Chapter 2.1
I used to not understand when people said the life of a celebrity was exhausting.
I thought if you got money and attention, it was simply a good thing.
Since my life had always been more about giving attention than receiving it, I could only feel that way. But the reality I experienced firsthand was nothing like I imagined.
Are humans really the kind of creatures who only learn by going through things themselves?
The bright flash of the cameras poured down on me alone.
“Ms. Baek Youngha! Please look over here!!”
“How do you feel right now? Were you hurt at all?!”
“Stay back. You there, OBW reporter! Please move aside!!”
“Ms. Baek Youngha, we heard you rescued one of the survivors!!”
Amid the loud voices, it was a bodyguard from who-knows-where that pulled me out of my frozen state.
It wasn’t until I noticed the Association badge on the chest of the bodyguard in the black suit did I realize he was with the Association.
“Ms. Baek Youngha, please don’t say anything and follow me.”
The bodyguard, wearing an earpiece, carefully guided me somewhere, and I followed in a daze.
If I had known the internet was blowing up at that very moment, I probably would’ve said something.
Like, I… don’t know anything.
***
Title: Everyone who saw today’s ranking change, come in here
Post: Wow, seriously, I’ve never seen a change like this;;
What the hell happened?? This curiosity is killing me.
So I dug up some personal info ㅋㅋ[1]
Name is Baek Youngha, 25 years old. Apparently a college student. That’s it!
Comments:
[Anonymous1] Seriously, please, I’m begging you, stop doxxing people
L[Anonymous2] Why? It’s freaking entertaining ㅋ
L[Anonymous3] Still, let’s chill on the personal info. The broadcasting station will dig it up anyway
L[Anonymous4] The station’s gonna take the heat anyway. So why are we getting dragged first, se-ri-ous-ly;; Upvoting and leaving.
[Anonymous2] Hey guys, so is that person suddenly S-Rank?
L[Anonymous4] Is this bastard empty-headed? Shot straight up the top rankings, no doubt about it.
L[Anonymous2] Why are you so salty ;; it’s possible not to know ;;
L[Anonymous5] First time seeing a ranking shift? How old are you? Bet you weren’t born when Moon Jiwoo hit #1
L[Anonymous2] You a student? …Just go study. Hyung is giving you special advice.
L[Anonymous3] No wonder it felt strange. How can you not know Moon Jiwoo is #1.
[Anonymous6] I heard this person saved a high school senior; isn’t that a total hero?
L[Anonymous7] Yo, the high school senior’s proof post is up. Let’s go, ㄱㄱ[2]
Title: I’m the high school senior who got rescued in that dungeon
Post: I’m writing this proof post to express my gratitude to the unnie who saved me and to make her good deed known.
First of all, I don’t think I really need to prove that I made it out of the dungeon alive, so I’ll skip that part.
I’ve already had so many photos of my face taken that I’m basically a local superstar.
Still, in case someone nitpicks about the lack of proof, I’ve attached a picture of my student ID at the bottom.
To briefly explain what happened in the dungeon, I was wandering around alone when I ran into unnie.
Even in dangerous situations, unnie stayed calm and always prioritized my safety.
She put me in the Safe Zone first, protected me from monsters, and threw herself into danger alone to protect me.
There were a lot of strange things I can’t fully explain, but anyway, unnie’s personal info is being leaked everywhere, and it seems like she’s being blamed for things she didn’t even do, so I wrote this in a rush.
She is a good person, and I’m alive thanks to her. I’d like to express my gratitude to her once again.
(Photo)
Comments:
[Anonymous1] Is this legit?
L[Anonymous2] Look at the photo. It’s legit. Definitely the rescued high school senior.
L[Anonymous3] Whoa; the unnie herself showed up. That sacrifice spirit is insane. Is she even human?
L[Anonymous4] Like… is that even possible? Total altruist right there
L[Anonymous5] Honestly, raise your hand if someone like that should be a Hunter
L[Anonymous6] All the Hunters till now were trash. Always just cared about themselves, never gave a crap about ordinary people.
