229. Broadcast Appearance (3)
229. Broadcast Appearance (3)
『Meeting Hunters ─ Utopia Edition』
Preview.
The members of Utopia appear, and.
Cheers fill the studio.
But soon, the two MCs speak with grave expressions.
"Th-that······. F-first of all, th-the bracelet says true! It says it's the truth······?"
"Uh, um. That's all real······?"
"Why would we lie."
Kang Do-hee says it coldly.
"······So, would you happen to have any proof?"
"Yes, well. We can show you proof. Would you like to see the most recent one?"
Shin Se-hee nods calmly.
Then the screen transitions, and a letter appears.
[ Have you ever had a girlfriend? And if so, how many times? ]
The preview ends with a shot of Jin Yu-ha, his hair grown long, opening his mouth to answer the question.
It was a short but intense video.
─ I was in the live audience. You absolutely have to watch Meeting Hunters this time. If you miss it, you're losing half your life? Nah, forget that. You're losing your entire life lol
Thanks to the Meeting Hunters production team's preview, crafted with genuine passion for promotion,
and the collaboration of audience members who swarmed the internet like a plague of locusts even before the broadcast,
a few days later.
When 『Meeting Hunters ─ Utopia Edition』 finally aired,
people whose attention had been thoroughly grabbed gathered in front of their TVs.
─ heart pounding heart pounding heart pounding it's finally starting!
─ good lord, I'm an active-duty hunter. why are people so obsessed with them? they're just cadets.
─ yeah right. I'm watching 'cause everyone's been so damn loud about it.
When the party members first appeared and had light, casual conversation, there wasn't much of a reaction.
It was just a chorus of praise for Jin Yu-ha's changed appearance.
─ wow, he got so damn cool-looking with long hair······.
─ I normally don't like guys with long hair, but Jin Yu-ha looks so sexy with it.
─ he's entertaining just to look at lol god-tier broadcast, agreed
But as the party members slowly began to speak and Utopia's exploits were revealed in earnest,
viewer reactions gradually began to overheat.
─ wait, lol lol are they saying all of that is actually real······?
─ huh? but the lie-detector artifact is green?
─ yeah, can't you tell it's complete bullshit? it's all crap, right? they're only first-years, right?
─ they must've embellished it.
─ shut down this fake broadcast!!!
Because, well, they couldn't believe it.
No matter how much they tried to believe it, the things Utopia was claiming to have done were simply too absurd.
And then, the MC's comment that scratched that itch perfectly. The very scene that had appeared in the preview.
"······So, would you happen to have any proof?"
THUD—!!
The Fire Dragon head appeared on set.
In that moment, Meeting Hunters' viewership shattered its peak, achieving a staggering instantaneous rating of [Viewership 45%].
─ insane······. how is this real······?
─ what the hell is Utopia?
─ no, it's a lie. it's gotta be a lie! there's no way that's real!!!
After the broadcast ended like that,
the internet was flipped upside down once again.
Because everything Utopia had done up to that point was a shock in and of itself to the public.
─ no, screw this. isn't all of this fabricated? it feels like they're just trying to elevate Utopia to godhood. I admit they're pretty good. but even so, this is just too much! they're only first-years!!
Even with the Fire Dragon head planted right there on set, plenty of people still couldn't believe it.
But then.
[ I was in the same party as Gukppap and Jin Yu-ha when they first met at Camela Forest. ]
First, I'll reveal my name. I'm a 3rd-year hunter. Go Yoon-seo.
Gukppap is my real-life friend. I was the Damage Dealer during Camela Forest.
I'll take questions.
.
.
.
[ Hello. It seems some people question how Jin Yu-ha, who entered the academy through the male quota, won the group sparring······. ]
─ Velvet Hunter Academy Cadet Verification.JPG
I'm a cadet who watched it live at the scene.
I got chills for real back then.
.
.
.
