Chapter 290

Chapter 290. Palao’s Will (5)

Step, step.

The sound of footsteps echoed loudly, and it was no illusion. The owner of those footsteps was a person who carried a significant weight.

Everyone present remembered the events of a week-long fiery chaos in Gangnam not so long ago.

The endless explosions, the terrifying screams, the incessant discovery of bodies, and the shocking videos and photos uploaded everywhere without any censorship or mosaic were unforgettable.

‘That nightmare of a week felt unbearably long for us.’

Even those who weren’t physically present experienced the tragedy through online coverage.

That day, which was marked as a global disaster, lingered in everyone’s memory, stirring both big and small emotional wounds.

The one relief was that, for Korean people, these scars were relatively minor. This was due to the abnormally minimal financial losses and casualties.

‘The miracle was made by the players.’

Among them, the person with the most significant contribution was undoubtedly Hyunwoo, who was entering the news studio right now.

No one could deny that fact, especially after seeing the devastation India faced for not capturing the nemesis-rank quickly enough.

‘The world’s strongest player.’

Just his presence made the air feel heavier and somewhat carried a faint scent of blood.

Those inside the studio couldn’t remain unaffected by the pressure of a being who had taken thousands, or even millions of lives.

Of course, Park Hayoung was no exception, and she stiffened up. It had been a long time since she last met Hyunwoo.

That overwhelming tension brought back memories from those surreal past days.

The dull ringing in her ears, the cries of monsters, and the metallic smell of blood mixed with gunpowder.

If it continued, she surely would have panicked. But fortunately, “Um… should we come back later?”

Just hearing Hyunwoo’s voice immediately brought back the voice ingrained in her memories from that day.

– If you want to live, move.

– Run! Just keep looking forward and run to the barricade!

Thanks to those words filled with concern.

‘I’m alive.’

Park Hayoung, reminded that she was still alive, stood up quickly from her seat. She took deep breaths and approached Hyunwoo.

“Hyunwoo!”

Despite his intimidating presence, Hyunwoo’s demeanor seemed to soften.

“You’re giving me such a warm welcome just because I said something?”

With a smiling face, Hyunwoo extended his hand and wrapped his arm around Park Hayoung’s neck. It was a light headlock that didn’t bring any pain.

“How’ve you been?”

The unexpected, friendly gesture left everyone in the newsroom surprised as they watched the two.

Whether they were aware of these gazes, Park Hayoung and Hyunwoo conversed openly, as if they were back in their school days.

“You didn’t fly here today, did you?”

“I took a taxi.”

“Wow, you’ve finally matured? Every time your stories go up, the background is always the sky, so I was worried.”

“Hey, don’t exaggerate. I barely got caught a few times.”

“But each time got multiplied by hundreds! You should think about your social position! Everything gets left as evidence material later, so why don’t you act sensibly? Who do you think you are, superman?”

“Are you nagging me right now?”

Even amidst their friendly bickering, it was clear they were genuinely happy to see each other.

“You two seem to know each other well…?”

A producer approached them curiously, and Park Hayoung replied lightly.

“We went to high school together.”

“Oh, so that’s why the interview came about!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

In the short exchange between them, Hyunwoo interjected with a comment.

“To be precise, we were just classmates. I got my high school diploma by taking an equivalency exam instead of graduating.”

“Well, same thing!”

“It’s clearly different.”

“Wow, you’re still as strict as ever in that regard?”

“People don’t change easily.”

Hyunwoo, having released his arm from Park Hayoung’s neck, asked.

“By the way, why didn’t you mention we were classmates?”

“It wasn’t on purpose. I guess I missed the timing to say it?”

No sooner had she reported to her superiors that an interview with Hyunwoo was possible than everything started happening at once.

Everyone was so focused on the fact that he would be interviewed, they didn’t have time to consider how it came to be.

At present, Hyunwoo was that influential a figure, someone far beyond the reach of everyday people or even players.

Because of this, Jang Yeonhee had been picking fights, but that was over now.

‘Come on, it’s enough that he’s here.’

Seeing Jang Yeonhee glaring irritably from not too far away, Park Hayoung shook her head.

Meanwhile, Hyunwoo introduced himself to the producer.

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Kang Hyunwoo.”

“Ah, ah! Nice to meet you! I’m pleased to meet you! I’m PD Son Hoyoung, managing today’s interview. Here is Announcer Han Kyungsoo, who will be conducting the interview, this is the sound director, and…”

After brief introductions, the producer and Park Hayoung took a moment to observe Hyunwoo once more.

“Wow, you look even better than on UTube. The video should turn out well.”

“Right? I put some effort into my appearance today.”

The neat grey-toned slacks and a clean white shirt gave off an overall tidy vibe. The hair intentionally tousled added a stylish appearance.

Without any special accessories or dye, Hyunwoo’s sharp features left a strong impression.

“Honestly, who styled you?”

The reporter’s instinct stirred, and she casually inquired, to which Hyunwoo, slightly brushing his hair with a finger, replied,

“Oh, Yul helped me out when I mentioned I’ll be on a news interview.”

Hearing a name she knew well but didn’t expect to hear, Park Hayoung’s eyes widened.

“Yul? The Pink Retriever Kim Yul?!”

Hyunwoo’s expression suddenly stiffened. Opening and closing his mouth as if searching for words, he spoke in a clipped tone.

“… Please tell me I just heard that wrong. Pink…what?”

