I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

“It should be here…”

I looked at the watch on my wrist.

The time pointed exactly at noon.

I waited for someone beneath a luxurious family restaurant.

Before long, I spotted a chubby man and another wearing sunglasses.

“Jae-hee!”

It was quite a distance.

But the chubby man seemed to recognize me just by my silhouette.

He approached slowly, yet he was panting and reached out to shake my hand.

When I grasped his hand, a damp and sticky sensation spread across my palm.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just arrived too.”

“Let’s go inside. It’s hot out here.”

He waddled ahead to lead the way.

And he guided me to a seat by the window.

I felt uneasy sitting where the outside could see me clearly, but I had no choice.

I was in a position where I had to ask for his help.

“I’m Ji-ho, the one who contacted you.”

“Yes, I’m Jae-hee.”

I scanned my surroundings, as if meeting a broker.

It felt as though someone was watching me.

“Actually, I’m a big fan of yours, Jae-hee. I usually avoid impromptu meetings like this, but I made an exception for you.”

“Thank you…”

Lee Ji-ho.

He was a famous journalist who dealt with entertainment scandals.

Ji-ho was a giant in the world of journalism, with his articles able to make or break celebrities’ careers.

But contrary to that power, I never imagined he would look this creepy.

His face was riddled with acne scars, and his limp black hair clung to his forehead.

By anyone’s standards, he was hideous.

Instead, my gaze was drawn to the man sitting next to him.

The man in sunglasses quietly sipped his coffee, a longsword strapped to his back.

He was probably a bodyguard hunter.

“Oh, this is Jack. He’s an A-rank hunter from America. He’s my bodyguard.”

Sensing my gaze, Ji-ho introduced him.

Jack nodded slowly and returned his focus to his coffee.

“Do you think you can handle what I mentioned…?”

“You mean the collusion between the assemblyman and the CEO? And the room salon’s sexual entertainment?”

As I brought up the details of the request, Ji-ho’s eyes sharpened.

He gestured as if typing on a calculator with his fingers.

“With a case like this, it could deal a significant blow to the company. However… proving it will require considerable effort.”

Considerable effort…

I repeated those words in my head.

Soon, Ji-ho’s thick eyelids half-lifted.

His eyes slowly scanned me up and down.

“It will also cost a lot.”

“I’ll… find a way to prepare the money.”

Eager to gain his assistance, I answered quickly.

But he waved his hand dismissively, as if that wasn’t enough.

“Money isn’t necessary. Isn’t it my duty to expose societal corruption?”

He smiled as he picked up the menu.

And he ordered a steak in broad daylight.

Ji-ho suggested I have some meat too, but my stomach churned, so I only ordered a salad.

Even so, I barely touched it.

My mind was filled with unease about betraying the CEO.

Soon, a steak plate was set on the table.

Ji-ho sniffed at the aroma with his nose buried in the meat.

“Doesn’t it smell great? This place only uses young cow meat.”

I didn’t respond.

I simply stared blankly at the blood-soaked piece of meat.

“Young cows have a distinctive fresh scent.”

He greedily chewed the steak.

“And the texture is incredibly tender.”

Ji-ho whispered in a low voice.

Then, feeling unsettled, he gulped down some cola.

“I only want one thing from you, Jae-hee.”

Perhaps full from his meal, he began to talk business.

His demand was very simple.

“Spend just one night with me.”

“…”

Ji-ho smiled as if he had said something completely natural.

But I couldn’t control my expression after hearing those words.

My eyelids quivered, and my heart pounded.

“Don’t worry too much. Plenty of singers have slept with me. And they’re all doing very well in their careers.”

He puffed himself up as if he were making a reasonable proposal.

“Honestly, your looks aren’t as exceptional compared to them.”

Ji-ho lowered his gaze, observing my chest, stomach, and thighs.

“But that sultry scent you exude with every movement… I think that’s a truly excellent charm.”

Jack, sitting beside us, silently emptied his coffee.

Then, as if avoiding his employer’s words, he turned his head.

“Isn’t it a great deal? Just one night, and everything troubling you will disappear.”

Ji-ho laughed heartily.

During his laugh, his saliva splattered all over my face.

The droplet slowly ran down my jawline.

The murky droplet, mixed with the blood of young cows, eventually dripped onto my collarbone.

And it hardened there.

“…”

How strange.