[ The Demonized Human subjugation at the beginning of the semester.ssul ]
I'm a 2nd-year currently attending the academy.
You'll know my verification if you look at my previous posts.
I'll tell you the story about the Demonized Human subjugation at the start of the semester.
I haven't been able to tell it because of academy security until now······. haa, finally I can.
Among the 2nd-year cadets there was this pink-haired dumbass bitch named Choi A-ram who got held back a year.
I almost died because of her back then too.
.
.
.
[ Testimony from the Demonized Human subjugation during vacation ]
I am a victim who was kidnapped by a Demonized Human and rescued by Jin Yu-ha.
Back then, I believe Support Im Ga-eul first uploaded the video with the eighth-grader syndrome concept. That was absolutely not a playful situation or staged.
If Jin Yu-ha hadn't come to save me that day, I wouldn't be in this world anymore.
.
.
.
With perfect timing, people began posting their testimonies.
And they included evidence so specific it was impossible to call it lies.
In other words.
Everything said on the broadcast was not a lie, but the truth.
─ holy shit, so Jin Yu-ha was just an insane bastard······?
One sentence posted by a user spoke for everyone.
By this point, it was only natural that Jin Yu-ha and Utopia were going beyond just a party and becoming a syndrome.
They had no choice.
Utopia had already been known as remarkable just from what had been publicly revealed, but now it turned out they had done even greater things behind the scenes.
It was a situation that invited not just admiration but patriotic fervor as well.
Meanwhile, as things were unfolding like that,
the Jin Yu-ha and Utopia fan cafe.
【 Flower on the Cliff 】
This place was a scene of madness of a slightly different texture.
Hundreds, thousands of screenshots from Jin Yu-ha's broadcast were uploaded,
and hundreds of comments appeared with every refresh.
─ yo this is seriously insane······. what happened to his looks??? no but, his hair used to be short! now that he's grown it out, that male-type energy······. fuck I can't handle this······?
└ and what are you gonna do if you can't handle it?
└ I'm gonna smash through every wall in existence.
─ but the backstories of how he got close with the Utopia girls are super fascinating too. they all got saved or helped by Jin Yu-ha. ······I wish Yu-ha would save me too. I've been trapped in my room for 28 years now······.
└ for real lol they said Ichika, the Special, got saved from almost being taken by an incubus. don't you think she might've mistaken Jin Yu-ha for an incubus?
└ that possibility······. is there······!
└ watching Yu-ha on broadcast, I felt like I was being seduced in real time too.
─ no, forget everything else! Jin Yu-ha, with that face, is really someone who's never had a relationship······? holy shit, I still can't believe it even as I'm watching this lol if you're gonna use a face like that, give it to me!
└ hey. look at Jin Yu-ha's schedule······. could you live like that?
└ looking at that, he really has no time to meet women······. and it's not even a lie. if you look at the photos posted by that guy with the high nose, it's always training pics drenched in sweat.
└ that's why I like it even more.
─ he got so provoked by the question about having no girlfriend lol infinite replaying the gif of him talking faster and getting heated. so damn crazy lol seriously way too cute!!!!
└ a gorgeous face who's never had a relationship actually exists!!!!
└ that legendary creature is real!?
[ guys, people who watched Meeting Hunters today, gather up for a sec. ]
shall we have a little Yu-ha worship time?
─
Yu-men······!
─
If Jin Yu-ha is sorry, then academy life ends.
─
"The answer to that problem is Damage Dealer. You can't even solve that?"
Jin Yu-ha said to the academy tactics Instructor.
─
Jin Yu-ha : Yes.
Questioner : Can you see the future?
─ From Jin Yu-ha's interview ―
─
Jin Yu-ha was bitten by a Nakey. The venomous snake died 3 days later.
─
"What did the Fire Dragon head look like again? I've forgotten."
When Jin Yu-ha wondered, a passing Fire Dragon cut off its own head and offered it up.
