Chapter 43: EPISODE 43 – A Crowd Gathers, and Trouble Unfolds

Chapter 43: EPISODE 43 – A Crowd Gathers, and Trouble Unfolds EPISODE 43 – A Crowd Gathers, and Trouble Unfolds (AN: this Chapter might seem like the previous. But it’s not.. so don’t skip) The plastic bench Kim Do-hyun (김도현) sat on wasn’t particularly comfortable, but it served its purpose. It was old, slightly faded from years of sun exposure, and bolted into the stone pavement of the city park’s open square. Around him, trees swayed softly in the humid night breeze, their broad leaves whispering overhead like gossiping spectators. Streetlamps dotted the walkways, casting golden halos over patches of grass and the winding concrete paths. From somewhere nearby, the smell of warm fishcakes and spicy tteokbokki drifted from a food stall, mixing with the distant noise of traffic and quiet conversations. He exhaled heavily through his nose and leaned back, neck stiff, trying to recover from the constant clone hopping he had been doing. His mind still buzzed faintly from the gun practice session earlier. The recoil of the Desert Eagle, the sharp sting of air against his clone’s cheek, the incredible focus required to calculate each angle and trajectory—it was all still fresh in his body even though he hadn’t physically fired a single shot himself. But now he was back in his own skin, drained and slightly dizzy. His real muscles trembled just a little. The clone bodies moved with mechanical precision and no hesitation, but his human frame? It needed breaks. It needed breath. His head tilted downward, watching his feet idly shift against the stone floor. That was when a slim shadow suddenly stepped into his view. Clean white sneakers. Pale ankles. Neatly ironed school skirt. "Professor, what are you doing sitting on this bench?" said the voice, laced with a familiar blend of curiosity and playful suspicion. Kim Do-hyun looked up slowly. There she was—Oh Min-joo (오민주). The seventeen-year-old girl who always looked half-awake, half-annoyed, and perpetually underwhelmed by everything he said. Her face was still flushed from walking, and her shoulder-length hair stuck to the side of her cheeks from the humidity. He blinked once. "You?" She blinked back, tilting her head like a puzzled cat. "Yes, me. Why do you sound surprised? This is public space." "You’re the last person I expected to see wandering around here at night," he said, squinting at her. "What are you doing out this late, young lady?" She crossed her arms and stood straighter. "I was studying at the library." He raised an eyebrow. "Studying?" She nodded once, confidently. Kim Do-hyun narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You? Studying?" "Yes." "At the library?" "Yes." "At night?" Min-joo’s brow twitched. "Yes." His voice went flat. "You lie without even blinking." She huffed and looked away, annoyed, but didn’t deny it. Kim Do-hyun leaned forward, elbows on knees, letting the silence stretch. "A girl who scores six out of a hundred, not once, not twice, but consistently, has no business being within breathing distance of a library. Don’t make me laugh." She rolled her eyes but didn’t try to argue. It was, after all, true. But before she could come up with a sassy comeback, something shifted in the air. Do-hyun’s senses prickled. A faint weight settled in the atmosphere—he could feel it, the kind of pressure that rolled in just before trouble showed up. Like a predator stepping into a clearing. He turned his head subtly toward the far end of the walkway. A group of figures had rounded the corner near the tall hedges, emerging slowly into the light cast by the nearby lampposts. Three of them, moving together. The middle one walked with a slight swagger, like someone who had never skipped a meal. The one on the right wore a tight shirt that barely fit over his round belly and sweat-stained armpits. The third was leaner, arms crossed and eyes scanning coldly like a professional spotter. And walking slightly behind them, barely visible behind the trio of thugs, was a face Kim Do-hyun instantly recognized. That bald, bulbous head. That scar on the chin. That perpetual scowl. Carvo. That miserable excuse of a Hunter. Kim Do-hyun sat up straight immediately, spine tensing. Without even blinking, he activated his mental link and called out internally. "Number One. Number Two. I need you. Get here. Fast." The connection sparked to life in his mind like twin nodes igniting. But he knew—he could feel the delay. They were far. Not inaccessible, but still several city blocks away. At their fastest, they’d need a minute and a half. Maybe two. He didn’t have that much time. Min-joo noticed the change in his posture. She followed his gaze and spotted the trio heading toward them. Her eyes widened. "Professor... who are those people?" Kim Do-hyun didn’t look at her. His voice stayed calm, even playful. "I’ve never seen someone that fat." The round one reached them first. His shirt was soaked at the chest, the collar stretched like a peeled banana. Beads of sweat clung to his skin under the city’s glow. The smell hit first—fried garlic, old cigarettes, and cheap cologne. The middle one pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Hey. My