Winds of Backlash
Before Seo Dami's promotion to S-rank, Kang Sora—one of South Korea's two sole S-rank hunters and the Hunter Association President—had unshakeable popularity. She stayed in Korea, steadfast against America's overtures, pouring her efforts into the nation's gate security. Her fame was immense.
In the same vein as the Sword Saint, but unlike him, Kang Sora was a woman—and a beauty at that—so eyes naturally gravitated toward her. While the Sword Saint remained reclusive, she, as Association President, frequently appeared in the media. Plus, handling overseas schedules in her official capacity made her popular abroad too, giving her arguably higher popularity than the Sword Saint, even if her recognition was on par.
The fact that Kang Sora, appearances aside, was a "grandma of the Sword Saint's generation" didn't matter much. Her peer, the Sword Saint, was a grandfather with granddaughters, but Kang Sora remained single to this day. The Hunter Association President truly embodied "eternal 17-year-old."
Her youthful looks paired with an inner "grandma" vibe even became a star quality in modern times, making her the role model for many female hunters—no, women in general.
But that very appeal created a not-problem problem: her fandom was excessively large, intense, and fanatical, matching her popularity.
Any slightly negative comment about Kang Sora sparked chaos from her fans, turning threads into bullet-riddled hives.
It got so bad it became an issue, and even her pleas to stop fell on deaf ears. They treated legitimate criticism as noise, swarming like Red Guards to silence everyone. Blind haters breed blind fans, and vice versa.
Even criticizing the Association—where Kang Sora was president—got met with "Our Sora hunter's Association would never do that?" shields.
Resentment built up quietly. Her fandom dragged undeserved hate onto even Kang Sora herself...
But there was a reason for it.
The Association exploited Kang Sora's fandom for opinion manipulation, turning them rotten. Unlike before, they now rampaged on their own without orders.
Of course, no hard evidence proved the Association used them to suppress negativity. But the circumstances screamed it. Suspect those who benefit most.
Whenever the fandom raged, it only tarnished Kang Sora's image while the Association reaped gains. No proof? Still suspicious.
The internet buzzed over the recent rezal hunter episode, communities and comments ablaze.
"Argh, figures," Yoon Sungjin grumbled, unsure what he'd even expected. "Just more blanket-kicking."
My writing influencing the world? Then maybe...? Nah, just tossed a pebble as buildup to the next big arc—link to Black Gate episode. But it stirred massive ripples. Or wait, what I thought was a pebble was a boulder.
Star-bombing and hate comments galore. Small consolation: "Views are up though."
Thanks to Kang Sora's 'Thunder' fandom flooding in to hate, revenue spiked. Fixed readers worried about dropouts but solidified against the trolls.
Felt like rain hardening the soil, but not a great vibe.
"Touched a sensitive topic for no reason... extra hate I didn't need."
Who am I to... 'Novel's established now, so tone down reaction-chasing and write what I want.' Swear off reader hype, take a deep sigh—Yoon Sungjin.
'But killer agents in Association? Rotten upper brass? Hypocrites? Cliche of cliches—hard to skip.'
Yoon Sungjin still felt wronged. Just leaned into hunter genre tropes, tested reactions with expectations—didn't anticipate this backlash.
'Kang Sora's popularity is nuts. Her as president alone births this shielded, beloved gov agency.'
Don't poke a momentum rider. Even a food vendor example proves it—right words sound like slander to blind supporters.
Forgot that basics, paid the price.
"Messed up the timing."
Figured quick buildup then jump to Black Gate. About to write, but Hunter Gallery might have good fodder.
Truth be told... "What's the gallery bait today? Heh."
Partly just wanted to lurk.
Watching the gallery flow, Yoon Sungjin spotted a reader-pleasing plot.
"Protagonist hitting S-rank—too fast. Re-eval to A-rank, rising star good. Save S-rank drama for later epic."
Sudden break had folks craving a hero to soothe anxiety. Match that need: spotlight protagonist.
And—
"This break can't be announced truthfully, so fabricate a hero to muddy waters. Smart."
Similar happenings in reality.