Chapter 12: Forced Conscription

“What? I’m an assistant mod? I never agreed to this!” I angrily messaged Hwajuyeon.

[What? I never agreed to be an assistant mod! Did you just appoint me on a whim?]

[Hwajuyeon: Absolutely not. When an assistant mod request is received, a window appears to accept or reject it.]

[You’re lying!]

[Hwajuyeon: Or perhaps you accidentally accepted it? It happens sometimes.]

Reading her message, I remembered a notification that had appeared and quickly disappeared. I hadn’t paid attention, but that was probably it.

[Ah, I accidentally accepted it. Is there any way to undo it?]

[Hwajuyeon: Nope. Anyway, please post something quickly. Everyone’s freaking out!]

[But I really…]

[Hwajuyeon: You already accepted. What can be done? Since you’re doing it, why not do a good job?]

[It’s unpaid labor…]

[Hwajuyeon: What? No, you get paid regularly, and it even counts as work experience for future jobs.]

Hwajuyeon’s persuasive words began to sway me. The salary was good, but the work experience was even better. I stared at the screen with trembling hands.

[Hwajuyeon: So it’s better to just do it, right? We even have meetups here; it’s great!]

[Yes…]

I wondered if managing an online community actually counted as work experience, but I figured someone with experience would know better, so I decided to trust her.

They pay and it counts as work experience; I had no reason to refuse. I sent a positive reply to Hwajuyeon and turned my attention to my laptop.

[Assistant mods ignore casual users f*ck][6]

[This assistant mod doesn’t seem right either.][2]

[Aren’t assistant mods only chosen by the head mod?][9]

[No post in 3 seconds, and I’m launching a tactical nuke.][15]

What the hell? This is terrifying! Especially the last one. I started typing immediately.

[[Question] Title: Hello][23]

[Author: Kim Jia]

Excuse me, does anyone know how to remove the blue tag?

[Likes: 5 / Dislikes: 2]

[All Comments]

00: Newbie’s slow to greet.

00: This assistant mod needs training. Their profile is pure.

Loo: I just checked; zero posts, zero comments. A bug? Why did the head mod appoint this person?

00: They must have impressed her.

00: Them?

oo: If you’d been one second later, I’d have launched that tactical nuke.

Kim Jia: Phew. I lived.

00: You’ll see lots of tactical nukes managing the late-night gallery, so don’t worry.

Kim Jia: Ah?

ThisPostWasWrittenByACat: lolololololololol

Approx.YuriFlower: What? Run!

Kim Jia: It’s too late…

My belated post quickly became the center of attention.

[Title: Jia-lez, you’re the new assistant mod?][7]

[Author: 00]

Let’s see what our new assistant mod can do!

[Likes: 12 / Dislikes: 4]

[All Comments]

00: Hey, don’t do that.

00: Season 1 assistant mod getting destroyed lol

Loo: Crazy b*tch lololololololololololol

L00;lololololololololololol

Loo: Does the first person to use a tactical nuke get to be the first to ban someone?

00: That’s pretty good.

[Title: This assistant mod is a complete newbie][12]

[Author: OnlyVirginMTF]

I checked their profile; it’s totally clean.

[Likes: 3 / Dislikes: 0]

[All Comments]

00: It could be a secondary account.

OnlyVirginMTF: I’ve been in this gallery for 10 years; secondary accounts are obvious; this one’s real.

Loo: Crazy gallery person.

Loo: Old hag…

OnlyVirginMTF: fcking btch, I’m not an old hag.

NotAVirgin: Look at them, smelling a newbie lol

OnlyVirginMTF: I don’t associate with non-virgins.

[Title: What if we launch a tactical nuke now?][14]

[Author: 00]

Give the new assistant mod their first experience; be the first to get banned by a newbie.

[Likes: 1 / Dislikes: 1]

[All Comments]

00: Oh, I like this.

OnlyVirginMTF: lol

00: Seriously? Don’t joke lolololololol

Kim Jia: No, don’t…

Loo: The newbie’s here lol

OnlyVirginMTF: This is like seeing a newly-adult college student reject someone’s advances; it’s hot.

00: How do lesbians know these things so well…?

