Chapter 89
For the few days leading up to the Gate’s return, I stayed holed up at home like a dead rat. The thought of Yu Hyunjae being back made my heart race uncontrollably, but when I thought about how to face what came next, I was overwhelmed with dread.
“A Gate is expected to open near Gangnam Station tomorrow around 3 PM.”
Han Jaemin, who had visited my place after days of silence, tossed me only the essential information.
“So, I just need to be there in advance?”
“There’s a problem.”
“What problem?”
“Originally, the plan was to have the hunters spread rumors about you in a bad light as soon as they came out of the Gate.”
“And?”
“Gangnam has too many eyes.”
“The front line will be controlled anyway.”
“Sure, it will. We’ll manage the CCTV too. We could do it the usual way, but—”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Before, we could just shut people up. Since everyone only cared about the Gate being subdued, no one bothered to check the CCTV or anything. But this time, there’s a ‘problem’—you caused a disturbance in the Gate and harmed the hunters. People will swarm like rats to see that situation. Even if we manipulate all the data, if enough basement hackers push back, there’s a limit to what we can do.”
“So what are you going to do about it? There must be a solution.”
“Simple.”
“What is it?”
“Make it public that you were a performance ranker.”
“What?”
“Overuse of illegal drugs led to loss of mana control. It happens among rankers, right? A ranker who ruined everything out of greed. Hansung will ‘judge’ that they can’t keep covering this up and will ‘confess the truth’ to the public.”
“Wow. Impressive. Really.”
“And then, the root of your inferiority complex suddenly appears.”
“Ha…”
“Once Yu Hyunjae shows up, you’ll naturally fade into the background. Just wait until then. If the new drug development succeeds, we’ll make sure you come back properly.”
“I’m already branded as a useless, one-man-show freak. How are you going to bring me back?”
“Can’t reveal all the trade secrets at once.”
“Trade secrets? You’re joking.”
Fatigue washed over me suddenly. I rubbed my face and sighed. I didn’t want to drag this out.
“So what do I do?”
“Just stay here.”
“You want the reporters to swarm here?”
“Bingo. We need to deliver the final blow. The truth is, Yu Chanhee wasn’t fighting valiantly in the Gate—he was just scratching his belly in his room, waiting for the beans to cook.”
“What a lovely way to put it.”
“Until then, avoid seeing Yu Hyunjae. Too many eyes on you. Don’t contact him either.”
Instead of answering, I threw myself back onto the sofa. If that was the case, there was nothing I could do right now.
“I’ll stay put, so get out now.”
“Yu Chanhee, you’ve changed. You’re getting better at knowing your place.”
Han Jaemin smirked and walked back toward the entrance. Only after confirming he’d left did I relax my entire body. Tomorrow, my face would be plastered all over the portal sites again—this time for a different reason. It was almost impressive how often a twenty-year-old like me made the news. Still, the thought of not having to keep up this ridiculous charade anymore was a relief.
***
Everything unfolded exactly as Han Jaemin had planned. After the Gate opened and thirty or forty minutes passed, reporters set up camp outside my place. I roughly combed my hair, dressed neatly, and stepped outside. Everyone bombarded me with questions, but I only repeated apologies without answering.
“Why did you go to such lengths to deceive everyone as a performance ranker?”
I didn’t want to, either.
“Is it true you used illegal drugs?”
If only it were just drugs. I even used forbidden alchemy to summon the dead.
“Do you have anything to say to Han Jaemin, who has been your guardian for two years?”
As if. I just do whatever that bastard tells me.
I maintained a solemn expression and bowed my head again.
“I sincerely apologize to all the rankers who were harmed because of me, and to the citizens.”
“Will you continue your life as a ranker?”
I turned to go back inside, ignoring the barrage of questions. But as I turned, my eyes locked with someone watching me from afar. Even bundled up, it was unmistakably Yu Hyunjae. The moment our eyes met, an indescribable embarrassment rushed through me. My thoughtlessly bowed back and the words I’d spat out now filled me with regret.
“…I have to continue.”
It was a childish answer, but the reporters didn’t miss it and immediately started snapping pictures. I blinked against the flash assault and went back inside the officetel.
[Han Jaemin: Stay home for a while.]
[Han Jaemin: Don’t even think about going out.]
I didn’t reply and put my phone back in my pocket. I couldn’t stop thinking about Yu Hyunjae’s eyes—the way he’d watched me before I came inside. That’s when it happened. Suddenly, the entire interior of the house turned gray. I recognized this phenomenon. The system’s appearance. The system, which had disappeared for two years without a trace, suddenly popped up a window right in front of me.
[Switching to Admin Mode.]
[Welcome, Admin.]
[You can now control all settings.]
[Press 1 to check goal achievement rate, 2 to check the user’s critical stats, 3 to modify goals, 0 to manage user settings, or say “Exit” to leave.]
I stared blankly at the floating text. Admin? I’d never seen this screen before, despite my long experience with the system. The text flickered like an unstable connection. I called out a number in a trembling voice.
“One…?”
[Briefing Goal Achievement Rate: 1.]
[The user’s goal achievement rate is currently 70%. 30% remains until the final goal: _____. You can modify the goal in the goal modification section. Note: Modifying the goal will reset the achievement rate to 0%!]
[Press 0 to check the goal in the user settings management section.]
Still dazed, I muttered, “Zero.”
[Accessing User Settings Management: 0.]
[In this section, you can manage user designation and customization. What would you like to check? 1. Username 2. User’s Personal Information 3. User’s Goal 4. User’s Abilities]
“Tell me all four.”
[Briefing Username: 1.]
[Username: Yu Chanhee.]
[Briefing User’s Personal Information: 2.]
[The user is your _____. The user follows you blindly. The user is your only _____, with a kind and warm personality. The user’s life will fluctuate greatly depending on your actions. Please set carefully.]
After reading up to the second item, I suddenly felt nauseous and started dry-heaving. It felt like all the blood in my body was rushing backward. Blood gushed from my nose and mouth, and my vision flickered black. Just as it was about to brief the third item, the text vanished.
[Admin detection failed.]
[Returning to User Mode.]
Only after I’d bled enough to soak my face did the coughing stop. Fortunately, the pain disappeared once the system returned to “User Mode.” Without even wiping the blood, I demanded answers from the system.
“What’s Admin Mode?”
[Unknown access method.]
“It just appeared! What is Admin Mode?!”
[Unknown access method.]
[Unknown access method.]
“Stop messing around and tell me!”
[Unknown access method.]
[Unknown access method.]
[Unknown access method.]
I cursed as I wiped the blood dripping from my chin. The system kept flickering the “User Mode” window. Then, silently, it vanished without a trace.
“What the hell…”
I slumped onto the sofa, leaning back. So, this “system” that I’d encountered since coming to this world had an admin, and that admin had chosen me as the “user.” Because I was the user they selected, I had to endure all this bullshit from the system. Who the hell was this admin to do this to me?