L[Anonymous7] Yikes, what now? All the other Hunters better be sweating now
[Anonymous3] ㄱㄷ[3] ㅁㅈㅇ[4] doesn’t care much about public opinion, right? Bet they’re monitoring this. Looks like lawsuit bait
L[Anonymous4] We didn’t even diss ㅇㅈㅇ[5], what lawsuit are you talking about?
[Anonymous] Your Honor ㅜㅜ they said my name! Can I at least say that?!
L[Anonymous5] That’s actually true ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. If they sue, people will totally turn on ㅇㅈㅇ.
Now that there’s a new Hunter, and that Hunter actually values people’s lives, there’s no need to grovel to ㅁㅈㅇ anymore.
L[Anonymous8] Respect. I’m out.
***
After getting taken to the Association building, I pulled my half-broken phone out of my pocket.
I was relieved it was still there until I saw the wrecked screen and let out a sigh.
Just eyeballing it, the repair fee would probably run at least 500,000 won.
Still, it responded when I pressed it, so I guess I can keep using it…
I poked at the screen for no reason and ended up opening a random community site I hadn’t meant to visit.
If it hadn’t had my name in the title, I would’ve skipped it. But my name was staring back so obviously, I tapped it.
In that post, even though less than a day had passed since I came out of the dungeon, my personal info had been stripped bare and exposed so much that there was nothing left to dig up.
I was still fiddling with my phone, speechless, when the door clunked open.
“Ms. Baek Youngha?”
“Ye-Yes?!”
I jumped to my feet like I’d been caught red-handed, and the person held out a business card.
“The Association President…?”
I hadn’t expected someone this high-ranking to show up, so I looked up in shock.
The one who handed me the card, the Association President, sat down in the chair across from me with a gentle smile on his kind-looking face.
“Would you mind sitting for a moment to talk?”
Maybe he was trying to come off more approachable than authoritative. The President kept smiling and quietly waited.
It was hard to refuse, so though I hesitated for a moment, I slowly pulled the chair back and sat down across from him.
“Thank you for taking the time out of your day.”
“Ah, yes…”
Kind of weird to say that when I’ve been left here doing nothing for so long…
“There was a sudden ranking shift, so we had to hold an emergency internal meeting. I apologize for not looking after you properly, Ms. Youngha.”
Now he calls me Ms. Youngha.
Why is he acting all familiar when we’ve barely met…?
Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just let my discomfort show plainly on my face.
“We’d like to hear a little explanation from you about the dungeon you were in. We did hear about what happened from the student you rescued, but hearing it directly from you, Ms. Youngha, would be more accurate.”
“If she already talked about it, I don’t think I have anything more to add…”
Like the ordinary civilian I’d been until now, my head automatically lowered in front of someone with authority.
T/N:
[1] ↩
[2] ↩
[3] ↩
[4] ↩
[5] ↩
Korean emoticon for crying or sadness.
Korean internet punctuation used to express exasperation, frustration, or awkwardness. It’s similar to “…” but conveys a more annoyed or incredulous tone. Often used when someone finds something absurd, annoying, or when they’re at a loss for words.
$360
추천하고감 (chucheon-hago-gam): Korean internet slang literally meaning “recommend and go.” Used when someone wants to quickly upvote/like a post and leave without further engagement. “Upvoting and leaving” captures the casual, hit-and-run nature of this online behavior.
Hyung (형) a respectful and affectionate term used by males to address an older male, typically a biological older brother or a close older male friend. It conveys a sense of brotherhood, hierarchy, and respect in Korean culture. Even among friends, if one is older, the younger male will often use “형” as a sign of deference.
Unnie (언니) a term used by females to address an older female, whether she is a biological sister or a close friend. “언니” reflects familiarity and warmth, and like other Korean honorifics, it emphasizes social hierarchy based on age. Among women, it’s a very common way to show closeness and respect.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.