noveldrama
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
After the Day of Change, people lived with an unshakable sense of unease.
The sudden shift in the color of black holes, the white ash that fell like snow, the increasingly frequent appearance of gates and rifts, and the presence of monsters—all of these signs seemed to herald a new disaster. Even though J had appeared as a hero, everything felt like an ominous prelude to another catastrophe. People had not forgotten the loss that the Day of the Rifts had carved into their lives.
Gradually, street preachers who claimed the end of the world was near became a common sight. With flags emblazoned with flames, they waved them for all to see, catching the eyes of passersby whether they wanted to look or not.
"Humanity must stop the apocalypse with its own strength!"
They shouted about the end of days, whether people listened or not. Did words really have power? People who had initially laughed off the doomsayers found themselves unable to do so anymore. Those who had ignored them now glanced sideways at the preachers as they passed. The tiny seed of unease took root in their hearts, gradually growing larger.
"......"
Yun Gaeul was no exception. Gaeul quickened her pace as she passed by the fluttering flags. She encountered these strange doomsday preachers every morning on her way to school. Despite complaints from parents, nothing changed.
For Gaeul, it was especially hard to ignore them. She had seen firsthand what a world on the brink of apocalypse looked like.
*Do they even know what the end really is? Are these people part of the group Uncle Jung-bin mentioned?*
Every thought seemed to circle back to the apocalypse, as if a great weight bore down on her. Whenever she passed by the preachers, Gaeul would turn up the volume on her earphones, as if that could block them out. It was all she could do.
Yet recently, she had little time to worry about them. Fortunately or unfortunately, she wasn’t sure.
---
Lunchtime. A cheer erupted from one corner of the classroom as students crowded around a tablet. Every time someone tapped the screen, a different photo appeared. Each photo showed none other than Lee Sayoung. The screen stopped on a side profile of Sayoung, and someone let out a gasp.
“Wow… he’s ridiculously handsome.”
“I always thought he was some weirdo since he always wears that gas mask.”
"Hey, watch the old interview videos. That’s where it’s at."
“Yun Gaeul! Come see this! I’m telling you, there’s something going on!”
A photo suddenly appeared in front of Gaeul’s face. It was a newspaper clipping of people she knew all too well. The photo showed Sayoung holding J protectively, both looking straight at the camera, with Sayoung’s lips curved into what seemed like a faint smile.
She had seen this image at least fifty times since this morning. Nodding mechanically, she took the photo from her friend Da-yeon, whose face was flushed with excitement.
“Are they seriously dating?”
"A hundred percent. It’s a princess carry! If that’s not dating, I don’t know what is."
“I’d say they’re at least in a ‘some’ relationship.”
“But they’re both guys?”
“Which makes it even better!”
Gaeul bit her lip. She couldn’t pour cold water on her friends' excited gossip. Besides, there was something undeniably strange about the picture itself.
*Why is he holding him so carefully...?*
Even Gaeul, who had seen them in person, couldn’t deny the unique world they seemed to share. Clutching the photo, she swallowed hard, feeling a strange sense of apology.
*J, Guild Leader, I’m sorry.*
Any thoughts of the apocalypse had long since vanished from her mind.
---
**[Breaking News] #1 and #2 Caught Again… Biggest Scandal Since the Day of the Rift!**
It hadn’t even been a few days since the scandal involving Korea’s top two Hunters was first reported, but the country was once again in an uproar. This time, a new photo surfaced of Sayoung holding J, taken from even closer than the previous image, making every detail crystal clear. People celebrated the impeccable quality of the photo.
Hunternet, where people had been fiercely debating whether J or Sayoung was stronger, exploded once more. The debate hadn’t even concluded when it felt like gasoline had been thrown onto the fire.
*If Sayoung is the one holding J, doesn’t that mean Sayoung is stronger? But J was holding Sayoung in the previous photo! Maybe they took turns showing dominance?*
*J probably went easy on Sayoung this time! There’s no way they fought at the fish market, right? Maybe J wasn’t even wearing the mask—it could be someone else pretending to be him!*
As the debate spiraled, people returned to the core question:
*Why are they holding each other like this?*
*What is going on between the two of you!?*
The inquiry led to all sorts of outlandish theories.
