The Price of Fame and a New Beginning
The reason my face ended up being plastered all over the media is quite simple. When the siren suddenly wailed during lunch, a crowd of people started filming, and some of them sent the footage of me to news outlets and broadcasting stations. Some of the resulting news reports failed to blur my face, leading to my exposure. I hurriedly edited the video on my channel, but it was meaningless to the viewers who had already watched it live.
Among those viewers was a newspaper reporter. Desperate for attention, they used a zoomed-in photo of my face to run a story. This was a clear violation of my portrait rights, and they should have faced severe sanctions, but it seems the newspaper company assumed my face was AI-generated. Consequently, the article was titled "Media Outlets Using AI-Generated Videos Without Verification," and the content primarily criticized the current state of the press. The failing newspaper had taken a rational gamble, and... it failed spectacularly. Naturally, because my face was not, in fact, AI-generated.
The newspaper shut down immediately, and the reporter who wrote the piece, along with the editors in charge, are now facing jail time. I don't know what kind of moronic newspaper that was. However, there is one big problem...
On internet communities, the articles about me and the news of the magazine's closure spread widely, which meant a few people now knew who I was.
"Miru, are you feeling better? There are no more physical issues. However, we recommend staying hospitalized a bit longer for mental stability. What would you like to do?" the nurse asked me.
"I'm fine. I think it would be better to go home and rest," I replied, declining the offer.
"Still... well, I understand. I'll process your discharge." The nurse looked slightly disappointed as she handled the paperwork.
My apartment was cleaner than I expected. It seemed the police had cleaned up after their investigation. "Is it okay to touch someone else's belongings like this?" I had some doubts about the scope of police administrative procedures, but I decided to let it slide, thinking it was better to be easygoing.
"Knock, knock, knock."
As soon as I entered, I heard a knock at the door. I braced my trembling body and approached the entrance.
"W-who is it?" I couldn't help but tremble; after all, I had almost been kidnapped.
"It's... it's me. Kang Hanna."
"Hanna-noona?"
Actually, I had heard a lot about Hanna-noona from the nurse. She had visited while I was unconscious and had even spoken to the police on my behalf, so I was very grateful. 'Above all, she's the one who saved me...' If it weren't for her, I might have been dragged away and spent a horrific time.
"Just a moment... I'll open the door." I opened the latch with trembling hands.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yes."
"You don't look okay. Can I come in for a second?"
"Y-yes, that's fine."
Once I gave permission, Kang Hanna stepped inside cautiously.
"Please, sit in that chair..."
"Okay..."
She sat in the chair, and I sat on the bed. I stared at the floor without a word.
"Ahem. Thank you. For saving me." I offered a simple word of gratitude.
"Huh? No, no. Don't thank me. If I had arrived sooner, this wouldn't have happened..."
"What are you saying? If it weren't for you, I... I can't even imagine what would have happened. So, please don't blame yourself unnecessarily. You are my savior."
"...Okay, I understand." The atmosphere grew quiet again.
"Noona, please help me with something."
"Yeah?"
"I... I don't think I can order delivery anymore." I shared my thoughts. "I think I've developed trauma... could you possibly help me?"
"How can I help?"
"...Could you eat with me? I'll pay for all the ingredients. Could you do the grocery shopping?"
"What? Well... I don't mind, but what will you do when I'm not around?"
"Starve, I guess?"
"...No way. I'll cook meals for you. Eat those."
"Yes, that's great!"
Hanna-noona easily agreed to my proposal. I was truly grateful that she even offered to cook for me.
"But, do you eat breakfast, noona?" Now that my worry was resolved, I felt a bit better.
"Yeah, I have to. Otherwise, I'll run out of energy at school."
"Oh, right. You're a physical education major, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"I heard you have some good news because you helped me out?"
"Yeah. Next week, I'm supposed to receive some 'Brave Citizen Award' or something."
"Congratulations, seriously!"
"...I didn't even save you properly..."
"Hey, noona! If you say that again, there won't be any breakfast."
"Huh? Breakfast?"
"Weren't you going to eat breakfast with me? Well... if you don't want to, just say so."
"No! I'll eat breakfast!"
"Pfft, okay. I'll cook hard for you from now on."
"Wait, you're the one cooking?"
"Yeah. Why, do you think it'll taste bad?"
"No... it's not that, it's just... you're a guy, and you cook?"
"I have to do at least that much. You do the shopping, I use the ingredients—it's a perfect match."
"I guess so... but you said you'd pay, so wouldn't it be right for me to do everything?"
"I have plenty of money."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to get money from that criminal bastard, and I'm going to get money from the media outlets that exposed my face. So, actually, I'm rich now."
Of course, since the criminal had no money, the state would pay it in the form of crime victim relief funds, and the lawsuit against the media was still ongoing through my lawyer, but it was clear that I would be rich soon.
"Really? Then shouldn't you move? The security here isn't great... and it's noisy..."
"Move? Hmm... that sounds like a good idea."
I had never experienced such a large sum of money coming in at once, so I wasn't sure how to use it, but moving seemed like a good choice. However, at my positive response, Hanna-noona looked a bit sullen.
"Do you want to come with me, noona?"
"Huh? No way. Why would I move with you? I don't have money."
"That's why I'm saying let's move together and live together."
Kang Hanna froze, as if shocked by my words.
"D-do you even know what you're saying right now?!"
"I do. When that bastard was pressuring me, I realized something. Living alone is more dangerous than I thought. It's a good thing you were there..."
"So you're asking me to live with you? A girl you haven't known for very long?"
"You risked your life for a guy you haven't known for very long, too."
"That's different!!! Besides, I was confident I wouldn't lose!"
"Then, I'm confident too."
"Confident in what?"
"Hmm... confident that I won't lose to you?"
"Hey. I'm a girl, too. What do you mean you won't lose to me?"
"So, are you going to hit me, noona?"
"What?"
"Are you going to choke me, grope me, and try to rape me like that bastard did?"
"What are you talking about?! Of course not!"
"Exactly. That's why I won't lose to you."
"Oh..."
"I trust you, noona. So it's fine. How about it? Want to come with me? I don't think we'll go very far from here."
"But... I don't have anything I can do for you."
"You protected me. Just like you did last time, you just have to keep protecting me. Then you'll be doing a great job for me."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. So hurry up and decide."
"Okay. I understand. I'll move with you." Hanna-noona nodded with a happy smile.
"Instead! You're the one looking for the house!"
"But it's the house you're going to live in?"
"'You'? It's 'us'."
"Oh." Hanna blushed and lowered her head.
"If you understand, nod."
Seeing her head bob up and down, I smiled.
"For now, we have to wait until the trial is over. Until then, let's eat together at my place. Start buying the ingredients from tomorrow."
"Okay, I got it."
"I'll say it again. Thank you so much for saving me, noona."
At my serious tone, her eyes widened.
"Yeah. Thank you for letting me move with you, too." With those words of gratitude, she reached out her hand.
"Ugh!" I instinctively swatted it away.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to do that on purpose." She had clearly meant it as a handshake, but my reflexes must have kicked in.
"...No, it's my fault. Come to think of it, there's no way you'd be okay yet, and I was being impatient. Forget it."
"No! If it's you, noona! If it's you... it's okay."
"Huh? What was that?" Hanna tilted her head, unable to hear my small whisper.
"It's fine. A handshake is fine, noona."
This time, I offered my hand first. Hanna and I shook hands, gripping them firmly. We looked at each other and smiled.