[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 248

“Ms. Ga-eul, let’s stop now.”

“Who do you think you are, you punk?”

Suddenly, Lim Yoo-joon steps in to stop me.

[Kyaaaak!!!]

[Someone please shut the room master’s mouth!]

“Ah! Let me go! My hair is falling out!!”

As I shake the journalist’s hair that I had in my grip, it flops around.

The eyes of the other journalists watching this also shake like aspen leaves.

“You seem to know well.”

“What do you know, you punk?”

“Is there a qualification requirement to join the fan club?”

“If there were, all my kids would be in the trash bin.”

[You bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[Why are you hitting me all of a sudden····? Why are you hitting me all of a sudden····? Why are you hitting me all of a sudden····?]

[Room master, it hurts····]

Hearing my words, Lim Yoo-joon takes a step closer and points to his face with his finger.

“Then I guess I’m a fan too.”

“·····.”

I’ve only met Lim Yoo-joon once.

He looks like a nobleman, so I thought he’d be calm, but apparently not.

Having faced him directly, his personality is more sly than I thought.

“Ugh. Please let me go·····.”

“If you sue me, I’ll let you go, right? Please sue me. Do it twice, you punk.”

“I won’t. Please, all my hair is being pulled out.”

As I let go of the hair tangled between my fingers, the freed journalist hurriedly steps back.

Seeing him fumbling with his hair and sighing in relief, it seems less was pulled out than expected.

“If you swing that damn camera around and get caught, I’ll cut off your useless head. Behave.”

“Um····· the faces of the citizens accidentally caught on camera will be mosaicked····.”

The journalist, with a strong sense of professionalism, holds onto his point until the end.

Well, I guess I would have done the same. If I had just walked away with Lim Yoo-joon right there, I’d be asking for trouble.

“Gasp.”

As I glare at the journalist who keeps holding onto his point and stumbles, he quickly turns his head to avoid my gaze.

“Just as you dislike me, I dislike you. I know you work shamelessly outside, but if you pull that crap in front of me, I’ll smash your head.”

Then, one of the gathered journalists raises his hand.

“Yes.”

As I point to the journalist who raised his hand, all eyes turn to me and the journalist.

Truly fitting for a journalist. In the middle of a bustling market, he firmly secures his right to speak.

“I’m Jo Seung-tae from Yangjin Daily.”

A comprehensive daily newspaper covering economy, industry, entertainment, politics, and distribution.

A big shot.

“Yes, Journalist Jo Seung-tae. Go ahead.”

“Can’t I write a good article?”

“Will you write it biasedly?”

[LOLOLOLOLOL]

[Our room master has really gone off the deep end LOL]

“Hmm····.”

Despite boldly securing his right to speak, he groans at my one remark.

“You always do it, so why hesitate? Are journalists under strict control when delivering information?”

“·····.”

Probably not.

At most, it’s just the internal review and censorship within the company.

“Then, does it undergo national censorship?”

“…..”

Probably not.

“Among all the people I’ve seen, journalists are the most confirmation-biased.”

Journalists are people too, and they’re part of the company. Those guys have to tilt their heads in the direction the company leans to make a living.

“But still, given the nature of the press….”

“The nature of the press makes their heads tilt left and right?”

“…..”

“That’s why I dislike you guys.”

Talking to those guys makes my blood boil.

As I put a cigarette in my mouth to smoke, a hand suddenly appears from the side.

—Poof!

“Phew—”

“Miss.”

He bows as if he’s an outdated flip phone, folding his waist in half.

They move thoroughly systematically, thoroughly driven by the logic of power. They’re like people living alone on a remote island.

“Yeah. Did you come to smoke?”

“Yes. But Dong-gwang, that guy, keeps bragging so much it’s making my ears hurt.”

Man-wook once said that Ahn Dong-gwang was his right-hand man. I think the only person who can call that guy “son” besides Man-wook is one other person.

A friend who stands shoulder to shoulder with Ahn Dong-gwang in the organization’s hierarchy.

“What’s he bragging about?”

“He keeps calling, saying he drank the alcohol you gave him….”

Ring-ring!

“Like now?”

“Yes….”

“Give it to me.”

Click.

– Hey, Hyun-woong, why’d you hang up? Let me at least smell it! Hahaha!

Grind. Grind.

Looking to the side, the guy called Hyun-woong is grinding his teeth. He must have been teased quite a bit.

“Come quickly if you’re done.”

– Gasp! Miss!

“Yeah, it’s me.”

– I’m almost there.

“Good job. Come quickly. I’m in the smoking area.”

– Yes, Miss!

Click.

Then, someone steps forward.

Seeing how they’re raising their temper, it seems they didn’t like my calmness.

“Han Ga-eul! Our country has four freedoms. One of them is freedom of speech.”

“So what?”

Click.

“We have freedom of the press…. cough….!!”

“If you’re going to speak, do it properly.”

“….No. It’s nothing.”

[Lol, she’s already gone off the deep end, so the usual camera antics and public opinion battles don’t work.]