─
At Velvet Academy, Instructors may ask Jin Yu-ha a question only after raising their hand.
* * *
The day after Utopia's broadcast aired.
I was on my way out after a class.
I let out a deep sigh.
"······Damn, this is a shitshow."
I'd known.
That if the broadcast was a success, my fame would go way up and I'd get swamped with attention.
Yeah, I'd expected it to some degree, but.
It seemed it was way too much of a success.
Especially when I recalled what just happened in the 『Advanced Tactics Class』,
a hollow laugh escaped my lips involuntarily.
The moment class started,
the Instructor suddenly raised his hand and stared right at me. I wondered what was going on.
"Hm, I've heard that in this class, I need Cadet Jin Yu-ha's permission to speak. Would it be all right if I spoke?"
"Excuse me?"
"Right. Thank you for granting permission, Cadet Jin Yu-ha."
Okay, that was fine up to there.
It was when a problem came up in the middle of class.
The Instructor raised his hand again and looked at me.
"Sorry to interrupt during the break. What is the answer to this, Cadet Jin Yu-ha?"
"It's······. Damage Dealer."
"I thought so. Thank you for bestowing your teachings, Cadet Jin Yu-ha."
Of course, the Instructor was saying it as a joke. And from the way the other cadets in the class burst out laughing,
it seemed like he just found my reaction entertaining······.
Doing it once is funny, and twice is a gag.
But from the third time on, it's beating a dead horse!
As that kind of exchange kept repeating throughout the whole class, my face turned bright red and I was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
'This is not it······!'
This is way too much for me, I can't take it.
I seriously can't even say a single word!
'Hoo······. From now on, no matter where I go, I have to stick with my party members.'
At least I'll be at ease if I'm with my party members.
And since we're all part of Utopia, the aggro will be spread out.
Then people's stares won't be as blatant as they are now.
.
.
.
Without ever dreaming that even this exact reaction was part of the Utopia Party members' plan,
Jin Yu-ha wandered around searching for his party members with a desperate heart.
etc)
The night of the day Meeting Hunters was filmed.
A drinking gathering for the women only, assembled to celebrate after confirming that Jin Yu-ha was a pure man with no ex-girlfriends.
Celebrating Jin Yu-ha's purity,
the reason for gathering was a little questionable.
But even if they hadn't been able to ask until now, the existence of a former lover for Jin Yu-ha
was a matter of grave importance to those aiming for the spot beside him,
and since everyone was happy, they willingly raised their glasses.
Shin Se-hee, who had been drinking with a bright smile, opened her mouth with a voice slightly tinged with tipsiness.
"Of course, Jin Yu-ha becoming famous was something that would have happened naturally someday even if we didn't do anything. Because he's such an exceptional person. But with this, the sooner the better. Mainly, for us······."
Lee Yu-ri tilted her head.
"Huh? Why? Jin Yu-ha doesn't really like getting attention from strangers. If it was going to happen anyway, did we really need to rush it like this?"
"Right. My hoobae Yu-ha is pretty sensitive to people approaching him, and he puts up a solid Iron Wall, you know?"
Sofia, who had been listening, clapped her hands together as if she now understood what Shin Se-hee was trying to say.
"Ah, I think I understand. Because Jin Yu-ha finds public attention burdensome. So that means he'll naturally gravitate toward where he feels comfortable, right?"
"Hm, a place where the Yellow Dog feels comfortable······."
Kang Do-hee trailed off, but everyone thought the same thing.
"That would be, us?"
Ichika, who liked certainty, drove the point home.
'Certainly, he's someone who was going to become famous someday anyway, so making him famous a little sooner······. isn't there nothing bad about it?'
And so, everyone raised the glasses before their eyes to their lips and shared the same thought inwardly.
Gulp─
'That way, Jin Yu-ha will come closer to us instead of letting his eyes wander elsewhere.'
Somehow, the alcohol tasted as sweet as honey.