These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

10. Why are you doing this to me?

The official time for the Freya Guild to clear the Sæ dungeon was 70 hours and 50 minutes. It was an impressive feat accomplished in about 71 hours. This remarkable record caused a stir in public opinion. The previous fastest time for the Freya Guild to clear the Sæ Dungeon was 137 hours. The time has almost been reduced by half.

When the Freya Guild cleared the Sæ Dungeon and boarded the ship again, Incheon’s Wangsan Port was crowded with reporters and ordinary people who had come to watch.

Paaang.

Not long after, a huge ship appeared from across the sea. Many people were still in disbelief until the ship docked at the port and the Freya Guild members came out.

At a time when even large guilds were struggling to clear high-ranked dungeons due to dungeon rating anomalies, many were sceptical of the nearly halving time.

However, their distrust soon ended and Freya Guild's guildmaster, Song Cha-hyun, was the first to get off the ship.

Click, click.

Numerous cameras were pointed at her. Song Cha-hyun approached the reporters with a composed expression on her face.

"Is it true that you have completed the dungeon clearance?"

"This is an unprecedented time reduction. How did you manage this?"

"Guildmaster Song Cha-hyun!"

Song Cha-hyun looked calm as she looked around at the crowd of people. She looked tired at glance, perhaps from the fierce battle in the dungeon, but she soon spoke composedly.

"Freya Guild has successfully cleared the dungeon. The Association will soon approve it."

"I heard that the Sæ dungeon also had a rating anomaly, so how did you clear it so quickly?"

"…."

"Is there a special reason?"

Hearing the reporter's question, other people's gazes turned to behind Song Cha-hyun. There were still many hunters who had yet to get off the ship, and the most curious aspect was who played a crucial role in this unprecedented time reduction.

Was it the Valkyrie’s leader, Sung Yoo-bin?

Or SS-class Kang Yoo-hyun, sent by the Odin Guild?

Or maybe…

"The hunter who made the greatest contribution to this dungeon conquest is…"

Song Cha-hyun's voice rang loudly around with the sound of countless flashes.

[The star of the SS-rank dungeon is a B-class hunter.]

[What kind of auxiliary skill… Han Yeo Reum’s Interview Video.]

[A B-class hunter, Han Yi-jin’s age, education and profile, who is more popular than SS-class hunter, were revealed!]

[Han Yi-jin, when he was at school… A classmate's post on the board.]

"Hmm…”

With an expressionless face, I swiftly swiped through my phone screen. The articles I had anticipated were popping up one after another. Then I stopped when I saw a picture.

"Oh!"

A prominently taken picture of Yong-sik was featured in the article. I immediately pressed the save button. Then I read the comments below.

[dbsw****] Crazy haha. Carrying an S-rank dragon as a summoner.

└[gogo****] Yeah, super badass.

└[whdk****] Fucking awesome.

[kim1****] What kind of dragon is that?

└[leej****] It's a Poison Dragon.

└[gugu****] Poison? Venom??

└[1004****] Wow, it's so rare.

[yyy6****] It’s still a babyㅜㅜ A baby!!

[hoho****] But honestly, it’s ugly.

"What the fuck with this bastard?"

As I read that, I frowned.

What? Ugly? My Yongsik is ugly? Without even seeing, this person must be ugly too.

It was when I skillfully moved my fingers, as if I was possessed by a keyboard warrior.

Knock, knock.

"Hm?"

"Kkyau!"

I turned around when I heard a knock. Yong-sik, who was chewing a toy in his mouth, also looked towards the door. With a wary look in his eyes, I gestured for him to stay put and I approached the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Hunter Han Yi-jin."

I recognized Yeon Seung-won's voice and I immediately opened the door.

"Come on in."

"Excuse me."

Yeon Seung Won entered the room with a polite bow. I suggested that he sit in a chair, but he flatly refused, as if he would just say what he needed to say and leave immediately. I sat on the chair awkwardly.

"Did you rest well?"

"Yes, well…"

After returning from the Sæ dungeon, I really rested to the fullest. It's quite noisy with all the talk about me on the internet and outside. However, since I haven't really stepped out of here, it doesn't feel like a big deal.

Guildmaster Song Cha-hyun gave me almost all the credit, and her praise continued throughout the interview to the point where I felt burdened.

I thought she would only mention me as a formality, but she praised me so much as a mercenary. What was she thinking?

I shook my head inwardly and looked at Yeon Seung-won.

"What brings you here?"

"I have something to tell you about your next schedule."

"Schedule?"

"Yes."

I was so tired of the Sæ dungeon that I locked myself in my room, except for when I went out to meet Do-gyul. I only met Park Yoon-sung once, when I checked the rewards offered by Freya Guild.

"Oh, speaking of which, what happened with that? It seemed like a system error, but I ended up being permanently bound to legendary-grade items…"

“Guildmaster Song Cha-hyun said it was okay for Hunter Han Yi-jin to keep both items. Instead, she even offered additional compensation…”

"No, it's okay. It's too much."