I’d heard these dog-like propositions from the assemblyman countless times, yet now I didn’t feel disgusted.

Instead, its simplicity and bluntness were refreshing.

In the end, everyone saw me like this.

The public didn’t care about me as a person.

They were only fixated on this repulsive pheromone.

The ability I gained to earn people’s attention my entire life…

Ultimately, it couldn’t save me.

It only made me miserable.

“Are you okay, Jae-hee?”

Ji-ho asked with concern.

I couldn’t respond to his words.

Because I imagined myself accepting his proposal and entering a hotel.

I saw Ji-ho clinging to my slender body like a cicada.

As we rubbed against each other, his acne-covered skin would burst.

And that yellowish fluid would smear all over me.

His thick hands would grope my chest and stomach without restraint.

Then those filthy hands would travel down my belly button, heading lower.

At that moment, the only words that escaped my mouth were—

“Hell no.”

Ji-ho’s eyes widened in shock.

As if he had misheard, he asked again.

“What… what did you say…?”

His buried pupils sparkled.

I smirked.

Then, calmly, I grabbed the collar of my shirt.

And slowly unbuttoned the buttons that had been suffocating my chest.

The grotesque man, who had been glaring as if to kill me, was visibly startled.

“This is what you wanted, right?”

I boldly revealed my cleavage to them.

Soon, a thick scent began to fill the restaurant air.

Ji-ho shook his head wildly at the sight of me.

“Yes. We’re on the same wavelength.”

His scarred face leaned closer to my chest.

Close enough to touch with a single finger.

At that moment, Jack’s eyebrows twitched.

He immediately grabbed Ji-ho’s shoulder and shoved him forcefully.

The chubby man collapsed onto the restaurant floor.

“J-Jack! What are you doing?!”

The grotesque man screeched, his happy moment interrupted.

But the hunter ignored his words and instead rose from his seat.

Then, with swift movements, he lunged at me.

He pinned me down on the sofa and held a knife to my neck.

“Turn it off.”

“What?”

“That thing you’re emitting right now.”

“Why should I? Your boss wants this, doesn’t he…”

I spoke with a sense of despair.

The hunter shook his head at my attitude.

“You’re impossible to reason with.”

The blade pressed against my neck began to sink deeper into my skin.

It was the hunter’s final warning.

A signal to stop before the knife fully slit my throat.

The sharp pain made my heart pound wildly.

I knew that to overpower the hunter, I would have to use my ability further.

But I couldn’t summon the courage to release it.

If I did, and everyone here truly ended up dead…

There would be no turning back.

Blood dripped steadily, staining the chair beneath me.

I tightly shut my eyes.

And I began retracting the scent, just as the hunter demanded.

But I soon stopped.

Before I could even pull back the pheromone, his blade had paused.

“—.”

Someone entered the restaurant.

Given the situation, it was unlikely anyone would walk in so openly.

But they approached us without hesitation.

Who could it be…?

Who would dare walk confidently toward an A-rank hunter?

“Jae-hee.”

This voice…

The moment I recognized who it was, my entire body froze.

Someone very familiar and equally terrifying.

It was the CEO.

“You should’ve just stayed quietly in my arms. Why go looking for these lowlifes and risk getting hurt?”

The CEO, with his long hair, removed his sunglasses.

He looked blankly at Jack, who was pinning me down.

“Not bad for a trash journalist to hire such an expensive hunter.”

Jack smirked, seemingly amused.

Then, without hesitation, he pointed his sword at the CEO.

“—.”

The blade moved closer to the long-haired man.

But before it could reach him, my twin bodyguards—who often issued commands to me—appeared and caught the blade with their bare hands.

Jack, however, was no pushover.

He twisted the sword sharply, cutting into the twin’s arm with its edge.

The twins were forced to release their grip, and Jack took the opportunity to leap back, creating distance.

The twins staggered, clutching their injured arms.

“Let’s deal with these small fries first.”

The CEO spoke nonchalantly, pulling out an electronic cigarette.

He exhaled a puff of smoke and looked down at me.

“You’d better prepare yourself. How dare you repay my generosity with betrayal?”

His piercing gaze sent a shiver down my spine, as though it had shot right through me.

Even when a knife had been at my throat, I’d managed to endure.

But just one glance from the CEO filled me with overwhelming fear.

At that moment, I realized.

