If They Act Like Assholes
It had been four days since Jang Hoseop posted about the day-night wheat harvest.
The reaction from the people using the Square was, in many ways, explosive.
Among those reactions, there was one that directly impacted Samira.
Requests for rescue.
"I think this last post was the tipping point. The number of inquiries has increased significantly."
That was what Jang Hoseop had said with a smile.
Inquiries regarding rescue requests and joining Samira had more than doubled. While most were from places too far away, there were, surprisingly, some requests from nearby locations.
My group had already visited most of the accessible areas with the interns, so I decided to collect the requests from slightly further away and handle them personally.
That was today.
After spending several days clearing gates, I had taken a day off with Gi Eun-chae.
"Let's head into that building first!"
"Yes!"
There were three rescue requests I needed to handle today. We had come up empty-handed in the first two neighborhoods we visited.
Upon arriving at the final destination, we found an empty building and went inside. Eun-chae immediately pulled out her Soul Stone to connect to the Square.
It’s been so humid lately.
The air had been thick with humidity for days, and now, it was finally raining. It was pouring so hard that the surroundings were obscured by a gray haze.
It’s refreshing, at least.
It was better than the sweltering, sticky heat, but the problem was that I was stuck out in it.
I took off my raincoat and pulled a towel from my small bag. The bag was waterproof, and since Bom had wrapped it in a Ziploc bag for extra protection, the towel was perfectly dry. I wiped the moisture off my hair.
"Lee Hyun-nim."
"Yeah?"
"There’s... no answer. Even to the new comments I wrote before we left."
Gi Eun-chae said, checking the Square.
This rescue requester wasn't responding, either.
"Got it. Stop looking and come out. Dry yourself off."
"Yes. I’m sorry."
Eun-chae said, dripping with water, apologizing even though she had done nothing wrong.
"Why are you apologizing? Just dry off first."
"Um... well."
"Yeah?"
"I forgot my towel."
Eun-chae looked at the towel in my hand. What a day.
I wrung it out, gave it a good shake, and handed it to her. She immediately buried her face in it. I guess she didn't mind that I had used it first.
"Eun-chae."
"Yes?"
"What do you think?"
I asked for her opinion while we took a break, waiting for a reply.
"It’s not certain yet, but..."
We had told the rescue requesters in advance. Since we couldn't set an exact meeting time, we asked them to check the Square at least every hour. Even without us asking, people sending rescue requests checked the comments constantly. They were the ones in the most desperate need, after all.
But today, none of the people we had appointments with were responding.
"It’s a bit strange."
"You think so too?"
"Yes. It’s too much to be a coincidence... ah, of course, it could be a coincidence."
It was possible that all three requesters had died. Or perhaps some unavoidable situation had arisen.
"I think all possibilities are on the table. The world is a dangerous place, after all."
"Yeah, that’s true."
But there was a reason I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling.
"The second location really bothers me."
"Yes. Actually, I felt the same..."
"It wasn't a place fit for human habitation. Maybe they chose a meeting spot different from where they actually live, but..."
The first place we visited and this one were both strange. There weren't many monsters. That meant the probability of an unforeseen accident was low.
"No one else has left any comments, right?"
"No. None."
"Let’s wait a little longer, then head back."
We ate the lunch we’d brought while waiting for comments from the requesters. No contact came, and we returned to Samira empty-handed.
Meanwhile, after Lee Hyun and Gi Eun-chae left the building, a gaze that had been observing them from the void silently vanished.
We returned empty-handed and called a meeting. Everyone in the leadership team was there, except for Yuna.
"Um... could they all be dead? Maybe we should have gone to save them immediately..."
Jang Hoseop asked cautiously after hearing my report.
"I don't know what happened. I couldn't find any clues. But there were some strange things."
I explained what I felt while visiting the sites. I pointed out that there weren't many monsters in the neighborhoods we visited, and that the second neighborhood was not an environment where people could live.
