My Scalp Is Crawling, Homie

[To That Mother, Please Stop Crying]

Three minutes later, the internet exploded.

At the same time, across social media, messaging services, and all kinds of communication apps worldwide, the title "To That Mother, Please Stop Crying" and its related content began to dominate the traffic.

That was how overwhelming Homelander's popularity was in The Boys Universe.

As Homelander's son, Ryan naturally inherited a huge share of that popularity.

On top of the buildup before the interview—#HomelanderMayHaveASon and Homelander's accidental killing of a civilian—the goodwill Ryan had won with his first appearance during the interview, and that heartfelt, sincere apology at the end...

Just as expected, Ryan became an overnight sensation.

Public approval skyrocketed like a rocket.

Whether you liked Homelander or were indifferent to him, everyone who watched the live interview inevitably had the same thought.

"Hughie, what's wrong?"

In some nondescript restaurant, Starlight turned her head and saw that her boyfriend was already in tears.

Hughie didn't seem to hear her concern. Still lost in his emotions, he murmured, "...Tell that brother and his mother I'm sorry. Please don't cry anymore..."

"Hughie..."

Hearing Hughie's murmur, Starlight quickly understood what he was thinking.

She squeezed his hand sympathetically.

Hughie looked at her with reddened eyes. "Annie, if I were that mother, I'd definitely forgive Homelander, you know?"

Starlight nodded.

Hughie continued to examine his feelings. "Isn't all I wanted back then an apology from A-Train? No, no, I still feel that way now."

"Even though you're a superhero, you did something wrong. You can't just act like nothing happened."

"That's not right!"

"If every superhero acted like that, I can't imagine how awful our world would become."

"And now..."

Unable to contain his emotions, Hughie pointed at Ryan, who was still bowing in apology on the television, and said each word distinctly:

"In you, and in this child, I see—hope!!"

Hope?

What was that supposed to be?

Homelander felt as if ants were crawling all over his Steel Body. It was an indescribably irritating sensation.

He couldn't help shifting around, trying to rub the unpleasant feeling away with his suit, but it didn't work.

Then he saw his Ryan bowing to the entire world on his behalf.

"Plop—"

The sound of a tear hitting the floor was barely audible, but in Homelander's ears, it echoed everywhere.

W-what should I do?

For Ryan's sake.

I'm Homelander. I, I...

Homelander took a small step forward. He raised his hand slightly, then stopped. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

I can't do that!

Everything is already perfect. Ryan did great. Everyone will understand me.

Right! Right!

Just like Ryan said, I'm Homelander. I could never be wrong!

Homelander stepped back and lowered his arm.

Suddenly, his son's words flashed through his mind again, but this time his attention settled on a phrase Ryan had repeated several times.

"They said..."

They = the employees = Walter = Edgar?

Homelander's eyes brightened slightly.

At that moment, his clever mind had finally found its proper place.

That's right. Homelander couldn't be wrong, but Edgar could.

I did make a mistake. I accidentally killed a lowlife because I wasn't paying attention, but I didn't mean to! I'm sorry, too, okay? I want to apologize to that mother as well.

So it was all Edgar's fault!

Homelander quickly pieced the logic together, and the more he thought about it, the more brilliant his idea seemed.

As it happened, three minutes had passed since Ryan bowed in apology.

In the silence that filled the studio, the host, Cameron, was also in tears. Choking back sobs, she urged him, "Child, please stand up."

"I believe that if that mother saw what you've done, she would choose to forgive you."

"Friends, I see a heart that shines like gold. Our little angel..."

"He shouldn't have to do this!!"

The sudden shout rang out across the stage, instantly drawing the world's attention like a tornado.

The cameras focused on Homelander, who had taken his place beside Ryan with an expression of solemnity, grief, and deep regret.

Then, his acting instincts kicked in. He met his son's astonished gaze and spoke to the world in a voice that was just hoarse enough. "My son, you shouldn't have to do this!"

"Because you weren't the one who did something wrong!"

"Then was it you, Homelander?"

Cameron, stunned by the sudden turn of events, instinctively blurted out the question.

As soon as the automatic response left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself hard.

At the same time, someone else who wanted to slap her was Ashley, down below the stage, who had just yanked out another clump of hair.

Ashley's expression twisted into something between a laugh and a sob. It was a sight to behold.

She watched Homelander onstage, his eyes fixed on the camera, about to say something earth-shattering, then plopped back down in her seat.

Forget it. I'm exhausted. Let it all burn!

Do whatever you want. I'm done babysitting this pair of lunatics.

None of you are following the script, are you?

I prepared everything so carefully. Couldn't you just play your parts like you were supposed to? Why do you have to go off on your own, thinking you know better, acting all...

Damn it, you're all insane!

Just as Ashley was drowning in despair, feeling as if life itself had lost all meaning, Homelander finally delivered the astonishing statement that had just occurred to him.

"Yes, I was wrong!"

Homelander admitted his mistake without hesitation, then added with deep regret, "I was wrong to listen to them—to the 'crisis PR response strategy' from a certain senior executive at the company."

A certain senior executive—who could he mean?

"I was wrong to make my son Ryan..."

He placed a hand on his son's tender shoulder. "An eight-year-old boy shouldn't have to stand before the entire world on his father's behalf and bear what he shouldn't have to bear."

"So yes, to that mother, please stop crying."

With that, Homelander closed his eyes.

He seemed ready to face the public's criticism.

And ready to receive their praise, too.

That's it. Homelander, you did great.

A short sentence passed through Homelander's mind.

But with his eyes closed, he didn't see Ryan beside him looking up at him with the same pleased expression an old father might wear.

Nor did he see the faint, genuine joy in Ryan's eyes.

Homie, you did it.

You didn't disappoint me, even though you really did find yourself a scapegoat and avoid admitting the mistake you most needed to own.

Well, I did subtly nudge you toward that scapegoat.

But either way, you proved yourself. You can be changed by me, and you're willing to change for my sake...

I'm so relieved.