Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Episode 16. New Corner (1)
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And so, the 4 PM News Table segment with Han Mi-jin wrapped up—starting in chaos and ending on a heartwarming note.
After exchanging goodbyes with the staff, Kang Han-do moved to change out of his clothes.
That was when he spotted Min A-rin, still lingering in the studio.
“You haven’t gone home yet?”
“Yeah.”
Her expression wasn’t great.
She’d shown a huge change in demeanor the moment Ahn Seo-min’s name came up earlier. Worried on the inside, Kang Han-do quietly activated his Happiness Level Viewer.
Sure enough.
Her Happiness Level: 197.
The noticeably plummeted number floated above her head.
Putting all the pieces together, it seemed like this was because Ahn Seo-min was dating Han Mi-jin.
As a fan, she wanted to wish them well, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
That was human greed.
“A-rin ssi.”
“Yeah?”
She reacted to Kang Han-do’s voice with a dazed look.
Kang Han-do made her an unexpected offer.
“If you don’t have anything after wrap-up, want to grab a quick drink?”
“A drink?”
“Yeah. I still remember you saying you’d buy me a meal last time. I’m cashing in that voucher today—cool with you?”
“Today? Hold on.”
She checked her schedule on her smartphone and soon nodded.
“Yeah, I’m free today.”
“Then around 7 PM for dinner and drinks. Looks like what you need most right now is some alcohol.”
“Ahaha...”
Spot on.
Nothing beat booze for unraveling a heavy heart like this. She nodded, accepting Kang Han-do’s invitation.
* * *
A lamb skewer joint near the BLT Broadcasting Station.
Min A-rin grabbed one of the dozens of empty skewers and bellowed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing through the place once more.
“Every time I saw those scandal articles... my heart got stabbed so bad!!! And now... this is really happening... Waaaaaah!!”
“Hey, A-rin ssi? People are staring—keep it down.”
“What?! How am I supposed to say this quietly!!”
Bam!!
Now she was slamming her beer glass on the table.
Any third party watching might think:
How much did she drink to get that wasted?
But she’d only had one beer.
Not even a full bottle—two glasses.
‘Who knew her tolerance was this low.’
It was an outcome Kang Han-do hadn’t seen coming.
She’d agreed so readily, so he figured she could hold her liquor pretty well. Even if not, he hadn’t expected beer to knock her out.
He’d been dead wrong.
“Haa.”
Kang Han-do sighed under his breath. That was when Min A-rin’s ridiculous drinking habit kicked in.
Suddenly, she grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and started trying to take it off.
“A-A-rin ssi?! What the hell are you doing!!”
“What d’ya mean... It’s hot, so I’m takin’ off my shirt... Hic!”
Now the hiccups were starting.
The hiccups were secondary—the real issue was her keep trying to strip.
She yanked her T-shirt up without hesitation, nearly flashing her purple bra. Kang Han-do, shocked, darted to her side and desperately tried to stop her.
“A-rin ssi, you’ll cause a huge scene! This is a bar near the broadcasting station!!”
“So what!!”
“That’s exactly why it’s a problem! ...Boss!! Check, please!! Paying now and heading out!”
Kang Han-do decided on drastic measures and rushed to settle the bill.
The owner, who’d been eyeing them suspiciously from the counter, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The other customers had been glaring daggers at Kang Han-do and Min A-rin.
They were lucky no complaints had come in.
* * *
After quickly paying by card, Kang Han-do hailed a taxi.
“Sinrim Station, Exit 1, please.”
“Yes, got it.”
Thank goodness he’d memorized where Min A-rin lived ahead of time.
Even in the taxi, she kept trying to undress, forcing Kang Han-do to grip both her wrists tightly.
The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror and grinned warmly.
“You really treasure your girlfriend, huh? Haha! You’ll make a great husband someday.”
“......”
He debated correcting him but soon gave up in exhaustion, staying silent.
After getting out of the taxi.
While supporting Min A-rin on the way to her place, they ran into a man smoking at the apartment entrance.
“Huh? Han-do? What brings you...”
It was someone Kang Han-do knew well: Jo Woo-kim PD.
Jo Woo-kim PD trailed off as he spotted the thoroughly wasted Min A-rin. He cut straight to it with one line.
“Sorry for the trouble with my hopeless niece.”
“Haha, no worries.”
Thank goodness Jo Woo-kim PD lived in the building right next to Min A-rin’s apartment complex.
With his help, Kang Han-do safely got her inside. Then he checked his watch and let out a deep sigh.
Current time: 1 AM.
