Hate You (3)

"Hyung~"

Lim Hae-jun thrust something toward me with a beaming smile.

"What's this?"

"I feel like I only cleared the Survival Labyrinth this time thanks to you, Hyung!"

I was about to readily accept it, but Lim Hae-jun suddenly took a step back.

"Over here, over here."

He gestured for me to follow him.

"What are you doing?"

I stepped out of the room to receive it. There was an unmanned camera mounted on one side of the hallway.

Ah, he wants to get the gift-giving on camera? He's surprisingly calculating.

"They're boots! They'll be really comfortable to wear. They've been treated with mana!"

Veronica. It was a luxury brand that everyone recognized. To call it a simple gesture of goodwill was an understatement; a single pair easily cost two to three million won.

Then again, Lim Hae-jun was born with a silver spoon. I heard his father was some kind of wealthy landowner.

"Yeah. Thanks."

I didn't refuse. I needed a good pair of shoes anyway.

At that, Lim Hae-jun whispered in a barely audible voice.

"...Hyung. But seriously, you're amazing."

"What is?"

"You got hit with some serious evil editing, but you don't seem bothered at all. Have you not looked at the internet?"

The internet. Online communities. Social media.

It was a different kind of blow compared to my military days. Cyberbullying, filled with ridicule and sarcasm, was in a completely different league from simple verbal abuse.

But maintaining my composure was my specialty. I rarely showed what I was feeling inside.

"There's nothing I can do about the editing."

Even if I went to Kim A-rang, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her around like I was planting rice, nothing would change. And above all...

"Even if they distort the process, the results don't change."

Even if they painted me as some self-centered egoist, they couldn't erase my actual achievements. If they did, it wouldn't just be evil editing anymore—it would be spreading false information.

"...Hyung."

Lim Hae-jun suddenly looked up at me with an incredibly serious expression.

"What?"

Clenching both of his fists tightly, he cried out.

"Can I take you as my Sabu?!"

"No. Get lost."

I arrived at the interview room. Inside the pitch-black space, two writers and about three cameras were set up.

"Your performance in the Survival Labyrinth this time was a huge topic of discussion even in the monitoring room, Seol Ha-woon. We saw that you built a cabin. Was there a specific reason for that?"

The interview itself was straightforward. They showed me footage from the Survival Labyrinth and asked why I did this at one point, or why I did that at another...

"It reminded me of the old days. Establishing a base camp was always a crucial role for the vanguard."

I gave a vague, glossed-over answer. In truth, it was because I'm a regressor who planned everything out in advance.

"Ah~ I see. Then, what about this moment?"

The writer played another clip.

"You happened to find Seo Ji-woo right when she was on the verge of elimination. Was there a particular reason you went out of your way to save her?"

"A reason I... went out of my way to save her?"

"Yes. After all, this is a competition. It would be more beneficial for you if a strong competitor failed... Yet, you even formed a team with her when there was seemingly nothing to gain."

Labyrinth Exploration NaN had specific elimination conditions.

Failing a labyrinth three times meant expulsion. Later, during the first tallying period, anyone ranking below 50th place based on votes would also be eliminated.

"Well... I had food and shelter at the time, but it was better to have another teammate just in case of any unforeseen emergencies. In fact, Spellcaster Seo Ji-woo proved to be helpful in the latter half. Without her mana, it would have been difficult to keep the fireplace going."

"Mhm. What are your personal thoughts on Seo Ji-woo?"

"I just think she's a decent person."

The writer raised an eyebrow.

"Great. Oh, and you discovered a Labyrinthin midway through, right? Your deduction back then was amazing. I honestly thought you were Sherlock Holmes! Are you naturally very observant?"

I let out a faint smile at the sudden compliment. In an era where humility was considered a virtue, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't quite used to hearing such praise.

"Yes. A little bit."

"Aha~ Which brings me to my next question. What went through your mind when you faced that Labyrinthin?"

