Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Yong-un Finds YouQuiz
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Armand Shopping Mall.
A shopping mall primarily targeting women, run jointly by Sena and Bang Mi-kyung.
It was a peculiar case that burst onto the scene like a comet in its early days, securing a firm foothold in the shopping world through overwhelming volume and aggressive spending.
Such tactics of flooding the market with stock and money were typically the domain of major corporations entering new markets, but ordinary people couldn't replicate them due to the massive capital required.
The reason it was possible, however, was because Yong-un backed Sena.
'Armand Shopping Mall is actually a shopping mall secretly prepared by a major corporation.'
That was probably why.
Rumors like that quietly circulated among competing malls.
It was hard not to suspect, since no individual could pour out that much money, and even if they could, the way they operated the mall, penetrated offline stores, and handled deliveries was too suspicious for a sudden personal venture.
But as two years passed.
The veil over Armand Shopping Mall gradually lifted, revealing that the rumors of corporate backing were untrue.
Once that happened, Armand Shopping Mall spread its wings and grew even more explosively.
Particularly, attention poured onto Sena, the president of Armand Shopping Mall, leaving her busier than ever.
Ring ring ring.
Today, amid another hectic day, a familiar sender appeared on Sena's phone.
"President? Are you going to take the call now?"
Manager Kim, who doubled as her secretary and the head of the mall's CS team, shot her a wary glance.
And for good reason. They were in the waiting room of a program that involved interviews and quizzes, with less than a minute until she was due on air.
But Sena winked at Manager Kim and replied.
"No choice. It's been ages since our sponsor reached out. It'd be rude for a subordinate like me not to answer."
"Sponsor?"
Manager Kim's eyes widened in surprise.
No employee at Armand Shopping Mall was unaware of the massive backer behind President Sena.
Yet, due to the upper echelons' silence on the matter, that backer remained shrouded in strict secrecy.
"What's up? Not too busy?"
Sena pressed her finger to her lips and continued speaking.
At the mention of "upper echelons," Manager Kim quietly perked up his ears.
'Huh? The backer's the same age? She's speaking casually?'
Manager Kim's eyes widened again.
"What? You're coming here?"
Manager Kim's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head.
The legendary backer, who could rightfully claim credit for creating Armand Shopping Mall, was coming here?
"President Sena? You need to go in now."
The assistant director opened the waiting room door and poked his head in.
"Just a sec."
Sena flashed an apologetic look.
"But there's no time..."
The assistant director looked anxious and appealed to Manager Kim for help.
Normally, Manager Kim would have forced her to hang up, but not this time.
"Sorry about this. It's urgent—can we have one more minute? Really sorry..."
"Agh... Just hurry as much as you can. I'll let them know."
The assistant director dashed off to relay the message.
And Sena dropped a line that only fueled Manager Kim's curiosity even more.
"Yeah, come on over. You'll like her even more when you meet her."
The backer, wrapped in mystery, was paying a personal visit.
Manager Kim's lips twitched as he struggled to suppress a grin.
Then the call ended.
"What'd they say? Manager Kim didn't even rush you?"
"Ahem, even we get days like this. Come on, let's go. We're not the only guests this time, so the others are waiting."
"Right, let's head in. Sorry about that..."
"If you're sorry, buy me coffee or something. Get up already."
Prodded by Manager Kim, Sena rose from her seat with an annoyed expression.
"Oh, right—I forgot to send the address. Manager Kim, text it to this number."
Sena held up her phone to show the backer's number.
And there, on Sena's phone, was the affectionate nickname saved for the backer.
[Sponsor and the World's Strongest Little Brother]
Little brother?
"Thanks."
Sena's cheerful laughter echoed as she left the waiting room.
Manager Kim carefully took her phone and stared at it blankly for a long while.
YouQuiz, the quiz show program.
What made it famous was its MC, Yoo Jae-seok—the top MC and entertainer in Korea.
Yoo Jae-seok's flashy hosting skills and sharp wit created great chemistry not just with celebrity guests but with civilians too, producing laughs and stories that delighted and moved viewers.
"Today's guests are people a lot of folks have been curious about. Could you give us a greeting?"
Following Yoo Jae-seok's lead, Sena bowed toward the array of cameras.
"Hello. I'm Lee Sena, running Armand Shopping Mall."
As Sena finished her greeting, the other guest beside her bowed as well.
"Hello. I'm Lee Junsu, newly promoted to A-Rank Hunter."
"Nice to meet you, Sena, Junsu."
Yoo Jae-seok bowed back to them.
"Everyone knows about the hunter profession by now. It's tough, dangerous—that sort of thing. So why did you want to become a hunter, Junsu?"
"Hunter..."
Junsu gave an awkward smile.
Then he looked at Yoo Jae-seok and said.
"It's grueling. As you know, hunters have the highest mortality rate among professions. Even in my team, several members died clearing gates."
The mood grew solemn as Junsu spoke.
"People think it's a cushy job with big money, but I don't see it that way. Big pay comes with big responsibility and reason."
"True."
"Think about it. If all hunters suddenly vanished from the world, what would happen to the peace we have now?"
Yoo Jae-seok and the co-MC nodded.
"Why I became a hunter? When I was a kid, my family nearly died because of a sudden gate."
"Sudden gate?"
"Yeah, the mutant type that appears out of nowhere and immediately overflows with monsters."
"Ah..."
"Monsters poured out, and we thought we were done for. But the Iron Army Guild saved us. That's when I vowed to become a hunter who saves people."
At the mention of Iron Army Guild, a man standing behind the cameras smiled.
Spotting it, Junsu smiled back and pointed at him.
"The Iron Army Guild member who saved me is right there."
"Oh? Where?"
