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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Reunion and Rupture
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“You used to like idols, Ha-ra. But you've never been to a broadcast station before?”
That was because the idol Ha-ra liked most in high school was a total flop.
Not only did they rarely appear on music shows, but eventually, they couldn't appear on them at all. That was because one of the members, Kwon Wook, reawakened as an S-rank Hunter, and several other members died in that dungeon.
For the record, it wasn't that she stopped liking idols after becoming a civil servant. It was just that her father would throw a fit if he saw anything resembling an idol poster in the house. He said she’d caused him enough embarrassment to last a lifetime.
So it was incredibly difficult to be an open fan at home. If she went to a public broadcast and her face was caught on camera, Kang Ha-ra would be dead meat.
Besides, like anyone in civil service, she was so buried in work that by the time she came to her senses, she'd been forced into becoming a front-row fan from her own living room.
It would be a bit much to explain all of this. Ha-ra kept her mouth shut.
The floor director standing in front of them chimed in with a smile.
“Do you like idols?”
“Ah, no…”
Ha-ra trailed off. Yu-jeong waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t mind her. Our Ha-ra is a little shy.”
“Ah, I see. This way, please.”
The studio was a completely alien environment. There seemed to be dozens of lights, and there were five large cameras, the likes of which she’d never seen before.
Ha-ra flinched and tried to hide in a corner, but Yu-jeong tutted and pulled her out.
“I need you here watching over me so I can work.”
“I have a phobia of cameras…”
“It’s not like they’re filming you. What’s the big deal? Hmm?”
Ha-ra had developed her camera phobia after a video of her wailing was broadcast nationwide during her second year of high school. The time when she’d grabbed a reporter, not realizing he was ten seconds from going live, and sobbed—landing her on the real-time search rankings and immortalized on X-Tube.
Just thinking about it made her dizzy. She would never do something like that again…
It was at that moment.
“Camera rehearsal is starting. Where’s Se-heon?”
Se-heon. Ha-ra flinched at the familiar name.
Right after, a deep, resonant voice sounded from directly behind her.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Eek!”
Ha-ra was so startled she jumped. Her sudden movement surprised the person behind her, who instinctively grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
“Are you all right?”
“Huh? Y-y-y-y-y-yes!”
“…Yes?”
He was a handsome man with strong features. A well-tailored, high-end suit; eyes that held a hint of a smile despite his slight surprise; and a height that put him three or four handspans taller than her.
Voted ‘Korea’s Favorite Journalist’ in a Korea GalX poll, and ‘3rd Most Influential Celebrity, Non-Entertainer Category’ for 202X.
In any case, he was a reporter for a public broadcasting station who enjoyed all sorts of fame. The man who was also the main anchor for the 9 o’clock news.
“My apologies. I seem to have startled you. Are you all right?”
“Uh, yes, yes. I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m really okay, so please go, no, you can go…!”
And for Ha-ra, the most mortifying man to run into.
Yoon Se-heon.
The man who had been a main character in the ‘Ugi Oppa Incident’—in other words, the central figure of Ha-ra’s dark past.
“…You want me to go?”
the man asked, bewildered.
His voice was low and pleasant, but to Ha-ra, it was terrifying. After all, he was her trauma trigger.
Thanks to that video immortalized on X-Tube, Ha-ra had been publicly humiliated nationwide.
For this man, however, it had been a stroke of good fortune.
A handsome intern reporter for a public broadcast station, calmly comforting a panicking, wailing high school girl while holding her hand and continuing his live report. Of course, he was bound to become a national star.
While Ha-ra went from a high school senior to a rookie civil servant, and then spent ten years as ‘just a loser,’ this man’s career had soared. His handsome looks became a hot topic, of course, but an incident where he saved a child caught in a suddenly expanding rift during a broadcast also played a part.
From a rookie reporter to a morning news anchor, and then to the main news anchor.
Incidents like the ‘Minjin Party Profanity Incident’ and the ‘Hunter Agency Head Showdown’ made him a polarizing figure, but he was undeniably famous.
*‘…That must be why the station is going out of its way to film a promotional video like this with him.’*
For the record, Yoon Se-heon had even talked about Ha-ra on a talk show.
[I’m sure she’s living well now.]
*Am I living well?*
[I’d really like to find that student someday.]
*No… I decline.*
For the record, Kwon Wook, who had become an S-rank Hunter, had also mentioned Ha-ra on his personal X-Tube channel.
[Ah, I know her. She came to my fan signs so often that I remember her face. She was a great student, too.]
*Ah, Oppa. Please don’t remember me.*
Most people think fans would be thrilled if a celebrity remembered their face. But from a fangirl’s perspective, it was a disaster. A disaster on the level of an S-rank Gate.
Of course, if Kwon Wook had remained a flop forever, it might have ended as a slightly happy memory, but now he was one of only eight S-rank Hunters in Korea.
[I really want to see her again. Friend, I’m at the Gwanghwamun Seoul Branch, so come find me anytime.]
After seeing that interview, Ha-ra avoided the Gwanghwamun area entirely.
