Headlines About the Youngest S-Rank Hunter: Is She the Next Phenom?
The news flashed across every screen in the country: [Breaking News! 27-year-old Lee Ye-na, the youngest S-Rank hunter ever! The youngest ranker is close behind!] [Korea’s future Lee Ye-na turns down Red Blood Guild’s scout offer to stay in Korea! She declares she’ll never leave!] [Shinye Guild and Lee Ye-na agree to new contract!]
To the entire world, Lee Ye-na was simply “Lee Ye-na.” Right now, she was Korea’s biggest star, the undisputed top idol. The moment she turned twenty, the prodigy awakened her powers and was immediately scouted by the top guild, Shinye, thanks to her overwhelming talent. Looking back, it was almost as if her absurdly powerful strength had been granted because she was an Awakener. After elite training at Shinye, she reached S-Rank in just seven years and had now become an indispensable presence in the Vanguard.
“Sunbae, what’s with the Lee Ye-na data? You said you hated it so much.”
“I just happened to glance at it. And when did I ever say I hated it?”
“Hmm~ Or maybe not. Anyway, isn’t Miss Ye-na amazing? She’s already S-Rank!”
“Hey, Kim Ga-young. Didn’t I tell you over and over not to get personal feelings about hunters? That stuff gets reflected in the article later, right? You need to rein it in.”
“Ugh… senior. But I can’t help it. As I told you before, the only way I could become a journalist was by getting close to the hunters I adore, so I did it. And in this era, reporters who only write about the Tower like you are basically irrelevant, right? In the end, both readers and writers should enjoy the articles!”
I couldn’t argue with her. I wrote what I loved too. Like her, I had always admired hunters. That was why, despite lacking the talent for the Hunter License Test, I switched to becoming a specialized hunter reporter. Moreover, the company’s own logic was that “journalists = more views.” My article [The Secret of the 20th Floor as Seen by the Vanguard] had barely scraped a thousand views, while hers [Special: Lee Ye-na Hunter and the Male Hunters Who Date Her!] had smashed past one hundred thousand. I had no choice but to admit defeat. But still… there was something I could never let go of. “We’re reporters, not novelists…”
Journalists are supposed to deliver cold, hard facts based on accurate information, not sensationalism. That’s why they exist, and that’s why I took pride in this job. But that was only my opinion. The company’s wasn’t. - Hey! You’re not even a specialist and you’re writing those kinds of articles? Our company is a pure entertainment news outlet, and we’re not exactly a powerhouse in the hunter field. So, the more sensational the content, the better the views. My face fell. Ga-young sighed and patted my shoulder. “Sigh… so you’ve been reading it again. Did you get chewed out by the boss again today?”
“……”
“Look at that gloomy face! Sunbae, you look terrifying when you do that! Please stop. And…”
Her lips parted hesitantly. “I actually like your articles, senior…”
“R-really?”
This was the first time I’d ever heard such praise. Every day I got joint-ed by the boss and had my articles rejected. Even if her words were just lip service, they were the greatest encouragement I’d received in a long time. “Then I’ll have to reject it.”
“Eh? Reject what?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. The boss said to let me in on the press conference for Lee Ye-na’s S-Rank achievement. There’s also a Vanguard meeting at the association at the same time. I was debating whether to go, but thanks to you, I’m all set.”
“Sigh… you Tower idiot…”
No, Ga-young, I’m still your senior…
PM 10:30. It was already late when I finally got home. I’d only made it because the boss had gone ballistic after my bombshell announcement that I’d attend the Vanguard meeting instead of the Lee Ye-na press conference. “Haa…”
I knew all too well that in the hunter reporting world, there was no escaping Lee Ye-na, the colossal figure. In fact, when I first joined, I’d trailed a senior to two of her press conferences. She was too far away to recognize, but this one was on another level. I was no longer the rookie reporter who’d gotten lucky to be here—I was a five-year veteran who now had the responsibility to prepare high-quality questions for the company. How would Lee Ye-na react when I took the mic? Up until now, her press conferences had been consistent. A blank, emotionless face as she read the guild-prepared script like a robot. When we were dating, she’d giggle even when I teased her as a fool… I wonder if I stole her laughter from her. The guilt was getting to me. Ding~ The phone rang. [Kim Ga-young Reporter] “Hey, what time is it now… hello?”
