The Gallery's Outrage

The S-class hunter Kim Soyeon. (3)

Lick, lick-lick, licklicklick, lick-lick. Slurp slurp slurp slurp. Licklick slurp slurp slurp.

It was wet. That was the first sensation I felt before I even opened my eyes.

Something soft and squishy kept rubbing against my cheek over and over.

Is this a dream? But the sounds were far too vivid. Slurp slurp slurp, licklick.

The whining whimpers right by my ear finally pulled me out of sleep.

When I slowly opened my eyes, a puppy’s adorable face filled my vision.

“…Hey.”

I frowned and glared at the puppy, but all I got in return was an even more enthusiastic tongue assault.

“…Stop it, seriously.”

It was too cute to actually scold. Watching its tail whip back and forth like crazy on my chest, I couldn’t even get mad.

“Neukgu. Yeah, your name’s Neukgu.”

The name had popped into my head because of how aggressively it was licking. The puppy seemed to like it, because it started furiously lapping at my face to show its affection.

Only then did I notice the ceiling above me.

…It’s clean.

Not the musty ceiling I was used to, but a spotless one. Sunlight filtered through the blinds and warmed my face. I was reminded what a fresh morning actually felt like.

“Kkiiing, kkiing.”

A rustling sound came from below. I looked down to see Neukgu wagging its tail, clearly demanding something.

Smiling without realizing it, I sat up.

“Alright, I’ll feed you. Just wait a sec.”

I poured kibble into a bowl and watched fondly as the puppy dove in headfirst. Then I headed to the kitchen to make my own breakfast.

“…Ah.”

I remembered I didn’t have much food left. With a sigh, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grabbed a slice of bread, stuck it in my mouth, and sat down at the table.

“Wonder what kind of chaos they’re stirring up today.”

Like always, I naturally picked up my phone and opened the Hunter Gallery. I expected the usual mix of bragging, nonsense, useful info, and pointless gossip.

But what I saw was completely different from usual.

“Uh… huh?”

My finger froze. I couldn’t even taste the toast in my mouth anymore.

Half the posts were shocked reactions and analysis about White. The other half were about Kim Soyeon’s escape last night.

The Tower records being public was expected. But the frenzy over Kim Soyeon was on another level.

Uneasy. A bad feeling crept over me.

“Don’t tell me there are actual articles…”

Of course there were. When I checked the portal sites, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠massive headlines about Kim Soyeon were plastered everywhere.

The titles were blatant clickbait. The photos were crystal clear, taken from above. That meant professional paparazzi, not just random bystanders.

At least my face wasn’t clearly captured. But the shot of me gripping her wrist was unmistakable.

“…When the hell did they even take these?”

I clicked my tongue and scrolled through the articles. Every single photo was shot from above. Definitely pros.

Then a worse thought hit me.

S-class hunters all had their own dedicated galleries run by obsessive fans. Especially someone like Kim Soyeon, with her looks. I knew exactly how unhinged those fandoms could get. After all, I used to be one of them.

With a sinking feeling, I searched for the Kim Soyeon Gallery.

The moment I entered, I felt like I’d opened Pandora’s box.

“Insane.”

An all-out manhunt. The gallery was burning like a riot had broken out.

“These guys are actually insane.”

I kept scrolling through the comments in a daze. Every single one was about killing me or hunting me down for punishment. I couldn’t just dismiss it as keyboard warriors bluffing. I knew exactly what these people were capable of.

Their rage carried real killing intent. That blind, obsessive fury came with terrifying persistence and twisted logic in the worst possible direction.

Then came the information-gathering posts. They were slowly tightening the noose around my neck.

“……”

I couldn’t just sit here eating bread anymore. They were systematically gathering information and tracking me down. In less than half a day, these lunatics had already pinpointed my height, build, shoe brand, the exact pet shop, and even the officetel district I’d just moved into.

What a waste of talent. Affection turned into obsession. When that so-called love became blind madness and collective intelligence, it created something horrifying. I was experiencing it in real time.

I forced myself to stay calm and kept scrolling, then spotted a newly posted thread at the very top of the gallery. The title alone made me choke.

“……Uh, yeah.”

I had no words. It looked like the world had ended.

Reading through hundreds of comments, I could only think one thing: these people were completely deranged.

Not a virgin? The world isn’t worth living in anymore? Using intestines as a jump rope?

Truly creative and unhinged ideas.

“…At this rate I’m going to have to demand extra compensation.”

While I sat there staring blankly, my alarm suddenly blared.

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

It was the alarm I’d set to leave early and stop by the equipment shop.

“…Haa.”

I turned my head toward the window. The massive jet-black Tower loomed high enough to pierce the sky.

Whether the world was flipped upside down by scandal or tens of thousands of fanatics were tracking my location to tear me apart alive, that Tower always stood tall in the same place.

“What can I do?”

Still, I had to go to the Tower.