"That’s definitely strange. Was Gi Eun-chae of the same opinion as you, Hyung-nim?"
"Yeah."
The expressions of my companions hardened.
"There are several possibilities. But Lee Hyun-nim, you don't think it’s a coincidence, do you?"
I nodded at Sujeong’s question.
"Yes. I want us to think about this assuming it’s not a coincidence."
Three people over level 20 had died on the same day. Or maybe they hadn't died. Either way, I decided to take this matter seriously. Because it happened in the vicinity of Samira.
"Whether they are dead or alive, we must be vigilant."
"That’s right. Either way, it’s a strange occurrence."
The others nodded. Everyone took a moment to think.
"First, Hoseop."
"Yes?"
"Keep a separate record of their levels and names."
I decided to voice my thoughts first.
"Yes, you mean to check if they appear on the Square, right?"
"Yeah. I don't think they’re dead. The locations are too far apart from each other."
We were in a situation where we had the phenomenon but lacked the clues to deduce the cause. So, I decided to exclude the variables I couldn't gauge and focus on the events and changes related to me.
Accidental incidents, the actions of monsters I didn't know about, etc. I wasn't going to entertain those possibilities.
"Those three people have something in common, don't they?"
"Yes. They were all people who sent rescue requests to Samira."
"And the timing is important. When did their requests come in?"
"One was three days ago, and the other two were yesterday... oh?"
Jang Hoseop made a face as if he had realized something.
"Now that I think about it, these are all requests that came in after the day-night wheat harvest. We didn't have anything like this before that."
"Yeah. Let’s start from there."
"Don't tell me... are they trying to screw with us?"
At first, I had the same thought as Jang Hoseop.
"Ah, seriously. Could it be the people I had those keyboard battles with?"
"That’s possible. If so, that’s the better outcome."
It was possible that people who wanted to tease us out of jealousy were pulling a prank.
"We were the ones who decided to group them on the same day, so that could be it. But why go to such lengths? Just to mess with us..."
But I also thought that such an assumption was going too far. Because it cost more Magic Stones to have conversations via private comments. Also, to send a rescue request, they had to pass Jang Hoseop’s verification process.
"Ah... if they’re really annoyed, they might be willing to endure the consumption of Magic Stones and the hassle, but is the probability of three people doing that a bit low?"
"Who knows."
"Damn it. It would be great if I could use Lie Detection on the Square too..."
The post Jang Hoseop made had a clear purpose. It was to attract people. The users of the Square knew this, too. We hadn't harmed them.
"Oh, Hyung-nim. But even if they weren't harmed, they might have just done it because they didn't like the look of us."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. For now, I’ll think about that part a bit more. In the future, we could filter them out by requiring photos that prove their location..."
As I opened the floodgates of thought, my companions added their own opinions. Then, Jangsu-ajusshi spoke up for the first time in a while.
"I don't think this is something to be thought of simply. If a group coveting Samira’s wealth is approaching us in a planned manner..."
Jangsu-ajusshi pointed out exactly what I was worried about.
"A group, not an individual... because dung attracts dung flies?"
"Ha... Hoseop. Are you saying we’re dung right now?"
"No, Mom. That’s not what I meant."
Jang Hoseop’s expression was a bit off, but the context was the same. The post he made clearly revealed Samira’s prosperous situation.
"If a group is targeting Samira... we must catch them before they achieve their goal."
My companions nodded at my words.
"Nothing is certain yet, but let’s prepare countermeasures. First, Hoseop, spy on the channels and dig through other people’s private posts."
"Yes."
"And organize all the rescue and joining requests and send them to me by today. Can you do that?"
Jang Hoseop looked out the window and nodded. He said he would definitely get it done.
"Hyung-nim. Then how should we handle the Square activity from now on?"
"Do as you’ve been doing. Don't make it obvious."
"Yes."
"Everyone else, please educate the people. Especially the personnel involved in external activities. It looks like it’s going to keep raining..."