“No way I’m making the train home.”
Kang Han-do trudged wearily, trying to flag down a taxi.
First the subway groper incident, now this—today marked the second time he’d helped Min A-rin out of a bind.
* * *
A free afternoon with no broadcasting schedule.
That was when Kang Han-do greeted another visitor at his front door.
“Hello, Han-do-nim!”
Visits from Nemid had become routine, so Kang Han-do gave her an awkward smile as he greeted her back.
“Hello.”
“How’ve you been? Not that I doubted you were doing great!”
“Haha...”
She hadn’t even heard his updates yet, but Nemid was already convinced he was thriving.
Her excessive positivity hadn’t changed a bit.
“Oh, and I’m not here alone today.”
She stepped back slightly, revealing another figure at the door raising a hand lightly.
“Long time no see.”
“You’re...”
As if he could forget.
She might look like a refreshingly pure beauty on the outside, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was the one who’d created the current Kang Han-do.
Sheridel. It had been ages since she’d appeared before him.
“I heard from Nemid. You’re appearing on the popular Pobokjeoldo corner this time, right?”
“Yeah, well...”
“Then you’ll boost Korea’s overall average Happiness Level in one go before long.”
“I think that’s jumping the gun a bit.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
Kang Han-do laid out his reasoning point by point in response to Sheridel’s question.
“Even if I get to perform on Pobokjeoldo, making people laugh isn’t that easy.”
“True. Especially in this country—people here don’t laugh easily. Seems like they’ve got more hardships than most places.”
“Yeah.”
Sheridel probably couldn’t relate. She wasn’t human, after all.
“Anyway, what brings you here? I thought you left all the Happiness Level stats announcements to Nemid.”
“Just wanted to drop by and see your face. Nothing major.”
“Ah, got it.”
Kang Han-do had felt uneasy the moment Sheridel showed up in person.
What if she said something like:
Korea's Happiness Level shows no signs of rising, so we’ve decided to reset Earth.
That would mean the end of the world.
Kang Han-do was busting his ass to become a megastar—having it all yanked away now would be so unfair.
Noticing his inner turmoil, Sheridel flashed a captivating smile.
“Worried I was here with bad news?”
“You know it.”
“Don’t stress too much. We’ve still got a little time.”
“That’s a relief.”
“And I actually like this world a lot right now. I’ve been pitching its good sides to God to push back the reset as much as possible. So during that time, if you raise the average Happiness Level, Han-do ssi, this world won’t have to end.”
“......”
Easier said than done. With the fate of the whole world on his shoulders, who wouldn’t feel crushed?
Still, he was getting used to her words now. Feeling his sense of responsibility reignite, Kang Han-do nodded vigorously.
“Yeah, got it. I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, and there’s one more piece of good news.”
Kang Han-do perked up for what Sheridel would say next.
An unexpected statement came from her lips.
“It’s tiny, but the average Happiness Level has gone up a bit.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. Though it’s only like 4 or 5.”
As she said, it was minuscule.
But an increase instead of a drop was cause for joy.
“After analyzing the dates and times of the rise, it peaked most during the airing of 4 PM News Table, where you appeared.”
“That’s...”
The recent Han Mi-jin episode that aired. That must’ve had a real impact on Korea’s average Happiness Level.
Right after Han Mi-jin and Ahn Seo-min’s official statement on the scandal.
Public opinion leaned more toward applauding their brave choice than backlash.
Neither had ever rubbed the public the wrong way, and they’d managed their images well, so there wasn’t fierce opposition or criticism of their relationship.
Plus, Han Mi-jin’s official announcement—via a variety show in a comedic tone—had informed the public of their dating in a fun way.
People couldn’t help but cheer for their upbeat move.
It was great that they’d earned the public’s blessings, but for Kang Han-do personally, it held huge significance: for the first time, a show he was on had influenced Korea’s average Happiness Level upward.
‘Didn’t think it was possible. But it is.’
He’d been anxious at first about raising a national Happiness Level on his own. But seeing the first results sparked real courage.
Nemid applauded his stellar performance too.
“As expected of you, Han-do-nim! I knew you’d nail it, and you did—just like I thought!”
“Thanks, Nemid ssi.”
“Now that you’re on Pobokjeoldo, the next stats release will show it up by 10... no, 100 for sure!”
“That’s a stretch.”
Nemid’s pointless positivity surged again.
Even for Kang Han-do, jacking it up by 100 in a month was near impossible.
Still, with this good momentum, he just had to smash it on Pobokjeoldo.
‘Alright, let’s do this!’