Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Idol (3)
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Click! Click!
Endless flashes from the cameras. Hundreds of lenses were focused solely on one person.
"We will now begin Ms. Cha Jiye's press conference."
As the moderator announced, the noise gradually died down, and Cha Jiye picked up the microphone.
"First, thank you all to the reporters who took time out of your busy schedules to be here."
Her voice didn't tremble.
The rehearsals repeated day after day—how many simulations had they run for this very moment?
The prepared script was perfectly memorized in her head.
"Regarding the recent rumors, I've come here to clearly state the facts."
Cha Jiye continued her statement calmly.
The man in the photos was just a colleague; malicious editing had been involved.
The speculation about her lyrics was groundless.
Clear, concise sentences crafted together with her agency's legal team.
They were logical, leaving no room for nitpicking.
"—That concludes my statement."
Cha Jiye let out a light breath.
A brief silence followed.
She could see the suspicions on the reporters' faces fading—proof that her statement had been sufficient.
The atmosphere wasn't bad. The key was to maintain it until the end. Cha Jiye steeled herself once more.
"We will now take questions."
No sooner had the moderator spoken than hands shot up from all over the reporters' section.
"You said the situation in the photos was during a mission—what kind of mission was it? Some backgrounds look like urban cafes or parks. Are you saying those were Hunter missions too?"
A question she'd anticipated. She answered without difficulty.
"Monsters don't distinguish between city centers and outskirts. Also, the photos include moments during transit or waiting before and after missions. Judging the full context by background alone is unreasonable."
"Then, could you explain the physical contact mentioned earlier? The photos make it look quite intimate for just supporting someone."
"It was situations like staunching a wounded colleague's bleeding or catching one who'd lost balance. Photos capture a split second, stripping away context and emphasizing a single frame."
The man nodded in agreement and sat down.
The early flow was as expected. Reporters raised hands, and those called on asked their questions.
Fact-checking, the agency's stance, future responses. Questions straight from the manual, answered calmly by Cha Jiye.
But the mood shifted in an instant.
"Ms. Cha Jiye, I have a question."
One reporter cut in without raising his hand.
"Are you even doing your Hunter work diligently in the first place? You rose to fame because of your unique idol-A-rank Hunter background—isn't this just for image? Are you really a Hunter?"
Cha Jiye was at a loss for words.
It wasn't a question; it was an attack denying her very identity.
The agency intervened, saying the question strayed from the point, but once the atmosphere soured, it spread uncontrollably.
"You dismissed the leaked photos as 'malicious editing'—do you have proof?"
"Just from photos, we can't tell if it was during a mission. How do you know it wasn't a date?"
"Is your relationship with the man in the photos really just normal colleagues?"
One drop of malice was enough to muddy the purpose of the conference.
"Even if it is, is it right for an idol to make such casual physical contact with colleagues? Fans buy into your pure idol image— isn't this outright deception?"
These were no longer questions. They were interrogations, assertions, condemnations.
Cha Jiye's lips went dry. She had to respond, but her mind went blank. The longer the pause, the more intense the flash barrage.
"Ms. Cha Jiye? No answer?"
Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her sweaty palm slipped on the mic. Her vision spun. Lingering flashes distorted her sight, reporters' faces twisting into monstrous shapes.
She couldn't breathe.
Someone's mouth gaped. They were shouting something, but her ears rang, muffling the sound. She knew bone-deep they were condemning her.
I want to run. Why did I insist on this? I want to escape right now. Should've had a spokesperson. No, shouldn't have done a press conference at all.
Her eyes burned, tears welling up. If she relaxed even a little, the dammed emotions would burst.
That was when it happened.
A foreign sensation riding the air. Mana trying to infiltrate her, failing, circling around her instead.
She instinctively pushed it away, then hesitated.
Flashing through her mind: the advice from the counselor she'd brought before the conference.
'If you suddenly sense someone's mana, don't resist—just accept it.'
Time pressed, so she'd had no chance to ask why before taking the stage.
Accepting unknown mana defenselessly. As a Hunter, she knew how dangerous that was. Some Awakeners could kill with mere contact.
She hesitated, then decided.
Suppressing her instinctive revulsion, Cha Jiye closed her eyes tight and accepted the foreign mana.
