Chapter 75
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Way to Protect My Man (2)
The day after the talk show.
As soon as I arrived at the cafe for work, a crowd of reporters had already gathered.
‘How did they all find out...’
All my sister had revealed on the talk show was my photo and name.
But since our cafe was so famous, that alone was enough for them to pinpoint me, and the result was this.
“Hey, Yoo Jun-hyuk! Just one interview, please!”
“Are you really Choi Yu-ra’s boyfriend?”
“Yoo Jun-hyuk! Give us a word!”
I’m not some politician who committed a scandal or anything, so why do they keep asking for “a word”?
Fortunately, it was early dawn, so there were fewer people than expected, and I barely managed to push through into the shop.
Of course, that didn’t solve the current situation.
“Hey, Cafe Owner? What’s going on here?”
The employees had seen Yu-ra sis’s appearance on opening day, so most of them had caught on and weren’t making a fuss, but every time one arrived, reporters kept grabbing them, delaying the opening.
“Yoo Jun-hyuuuuk! Just one word!!!”
Some reporters were even trying to force their way into the still-unopened shop.
“Just one word, right?”
“Yes!”
“One word.”
“Huh?”
“Now get out.”
My resolution not to abuse the hypnosis skill for everyday inconveniences nearly crumbled; the reporters were that persistent and annoying.
‘Why the hell did sis do that?’
I could guess what Yu-ra sis was aiming for.
Even if we kept it private, villains could still target me like last time under some pretext, so she probably thought going public was better.
‘But isn’t it the same either way?’
Most villains, like that organization that apologized to me before, wouldn’t touch me once they knew I was Yu-ra sis’s boyfriend, but losers like So-hee-ji would still come after me.
No, now that it was out in the open, wouldn’t reckless villains poke around just to test?
[Jun-hyuk-ah, I’m really sorry. I couldn’t help it.]
I asked sis about it, but she just made excuses about suddenly wanting to brag about me without thinking, and didn’t give details.
‘Feels like she has some plan... or maybe not.’
With things like this, I had no choice but to go with the flow.
Sis wasn’t an idiot; she must have thought it through.
...Probably.
“You wanted an interview?”
“Oh, you’ll do it?”
So I’d do what I could.
“For the next two hours, the person with the highest order total gets exclusive interview rights.”
Time to make some money.
＊＊＊
Millennium Guild, Choi Yu-ra’s private room.
While waiting for someone, she thought about what had happened yesterday.
‘I’ve already done it, so no turning back now.’
Publicly revealing her boyfriend, Yoo Jun-hyuk, to the world.
Thanks to that, the entire community, which had been buzzing about the So-hee-ji incident not long ago, had shifted its attention to Yoo Jun-hyuk.
‘The villains already all knew anyway, so no issue there.’
The community was still debating whether Choi Yu-ra was too good for him or vice versa, but it meant nothing to her.
She’d wanted to keep their relationship hidden forever if possible.
But after imprisoning So-hee-ji and hearing her story, she realized that was pointless.
[I’d heard rumors, but pretty much everyone in the underworld knows, right? Even I knew.]
The rumor that Yoo Jun-hyuk was her boyfriend was already circulating among villains.
Hiding it would be meaningless.
Like a hidden treasure sparking interest, keeping it secret might even stoke villains’ curiosity.
She thought boldly going public and executing the plan she’d prepared over the past few days would protect Yoo Jun-hyuk far better.
“Come in.”
Even the knock interrupting her thoughts didn’t crease her brow as she welcomed the guest.
“Uh... what’s this about?”
“Long time no see. We’re in the same guild, but I hardly see your face.”
The guest was Lee Seo-yeon.
As soon as she arrived, Choi Yu-ra gestured with a smile for her to sit beside her.
“And we both love the same guy. Let’s use this chance to bond.”
“Uh... sure.”
She might have hesitated before, but after hanging out in the popular crowd, Lee Seo-yeon had built some tolerance and sat down beside her.
“Nothing bonds people like shared goals.”
“Hmm, so you need a favor?”
“I bought something recently, but it’s tricky to handle. I figured Seo-yeon could manage it, so I called you.”
Just dumping work on me?
All that talk of shared goals, like asking the facilities newbie to fix a computer.
“What did you bu...”
But the moment she saw the screen, Lee Seo-yeon was speechless.
“...Is this real?”
A complex program filled the screen.
The label above it, ‘Russian military reconnaissance satellite,’ was clearly not something a private individual could own.
“You... bought a Russian military recon satellite?”
“Not bought, received. It wasn’t money, but a legitimate trade, so calling it bought is fair enough.”
“How on earth?”
Gates had united humanity, but wars—big and small—had still happened a few times.
Lately, unless it was EX-rank, gates were seen more as money-makers than threats, naturally causing friction between nations.
They’d gone back to spying on each other like a century ago, and among those methods, military recon satellites were the priciest and most precise.
