Creator’s Favoritism

[Korea’s Largest Hunter Information: Hunter Masters]
[Popular Post] Haniyeong Freshman Hunter Sponsorship Results.sponsor (jpg file attached)
┗ Everything went as expected except for Maeng Sun-woo
┗ I’m going all in on KOVIS Construction as soon as the market opens tomorrow, trusting only Chan-yu.
┗ Meanwhile, why are Sun-woo’s grades so extreme? lol

[General] What do you think Yeo Wook will be doing for PPL at Samun Electronics?
They’ll start by handing him the new phone that’s coming out, right?
┗ He’ll get the phone and switch out his watch and earphones too lolololol
┗ They might have filmed the ad in advance. Does anyone not know that Samun had their eye on Yeo Wook since middle school? They put in 3 years of effort, but it all went to waste when he suddenly became S-rank.

[General] I was surprised that TI Entertainment made a sponsor offer to Maeng Sun-woo
I thought they only made offers to A-rank and above.
┗ ? It was obvious they would.
┗ I guess they thought this was their chance when Maeng Sun-woo mentioned something about a children’s foundation lol. Ended up failing at laundering in the end.

* * *

[Bucheon Mom’s Terrace]
[Did you all see Haniyeong’s entrance ceremony today? ㅜㅜ]
Author: Hajunharinmom
Hunter Maeng Sun-woo… ㅠㅠ
┗ waitingforangelbabyㅠ: I heard she lives with her grandmother and doesn’t have parents… The fact that she received support from a children’s foundation says it all.
┗ Seagull3brothers: But she got perfect scores on the written tests?
┗ Whistle: And she’s F-rank on top of that, so reporters keep attacking her. I don’t know if she wants to live like that;;

[Can’t we do individual sponsorship for student Sun-woo?]
Author: Bon Appetit
Anyone know?
┗ Chunggok13complex: From what I’ve seen, fans collect money and give gifts to famous hunters on their birthdays.
┗ Navillera: It’s not allowed since she’s still a student. The school completely blocks it.
┗ 7yearsWonderWixJunior: There’s a link for regular donations to Sky Children’s Foundation in the popular posts. You can refer to that.

* * *

[Eum Cafe Real-time HOT posts]

Why do Samun Electronics PR team people look at Kang Chagyeong so wistfully? lololol
[Scrap] New Hunter student becomes Momcafe idol
Objective comparison of this year’s incoming students vs. past incoming students’ abilities
Sky Children’s Foundation website crashes again

* * *

It was the day of the first class at the Korean Academy for Gifted Talents, commonly known as Haniyeong. The outside air was crisp, the morning cold biting at my skin as I made my way over. It was just past 7 AM.

When I arrived at the first-year classroom with Hyun So-ra, the rest of the students were already seated. The scene was strangely formal—the white shirts beneath gray knit vests, navy blue jackets, and yellow nametags sewn onto each of their chests. All brand new.

The green chalkboard was spotless, untouched by any marker or chalk. In front of it was a simple podium, and a single sheet with the monthly dormitory menu was posted on the bulletin board at the back.

It looked like any regular classroom, except for one glaring difference—there were only six desks and chairs.

The three back-row seats were already claimed, leaving me with no choice but to take the middle seat in the front. After confirming Hyun So-ra had sat down to my right, I turned slightly in my seat to glance behind me.

“How about soccer instead of baseball?”

Yeo Wook was persistently trying to chat up Hong Ji-sang, who barely opened his mouth. On the opposite side of the room, Lee Chan-yu was glued to her phone, eyes fixed on the screen. Meanwhile, Kang Chagyeong, sitting by the window in the corner, caught my eye and waved enthusiastically.

I raised my hand in acknowledgment, a light gesture in return.

“Sun-woo’s here? Hi?”

“Yeah. Hi.”

I barely had a moment to respond before Yeo Wook, always overly friendly, greeted me with that grin of his. His uniform jacket, with the shiny yellow name tag, hung lazily over the chair to my left.

It wasn’t exactly a welcome sight to see him sitting next to me.

Yeo Wook walked around with this strange smile that screamed “trouble,” the kind of guy who exuded mystery but in all the wrong ways. I could never quite figure him out, and frankly, I had no interest in trying. He wasn’t someone I planned on getting close to.