It seeped into her mind like mist, and a change occurred.
'Ah.'
Her body didn't tremble. Her heart didn't pound. The tension was gone.
As if negative emotions had been surgically removed from her brain—an artificial shift.
Cha Jiye slowly raised her head. The exploding camera lights no longer dazzled her eyes.
Her gaze went past the reporters' heads to the back of the conference hall.
The man who'd caused her change. He was looking at her too. Their eyes met in the air, and he nodded with a faint smile.
'Ahh...'
The storm of emotions swept away, replaced by cool, sharp reason.
Only then could Cha Jiye survey her surroundings objectively. Reporters shouting at her, their faces etched with righteous fury—but beneath, their true desires.
Suddenly, Cha Jiye found it a bit hard to hold back.
"…Pfft."
She let out a chuckle.
The reporters lunging at her words were no longer a problem. She now knew exactly what to do.
What do they want from me, hiding behind the mask of the right to know?
The plain truth? A perfect explanation?
No, that's not it. What these self-deceiving liars wanted was one thing.
Anticipation.
Anticipation for what Cha Jiye would show in this unfamiliar atmosphere, for the scoop from her lips.
In the end, they all expected idol Cha Jiye to deliver something.
So... doesn't that make them all my fans?
The only difference was the venue.
Camera flashes instead of spotlights. Shouts instead of cheers.
But the essence was the same: eyes on me, reacting to me, ready to thrill at my every move.
...This place was no different from a stage.
As an idol, she had to meet her fans' expectations.
Cha Jiye gripped the mic firmly and drew up her mana.
"Ah——————♪"
Her voice, infused with a single intent, rang through the hall.
Shutter clicks, murmurs, sharp questions—all sank beneath that clear tone. The chaotic space fell eerily silent.
The one wish she'd clung to moments ago: calm. Her heartfelt voice influenced the hundreds present.
The silence was first broken by a reporter's stammer.
"Hunters... can't just use abilities on civilians recklessly..."
"On stage, it's permitted as long as it doesn't harm. Feel free to check with the Association if you want."
Someone opened their mouth to protest—this wasn't a stage, it was illegal—but the words circled in their throat, unspoken.
Cha Jiye's voice lingered in their minds, and their calmly maintained psyches refused forced outrage.
Cha Jiye slowly looked around. Hush. Everyone focused on her, waiting without daring to interrupt.
An idol is... not someone swayed by others, but one who sways them.
Seeing the properly established dynamic at last, she smiled in satisfaction.
"I'll answer one by one."
Her voice now carried a light ease.
"Proof for calling it malicious editing? Of course. We requested the original footage from the Association for this—didn't you check, reporter?"
"'Casual contact as an idol? Deception to fans?' First off, I'm an idol and an Association-exclusive A-rank Hunter. My fans like Cha Jiye the active Hunter, not just the idol. Don't overstep."
"And when a monster's lunging to chew off limbs... keeping distance out of politeness would be the real abnormality, right? We're Hunters risking our lives, not playing house. Finally..."
She took a breath, glaring at one side—the source of this chaos.
"The reporter who asked if I'm even doing Hunter work diligently. Let me turn that around. How did you even attend if you don't know?"
Cha Jiye picked up a single sheet from the podium.
"As you see, just last month, over ten call-outs. The minimum for exclusive contracts is once a week—I've done more than double. Why? Hard to believe?"
She pointed to one side—not the reporters, but the observers' seats with related personnel.
"Conveniently, my Association handler is here. Verify it yourselves."
The reporters who'd pressured her moments ago fell silent. Before hundreds, an overwhelming presence dominated, unafraid and suppressing them.
So they forgot their duty and could only watch.
The moment idol Cha Jiye shone.
Realizing the conference's end, Cha Jiye stood.
As she moved to leave the stage, she paused as if struck by a sudden thought and returned to the mic.
Cha Jiye smiled brightly, her voice as bright as on stage.
"My new album drops next week. Please show it lots of love!"
With that, she unhesitatingly set down the mic and descended.
Click-clack. The hall remained in strange silence until her heels faded away.
Listening to her receding footsteps, I was sweating bullets.
...Was the ability a bit much?