Chapter 100 – Seo Hyun-ji's Vlog (1)

It was a leisurely coffee time, the first she’d had in a long while.

“Hello, everyone.”

She was planning to meet an old acquaintance to catch up and chat comfortably about their lives.

“Today’s vlog is with someone who was in Four Girls with me, a younger sister I adore so much!”

It was the day she was meeting Jini, who had been the eldest member when they were in their girl group.

Seo Hyun-ji awkwardly clutched her coffee with both hands and smiled.

– Jini-hi! Short for Jini, hi.

– Is that really Seo Hyun-ji?

– Wow, she’s so pretty!

– Is that beauty for real with no filter on a live stream?

“Um, Jini…?”

“Oh, this? It’s called a vlog. It’s trendy these days to film your daily life and stream it.”

She had heard of it.

People around her had even recommended it.

But being terrible with technology, she had never tried.

‘How did I used to face the camera back then?’

It wasn’t a real camera, but the thought that countless viewers were watching through the phone’s lens made her body tense up automatically.

‘Have I really been away from broadcasting for that long?’

It felt like just yesterday that she was constantly in front of the cameras.

Now, she was quite used to being a Hunter. Her level had risen significantly, too.

If anything, being in front of a camera felt awkward.

“You’re just showing a normal day in your life. There’s nothing to be awkward about. Just think of it as talking to and showing your friends.”

Seeing Seo Hyun-ji’s reaction, Jini smiled casually as if she had expected it.

– That’s right. Just think of us as friends and talk comfortably.

– Pretend we’re not here.

– Seo-ha! Seo-ha! It means Seo Hyun-ji, hi, why aren’t you responding? Why no answer? Are you ignoring your fans????

Watching the chat scroll by at a frantic pace, Seo Hyun-ji felt her head spin.

It was awkward trying to decide whether to look at the phone or at Jini sitting right in front of her.

“You don’t have to be so conscious of it. It’s been a long time since you’ve been on any shows.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“When you’re not on TV, your fans get curious about what you’re up to. You know, being a Hunter is great, but you’re going to return to the entertainment industry eventually, right?”

Seo Hyun-ji brought the coffee cup to her lips.

Jini was right; she would have to return to the entertainment world someday.

In fact, the reason she first entered the industry was because she heard she could make a lot of money.

And she did make a lot.

Enough to buy a few buildings for her clan.

Being in a girl group was tough, but she enjoyed the feeling of connecting with her fans.

Likewise, being an actress was appealing because she could become someone else.

The satisfaction she felt when she immersed herself in a role was beyond words.

“No matter how popular you were, the longer you’re away, the more you’ll be forgotten by your fans. Then no one will be looking for you anymore.”

“I… suppose so.”

Honestly, in this industry, you lived off the attention of others.

An entertainer who couldn’t get attention would be forgotten, making a comeback difficult.

That’s why her agency had desperately tried to stop her.

A vlog.

You could just show your face and interact in real-time, or show your daily life.

Fans loved just that.

‘Fans…’

It had been a while since she’d murmured that word.

She, too, had a fan club waiting for her.

Even if it was for her clan, unilaterally leaving the entertainment industry wasn’t fair to her fans.

“Oh my, there are a lot of viewers today. It’s not because of you, is it, Hyun-ji?”

– Is that really Seo Hyun-ji? Is that really Seo Hyun-ji? Is that really Seo Hyun-ji? Is that really…

– Hyun-ji noona, waaahhhh.

– Look at me! Look at me!

⨽ Look at what? Your grave?

– Hyun-ji up! Hyun-ji up! Hyun-ji up! Hyun-ji up!

Seo Hyun-ji smiled awkwardly and waved her hand.

The chat window immediately exploded.

***

After having coffee and a meal with her friend, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, Seo Hyun-ji went home.

She took a shower and reapplied her basic makeup.

She had originally planned to just go to sleep. But the feeling of interacting with her fans after so long was both unfamiliar and blissful.

“Is this how you do it?”

Seo Hyun-ji checked the instructions for the vlog app and opened it.

Soon, her face appeared on the phone screen. It felt like a video call.

– Seo Hyun-ji’s chat room is now open.

For some reason, she felt nervous.

Just like the first time she stood before a camera to sing.

Viewers started trickling in, one by one.

– Huh????

– It’s not clickbait?

“Ah, hello?”

Seo Hyun-ji found herself stuttering.

A wave of embarrassment washed over her.