A Labyrinthin. Whenever I encountered such immeasurable enemies, the very first thing that surged within me was an unfiltered, raw intent to kill.

Because if I didn't kill them, I would die.

"...I'm not really sure. My memory is a bit hazy because of the adrenaline. I just fought desperately."

I toned down my response appropriately.

"And~ Lee Jun-ho joined you three days before the end. Why did you help him?"

"It's simple. He helped me, so I helped him in return."

"Mhm~ You teased Seo Ji-woo after the blizzard stopped. Was that because you felt you two had gotten closer?"

"No. I didn't really think anything of it."

The writer asked quite a few more questions after that. I tried my best not to give them any ammunition for evil editing, but thankfully, none of the questions seemed designed to bait me into a negative light.

It was a relief.

Kim A-rang smiled as she watched Seol Ha-woon's interview.

A good show required a narrative. Here, "good" meant high viewership ratings and massive buzz—and right now, a narrative was steadily building around Seol Ha-woon.

Of course, he was getting torn to shreds online at this very moment.

But a dramatic turnaround was a narrative trope that worked incredibly well. A brief splash of mud and criticism would only serve as nourishment for what was to come.

Ultimately, his sheer skill and capability would flip public opinion on its head.

"...And now we have even more seasoning."

Taking it a step further, Kim A-rang turned her attention to the dynamic between Seo Ji-woo and Seol Ha-woon.

Labyrinth Exploration NaN wasn't some cheap dating show. There were no segments where participants voted on their first impressions of who they liked, nor did some attractive "catfish" suddenly enter the scene to shake things up. In fact, with cameras practically everywhere except for the private dorms, romance was virtually impossible.

And yet, that subtle "spark" was undeniably beneficial to the show's reach and impact.

To Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A-rang's trained eye, Seol Ha-woon and Seo Ji-woo had the perfect chemistry to build on.

Seo Ji-woo seemed to have absolutely no interest in Seol Ha-woon, but Seol Ha-woon—who looked like the last person on earth to do so—was strangely throwing fuel onto the fire.

His remark of "It's cold outside," and the way he went out of his way to rescue and nurse her back to health...

Thanks to that, Kim A-rang was already reconstructing Seol Ha-woon's recent interview in her head.

Into something much, much "better."

Seol Ha-woon doesn't answer.

After a long, quiet pause without a single word, his voice flows out with a hint of shyness.

Seol Ha-woon's long-winded explanation of "Well, I had food and shelter at the time, but just in case of any unforeseen emergencies..." was completely cut out.

Instead, it was replaced by a single, innocent phrase: "I'm not really sure."

At that moment, Seol Ha-woon lets out a bright smile. It was the first time he would be shown smiling warmly on screen.

Until now, Kim A-rang had meticulously edited out all of Seol Ha-woon's unnecessary mutterings and any actions that made him look less dignified.

Because of that, this single smile would carry an immense impact.

There was an undeniable charm to his smile.

"...You,"

Kim A-rang murmured, staring at Seol Ha-woon on the screen.

He seems to be getting more handsome by the day.

"Go as high as you can."

At first, she thought making it into the debut group—the top eight—would be a success.

But deep down, ambition kept spreading through Kim A-rang. An insatiable greed flared up like a wildfire.

If you feel the same way I do, Seol Ha-woon...

"I'll get you there, no matter what it takes."

It wasn't an impossible dream.

Kim A-rang picked up her phone.

"Call Seo Ji-woo back in. I have more questions for her interview."

Seo Ji-woo was a spellcaster. She had entered magic school at the age of seventeen and was a genius who had constantly been evaluated as having the potential to become a true Mage. Yet, she had never once harbored the desire to actually become one.

In fact, she felt a vague loathing toward the entire class of Mages.

She hated the very word "Mage," and she couldn't stand the vulgarity of people who put on noble airs when they were all ultimately just human.

It was likely because of her father.

Her father's lifelong obsession had been to become a Mage.

