The Gamer's Warning (1)
The Dungeon & Saga seventh anniversary event hall was absolutely packed. I wondered how many of the people crammed inside were as serious about the game as I was.
"Waaaah!! Ryu Kyung oppa!!"
"NC.A! NC.A!!"
Was this a game event or a fan meeting? Most of these people had zero interest in the actual games and were just here to ogle the celebrities.
In a place like this, where they were constantly looking for any opening, the bodyguards stood out immediately. And there he was—Go Gang-su.
The man who would eventually stalk Seo Yu-rim, kidnap her, and rape and murder her. If I could, I would have pointed at him and shouted that he was a piece of human garbage. But the future hadn't happened yet.
Right now, the only charges I could realistically pin on him were stalking and home invasion. Still, that would be more than enough. The priority was getting him away from NC.A—away from Seo Yu-rim.
"Hmmm..."
I could see the man's past and future as he screamed at the fans not to get too close. It was nothing special. He didn't just harass her—he did the same to other female celebrities at his agency. He stole their underwear, their stockings.
On top of that, he'd sent a flood of threatening letters to the male idols she was close with. I had no idea how he hadn't been caught yet, but after he killed her, the truth would come out and he'd rot in prison for decades.
The important thing was that the future where that woman died wouldn't change on its own.
"If this is something I have to do, then I'll do it."
She didn't deserve to die like that. If I could stop it, I would.
After heading deeper into the venue, I submitted my ID and was able to enter the game servers faster than everyone else. All those years of steady play were finally paying off.
"You're MushroomsAreMushrooms, correct?"
"Yep."
"Thank you for always supporting Dungeon & Saga. The invited performers are waiting in the inner area."
I received my gifts: a mouse pad, a limited-edition figurine, and some in-game item coupons. With this alone, more than half the reason I'd come here was already accomplished.
When I reached the area where you could chat with the invited singers, a few people were already there greeting them and making conversation.
"Nice to meet you!"
"The honor is mine."
"So your in-game name is..."
"MushroomsAreMushrooms."
"...I see."
Huh? Wait a second. This woman...
"NC.A, do you play Dungeon & Saga?"
"Yes! I couldn't show up as an invited performer without trying it at least once, so I started playing recently. It's really fun, isn't it?"
"...I see. It is."
The beautiful woman smiled brightly. She looked like the ultimate social butterfly—completely natural and at ease. But from her past, I could see it clearly.
IWantToSuckMerlesBoobs.
She was one of the hardcore veterans just like me. And she was a member of my guild.
The insane person who spammed guild chat and the game gallery every day with "Ah~! I want to suck Merle's boobs!" was actually Seo Yu-rim. No way. This girl had been hiding that she was a total gamer... Was she ashamed of Dungeon & Saga?! Was she?!
Though honestly, if a popular female idol's username was IWantToSuckMerlesBoobs, it would be pretty embarrassing...
"Here's a fan letter. Please make sure to read it."
"...Yes! I'll read it carefully! Thank you so much, MushroomsAreMushrooms!"
No need to thank me.
In the waiting room, NC.A let out a long sigh. Her heart was still pounding with excitement.
That guy was totally my type.
When the game company first contacted her, she'd almost screamed. In fact, she hadn't been able to hold it in and had let out a cheer.
To think that she—an invited performer for the seventh anniversary event of Dungeon & Saga, the game she'd played whenever she had free time since her trainee days—had become an idol. It felt like all the hard work had been worth it.
The only regret was that she couldn't tell anyone she'd been playing since the very beginning.
Still...
Given everything she'd done in the game, and with an ID like IWantToSuckMerlesBoobs... How could an idol have an ID like that?
She clutched her head.
No. There's no benefit to people finding out I play games anyway.
In the idol industry, you got torn apart for even one bad song or a single dance mistake. If it got out that she was this deep into gaming, the backlash would be brutal. Better to stay quiet. Keep gaming as her private little world.
Just wait for me, you gallery bastards.
Using her special privileges as an invited performer, she would keep pestering the developers and find some way to shave even a single second off those stupid raid bosses' invincibility phases. She made the promise to herself.
"It's about time to head out."
"Ah. Yes, Gang-su oppa."
"You didn't forget anything, right?"
"No."
Lately, strange things had been happening at the company. Small personal belongings belonging to the female idols and actresses kept disappearing. Nothing too valuable—just cheap items. And things like worn stockings or socks.
"The company is telling everyone to be extra careful with management these days. You know Save, right? A thief broke into their dorm and all their underwear disappeared."
"Ugh...!!"
"If you have any worn stockings or things you're going to throw away, give them to me. The company wants us to handle it that way from now on."
It was disgusting. To think there were actual perverts like that. Those kinds of comments felt way creepier than the perverted nonsense people shouted in game chat.
At least most of what the gallery users said was basically just jokes. Honestly, the unicorn spotters who posted in the gallery seemed preferable by comparison.
Now that I think about it, that MushroomsAreMushrooms guy...
MushroomsAreMushrooms. The one who had taken down that notorious named user with a single comment. Since she had been an early player too, she considered him a comrade who had survived the chaotic early days of the game alongside her.
