I got sued (1)

I let out a long, miserable groan. "Ugh... ughhh... ughhhhhhh..." It was the crack of dawn, and the pathetic sound dragged me out of sleep. Or rather, I didn't really get up. I just opened my eyes.

"I... I drank way too much..."

I'd gotten way too worked up watching my favorite team's match and ended up downing more than I should have. If I'd known it'd feel this awful, I would've stopped at a reasonable amount.

"...Did I do anything weird yesterday?"

Honestly, there wasn't much chance I'd caused trouble for anyone. I was a basement-dwelling hikikomori. No, wait—that wasn't right. I was a successful member of the Fire Tribe. That was me.

"Let's see..."

I turned on my phone and checked my call log. No outgoing calls from last night. That left only one possibility.

"Huh?"

My hand trembled as I clicked on the familiar username sitting at the top of the concept posts.

That wasn't the end of the post. It went on to list all sorts of embarrassing secrets about Kim Yeeun.

"Ah..."

Whether Kim Yeeun had actually said those things or not didn't really matter. The only thing that mattered was dopamine. My post had clearly delivered a massive hit of it to people, because it had climbed all the way into the concept section.

I'm screwed.

I knew I shouldn't have left my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phone near me while drinking...!

Even if I tried to delete it now, it was impossible. The post had gone beyond a regular concept post and reached super concept status. In other words, the information about Kim Yeeun had already spread beyond the Hunter Gallery to other forums.

"Why do I always cause trouble when I drink, you idiot..."

There was a reason I hadn't written about Kim Yeeun while sober, even though I loved stirring up chaos—no, sharing truthful information. It was because Kim Yeeun was infamous for suing anyone who said anything that could damage her reputation.

I'd kept it locked away in my heart on purpose... but apparently the urge to let everyone know the truth had been too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strong.

"S-she wouldn't actually sue me, right? This is my first offense..."

Even as I trembled with fear, my fingers moved on their own. Lawsuit or not, I was dying to see the comments.

As expected, the comment section was an absolute warzone. People calling me crazy, people taking it seriously—there were even some claiming Kim Yeeun had pressed the super concept button herself just to get me sued.

"...If I drink again, I'm no better than a dog. A dog."

Ever since my body changed, alcohol didn't hit me the same way, yet I'd still forced it down. The me from yesterday deserved a good beating.

Still, I've got things to do.

The chaotic public opinion and whether Kim Yeeun would actually file a lawsuit were both less important than what I needed to do right now.

The moment I hit post, a chill ran down the back of my neck. A thick wave of dopamine followed right after. The electrifying rush ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠traveled down my spine, making my whole body shiver.

"This really is the best..."

I let out a long breath and flopped onto my desk. Getting attention from people really was the greatest pleasure.

"Why should I be the one getting sued?"

I pouted at the mean comment. It wasn't like I'd made anything up. Of course, people didn't know the things I'd written were actually true! Still!

"If anyone's getting sued, it should be Kim Yeeun!"

Even if she'd posted it on a private account, she'd definitely said those things. And what I'd posted while drunk was just the tip of the iceberg. If Hunter Yu Eunseo ever saw what Kim Yeeun had written, she'd definitely sue. So if you want to lock me up, you should lock her up first!

"In that case, I should calm these anxious feelings with a dri—"

Ring ring~ Incoming call~ Incoming call~

"...Hm?"

Who would be calling me at this hour? It wasn't my parents. And as for friends... well, I didn't have any. That left either insurance spam or voice phishing.

No, wait.

I'd used my ability to handle the daily calls because they were so annoying. Insurance calls got redirected to voice phishers, and voice phishing calls got redirected to insurance companies. So who could this be...?

"Eh."

I let out a dumb sound at the three letters floating in my vision. Police station. Since I'd verified the number with my ability, it couldn't be voice phishing. The question was why the police station was calling me...

I haven't done anything wrong.

I pay my taxes on time and I don't cause any trouble! I don't even go outside, so there's no way I could cause trouble even if I wanted to. Floor noise? I'd soundproofed every single wall, so that was impossible. After eliminating every other possibility, only one remained.

"No way."

Is it because of that post about Kim Yeeun...?

No, that couldn't be it. It had only been a day. Not even twenty-four hours had passed. There was no way she'd already filed a lawsuit.

But the words in front of me didn't change. It felt like the sky was falling. To think that I, the capable Civilian Informant A, would have to go to the police station over some influencer's scandal.

I thought about not answering, but if I didn't, they'd probably come to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my house. Better to go myself.

"H-hello...?"

[Yes, hello. Is this the residence of Seo Eunha?]

"Y-yes... it is."

[Did you happen to post something about Kim Yeeun on an internet community?]

"Yes, I did..."

What followed was a long, boring, and overly formal explanation. The person in question had seen the post on the community. Reading its contents had caused her great shame and humiliation.

Therefore, she wished to file a lawsuit. If I wanted to settle, we should meet face-to-face at the police station.

"Yes..."

The call ended. I'd been on a 307-day streak of never leaving the house... and now that record was about to be broken over something as stupid as showing up at a police station.

"I will never, ever forgive her..."

To think she'd try to drag a homebody like me out into the cruel world. I pounded my tiny fist against the desk, venting my frustration. Kim Yeeun. She might be pretty, but... anyway. I'm going to make that pretty face of hers stream with tears!

Does she really think that's all the information I have?

I'd even taken screenshots of all the evidence and saved them in an archive. If she refused to settle and tried to force me into community service or something, I'd flood the entire internet with her shameful secrets.

You might ask why I posted it in the first place if I was this worried? Who cares. That wasn't something today's me posted—it was yesterday's me.

"Wait, doesn't this count as diminished capacity? Couldn't that lower the punishment?"

My eyes landed on the empty beer cans scattered across the floor. I'd written that post while drunk yesterday.

Perfect. If things go south, I'll push the diminished capacity due to alcohol angle.

I picked up my phone and snapped a picture of the pile of cans. Three cans. That should be enough for the police officer to accept the diminished capacity claim.

"And if that's not enough..."

I'll just cry. Everyone knows that in a fight at the police station, the one who cries first wins.

...Or do they?

"Sigh, this is my life. Of all the abilities I could have awakened after my transformation, it had to be this one..."

I opened the posting window and started typing away.

So...

After the post climbed back into the concept section, I looked at the top comment and curled my lips into a smirk.

"You must've been bored. Perfect timing."

Instead of comforting my wounded heart, you decide to mock me? I'll log into your account and spam the Hunter Gallery with shitposts, you bastard.