[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 246

“Why are you acting like this?”

With Haemalgeum’s bright response, Reporter Park Na-eun and the camera director’s faces visibly wilt in real-time.

“Um, we were looking for the Room Master, but…”

“Ah! You were looking for Eonni?”

“Yes…”

Seeing their hesitant reaction despite saying they were looking for her, Haemalgeum tilts her head in confusion.

“Eonni is probably at the hair salon.”

“The hair salon?”

“Yes. If you follow that road and turn at the corner, you’ll find it.”

Reporter Park Na-eun nods as she looks in the direction Haemalgeum pointed.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it! Please tell Eonni I’m working hard!”

“Haha, sure. I’ll definitely do that.”

Reporter Park Na-eun, who had handed over a gift certificate to Haemalgeum, starts walking away.

“Are we really going to find her?”

“We have to. What else are we gonna do?”

“But Director, you saw that sharp sashimi knife too…”

“Shh! He’s just a sashimi restaurant owner.”

As the camera director finishes speaking, Reporter Park Na-eun, walking beside him, makes a sour face.

“Director, you know that doesn’t make sense, right?”

“……”

“This place is weird. People who look like gangsters are walking around like it’s nothing… And what’s even stranger are the merchants.”

“They’re happy about it?”

At the camera director’s words, Reporter Park Na-eun nods slightly.

The scenes the two witnessed while walking through the market were distinctly out of the ordinary.

Despite clearly seeing groups that looked like gangsters roaming around, the merchants were the ones approaching them first, offering food.

And the gangsters would wave their hands, refusing.

“You know it too. There are things you can take on and things you can’t.”

Reporter Park Na-eun had no choice but to agree with the camera director’s words.

The Daily Forum News she belonged to prided itself on infotainment. Unlike the viewers who enjoyed the lighthearted tone, the industry regarded it as snack news, a lower-tier form of journalism.

‘It’s practically a demotion. Like the director said, I didn’t draw the line well…’

As Reporter Park Na-eun thought about her situation, a sigh escaped her lips, overwhelmed by the creeping gloom.

“We just have to do what we’re told.”

“That’s right.”

“I think we’re almost there. Let’s just focus on the task at hand.”

At the camera director’s words, Reporter Park Na-eun clears her mind and looks around. Then, right in front of her eyes, she spots what appears to be the hair salon Haemalgeum mentioned.

No matter what kind of store it is, most people show discomfort when a camera is suddenly shoved in their face.

Knowing this better than anyone, reporter Park Na-eun opens the store door and enters, leaving the cameraman waiting outside.

Ding-dong!

As she steps inside with the cheerful sound of the bell, an employee at the entrance counter bows their head.

“Hello! I’m Park Na-eun, a reporter from Daily Forum News. I was wondering if it would be possible to film inside regarding the festival.”

“Just a moment. I’ll ask the director and be right back.”

“Thank you! Please also let them know it’s for a brief interview!”

It’s hard to spit on a smiling face.

This is one of the virtues Reporter Park Na-eun always values highly.

‘It’s also a survival skill in this field…’

Reporter Park Na-eun has been forcing smiles for years to secure interviews. As a result, her facial muscles have stiffened into a permanent smile, and she begins to gently massage them with her palm.

“Sigh…”

Tap, tap.

As Reporter Park Na-eun lets out a deep sigh, the sound of footsteps reaches her ears. The person who comes into view is the employee who had gone inside earlier, asking her to wait.

“The director said you can come in since there’s only one other guest.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

As Reporter Park Na-eun gives an OK sign outside, the waiting camera director enters the store with a heavy camera.

“Follow me. There’s a room inside where the director and the guest are. By the way, the guest is said to be an idol.”

“Huh? An idol?”

Hearing the employee’s words, the two exchange glances as if they had planned it.

‘Jackpot!’

‘Incentive!’

Though it tried to emphasize its sophistication, it was just a beauty salon slightly removed from the market area.

If they had done a bit of research, they would have known it was a rookie idol group that hadn’t even debuted yet. But Daily Forum News was a soft news outlet that only lightly covered heavy topics.

Moreover, the festival was so hastily organized that the information the two could catch was too limited.

Although perceptions are changing now, the image of internet broadcasting since its inception has been nothing but the underworld.

In the internet underworld, unless you’re interested, you wouldn’t even notice information that others could easily pick up with a glance.

At least, since Reporter Park Na-eun’s job involves handling information, she had a rough idea.

‘A crazy woman who grabbed a politician by the hair, openly cursed at reporters, and even smashed the cameras of reporters who came to her house. Han Ga-eul, the sworn enemy of reporters.’

It’s not like Reporter Park Na-eun hadn’t looked into it. Yet, information about Han Ga-eul was strangely limited.

