The Press Conference Aftermath
After exchanging a simple greeting, we moved straight into the official press conference. The first questions came in the classic order.
“Lee Ye-na Hunter-nim, congratulations on achieving S-rank!”
“[Thank you.]”
“What are your future aspirations?”
“[I will do everything I can to conquer the Tower.]”
“Just hearing that makes my heart race. I’m looking forward to your next great achievements.”
Every single one of my questions was already answered by the first line. It made sense—most people think the same thing. But the real questions started on the third line. The media company I worked for was smaller than the others and always needed fresh angles, and the moderator knew it well.
“Due to time constraints, we’ll only take quick, simple questions from the third line onward.”
Some of the reporters grumbled, but no one there doubted that Lee Ye-na was the busiest person in the country right now. If we kept complaining, that one precious slot might disappear, and the room fell silent.
“Hello. This is Kang Hyun-soo from DS Ilbo.”
DS Ilbo was one of the most notorious tabloids in the industry—sensational, ruthless, and willing to publish anything, whether true or not. They had even been sued multiple times, and the fact that they still turned legal trouble into headlines made me respect them in a completely different way.
“According to the information we received a few days ago, you were seen leaving a hotel with a middle-aged man recently. Is that true?”
The question sent the entire conference into an uproar. The moderator quickly stepped in to calm everyone down.
“I will not answer that kind of rude question. Security, please—”
Before the moderator could finish, a cold voice cut through the microphone.
“Yes, I did go to the hotel.”
“T-then does that mean you admit to being in a relationship?”
“Hmm… No, that’s not right. That day was my birthday. Is there even a rule that says you can’t celebrate your birthday in a hotel with your father?”
Ye-na’s flawless explanation was delivered with a sharp glare that made Kang Hyun-soo flinch. He hunched over his keyboard and typed as fast as he could.
“Sunbae, I knew the DS Ilbo people were crazy, but I never imagined they’d ask a question like that to her face.”
“They’re always like that. The more lawsuits they get, the more clicks they get. But what about us? Don’t we have anything to say?”
“Haa… I guess so… I had to write those clickbait articles because the higher-ups ordered me to…”
No wonder. She was just a fresh-faced junior. And Kang Hyun-soo was just doing his job the only way he knew how. Whatever complicated reasons lay behind it, we could all guess. Of course, no matter what their motives were, we weren’t about to defend them. The facts were still the facts.
“Well, that’s enough. Just take proper notes.”
“I’m writing it all down! Not a single thing missing!”
“If I find even one missing later, I’ll give you a good slap?”
“Eeeek!!! That’s so mean!!”
She had been on edge since the moment before the conference, and the atmosphere was still a little messy. It was probably not the best time for proper questions.
“Hey, Kim Ga-young, stop shaking your legs.”
“N-ne…”
She looked more nervous than I did, which made me want to laugh. I took the microphone from her and cleared my throat.
“Cough… Hello. I’m Kim Ga-young from Top Entertainment News. After the press conference you mentioned you’d immediately start working to conquer the Tower. Could you give us one word of your resolve?”
It was the same question everyone expected, so the answer was ready. All I had to do was say the guild-approved line and the press conference would be over.
“I want to become someone my loved one can be proud of…”
“……”
The press conference ended, but the reporters’ phones were already flying. Fingers tapped across keyboards at lightning speed.
[Breaking News] Lee Ye-na Hunter declares she will conquer the Tower for the person she loves.
“The reporters really know how to come up with good headlines, huh?”
“Sunbae, that was me who wrote that.”
Smack!
I slapped the back of her head without thinking.
“You little brat! When did Lee Ye-na ever say something like that? She said she wanted to become someone her loved one could be proud of!”
“Ouch! It’s the same thing either way! Haaack! You can’t hit your junior like that, Sunbae!!”
The urge to slap her head again was strong.
“Haa, fine. Let’s go get some pork cutlet.”
