010. Nameless Monster (Complete)
'Hoo...'
Around 2 p.m., Yoon Se-hee let out a steady breath. After managing the gallery for several days, she'd successfully rooted out most of the 'reactionaries' lurking in Semagal. Now, all that remained were true gamers who knew how to enjoy the game properly.
'Now... it's done.'
She'd kept posting things like, "Honestly, isn't spending money on mobile games patriotic lol? If buying overseas console games isn't foreign currency outflow, then what is?" It was all to manage the board's quality. And fortunately, people played right into her hands.
'People who listen well... I like that...'
They never buy their own moms a birthday gift but go nuts buying console games lololol. Always filling up their Steam libraries then sighing like they got nothing to play—makes my blood boil. If you haven't played Nintendo, you haven't gamed. If you haven't played Breath of the Wild, you're a noob? lololol. Basically communists or some shit.
From the perspective of Railroad Software's guardian, it was a most welcome post. With a mother's smile, she scrolled through the comments.
And so the storm passed. People were curious about who Abrams—the one badmouthing Sepiros Online—was, but the internet is like a pot that boils over fast and cools just as quick. It's not a place folks come for serious debate, so when Yoon Se-hee tossed out a few new bait posts, they all swarmed over there instead.
Posts about Kim A-ram got buried in the conceptual posts section, and Abrams had been cyber-stoned to death, so she'd probably steer clear of the internet for a while. Mission accomplished. Yoon Se-hee had safeguarded Railroad Software's peace.
'Yu-ra unnie... Seong-u oppa...'
She secretly watched Han Yu-ra working intently. Red ponytail. Black eyelashes contrasting sharply. Her furrowed brows in concentration and those massive breasts were incredibly sexy.
'The fact that Kim A-ram was leaving hate comments... I'll bury that if I can... Because it's better for unnie's mental health... Keep working there, unnie... Shine brightly...'
She wanted to say that, at least.
'Did I... do well?'
She craved validation.
'I protected the gallery's peace again today...'
'I'm the guardian of the internet...'
'Fighting in the unseen shadows... in the black darkness... for peace...'
But Han Yu-ra passed by without noticing, not even making eye contact. Yoon Se-hee could only watch her back with a tinge of regret.
'But unnie would hate it if she knew about days like this? If she saw this impure side... Director Im Seong-u would hate it too...'
So she swallowed her tears and dove back into work. The world was full of dirty jobs. Complicated, tough problems no one wanted to touch. Unglamorous roles. But without people doing them, society wouldn't function.
'I...'
Among all that filth, wasn't the human heart the dirtiest? And communities that had to take it straight on were bound to be the filthiest. But even here, a guardian existed.
Her name was—
'Pad-dak-i.'
Proud gallery sub-admin.
"Lisa unnie, you've changed a ton!"
"Long time no see."
Yu-ra was young. Young and prone to mistakes. But she'd lived as a businesswoman. More experience and connections than most.
Lisa was someone she'd met during university through a startup package program. What Yu-ra first thought upon seeing her free-spirited vibe was...
'Whoa... her body's insane...'
Was it all that American water? Lisa dressed openly from the start. Tanned skin in a light coffee shade unlike most East Asians. A silver navel piercing. Skinny jeans hugging her hips tight. Like she was saying, I don't date men. I eat them. That cool big-sis impression, completed by her washboard abs gleaming under early summer sun. Han Yu-ra couldn't help thinking they looked damn cool.
'Ah... I need to work out too.'
Han Yu-ra had worked out once. But after starting her business, the mounting stress had loosened her figure.
'Masturbate less and exercise?'
Her only "workouts" were jerking off and sex amid endless drinking sessions. In the end, she'd gained a cute little belly pouch. Thinking about it, she pouted.
'Ugh...'
Han Yu-ra seriously pondered if a vibration belt would slim it down.
Lisa, oblivious to her thoughts, dragged her to a pizza-and-beer joint that screamed "calorie bomb."
'Ah... booze for lunch? I gotta watch my figure.'
"My treat, Yu-ra."
Yu-ra couldn't refuse. How could she resist that gooey cheese umami and tangy tomato?
"Thanks, unnie. Coffee's on me later."
"Sure."
"Heard you're making games these days."
"Yeah."
"Congrats."
The well-wishes didn't ease Han Yu-ra's mind. It was all because of Im Seong-u.
"Seeing you thriving makes me happy, unnie."
"Life's a bitch. Whatever."
Yu-ra and Lisa chatted about everyday stuff for a bit. Weather. How they've been. America. After about ten minutes of small talk, Han Yu-ra broached the buried issue.
