Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Hwang PD's Return
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166
Hwang PD's return.
Just swapping out the main PD and the top writer was enough to completely change the atmosphere.
Noh Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho, having received the new cue cards and checked them over, looked toward Hwang PD.
He winked.
At Hwang PD's signature cheeky charm, Noh Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho couldn't help but smile.
The overly generous cue cards from Park PD were gone, replaced by proper ones worthy of being called You Quiz.
'Nice.'
The initial pressure and heavy burden had vanished.
"Alright~ Hello, everyone!"
Realizing anew how joyful it was to greet viewers with quality content, Noh Jae-seok bowed to the camera with an even brighter smile than usual.
Clutching the precious cue card in his hand, he flashed a wide grin toward every camera.
"This is the 178th episode of You Quiz. Today, we'll be starting a bit differently right here in the studio. Since we're tackling things You Quiz has never done before, it might be a little rough around the edges, so please bear with us from the start."
Unlike usual, the lengthy intro put the entire production team at ease.
Sometimes, an honest truth, even if imperfect, is better than covering it up with a lie.
At Noh Jae-seok's words, smiles spread across the faces of Hwang PD and the whole crew.
"With that, let's begin You Quiz. Today, we have some very special guests. This is a first in You Quiz history, right? We'll be seeing them for the second week in a row. Please come on out, guests!" ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ This time, he hadn't used his influence for the incident.
He'd only gathered info on the enemies through his connections, without actively working to create the current situation.
He'd simply given Sena a bit of courage and support so she could resolve it on her own.
With Yong-un's own power, not relying on authority or forces.
'Is this what real-world wars are like?'
It was his first time.
He'd thought it would be a long, drawn-out war.
And that today marked its beginning.
But the war had ended in a flash.
The enemies had crumbled at once under the brilliant scheme of the strategist Sena.
'Tricky.'
He saw this as a chance to study how wars were waged in the real world.
This place followed Supremacy of the Strong, just like home.
But it was a different flavor from the murim, where raw martial prowess decided victory.
"I feel bad for unintentionally causing you trouble. I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize."
Jun-su bowed deeply.
Though exhaustion was etched into his features, Jun-su's face looked happier and more at ease than ever when he lifted his head.
"As the MC of You Quiz, I apologize once more for letting such injustice befall our guests. I'm sorry."
"We're sorry."
Noh Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho bowed as well.
"I can't promise with full confidence that something like this will never happen again due to my own shortcomings. But one thing I can say for sure: I'll do everything in my power to prevent it. We're sorry to our viewers too."
"I'm sorry. I should have helped from the side, so I'm sorry again."
Sena smiled at the apologies from Noh Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho.
The camera captured Sena's gracious smile, as if celebrating a perfect victory.
"The mood's getting weird. But I'm fine now. Thanks to You Quiz, everyone now knows Yong-un is my little brother, and I've even signed exclusive modeling contracts with not just Yong-un but Beauty and Dancer too. So I feel lucky. Don't worry."
"Still, we're sorry."
Sena knew better than anyone that Noh Jae-seok and Oh Se-ho were blameless.
As Noh Jae-seok bowed once more, Sena stood up and bowed to him in return.
"No, thank you. A national MC really is different. You've put my mind at ease."
The atmosphere grew solemn.
Dancer flashed a bright smile and stood to completely shift the mood.
"But the vibe's gotten strange. I thought we'd have some light chat about my beautiful little sister Beauty's story and have fun?"
"Sis!"
The Poison Witch raised her voice in embarrassment.
Dancer just smiled even brighter and waved it off.
"Just kidding. Hee hee."
The Poison Witch's twisted expression was still beautiful, and Dancer's coy look brought smiles to everyone's faces.
The skit from her two subordinates instantly flipped the heavy mood.
"Since it came up, could I ask what Beauty and Dancer did before becoming models?"
True to his national MC status, Noh Jae-seok seized the moment to solidify the improved atmosphere created by the Poison Witch and Dancer.
"We're Hunters. Though calling us Hunters even now is more accurate than models."
"Hunters? I can't picture it at all. Do you pretty faces go around slicing monsters like whoosh-whoosh?"
"Whoosh-whoosh? When Beauty beckons, the monsters just go fwoosh..."
"Ah, no. It's shwoosh."
The Poison Witch poked Dancer's side and flashed an embarrassed smile.
Everyone but the Poison Witch burst into laughter.
Shwoosh.
The hastily thrown word, laced with cuteness, melted everyone's hearts, men and women alike.
"No joke, you two would kill it in variety shows. Your chemistry is amazing."
"You think so too, senior? No cap, they could debut as celebs with those faces."
After Oh Se-ho tossed in his comment...
"......"
The Poison Witch and Dancer just stared at Oh Se-ho without responding.
"Huh? Why do I always get hit when I talk..."
Oh Se-ho panicked.
"Hahaha!"
The crew and cast erupted in belly laughs.
Having previewed You Quiz beforehand, the Poison Witch and Dancer naturally teased Oh Se-ho.
His flustered reaction was variety gold.
The laughter from around him only grew louder the more Oh Se-ho panicked.
"Do all You Quiz guests conspire before coming? Why everyone... No, Hwang PD, are you directing this?"
Hwang PD shook his head and fell backward.
He couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Unlike the start, the studio bloomed with laughter.
Yong-un wore a faint smile at the drastically changed vibe.
And that atmosphere lasted straight through to the end of filming. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Breaking News [You Quiz Apologizes to A Shopping Mall.] 📰 Breaking News [Iron Army Guild Faces Netizen Backlash.] 📰 Breaking News [Hunter Yong-un's Sister Actually A Shopping Mall President Lee Sena?] 📰 Breaking News [Hot A Shopping Mall Ad Models Actually Hunters? San Marino Demons Korea National Team Hunters!] 📰 Breaking News [Top 1 & 2 Most Beautiful Female Hunters in Jeopardy.] Once the You Quiz episode aired, a flood of internet articles poured in.
As expected, the phones at Armang Shopping Mall rang off the hook.
The leap Armang Shopping Mall had taken since the ad campaign now soared to new heights on You Quiz's wings, piercing the skies.
And the long-desired offline entry into major department stores went off without a hitch.
Armang Shopping Mall, once a mid-tier SME.
Now, its influence and capabilities were rising to rival those of big corporate malls.
"It feels like a dream."
On the rooftop of Guisalhonmyeol's house.
Sena stretched toward the sky alongside Yong-un.
Then she turned to him and said,
"To tell you now, but like Myung-un, I resented you too."
They say parents who lose a child have their time freeze from that moment.
After Yong-un went missing, their parents endured immense suffering that nearly ruined the family finances.
Going from a stable home to one in financial straits was a huge trial for the remaining children too.
"Sorry."
Yong-un hung his head.
It had been truly tough.
Even in middle and high school, she was always tagged as "the sister of the missing kid."
Students' inexplicable intel network gradually darkened the once-bright Sena.
Yet Sena forced smiles through every ordeal.
And to pursue her love of clothes, she plunged headfirst into a shopping mall job.
There were plenty of menial tasks, and she'd been bullied endlessly for her youth and lack of a top university degree.
"Hear me out to the end. Not 'resent,' but 'resented.' I don't anymore. In fact, I'm so grateful."
Sena lay back on the roof.
Day after grueling day, she clung to the dream of one day owning her own mall.
Then Yong-un returned.
"When you first came back, I was worried too. Before even hearing your story, I was thinking about how you, knowing nothing, could help the family. Sorry."
But contrary to Sena's expectations, Yong-un's return upended everything.
"Then I heard your story. I regretted it so much. To harbor those thoughts toward you, who'd endured far harder years than us."
Sena sat up on the roof and looked at Yong-un.
She shook her head at his apologetic expression.
"Don't be sorry. I should be. No matter what anyone says, you're family. The family that broke because of you is now happier than ever. My little brother... I love you."
Words of love she'd never said before.
Her nose tingled.
Her eyes burned, tears spilling out.
Her vision blurred as Sena's arms pulled Yong-un into a hug without thinking.
"My little brother! Welcome home! You're... you're my family. My one and only family!"
Yong-un's limp arms slowly rose.
The arms of Yong-un, pillar of the cult, that had snapped enemy generals' necks and severed countless righteous and evil sect warriors' throats, embraced Sena.
Those arms that destroyed everything, stained in blood...
Gently wrapped around the slender Sena's back.
"Thank you. I'll work harder."
Yong-un's chest grew hot.
The word "family" always stirred deep emotions in him, no matter when he heard it.
He'd been called cold and ruthless so often his feelings had hardened.
But "family" always shook his heart and evoked a flood of sentiments.
"Enough! You don't need to work hard anymore. You've done more than enough."
Sena reversed her hold, pushing Yong-un back.
She looked him straight in the eye and said,
"Thanks to you, the family's happier than ever. Now it's your turn to receive our efforts. So, start putting family before yourself."
Put family before yourself...
Yong-un chuckled wryly.
"Got it."
He said that, but he knew best it would never happen.
Still, he lied to Sena.
At that moment, mischief crept onto Sena's face.
"Think of yourself first now. In that spirit..."
She grinned.
"What about Dancer?"
Yong-un flinched.
His body trembled faintly.
He couldn't fathom how the family talk had veered here.
As Yong-un said nothing, Sena shook his shoulders.
"What do you think? Dancer really seems to like you."
Yong-un naturally put some distance between them.
"Not thinking about it yet."
"For real? Hard to find a girl like Dancer?"
"Did she put you up to this or something?"
The touching moment shattered.
He realized emotions at their peak could crumble in an instant.
At Yong-un's rejection,
Sena went all-in.
"You said you'd think of family?"
"......"
"Then get married. Start a family. That'd be the greatest gift to Mom, Dad, and us."
Dancer's cry of "Baby!" overlapped with Sena's image.
And behind Sena, Dancer's faintly visible face broke into a smile.
"Too late. I'll take you home."
Unanswerable, Yong-un countered strongly.
"Hey!"
The emotion was already gone.
Yong-un grabbed Sena's arm.
"Hey!"
"Hold tight. We'll be there soon."
Then Yong-un and Sena vanished from the spot.
A clear sky without a single cloud.
On the now-empty rooftop where Yong-un and Sena had disappeared, a figure materialized like spreading ink.
"Tch..."
The person sat where Yong-un's warmth lingered.
Dancer pouted, fiddling idly with the innocent rooftop.