Love Meddling

I let out a startled scream before I could stop myself. "What? Intruding on the broadcast?"

But whether I liked it or not, the 'weird bastard's' sudden antics kept going.

Right then, another narration rang inside my head. It was the same voice as before.

…Wait, what the hell is this?

I blinked hard and stared at the mission window. The nickname "malicious romance addict" grabbed my attention first. From the genre alone, I could pretty much guess what this guy was after… Still, the timing was completely out of nowhere.

Just moments ago I had been a hunter who took down the boss of a second-stage rift. Now I was suddenly supposed to hand over candy for some romance content? To a girl I wasn't even interested in?

Another narration hit me right then.

…This is insane.

Thinking back, this bastard had bypassed the Broadcaster Qualification Exam and barged straight into my stream. That meant it was already registered in my Viewer List. The fact that its nickname was visible proved it.

I pressed a hand to my temple and opened my status window to check the entity's information.

Just as I thought—'Love Connector' was really there. This was the first constellation that had forced its way into my broadcast without even asking for qualification screening. Didn't Cheon-gye TV at least give humans the minimum right to choose before signing a broadcaster contract? That's what I'd believed until now…

Since the contract was already in place, I could see its information. I tapped the nickname with my finger.

No reward? Now that I looked, the reward section of the sudden mission was completely blank. The only thing written there was an excessive penalty: death by dismemberment if I failed. Then why the hell would you even post a mission…

I quickly searched for the [Kick] button. A useless entity like this needed to be thrown out immediately.

But as if mocking me, a sharp narration cut in right away.

Only then did I realize kicking it was impossible. Damn it. This was a variable I hadn't expected at all.

I glared at Lens. "Hey! What the hell is going on here!"

"I don't know either. This is a first for me too."

Lens seemed just as flustered, fidgeting restlessly. I pointed at it.

"It barges in without warning, gives me a mission with zero points, and you think this fits Cheon-gye TV's slogan about providing the joy of growth?"

"W-well…"

"Thanks to this, my other viewers are getting screwed over. If you don't fix this problem, the other constellations are going to be seriously pissed… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Think you can handle that?"

Obviously, any disruption to the broadcast schedule would hurt someone. Plus it would break fairness with the constellations who actually paid points for their missions.

Familiar narrations rang out then, but this time multiple voices were mixed together.

The tone was far angrier than usual. Lens swallowed hard. When the criticism kept coming, it finally had no choice but to spread its wings.

"Fine! I'll go ask, okay? Just know it'll take some time!"

Apparently this wasn't a common occurrence even for Cheon-gye TV. Either way, this wasn't something I could just let slide. I had to protest at the very least.

A low-pitched narration followed.

Enough! It was too noisy to keep listening. The problem had already left my hands. Now it was time to think about this new sudden mission.

While I was thinking, people started boarding the bus. The first one on was none other than Yu Hae-rin. She frowned at me as I stood there awkwardly, looking at me like I was crazy.

"…What are you doing?"

I sat down and answered. "N-nothing. It's nothing."

God, I'm losing my mind. I'd never paid her any attention before, yet my face felt like it was burning.

The bus engine rumbled to life right then. Vroom!

No. Get a grip. This was exactly when I needed to stay calm. My life was literally on the line.

I took a deep breath to sharpen my focus and looked at the mission window again. At least it was a simple mission—just hand over some candy. The one-hour time limit was worrying, but…

I gazed out the window of the moving bus. Then a thought hit me.

…Where the hell was I supposed to get candy?

If I couldn't find any within an hour, I was dead. Even if she refused it, same result.

That's when I remembered what happened that morning. Come to think of it…

I rummaged through the front pocket of my backpack. My fingers brushed against the rough texture of wrapping paper. The tacky candy bundle that An Gyeong-tae had left with me was in my hand.

*

After arriving at Raven Academy, I followed Yu Hae-rin. The time limit had less than ten minutes left.

I hid behind a tree and peeked out. That's when Yu Hae-rin appeared. She was trudging wearily toward the Emperor Hall dormitory. I hurried after her.

"Hey! Yu Hae-rin!"

She turned around at her name. Her eyes widened.

"…Ha Yeonjun?"

I caught my breath for a second. Yu Hae-rin stood in front of me, tilting her head. Looking at her face made the words stick in my throat. It suddenly felt like the mission difficulty had shot up. But calm down—this was purely to avoid dying. Nothing I did from here on had any real meaning…

With that thought, I held out the candy bundle I'd been hiding behind my back.

"Take this."

At that moment, Yu Hae-rin's face turned beet red. She raised her voice.

"W-why are you giving this to me?"

"Just take it. You didn't get any candy today, right?"

"What? I-I got plenty, you know!"

Liar. Your hands are empty right now…

Anyway, less than five minutes remained. In the end I forced the candy bundle into her hands.

"Just take it already!"

"W-what are you doing! Don't tell me you…?"

I cut her off before she could finish.

"I'm definitely not giving this because I like you. So don't misunderstand."

"Hic—!"

She suddenly started hiccupping. A narration rang out at the same time.

I turned around and left immediately.

…Damn it, I'm dying of embarrassment. If anyone saw that, it would've looked exactly like a confession.

I looked up at the sky where the sun was setting. Either way, I was so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tired I just wanted to collapse into bed. There were also a lot of new variables to think about…

I sighed and turned my head. The shabby Citizen Hall dormitory ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠somehow looked welcoming today.

*

The tenth floor of Emperor Hall somehow felt heavy with tension. The owner of the place, Seo Geon-woo, was playing darts with the male students. Of course, the target was one of his 'friends.'

"Hey, hey! Stay still! If you keep moving it'll hit you!"

"But it's scary!"

"Don't you trust my skill? I won't hit you!"

The moment he finished speaking, Seo Geon-woo threw the dart. It was a clean, unhesitating motion. Whoosh!

Luckily the dart landed safely between his 'friend's' legs. Seo Geon-woo asked the male student sitting next to him.

"By the way, what happened with Park Dong-soo?"

"From what I heard, the guy's completely lost it. It's a miracle he even came back alive."

"Sigh, that bastard's got a long life ahead of him."

Seo Geon-woo rolled his eyes and threw another dart. It landed safely again, but the 'friend' whose legs had given out finally collapsed on the spot.

That was when his lackey, Jo Min-hyuk, entered the room.

"Yo, Geon-woo!"

"What."

"Fuck, Ha Yeonjun just confessed to Yu Hae-rin!"

Seo Geon-woo's brows narrowed.

"What? Say that again."

"A little while ago on the first floor, Ha Yeonjun gave your future wife candy and confessed."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ha Yeonjun?"

Jo Min-hyuk nodded frantically.

"You're sure you didn't see wrong?"

"I really saw it! Fuck, I was shocked too."

Seo Geon-woo snorted and stood up. He looked in the mirror and spoke.

"Have I been looking too soft lately? Now that I think about it, maybe I have. What do you think?"

"Your personality's gone way softer compared to before."

"Ha, fuck."

"So what are you going to do about that bastard Ha Yeonjun?"

"What else? I have to do something."

At that moment, Seo Geon-woo's eyes turned sharp.

"Gotta mess him up real good."