Creak!

Snapping out of her thoughts at the sound of the door opening, Reporter Park Na-eun regains her focus.

“Hello! I’m Reporter Park Na-eun from Daily Forum News.”

“It’s pretty hot, right? Come on in.”

The people welcoming Reporter Park Na-eun were four men sitting on chairs getting their hair done and two middle-aged people taking care of them.

The man with the goat beard, who seemed oddly out of place with our country’s vibe, stood out.

“Oh my, you came from the news? Our Serenade is going to do well.”

“Thank you, Shop Owner!”

“Hoho.”

The man with the goat beard let out a strange laugh and resumed the makeup he had paused, holding a cosmetic product.

“I came because I heard you were available for an interview. Is it okay?”

“Yes, everyone says it’s fine.”

Once the permission from the person who seemed to be the salon owner was given, Reporter Park Na-eun took out her recorder.

“Hello! I’m Achim, the main vocalist of Serenade. If it’s okay, may I introduce everyone?”

“Please do.”

“First, this is the salon owner who’s taking care of our hair.”

At Achim’s words, the salon owner smiled at the camera and gave a light nod.

“And this is the shop owner who’s doing our makeup.”

“Nice to meet you. I run a cosplay shop, and I came here for a quick favor.”

Hearing Achim’s words, Reporter Park Na-eun was utterly bewildered.

‘A rookie idol group with such haphazard preparations…?’

Unaware of Reporter Park Na-eun’s confusion, Achim continued with the introductions.

“And…”

“Hyung, hyung.”

Even while introducing everyone in front of the camera, Saebyeok, the youngest sitting next to him, whispered to Achim.

Even with his lack of experience, Achim couldn’t help but feel as flustered as Reporter Park Na-eun.

“Senior Lim Yoo-joon is here outside.”

At Saebyeok’s timely remark, everyone in the room had no choice but to agree.

Lim Yoo-joon was that influential in the entertainment industry.

“Uh… Reporter?”

“Yes?”

“Senior Lim Yoo-joon is here outside.”

“……”

Even though the interview was ongoing, Reporter Park Na-eun immediately understood what he was implying.

“Haha, we’re a rookie idol group.”

They were saying it was fine for her to go out and check.

If it was Lim Yoo-joon, he would be surrounded by crowds and bodyguards, making it impossible to even get close, let alone conduct an interview.

It was a situation where running out immediately wouldn’t be enough, but Reporter Park Na-eun felt a strange sense of camaraderie with Achim, who was scratching his head with an awkward expression.

“I…”

As Reporter Park Na-eun’s mouth slowly opened, everyone in the room turned their gaze toward her.

“I came here to interview Serenade. Can we continue, please?”

Even though it was a situation that required rational judgment, Reporter Park Na-eun’s body and mind were moving separately.

I felt like I was playing around.

Not knowing what consequences my judgment might bring later.

“Ruined. My life…”

***

“Hahaha, you crazy bastards.”

Albert approaches Jeremy, who was giggling alone while looking at his computer screen.

“Friend, you here?”

“Jeremy Farrell. If you’re gonna work, do it properly.”

“Nagging as soon as you arrive. I am doing it properly, okay?”

As soon as they faced each other, Jeremy, who got nagged, turns his laptop toward Albert to show the screen.

───

[Emergency!!!!]

User (111.123)

Emergency! Already in progress! DEFCON declared! DEFCON declared!

The room master messed up again!!

[User]: Emergency!!!!

[User]: Super emergency!!!!

[User]: Our crazy friend messed up again, block it!!

───

“What is this?”

“My colleagues.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of the young lady’s information?”

“I am doing it. But look at these guys. They’re blocking the young lady’s information like crazy. They even hack without hesitation?”

Albert knew Jeremy’s playful personality better than anyone.

That’s why it was hard to question him.

Because he knew Jeremy was a unique specialist when it came to information-related tasks.

“Couldn’t it just be a peculiar individual?”

“If it were just one person, maybe. But it’s definitely not just one person. The immediate release of information on the internet is too vast to block at the source. Even I can’t do that.”

“So?”

“It means at least thousands to tens of thousands of people are causing this chaos.”

“…Handle it yourself.”

“Obviously. Media manipulation is my specialty. I can make even the White House president fall as a sexual offender in an instant. A humble guy like me shaking the world, you know.”

Jeremy, who turned his chair away from Albert, starts moving his hands with his characteristic playful smile.

“Friends, emergency! It’s agitation and fabrication!!”

“Tsk. Is it your favorite Wag the Dog? No matter how much the body shakes, we’re the tail.”

From behind, Albert’s clicking tongue could be heard, but Jeremy didn’t care.

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