That Is Me (2)
Before going on air, what was the top priority? Fact-checking, of course. Especially for news too unbelievable to swallow easily.
And VBC wasn't some obscure small-time broadcaster no one had heard of. After the cataclysm, it had ridden the wave to become a major network rivaling the big terrestrial stations.
Camera director Yoon Jongjin was feeling that reality firsthand. Even players who acted like they owned the place when a VBC-marked camera was shoved in their faces would noticeably soften their attitudes.
Thanks to that, his expression was profoundly complicated.
"No, hyung. Is it really okay to push this through?"
The question was directed at the studio deep in rehearsal. PD Hyun Yongseok was overseeing the whole operation.
Without even looking up, Hyun Yongseok replied, "What're you doing? Not on standby?"
"No, hyuuung."
"Why do you always drag it out like that? Creepy. What? Spit it out."
Only then did Hyun Yongseok glance at Yoon Jongjin—and let out a hollow chuckle at the desperate face staring back.
"You look like a puppy desperate to pee."
"Can you blame me?!"
"...?"
His voice rose, drawing stares from around the room. Yoon Jongjin quickly lowered it to a whisper. No matter how he sliced it, this felt way too rushed.
"Hyung, straight talk—lately, we've been striking out left and right."
"Watch your mouth."
"No, let's be real here."
Today Arcana. No one could call their recent ratings anything but dismal. And for good reason. Unlike broadcasters, trends after the cataclysm shifted at breakneck speed.
"We got edged out on the Zero Mountains by guild-level personal streams. And chasing rumors in reality? Nothing but wild speculation to report. We deliberate carefully, line up panels... and then they bail."
Yoon Jongjin's points were all spot-on. In this post-cataclysm era, broadcasters had no room to maneuver. Simple reason: the juicy bait to hook viewers had gone stale long ago.
"I get it—Cheonha Tongil pissed you off so bad, hyung. I heard all about it over drinks, how much they stressed you out. All that backtalk."
Cheonha Tongil's moves. Even surface-level coverage guaranteed buzz. The problem? The higher-ups didn't want it.
"I don't know how high up the chain they're connected, but they shut us down before we could even breathe a word. I get you're heartbroken over all those projects going down the drain. But can we really afford another flop on top of that?"
The scoop from the player community: Lee Hoyeol is the Black Dark Dragon!
No hard facts. Just one gut feeling, backed solely by player testimonies. And even those were limited to players who'd witnessed the anomaly over the Mage Tower and gotten the message pop-up.
"Not even a message saying 'Hoyeol is the Black Dark Dragon,' right? Just an achievement for spotting the Black Dark Dragon's return."
Yet they were rushing a special broadcast like it was gospel truth. Hyun Yongseok's face didn't twitch.
Yoon Jongjin sighed and asked, "You're sure about this, right? Then fine."
It could be the genius producer's instinct. But Hyun Yongseok shook his head.
"Nah. Not that."
"...Wh-what?! Not even that?!"
Why is this guy like this? Yoon Jongjin was baffled enough to forget ranks and just blurt it out. Back when they had nothing to lose, sure. A written apology would've sufficed.
"But VBC's big now, hyung. You've got a lot to lose. Don't tell me you're going all-in on a hunch just to beat everyone else to the punch!"
And the stakes weren't small. The Black Dark Dragon—that beast that made a dozen dragons howl in terror. The day Earth came closest to doom.
"If this backfires, we're toast... "
"Jongjin."
"Yes, PD Hyun."
"You think I don't know what you know?"
"...You've thought it through?"
Hyun Yongseok wagged his head side to side.
"I may look crazy, but I don't move without thinking. Fine, I'll own it—you're right, I've been fumbling lately."
Cheonha Tongil. Those damn bastards. Months of investigation, all up in smoke. No clue how they pulled strings from China to a Korean broadcaster, but it hammered home the world's top guild's influence.
Hyun Yongseok grinned slyly.
"But since we're already on a losing streak, why not kick it right back at those bastards?"
No conviction that Lee Hoyeol was the Black Dark Dragon. As Yoon Jongjin said, evidence was just player word-of-mouth. Not solid proof.
One wrong move, and splat. Could lose his job at beloved VBC. But Hyun Yongseok needed a homerun. To shatter the slump—and deliver a massive payback to Cheonha Tongil and their connected overlords...!
Cheonha Tongil. Unlike Ryu Ojuncheon and his ilk, it was time to spotlight a true 'monarch.'
Scribble-scribble—Hyun Yongseok slashed his pen across the cue sheet.
"Check this out. How's this for a title?"
"...Sudden title drop?"
"Special programming needs a subtitle, right?"
"Ha, seriously..."
As Yoon Jongjin shut his mouth, Hyun Yongseok wiped the mischief from his face. Then he dropped what the staff, Yoon Jongjin included, wanted to hear most.