It was impossible to escape from him…

The twins simultaneously charged at the hunter.

Their attacks were perfectly coordinated, hitting different spots at the same time.

If one aimed for the ribs, the other struck the legs.

If one targeted the face, the other went for the knees.

Jack met their relentless assault head-on.

He parried their attacks with his sword, moving gracefully despite his much larger frame.

“Jack! Are you struggling against this level of resistance? Do you know how much money I spent on this?!”

Ji-ho flailed on the floor, shouting.

The CEO, on the other hand, maintained a serious expression.

“You two, stand down. He’s one of the better A-ranks.”

The CEO waved his hand dismissively.

The twins reluctantly withdrew, bowing apologetically before stepping back.

“No need for us to get our hands dirty. Right?”

The CEO smirked as though he had something up his sleeve.

He snapped his fingers lightly.

“—?”

The restaurant fell eerily silent, as if time itself had stopped.

The quiet was unsettlingly profound.

Ji-ho looked around, sensing the oddness.

Then he yelled cluelessly.

“What is this? Are they all just watching? Turn your heads!”

“—.”

All the customers were staring at us.

Their eyes were lifeless.

“Foolish journalist. You still don’t get it?”

The CEO burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he slapped his own knee.

“W-what do you mean?”

Ji-ho soon understood the reason behind the CEO’s laughter.

The customers were staggering toward him.

The CEO’s ability was “Mass Psychology.”

It was collective hypnosis.

He was a former S-rank psychic hunter.

Anyone who inhaled the smoke from his cigarette and remained in the same place for an hour…

Would lose their sanity.

And move according to his commands.

All the other patrons, except for those who had arrived late like us, were already under the influence of the smoke.

In other words, the CEO had anticipated my arrival and spread the smoke in advance.

“Let’s see what this great American hunter can do.”

He gestured lazily.

“—.”

The hypnotized people began walking toward us.

Then, at the CEO’s signal, they twisted their bodies unnaturally and charged forward.

Jack hesitated momentarily, reluctant to cut them down.

Even as a hunter, he couldn’t easily strike down innocent people.

But he soon made his decision.

To survive, he had no choice but to kill them.

That brief hesitation, however, proved fatal.

The hypnotized crowd quickly closed the distance, making it impossible for him to cut them all down in one stroke.

From the chef to the servers, from a boy celebrating his birthday to his mother…

All of them rushed in like moths to a flame, following the CEO’s signal.

Eventually, the exhausted Jack was completely overwhelmed by the human wave.

He was buried beneath them.

The S-rank hunter walked slowly toward Ji-ho.

And, like capturing an animal, he grabbed him firmly by the back of the neck.

The squealing of the pig-like man filled the restaurant.

But no one came to his aid.

The restaurant was now full of the CEO’s loyal puppets.

He tossed Ji-ho aside as if feeding livestock.

With a heavy thud, Ji-ho fell to the floor, where the hypnotized customers swarmed him.

They stomped on him with machine-like precision.

Soon, Ji-ho became as soft and tender as the young cow meat he so adored.

The sound of his bones breaking and flesh being crushed echoed in my ears.

“Now, shall we have our conversation?”

The CEO looked intently at me, my disheveled shirt revealing my bare skin.

I knew exactly where his gaze lingered.

“With things escalated to this point, continuing your idol career will be difficult, don’t you think?”

He grabbed my collar.

And whispered.

“So, what’s next? You’ll have to go back to the assemblyman, won’t you?”

His crackling hand slid inside my clothes.

And slithered over my chest like a bug.

“But before that, I need to adjust the product a bit. To make it more enjoyable to touch.”

His cold hand gripped my flesh.

The filthy sensation made me scream.

The CEO, accustomed to such acts, quickly covered my mouth.

And continued what he was doing.

I felt wronged.

If only I had power too.

So that no one could control me anymore.

Not this disgusting scent, but some other ability.

An overwhelmingly strong power…

“—.”

Was it then?

That moment when God revealed the power I had desperately longed for.

The CEO, who had acted as if he owned the world, suddenly froze in place.

As if he were a sinner caught by an angel in the midst of a filthy act.

He turned to the shattered window, where a dark silhouette perched gracefully.

A woman with beautiful silver hair.

Her pale, striking features.

And cloudy white eyes that looked at everything with disdain.

Wearing a black jacket, she stared directly at the CEO.