“Senior! The boss told me you’re going with me tomorrow! You said so, right?”
“Yeah… so we’re going.”
“Hoo~ then lunch tomorrow, tonkatsu? There’s a really good place near the association!”
“Hmm, tonkatsu sounds good. But was that the reason you called?”
“Yes! Why else?”
“Can’t a junior call her senior?”
“That’s not it. You could have asked tomorrow. I’m brain-dead trying to prepare tomorrow’s questions.”
“Eh? Why prepare questions? We never get real answers anyway. Sunbae, even if you say you’re not interested in Miss Ye-na, you must know that much, right?”
“Yeah, I do. But I still need to prepare. Hang up.”
“Okay~ I’ll hang up if you want. You hate calling me, so you keep making excuses!”
“That’s not…”
Click. Ga-young’s weird personality was something I had to accept. I set the phone back on the desk and shifted my gaze to the blinking cursor on the blank screen. Just ask about her S-Rank achievement and her future goals. The boss wanted something sensational, but since I’d never written one of those, I didn’t know what counted as sensational. “Haa, well, I’ll have to be careful not to get caught off guard tomorrow…”
Top Entertainment News. Also known as “Top, Entertainment.” We were the company that specialized in sensational entertainment content. That must have been why reporters from other hunter outlets looked down on us as if we were just eyesores trying to steal their turf. When it came time to pick seats, the constant muttering began. “You’re in our way—go interview the extras somewhere else!” Honest to God, it was ridiculous. Anyone entering the press conference hall with a badge was a legitimate journalist. Hunters weren’t celebrities, so what was the difference? Why the discrimination? After the big three broadcast reporters claimed their seats, the real battle began. Major hunter media outlets filled in, and we ended up crammed into the third row in the back corner. Ten minutes before the press conference started. Click. Click. “Hey, what exactly have you been doing next to me since earlier?” Even though I was already on edge because of the reporters, the one sitting beside me—Ga-young—kept rummaging through her bag. “S-senior… did you bring extra camera batteries?”
“Why? Did you think the batteries ran out?”
“Waaah… I’m sure I charged it yesterday… now it’s only five percent…”
“Ugh, you…”
The surprising part was that I knew Ga-young would do something like this, so I’d brought several extra batteries in my bag. During my five years as a reporter, I’d established a few unbreakable rules. The most important one was “Don’t trust anyone, senior or junior.” Just in case. “You said you only believed the camera guy, but if you keep this up, I really might die in service.” “Hehe… senior, I’m so sorry. I’ll never make that mistake again!”
It sounded like she was trying to use aegyo to escape, but it had no effect on me. I’d been surrounded by Lee Ye-na’s aegyo since elementary school. Of course I didn’t think Ga-young was ugly. Her actions were foolish, but her figure was perfect. No, compared to ordinary people, she was actually quite attractive. But my standards, raised by years with Lee Ye-na, no longer stirred any emotion in any woman. It was like a curse she’d placed on me. “Lee Ye-na Hunter is entering.” The host’s voice made everyone turn toward the door. Ga-young, who had hurriedly replaced the battery, also shifted the camera toward the entrance. Clank. The door opened carefully. The source of the curse I’d unleashed—the woman with her trademark long black straight hair flowing like a banner—entered the press conference hall. Tap. Tap. With every step, time seemed to freeze. Not only me. The moment she appeared, a three-second silence fell over the bustling hall. People quickly snapped back to reality and started pressing their shutters. But the fool beside me was staring at Lee Ye-na’s beauty like a statue. “Hey, Kim Ga-young, take the picture!”
“Ah!”
That idiot… “From now on, we begin the press conference with Lee Ye-na Hunter.” The host’s announcement. The shutter sounds gradually faded. The press conference hall was now completely silent. In that quiet, a clear, gentle voice echoed through the microphone. “Hello. I am Lee Ye-na.”