<Episode 32>
The nation’s only S-rank hunter. A mysterious figure whom everyone was curious about, yet who refused all interviews unrelated to the gates. That person was none other than Hunter Lee Hyunwoo.
“So you’re saying you intend to use me right now?”
The next day, after receiving my message, he came near the shop and frowned in displeasure. I carefully nodded.
“I think it’s important to redirect people’s attention somewhere else.”
“Why me of all people? There are plenty of other hunters.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered other hunters.
But they all had issues.
Hunter Kang Min absolutely wouldn’t lose in terms of fame, but Shinhye would definitely go berserk.
I didn’t think it would be possible to stir up a scandal sensational enough with Hunter Ria to bury the rumors, and I still wasn’t close enough to Hunter Suhyeon to make this kind of request.
In the end, the only option left was the noble S-rank hunter wrapped in mystery.
After hearing my explanation, he spoke as though letting out a sigh.
“I understand the situation. But I’m not used to interviews like this…”
“You don’t have to be so nervous. You just need to naturally chat and bring up some interesting topics.”
He lightly bit his lip in discomfort. Running a hand over his face, he finally nodded as if he had made up his mind.
“Very well. Then, from when should we say we started dating?”
“…What?”
Dating? Who? Us?
Startled by the sudden auditory hallucination, I slapped at my ears.
“…Weren’t you suggesting we say that we’re dating?”
“What?! Don’t say something so insane!”
I jumped in panic and tried to cover his mouth before someone heard us.
Well, I tried to. My arms were too short to reach.
In the end, he subtly bent down after reading the situation. Covering his mouth, I lowered my voice.
“Don’t ever casually say things like that outside. I’ll get socially buried alive.”
“…Why would you get buried alive?”
Hah, this man was seriously dense.
First of all, his rank. He was an extremely precious S-rank hunter coveted by the entire world. The hurdle was already impossibly high from that alone. His dating life would obviously turn into a national-level scandal.
Next, his appearance. It wasn’t just his rank that was extraordinary; his unreal looks were also a problem. The high bridge of his nose beneath my palm, his soft skin, and his moist…
“Ugh! Anyway, getting caught in a dating rumor with you is the express route to ruin!”
Trying to bury the scandal with Park Jaemin by spreading a rumor that I was dating Lee Hyunwoo? That was like burning down your entire house just to catch a bedbug.
‘The direction of the rumors would become even weirder instead.’
Right now, people are focused on my relationship with Park Jaemin. But if rumors suddenly spread that I was dating someone else, it would look like I was weighing two men against each other.
‘That’s the kind of thing that gets you permanently canceled.’
What I wanted from him wasn’t some cheap dating scandal. Everyone was already curious about him, so even just showing a slightly different side of himself would be enough.
“You barely do personal interviews, right?”
“Yes. I don’t see the necessity.”
“How about trying to feel that necessity a little this time?”
I clasped my hands together tightly and looked up at him pleadingly. After letting out a quiet groan, he eventually nodded.
“Wow! Really? You’ll answer personal questions during interviews too?”
Reporters asked all kinds of questions besides gate-related topics. Recently, one reporter had even absurdly asked a hunter whether he preferred pouring sauce over fried food or dipping it.
If Hunter Lee Hyunwoo simply answered questions like that, it would attract an enormous amount of attention.
Grinning to myself as I imagined his interview dominating the front page of the news, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Instead, I also have a favor to ask of Hunter Haneul.”
“Me?”
“I’d like you to grant me one request.”
A request from Hunter Lee Hyunwoo? What could it be?
‘It’s not like he’s going to ask to borrow money… so what is it?’
I urged him to tell me immediately, but he simply shook his head lightly.
“When the opportunity comes next time. I’ll tell you then.”
***
Time passed mercilessly.
Even though I had come up with my own countermeasure, that didn’t mean the problem would resolve overnight.
“So that’s her? She’s not even that pretty.”
“Seriously. And she’s only an F-rank.”
‘I can hear every single word, you know.’
People pretending to pass by the shop would sneak glances at me while whispering with strange smiles. Ever since Park Jaemin’s interview aired, this kind of thing has happened several times a day.
And that wasn’t all.