Everything was just speculation, but this wasn't an unfounded uneasiness. My companions and I began to review various scenarios.
That night, Jang Hoseop came to my private office.
"I hurried as much as I could... did you wait long?"
"No. I was working. Is this it?"
"Yes. There’s quite a lot. Since I organized even the rejected proposals, it ended up being this much..."
He handed me a thick stack of documents.
"You’ve worked hard."
"Not at all. I was organizing it personally anyway to track down other groups."
Jang Hoseop’s answer made me laugh. He was truly diligent. He must have had a lot on his mind just leading the External Activities Headquarters, yet he was also managing the Square. On top of that, there were many things I asked him to do personally.
Yet, he had never once shown any dissatisfaction. If anything, he was always looking for more work.
"Hoseop."
"Yes?"
"Is there anything you need? Anything you’re hoping for?"
"Yes? Uh... why all of a sudden..."
"Because you’re working hard."
Jang Hoseop pondered. He must have had something he wanted.
"I’m satisfied just knowing that you recognize my efforts, Hyung-nim! A scholar gives his life for the one who recognizes his worth..."
"Cut the crap. Just tell me."
"Yes. Actually..."
Magic Stones, a house, luxury goods... or maybe a woman. I thought something like that would come out. Jang Hoseop knew that a vacation was impossible.
"There’s that woman on the Square who requested information disclosure from us."
But Jang Hoseop brought up something I hadn't expected.
"That woman has been posting consistently."
"What? Is she still asking for information disclosure?"
"Yes. She’s very high and mighty. Since people keep clicking 'like' on her posts, she acts like she’s some kind of apostle of justice..."
Jang Hoseop vented his frustration. He said the other party was sniping at Samira under the guise of a grand cause.
"But reading her posts, it seems like her group is also quite large?"
"Yeah."
"In my opinion, it looks like they’re struggling with their food situation. But they won't be honest about it and are pulling these kinds of tricks, so it’s just fucking... ah, I’m sorry."
I knew what Jang Hoseop wanted.
"Anyway, since you told me to ignore her, I haven't responded."
"Yeah."
"But the more I see it, the more it pisses me off. Her incitement is just top-tier, you know? I don't know why they think it’s a given that we should release our information."
As I nodded, Jang Hoseop stated what he wanted.
"I want to talk back."
"Hmm... what are you going to say?"
"I was going to think about it if you gave me permission."
I was always impressed whenever Jang Hoseop deviated from my expectations. I had intended to grant most of his requests to boost morale, but I hadn't expected him to ask for this.
"Is that what you really want? More than any other reward?"
"Yes. Really... I’m desperate for it."
"Got it. But in what way... no, never mind. Do as you see fit."
Even without my interference, he would handle it well. Thinking that, I just gave him the green light.
"Yes! Thank you, Hyung-nim! I’ll report back to you regularly!"
"Yeah. But what are you going to do? Just curious."
"You know that saying, right? If the other person acts like an asshole, give them a reason to act like an even bigger asshole."
"Is that a real saying?"
"Hmm, probably? Anyway, since they’re already hitting us, I’m going to proceed in a direction that makes them go even crazier."
Jang Hoseop wore a devious smile. I didn't know the specific method, but for some reason, I felt like Jang Hoseop would win.
Sujeong-ajumma clearly said he was a kind and upright child.
Was Sujeong-ajumma wrong about her son? Or had the kid changed?
"Ah, Hyung-nim. Can I brainstorm my strategy here before I go?"
"Sure. Do whatever you want."
"Hehe. Yes. Ah, and maybe the snacks over there..."
"Eat them. You don't need permission. If you need anything else, Do Jieun is outside, so just ask her."
"Oh~ thank you! But Do Jieun-ssi is also working late, isn't she?"
"Even when I tell her to go home early, she doesn't."
Jang Hoseop on the sofa. Me at my desk. We immersed ourselves in our respective tasks until late into the night.