What Is Your Identity?
Seo Dami knew how to learn from her failures. Reflecting on Yoon Sungjin's past and personality, as well as her own impatience in previous attempts, she had reached out this time through proper management channels. There was that old saying: aim for the general, not the soldiers. And this choice had proven right. A stable meeting spot had been arranged.
"Phew."
She had cleared her schedule specially for today. With the Hunter Association's chaos settling down somewhat and urgent tasks easing up, she finally had time to resolve the questions that had been piling up. Seo Dami arrived first at the appointed place and waited. It had been ages since she'd had an experience like this. Even before becoming an S-rank, she had been a national representative hunter, so people made her wait, not the other way around.
Confirming there were just over ten minutes until the appointment, Seo Dami killed time by browsing the gallery while waiting for the tls123 author to arrive. But this wasn't just for fun. Ignoring warnings to stop the web novel virality had gotten the high-nick 'LezalHunterLove' gangbanged on Hunter Gallery, so access blocked, they dug their own minor gallery instead: the tls123 Gallery. Popular celebs had their own as a given, and even ones that made you wonder "Why the hell does this gallery exist?" popped up, so it wasn't that strange. For an author of a hit web novel like Lezal Hunter, having a gallery regardless of popularity or activity made sense. tls123 already had a dedicated page on Green Wiki, so a space for fans to chat real-time or a fan cafe was overdue. If anything, it was weirder that a Lezal Hunter Gallery hadn't existed until now—probably everyone shoving it off like "You do it, I don't wanna be gallery master lol."
Anyway, booted from Hunter Gallery, LezalHunterLove started their own gallery and got active. Didn't seem like the author themselves, but a super diehard fan. Seo Dami browsed to read what this high-nick had written.
As expected, the post by gallery master 'LezalHunterLove' was full of mocking reactions. The kindest take was that it was a concept post tailored to the tls123 Gallery vibe. Most ignored it or spent their time snickering. But Seo Dami was different.
"Pretty sharp analysis, huh?"
She knew details about the Association's specific corruption scandals that hadn't been made public. But she didn't know those were fabricated by Lee Seoyul to justify investigating tls123. To Seo Dami, the gallery master's post stood out.
She had already suspected the author was getting info and knowledge others didn't have—maybe not the future, but something. Seeing this post on tls123 Gallery made it click.
"Precognition, huh..."
Did something like that really awaken in my era? Seo Dami's eyes gleamed.
Not precognition, maybe prediction.
She figured it could be analysis based on big data, forecasting the future like that. It would explain the discrepancies between reality and the novel. Truth be told, Seo Dami was less convinced tls123 was a true oracle and more intent on figuring out their info sources. She didn't rule out a real prophet, but a brilliant analyst with predictive prowess felt more realistic.
Lost in those thoughts, Seo Dami chuckled.
"Realistic?"
An S-rank hunter, more superhuman than anyone, calling something "realistic" struck her as funny. But she couldn't help it. In a world where you couldn't predict even the next inch, an oracle that foresaw the future was beyond S-rank—a lighthouse in a pitch-black stormy sea.
Since gates appeared—no, even before—humans had always felt anxiety over uncertain futures. Smart or dumb, educated or not, everyone wanted to divine what lay ahead. It was worse now, with visible threats like monsters and gates.
Is my home really safe? What if a Break hits tomorrow by bad luck? Will I get swept up like in Japan because we failed to predict a gate?
Anyone living in this era had those worries at least once. The emergence of a beacon that could end all that anxiety would cause massive ripples.
That's why Seo Dami hadn't jumped to conclusions. Any organization, nation, or person would kill for an oracle popping up like this?
Could just be exceptional prediction skills...
Who knew. That's why she planned to probe during this meeting. Was he really an oracle? If so, why write novels like that? And how much did the government or Association know?
If Lee Seoyul Agent asked me personally instead of through Association channels, maybe the government's just speculating too?
Or maybe caution to avoid hasty moves leading to public scandal, drawing foreign eyes or villain targets. Either way, she felt the meeting's weight anew and tensed slightly.
Relieving that by browsing the gallery, chuckling at the diehard fan's post—not a tls123 follower herself—time passed until,
"Sorry I'm late."
Yoon Sungjin arrived right on time. At the voice, Seo Dami reflexively thought,
Nice voice. Woulda been popular as a voice actor or radio host.
Pocketing her smartphone, she looked up at Yoon Sungjin. Even from the secretary's investigated files, she'd noted he was handsome. Mana spread via gates affected people variably, even non-awakened. Her own dyed-red hair as a native Korean proved it. Yoon Sungjin's gray hair could've looked old or off, but suited him perfectly. Plain clothes, but his face elevated the fashion—eye candy.
Pass.
Whatever "pass" meant, that's what she muttered inwardly at first sight.
"Nice to meet you. You're tls123, right? I'm Seo Dami from Crimson Guild. Sorry to call you out suddenly. I'm such a huge fan, just had to meet and chat once."
"No bother at all. Hope I'm not interrupting your writing."
She smiled brightly. Yoon Sungjin shook his head, a bit tense.
"Not at all. If anything, an honor that someone like Hunter Seo Dami enjoys my novel."
Seeing him grin and say he was thrilled to meet someone he'd only seen on TV, Seo Dami nodded.
"Shall we order first?"
"Ah, yep."
The fine dining spot rented out for the day. Yoon Sungjin, who'd only window-shopped places like this online, awkwardly ordered with her help.
Fork and knife from inside out? Or outside in?
Watching him tense over table manners, Seo Dami pondered.
Just looks like a regular hot guy...
She wanted to blurt, "You a prophet?" But caution was key. Oracle or not, he was hiding. There must be a reason—maybe like the gallery post, some restriction where revealing it could cost his power worst-case.
So, proceed carefully, like a normal fan-star meet. Sometimes the long way was fastest. After ordering, courses arrived. Tasting them, she suppressed curiosity, chatting casually like a fan with their star—but never stopped probing.
For instance, jabbing with, "Writing must be tough, but how do you churn out fresh episodes so smoothly? Any secret?"
"Ah... haha."
Yoon Sungjin laughed awkwardly.
"I just sleep deep, wake up, and ideas flow."
Couldn't say he remixed cliches from past-life fantasy novels he'd binged, so that was his answer—and
Sleep and ideas pop up? Precog dreams? And this reaction... maybe an unaware awakened who doesn't know he's an oracle.
Dreams mean nothing without interpretation, Seo Dami mused.