---
*Maybe they made eye contact while fighting, and something just clicked!*
---
Though distorted, this humorous idea sparked further intrigue.
---
*What’s with that smug look on 240’s face?*
?? *Damn it, now I can’t unsee it!*
?? *That is a smug look, for sure.*
?? *If I were holding J like that, I’d look smug too!*
?? *I’d love to see it in person.*
?? *I’d have the “mother of his children” look too, lol.*
---
The way Sayoung stared directly into the camera with a grin only fueled the flames.
---
*Isn’t 240 a poison user? How is J not affected? 240 isn’t even wearing his gas mask!*
?? *You’re right. J looks totally fine, so what gives?*
?? *Must be some kind of artifact with resistance.*
?? *I’m curious about J’s gear. It must be amazing.*
?? *But why is he holding him so tightly? His jacket is wrinkled! It’s like he’s holding something precious…*
---
The closeness of their embrace, the grip of Sayoung’s hand, and the deep re-evaluation of his appearance made the internet buzz.
---
*As a current Hunter, this is all propaganda. 240 can’t beat J physically, so he’s going for psychological warfare—and we’ve all fallen for it!*
---
Eventually, the theory of Sayoung's psychological warfare even resurfaced.
---
Kang Jisoo, a dopamine addict who couldn’t resist Hunternet’s drama, kicked down the door of the Vice Guild Master’s office.
“Vice Guild Maaasteeer!”
The door rattled as if it was about to fall off its hinges, but she didn’t care. Her red hair and the newspaper in her hand fluttered wildly. Yet, Baewonwoo was unusually quiet. Normally, he would’ve scolded her for damaging the door, but not today. Jisoo looked around and spotted him lying sideways on the sofa.
“You’re not here? Hey! Did you see the photo?”
“Jisoo… don’t talk to me….”
Baewonwoo lay there, munching on a protein bar with a hollow expression. He seemed pitiful, like a man who had given up. His jaw moved mechanically as he chewed, his eyes vacant. He began to mutter.
“I’ve cleaned up so many of Sayoung’s messes since I started following him….”
“Yes?”
“I’m starting to wonder if we’re actually running an entertainment agency…”
“Are you crazy? We’ve got dungeon raids scheduled!”
“But why am I cleaning up a dating scandal instead? If it were a personality controversy, I could at least think, ‘Finally, it’s here. Took longer than I expected.’ But this isn’t right. It just isn’t.”
*Beep, beep*, the unplugged phone rang softly. Baewonwoo curled up even tighter, covering his ears.
“And that damned Sayoung won’t even pick up his phone! Why did he get photographed at the fish market?!”
“About that…”
Jisoo spread out the wrinkled photo and tilted her head.
“Didn’t he do it on purpose?”
“What?”
“Look, the background is the fish market. He’s looking directly at the camera. Do you think Sayoung didn’t know the Mackerels were taking pictures?”
“......”
“Didn’t he go there to confront them in the first place? Knowing his personality, he would’ve made a huge fuss about deleting the pictures. But he let them keep it.”
Baewonwoo’s dazed eyes flickered with realization. Now that he thought about it, Sayoung’s behavior had indeed been strange when he visited his house. The way he had clung to J, fresh out of the shower in only a bathrobe. And how J had been unusually devoted to Sayoung.
Baewonwoo’s normally lazy brain was suddenly working overtime. He felt as though he had uncovered something he wasn’t meant to know.
Baewonwoo wobbled to his feet.
“…Jisoo.”
“What?”
His face had a new look of resolve.
“I’m heading into a dungeon. If anyone asks for me, tell them I’m not here.”
---
“Aha, staying in the country was worth it! I even get to see pictures like this.”
The newspaper fluttered to the floor, its gray pages stained bright red.
A bloodied hand picked up a takeout cup. The owner of the hand, sitting atop a massive monster’s corpse, had wild white hair fluttering in the breeze. Gyu-
gyu took a long sip of coffee before glancing down with a grin.
"Did you see this article, public servant?"
From a short distance away, where no blood had touched, Jung Bin raised his head.