Yet, for whatever reason, he was the most social of the group. As if it was second nature to him.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door screeching open snapped through the awkward atmosphere.

A figure entered, face hidden behind a teetering stack of textbooks. It was only when they set the books down on the teacher’s desk that the man’s face became visible—sturdy, middle-aged, and bearing the unmistakable air of experience.

“Nice to meet you, Haniyeong 7th generation students. I’m Lee Je-gwan, your homeroom teacher for this year. I teach English. Feel free to ask me anything about school life.”

His voice carried the intimidating authority of a professional hunter.

At Haniyeong, all the regular subject teachers were former Awakened. Unlike field hunters, office hunters had a much broader range of career options.

Lee Je-gwan frowned as he scanned the six of us, then gave a brief nod. His thick fingers immediately pointed at Kang Chagyeong.

“You. Kang Chagyeong. What’s the most important thing hunters need?”

“Ah… I… I don’t know, sir.”

Kang Chagyeong flushed as all eyes turned to him. Lowering his hand, clearly not expecting much, Lee Je-gwan raised his voice.

“Time. The job with the least amount of time in the world is a hunter’s. Even after working 12 hours a day, you’ll still need to put in more.”

Twelve hours? That was insane.

“Now, I’ll explain your schedule as quickly as possible. First period: high school subjects. Second period: Gate Disaster Response Theory. Lunch. Then third period: PE. Field training until 6 PM. That’s your day.”

As he handed out textbooks, Lee Je-gwan continued.

“There are no midterms, only finals. If you don’t score above 70 in both the subject and PE exams, you fail. Retakes are allowed, but you’ll need 80 to pass the retake.”

-Peng, peng.

While he rattled off the details without pause, Tito was busy sketching him from every angle. I caught a glimpse of a stunned Kang Chagyeong being drawn once, too.

The subjects—Korean, Math, English, Integrated Social Studies, Integrated Science—were familiar enough, but the thick “Gate Disaster Response Theory” textbook stood out.

“Even if you fail the exams, you’ll still move on to the next grade. But you won’t graduate.”

It wasn’t like regular high schools where attendance alone would get you through.

However, it was no secret that hunters were in short supply. In a field where every hunter counted, they wouldn’t delay graduation lightly.

‘They must just be trying to scare us.’

“Why do you all look like that? Think I’m lying?”

Lee Je-gwan’s eyes met mine, and I quickly looked away, feeling caught.

“There’s a senior who definitely repeated their third year. If you don’t believe me, go check out their face.”

Without further comment, he gave us a blank look and gestured.

“What are you waiting for? Open your English books. Class is starting.”

* * *

I never imagined we’d cover an entire unit in one day. Staring at the chalkboard, still littered with the remnants of chalk marks, I was completely dumbfounded.

The class was so small that even if I wanted to slack off for a second, it wasn’t possible. If I was struggling this much, I could only imagine how Hong Ji-sang, who seemed like he’d never cracked open a book in his life, must have felt—he looked like he was about to die.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Second period was “Gate Disaster Response Theory,” a class every student had to attend together.

We trudged upstairs to the lecture hall, already exhausted, our faces heavy with fatigue.

As we approached, three figures in school uniforms came into view, loitering in front of the lecture room. They each held worn textbooks under their arms, blocking the entrance.

Their green name tags quickly gave them away as our seniors—second and third years.

I spotted the student ID hanging around the neck of a girl with metal-framed glasses: Lee Nagyeol.

I racked my brain, recalling the profiles I’d memorized.

According to last year’s records, both the 5th and 6th generations of Haniyeong students had only three members each. Lee Nagyeol, a 6th generation second-year, was notorious for summoning and battling alongside fierce dogs.

The seniors finally noticed us, their gazes locking onto the group of first years.

I quickly glanced around, wondering if Tito had started sketching another cut. In school stories, seniors usually played pivotal roles in setting the stage. If this were a webtoon, this scene would likely make it in. But there was no sign of any rectangles or sketch lines—just blank walls.

“Oh, it’s the Momcafe idol,” Lee Nagyeol muttered, her voice an odd mix of curiosity and indifference.

The male senior next to her nudged her with his elbow, a surprised look on his face. His nametag read Pyo Eonsu.

“Huh? Why? Isn’t that her?”

Lee Nagyeol rubbed the spot on her arm where she’d been jabbed, genuinely confused.

