Creator’s Favoritism

I quietly tallied up the number of monsters I’d killed so far. First, there was the F+ grade at the Yeouido Gate.

‘And then during the entrance ceremony… that unknown ■■ made me kill S, A, B, C, D, and F rank monsters…’

That meant if I killed around ten more, I could awaken the skill. A small spark of hope lit up in me.

“…What do you think the plum blossom planted outside the window symbolizes? The speaker’s loyalty to the king… Maeng Sun-woo! You’re not paying attention! This will be on the final exam!”

The literature teacher’s voice cut through my thoughts, loud enough to jolt me back. He held a rolled-up textbook in one hand, and suddenly, the entire class’s attention was on me.

‘This isn’t the time to be learning about this…’

I stifled a sigh and reluctantly circled “plum blossom” in my notes.

* * *

Since we had to discard our tactical uniforms at Sung Kyung-min’s insistence yesterday, Yeo Wook and I were issued new ones today.

“First-year Yeo Wook. One handgun.”

The administrative staff member overseeing weapon supply meticulously counted each bullet, then retrieved an unloaded handgun from storage and handed it to Yeo Wook.

Like me, Yeo Wook hadn’t yet unlocked the skill. For him, firearms had the best resonance after the harpoon gun.

The guns were modified to be non-lethal against people unless fired at point-blank range. But when infused with ability and used against monsters, their lethality was unmatched.

“First-year Maeng Sun-woo?”

“I don’t need any firearms.”

I pulled back my tactical jacket, revealing a belt holding just a short dagger. The staff member glanced at it and nodded.

The rest of the first-years were busy retrieving their weapons or preparing their skills.

While we were gearing up, the door to the administrative office suddenly swung open.

Kang Chagyeong entered quietly, dressed in his school uniform instead of the tactical gear we wore for practical classes. All eyes immediately turned toward him.

“I’ve been discharged, but they said I should start practical classes tomorrow… The nurse asked me to inform the admin office.”

“Ah, got it,” the staff member replied, clicking the mouse as they processed his request. Kang Chagyeong kept his head down.

I watched him quietly, wondering what had really happened at the hospital.

Sensing my gaze, Chagyeong looked up. Our eyes met briefly before he offered an awkward smile.

What’s he hiding?

I hadn’t been all that curious before, but seeing him miss class made me uneasy.

Determined to figure it out later, I gave him a small nod and turned away. A narration box suddenly popped up, brimming with text.

「Tito’s eyes are bloodshot from staying up all night watching horror movies for visual reference for the new monster he’s introducing. Even after downing an Americano before starting the main manuscript work, the fatigue doesn’t easily fade.」

I sighed quietly, distracted from my own concerns about whether Kang Chagyeong was going through delayed puberty.

‘Horror movies? Is he planning to introduce ghosts? Or maybe vampires or yokai…’

Usually, monsters differed mainly in grotesqueness according to their grade, but there was always an abundance of horrifically ugly types.

At least ghosts wouldn’t be as grotesque, I thought.

Casually, I asked Yeo Wook, who was standing next to me, arms crossed, “Do you like horror movies?”

“Horror movies?” he repeated, slightly puzzled by the sudden question. I nodded, and he paused for a moment.

“You mean like the ones with chainsaw killers and stuff? I can watch them, but… I don’t particularly like them.”

Chainsaw killers? The image of a masked figure, wearing human skin and wielding a chainsaw, popped into my mind. The thought of such a creature chasing me relentlessly already made me uneasy.

Seeing the ominous look on my face, Yeo Wook raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why are you asking about horror movies all of a sudden?”

“Just… it occurred to me that being a hunter feels like living in a horror movie,” I muttered.

Yeo Wook let out a dry laugh. “Well, if you’re ready, let’s go. Time to star in one, then.”

“Yeah…” I trailed behind him, feeling weak in my response. As much as I wanted to avoid it, we were in the same group for practical training, so there was no escaping it.

When we reached the school gate, Sung Kyung-min was waiting for us with a pristine foreign car. It looked as if it had just been washed, glistening like it had rolled off the showroom floor.

As soon as he saw us, Sung Kyung-min raised his hand, looking a bit uneasy. “Hey, kids. I came to pick you up today. I know yesterday was rough…”

Yeo Wook and I exchanged silent glances. It seemed like he felt guilty for putting us through the ordeal.

“Today, we’ll be touring the areas that Gangnam branch hunters usually patrol.”

As we got into the car, Sung Kyung-min started the engine and continued, unaware of the incoming change in plans.