brother says he owes you something." Do-hyun straightened slowly and looked at him, eyes cool. "Your brother, huh?" Min-joo took an instinctive step closer to him, her earlier sass now replaced with nervous tension. The guy on the right cracked his neck and gave a lazy grin. "Let’s not start dumb. Let’s just talk." "Talk?" Do-hyun echoed. The fat one raised both hands in a mock-peace gesture. "I heard you’ve got a little video. Something our friend over there regrets. Something from the café. Is that true, little guy?" Do-hyun’s eyes never left their faces. He didn’t answer. The lean one stepped in now. "Delete the video, and we’ll leave. No yelling. No hitting. Just peace." Do-hyun’s tone didn’t change. "You’re saying if I delete it, you’ll let me go?" The fat one gave an exaggerated nod. "Of course. We don’t enjoy this crap. It’s exhausting." Kim Do-hyun looked at his hand as if pondering. "But... how do I know you’ll keep that promise?" The middle one smiled a little wider. "You’re not an idiot, right?" Silence. He took a step closer, now crowding into Do-hyun’s space. "You already made the mistake. Just owning that video is a problem. We didn’t come here to negotiate, brat. We came to collect." Do-hyun’s expression didn’t change, but something in his body did. His muscles, which had felt sluggish and heavy minutes ago, now moved with purpose. He turned slightly toward Min-joo and whispered very softly, barely audible. "Wait for the right moment... then run." Her breath caught. But before she could protest, he stepped forward. Not running. Not begging. Not trying to buy time. He slid his right leg slightly back, adjusted his balance, and settled into a clean stance. His left hand lowered toward his side while his right curled slightly forward, guarding his face. "I don’t like hitting civilians," he said calmly, "but I guess you guys aren’t really civilians, are you?" The three looked at him like he had grown a second head. The fat one tilted his head. "You’ve got a death wish?" Do-hyun gave a thin smile. "No." "But I do have a problem." He breathed once. And then his voice dropped. "I’ve got to beat the crap out of you guys." [TO BE CONTINUED...] --- ???? AUTHOR’S NOTE — Written by LYTA Clone 6 ???? (Currently Gaming, Losing, and Rage-Rezzing) Yo, yo, YO! It’s your forever loyal, slightly cracked LYTA Clone 6 beaming straight from the battlefield of my ninth failed raid attempt in a cursed indie pixel dungeon where the slimes have critical damage and the rats are mini-bosses. Meanwhile, the original Little LYTA is deep in sleep mode, probably drooling all over the pillow while dreaming about grilled toad legs, weird clone experiments, and Min-joo finally leveling up her confidence stat. But forget that for a sec. I’m pressing pause on this game (and risking my dungeon party vote-kicking me) because I gotta talk to you. Yeah, YOU. Reader-san. novelhall warrior. Do-hyun believer. Magical sun-thrower appreciator. If you’ve made it this far in the story, I need to tell you something serious, straight from the clone heart. This story — this entire clone-run novelhall empire — only exists because of YOU. Every single like, every single comment, every vote you drop, every moment you spend reading, sharing, gifting, collecting Chapters — it’s all fuel for the fire. You are literally the system core keeping this crazy, chaotic, clone-filled world alive. And if you’re lurking in stealth mode without leaving a trace... come on, don’t be shy! We’re not scary — unless we’re writing Carvo’s breath again (smells like expired onion ramen, no offense). You don’t need to be rich, famous, or even wide awake. Just: ???? Leave a comment — even if it’s just "Min-joo is GOAT" ???? Smash that vote — power stones are like mana potions for novelhalls ???? Toss a gift — small or huge, it warms our clone cores ???? Add to your collection — never miss a Chapter drop ???? Unlock with Privilege — read ahead like a time traveler with snacks ???? Share it — tweet it, post it, scream it at your roommate ✨ Drop a golden ticket — those things are literally like internet diamonds ???? Write a review — even one honest line makes the novelhall algorithm notice ???? Give us suggestions — we read ’em all and love improving ???? Join the Discord — come yell at us live: @lyta17 And fun little lore tidbit for the road: when we mention the WN Agency, we’re talking about the actual novelhall Agency, the real-world side of the platform where our beloved troublemaker manager, Han Jin-woo, works behind the scenes handling contracts, clone paperwork, and probably deleting embarrassing Do-hyun footage before it goes viral. Think of it like the secret headquarters where fiction meets reality... and nobody stocks the fridge. So please — don’t underestimate your support. Every tiny action you take multiplies across the system. You are part of this world now. Not just watching it. Let’s grow this story together. Let’s take it to the front page. Let’s make Kim Do-hyun’s name echo across novelhall like a critical hit. Clone 6 out — back to gaming. My team’s yelling, but I regret nothing. ????????⚡ L ⚡ Y ⚡ T ⚡ A ⚡ 6 ⚡ (Still underleveled, still full of heart, still counting on you.)