"I believe it, Jongjin."
Believe what, out of nowhere? That Hoyeol was the Black Dark Dragon? Most probably thought so. Plenty of players, no reason to lie. No other player fit the bill.
But it was still speculation. So he clamped his lips—until Hyun Yongseok said something unexpected.
"I believe it's not."
...Not?
"What do you mean 'not,' hyung?"
"That Hoyeol's different from that bastard Ryu Ojuncheon."
"...Why bring up Ryu Ojuncheon now? Salt in the wound?"
Hyun Yongseok shook his head. Not petty grudge. He truly believed it. Hoyeol's track record was proof.
"Hoyeol's never hidden his actions. Every move had clear reason, declared boldly to the world. When asked properly, of course."
So Hyun Yongseok was certain.
"Of all people, Hoyeol will declare it himself. 'I am the Black Dark Dragon,' loud and proud before the world. Our broadcast's whole plan hinges on that moment."
"Waiting for the moment...?"
"In plain terms: Lee Hoyeol Major Announcement Live Wait."
"!"
If Hoyeol stayed silent... the special would flop hard. Even with anchors and panels killing time had limits.
But if it went to plan...
"Whatever happens, it'll explode."
One decision left.
"On that note, everyone—ideas for the subtitle?"
"...What you wrote's not bad."
"Yeah? Not too cringy?"
"Cringy's got its charm. For Hoyeol, anything sticks. Even 'Bottomless Darkness' fits him."
"True. Any other ideas?"
A few suggestions popped up, but they only amped it higher. No dissent.
Thus, the special's title was set.
Tum tum!
* Thanks a freaking ton, System...!!
It had to be my fame skyrocketing too much. Why else? Even in another world, the Arcana Continent. In the empire's capital, Antonium. I got a welcome so overwhelming I couldn't lift my head.
In that state, my fame would've surged even more.
Consider the contributions from restoring the Claudy estate. A whopping 10 billion. Enough for the emperor to bare the empire's coffers to me.
No fame-up message popped, but the prestige of [Legend, Black Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol] surely rose with it.
And that ripple hit reality as messages...
Popping messages for players near the Mage Tower. And for just a casual return at that.
This wrecked my reason for manifesting a portal at the Mage Tower. Some folks stressing to death, and my mouth runs free.
"Unwittingly, I let out a roar."
I didn't roar anything...!
But some responded to my motormouth. Harcon guffawed.
"I was certain. None but you deserve the moniker Black Dark Dragon, good sir. So, what feats did you rack up over a fortnight to return?"
Everyone's eyes sparkled. Reality time: a fortnight. Arcana time: about two months. Yeah, plenty happened looking back. Hate saying it myself, but...
Formal questions demand answers. I spoke.
"To tens of millions of demons, I taught their place."
First words, pure Grandfell flair. [Predator-Prey Relationship]. Demon hunter class perk. Just terrified demons, but packaging supreme.
"To the ancient dragon, I reminded of old vows."
Ancient dragon: Yunak Seus. Vows: Claudy-dragon lore. I prayed desperately as I spat it.
Please don't ask.
Probe those vows formally, and I'd blab Claudy... my dark history.
Thankfully, no interruptions. Though the next lines were plenty problematic.
"With the ice dragon, I played in frozen time."
Life-or-death turned 'play.' Arcana life like game days. Kinda playful, technically...
Shameless. Faces grew grave.
"...Faced ten million demons?"
"Ancient and ice dragons. Not all dragons alike."
"Frozen time delayed you a fortnight...?"
No falsehoods to correct. And compared to the finale, these were minor.
So brace yourselves...
"Finally, I disciplined pride-lost dragons."
"...!!!"
Expected shock, but faces hit horror. Even gullible Harcon double-took.
"D-disciplined dragons? As in taught them?"
Survival after brawl? They'd buy it. My desperate froth was legend. But discipline? Another level. 'Did' meant success.
Except Nam Taemin, Hisagi, a few.
"As expected of pride."
"Pride knows no impossible."
"...What're they on about?"
Leoni's head-shake? Fair. Normal reaction. Without Claudy halo, I'd barely converse.
Exaggerated? Sure. But true. Proof?
...Yeah. Hate admitting, but no choice.
I murmured low.
"Indeed. As you say."
"...?"
"I, who observed and orchestrated them from the shadows—"
Pause for effect.
"—am the Black Dark Dragon."
...I went and did it, Hoyeol!!
The TV special kicked off. Title:
"Dragon Monarch, Black Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol. Roaring toward the world?! You crazy?!"
Twitch twitch. Shock, but grin won't quit. Nemesis Lee Yerim snapped evidence first.
Click—
"Feels like I heard something similar back then... Was she this good at games from the start? Ugh, can't remember. Gotta cut back on booze next year for real."
Muttering words that'd sink Hoyeol's heart if heard.