Following Yoo Jae-seok's question, the co-MC chuckled.
"It's obvious. The one grinning ear to ear by himself, right?"
"Hahaha, yes, exactly."
Everyone burst into laughter at Junsu's grin.
"He saved my family."
"What an incredible connection. You mentioned someone who fully convinced you to become a hunter—who's that?"
Hearing the question, Junsu wiped the smile from his lips, his expression turning reverent.
He looked into the camera and said.
"Hunter Yong-un."
"Ahh..."
Yoo Jae-seok and the co-MC let out their signature exclamations.
"I had made up my mind to become a hunter, but honestly, I did nothing for two years. I was scared... But Yong-un Hunter gave me the push."
"Everyone knows Yong-un Hunter. No Korean hasn't heard of him. What about him made you take the plunge, Junsu Hunter?"
"He's cool. If hunters save people, Yong-un Hunter saved Korea's hunters."
"Hunters? He saved them?"
"Most people don't know. Without our country becoming a hunter powerhouse, many would still be dying on dispatch missions. Yong-un Hunter stopped that."
"Wow..."
Yoo Jae-seok, who had been listening quietly, let out a sigh of admiration.
The genuine awe rising from his gut drew everyone's attention.
"I didn't know that either. Turns out Yong-un Hunter's done more than I thought."
"Yes. Seeing that made me vow to become a great hunter too."
Yoo Jae-seok glanced at the guests, then shifted to the camera.
"Honestly, we'd love to have Yong-un Hunter as a guest if possible, but he's tough to reach."
Just then, the co-MC eyed Sena closely and said.
"But Sena? Why do you look so happy when Yong-un Hunter comes up?"
The camera captured Sena's beaming smile.
"Hey, hey~"
Yoo Jae-seok made his signature gesture to rein in the co-MC.
But everyone knew it was just him playfully scolding.
The co-MC promptly burst into held-back laughter.
"You look so pleased, like it's your own business... Almost like family or a boyfriend."
"Honey, no. Hahaha."
"Honey" was YouQuiz lingo for closing distance, and Yoo Jae-seok's use only amplified the laughs.
The whole crew cracked up at the MCs' banter.
Sena burst into laughter too.
"Hahaha, boyfriend? Oh god, no way."
"Huh? It's not that bad..."
The co-MC's wit exploded again.
Laughter bloomed once more.
"Hahahaha."
Sena just laughed instead of adding more.
At that moment, the door to the café rented for YouQuiz filming swung open.
"Sorry, we're filming right now..."
The assistant director squeezed through the crew at the sudden visitor.
But he froze on the spot upon seeing the intruder's face.
"I know. I'm here to meet someone. I'll wait."
YouQuiz differed from typical programs.
Even an open door was content for them.
Cameras fixed on guests and MC swiveled, and Yoo Jae-seok, amid the laughter, stood and looked at the visitor.
"Huh?"
He froze in shock.
"Oing?"
Co-MC Oh Se-ho reacted the same.
"That guy...?"
Both Oh Se-ho and Yoo Jae-seok wore stunned expressions, clearly pondering how to handle this.
"Sorry. I've ruined the mood. I'll come back later."
"Wait!"
Yoo Jae-seok rushed over and grabbed the visitor.
He couldn't let him go just like that.
How could he?
The intruder was Yong-un—the very person YouQuiz had desperately tried to book, and the topic of their current conversation.
"You're Hunter Yong-un, right?"
Yoo Jae-seok's question got a nod from Yong-un.
"Wow... Do you know YouQuiz?"
"Not really."
"You said you're here to meet someone. If it's not rude, who is it?"
Yong-un glanced softly at Sena.
Sena stood, raising her hand.
"Me."
All the staff and crew stared at her in shock.
"Manager Kim~ Guide Yong-un to our waiting room. Sorry, didn't expect this much attention."
Yoo Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho stood speechless and frozen.
At that moment, everyone—production and cast alike—shared the same thought.
'This is scoop gold.'
They couldn't let this moment slip.
YouQuiz was a program with freedom unlike any other.
No matter what happened, filming continued, and Yoo Jae-seok's hosting turned it all into content and fun.
This time was no different; the cameras kept rolling.
"Are you close with Sena?"
"I didn't mess up, did I?"
Sena chuckled at Yoo Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho's words.
She knew exactly what they implied.
"Not boyfriend. That'd be a disaster."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Oh Se-ho asked back with genuine shock.
No trace of humor.
A real "Did I screw up?" face.
"Ask Yong-un. I'm the guest here, but he's not."
All eyes locked on Yong-un.
Under their expectant gazes, Yong-un shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. I'm here to see my noona and help out."
"Noona...?"
At Yong-un's word, eyes swiveled back to Sena.
Sena smiled at the confirmation.
"Yes, noona. His real older sister."
Armand Shopping Mall President Sena's little brother is Hunter Yong-un?
Sena's bombshell left the filming crew, fellow guest Junsu, and Manager Kim jaws dropped.
'Armand's backer... was Hunter Yong-un? And he's the president's real little brother? Insane...'
Yoo Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho alternated stares between Sena and Yong-un, forgetting the cameras.
In the awkward silence.
Yong-un casually crossed and stood behind Sena.
"Will being here help noona?"
Sena grinned and punched his arm.
"Obviously. That's why I called you."
"Got it."
Yong-un nodded, and Sena raised her hand to call Manager Kim.
"Manager Kim, grab an extra chair. That's okay, right?"
Sena's request was music to the production team's ears.
"Yes! What are you waiting for? Get a chair!"
The PD bellowed for the assistant director, who swiftly fetched one and placed it beside Sena.
Then the PD had a writer revise this episode's title.
[Hunter Yong-un Finds YouQuiz]