Reporter Guy’s coming out didn’t cause much visible stir.

Back in the day, one woman revealing herself on the forum would have sparked a frenzy, but no one here still had that kind of spark left.

Like our bunkers, our laptops, our phones, our souls had aged—slower to react, more worn down, edging toward collapse.

But everyone knew.

They knew Reporter Guy wasn’t just some ordinary person.

From the early days of the war, she’d been feeding us articles sourced directly from the government. Anyone with half a brain had already guessed she was deeply tied to the authorities.

The only real surprise was that the person behind her was Woo Min-hee. A few people showed mild shock at that, but overall, the board’s reaction was calm.

Anonymous424: So Reporter Guy was her all along.

Anonymous424: At some point, it started feeling like our board was the center of the world. I’m not the only one who thinks that, right?

dongtanmom: Now you mention it, nom nom.

Anonymous458: Well, if that’s how it is, that’s how it is.

Why Woo Min-hee chose to show her face, I couldn’t say.

Maybe it had political meaning.

If Jeon Si-hoon was watching, that alone could be a message.

At the end of the day, Woo Min-hee was an over–level 10 Awakened.

Maybe writing these articles had stirred something inside her.

Travel does that to you.

When you step outside the space you see every day, into landscapes you don’t know—where strangers live and anything could happen—you start looking at the path of your life differently. You start thinking more.

And this might be her last trip.

I had to think that revealing her face meant something more than just coming out.

Personally, I saw it as belonging.

Like the rest of us here, she felt a sense of belonging to the board. In the middle of a dangerous journey, she chose to show her identity to us.

Me? I couldn’t care less about the world after death. But some people care about it as much as the world while they’re alive.

I couldn’t know her exact motive.

I could have messaged her to ask, but I didn’t.

This was her stage now, and I was just an audience member.

Even if I was a myth-tier name here, barging into every stage wasn’t just bad manners—it would ruin the scene.

A real eyesore.

Whether or not our thoughts matched exactly, I knew we were facing in the same direction.

She didn’t message me, either.

Her attention was solely on the board, showing us her final acts as Reporter Guy—sometimes plain, sometimes with vivid photos.

It didn’t take long to see I’d been right.

paradox823: Director Woo Min-hee, why do you keep ignoring my messages?

paradox823: What did I ever do wrong?

paradox823: I gave you a bunker. I gave you supplies. I even got you a flight to Jeju. And when you got kicked out of Big Hole, I sent you to Incheon so you could make a living.

paradox823: You took all that generosity, and now when someone desperately needs help, you ignore them?

Never seen this guy before.

I wasn’t the only one thinking it.

Everyone stayed silent, just watching this “newbie” have a meltdown.

“....”

Tap-tap-tap.

Time for a quick background check.

Conclusion: not a stolen nickname, no past posts.

A true new user.

Not that I needed the check to guess who it was.

Kim So-uk.

Somewhere in Jeju, hiding. I knew from Woo Min-hee herself that he’d begged her for help.

He’d probably been killing time on our board, then saw her face.

The moment he realized the Reporter Guy stirring up the board was Woo Min-hee, his brain must have overheated, and he’d spammed her with messages—begging for rescue.

True to form, she ignored him completely. So he ended up making his “debut” on our board like this.

“....”

Tap-tap.

I didn’t have admin powers anymore.

But I still had clout.

SKELTON: (Skeleton knock knock) VivaBot, you there?

Message from VIVA_BOT014: Yeah, I’m here.

SKELTON: Can you take a look at the Korean board?

VIVA_BOT014: Already looking.

SKELTON: Then you know what I’m about to ask?

VIVA_BOT014: Oh, that guy?

SKELTON: (Skeleton affirmative) Yes.

VIVA_BOT014: Temporary ban—three days good?

SKELTON: (Skeleton wink) Smart move.

VIVA_BOT014: Ahaha...

VivaBot moved in.

paradox823: Everyone, look at this—see how awful Director Woo is—

The timing was perfect.

Right as he was winding up for a final outburst, the ban hit.

I closed my eyes and imagined him.

Maybe he’d slammed a fist into his monitor.

Why not? In the middle of a heated rage, to have some random third party—not even the person you’re mad at, but someone with godlike power—swoop in and shut you down... that’s the kind of thing that makes your blood boil.

Only those who’ve been there know the feeling.

I’ve been there.

For a newbie, it was a fitting lesson.

Not that I knew how many days Kim So-uk had left.

Once the variable was gone, Woo Min-hee went right back to casually posting her journey.

She was somewhere near Jeju City.

With M9 and her double, she crossed the island by motorcycle, heading south.

Whether it was M9’s guidance or her own presence, there were no major battles or crises.

But that didn’t mean Jeju was peaceful—her photos still showed scars of war everywhere.

Two days into the trip, a message came.

Message from gigayangban: Hey, Skeleton~!

...?

Tap-tap.

SKELTON: M9?

Instinct told me who was behind the nickname.

Message from gigayangban: Oh, sharp, aren’t you?

A real named user knows how to spot these things.

Message from gigayangban: We’re almost there.

SKELTON: Why are you messaging instead of Reporter Guy? Got permission?

Message from gigayangban: Of course. She’s scary, you know ;;

Sure enough, there were episodes she hadn’t written about.

SKELTON: Did she show off?

Message from gigayangban: She lifted two buses blocking the road into the air and slammed them down. The Japanese watching—tough types even by Japanese standards—just bolted.

I felt relieved.

I’d thought her near-pathological habit of hiding came from a lack of confidence—not the kind Daram meant, but confidence in her own power.