[Journalists must be so frustrated lololol]

The journalist who was interrogating suddenly acts like he’s eaten rat poison.

“Ugh. That’s why I dislike you guys. Chasing only money, sensational and provocative journalism. Yellow press.”

“Even though they call it the press, these capitalist pig bastards act like they’ve got iron plates on their faces…”

“Fake stupidity, real madness.”

“Pretend to be dumb and foolish, but act coldly and rationally.”

“That’s enough beating for now.”

“Now it’s time to offer a carrot. Ramming headfirst isn’t always the solution.”

“You’ve got to know how to make allies too.”

“Hmm… Is this it?”

[??????]

[Oh…?]

[Self-objectification ON]

[Crazy b*tch lololololololol]

“What the hell, they’re just trash like me. Hey, reporters, gather around.”

[Lololololololol]

[Disgust for one’s own kind OFF]

[Internal intimacy ON]

Suddenly, after cursing, I gesture, and all the reporters look at me weirdly.

Some reporters look scared, unsure what crazy thing I’ll do next.

Eventually, the reporters gather one by one, still with strange expressions.

When I show them I’m turning off my broadcasting phone, they gulp.

“Good things are good, right? Let’s keep it friendly.”

*Click.*

The reporters, who were standing awkwardly, glance around nervously and nod hurriedly.

“Look over there. Lim Yoo-joon just standing there. Don’t you want to interview him?”

The reporters, following my finger, turn their heads and nod again quickly.

“He’s my kid, you know? And look behind him. See those reporters lurking like hyenas?”

“Yes, I see them.”

“Do we really need to share something so good with them? Really?”

Lim Yoo-joon, the person in question, tilts his head with a sly expression, pointing at himself.

“No.”

“That’s not it.”

The gathered reporters murmur, and eventually, they start to agree one by one.

Lim Yoo-joon is the kind of prey that makes your mouth water just by looking at him.

“We’re already short on food, why should we share? Didn’t you just say this is a free country? If you want to survive, you should’ve moved faster instead of blaming others.”

The murmuring among the reporters grows louder.

“Look at those bloodshot eyes. Huh? We reporters rushed here as soon as we heard the news, but look at them drooling. What kind of reporters are they? They’re hyenas.”

“Right.”

“We’ve worked so hard.”

“How much money we’ve spent to get the scoop, and those guys…”

“Right? Come on, let’s huddle up. Let’s get along.”

While some reporters are struggling to keep up, others quickly catch on to this insane situation and follow along.

Eventually, as we huddle together and bump heads, an even greater sense of intimacy forms.

“If you can’t hunt, you starve. There’s no need to give away what’s ours. You only share when your own belly is full. It’s literally the land of freedom, right?”

“Um… Among the four freedoms, there’s also freedom from want…”

One clueless reporter among the huddled group raises a question.

“From today, our country has three freedoms. Got it?”

“Right?”

“….Yes.”

As time passed, the voices grew softer, and the heads that were once slightly apart gradually came closer.

“Just follow me, and I’ll get you an interview with Lim Yoo-joon.”

─Ohhh….

“There’s no need to share with the hyenas. Our pie is shrinking, so let’s just enjoy the good stuff among ourselves.”

─Ohhh…!!

The journalists’ enthusiasm grew stronger.

“And among our kids, there’s a debut idol group called Serenade….”

Though the sentence was cut off, none of the gathered journalists seemed to miss the point.

Quick-witted. That phrase exists for people like them.

All it takes is a little extra effort here.

As I pulled out my wallet from my pocket, the journalists’ eyes widened dramatically.

This is why I always carry plenty of cash.

A bundle of joy that helps you navigate the world wisely.

And then, I just needed to use the money-counting skills I learned from Haemalgeum.

Swish─!!

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

At a blindingly fast speed, I stuffed bundles of joy into the journalists’ pockets, and the corners of their mouths began to tremble.

The financial situation of journalists chasing celebrities is pretty much the same everywhere.

The effect is undeniable.

“Since our kids keep failing, they’ve become a bit worn down. Ugh, I’m worried they’ll grow up without any self-esteem.”

“Ahem! That can’t happen… right? Idols need confidence.”

Whether seeking agreement or not, the journalist who started the conversation glanced at the one next to them.

“Right…?”

“Idols need confidence.”

To them, I’m just some crazy woman they need to somehow deal with.

That’s why I need to turn myself from a second choice to the best choice.

Slowly, so they don’t realize they’re frogs.

Subtly implying that I’m not just any crazy woman, but a crazy woman coated in honey.

[What’s this, suddenly turning it on again]

[What did you do?]

“I was hoping our cool journalists could give them a little boost. What do you think?”

“Ahem! That’s our specialty.”

The journalists gave me a subtle thumbs-up.

[Pro-Ga-eul media ON]

[What a sly one]

[Is this Dong Zhuo?]

While conspiring with the journalists, I started to feel the presence of people gathering toward where I was.

“Eonni!!”