[Hunter Magazine Model, Seomun Ye-jin: Is She Really a Gold Digger?]
The headlines of online articles in women-targeted publications were nothing short of outrageous.
Seomun Ye-jin's photo and real name were plastered prominently across these articles.
She was not only being slandered as a promiscuous woman who allegedly went through countless men, but photoshopped images of her surrounded by men, with her chest being groped, were being touted as "damning evidence."
The attacks didn’t stop there. Articles alleged that she had prostituted herself to villains and became pregnant at fifteen due to her reckless behavior, only to have an abortion later. These claims were accompanied by fabricated social media posts.
It was a blatant lie, considering Seomun Ye-jin didn’t even use social media. But that didn’t stop some trashy individuals from reveling in it.
Even in this world dominated by mana awakeners, feminists existed, though their presence was weak.
However, within their small circles, they clung together in paranoia, convinced that they were entitled to special privileges.
Ironically, the group they despised most wasn’t Korean men but rather beautiful Korean women.
The root of this hatred lay in jealousy. If a woman was not only beautiful but also a mana awakener, she became an even bigger target for their scorn. Seomun Ye-jin was the embodiment of everything they hated.
At just fifteen years old, as one of the original heroines of this world, she was among the most beautiful. Her pure yet glamorous figure and her excellence as a mana awakener only added to their resentment.
For feminists consumed by inferiority complexes and envy, she was the perfect enemy.
Yet, this response was far from normal.
"An article like this wouldn’t trend so easily."
Even the Kangin Guild, one of the top guilds, wouldn’t consider such slander worth their attention. Yet, articles baselessly accusing a 15-year-old mana awakener of such things had quickly risen to the top.
"The Baekho Guild."
It seemed likely that the Baekho Guild, one of the top ten guilds, was involved.
"They must have ordered the articles to be written and supplied the doctored photos."
Though the photos were clearly fake, any comments pointing this out were quickly buried.
A coordinated effort of nearly 2,000 individuals manipulated the comment section, upvoting their own posts to dominate the rankings while burying opposing comments.
While some were fueled by jealousy, it was evident that the Baekho Guild orchestrated this.
The leaders of certain women’s organizations were undoubtedly acting under the guild’s orders.
"Miss."
I turned to look at Seomun Ye-jin, who must have been devastated by the slander and flood of insults.
Her expression, rigid and biting her lip, was clearly troubled.
Strangers who had no connection to her were pouring hostility and hatred upon her without reason.
At just fifteen, she was far too young to endure such malice.
"Miss."
Even after calling her twice, she didn’t respond immediately.
Her small, trembling frame revealed how deeply the comments and accusations had hurt her.
Ah, yes.
Seeing Seomun Ye-jin suffering like this filled me with an uncontrollable rage.
Letting her face this alone had been my mistake.
"I’m sorry, Miss."
I apologized to her first.
"This happened because of me. I’ll go and... take care of it."
At my words, Seomun Ye-jin suddenly grabbed the hem of my sleeve.
"No, don’t," she said, trying to stop me once again.
"Miss."
But this time, I couldn’t easily comply.
"I’ll handle it quickly. It won’t take long."
"No. That’s not the way."
Biting her lip, she pleaded, "Not just your revenge, but I want my share of vengeance against those behind these vile schemes."
"Miss..."
"Promise me... that no matter what, you won’t take matters into your own hands without consulting me first. I need... some time to pull myself together."
Seeing her determination, I could only nod.
"Alright."
"Thank you."
Seomun Ye-jin headed upstairs to her room and closed the door.
I followed her until I saw her disappear inside, then pulled out my phone to check the online chaos.
"So this is how far they’ve gone."
The atrocities of these women’s organizations, emboldened by the Baekho Guild’s backing, ran rampant as though they owned the world.
Public opinion generally didn’t side with such groups, but their orchestrated manipulation had drowned out any dissenting voices.
“You don’t have the right to behave like tyrants in this world, no matter how much you delude yourselves.”
Ideas on how to dismantle them were already forming in my mind.
But for now, I would wait, as Seomun Ye-jin had asked.
Three hours passed. Night had fallen, yet she still hadn’t emerged.
"Miss," I called, lightly knocking on her door. There was no response.
Inside, I could sense her curled up on her bed, hiding under the covers. She was avoiding reality, overwhelmed by the malice of others.
"Sigh... Miss, it’s dinnertime. You should come out."
There was no reply, so I spoke softly.
"I’ll prepare dinner and wait. Come out whenever you’re ready."
***
Hearing Baek Seo-jun’s voice from outside, Seomun Ye-jin bit her lip.
"So something as small as this can hurt so much."
The pain was different from the time she was kidnapped by villains.
Even though she knew the people attacking her were bad, the thought of thousands unfairly condemning her was unbearable.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine the level of torment Baek Seo-jun must have endured.
"How foolish..."
She felt that her current behavior was foolish, but she couldn’t calm her pounding heart.
Logically, she knew that the people insulting her were driven by jealousy and inferiority complexes.
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.
But her heart couldn’t accept that people could be so cruel for such petty reasons.
For the first time, Seomun Ye-jin experienced such intense malice directed solely at her. As she reflected on this, she began to grasp the Baekho Guild’s intentions.
"They want me to break."
They wanted her spirit shattered, leaving her as nothing more than a plaything for Baek Seo-jin.
Unaware of Kim Ho-jun’s true identity as Baek Seo-jun or the exact nature of their relationship, the Baekho Guild seemed to have miscalculated.
They likely assumed Baek Seo-jun was merely infatuated with her beauty. They believed that by launching this media attack, they could drive a wedge between the two and leave her isolated.
Once left alone, broken and vulnerable, they intended to sweep in and pretend to rescue her, only to turn her into Baek Seo-jin’s puppet.
"Don’t make me laugh. That will never happen."
Seomun Ye-jin resolved to steel herself.
Letting herself crumble now would be far too unjust.
Even with this unjust stigma, there was someone outside the door who believed in her and worried for her.
Someone who had endured even greater pain than she had.
"Seo-jun."
"Miss."
His immediate reply came from outside.
Wiping away the tears that had trailed down her cheeks, Seomun Ye-jin took a deep breath.
This wasn’t just Baek Seo-jun’s revenge anymore.
It was her revenge, too.
Realizing that they now shared the same goal brought a small sense of relief, even a flicker of joy.
"I’ll come out now."
"You’ve made the right decision, Miss."
Baek Seo-jun didn’t say much more. He was simply relieved that she had gathered her resolve and was coming out.
Now, they needed to discuss how to handle this situation.
There was no way they would just sit back and let this continue.
***
"What a relief."
It was a relief that Seomun Ye-jin seemed to have regained her determination.
I already had a plan in mind for handling this situation, but I wanted to discuss it with her first.
After all, she was also a victim of Baek Hyung-won and Kim Yoo-jung’s schemes. I wanted to ensure that this matter was resolved in a way that would bring her satisfaction.