Chapter 82: A Chaotic Interview and a Jealous Lover

“Hello, everyone! This is Weed, your mischievous hunter! Yes, your favorite Weed is back! I’m sure some of you gasped when you saw the thumbnail and realized, ‘Oh, it’s true!’ I’ve managed to bring in a truly hot topic these days, thanks to a friend’s connection!”

Yeowon’s eyes subtly trembled as he watched the creator beside him fidgeting excitedly, claiming his heart was pounding. Sagyeol, who had been watching only Yeowon from an angle not caught by the camera, pinched his arm hard to stifle his burgeoning laughter.

Finally, the creator turned his gaze to Yeowon, covering his mouth in apparent surprise.

“Wow. Just wow. Bro, you’re really handsome.”

“……”

“Ah, haha. First, please introduce yourself.”

“Seo Yeowon. Returnee.”

“Not me, but over there. Please look at the camera!”

“Seo Yeowon. Patient.”

‘Wait. What did I just hear?’

The creator tapped his ears. Yet, he hadn’t misheard. He looked at Yeowon in a panic. A gaze asking ‘Why are you looking at me?’ was returned. They were the innocent eyes of a true novice, completely unaware of his blunder.

Weed forced a smile. He was a professional. He had always remained composed and true to his role as a creator, never losing his composure in any situation—

“Are we done?”

—but it wasn’t easy to maintain that now.

Fortunately, a quick glance at the chat window showed it was still favorable.

– Done? What’s done, lol? It just started!

– Wow, they said he’s a Returnee. He’s totally out of touch with the world.

– What kind of persona is that?

– Sagyeol! Mr. Sagyeol! Isn’t the boss coming out today? (crying emoji)

The number of concurrent viewers was soaring terrifyingly high even at that moment. It was the highest since the incident where he was almost swallowed whole by an A-grade demonic beast. Considering less than five minutes had passed since the broadcast began, it was obvious it would at least multiply tenfold.

He swallowed dryly.

‘I absolutely cannot mess this up.’

The creator steeled his resolve and looked at the Returnee.

‘Why. What is it.’

He was faltering, completely unaware of his misstep. The creator squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.

‘Can I really do this?’

He screamed internally.

Even if he had a block of wood or a stone Buddha in front of him, the interview would probably flow better than this. At least their silence would be understandable. As he agonized, time steadily ticked by.

The director quickly scribbled something on a board and held it up above his head.

[Just keep going.]

His back was drenched in cold sweat. He looked at the director—no, the man whose real job was the Credit Guild Master—and spoke with his eyes alone.

‘Guild Master! This wasn’t part of the plan!’

[Just do it. Press him relentlessly.]

‘Press him relentlessly,’ he thought. What was the first question again?

‘…It was about his ideal type, definitely.’

Sagyeol’s eyes blazed with fervor. He desperately wanted to see Yeowon declare, “My ideal type is… Sagyeol,” in a public setting.

Of course, given Yeowon’s personality, it was highly unlikely he would say something so directly.

‘Then at least something similar!’

However, the signal of desire was distorted in its transmission.

‘Does this mean I need to get enough footage for the broadcast no matter what? If so…’

The creator nodded and opened his mouth.

“Hmm. Shall we start light, then? Do you happen to have an ideal type?”

At the completely unexpected question, Yeowon’s already stiff expression hardened further.

“No. Not really.”

Weed, as he usually did, rested his chin on his clasped hands, putting on an exaggerated, playful charm.

“Then how about someone younger?”

Sagyeol hurled the board he was holding. Without a word, he stormed into the interview area and grabbed the creator by the collar. The other staff and hunters watching rushed forward in shock.

“Let go! Are you going to let go?!”

“N-no, why?! You told me to do it!”

“You utter bastard! Who told you to do that?!”

“Oh, Boss!”

“We’re live!”

“Cut! Cut the camera!”

Blackout!

The screen cut to black. A peculiar silence fell over the small cafe.

“What was that?”

“What did I just see?”

“Was that Sagyeol… right? Swearing and grabbing him by the collar?”

“That’s what I saw, too.”

“……”

Moments later, the screen flickered back on. The camera, seemingly having been knocked over, wobbled back into place, the previously askew image righting itself.

“W-we had a slight broadcast accident.”

The screen appeared largely the same as before, but the lingering sense of disarray was undeniable.

“A-another question. The one many of you are most curious about! It’s about how you brought in and tamed that group of demonic beasts. How exactly did you succeed?”

Yeowon’s silent gaze slowly drifted. His unfocused eyes settled on something unseen. In that state, Yeowon began to rattle off words.

“Any other demonic beast or magical creature would have failed, regardless of who attempted it. Just as dogs can coexist and be trained, but wolves cannot. There are some demonic beasts that can be tamed, and others that cannot.”

His words lacked any soul. No sooner had he finished than his eyes snapped back to their original, blank state.

– He read that.

– Yeah, he did.

– Someone definitely wrote that for him.

Yet, even that seemed to exhaust him when it stretched on.