[Title: Is it just me, or is the new assistant mod hot?][19]

[Author: 00]

After seeing the crazy assistant mods, the polygamous assistant mods, the furry assistant mods, and the colluding head mod, this normal newbie is something else.

[Likes: 26 / Dislikes: 0]

[All Comments]

00: Wow, the mods are all idiots.

Loo: That’s nothing; there have been far worse hypocritical assistant mods.

Loo: How did they get taken down?

Loo: The head mod got bored and dumped them. She hates that personality type.

Loo: The head mod chooses assistant mods based on her preferences, so…

00: I like how they respond to everything.

Loo: lol The newbie is totally giving off newbie vibes; it’s so hot.

00: But don’t you think it’s frustrating that they don’t know anything?

Loo: That’s what’s good about it. Ugh.

[Title: When is the next Yuri Gallery meetup?][26]

[Author: OnlyVirginMTF]

Can we see the new assistant mod at the meetup?

[Likes: 42 / Dislikes: 3]

[All Comments]

Hanna: Don’t get your hopes up.

OnlyVirginMTF: Since the head mod only picks those she likes, their looks are guaranteed.

Hanna: No, you won’t be there anyway, so don’t get your hopes up lol

OnlyVirginMTF: fcking btch.

00: Wow, discrimination against casual users.

OnlyVirginMTF: If you don’t like it… you know what to do.

00: I’ll make a regular account out of spite.

OnlyVirginMTF: Yeah, and you won’t post anything. I know.

The posts were getting weird. They kept mentioning wanting to have s*x with me.

As I worried about handling this, a new post appeared. A bright orange tag next to the nickname. Hwajuyeon’s post.

[[★]Title: Jia is mine; touch her, and you’re dead.][62]

Hwajuyeon…? I appreciate her stopping the gossip, but that statement is extremely open to misinterpretation. What will people think of me?

[Hwajuyeon: Did I do well!]

[Hwajuyeon: (Duck emoticon with sparkling eyes)]

Whether she knew or not, she sent me a cheerful message. It was a kind gesture, so I was grateful.

[Thank you…]

[Hwajuyeon: (Shy rabbit emoticon)]

[Hwajuyeon: Oh, by the way, there’s a group chat for the moderators. Please join!]

[Hwajuyeon: I’ll send you the link now.]

[Hwajuyeon: https://nhvnovels.com/novels/i-became-the-main-admin-of-the-lily-community/ Password: 6969!]

She sent a flurry of messages followed by a link. Is it okay to create a secret group chat like that? This community is bizarre.

I wanted to ask about it, but I was too afraid. Hwajuyeon must have a reason for remaining in power for so long.

I hadn’t spoken to the other assistant mods, and I was scared. As an extreme introvert, could I adapt? I felt increasingly negative.

I tried to politely decline.

[I don’t know anyone…]

[Hwajuyeon: That’s fine!]

[Hwajuyeon: You’ll meet everyone at the meetup anyway, and the other assistant mods will like you.]

[The meetup?]

[Hwajuyeon: Yes, you have to attend as an assistant mod!]

My refusal was easily dismissed. And I had to attend the meetup. I’m bad at refusing… so I accepted.

I clicked the link; it was a password-protected group chat. I entered 6969 and joined.

[Baek Hwayeon: Oh, hello.]

[Cho Hyeseol: What? New assistant mod?]

[Hwajuyeon: Yep]

[Hwajuyeon: This is Kim Jia, our new assistant mod. Please treat her well.]

[Cho Hyeseol: Wow, Hwajuyeon rarely says that. Welcome.]

[Baek Hwayeon: Unnie, don’t get involved this time.]

[Cho Hyeseol: Does Hwajuyeon have a crush on Ji-a?]

[Baek Hwayeon: No! Unnie keeps flirting with every new assistant mod, and they all run away.]

The group chat seemed incredibly friendly. The conversation flowed quickly; it was hard to keep up. I was staring awkwardly at the chat when I received a question.

[Baek Hwayeon: Anyway, how did you become an assistant mod, Ji-a? How did you end up at an unpaid job…]

[What?]

[Baek Hwayeon: Didn’t you know? They don’t pay anything to manage the community.]

[And the work experience…?]

[Baek Hwayeon: Work experience? What’s that?]

What?