her might toward that touch.
I stretched out my arms with all my might toward that touch.
‘Who are you?’ I wanted to ask.
But no sound came from her mouth.
She could only entrust everything to that touch.
She didn’t know how much time had passed – a day, perhaps a week, or maybe even a month… it could have been longer than that.
In the countless moments when she would have given up if alone, that warmth lifted her back up.
At the very least, she wanted to express her gratitude.
So she endured, and endured some more.
And that day finally came.
Light arrived in her world that had only been dark until then.