Chapter 100: Chapter 100

[Ten minutes before the start of the press conference...]

"DID I do a good job, Wonhee-ya?"

"You did well, Yejun-ah," Wonhee said while patting Yejun’s head. "Thank you."

Yejun managed to get the video that they needed to clear her name.

The video that they got was actually better than the CCTV footage that Lee Seorin posted because it came with audio.

Hence, the conversation that Wonhee and Lee Sook-ja had was clear in the video.

[It’s scary how clear the footage and the audio were.]

It seemed like there was a reason why Pineapple had a huge bounty on his head.

[Anyway, I already handed the USB file to Soobin Oppa and Geon Oppa for our "show" later.]

Semi, Graham, and Song Moonho already went ahead to greet the press. Yool went to the other room to join Billie Unnie and Momo Unnie. And Ahyeon was waiting for her outside with the rest of the APA representatives who were in charge of being her escorts. Discover more novels at novel·fiɾe·net

That was why only Wonhee and Yejun were left in the room.

"Yejun-ah, how much do I owe you?"

"I heard Pineapple-ssi doesn’t work for free," Wonhee said. "I’m sure he asked you for payment. Since this is my problem, I’d like to pay for it."

"Oh, he asked for five billion in cash."

"I see. I’ll have it prepared then."

Yejun let out a sigh, and then he cupped Wonhee’s face between his hands. "Wonhee-ya, I know that you have money to burn. But that doesn’t mean you should agree right away when someone names their price even though you can afford it."

Wonhee was taught by her parents to never haggle if she could afford it, so she never really learned how to bargain.

"In the Awakened World, there are things more important than money," Yejun said in a serious tone. "Artifacts, potions, monsters, Mana Crystals, skills– those are just examples of things you can use to negotiate with another person."

"Did you negotiate with Pineapple-ssi?"

"Then what did Pineapple-ssi ask for in return?"

Yejun put a hand over his chest while keeping that fake saint-like expression on his space. "The generosity in my heart."

"I spared his limbs."

"I told that bastard that I would pay him five billion in cash, but I’ll take one of his limbs because his cheeky ass irritated the hell out of me," Yejun said, sneering. "Then he sent the video for free."

"Yejun-ah, that’s called intimidation."

"Asking for five billion won in this economy for a freaking video was a scummy move– he got what he deserved."

Wonhee didn’t want to say this, but she felt a chill down her spine.

[This side of Yejun is a bit scary...]

"Wonhee-ya, I don’t want to scare you, but I also can’t hide this side from you forever. So, just a heads up– I wouldn’t have reached my position if I was as kind as you," Yejun said, removing his hands from her face. "It’s okay if you get scared of me a little, but please don’t abandon me."

"I’m a bit scared when you’re being unkind, but I won’t abandon you unless you hurt me in any way."

"You have my permission to kill me if I ever hurt you."

"I don’t need your permission– I’ll do it if you hurt me."

"Very well, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said, gently pinching her chin. "I want you to continue being a good person, but it won’t hurt if you learn how to be a bit cruel sometimes."

"Your wish will come true today, Yejun-ah," Wonhee said, sighing. "I’m about to do something bad."

"WONHEE-ya, I’m sorry."

Wonhee turned to Lee Seodam who was walking on her right side. "For what, Hunter Seodam?"

She addressed Seodam by his title because there were other people around them.

Yejun was on her other side, while Ahyeon and the rest of the APA Hunters assigned to escort her were walking behind them.

Hence, Wonhee decided to act formal.

But it seemed like her ex-boyfriend looked surprised that she called him ’Hunter’ instead of ’Oppa’ as she would often do.

"The video... since it was clearly a CCTV footage from our house, I’m pretty sure that it was Seorin Noona who posted the video," Seodam said in a quiet voice. He probably knew that the others could hear him, but it seemed like he didn’t care. "For that, I am sorry. I tried calling Noona to ask her to take down the video, but she’s not picking up my call."

"Jin called me earlier and apologized, too. And now you’re apologizing to me for something Lee Seorin did," Wonhee said, unapologetically calling Lee Seorin by her full name instead of ’unnie.’ "I just find it funny that the person who should be apologizing to me has yet to reflect."