“While active as a hunter, I agreed to help Russia with up to five EX-rank gates or S-rank floods.”
“No way the government allowed that?”
“We traded favors. I wanted a Korean satellite, but Russia’s tech was superior. America’s is the best, but their terms were too harsh.”
What’s she planning to use it for?
Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes conveyed the question, but she soon realized.
“No way... to surveil Jun-hyuk?”
“Not surveil. Protect.”
“But still, this is...”
“Seo-yeon.”
Choi Yu-ra’s emotionless gaze pierced her.
“Do you want something like that to happen to Jun-hyuk again?”
“N-No.”
“Then help. Set the target to Jun-hyuk, link it to the International Hero Association database, and alert me if any wanted villains approach within 1 km.”
“Linking to the International Hero Association database means hacking...”
“You can do it, right?”
“That’s a crime.”
“You can do it, right?”
“I mean, I can, but...”
She pierced again.
“You can do it, right?”
“...I’ll do it.”
As just an awakener a bit stronger than a normal person, Lee Seo-yeon couldn’t withstand the pressure.
She fiddled with the internal program using her skills, adjusting settings, and soon Cafe Hypnos appeared on screen.
A few more tweaks activated the satellite’s built-in x-ray vision, zooming in on Yoo Jun-hyuk inside the building.
“Settings done. I installed the app on your phone too—try it.”
Choi Yu-ra turned on her phone and tapped the new app; Yoo Jun-hyuk appeared, viewed from space yet unbelievably close. Her lips curved slightly.
“You set the other thing too?”
“Yes. Villain approaches will auto-alert and activate the app, even off. But this... with Jun-hyuk...”
I told you, right?
She wanted to ask, but under Choi Yu-ra’s silent gaze, Lee Seo-yeon couldn’t speak.
Her eyes were pressuring: You know what happens if you say it.
“...No need to tell him. It’s for protection.”
“Obviously.”
Is a main wife’s love this intense?
Lee Seo-yeon loved him as much as Choi Yu-ra, but lacked the ability to protect him like this.
“Oh, and a couple more favors.”
“What?”
“Hmm, next is with guild master’s permission tonight, so prep for the one after.”
“Like what?”
“Heroes Association is digging up villains like crazy in this ‘war on villains.’”
Lee Seo-yeon forced an awkward smile, sensing more shady work.
“Hack their database.”
“What are you looking for?”
Choi Yu-ra smiled back.
“The biggest, baddest bitches on their most-wanted list.”
＊＊＊
“Ugh... so tired...”
The moment I got home, I collapsed in exhaustion right in the entryway.
From outside, ‘Yoo Jun-hyuk, one word please!’ still pierced through the steel door.
‘That damn “one word”!’
Was the sound I heard now even real, or hallucination?
I dug my ears, staggered to the shower, and barely washed up.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Lying on the sofa, I checked my phone— the community was in chaos.
[Whoa! Real? Choi Yu-ra entering S-rank gate solo?]
[Yeah. That managed S-rank gate Millennium Guild handles? She’s going in alone?]
I thought it’d all be about me, but it was buzzing about Yu-ra sis instead.
‘Sis soloing an S-rank gate?’
Not a sudden gate break, but a managed S-rank that periodically yielded byproducts.
Suicide for most, but not for Yu-ra sis—no worries there.
No worries, but why?
‘Even sis is strongest in a team—faster clears that way, right?’
Broadcasting hunters inside gates stopped at A-rank.
S-rank was too unpredictable, and filming drones often got destroyed by monsters—rarely aired.
At best, the entrance. After that, hunters risked their lives, no room for drones.
[But is she okay? EX-rank or not, solo S-rank?]
[Hmm, seems reckless.]
EX-rank hunters were strong, sure.
But people couldn’t feel how strong.
She’d cleared EX-rank gates and high-rank dungeons, but never broadcast fighting—so no real sense of it.
[First time, right? Choi Yu-ra broadcast from inside a gate.]
[Wasn’t there one before? B-rank though, nothing special. A-rank could do it.]
Oh, there was?
Boyfriend fail.
‘Hmm...’
The filming drone captured Yu-ra sis at the S-rank gate entrance.
Live broadcast—slight delay as she entered.
[Ooh! It’s starting!]
[How strong is an EX-rank hunter really?]
[One scratch and it’s a disaster. National embarrassment... is this okay?]
ㄴ[S-rank gate isn’t a pet dog. Even EX-rank soloing without a team—beyond injury, she could die?]
[Lately her broadcasts feel like celebrity syndrome. Pulling aggro like an attention whore. Preferred the old days ㅉㅉ fame ruins people.]
ㄴ[Fr, solo S-rank is pure aggro no matter how you slice it.]
And everyone realized it.
Even I, who knew sis best and firmly believed in her strength deep down.
[....]
“....”
Just how strong an EX-rank hunter is when fighting in earnest.