General, You're the Rank 1 Killer?
Ryu Shin-ah was an early hunter who'd awakened even before Yul. His rear support and backup specialization meant his direct combat prowess was zilch, but that ability shone brightest in matters involving Yul, revealing its true worth.
"General-nim, you're that rank 1? The one who came back lugging the boss's head?"
"Hey, hey, whatever... When'd you even register? Yesterday? You did it yesterday and kicked up this mess today...? Ugh. Forget it, we'll talk after it's over."
Having heard the full story from Yul, Ryu Shin-ah immediately hacked the Hunter Management Bureau's servers. Taking advantage of the chaos from this unprecedented incident, he dug up and erased Yul's info that hadn't been fully processed in the system.
That was why Yul had never belonged to any guild and could vanish without a trace. It was also why her rank was listed in that ambiguous "S-rank minimum (estimated higher)" notation, since it hadn't been properly measured.
Yul spoke in her usual flat tone.
"Hey, calm down first. I can hear your keyboard getting shotgun-blasted from here."
-What do you take my power for? You think a measly keyboard's gonna shatter from this?
-That batshit guild master punk, I'm gonna smash him into— Agh!
"Idiot..."
Yul muttered pityingly. He's only smashing his keyboard...
"Why didn't you use that fire to change my nickname while you were at it?"
Ryu Shin-ah had taken on the unsolicited cleanup without Yul even asking, but he'd stubbornly left her most desperate issue untouched: that nickname.
"Nicknames get registered directly into the system itself... It's tricky to mess with. And General-nim, nicknames are a one-and-done deal once set. 'Kill the Seat-Taker'? What even is that? Were you phone-ticketing seats at the time?"
She'd clicked her tongue, grabbed his collar, and yanked him up—and that had been the first and last time. Years ago now.
-Whatever. You know what they call you overseas?
"Not interested."
-'Oops.' That's what pops up if you snag a seat that's already taken here.
"..."
-They shorten the Korean 'Kill the Late-Seat-Taker' to 'E-nom' too, like 'this guy' or whatever.
Laughter crackled through the screen, filling the kitchen.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' rages that this lowly creature dares mock our Yul, saying they've lost all fear.
"Our Star-nim's out for your blood. Watch your mouth."
Ryu Shin-ah went dead silent in an instant, and Yul smirked smugly.
She lightly swiped her hand at her status window like a high-five. It passed right through, of course.
-Anyway. Looks like the Hunter Management Bureau's in bed with that guild.
"Ah, that... Gu Se-ji guy? S- rank. One of the rare ones in Korea, and he still had to go and do that?"
-It's a guild. You think they'd turn down a fat payday? Bureau probably threw in some hefty rewards too.
Predictable stuff.
"Once it leaks, public opinion's gonna tank in a heartbeat."
-Not bureau-affiliated, so why would the guild care about public opinion? Their goal's straight-up cash anyway.
Yul dumped the last of her cereal down the sink.
"Whatever. I saw that coming... So the main culprits are the bureau chief and that guild, right?"
-Yup. Also hacking their personal and guild accounts as we speak. Let 'em choke on spam for a while.
"Thanks."
-What're you gonna do, General-nim? Situation's this bad—might as well step up and raid their skulls.
Vicious words.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' nods approvingly that the lowly one spoke sense for once.
Stares at its incarnation with sparkling eyes, in total agreement.
...The constellation seemed pleased, at least.
But Yul stuck out her tongue with a fed-up look.
"They're probably banking on me showing up, so ghosting them to say 'fuck you' ain't a bad play either..."
-General-nim, are you nuts?
"Let 'em deal with the fallout themselves now that I'm exposed."
Yul sneered. Half-serious, of course. No guilt since it was their mess to clean up, but she had zero intention of letting it slide entirely.
-Sigh... Fine, you'll leave 'em be till I get there. Hang tight then.
"Huh?"
-I'm heading to Korea now.
The unexpected reply made Yul fumble her hand.
Wait, what?
-Just booked a flight. Landing in Korea two days from now, morning. Come pick me up, General-nim.