"I’m really sorry, Wonhee– Miss Chu."

"Hunter Seodam, I hate airing dirty laundry in public," Wonhee said, pausing a moment before turning to Seodam. "But I’m tired of your family’s harassment, so I’ll give Lee Seorin the consequences of her own actions."

Seodam looked too shocked by her words to respond.

And Wonhee walked faster, leaving Seodam behind, without looking back.

"HEE-YA, you can drink the iced coffee on the table– Chef Ryung Dae made it himself, and we watched him make your coffee to make sure it’s safe."

Wonhee smiled and nodded after listening to Soobin’s whisper, then she sat on the chair.

Her older brother, as the APA Vice President, sat on her right side.

Geon, her brother-in-law and the director of the National Guide Center, sat on the other side of Soobin.

Kwon Jiwoong, the APA President, sat on Wonhee’s left side.

[President Ma Yong-deuk, Kwon Jiwoong’s grandpa and the current South Korean President, couldn’t make it.]

But there were rumors saying the president was just too afraid to be with the Big 4.

The Big 4– Semi, Song Moonho, Graham, and Yejun– sat on the chairs placed on a higher platform behind them.

[Like the kings that they are.]

Anyway, Ahyeon and Seodam were on the side of the stage with the other high-ranking APA Hunters.

And the cameras kept flashing while Kwon Jiwoong was giving his opening speech.

"Once again, thank you for joining us here today," Kwon Jiwoong said, ending his short yet polite opening speech. "First things first: we’d like you to watch the video that Actress Choi Sumin, the Civilian who accused Miss Chu of drug abuse, filmed for this press conference. Actress Choi is currently under APA’s custody, so she can’t join us in person."

Saying that a Civilian was "under APA’s custody" was a polite way of saying someone was locked up for committing a crime related to the Awakened World.

<"First of all, I’d like to apologize to Miss Chu Wonhee for the lie I told APA that almost ruined her life.">

Since it was also Wonhee’s first time seeing Choi Sumin’s apology video, she watched it from the monitor in front of her.

There was a large projecter behind her for the reporters and the viewers.

<"Miss Chu Wonhee didn’t take any Forced Awakening drugs on her own accord– I actually drugged her. It was me who purchased Forced Awakening drugs, but I was too afraid to take them myself. At the time, I heard that Miss Chu Wonhee had ended her hiatus and was ready to make a comeback. I was threatened by her return, so I lost my mind and decided to ruin her career. As you already know, I put the Forced Awakening drugs that I bought and spiked her drink...">

Wonhee tried to keep her expression neutral while watching Choi Sumin’s apology video.

To be honest, she wasn’t really listening to Choi Sumin’s words.

[It’s Choi Sumin... her face, her voice, her way of speaking... it’s her.]

Wonhee’s gut feeling was telling her otherwise.

[It’s not the real Choi Sumin...]

But no one questioned the authenticity of the apology video.

[Am I the only one who noticed?]

"As you’ve seen and heard, Miss Chu Wonhee is innocent– Miss Chu awakened naturally," Kwon Jiwoong said after Choi Sumin’s apology video ended. "For our dear reporters and guests, each one of you will find an envelope on your assigned table. That’s a copy of the result of Miss Chu’s drug test. It shows that she didn’t take any drugs, and she had awakened weeks before the incident. For our dear viewers, you can check the result on the National Guide Center website."

"You’ll find the official result of Miss Chu’s Awakening test there," Geon, the director of the National Guide Center, added. "Except for Miss Chu’s level we’d like to announce later."

Wonhee could tell that Geon wasn’t happy, and so was Soobin.

After all, she was the one who changed the way they would announce her class level last minute.

"Enough with what we already know!"

Wonhee was surprised when a loud and rude voice of a man echoed in the hall.

"We already know that Chu Wonhee awakened as a high-class Guide! I don’t care if she’s a B-Class or an A-Class! What I want to talk about is the current hot topic in real time!"

[I recognize that man.]