Surprisingly, Song Cha-hyun didn't ask for the legendary-grade items that had been permanently bound to me. She even offered to pay me additional incentives on top of the amount we had agreed upon before entering the dungeon.

"That's not excessive at all, Hunter Han Yi-jin-nim. If you look at the report sent by the Freya Guild, it is a reward you deserve."

"Umm…"

I groaned a little at Yeon Seung-won's words. Park Yoon-sung had also mentioned that before, but it was still too much for me to accept. Honestly, I wanted to pretend I didn't know. The problem was people's interest in me, which became excessive as time went by.

Paparazzi would follow me even if I left my accommodation, and in those days, there would be articles about it the next day. It's very difficult to meet Do-gyul. The reporters were so persistent that they even followed me to the guild's private property.

Public interest grew stronger than I had anticipated. I wanted to become famous so that the Laufey guild wouldn't easily mess with me, but I never thought things would escalate this far.

Hmm, holding back the urge to groan again, I asked Yeon Seung-won.

"But what's my schedule?"

"Ah."

Having a schedule at a time like this was puzzling. It couldn't be going back into the dungeon again since I've just returned from the Sæ dungeon. What could it be? Seeing my curiosity, Yeon Seung-won opened his mouth.

"It's about the broadcast schedule."

"Broadcast?"

My jaw dropped open at Yeon Seung-won's words. He pointed his finger at me.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"…."

Something seemed off about this. Why would I be going on a broadcast? As I looked at him suspiciously, Yeon Seung-won continued to speak with an indifferent expression on his face.

"It's not mandatory, just a suggestion. However, if you want to continue your hunter activities in the future, it would be better if you appeared on the broadcast at least once.”

"Mmm…"

Indeed. Rather than hiding to appease the public's interests, it might be better to throw a little bait to divert their attention. After all, I couldn't be cooped up in the accommodation forever.

"What kind of broadcast is it?"

"Here's the list."

Yeon Seung-won handed over the documents as if he had been waiting. The documents he passed on were quite heavy. I calmly checked the documents.

On the front of the documents were always written TV programs that mostly featured hunters. It was very well organised, including who was in the cast, what the show was about, and who was in the other episodes.

However, as time went by, it deviated from TV programs. There are reporter profiles for interviews and YouTuber channel introductions. I asked Yeon Seung-won with a confused face.

"These are not a TV program in the back, right?"

"That's right."

After nodding, Yeon Seung-won explained further.

"If you find it burdensome to go to the broadcasting station for TV programs, there's also the option of being interviewed by prominent newspaper journalists or appearing as a guest on a famous YouTuber channel."

"Aha."

The YouTubers' documents fluttered in my hands. It seemed like appearing on YouTube channels might be more convenient than going to a broadcasting station.

"Is it really okay to appear on a YouTube channel?"

"Of course."

"Hmm, then…."

Who should I choose? I checked through the list of YouTubers and then widened my eyes when I found someone.

[Yuna Yuna]

She was a YouTuber I read about in the novel, and she was one of the heroines who was close to Kang Yoo-hyun. She was the YouTuber who advised Kang Yoo-hyun to appear on her channel if he felt burdened to appear on the broadcast. So, it's probably her YouTube channel where Kang Yoo-hyun will appear soon. But why is it on my list? I glanced at Yeon Seung-won, feeling a little uneasy about it.

"Actually, Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun is scheduled to appear on that channel."

"Ah, I see."

I tried to feign ignorance, but Yeon Seung-won went on to explain anyway.

"If you don't feel comfortable appearing alone, why don't you appear with your partner, Kang Yoo-hyun?"

"Yes?"

Shooting a YouTube video with Kang Yoo-hyun? Is that okay?

At that moment, I remembered Kang Yoo-hyun's YouTube episode. Yuna Yuna had tried hard to liven up the atmosphere because Kang Yoo-hyun was unfriendly. I thought I felt sorry for her when I read it… What kind of picture would emerge if I were in the middle of it? It's hard to imagine.

"No, I'll just do it alone…"

“Among YouTube BJs, Yuna Yuna is the most well-known. Also, if you appear separately from your partner, Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun, the public will be suspicious.”

"…"

Well, isn't he pretty much finalising this and letting me know? Why provide documents if this is the case? When I frowned, Yeon Seung-won quickly added.

"If you don't like it, Hunter Han Yi-jin can go for the TV broadcast…"

"No, I will also appear on YouTube."

“You have made a good choice.”

"…"

This feels like a well-set trap.

Yeon Seung-won looked innocent, but he was just as cunning as Park Yoon-sung. Yeon Seung-won looked at me, bowed briefly and said—

"So I'll take it that you'll appear on Yuna Yuna's YouTube channel?"

"Yes."

"Kkyau!"

Then, belatedly, I looked at Yong-sik and asked.

"Can Yong-sik also appear on the show?"

"Of course."

Relieved that Yeon Seung-won nodded, I patted Yong-sik's head. Still, it was good to be on the show with Yong-sik.

My Yong-sik is cute, so he'll get a lot of screen time, right?

I wasn't looking forward to the two-shot with Kang Yoo-hyun, I was just imagining Yong-sik on the screen.