Ryu Shin-ah added casually.
"Hyung, you see that article from yesterday?"
At that moment, in a building in Seoul's Nonhyeon-dong.
A man with bleached-blond hair like a bundle of straw yelled excitedly.
The guy called "hyung" mumbled from where he was sprawled on the floor.
"What article...? Concert ticketing ain't even done yet. We got news breaking?"
"No, not us! The hunter one, hyung—the hunter!"
"That person?"
"Yeah!"
The blond nodded vigorously.
"The Seat-Taker Killer... that one! They're back!"
"...What?!"
The 'hyung' shot up like a spring from his liquid sprawl on the floor. Baggy white plain tee, black pants, ash-gray dyed hair. Even bare-faced, his handsome features sharpened as his eyes flew wide.
"For real? Why'd you hold out on me till now?!"
"You pulled an all-nighter for two days and crashed early yesterday... Yu-jun hyung said not to wake you."
"Still, you gotta tell me this..."
The gray-haired guy snatched the proffered phone, pacing anxiously. The bright screen showed an article with a photo of a black bob-cut figure wielding a baseball bat, plus eyewitness accounts.
Staring blankly, he murmured in disbelief.
It's real.
"They really made a comeback..."
"Kinda weird—not tons of eyewitnesses, but looks like one guild saw it up close."
"No one got hurt?"
"Nah, wrapped up quick. Lucky."
"...Well, with them stepping in..."
The corner of his mouth twitched faintly. His pale ears flushed pink.
The blond caught it and laughed, slapping his shoulder.
"Aigoo, hyung, holding back a grin? What's that?!"
"Shut it. Go practice—concert's in a month."
"Fiiiine."
The blond grumbled as he got shoved out the door.
Meanwhile, the gray-haired guy leaned against the door, scanning the article.
Zooming in on the attached photo, he frowned.
'...Descended from the sky amid blinding light?'
Was that their usual entrance? Makes sense in a do-or-die spot, but...
It nagged at him. Like a fan's intuition honed by fandom, blaring alarms.
"Hyung! My phone! Give it back, Sa-ha hyuuung!"
The blond wailed from beyond the door. Bang bang bang.
"...No, before that."
The gray-haired man, called 'Sa-ha hyung,' muttered.
The changed entrance was odd, sure.
"...They must've been exhausted. Hope they got some solid rest."
Petty worries came first. He stroked the photo on-screen tenderly.
Park Sa-ha. 25 years old. A member of the popular idol group Double Black Label—Double Black for short—that Kwon Yul fangirled over. He was Yul's fan, and...
...Why does it feel off, though?
A otaku's senses were terrifying.
Double Black Label. Double Black for short. Debuted six years ago by promotional cycle, a bit over five by calendar.
Not from a big agency but a mid-tier one, their story of steady, step-by-step growth became their identity—raw sincerity.
Like all trainees, they'd shed plenty of tears over future anxieties and dead ends.
That's why they pushed desperately.
Luck played a part—no denying it. But their effort? The five members had zero doubts.
"We worked hard. But we gotta do more."
Seo In-ah, the team's official old soul (aka third-life vet), had said it plainly. That was Double Black's motto.
All we've achieved is just borrowed from fans for now—keep grinding. None of this exists without them.
Fans who loved them were a wonder. Infinitely grateful.
They'd made it to levels unimaginable back in trainee days: a smash-hit group. All thanks to fans.
They knew well what fans meant from the receiving end, but...
Who'd have thought they'd become someone's 'fans' too?
"Uh, Jun-yeol."
"Yeah, Sa-ha hyung?"
"...How do you join the hunter forums and fan club?"
Life was full of surprises.
A café in a bustling street, humming with moderate chatter.
Familiar lyrics echoed from her wireless earbuds.
Yul fixed her gaze on the screen replaying them performing on stage.
Hand propping her chin, covering her mouth, she murmured.
"When can I finally behold them in the flesh..."
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' cheers you on, saying it'll definitely happen this time.
"Sure hope so."
Yul straightened her droopy lips into a line.