"Lately, I've been so worn out."
"Why...?"
"I..."
She didn't know where to start. She'd screwed up, big time. Not once, but for a whole year tormenting Im Seong-u... The guilt of not coming to her senses for so long weighed heavy.
"Sigh... and then..."
She even confessed their relationship now. The complex, confusing feelings she had for him. She couldn't parse if it was just bodily affection or something perilously close to love.
"I'm sorry. Sorry, but I wanna see him. Keep acting spoiled..."
"...Shit man..."
Not a guy, but Lisa threw in the interjection. Her accent carried authentic stateside hip-hop vibes, not some Korean knockoff.
"And he's got a love rival. In the same office."
"Holy crap..."
Before the reaction queen, she spilled it all, prompting Lisa to pull out a cigarette.
"Unnie, no smoking here."
"Sorry."
She pocketed it.
"Anyway, that's why I'm kinda down lately."
"..."
"I used to think I had to atone with my body somehow, but now I realize... Seong-u's just a good guy."
"..."
"So I'm even more sorry."
"Yo. Yu-ra, listen. Listen."
Three years her senior, Lisa had connected her to university startup funding post-graduation and been her mental coach in tough times. But for some reason, she'd shocked everyone by quitting IT for the sea and gone dark. Contact resumed a month later.
"Know what I do now?"
"...What?"
"Fishery. Crabbing."
At first, Yu-ra thought it was primary-industry trading. Women could dive, sure, but most lacked the strength, right? Thinking conventionally, she figured Lisa was in trade.
But the answer was unexpected.
"Wait... not trading?"
"I sail. Fisherman. Offshore vessel. All-male crew? Nah. Don't sell crabs. Catch 'em. At sea."
Yu-ra shut her mouth.
'She... really sails.'
Yeah. She'd become a real fisherwoman.
Lisa pulled out her phone and showed Yu-ra. Rough seas, hauling nets like a battlefield. Photos with auntie and uncle crewmates looked gritty and grueling. Was she the captain? Damn, American women were tough. The guys looked like they'd chug whiskey daily, hopeless about life.
"Where's this?"
"Bering Sea. Alaska."
"Whoa."
Yu-ra felt respect. Lisa showed a battered blue ship, paint peeling, screaming danger. Yu-ra clamped her jaw shut.
"You know why I took to the sea?"
"No... you just said you were sick of everything."
"Broke up with my boyfriend then. He was a coder too."
'This unnie's extreme too.'
Dumping a guy and hitting the boats? Unimaginable for Yu-ra.
Anyway, Lisa kept going.
"Our personalities didn't mesh. He was... you know? Coders think too logical. Hard to approach. No emotional radar, always guarding their interests first. Good coding boys are like that."
"..."
She recalled recent stats: Among uni majors, the least romantic were comp-sci related. Info comms, programming—highest solo rates across genders. Cursed by machine logic?
"Shing-oo. Ching-oo. Oh shit. Anyway, he's probably killer at work. And he won't feel much for you."
"Won't feel much..."
"Ah, sorry."
Yu-ra's heart plummeted. Imagining Seong-u indifferent crushed her life's spark.
'Why am I like this?'
He should've been a passing fancy. She provides sex, he codes. Transactional. But if he left now, she knew she'd cling to his sleeve. Even after all the pain she'd caused. Leaving quietly for Shin Na-young would break her.
"He won't have negative feelings for you."
Only then could she relax.
"But..."
"Yo shit. Han Yu-ra. Shut up. Listen to me."
She zipped it.
"Men aren't as simple as you think, Yu-ra. Pretty girl offers her body, doesn't mean he falls for her. At least not sane ones."
"..."
"He had feelings from the start. Wanted to fuck you, so he proposed that deal. Your vibe now? Like makeup sex mode."
The unfiltered barrage flushed her face. She nodded, getting it.
"His rival thing?"
"...Yeah."
"Yo. Listen, Miss Yu-ra. I got answers for this."
She said,
"First answer... the sea, Yu-ra. Go catch crabs. Stare at the vast Bering Sea, endure the bone-chilling cold, snag those fucking crabs... Your emotional waves? They'll pass. You'll see."
"..."
"Battle Maiden Ho has an open spot. Not all virgins, but whatever. Ditch work anytime, come here. I'll hook you up good."
"..."
Han Yu-ra shut her mouth. Her, who couldn't even exercise, on a boat? Baby Yu-ra would seasick out in three days.
"...And for this case, second option, Yu-ra."
"Unnie, what's that?"
"Threesome."
Her "Th" was silky smooth.