It was a pathetic dream. His ultimate desire, the one he spent his entire life trying to achieve, was merely to receive a business card with the title "Mage" from the old fossils at the Magic Association.

Exhausted by her husband, her mother eventually left him. Seo Ji-woo had gone with her, but her mother soon fell ill and passed away. Left entirely alone, it was Seo Ji-hyuk who had taken her in.

To Seo Ji-woo, Seo Ji-hyuk was her real father.

He was her brother, her father, and her friend.

That was why she had felt so betrayed when he announced he was joining the military. A soldier belonged in the army, not at home.

But it was her brother's dream. It wasn't that he wanted to be a soldier for the sake of it, but rather his deep-seated desire to protect and save as many people as possible.

Seo Ji-hyuk eventually became a soldier. Though he constantly roamed through brutal battlefields, he returned to her every year on leave. Seo Ji-woo loved watching him grow more admirable with each passing year.

Perhaps she had taken his presence for granted.

It was an illusion.

One day, Seo Ji-hyuk returned in a coffin. Caressing his cold cheek, Seo Ji-woo realized too late that her brother had always been risking his life.

He had always walked along the edge of death, but this time, he hadn't been able to cross back over. A single failure had meant his demise.

Seo Ji-woo's world collapsed. Her daily life shattered into pieces. Reality felt like a dream. She desperately wished it was all a lie, but the death before her eyes was absolute.

...No matter how much she grieved and suffered, the dead would never return.

And Seo Ji-hyuk wouldn't have wanted her to drown in endless sorrow. He wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have wanted her to break under the weight of her grief.

With that thought, Seo Ji-woo had managed to say her impossible farewell, but a massive piece of her heart had been torn away in the process.

Perhaps the capacity for affection had been ripped out along with it.

—You teased Seo Ji-woo after the blizzard stopped. Was that because you felt you two had gotten closer?

—...Yes. A little bit.

That was why she found herself so utterly flustered right now.

Kim A-rang showed her the cleverly reassembled footage of Seol Ha-woon's interview. Seol Ha-woon had a bright, clear smile on his face when he spoke about her—a look that Seo Ji-woo herself had never seen before.

"What do you think? It seems Seol Ha-woon believes you two built an emotional connection back in that cabin."

PD Kim A-rang asked in a tone that was polite yet direct. Seo Ji-woo felt as if her brain had ground to a halt.

"W-well, I don't know. Seol Ha-woon just happened to save me by chance..."

"It might have been chance at first, but it doesn't seem like it was afterward."

Kim A-rang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠played another clip.

—You found participant Seo Ji-woo right before she was eliminated. Was there a particular reason you went out of your way to save her?

—A reason I... went out of my way to save her?

—Yes. After all, this is a competition. It would be more beneficial for you if a strong competitor was eliminated. Yet, you even formed a team with her.

—...I'm not really sure.

His answer of not being sure, delivered with what almost sounded like a hint of shyness, made Seo Ji-woo flinch in surprise.

The reason Seol Ha-woon had looked after her, whether consciously or unconsciously... At this moment, the possibility she had deemed the least likely suddenly felt incredibly plausible.

Seo Ji-woo struggled to find her words.

"I..."

"You?"

Kim A-rang prompted. Seo Ji-woo scratched the back of her neck, letting out a bitter smile.

"I h-have absolutely no thoughts on the matter."

"No thoughts?"

"...Yes. It's not like we've known each other for long. And he probably..."

She didn't even know what she was saying anymore. She just babbled whatever came to mind and swallowed hard.

"We're here to become explorers, right?"

She asked, as if seeking confirmation from Kim A-rang. They had gathered here to become explorers, not to play out some romance.

Kim A-rang nodded with a smile.

"Yes, that's correct."

"S-so... that's all it is for me... *Ahem*."

"Great. Let's wrap up the interview here, then. Go back and get some rest."

Kim A-rang gave a broad grin and gestured for her to leave.