[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 245

“Hello, world! I’m Park Na-eun, a reporter for Daily Forum News.”

Reporter Park Na-eun, dressed rather casually for a news reporter, nods her head with a smile towards the camera.

Daily Forum is not your typical stiff and formal news; it’s a light-hearted news program that mixes entertainment into the information delivery process, what you might call “infotainment.”

As if to prove this, Reporter Park Na-eun continues her reporting with a mischievous smile throughout.

“The place I’m standing in is the market plaza, and it’s quite unique, isn’t it?”

The camera moves slightly up and down in response to the reporter’s words.

Just this scene alone shows the difference in weight compared to regular news.

“Haha, the camera director agrees. This place is divided into sections like a big mart. Behind me, there’s a delicious aroma wafting in.”

Reporter Park Na-eun takes a step to the side to capture the food section on camera and gestures with her palm.

“I heard there’s a festival here today, so I rushed over. Let’s have a chat with the citizens.”

“Cut!”

The bright expression on Reporter Park Na-eun’s face melts away as soon as the “cut” is called.

“Phew. It’s hot, so hot. Isn’t it supposed to be autumn? What’s up with this weather?”

“It’s more like summer. You’re working, so deal with the heat later and get those interviews done.”

Reporter Park Na-eun, who had been fanning herself, makes a strange face at the camera director’s blunt remark, pouting slightly.

The camera director sighs, unable to help but chuckle at the reporter’s playful antics.

‘She’s cheerful, which is good, but sometimes I just want to give her a light smack on the head.’

Reporter Park Na-eun, with her bright and lively charm, is quite popular, so the camera director can only grumble internally.

“Ah, there’s someone working over there.”

Seeing the camera director nod, Reporter Park Na-eun approaches a worker busy in the plaza.

“Hello, sir. I’m from Daily Forum News. Would you mind doing an interview?”

“Huh?”

The worker, wiping away sweat, turns his head at the voice behind him and looks at Reporter Park Na-eun.

“If you do the interview, we’ll give you a small gift card.”

“Oh, sure. Will my face be on the news?”

“Haha, yes. You’ll be on TV.”

“Okay, sure.”

With the worker’s approval, Reporter Park Na-eun signals to the camera director, who quickly sets up for filming.

“Hello! I’m Park Na-eun from Daily Forum News. Sir, what are you working on here?”

“I’m setting up this stage here. I heard someone’s coming to sing today.”

The worker, who looks quite seasoned, points to the stage he’s working on.

“Ah, it must be tough working in this heat.”

“They’re paying double because it’s hard work, so it gives me energy.”

“Do you mean they’re paying twice the usual rate?”

“Of course. And when it’s hot, they set up tents so we can take breaks and cool down.”

“Give me a drink, give me some delicious food, there’s no place like this.”

Despite the hot weather making him frown, the worker smiles brightly at reporter Park Na-eun.

“This is a nice place.”

“Of course. I want to finish quickly and go have fun too.”

The camera director gestures to reporter Park Na-eun to cut it off, as they have enough footage.

“I see. Thank you for the interview. Here’s the gift certificate I mentioned earlier.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m busy with work, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“Ah! By any chance, do you know who the employer is?”

“Employer?”

The worker, putting his gloves back on, nods as if remembering something.

“They said it’s the 방장 (room master).”

“방장 (room master)?”

“Yes. 방장, 방장, that’s what they said.”

The worker, having answered reporter Park Na-eun, hurriedly returns to work without looking back.

Reporter Park Na-eun, watching this, makes a puzzled expression toward the camera director.

“What’s a 방장 (room master)?”

At her question, the camera director shrugs.

“Could it be? I saw it in a drama recently. In prisons, there are multiple rooms, right? The unofficial leader there is called the 방장 (room master).”

“Huh?”

At the camera director’s joking remark, a strange image forms in reporter Park Na-eun’s mind.

A person in a tank top, shorts, covered in tattoos, with a gold necklace around their neck, and holding a clutch bag.

“Ah, no way.”

“Well, we got an interview. We’ve secured some footage at least.”

“We need a few more.”

“Let’s take a short break and then go.”

Reporter Park Na-eun nods, needing to fix her makeup ruined by the hot weather.

—Sigh, sigh.

“Ugh— it’s hot, so hot.”

The camera director habitually exhales smoke from the cigarette he’s smoking.

“By the way, didn’t they say the organizer is someone who does internet broadcasting?”

“Probably just helped out a bit. How could someone who does internet broadcasting manage a festival of this size?”

“Is that so?”

“Phew— moving this many people simultaneously isn’t something you can do with ordinary skills. You know that well, since you’re working at a company now.”

“That’s true.”

Even in a department of about ten people, opinions never align, and it’s always chaotic.

As the camera director said, moving this many people without a dedicated team is impossible for an individual.

Reporter Park Na-eun had even heard the absurd claim that the organizer planned the festival in the morning and started it in the afternoon.

“Hey!”

In the middle of their conversation, a sharp voice suddenly calls out, making both reporter Park Na-eun, who was fixing her makeup, and the camera director, who was smoking, turn their heads simultaneously.

