The World Is Always Unfair
The world is always unfair, so isn't it okay to bend the rules a little depending on the situation? Especially when the world has gone completely mad.
That was something Ryu Shin-ah had once said offhandedly. Yul hadn't really agreed or disagreed at the time.
"Hamsu the Scammer!"
"Hey, head still attached?"
"You bastard…!"
Gu Se-ji gnashed his teeth.
"How many times is this now?! You messing with me?!"
"Hmm, the tenth?"
This time, she could kind of relate.
Yul sat on a rock, blankly watching Ryu Shin-ah grin brazenly and Gu Se-ji finally explode, thinking to herself.
He's the star of this national-scale con job, and he's saying that?
Life really is "rules for thee, not for me."
Today's marked the tenth.
"Alright, Your Majesty. Dungeon clear commemorative photo!"
"Buzz off."
"Let's get them in the shot too. Come on, V-sign…"
"Who's the joke on right now?!"
The previous dungeon too.
"Oh, this one's got something decent. Mid-boss drop, huh? Heavenly Demon Horn Powder… Auction house?"
"Do whatever."
"Nah, let's hoard it for a bit. Who knows if it'll end up in those guys' hands."
"We can hear you!!"
The one before that too.
"…Hamsu the Scammer!"
"You're agility-based and still this slow? Retire already?"
…All of them ended up monopolized by Yul and Ryu Shin-ah.
Faster than anyone, in ways no one else could.
Synergy of traits, numerical disadvantage—none of it mattered.
Yul and Ryu Shin-ah's overpowered munchkin collab just steamrolled everything.
In the end, Gu Se-ji was left with the pathetic record of losing all ten of the fifteen dungeons that had opened so far.
A dungeon steal so blatant and overt that hunters across the nation could see it clear as day.
But no one raised any objections.
Yul tuned out Ryu Shin-ah and Gu Se-ji's bickering as background noise while checking the forum post.
This is just too good.
The conversation had veered off into the weeds midway, but one thing she agreed with.
Life really does follow your name—and they'd nailed the naming.
Daewhanjang Guild. Not just Guild Master Gu Se-ji, but the members were on the verge of total meltdown.
And Ryu Shin-ah was gleefully scraping at their nerves like he'd been waiting for this.
"Going insane? That's how our queen felt, punk!"
"And you, playing identity protector but accomplishing jack shit—is that something to brag about?! Finally ditching that four-year hide-and-seek?!"
"Victim blaming much?"
Yul thought blankly.
Then I must've picked the wrong nickname.
Maybe should've gone with "Kill the Reserved Seat Thief" or "Empty Seat Hunter."
Wonder if my rotten fangirl luck would've been a bit better then.
Rolling around irrelevant thoughts in her head amid the chaos, Yul left the dungeon with Ryu Shin-ah.
"Well, see you next time."
"No thanks!!"
Casually promising a rematch.
* * *
Another satisfying steal today.
Ryu Shin-ah flopped onto the sofa like a stuffed cat, grinning.
Today, they'd come not to Yul's place, but his.
Because she'd smacked his back and told him to stop freeloading at hers.
"Five left now."
"When's next?"
"Tomorrow and five days from now, for starters."
Ryu Shin-ah answered as he took the water cup from Yul.
Yul stabbed a straw into banana milk and plopped down on the floor, using the sofa as a backrest—peak Korean style.
Ryu Shin-ah, sprawled out, suddenly sat up with an "Ah, right."
"General, my laptop on that little desk over there."
"This one?"
"Yeah. Got something to check."
"What?"
"Your fan cafe."
"Pfft!"
Banana milk sprayed into the air.
Splash. Gravity pulled it down, splattering the living room heroically.
And the laptop on the small desk in front of the sofa became collateral.
One of his treasures, painstakingly cleared through airport security with proof stickers on every inch.
Ryu Shin-ah stared blankly at the scene and muttered.
"…Gonna smell nice."
"…Sorry."
Silence fell.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' says that jerk who startled our Yul deserves it and gifts Clean Baby Wipe Box.
Thud. A blue tissue box dropped from thin air and tumbled across the living room.
…Star-nim, this is even more embarrassing.
Yul grumbled inwardly and quietly wiped the laptop with the tissues.
"Uh, hey. I'll buy you a new one. I'll cover repairs if insurance pays…"
"Nah, it'll survive this. Hard to find non-waterproof ones these days anyway."
"…More importantly, you still doing that crap?"
Yul asked gruffly to hide her awkwardness.
Ryu Shin-ah nodded.
"Hey, if I don't manage it, that guy's gunning for your fan cafe president spot. You cool with that?"
He shot back incredulously.
That "crap" was managing Yul's fan cafe.
The first thing he'd done after hacking the Hunter Management Bureau was create the fan cafe.
A fan cafe was bound to pop up eventually. Better me making and running it first.
Ryu Shin-ah had later defended himself to Yul while getting soaked in the rain.
「Better than some weirdo making it! Don't you trust my skills?!」
But Yul was firm.
「Shut it down now or die.」
「…But look at all these members already?」
「This psycho.」
Way too many members to close now.
In the end, they compromised: Ryu Shin-ah handed the president role to another hunter.
She'd thought that was the end of it.
Yul stared at him with a souring expression.
She had no idea why that fanatic who'd taken the president spot was like that, but both sides were equally bad.
"…I hate both, but you're still the lesser evil, I guess."
"General, we've been friends too long. Let's break up."
"Do it. Still got friends left?"
"You're heading toward zero too, General."
"I got Star-nim."
"…You win."
Ryu Shin-ah glared resentfully at his status window in the air.
Why'd I contract with a constellation like this…
Yul clicked her tongue.
Tsk tsk.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' says our Yul shouldn't see trash like that—only good stuff—and averts your gaze.
Eebi, jiji. She could almost hear the constellation waving its hands and venting inwardly.
Yul thought anew how lucky she was with her one constellation.
Especially seeing Ryu Shin-ah grit his teeth, refusing to even call pretentious "holy" types "Star-nim."
Ignoring Yul's gaze, Ryu Shin-ah steadfastly logged into the fan cafe.
"…!"
Then he tilted his head in confusion.
What the hell?
One post from a certain user caught his eye.
Normally, he'd scroll past, but this was different.
It was from an account that had joined ages ago but never posted anything.
"…Hah."
He let out a hollow laugh.
Well, well.
He'd stepped down as president, but he was still admin.
No way he'd slack on a place where Yul's info might float around.
Ryu Shin-ah knew who was behind that nickname.
A celeb who's never left a trace suddenly—what's up?
Park Sa-ha, member of Double Black—the group Yul fans over.
The guy they'd bumped into on the street last time.
He never posted, so Yul and he had ignored it.
Yul had freaked at first…
「Probably just signed up by mistake. Park Sa-ha's tech-illiterate. Can't even join properly on his own—total accident.」
「Makes sense in this day and age? From the Stone Age? Then how's he do official SNS?」
「Other members help. Anyway, ghost account he forgot about.」
…And brushed it off.
But Ryu Shin-ah thought differently.
A celeb too inept to join properly and too risky to post carelessly joins a fan cafe?
Probably means he cares that much.
Ryu Shin-ah stared at the buried post for a moment, then glanced at Yul.
She was gnawing her straw, glued to concert footage on her phone.
He chuckled softly and typed.
Perfect.
Ryu Shin-ah was deeply satisfied with his excellent sense today, as always.