Chapter 105: The Stormy Press Conference (1)

“Wow, it really is Saint Winter’s. The media frenzy is insane.”

In the eastern section of Millennium Bloom Hall, at the seats reserved for the Korean press corps, Hong Sujin, a reporter for Huntertime, whistled as she surveyed the vast hall packed to capacity.

“Reporter Kim, you owe me one. If I hadn’t recommended you, you’d probably be stuck in the back row, standing on tiptoe with your camera.”

“Even on tiptoe, I doubt I could have gotten a shot.”

Kim Daegi, her junior from United Hunter, muttered, flapping his sweat-soaked dress shirt.

Bloom Hall’s air conditioning was running at full blast, but the atmosphere still felt stifling, like standing under the scorching summer sun. The heat radiating from the packed crowd of reporters and their camera equipment was to blame.

“Ugh, even the Nine Heavens Bone King Go Geonho’s comeback press conference was crazy, but this is on a whole different level.”

“It’s Saint Winter’s. If the Nine Heavens Bone King had made a proper comeback announcement, this level of attention might have been understandable. But that wasn’t the case.”

Saint Winter’s.

That single name explained everything.

The “Light of the Far East,” a massive international mercenary group based in Russia.

“I’m worried,” Kim Daegi said, glancing at the Middle Eastern reporters chattering in Arabic.

“About what?”

“One mistake here, and our image will be ruined not just in Korea, but globally. Just look around—there are more foreign reporters than Korean ones right now.”

“Hmm… you’re probably right.”

“But when you look at the ‘our side’ people attending this press conference…”

Hong Sujin’s gaze drifted toward the press conference podium.

The “our side” people Kim Daegi mentioned consisted of just one person.

A man with a horsehair ponytail and a timid, fragile face.

Ko Youngmin, Representative of Hwiryong.

With global attention focused on this press conference, Hwiryong had become the de facto representative of the “Korean Guild.”

But…

“Honestly, I don’t have much faith in him.”

Over the past three years, Ko Youngmin’s reputation in the industry had been firmly established.

Go Geonho, the Nine Heavens Bone King, a globally recognized immortal Necromancer and one of the four heroes of the Great Change.

Ko Youngmin was his sole blemish.

“I’d be happy if he just managed to do the bare minimum, but even that seems like a stretch.”

Ko Youngmin, who had once bitten his tongue and teared up at a small press conference, could hardly be expected to perform boldly and competently on such a grand stage.

That’s why most Korean reporters, including Hong Sujin, were anxiously awaiting someone else.

The person who should have been sitting next to Ko Youngmin right now.

Lee Taejun, Vice Guild Leader of Hwiryong.

He was certain that Lee Taejun would be a better choice than the unreliable Hwiryong Guild Leader.

But…

“Hunter Lee Taejun still hasn’t arrived, has he?”

Taejun hadn’t shown up even as the press conference was about to begin.

“He wouldn’t just skip it without any notice, would he?”

“Who knows?” Hong Sujin narrowed her eyes.

Kim Daegi might not know, but she, with her deep understanding of this industry, had been hearing rumors for days.

The press conference had grown to this scale because of Saint Winter’s active involvement.

They had even allegedly bribed a significant number of reporters in advance, instructing them to focus on the ‘Korean Super Rookie’ who would be joining the expedition.

If true, she couldn’t fathom why Saint Winter’s would go to such lengths, nor could she discern their precise motives.

But her years of experience as a journalist told her…

A chill ran down her spine.

Perhaps it would be wiser to skip the press conference and let Ko Youngmin take the fall. After all, his reputation was already tarnished.

But if Taejun, the heir apparent to the Nine Heavens Bone King, made a major blunder here, the damage to his image would be catastrophic beyond imagination.

Still, simply skipping the conference without a plan would create a massive backlash.

As Hong Sujin pondered this, a clear voice rang out from across the room:

“Thank you for your patience, everyone.”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Ko Youngmin.

Despite his tarnished reputation, he spoke with remarkable composure.

“Now, let’s begin the press conference regarding the joint expedition.”

However, a different kind of surprised murmur erupted among the reporters.

“What? They’re starting the press conference without Lee Taejun?”

“What’s going on? He’s just not showing up without a word?”

Kim Daegi, standing nearby, pressed his forehead and muttered, “Sigh, he’s probably just running late. He’ll show up midway through the press conference, right?”

But Kim Daegi’s muttered hope proved futile.

”…With that, we conclude the announcement regarding the joint expedition to the A-72 Gate.”

Lee Taejun remained absent even after the expedition’s overview, plan announcement, and schedule disclosure were completed.

He didn’t appear until the very moment before the highly anticipated Q&A session was about to begin.

This is an unexpected turn of events, but it couldn’t have worked out better.