In their line of sight is a person in a black suit approaching.

What bewilders them more than the black suit in the sweltering heat is the face full of scars and tattoos, looking utterly menacing.

The black suit, the scarred and tattooed face, and the terrifying expression all combine to remind them of *those* people.

“U-Us…?”

“Yes, you!”

The person in the black suit loudly responds to reporter Park Na-eun’s words.

Because of that…

Reporter Park Na-eun felt her suspicion turn into certainty. “That person’s destination is definitely us.”

A man in a suit kept closing the distance.

“Wh-what do we do, Director? I think he really is the Room Master.”

Reporter Park Na-eun whispered to the camera director, who was smoking a cigarette beside her. The camera director had already frozen in place.

Meanwhile, the man in the black suit approached right in front of them.

“Over there.”

“…Huh?”

“Smoking area is over there!”

Caught off guard by the sudden remark, the camera director followed the suited man’s finger, which was pointing into the air.

There, a clearly marked smoking area stood.

“…Ah! Yes, yes! The smoking area is over there. I’ll put it out.”

“But what about you two?”

The suited man’s question landed on the camera director, who was hastily putting out his cigarette.

“Ah, well, we’re looking for someone called the Room Master…”

“What?”

The suited man, who had seemed unexpectedly kind, suddenly widened his eyes and reached into his pocket.

A silver object gleamed in the sunlight as it peeked out from his pocket.

“Eeeek!!”

The camera director, who had been crouching to smoke, fell flat on his butt at the sight of the silver dagger.

“W-we’re here for broadcasting! Broadcasting! To promote the festival!”

“Promote?”

The camera director nodded frantically and pointed to the camera.

Seeing this, the suited man seemed to accept it and tucked the dagger back into his pocket.

“The boss went that way.”

Following the suited man’s finger, the two turned their gaze.

It was toward the food section, where Reporter Park Na-eun had earlier mentioned smelling something delicious.

“Th-thank you.”

The suited man gave a slight nod to the camera director’s thanks and walked away.

Only after he disappeared from sight did the two let out a sigh of relief.

“Director, he really was the Room Master. What do we do…?”

“Sigh… What do we do? We work. You think earning someone else’s money is easy?”

“Huh!? Are you saying that because you didn’t see what he just pulled out?”

“…Probably the owner of a sushi place.”

Reporter Park Na-eun, who always had a bright and popular demeanor, looked utterly crushed.

Seeing this, the camera director turned his head to avoid her gaze.

For Park Na-eun, the image of the reliable camera director, who always gave tough love, was crumbling.

“But didn’t that guy just say ‘boss’?”

“Yeah, I clearly heard him say ‘boss.'”

In Park Na-eun’s mind, the image of the tattooed, shorts-wearing, clutch-bag, gold-chain man shifted into a woman.

“The strongest person in prison is a woman? Are prisons co-ed now?”

“Probably a public prison. Let’s just head where he pointed.”

***

“Ah, something smells delicious.”

“Let’s finish the job first.”

“Okay.”

As they walked, their eyes caught an elderly woman sitting on the ground.

“Hello. I’m Reporter Park Na-eun, here to cover the news.”

“Huh? News?”

“Yes!”

Reporter Park Na-eun opens the door to the conversation with her signature bright smile.

“Would you be willing to do an interview? If you do, we’ll give you a small gift voucher.”

“Ask away.”

“Yes, thank you. Are you selling items here?”

“I sell vegetables. I used to sit on the ground, but our lovely young lady brought that over so I could work more comfortably.”

Following the grandmother’s gesture, there was a mobile stall.

In front of the stall, a woman with a fresh, youthful appearance was drawing something.

“I even get the official seal and pay my taxes properly.”

“Ah! That’s impressive. Thank you for taking the time.”

“Sure.”

Reporter Park Na-eun hands the grandmother a gift voucher and decides to ask another question.

“By any chance, do you know someone named ‘Nunim’?”

“If you mean the big guy’s Nunim, that’s our lovely young lady.”

“That young lady is Nunim?”

Reporter Park Na-eun’s head spins again.

‘The Nunim of the thugs who ran the prison is actually a young lady?’

Reporter Park Na-eun feels like she just watched a whole morning drama.

Assuming the grandmother must have misspoken and decided it must be her granddaughter, Reporter Park Na-eun bows her head and approaches the stall.

“Hello. I’m Reporter Park Na-eun from Daily Forum News. Would you be willing to do an interview?”

“Ah! Yes! My name is Haemalgeum!”

Haemalgeum, wearing an apron smeared with paint, introduces herself with a sunny smile, just like her name.

“What are you doing right now?”

“I’m drawing.”

“Are you drawing on the stall?”

“Yes!”

Haemalgeum steps aside to show the drawing she’s been working on.

The stall is adorned with several cute vegetable drawings.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Is this like a talent donation or something?”

“No. My sister said if I draw well, she’ll pay my tuition, so I’m drawing.”

“Ah, by any chance, what does your sister do…?”

“Um… she’s the room master.”

At Haemalgeum’s bright smile and casual remark, a cold sweat trickles down the backs of Reporter Park Na-eun and the camera director.