– It’s really her? Oooooh, noonaaa!

– Did I really just get a greeting with only two viewers in here?

Suddenly, the number of viewers began to skyrocket.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

– I saw you on Jini’s vlog earlier today.

The viewers responding to her words were cute.

Seo Hyun-ji gave a bashful smile. At that, the chat window exploded once more.

“My house? Ah, yes, this is where I live.”

– Wow, your house looks nice.

– Honestly, someone of Seo Hyun-ji’s class must have earned a lot.

– I saw she made a donation a while back.

– Ugh… She donates, makes good money, and is beautiful. A woman who has it all.

– She has it all, but she doesn’t have me.

⨽ Mr. Ham Pil-gyu, the 32nd descendant of the Gangneung Ham clan?

“Ah, my pajamas?”

Someone asked if she was wearing pajamas since it was time for bed.

These days, it was trendy for female celebrities to do no-makeup pajama broadcasts.

“Of course I’m in my pajamas. It’s bedtime.”

At Seo Hyun-ji’s words, the viewers reacted with anticipation.

– Show us! Show us!

“There’s not much to see.”

Seo Hyun-ji moved the gimbal stick further away.

Soon, her pajamas were revealed on camera.

– This is!!!!!!!

– Noona, I don’t think this is it…

– How do I put this? This is just… completely…

– LMAO, this is what a girl group member wears to bed?

– That fashion is out of this world.

The chat’s reaction was a bit strange.

Seo Hyun-ji tilted her head in confusion.

– Noona, did we really have to come all this way just to see military green?

That day, “Seo Hyun-ji military uniform” trended in the search rankings.

***

Her taste had been questioned, but communicating with her fans felt new and refreshing.

It was like finding a part of herself that had been dormant.

Seo Hyun-ji headed to the guild in high spirits.

– Seo-ha!

– Seo-ha!

– Noona, we’re curious about your work outfit.

“My work outfit? It’s nothing special.”

She was now used to answering the chat.

Seo Hyun-ji smiled and zoomed the camera out.

– Huh…?

– What is this…

– Noona, did your stylist die?

The frigid reaction in the chat inwardly flustered Seo Hyun-ji.

*Sister. If you ever have to go out, wear only this dress. Got it?*

Her younger sister, who acted as her fashion coordinator, had always said that.

When she had to go out and couldn’t get advice, she was to wear a dress. Without a second thought.

Unfortunately, her coordinator had gotten married and was away on her honeymoon.

The dress was also in the wash, so she couldn’t wear it.

Today’s work outfit was a batwing V-neck. A loose-fitting top meant to emphasize her femininity.

The problem lay elsewhere.

– Harem pants. She’s wearing harem pants!

Seo Hyun-ji personally preferred comfortable clothes.

She was wearing baggy pants, but people’s reactions were far from positive.

She walked through the Hanul Guild lobby, greeting people as she went, and entered the team training room.

– The front desk staff are the worst. No one said anything to her!

Someone fiercely typed in the chat, trying to defend Seo Hyun-ji’s fashion.

Seo Hyun-ji entered the locker room.

“See you in a bit.”

– It’s fine. Let’s change together, noona.

Seo Hyun-ji smiled and ended the vlog.

She turned it back on after she had finished changing.

A collective sigh of disappointment from the viewers.

– But the training clothes suit her well.

– Is there anyone who can actually pull off harem pants?

The viewers had been subjected to an assault on their eyes by her horrendous fashion. Everyone seemed to approve of the training clothes she was wearing now.

‘Was it that bad?’

Seo Hyun-ji’s shoulders slumped.

She thought she had picked her clothes well, but people’s reactions were so cold.

To be honest, she’d been dissed before for having a top-tier face but bottom-tier fashion sense.

She herself didn’t understand it, though.

“Hello.”

“Noona, you’re here?”

– Who’s that blond punk? I have a feeling he’s gonna steal noona away.

⨽ That’s Kim Tae-yang, a member of Hanul Team 3.

⨽ Even his name sounds ominous.

“Noona, what’s that?”

“Hm? A vlog.”

“Aha. You’re filming your daily life.”

Being a young man in his early twenties, Kim Tae-yang immediately understood what it was.

“A vlog? What’s that?”

Kim In-ho, who was standing next to him, was so worn out from raising a child at a young age that he couldn’t keep up with modern slang.

Tae-yang explained it to him.

“Everyone, this is the team I’m on. We’re all training hard here to become the best Hunters…”

“Have mercy. Oh, my goodness! My brain is already damaged…!”