She’d always feared being summoned like the other end-stage Awakened, so she avoided using her abilities.

But here she was, throwing her power around with ease.

That playful streak of hers wasn’t going anywhere.

Maybe her double was giving her strength.

From then on, I could watch her stage with an easier heart.

She reached the coast without trouble, showing us the blue sea and a ship far off.

Message from gigayangban: That ship will take us back to where we were born.

That’s when it happened.

Users who’d only been commenting like distant spectators finally posted direct words of support.

The first was eternal good-guy Anonymous424.

Anonymous424: Good stuff, Reporter Guy. Have a safe voyage!

The instant I saw it, I felt that hammer blow of déjà vu.

Damn.

I should’ve posted first.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

SKELTON: (Skeleton tear of emotion) The best! Awesome!

Second place again, but I made sure my words hit hard.

unicorn18: ?

Anonymous458: Good job.

iamjesus: Hooh.

keystone: Must be strong as hell—crossing that hellscape like it’s a picnic, lol.

rokaGG: Haven’t had much to do lately, but this had me holding my breath. Thanks!

...

The rest weren’t important.

What mattered was dongtanmom’s post.

dongtanmom: Nom nom...

dongtanmom: Now it starts.

dongtanmom: Good luck, lol.

He was right.

The sea was the problem.

No matter how strong she was, against the vastness of the ocean she was just a human.

You can lift tons, tear monsters apart in midair, swat artillery and drones from the sky—but you can’t stir the sea’s depths.

From here, all she could rely on was the wind, sun, sky, and sea.

She must have known it, because her next post carried a new kind of resolve.

gijayangban: Thank you, everyone.

gijayangban: Your support gave me strength.

gijayangban: Can I ask one favor?

A favor?

What was she asking for?

To me? Publicly?

In that strange mood, I read her next post.

gijayangban: M9, come back. Say a few words.

gijayangban: He keeps refusing to board, saying he’s done nothing worth it. He’s still hung up on how he acted going to Jeju.

gijayangban: But M9’s the kind of guy who should be around, right?

gijayangban: I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to see him die first, am I?

I clicked my tongue.

But it felt good to hear.

Same thought.

M9’s not someone you want gone.

I’d nearly written him off, but seeing him thriving among the Japanese gave me a rare sense of life again.

This was the board’s bond—the camaraderie we’d always downplayed, now surfacing around her posts.

FoxGame tried to symbolize it with lanterns for the dead, but that was wrong.

People want to see hope, not a marked end.

FoxGame’s lanterns went underground with their coffins.

New lights would rise.

“....”

Tap-tap.

SKELTON: M9, come back.

SKELTON: (Skeleton approval) You’re a man I respect.

A myth-tier name’s influence is for moments like this, no matter how few are watching.

gijayangban: (Captain M9 tearing up) Skeleton..!!

The light article that began as a travelogue had turned into something no one could have predicted.

Maybe that’s the board’s charm.

I thought of her face—probably wearing that faint, mocking smile.

But inside, she’d be truly smiling.

 Nothing’s known about her sea voyage—she never posted it.

Maybe that alone was proof of the danger.

But dongtanmom’s opinion was worth noting.

Message from dongtanmom: If it’s a warship, it catches almost all signals. Even Viva! Apocalypse! isn’t ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) an exception. Land and sea are completely different.

Message from dongtanmom: Even one ship can be seen tens of kilometers away.

Message from dongtanmom: If the wrong one spots you, especially a faster one, you’re in trouble.

I hated when Baek Seung-hyun called me “junior,” but I couldn’t deny he’d been crucial here.

Learned a lot, got a lot of help.

This time, he was my respected senior.

Message from dongtanmom: That woman doesn’t have to worry about mutations, though, lol.

Message from dongtanmom: Smashed the skull of a charging whale with a mooring rope like a whip.

Message from dongtanmom: Oh, and for some unknown reason, the Japanese warship tailing her turned back. I don’t get it—those guys never let go, especially if they knew an over–level 10 Awakened was aboard.

Message from dongtanmom: Some say they heard a jet. Who knows? Maybe she still has pull, lol.

If it’s his ship, he’d be in touch with hers.

No need to worry, seeing that calm.

Sure enough, two days later, she posted again.

gijayangban: Arrived.

No photos, probably for safety.

But the words marked the end of her journey.

gijayangban: From today, I’m dropping this nickname.

gijayangban: No point pretending to be Reporter Guy after showing my face.

gijayangban: But... can’t bring myself to change it.

gijayangban: I’ll keep using it, but won’t write articles again.

gijayangban: Thanks to your support, I made it back to the peninsula. Now I have to think about what’s next.

gijayangban: Probably won’t ever write another article.

gijayangban: But if the world really sees hope again—if a truly bright future comes—I’ll write that story.

gijayangban: Reporter Guy, out.

That was her last post.

But not the end between us.

She sent me a few short messages.

Message from gijayangban: When everything’s settled, I’ll visit with my double.

Message from gijayangban: Stay healthy, senior.

Message from gijayangban: From your adorable junior Min-hee (younger than Eom Chang-yi).

She had her reasons.

Chzzzzt—

One day after her return, the radio crackled.

Chzzzt.

Personal ID: THE_HANGED_MAN.

Unknown.

But if it came straight to me, they knew me.

I had a bad feeling as I answered.

“You doing well? It’s me.”

Jeon Si-hoon.

“Did Director Woo come your way?”

I nodded.

It was consideration.

She hadn’t come to me right away because she needed time.

Time to reach a hopeful future.

Will such a day come?

I don’t know. No one does.

But one thing’s certain now—

I need to live longer.

Fight harder to stay alive.