*Oppa, did you know? I’m a civil servant just like you…*
In any case, whether it was Kwon Wook or Yoon Se-heon, they were people Ha-ra wanted nothing to do with.
So, on the day Yoon Se-heon came to the Mapo Branch for the shoot, Ha-ra had hidden in the Magic Stone storage, screaming internally, *‘Why did it have to be him!?’*
Originally, today’s broadcast was supposed to have been filmed and finished at the Mapo Branch’s Magic Stone management office.
But the office had been completely wrecked because of an A-rank Magic Stone that Ha-ra accidentally detonated while hiding that day. The shoot was naturally canceled, which led to today’s situation.
“Oh my. Hello, Mr. Yoon Se-heon.”
“Ah, hello.”
Just then, Yu-jeong approached and offered a handshake to a bewildered-looking Se-heon. Se-heon’s expression quickly changed, and he smiled as he shook her hand.
“You’re Hunter Shim Yu-jeong, right? It’s a pleasure. Good to see you again.”
“Yes. You must have been quite surprised that day. I hope you were all right.”
“I’m fine. The Mapo Branch, however…”
As Yu-jeong exchanged greetings with Se-heon, she subtly shielded Ha-ra behind her. Ha-ra wept internally and thanked Yu-jeong.
At the Mapo Branch, Yu-jeong was the only one who knew Ha-ra was the protagonist of the ‘Ugi Oppa Incident.’ This was because Ha-ra’s appearance in the video was quite blurry, and it had been so long that most people’s memories of it were vague.
Therefore, Yu-jeong was also the only one who knew that Ha-ra desperately wanted to avoid Se-heon.
“Excuse me, but the Hunter behind you… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”
“Oh my! Anchor Yoon, you have something on your face.”
“I do? Where…”
“Some handsomeness!”
Ha-ra, still in hiding, was aghast. Where did she dig up a line from a fan sign in the eighties? Good grief, how ridiculous.
An awkward laugh blossomed between Yu-jeong and Se-heon. In any case, she had succeeded in diverting Se-heon’s attention.
Meanwhile, Ha-ra stealthily backed away and made a full retreat to a corner of the studio.
“Phew.”
Ha-ra breathed a sigh of relief.
But, to say it again.
Kang Ha-ra’s life never went the way Kang Ha-ra wanted.
Not even when meeting a Constellation.
＊ ＊ ＊
The rehearsal began.
As befitting the main news anchor, Yoon Se-heon led the program fluidly, and Yu-jeong also seemed to be doing a good job demonstrating with the Magic Stone she’d brought out.
“S-so, if I do this like this…”
Doing a good job…
“Uh oh, why isn’t it working? Ah,”
A good…
The rehearsal was halted immediately. The camera director frowned, and Yu-jeong looked like she was about to cry. It seemed she was too nervous.
“I’ve been so forgetful ever since having my baby…”
“It’s all right. Shall we try one more time? We have plenty of time.”
But after the rehearsal was stopped for the fifth time, even Yoon Se-heon could no longer say, “one more time.”
Yu-jeong looked over at Ha-ra, her face looking nauseous.
“Ha-ra…”
Ha-ra felt like she was going to be sick, too.
*‘I have a camera phobia. Please don’t say it. God, Buddha, Allah. Please save me.’*
“Ha-ra, you want to give it a try?”
Her vision went black. If it had been anything else, Ha-ra might have hesitantly agreed. After all, she had been managing Magic Stones for ten years.
But the person sitting next to her would be Yoon Se-heon. And this was a public service announcement that would air as the final segment of the 9 o’clock main news. Meaning the entire nation could see it.
What would happen if someone with a sharp eye recognized the two main figures of the ‘Ugi Oppa Incident’ sitting together and left a comment?
“You dare do anything to stand out and disgrace me one more time!”
Her father’s words seemed to echo in her ears. Ha-ra wanted to avoid that situation even if it killed her.
But in the midst of her panic, Se-heon added a word.
“If she is able to do it, I think it would be best for her to try.”
Ha-ra prayed again, desperately. *GodBuddhaAllahAndtheGrecoRomanGods, anyway, all you gods of the world, please help me. Please. Just help me.*
Normally, this kind of prayer goes unanswered.
Ha-ra hadn’t really been expecting anything when she prayed, either. Koreans are born and die surrounded by millions of shamanistic beliefs, after all.
But surprisingly, this time was different.
[A nameless star listens to your words.]
*What was that?*
Just as Ha-ra flinched at the system message that flashed before her eyes,
Rumble…
the sound of something collapsing could be heard. At the same time, the studio began to shake.
Thud, craaaack!
“What’s going on?”
“Aah!”
In a matter of seconds, lights came crashing down from the studio ceiling. People screamed. The air split apart with a dull tearing sound.
“What is this?!”
Shouts overlapped. As if in answer to the screams, the floor also tore open vertically with a sharp crack. Not the building, but space itself.
*No way.*
Ha-ra’s face went pale.
“It’s a Gate!”
*No, you crazy GodBuddhaAllahGrecoRomanGods and whatever other bastards are out there.*
*I asked you to get me out of filming the video, not to open a Gate here!*