Reporter Bang– an infamous gossip writer from Eyepatch. He also had an infamous channel known for destroying celebrities by spreading malicious rumors about them.

And Wonhee was often Reporter Bang’s victim.

Wonhee turned to Soobin and communicated with her brother through her eyes.

[Oppa, I thought you only invited decent reporters?]

Soobin slightly shook his head as if he was saying that he didn’t invite Reporter Bang.

"Chu Wonhee, you pushed Lee Seodam’s mother during an argument! Is it because Lee Seodam dumped you? Are you abusing your power since you awakened as a high-class Hunter?"

Wonhee saw Lee Seodam walking towards her.

She didn’t want her ex-boyfriend to step in, so she stood up and grabbed the mic.

"Reporter Bang, it’s been a while," Wonhee greeted the rude reporter, causing Lee Seodam to stop. "How are your children?"

Reporter Bang, a man in his fifties wearing a wig, a pair of glasses, and a grumpy face, looked confused by Wonhee’s question. "Why are you asking about my children?"

"I believe your oldest child is in their first year of university while your youngest is attending a private high school," Wonhee said, smiling. "You were able to send your children to prestigious schools without a scholarship thanks to me, so I deserve to know how your children are doing these days."

"What nonsense are you saying–"

"You make a living off of writing malicious rumors about me ever since I was a child actress," Wonhee said bluntly. She was still smiling, but her eyes were cold. "I don’t mind you calling me a ’nepo baby’ when I started my acting career because it’s true. But the other things you wrote about me were all malicious."

Reporter Bang looked like he was about to say something, but Wonhee wasn’t done speaking yet.

"Whenever I gain weight, you call me a pig. Whenever I lose weight, you call me a stick. Your harsh words were half the reason I got an eating disorder when I was in my early teens," Wonhee said. She didn’t want to talk about her dark past, but she couldn’t stop. "When I became the youngest recipient of a Daesang acting award, you accused me of buying my win while criticizing my acting as if you were better than the critics who gave me the award."

"When I started dating Hunter Lee Seodam, you wrote several articles that basically said I was attaching myself to APA’s rising star to "stay relevant,"" Wonhee said, cutting off Reporter Bang rudely. "You even accused me of stealing Hunter Lee Seodam from a Guide who deserved him more."

Of course, that Guide would be Park Ruda.

[I don’t need to name-drop Ruda Oppa since he’s not a part of our relationship.]

"You had a field day when I was accused of drug abuse, Reporter Bang," Wonhee said, laughing softly. "Did the clicks and the views of your silly "podcast" talking bad about me pay your rent? Your children’s expensive tuition? Your wife’s luxury bag? Or, perhaps, the annual membership fee of a golf club you can’t afford without the money you get from writing malicious stuff about me?"

"Chu Wonhee! Why do you keep on dragging my family here?!"

"You shouldn’t have insulted my dead parents then," Wonhee said coldly, cutting off the reporter again. "You called Miss Chu Sara, my adoptive mother, a "failure of a woman" because she couldn’t conceive a child and adopted me instead. And then you laughed at my adoptive father for choosing to stay with a woman who couldn’t give him a biological child. Now you’re mad that I mentioned your family?"

"You’re a celebrity and my family members are private indivi–"

"Just because celebrities are public figures doesn’t mean you can cross the line," Wonhee said. "And if you think it’s unfair that I talked about your family, then sue me. I’ll gladly meet you in court, Reporter Bang."

This time, Reporter Bang’s face turned red– completely humiliated.

"Right now, there are people who might think I’m being arrogant. That I changed just because I awakened as a high-class Guide," Wonhee said, her voice back to being soft again. "Nobody says anything when the victim is being abused, but when the victim fights back ONCE, they suddenly become the bad person. If that’s the case, so be it."

"CHU WONHEE, LET’S SUE THEM ALL!"

Wonhee was surprised when she heard the loud voice of a woman coming from the farthest row.

[If I remember correctly, that’s where my fansites are seated...]

Sure enough, she recognized the hommas who used to follow her around during her active days.

"We love you, but we hate when you’re being too kind! Just sue them all! They’ll only learn their lessons that way!"