“Yes…”
**
Ye-na had hated the power that made everyone jealous. If she didn’t have that power, Eun-woo would never have left her. There was one thing she had to admit to herself first.
The obsession she had toward him. Looking back now, she knew she had gone too far. Other hunters were throwing themselves at him, and how was she supposed to stay sane? But she had never struck first. In fact, the hunters had been the ones who started the fights and slapped her cheeks. She had only reached out to stop their hands—nothing more. Even now, the thought still brought tears that she couldn’t hold back.
Eun-woo’s terrifying eyes and the cold way he pushed her hands away had become trauma she couldn’t wake from. The worst part was that without those nightmares, she could never talk to him. So on days she didn’t have them, she still forced herself to take sleeping pills just to sleep.
But now that necessity was gone. She had found him… It had been pure chance.
Ye-na had personally handled the lawsuit against the reporter who spread the rumor that Eun-woo had a girlfriend. She didn’t want him to misunderstand. As fame grew, so did the ridiculous articles. Her seniors told her it was part of being a star and that she should just ignore it, but she never could.
While reading Kim Ga-young’s detailed article to prepare for the lawsuit, she saw the related piece titled “The Secret of the 20th Floor Told by the Vanguard.” She would never have clicked on it before, but today the title felt like fate.
She clicked it and read carefully. The content included everything Eun-woo had actually received from the Vanguard. The moment she thought she should recommend it to other hunters and favorited it, she found the name she never wanted to miss.
[Reporter Lee Eun-woo.]
Her heart slammed against her ribs. But she couldn’t drink the juice before the main dish. How many people with the same name had she met by now? Every time she disappointed herself, so she gripped her racing heart and dialed the number listed for the reporter.
“Hello?”
“This is Lee Eun-woo from Top Entertainment News’s Hunter Department.”
The voice that filled her phone made her heart drop. Seven years had passed, but she recognized it instantly. The warm tone hadn’t changed at all.
“Hello?”
Haa, wrong number. The call ended.
She couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to run to him right then. But she couldn’t. They had made the worst possible breakup. And it was all because of her obsession. There had been misunderstandings, but the fact that she had hurt him was undeniable.
So she had to approach carefully. Without startling him… slowly. Showing the prettier, gentler Ye-na he would fall in love with.
“Just… one more time?”
“Hello?”
“This is Lee Eun-woo from Top Entertainment News’s Hunter Department.”
“……”
She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. The drop of blood trickled down her chin. But what did it matter? She had finally heard the voice she had wanted to hear for so long…
“Haa… Excuse me. If you call me again with a prank, I’ll report you.”
The call ended.
[Recording completed.]
She immediately plugged her Bluetooth earphones in and played the message back.
“Hello…? ……”
She closed her eyes and hugged the teddy bear resting on the sofa tightly. The name of that cute little bear was Kuma. It was one of the treasures she had received as a birthday gift from Eun-woo the year they first started dating.
“Mmm… Kuma… Daddy’s voice again, huh?”
The door opened without a knock.
“What are you doing? Why are you hugging Kuma so tight? Did something good happen?”
“Hmm? Are you curious?”
“No, nothing special. Oh, by the way, do you know about the press conference next week?”
“Press conference… wait. There will be a lot of reporters there, right?”
“Of course. You know how sometimes unnie says weird things.”
“T-then… can… can I… meet him?”
Jumping in uninvited was crossing a line, but accidentally bumping into someone at a press conference was impossible to avoid.
“Who?”
“N-never mind. Ah… Hyun-ju, quickly find the phone number of the president of Top Entertainment News.”
“Haa… Why there? You know hunters shouldn’t get involved with media companies in times like these.”
“It’s fine, just hurry. If you get the number within five minutes, I’ll give you a bonus.”
Hyun-ju found the president’s number in exactly three minutes.
“Hello? This is Ye-na from Shinye Guild. Is this the president of Top Entertainment News?”