– …?

– …!

– ???

– !!!!

Just as Seo Hyun-ji was speaking, Lee Ja-rang’s mournful cry echoed from the other side.

“Hahaha, my goodness. Why are you finished already? Today’s training is. Just. Getting. Started.”

“I am fine.”

“No, *I’m* not fine.”

Jeon-guk, No-rae, and Ja-rang were in the ring, getting sparred by Team Leader Lee Hyunbin.

– What did I just see?

– Shouldn’t someone call 911?

⨽ You idiot, it’s 911 for emergencies.

“Seo-yeon?”

“Arise, Hero…!”

“I do not want to arise. And the hero is not us, but over there…”

“Just let us rest already!”

“Guheoheong!”

His body was instantly and completely healed.

“My, my, good as new.”

Team Leader Lee Hyunbin grinned as he welcomed the foreigners.

“The physical wounds may be healed, but the mental part…”

“Hey, now. Mental fortitude. That gets stronger the more you get hit. Seo-yeon?”

“Looks like I’m making good money today.”

Lee Seo-yeon said as much and then used her Bless skill.

A blessed soldier’s morale soars, making them fight fearlessly and with great valor in battle.

“I can do this all day.”

Having boasted so, Jeon-guk, No-rae, and Ja-rang charged at Lee Hyunbin.

*Whack! Thud! Crash!*

Once again, only wails and violence filled the ring.

Even as her knights were being pummeled in a one-sided spar, Lee Seo-yeon was calmly eating—no, inhaling—snacks.

– Whoa, that’s brutal.

– The Deliveryman is crazy strong.

– He takes on three at once like it’s nothing.

– You crazy bastards, you call that taking them on? He’s beating them up!

Seo Hyun-ji momentarily considered whether she should turn off the broadcast.

To her, it was just daily life, but to the viewers, it might be a horror show.

“I should probably start my training now.”

Seo Hyun-ji said, stepping onto a treadmill.

Training began with the basics.

Usually, it was a boring and difficult workout, but doing it with the viewers seemed to make it enjoyable.

“Aigoo, Hyun-ji-ssi.”

Just then, the seed of misfortune approached.

– It’s the Deliverymaaaaaan!

– I heard the Deliveryman never appears on broadcasts.

– He did once before.

– That was a documentary.

The viewers, seeing the Deliveryman Lee Hyunbin on the stream, unleashed a storm of excited chats.

Messages asking him to look at them or say hello flooded in.

However, Lee Hyunbin didn’t even glance at the chat.

“We’re going to change up the training a bit today.”

“Change it…?”

Seo Hyun-ji blinked.

“You remember the last battle, right?”

Seo Hyun-ji recalled the fight against the Villains.

Back then, Team Leader Lee Hyunbin had pointed out many flaws in her performance and that of Jeon-guk, No-rae, and Ja-rang.

After that, the three brothers had been put through a grueling regimen.

Seo Hyun-ji swallowed nervously without realizing it.

“Our Hyun-ji-ssi needs some intense training, too.”

“No, it’s already plenty hard right now…”

“Hey, now. Just trust me. Just me.”

“Team Leader. I’m on a live broadcast right now…”

Team Leader Lee Hyunbin had been waiting all day.

Waiting for the chance to put Seo Hyun-ji through the wringer.

“Alright, alright. Let’s die together!”

“I-I said no!”

“Hey, you say that, but you’ll do great. Shall we start by changing the treadmill setting? What you were doing was basically walking. You should at least be running, right?”

“Th-that’s fast!”

“Now, cast while you run.”

Seo Hyun-ji thought she had misheard.

It was hard enough just to run, and now he wanted her to cast skills on top of that?

“Alright, let’s begin. Starting today, I will forge you into a true S-rank.”

Seo Hyun-ji wanted to say that she was fine not being reborn as a true S-rank.

But the switch had already been flipped for Team Leader Lee Hyunbin, a man with the disposition of a sadist.

– Hyun-ji noona…

– Stop bullying our Hyun-ji noona!

“Aigoo, you’re doing great. See? You’re good at it when you try.”

– Wow, he’s vicious.

“Now, shall we lift this? Hey, it’s not heavy. Come on, give it a lift. That’s it, very good. One more time. That’s it. Now, let’s do 10 reps of this. 10 reps, got it?”

The chat window instantly became a sea of tears.

Their star was being destroyed.