Gun Flower (3)
Hunter society was strictly meritocratic. Lives were on the line with every job, so no one wanted to trust their back to someone without the skills. As a ripple effect, the weak and unskilled got ignored and despised left and right. Half-assed hunters like me naturally ended up at the bottom of the food chain.
Before I met Yoo Seo-ah, solo hunting was a fucking miserable life. Forming a team was like trying to pluck stars from the sky, and even when I scraped one together somehow, I got ignored, discriminated against—basically took all the shit. I busted my ass just as hard as anyone, but because I was a half-ass without a unique ability, they fucked me on the pay split? Fuck that noise.
But now I was different. I'd gained the balls-to-the-wall S-rank unique ability Man-gae-hwa. So I walked into the relay station thinking I wouldn't get any more hate or disdain.
"……"
But the stares drilling into me were way hotter than back when I was a half-assed hunter. What the hell? Sure, they used to ignore and look down on me, but outright hostility like this? Never.
Of course, it wasn't like no one hated me before. The guys from Yoo Seo-ah's team despised me. Some bullshit about how a lowlife like me didn't deserve to be close to her. Hunter society draws the clearest class lines of anywhere, but getting beef for that reason was pure trash.
And now, that same trash was happening right in front of me.
"Tch."
"That fucker, that's the guy, right?"
"Yeah, matches the photo."
From people I'd never even seen before. It felt like a bolt from the blue, but then the word "photo" caught my ear. Photo? The only photo was the one Yoo Seo-ah took to cheer me on.
"So what're we gonna do about that fucker?"
"What do you mean? This is a hunter relay station."
"Fuck, right. What a shame. Was primed for a beatdown."
"We'll get him proper in a dungeon later."
The vibe was off. The hunters' glares sharpened with every passing second. Even with Man-gae-hwa in my pocket, I had zero interest in getting dragged into a fight without knowing why.
So I ducked into the bathroom, locked myself in a stall, and fired up my phone.
"Looks like something blew up after Yoo Seo-ah posted that cheer yesterday…… Hunter Gallery should give me the rundown."
Want intel on hunter drama? Fire up Hunter Gallery—fastest way in Korea. Sure, it's flooded with fake news and aggro, but as a 10-year vet, that shit was child's play to me.
I scrolled through the new posts religiously and pieced it together.
※ To sum up what went down with me.
Hunter society's hardcore meritocracy meant top dogs like Yoo Seo-ah got worshipped, while half-asses like me got shat on. This mess was just more of that ideology in action.
Probably started with the unicorn simps creaming over her being a virgin. But it exploded like this because word got out I'm a half-ass. Yeah, they saw a no-rank scrub like me riding her clout and lost their shit.
How'd it spread so fast that I'm a half-ass? I have a pretty good idea. Only three assholes ever called me mosquito boy.
Specifics locked in.
Anyway, deal with that later. Priority was handling the shitshow now.
"Hmm…… what to do."
To hunt, you need a team. One slip, and bam—backstabbed straight to the afterlife. Backups are essential.
But in this mess? No way I'd find a team. Hell, joining one might be riskier. Picture it: "You lucky fuck! Touching my Yoo Seo-ah?" Then dungeon lynching. Instant game over.
So I needed a fix…… and yeah, I had options. Two, actually.
First: Prove I'm not weak. Flash skills worthy of her endorsement, earn respect. Hunter society's merit-based, so they'd come around. Unicorns might still rage, but most hunters would give me props.
"But that…… takes too damn long."
To get "worthy of Yoo Seo-ah's cheer," I'd need at least B-rank feats. I'm still D-rank, solo max E-grade dungeons. Grinding solo to B? Time sink and suicide mission. Pass.
Second option it was—the easiest, fastest. Nailed right, it'd fix this shit today.
I was thumbing the number when—
Bzzz! [Seo-ah]
"Huh."
Call from Yoo Seo-ah.
Click.
"Hello?"
[Jinseong, I'm so sorry…….]
I hit accept, speaker to ear, and her genuine apology poured out. Voice shaking like she was at a loss—crystal clear even over the line. She knew what happened.
Wasn't her fault, though. I opened my mouth to reassure her.
"It's fine. You were just cheering me on."
[Still, because of my post, you got……]
Her voice trembled—not sad-sorry, more like a pissed-off Chihuahua quivering with rage.
[Hoo! Jinseong, I'll fix it. I'll tell everyone so they can't trash you anymore.]
She huffed a deep-short breath, then declared resolution in her voice.
[But to do that, I need to reveal your ability. That okay?]
Reveal my Safe House to the world? I could guess her plan. Thought it over, then:
"Yeah, fine."
Hiding felt shortsighted; going public would help my future in more ways than one.
[Got it. Sorry again, Jinseong. My fault, so I'll take responsibility. Starting a live now—check the Cheongmyeong Guild YouTube channel.]
She hung after that. Phone buzzed right away—YouTube alert from my sub.
Cheongmyeong Guild Channel: Yoo Seo-ah here. Clarifying the HunterStar cheer post controversy.
Her "fix" was a YouTube clarification live—exactly my second option. Nothing beats the source setting it straight.
"Knowing Seo-ah's personality, she must've agonized hard when it blew up."
I pictured her pacing in panic, chuckled, and jumped into the stream.
[Hello, Yoo Seo-ah here. I'm going live on short notice to clarify yesterday's Kang Jinseong HunterStar cheer post controversy.]
Suit-clad, stone-faced Yoo Seo-ah filled the screen. Not even a minute in, viewers topped 20k. She was the star of the drama and the hottest hunter around. "Clarification" bait? Crowd magnet.
No warning, sudden stream—chat in chaos. Famous for guild-mandated HunterStar account with just a greeting post, never touched since. Net-averse life.
So her dropping an emergency morning live on last night's drama? Wild.
Naturally, viewers grilled my name and our connection. Viewers nearing 50k, all dying to know.
Just as curiosity peaked—
Screen-Yoo Seo-ah opened her resolute eyes and dropped:
[Kang Jinseong and I need each other. We're inseparable now.]
A batshit bomb that didn't douse flames—it poured gasoline.
"No, Seo-ah, why'd you say that to me?!"