– Haneul’s shop? LOL that nobody store owner really hit the jackpot– My friend’s friend knows her, and apparently her personality totally sucks ㅠㅠ Jaemin-ah, run away…!
Malicious comments about me flooded the articles covering Park Jaemin’s interview. I turned off my phone screen and pressed hard against my throbbing temples.
“Unni, are you okay?”
“…Yeah, well. It’s kind of refreshing and fun in its own way.”
Fun my ass. I wish people would lose interest in me already.
‘Hunter Lee Hyunwoo needs to get out of that gate as soon as possible.’
He had entered a new gate today, so the interview would happen in a day at the earliest… or a week at the latest.
“When life is painful, the best cure is food filled with blessings, nya.”
For once, Hanyang said something sensible. I immediately took a huge bite out of a freshly baked spicy fish-shaped bun. I desperately needed stress relief.
“Ahh! That one was reserved for the next customer…!”
Ari cried out with a devastated expression, but there was nothing I could do. My survival came first.
Ding
“The atmosphere looks nice in here. Have you been well?”
At that moment, a man with a soft, beautiful voice opened the shop door and walked inside. Every customer in the shop instantly turned their heads back and forth between him and me.
“…Hunter Park Jaemin.”
The source of all this suffering. The origin of my stress. The utterly tiresome Hunter Park Jaemin.
Apparently, he hadn’t suffered even a little stress himself, because he entered looking flawless, with skin as smooth as a peeled egg.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
Leaving the shop in Ari’s care for a bit, I dragged him outside. Pretending he couldn’t resist my strength, he followed along and let out a small laugh.
“You must have missed me a lot to welcome me so enthusiastically.”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”
“You look exhausted. Did something happen?”
His calm response made my insides boil. I pounded my fist against my chest and ground my teeth.
“This is all because of you! Why are you tormenting people by saying weird things?”
“…Did you perhaps not like it? I assumed you’d naturally be happy.”
“not like it”… it was absolutely the worst! Seeing my expression turn murderous, he lightly raised both hands and stepped back.
“Don’t women usually like surprise confessions like this? Your reaction is different from what I expected.”
“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived, but stop assuming everyone automatically likes you!”
I strode toward him as if I were about to grab him by the collar. Holding his breath slightly, he avoided my gaze.
“Do you have any idea how much stress I’ve suffered because of the careless things you said?”
“No, I, well…”
“If you have even a shred of conscience, then fix this yourself. Understood? Otherwise, I don’t know what I might do.”
When I sharply raised a finger at him as if threatening to stab him, he hurriedly nodded.
Leaving the half-dazed man behind, I dusted off my hands and returned to the shop.
“You suddenly seem to be in a good mood, nya.”
“Maybe because I finally said what I needed to say? I feel so refreshed.”
Thankfully, the very next day, Hunter Park Jaemin officially clarified the rumors through an article.
[She’s simply an item creator who appeared like a comet within the Bureau, so I’ve been watching her with interest. There were absolutely no romantic intentions involved.]
He explained that Alpha Team had been considering making an official request to her shop and that he had only joked around a little during the interview for entertainment purposes.
The moment the phrase “official request” came out, people’s interest instantly cooled. Perhaps because another, even more interesting topic had appeared.
Hunter Lee Hyunwoo’s interview.
“Unni! Did you see this? Why is he suddenly acting like this?”
“…Who knows. Maybe he had a change of heart?”
Unaware that Park Jaemin had already released a clarification article, Lee Hyunwoo faithfully followed through on his promise and earnestly participated in interviews the moment he exited the gate.
As a result, trivial bits of information spread nationwide… like how he styled his hair in the mornings, what music he listened to when bored, and whether he preferred dogs or cats.
“When they asked him to choose between dogs and cats, why did he suddenly start talking about squirrels?”
“Yeah, I’m not really sure about that one either…”
Watching his interview clips on TubeYou, Ari furrowed her brows in confusion.
Still, thanks to that, the strange rumors surrounding me gradually lost momentum and melted away.
Enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for the first time in a while, I hummed cheerfully.
“As expected, quietly running my shop without attracting attention is the best.”
And incidents always erupted during peaceful times.
Comments (0)