"Our Wony-ah, don’t worry about the trolls– we’ll troll them back for you!"

"We have genius hackers in our fandom! We’ll find all your haters and punish them in real life– mff!"

Wonhee laughed softly when her fans covered the mouth of the last person who spoke.

"I did not push Hunter Lee Seodam’s mother– not on purpose," Wonhee said calmly. "My power manifested because the System judged I was in danger back then."

The reporters lost their minds.

Hence, the continuous pour of questions.

Nobody bothered to raise their hands anymore and just shouted their questions.

"But Miss Chu awakened as a Guide! Guides don’t have attack and defensive skills!"

"What kind of skill does Miss Chu receive from the System?"

"Miss Chu, what kind of danger were you talking about?"

Wonhee raised her hand.

Surprisingly, the reporters all fell silent at the same time.

Wonhee turned to Soobin. "Oppa– I mean, Vice President Yeon, please play the video."

Soobin nodded, and then he raised his hand.

Lee Cheongsan, Soobin’s right-hand man, immediately replaced the person in charge of the laptop connected to the projector.

And then, in just a few seconds, the video sent by Pineapple was played.

The video started when Lee Sook-ja, Lee Seodam’s mother, chased Wonhee with a bucket of kimchi.

That was when Wonhee’s new skill was activated suddenly.

Fortunately, Ahyeon and Yejun arrived at the right time.

The conversation that followed soon echoed in the hall.

<"I apologize, ma’am. I didn’t mean to do that. My skill that protects me from danger suddenly got activated.">

<"I bet you did that on purpose!">

<"Eomma, that’s something that Eomma and Seorin Noona would do. But Wonhee Noona isn’t the type to physically hurt someone– and Eomma knows that, too.">

And then it was Yejun’s turn to speak.

<"Ahjumma, did you just try to splash Wonhee with that bucket of kimchi? Then Ahjumma got lucky Wonhee’s new skill activated the moment it did. Because if Wonhee got so much as a smudge of that kimchi on her, then Ahjumma would have been an ice statue by now.">

Wonhee raised her hand, and Lee Cheongsan stopped the video.

The talk that came after was irrelevant to the story anyway.

[We just need to let people know about my skill.]

As expected, the reactions that she got were all explosives.

The guests were now murmuring loudly, and the reporters had millions of questions to ask.

"Miss Chu, did you just get the same ability as Hunter Hwang Frost?!"

"It’s not the "same" ability," Wonhee corrected the reporter. "It is Hunter Hwang Frost’s ability– as his exclusive Guide, I gain the right to use his ability if I’m in danger."

The collective gasp from the audience was loud.

Yes, Wonhee just revealed her skill.

That was why Soobin and Semi weren’t happy.

Graham and Song Moonho agreed with Wonhee’s decision.

While Yejun didn’t say anything.

[I know the risks, but I believe I can turn them around.]

"I’ll give you a demonstration," Wonhee said, and then she turned to her side. "Hunter Do Ahyeon, please."

Ahyeon, who had already been briefed in advance, nodded shyly while pulling out a dagger from the inner pocket of his suit.

And then Ahyeon threw the dagger in Wonhee’s direction.

As expected, her Status Window popped up.

Wonhee raised her hand, a cold gust of wind suddenly coming out of her palm.

And, just like that, the dagger was suspended in mid-air before it could even get near her.

Then the dagger turned into ice quickly until it became an ice dagger.

The entire hall fell silent.

When Wonhee turned to the audience, she could tell that everyone was shocked.

"Good job, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said, clapping his hands. "I’m proud of you."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Yejun before she turned to her audience again for a proper introduction.

[Let’s wrap this up.]

"My name is Chu Wonhee," Wonhee said softly. "And I’m the first recorded S-Class Guide in the world."

NOTE: Hi! Sorry for the long Chapter. I wanted to make it special because it’s the 100th Chapter. I hope you enjoyed the press conference! Thank you for the support!!! <3

Please ADD <MY LIFE AS THE FIRST S-CLASS GUIDE> to your LIBRARY to be notified when an update is posted. Thank you! :>