With all the presentations concluded and the Q&A session about to begin, Jin Wijeong smiled as he gazed at Taejun’s still-empty seat.

To think he’d skip the press conference without even a word of warning. Just another naive kid who thinks his talent alone will carry him through.

Of course, this wasn’t the plan Jin Wijeong had devised.

First, he would announce the expedition while showering Lee Taejun with praise, inflating his reputation to the maximum.

Initially, he had only considered a joint expedition with Hwiryong because they needed a Necromancer.

But later, he would claim to have been so impressed by Vice Guild Leader Lee Taejun’s past achievements that he actively pushed for the plan.

In reality, Jin Wijeong had already lavished Taejun and the Hwiryong Guild with excessive praise, showering them with compliments.

Since Taejun might appear at any moment during the press conference, they proceeded according to their plan.

After shaping Taejun into the ‘protagonist’ of the event,

during the Q&A session,

the reporters bribed by Sergei bombarded Taejun with questions.

Almost all the questions were designed to put Taejun on the spot.

From immediate concerns like whether he truly cleared Macheon’s dungeon rampage single-handedly,

to more distant inquiries about why someone with such abilities had spent so long as a low-level porter.

These were topics where the results were clear but the process remained murky, leaving plenty of room for doubt.

Even Lee Taejun, for all his reputation, would inevitably slip up or become flustered under the relentless pressure from the swarm of reporters.

These actions, both now and in the future, would serve as crucial fuel for Lee Taejun’s downfall.

However, the plan was thwarted when the “protagonist” failed to appear at the press conference.

Well, it’s irritating that he seems to have read my moves again.

Even if he anticipated my strategy, he completely misfired.

If the press conference ended like this…

Sergei would undoubtedly mobilize the media to condemn Taejun’s absence, framing him as the mastermind behind the conference’s failure.

Moreover, Hwiryong would violate a clause in their expedition contract, forcing them to pay a massive compensation fee.

“President, shall we proceed with the Q&A session?” Jin Wijeong asked, maintaining an impeccable poker face.

“It seems Hunter Taejun won’t be attending the press conference today. Let’s set that aside for now…”

But before Jin Wijeong could finish, Ko Youngmin grabbed the microphone in front of him and said, “That’s correct.”

Without even glancing at Jin Wijeong beside him, he continued, staring directly at the reporters: “Vice Guild Leader Hwiryung will not be attending today’s press conference.”

The declaration from Representative Hwiryong amplified the murmurs that had been building since the expedition announcement, swelling into a buzzing swarm.

Among the crowd, reporters bribed by Saint Winter’s began raising their hands, their faces twisted with dissatisfaction. They had finally grasped how they were expected to behave in this situation.

But just as they were about to conspire to push the situation to the brink of disaster…

“As Representative of Hwiryong, I deeply apologize for the Vice Guild Leader’s unannounced absence from this press conference. However, before explaining the reason for his absence…”

Ko Youngmin continued, his expression remarkably steady.

“There’s something I need to show you all.”

He placed a rhombus-shaped device emitting a luminous blue glow on the podium.

“Isn’t that a holographic projector?”

One of the Saber Tigers team members spoke up, recognizing the object.

“It seems Hunter Lee Taejun didn’t skip the press conference without a word after all. This is a bit disappointing. Why didn’t you inform us beforehand, Guild Leader of Hwiryeong?”

Ko Youngmin’s mind raced.

He was exceptionally skilled at crafting excuses.

But this time, Ko Youngmin couldn’t think of any excuses.

Therefore, he said:

“I sincerely apologize for not informing you in advance. After the press conference, I will take full responsibility for any consequences.”

Since things had come to this, Ko Youngmin decided to double down on his “X” image.

After all, unless Taejun’s prepared card was legitimate, any excuse he made would only lead to a disastrous public backlash.

“No, just a simple apology won’t do…”

“Enough.”

Jin Wijeong abruptly silenced the disgruntled team member.

“It seems Hunter Taejun had his reasons. Very well. It appears he left a video on the projector. Let’s review it.”

There was no need to get heated here.

On the contrary, by showing magnanimity towards Hwiryong, who had committed the offense, Ko Youngmin had an opportunity to manage his public image.

Even if Taejun doesn’t attend the press conference, it’s impossible to simply smooth things over, no matter what he does.

As soon as the press conference ended, Taejun’s absence would be heavily criticized by media outlets bought off by Sergei.

Hwiryong would face breach of contract penalties amounting to billions of won.

Knowing this, Ko Youngmin might outwardly appear composed, but his hand gripping the projector was likely trembling violently.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Ko Youngmin gritted his teeth and clicked the projector switch.

Whoosh— A holographic projection of Taejun materialized on the podium, accompanied by a mechanical whirring sound.

In the video, Taejun sat at a table resembling a press conference setup, suggesting he had prepared in advance.