“That’s right,” I replied with a casual smile. Both Lee Nagyeol and Pyo Eonsu turned to look at me more closely.

“See? I told you it was her, idiot,” Lee Nagyeol grinned, clearly feeling vindicated. Pyo Eonsu just looked at her in disbelief.

Yeah, that’s right. I’d gone to bed one night and woken up as the latest Momcafe idol. Until a new nickname stuck, this would be the one I’d live with.

A young girl with a difficult family background, good at studying despite her circumstances—oh, and though she turned out to be a monster, she still managed to awaken as a hunter while saving someone else’s father.

When you put all those “objective” facts together, it made sense why an F-rank like me would cause as much buzz as Kang Chagyeong.

The problem was that I, the person being talked about, found this nickname incredibly uncomfortable.

Sure, I’d taken actions fully expecting this kind of result, but when I checked the internet this morning, it was more chaotic than I could have imagined.

Hunters had always been seen as righteous and patriotic, often attractive, and wealthy on top of that. To civilians, they embodied an air of mystique, with most of their personal information—save for their name, age, and abilities—shrouded in secrecy.

Most importantly, they were the people to whom the public had to entrust their lives without hesitation whenever a gate opened.

Pitiful, admirable, unfortunate…

In other words, they weren’t the type you easily felt sorry for.

Until I came along.

‘…Public sentiment has swung too far into sympathy.’

As I skimmed through forums and comments this morning, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dismay.

I had consciously chosen not to set up a hunter sponsorship to cultivate an image of ‘someone principled, despite being weak for now.’ But the outright sympathy I was receiving left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Even the suggestion of donating to the children’s foundation had been nothing more than a calculated move for the character’s arc in the webtoon.

This wasn’t good for the long run. The moment any flaw appeared, those who had been on my side would turn on me without hesitation, throwing metaphorical stones.

From now on, I’d have to avoid mentioning my family background in front of cameras. The current ‘unfortunate’ image could easily be offset by focusing on my activities as a hunter.

「Tito is busy thinking about pairing up practice partners while making an Americano. Various combinations fill Tito’s mind.」  

Fortunately, Tito didn’t seem interested in including my new nickname in the webtoon, at least for now. A small relief amidst the chaos.

“All three of us are from the 6th generation, 2nd year. The 3rd year seniors are training in Jeju right now… I’ll introduce ourselves later. We waited here because we have something to tell you.”

Pyo Eonsu, who had an aura of authority, spoke with the confident tone of a leader.

The first years, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the 2nd years, shifted awkwardly. I glanced around.

Even Yeo Wook, who was usually outgoing, simply bowed slightly with a faint smile, showing no sign of speaking up. The others—well, social interaction wasn’t exactly their strong suit.

I needed to take advantage of this situation. It wouldn’t hurt to steer Maeng Sun-woo’s character in a positive direction while I had the chance.

“Hello, seniors. I’m Maeng Sun-woo.”

I quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply, my face automatically slipping into the well-practiced survival smile I’d perfected from countless part-time jobs dealing with customers.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Yeo Wook.”

Yeo Wook followed suit, bowing his head just as quickly, clearly waiting to see if I’d break the ice first.

“Puhaha, sure.”

The sound of laughter came from another male senior, lounging with one leg crossed.

“Aren’t you guys going to greet us? We’re your seniors, right?” he sneered, throwing a sharp look toward the others.

That was Jeong Changgyu—C-rank hunter, not particularly impressive compared to A-rank Lee Nagyeol or B-rank Pyo Eonsu, but he made up for it with his cocky attitude.

“Stop it. That’s enough,” Pyo Eonsu gently reprimanded, pulling Jeong Changgyu back by his collar. His tone was firm but calm, keeping the mood from escalating further.

“We’re choosing partner seniors this evening, so come to the dormitory meeting room at 8 PM. Is that okay with everyone?”

Of course. Definitely.

Internally, I thought it was more fuss than necessary, but I kept my expression neutral, nodding in agreement despite the wave of fatigue creeping up on me.

“What are you all doing there?! Get in here, it’s time for class!”

A loud voice rang out from the end of the corridor. The teacher for the Gate Theory class had appeared, eyeing us with mild confusion before ushering us into the lecture room.

As the class bell echoed through the halls, I couldn’t have been more relieved.