‘We’ll probably end up dealing with a gate soon.’

“Normally, district hunters are stationed at their assigned branches, but there are areas they regularly patrol. Mostly places with private gambling dens or entertainment spots.”

「Tito is revising the gate settings. The document briefly mentions that the location with the most gate occurrences in Korea is near a casino in Gangwon-do.」

Apparently, gates and monsters were born from despair. It made sense that gates would pop up in places where many people were feeling hopeless.

“And during certain times, instead of staying at the branch, all hunters are on high alert, fully armed. For example, when the college entrance exam happens, when the stock market crashes, or when a celebrity dies—the likelihood of gates appearing skyrockets.”

The car rolled into the city center, and I noticed the change in the air—the warmth had replaced the chill from yesterday.

‘When is he planning to open the gate?’

Everything outside the window seemed suspicious. A nagging unease set in, compounded by a narration box that materialized in front of me, raising the tension even further.

「While introducing a new monster, Tito considers adding some variation to the somewhat monotonous gates.」

‘No. Don’t add variation. At least not while I’m here,’ I silently pleaded.

I had made a decision to perform well, but with no clear understanding of the monsters’ true nature, more variation would only make things worse.

Yeo Wook, seated in the passenger seat, casually gazed at the cloudless blue sky. He seemed unbothered, unlike me, who was nervously biting my nails. 

He looked calm enough to enjoy the spring scenery as he spoke.

“Looks like nothing’s going to happen today. The weather’s too nice.”

“We need days like this sometimes,” I replied weakly.

-Bang!

A sudden panel appeared in the air between the front seats, cutting through the peace. I shut my eyes tightly—the signs were all there. Something was about to happen.

As I anxiously glanced out the window, something unusual caught my eye. On the glass door of a bingsu cafe, there was a poster featuring none other than Sung Kyung-min, smiling brightly as he held a bowl of strawberry shaved ice.

“Huh? Isn’t that Hunter Sung Kyung-min?” I pointed.

Sung Kyung-min instinctively turned his head to look. Upon seeing the oversized poster of himself grinning in a pink shirt, he stammered, clearly caught off guard.

“Ah, um…”

“The photo turned out really well,” Yeo Wook added with a grin. “It’s hard to pull off pink.”

Sung Kyung-min’s face flushed as he tried to dismiss the sight, but it was too late—his embarrassment was obvious.

“Hunter, can’t we have some bingsu before we start working?” I asked, laying on a brazen tone. If something was bound to happen anyway, I figured I might as well recharge my energy first.

Sung Kyung-min, who had been staring straight ahead, turned to me with an exaggeratedly kind expression. I patted my shoulder for effect, pretending to be worn out.

“Oh my, maybe I overdid it yesterday… My blood sugar’s dropping.”

“Alright, let’s go then,” he sighed, reluctantly turning the steering wheel.

We pulled into a paid parking lot off the main road. Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—there weren’t many customers inside the cafe.

As we entered, the part-time worker, who had been about to greet us in a practiced manner, froze the moment she saw the tactical uniforms. Her eyes darted between the store poster and Sung Kyung-min.

“Oh… Um… Hunter?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Sung Kyung-min replied, trying to keep his voice low, as if hoping not to draw attention. He quickly turned to me. “What did you say you wanted to eat?”

“The one you advertised, Hunter,” I replied with a grin.

The clerk’s voice rang out louder than necessary as she confirmed the order.

“One Yogurt Strawberry Explosion Bingsu, is that correct?”

“Yes… Yogurt… Yeah,” Sung Kyung-min mumbled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

As he paid, Yeo Wook and I exchanged grins, taking the most secluded seats in the corner of the cafe. It felt especially satisfying when revenge came in small doses.

Moments later, Sung Kyung-min returned, carrying a vibrating pager and looking notably more gaunt. He slumped into a single-person sofa, trying to relax.

But before he could catch his breath…

-Woooah—

A distant cheer, like the kind you hear at a concert or a sports event, echoed from afar. It reminded me of the roar that erupts when a batter slams a home run.

Both Yeo Wook and Sung Kyung-min snapped their heads toward the window.

Even the part-time worker, who hadn’t heard it as clearly as us hunters, looked around, confused by the strange noise.

Suddenly, a system message popped up in front of our eyes.

[SYSTEM: A 1st wave gate has occurred in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.]

The cheers from earlier abruptly transformed into screams.

-Aaaaagh—

This time, the sound wasn’t from afar. It was much closer, filled with unmistakable terror.