Then, he spoke:

“Greetings, everyone.”

The true protagonist of this press conference finally broke his silence.

“First, I would like to sincerely apologize for my absence at this press conference regarding the A-72 Gate expedition. While I am not the main focus of this event, I understand that many of you gathered here today to have your questions about me answered. For that, I offer my deepest apologies.”

The media representatives, who had originally planned to bombard Taejun with questions, flinched visibly, crossing their arms with guilty expressions.

Taejun bowed respectfully, then straightened his posture, his gaze fixed forward, and began to speak with a grave expression.

“Since receiving Saint Winter’s communication about this press conference two days ago, I have been deeply contemplating whether my presence here today is appropriate.”

“Do those of you here know what headlines have dominated the front pages of newspapers—both domestic and international—since the official announcement of the joint expedition to the A-72 Gate?”

After a brief pause, Taejun continued in a low voice, “The stories have centered on Saint Winter’s, or on me personally.”

While Saint Winter’s being the focus was understandable…

It was only natural that stories about Taejun dominated the news.

Even before the expedition, Sergei had manipulated the media to focus on him as the “protagonist.”

As expected, most journalists nodded in agreement, whether they had been swayed or not.

“I believe this is wrong,” Taejun declared firmly.

“What lies ahead of us isn’t a TV show. It’s not like appearing on the wildly popular ‘Conan Lion Hunter Show.’ As Hunters, we must approach this expedition with our lives on the line. This is a perilous mission to defuse a bomb—a 1.5-tier Gate—whose failure could trigger a catastrophic disaster.”

“But shouldn’t we be focusing on the expedition plan and its inherent dangers, rather than the personal histories of the guilds and individual Hunters participating? The Gate hasn’t even opened yet.”

As Taejun continued speaking, Jin Wijeong couldn’t hide his increasingly bewildered expression.

In fact, Ko Youngmin, who was staring blankly at the hologram, felt the same way.

The same question flashed through both their minds:

What the hell is he talking about?

Hadn’t Hwiryong himself said just three days ago at the Main Office?

That he was a “attention-seeker who isn’t really an attention-seeker”?

That this expedition was a chance for him to shine internationally, and he was actually grateful to Saint Winter’s for the opportunity?

He knew all eyes would be on him at the press conference, yet he said nothing of substance.

But now, suddenly, he’s spouting the kind of lofty rhetoric only a deluded fanatic obsessed with protecting humanity would utter?

Jin Wijeong wanted to play the recording and corner Taejun right then and there, but unfortunately, he had no evidence.

Even if he did, it wouldn’t have mattered in this situation.

The real target of his anger wasn’t even present.

“Therefore, I’ve been agonizing over whether to attend today’s press conference.”

And so, Jin Wijeong could only stare blankly, forced to listen to Taejun’s nonsense.

“This press conference is solely for announcing the plans and key information regarding the A-72 Gate expedition, civilian evacuation procedures, and various reports. However, if I attend—if I were to stand here in person—everyone’s attention would shift entirely to me, a single individual, rather than the expedition plans themselves.”

“This place should be dedicated to announcing plans to protect the lives of those living among us right now: the head of a family, a lovely daughter and beloved son, someone’s precious mother, a caring father.”

“Instead, it would devolve into a spectacle, an interview stage before a show, focused solely on interviewing a mere Hunter.”

Taejun’s head moved from side to side, as if surveying the assembled reporters.

“Is that what you truly want?”

”…”

“Do you want this press conference, meant to convey information crucial to countless lives, to devolve into a farcical, third-rate interview session focused solely on the every move of a single Hunter on this expedition, all for the sake of a few extra clicks and a slightly more prominent spot on the front page of your online news outlets?”

Not a single reporter spoke.

It wasn’t indifference.

They were focused.

On Taejun, who wasn’t even present.

And then…

“I…”

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed through the video.

The reporters, media personnel, and even the Alliance Headquarters officials who had authorized the expedition flinched, their bodies trembling as they snapped to attention.

“I do not want that,” Taejun continued, his gaze piercing the camera. “I refuse to let this crucial announcement of an expedition plan involving countless lives be overshadowed by the actions of a single individual, allowing the essence of this mission to be distorted.”

“I’m sure you all feel the same way. You didn’t enter this profession just to chase after a few Hunters, did you? You joined to save lives through information, to illuminate the world through communication, didn’t you?”

Gulp.

A silence fell over the room, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on them.

The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed particularly loudly.

No one spoke.

Not even the foreign journalists with Mana Translators in their ears, nor those bribed by Sergei.

Taejun’s presence in the video had been more than enough to sway everyone in the conference hall.

”…”

Yes.

They were speechless, stunned into silence.

Except for the only two people who knew Taejun’s true nature.