‘It really doesn’t suit him.’

‘He’s kind of cute…’

‘Crazy. That dark-hearted brute is cute!’

Though they didn’t show it, as the filming staff and live viewers all had similar thoughts, the only person who already knew that side of Yeowon grew displeased.

His arms, crossed over his chest, tensed. His shirt pulled taut. A gloomy aura, reminiscent of a demon, began to subtly emanate from him.

Of course, Yeowon was cute.

The problem was that now others knew it too. Sagyeol’s composure shattered. He knew he had to let it go eventually, but even knowing that, the feeling of displeasure remained.

Normally, he would have frozen his surroundings a dozen times over, but there was only one reason Sagyeol didn’t, even as he gritted his teeth. It was because of his flustered lover, who struggled even with questions like, ‘What was the mid-world food you missed most in the Demon Realm?’

Sagyeol chose a different approach. Instead of a chill, a murderous intent billowed from him. Under the supreme ruler’s murderous glare, as if he were about to tear apart a demonic beast, the creator faltered, the camera shook, and the director dropped his board.

In short, it was utter chaos.

“I-I’ll wrap things up here. Everyone, please continue to subscribe and like the ‘With You Hunter Weed!’ channel!”

Waving his hand repeatedly with a twitching smile, the young creator collapsed dramatically the moment he heard the words, “The screen is off.”

“Aargh, Mr. Weed!”

“Mr. Weed, snap out of it!”

Yeowon, pushed to the edge by the crowding people, stood blankly. Ever since arriving, he found it difficult to move without explicit instructions.

Someone naturally came to stand beside him.

“It’s over. Let’s go.”

Sagyeol gestured towards the door with his chin. Yeowon quickly nodded. A faint flush of color returned to his face, and he moved with a stiff, yet steady, gait. Sagyeol ultimately burst into laughter.

It was clear how uncomfortable this blunt man was with the current situation. A playful mood struck Sagyeol.

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, it might be better to finish the photoshoot while we’re here.”

“Photoshoot…?”

Yeowon’s eyes twitched, as if he’d never heard of such a thing. Of course. Sagyeol had just thought of it. Yet, as the words left his lips, it struck him as an excellent idea.

‘We could do several themed shoots. Innocent Yeowon in jeans and a white T-shirt. Sexy Yeowon in a three-piece suit. Yeowon in a garter belt, with only his vital parts covered—’

Crunch.

The water bottle in Sagyeol’s hand was crushed. No water splashed out. Instead, ice fragments clattered to the floor.

“Let’s do the photoshoot another time.”

He gripped Yeowon’s shoulder and said, his eyes bloodshot.

“I’m definitely doing it. I have to do this!”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I understand, so calm down.”

“You just said you understood. No backing out.”

Yeowon’s pupils trembled helplessly. Regardless, Sagyeol, pleased by his answer, left the filming set with a light step.

Yeowon let out a soft sigh. How had he ended up like this? As he was dragged out by the headstrong Sagyeol, he pondered how he had ended up in this situation. The whole affair had started with Lee Hyun-su’s suggestion.

Protecting him too much would only draw more attention. It would be better to loosen the reins just once. That opinion had always been there. Lee Hyun-su had even provided a concrete direction.

Provide superficial, useless information, but appear frequently.

‘Then the public will quickly get used to it, right?’

It was about leveraging image consumption in reverse. At the time, Sagyeol had remarked, as if asking what had gotten into him.

‘That sounds plausible?’

‘…Boss, what exactly do you think I am?’

‘A freeloader?’

‘That’s too much. Seriously.’

Today was the first step of that plan. Sagyeol had earnestly warned him that there would be many difficult things to face, and to hold his hand tightly.

‘Why such an extent? It’s not like I’m going to a battlefield; I’m just going to say a few words. It’s not that difficult,’ he thought. He wished he could take an axe to his past self for underestimating it so much… but then he’d die.

“What are you thinking about?”

“……”

“You’re thinking something difficult to answer, I see.”

He felt the need to change the subject. Yeowon asked something else he was curious about.

“What’s going to happen with Hestia?”

“Are you asking about Hestia or that Returnee?”

“……”

As the atmosphere instantly grew heavy, Sagyeol belatedly realized his mistake.

“I’m not angry.”

He eyed Yeowon carefully. Yeowon muttered nonchalantly,

“Then is it jealousy?”

At the utterly unexpected question, Sagyeol’s eyes bulged slightly. Having opened his mouth, his expression softened and shifted into a smile, like ink dissolving in water. A soft, light kiss brushed Yeowon’s lips and was gone.

“Didn’t we agree not to do that outside?”

“We agreed not to do it outside because someone might see. There’s no one here.”

True to his word, there wasn’t a soul to be seen in the poster-decorated hallway. Yeowon sighed. He gazed intently at Sagyeol, who walked beside him.

“What are you thinking about this time?”

“I’m wondering if a day will ever come when I can beat you in an argument.”

“Hmm. That seems a bit difficult.”

‘Not even a white lie to say it’s possible,’ Yeowon thought.

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