However, Park Hayoung, unaffected by Hyunwoo’s reaction, couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Pink Retriever! Didn’t you know? Yul is extremely popular these days! Honestly, you’re not much for communication. No social media, rarely uploading videos. But our Pink Retriever is different!”

“Pink…”

“He’s so adorable when he speaks. He even showed himself practicing Mana recently, did a Q&A, and he’s still young but very resourceful. Do you have a picture with him? Knowing he’s in the same party as you, I really deliberated on whether to mention it or not!”

Chattering away, Park Hayoung spoke of Kim Yul as the epitome of cuteness and star potential. Hearing specific words repeatedly, Hyunwoo’s expression grew increasingly peculiar.

Thankfully, the awkwardness didn’t last long.

“Uh, Mr. K, you should start preparing soon…”

The stage manager approaching behind the producer saved Hyunwoo, allowing him to follow with a sense of relief.

After putting on the microphone and taking his seat, Park Hayoung approached to let him in on a few procedures.

“When you see the cue sign, that’s when it starts. You’ve got about 10 minutes to spare.”

She even prepared a tumbler, should he become thirsty during the interview.

“What’s in this, coffee?”

“Just water. I’ll leave it beside your chair.”

Coinciding with the start of the opening segment from another studio, monitoring it through the in-studio display, Hyunwoo remarked,

“The opening is also live, right?”

“Yeah, the announcers handle that in another room. Once it’s time for your interview, the screen will switch.”

“Interesting.”

No sooner had Hyunwoo made his remark than a large caption appeared on the live news monitor.

「Humanity’s Hope – Exclusive Interview with Player K!」

“… The captions feel larger than usual, is it just me?”

“It’s not new. Captions were added to all programs scheduled today because of your interview. The news articles have been plastered everywhere too.”

“I’ve seen the articles, but… they’ve been promoting the interview on other broadcast programs?”

Just as Park Hayoung was about to respond, sudden exclamations arose from the producer and the production team.

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

Curious about the commotion, Park Hayoung turned her head towards the source of the noise and widened her eyes.

“Wow! Check out the real-time viewership numbers.”

“What about them?”

“Right there, look at that number.”

“Oh, um… why?”

“The digits are different from usual! It’s about twenty times the normal count, wow… and it’s still going up? The comments section is multilingual… there must be lots of international viewers!”

“Hmmm…”

Park Hayoung felt frustrated seeing Hyunwoo’s nonchalant face, showing no particular emotion.

“Hmmm, not quite an ‘Oh, wow!’ event! Don’t you realize the extent of your influence? Your name alone causes such a drastic effect!”

After listening to Park Hayoung’s remark, Hyunwoo’s gaze grew a bit deeper, pondering over something.

“So earlier, the things you said weren’t just idle nagging. There’ll be people trying to mimic everything you do. If they cause societal issues, many will latch onto you… Though it wouldn’t be your fault, as a journalist, I’ve seen famous individuals fall into controversy unexpectedly many times.”

“……”

“You don’t need a clear reason to dislike someone. I’m just saying… be mindful.”

Hyunwoo responded to Park Hayoung’s concern-laden words with a light chuckle.

“No need to worry. I told you, I really took a taxi.”

Before Park Hayoung could say more, the producer signaled for them to halt their conversation.

“We’ll talk later.”

“Sure.”

“Good luck with the interview.”

As she stepped out of the frame, the announcers mentioned the player on the monitor screen.

「Let us watch now.』

NBC commenced exclusive coverage of Hyunwoo’s interview as the screen shifted.

* * *

“This is unfair.”

After the interview, I took Park Hayoung to a cafe near the broadcasting station.

Her reaction upon arriving at the studio had been strange, so I wanted to see if there was any issue at hand.

Before I could even bring up the topic, Park Hayoung started with an unexpected comment.

“What is?”

Taking a long sip of the iced americano we ordered, whispers were audible everywhere.

And they all had their smartphone cameras directed at me, as a bonus. While I knew I had to get used to it, the frustration wouldn’t ease.

Fortunately, Park Hayoung’s perturbed expression as she extended her smartphone towards me allowed a quick change in focus.

「Around 1 PM, the Player’s Association announced the completion of the first refugee rescue with the cooperation of some players, and you were also part of that mission, mr. Hyunwoo.」

「Yes, I collaborated upon the Association’s request.」

「By refugees, do you mean individuals from other realms?」

「If you speak strictly of origin, yes.」

「Could you elaborate more about them?」

「I am not at liberty to freely discuss the matter of the migrants. I am merely a registered individual player, not part of the Association.」

「So you’re saying it’s similar to how I am a South Korean national but not a government employee?」

「Perfect analogy. It even serves well in explaining why I can’t officially provide more details beyond the Association’s announcement. In fact, I’ve been issued a gag order.」

「Then… could you share any unofficial insights instead of official ones?」

「Hmm, I wonder. Unofficial stories…」

「Mr. Hyunwoo, please, since you came all the way here, can’t you just give us one more word…?」

「Well, sometimes when they’re quiet, they can be quite cute?」

「Cute? Oh, I am genuinely curious. Who exactly came to Earth… Many in the live chat seem to be curious, too, but we’ll have to wait for extra announcements from the Player’s Association to know more.」

「Yes, considering the sensitivity of the issue.」

「Given Mr. Hyunwoo’s resolute expression, you seem unlikely to divulge anything. Instead, can I ask if there will be a second rescue after the first one… though that might be pointless?」

「Correct.」

This video footage was from the interview filmed at the studio a short while ago.

Damned System