Supporters
"Hello?"
The calm voice coming through the phone belonged to Marie.
"Marie? It's Jeong Yuseong."
"Yeah, Pervert. What's up?"
How long is she gonna call me that? Slandering an upstanding citizen—total hero disqualification.
"It's not anything major, but I have a favor to ask. You free?"
"What if I say no? You gonna drop it?"
"Nah."
"You're really shameless."
She said that, but her tone carried a playful lilt. I didn't know Marie all that well yet, but our brief encounters had shown me she wasn't the type to brush off someone genuinely asking for help.
"So, what's the deal?"
"I'm broke."
"...You want me to loan you money?"
No way I'd ask that. Shameless as I am, I'm not hitting up someone I've barely met—let alone a hero—for cash.
"Nah, I saw the Hero Association posting for Supporters while job hunting. I wanna do it—any chance you could put in a good word?"
Supporters spots were competitive as hell these days, like applying to a top corp. But what if a working hero vouched for you? The job didn't need superpowers—just reliable folks who showed up and did the work diligently. A hero's rec basically guaranteed a pass.
"You serious?"
"Dead serious."
"Sigh... Fine, I'll just loan you the money. Skip this."
"Huh?"
I'd half-expected a no—my ask was basically a parachute drop, not exactly fair play. But this? Offering cash to bail me out?
"Why?"
"Supporters might look easy—just patrolling around—but it's riskier than you think. Monsters are popping up more often, and with the Villain Alliance stirring, you could get targeted. That's why they pay so well."
In other words, she was worried about me. After our rocky first meet, she was way too soft-hearted. But I needed the money. I was legit staring down starvation here. Plus, honestly? I needed intel on villains. The Alliance hadn't come sniffing around yet—probably thanks to Hwang Yerang's case—but who knew about the rest. Better to pick up scraps of info as a Supporter than sit blind.
Couldn't tell her that, though.
"Money's part of it, sure, but I wanna help out too. Even someone like me pitching in might make the world a bit safer."
"..."
Marie went quiet, mulling it over. I was about to check if the call dropped when she finally replied.
"...Fine. I'll talk to the handler."
"Thank you. Seriously."
"I'm only helping so you don't pull something weird."
Still hung up on that, huh. So bad at being honest.
"Yeah, good call. If I flunked, I might've stripped down and roamed the streets to blow off steam."
"Jeez. If you're gonna do it, do it right. Quitting 'cause it's tough puts me in a bad spot too."
"Obviously. I'm not that fragile."
"Sure, sure. Gotta go—I'm working."
"Yep. Take care."
Part-time gig sorted, more or less. Connections are for times like this. I'd planned to avoid tangling with her after swapping numbers, but this was harmless. Info was priority now—worth the minor risk. And passing up sweet work like this? Nah. How often do you really get dragged into drama? Money now, figure out the future later.
Thanks to Marie's rec, landing the Supporter spot was a breeze. Interview was formality—I knew I had it, so I chilled through it.
Post-acceptance: Association orientation. First aid, monster basics, wanted villain dossiers—way more to cram than expected.
Supporters rolled in 3-person teams, reporting via issued terminals on schedule. GPS tracking kept slackers honest. Trouble? Call a hero. Patrol shifts rotated weekly: days, evenings, weekends. Usually solo team patrols, but once a week with a hero. Not the cakewalk I thought—surprisingly structured. Made sense after the recent Villain Alliance terror.
And so, first patrol day dawned.
"Hi, everyone. Hero Marie here. It's your first day—don't stress, just give it your all."
"..."
With Marie? On day one? Heroes rotated too—bound to overlap eventually. Didn't expect it this soon.
"You come here on purpose to see me?"
"Oh? Paranoia much?"
"I know I'm charming, but ease up—it's overwhelming."
"Pervert... Yuseong, you want a smack? Total coincidence."
"Pervert?"
Hey. Other teammates are right here—don't go calling me that. They're already side-eyeing me.
"Anyway, intros? You three'll be teamed up ongoing—I'm set, but you guys."
"Jeong Yuseong. Nice to meet you."
"Nam Hyunsu. Signed up for the pay, but training made it feel real serious—kinda nervous."
"Seo Chaerim. Nice to meet you."
The woman who intro'd as Seo Chaerim had been glaring daggers since we met. What? We just clicked eyes—didn't do anything wrong. Her scowl screamed bitchy, tone too. Rude for a first meet, but she reeked of attitude. This might be trickier than expected.
"Light patrol to start? Questions anytime."
Marie led; we trailed on rounds. Simple gig—roam, report hourly—but not easy. Hours of nonstop walking? Stamina killer. Non-athletes would struggle. Our team held up fine, though. Nam Hyunsu chatted up front with Marie; I hung mid-pack. Chaerim lurked behind, staring holes. Felt her eyes on my back. Crushing? Nah—pure dislike vibes. Avoiding her gaze, she sidled up and whispered:
"That 'pervert' thing earlier—what's that about?"
"Dunno. Beats me."
And why's she bantering casual already? Looked younger than me.
"Don't play dumb. What's your deal with her?"
"Not playing. She saved me from a villain last time—faces familiar, that's it."
"Hmph... You got a girlfriend?"
"Why ask?"
First-meet prying felt rude. Girlfriend? What for? Plot twist like "ex"? I'd laugh... or not.
"Can't figure it. What's she see in a punk like you?"
"Huh?"
"Forget it. None of your business."
Attitude city from jump. We'd be stuck together— I'd tolerate, but limits exist. Not saintly enough to smile off aggression.
"You've been casual-ing me—what, we know each other?"
"Jealous? Banter back."
"Fine. Auntie."
"What? I'm not an auntie!"
"Talked so casual, figured you were older."
"How old are you?"
"26."
(Original me and this body matched ages. Small mercy—no confusion.)
"I'm 22."
"Call me oppa then, kiddo."
"What a jerk!"
"Right? What a jerk."
"Don't talk to me!"
"You started it."
Supporter life looked bumpier than expected.