I saw he got promoted to sub-mod last time. Maybe he knows that unicorn guy and that's why he stopped him?
Whatever. The important thing now was that she had to head out to the event. She closed her eyes lightly.
The idol NC.A was asleep. Now it was time for the hardcore gamer inside her to come out.
Her eyes sparkled as she walked outside. But she had no idea.
She didn't know that Go Gang-su was staring at her like he wanted to devour her with his eyes. Or that his gaze was fixed greedily on the black stockings she was wearing.
The event ended without any major incidents. Nothing special happened. Though the developers did break into a cold sweat at a few of her sharp questions. Both she and the game company were satisfied with how it turned out.
"Good work today. Get some rest."
"Yes! You too, oppa~!"
After saying goodbye to Go Gang-su, who had driven her all the way to her dorm, she returned to her apartment. It was a spacious thirty-pyeong place meant for her alone.
Lying on the luxurious sofa, she remembered the fan letters she'd received earlier. She should read these before logging in.
"Ehehe."
The fan letters from her supporters lifted her mood. She giggled as she read through them one by one, until she suddenly stopped.
It was the letter from MushroomsAreMushrooms.
"What the hell did this guy write?"
He would never know. That the person who chatted nonsense with him in the guild and gallery every day was her. Chuckling, she pulled the letter out of the envelope.
And froze solid.
Go Gang-su is a stalker. The evidence is in the trunk of his car and under his bed at home. If you want to catch him in the act, secretly cancel your variety show schedule four days from now and go home. You'll be able to catch him red-handed. And since it's dangerous, if you're going to raid the scene, take some people with you.
— MushroomsAreMushrooms
The excited feeling drained away in an instant. Her face hardened like ice. Her heart was pounding wildly.
What... is this?
Go Gang-su was a stalker? He was behind everything that was happening? She couldn't believe it. He was the reliable manager and bodyguard who had been with her since her debut. How could someone like him...
But...
It was MushroomsAreMushrooms. The guy who had taken down a unicorn with a single comment. Plus, he knew about her variety show schedule four days from now—something only people inside the company should know.
Wrapped in a strange sense of unease, she held her breath.
What if... what if it's true?
Trust MushroomsAreMushrooms, or trust Go Gang-su.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Have a good schedule."
"Yes, oppa. Are you heading home after this?"
"Yeah. Hae-chang will pick you up."
"Got it! I'll see you later!"
Watching Seo Yu-rim get into the car for her variety show schedule, Go Gang-su smiled faintly. Then he got into his own car and drove off. His destination was Seo Yu-rim's—NC.A's—dormitory.
They should be there by now.
A helper came to do her laundry every four days. The helper had come two days ago, so the clothes she wore during yesterday's performance should still be there. He couldn't miss this chance. Her scent, her sweat, the traces of her hard work and passion—he wanted to feel them all.
As soon as he arrived, he slipped quietly into the dorm. Technically, managers weren't supposed to enter a female idol's residence alone. Especially not when she wasn't there. But Go Gang-su didn't care.
"There it is..."
The outfit she'd worn for yesterday's schedule. Tiny hot pants. A tight, short t-shirt. The warm stockings still carrying the heat of the performance. And the pure white panties and bra.
"Hahaha... haa... hahahaha..."
He laughed. He couldn't hold back. They were so beautiful, so obscene. The way she smiled only for him made her so lovable. He couldn't hold back.
Grinning with delight, he pressed her clothes to his face. His hand moved toward his swollen crotch.
And at that moment—
-Click!!
"Oh my god."
"Go Gang-su... what the hell is this..."
"Uh... uhh... t-that's... it's not..."
Go Gang-su's face turned deathly pale. There stood the woman who was supposed to be at her variety show schedule. The security team leader, the company president, and the police were with her.
"P-President. Team leader. It's not... this is a misunderstanding... a huge misunderstanding... Yu-rim. Yu-rim-ah. You know, right? This is all..."
"...Gang-su oppa."
She held up her phone. The screen showed everything he had just been doing with her belongings at his own house.
"...You installed cameras? You? How...?!"
"It was easy."
It really had been. He'd asked around in the gallery and they had explained it so simply. So he did it. Bought them secretly and installed them secretly.
"......"
"There were hidden cameras in my room too."
"........"
The police moved forward. He had been caught red-handed. There was nothing more he could say. Watching them, Go Gang-su felt the world spin before his eyes.
"Yu-rim, are you okay?"
"Yes. I was a little shocked, but..."
"The team leader will stay with you starting today."
"Understood."
Having a female team leader in her forties would be fine. The president who had assigned her let out a deep sigh.
"But how did you know?"
Evidence of all the thefts and stalking incidents so far had been found in Go Gang-su's car trunk and under his bed. With this, the bastard had nowhere to run.
He would be spending several years in prison at the very least. He wouldn't even be able to set foot in this industry again.
"Ah... that."
NC.A. Go Yu-rim. IWantToSuckMerlesBoobs. The woman with many names called out to the person who had helped her.
"A friend helped me."