Episode 266.
A Gomtang restaurant in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.
Inside the restaurant, which was quite crowded for its size, Baekseo Daily reporter Gu Seong-wook was surveying his surroundings.
'The crowds just aren't thinning out.'
Having visited for three days, he continued to try to stay near the edge. He was so full
that he would somehow manage to hold onto his seat, even after eating three meals a day.
“Oh, you’re back again? It must have suited your taste.”
Just then, a middle-aged woman approached Gu Seong-wook, who was rubbing his stomach, with a smile.
She was a waitress at the restaurant and Heukryong’s mother.
“Haha, well… I… I just wanted to try a lot of the other dishes.”
“Other dishes?”
She turned her gaze to the menu.
However, aside from the main dishes—Hanwoo Gomtang and Seonji Haejangguk—there was nothing that could be called a proper meal.
“Ah, um… I just have a feeling. I’ll have the Hanwoo Gomtang, please.”
“Yes, I’ll get it ready right away.”
Heukryong’s mother walked away with a good-natured smile.
Gu Seong-wook let out a sigh of relief inwardly, but felt a slight sense of anxiety.
'I should probably give it a try.'
Considering the informant had been somewhat peculiar, it wouldn't have been surprising if the information had fallen to other media outlets.
The department head had repeatedly urged him to be extra careful, but success comes with risk.
It was obvious he would regret it for a long time if he hesitated and let the story slip through his fingers.
The Black Dragon's family history, an uncharted territory in the RP industry, was certainly scoop material.
'Let's do it.'
Gu Seong-wook, who had been racking his brains, finally made a decision.
Since it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity anyway, he would leave the shop with as much news material as possible.
He waited for a moment with such a determined mindset.
Before he knew it, the Black Dragon's mother approached with food.
"It's hot, so please be careful."
"Thank you."
The beef bone soup served in an earthenware pot was emitting white steam.
Having neatly arranged the side dishes, she met his gaze and said,
"Then please enjoy your meal. If you need more side dishes, just ring the bell."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
The tense Gu Seong-wook froze for a moment as he watched her retreating figure.
However, it was time to act.
“Excuse me…”
“Excuse me, but could you give me a little more kkakdugi?”
Just as he was finally about to speak, someone raised their hand and spoiled the mood.
“Yes, I’ll get it right away.”
Heukryong’s mother headed straight for the kitchen.
Frowning deeply, Gu Seong-wook turned his gaze toward where the voice came from.
“…?”
A young woman with short hair wearing a hat.
Her face was hard to see because the angle was a bit awkward.
“Tsk.” Clicking his tongue, Gu
Seong-
wook pulled up a chair and stood up.
Just as he was about to head to the kitchen himself…
“Stop it.”
A cold voice rang out quietly.
“What?”
Gu Seong-wook snapped his head at the rude provocation.
It was the hated woman who had just spoiled the mood.
“What did you just say?”
“I told you not to do what you’re about to do.”
“I mean, do you know what I’m going to do to pick a fight?”
Just as he was about to retort in disbelief, the woman lifted her head.
A familiar face revealed beneath the hat.
Meeting his gaze, Gu Seong-wook widened his eyes and stammered.
“Lu, Luna…?”
“If you know, shut up and go back to your seat. Wouldn’t it be better to eat quietly and talk later?”
Luna nodded and pointed around. Before he knew it
, quite a few customers had gathered their eyes.
“…Understood.”
Instantly becoming polite, Gu Seong-wook returned to his seat with a gloomy expression.
After glancing at Luna, he began eating as if burying his nose in the earthenware pot.
Not only was he full, but the food wouldn’t go down properly because he suddenly felt unwell.
“Are you okay? You can’t seem to eat at all.”
Heukryong’s mother, who had been busy moving around, glanced at Gu Seong-wook and asked worriedly.
For a brief moment, thinking this was his chance, he was about to speak.
But Luna’s sharp gaze met his.
“Ah, I’m fine. I just have a small appetite…”
Gu Seong-wook, having forced an answer, buried his head again and moved his hand gripping the spoon vigorously.
Heukryong’s mother, watching this with a puzzled look, resumed her work.
“Thank you. Please come again.”
Clutching his stomach that was about to burst, Gu Seong-wook paid the bill and stepped outside.
“Thank you.”
Luna, who had been waiting for the right moment, followed him out of the shop.
It was absurd to see the Black Dragon’s mother giving such a beautiful smile.
“Hey. Come this way.”
“…Yes.”
Luna, her face turning cold, walked toward one side of the parking lot with her hands in her pockets.
Sighing, Gu Sung-wook trudged after her like a condemned prisoner.
“I’m a bit busy, so let’s get straight to the point.”
“Um… I wonder what exactly you are asking about…”
Gu Sung-wook, with his hands clasped, asked cautiously.
At that, Luna pulled out her smartphone and spoke.
“You shouldn’t play innocent. Who should I call? Your company? Our legal team? Do you want me to bring up old matters?”
“No! I’m not! I’m sorry!”
A year ago, Gu Sung-wook, a rookie reporter obsessed with a story, had set his sights on Luna.
The daughter of the chairman of the Yeonhwa Group, a mysterious being possessing both beauty and an extraordinary intellect.
When she joined the advance team for RP, every media outlet glared with fire as they scrambled to cover the story.
However, given that his opponent was a member of the Yeonhwa Group, one of the nation's leading conglomerates, he needed to be cautious in his actions.
That was when Gu Sung-wook ended up making a rash move.
“I think I heard that excessive reporting is considered stalking. Haven’t you learned your lesson?”
“Th-that’s not it…”
He had followed her every move, attempting to cover her entire daily life.
His reporting was excessive enough to be treated as stalking.
In the process, Gu Seong-wook fell into a trap set by Luna and was apprehended by the security team.
Originally, the situation warranted legal judgment, but the president of Baekseo Daily and other dignitaries came in person to offer an apology.
The bloodline of the Yeonhwa Group was a force of that magnitude.
Ultimately, having received Luna’s forgiveness, Gu Seong-wook promised to prevent a recurrence and completely severed ties with her.
“I won’t ask a second time, so tell me. How did you find out about this place?”
Luna asked with a piercing gaze.
Gu Seong-wook already knew that she and the Black Dragon were acquainted.
If so, it wouldn’t be surprising if the existence of this shop had been shared.
Giving up on his foolish schemes, Gu Seong-wook decided to tell the truth.
“There was… a tip-off.”
“A tip-off?”
“Yes. It was a note containing Kang Han-bit—that is, Heukryong’s—brief family history and the shop’s address. I stopped by here to verify things and intended to do some reporting.”
“…Looks like there’s a lunatic here.”
Hearing the situation, Luna let out a sigh.
Taking off her hat, she ruffled her hair and said,
“Keep your hands off. Ruining someone’s family isn’t exactly the positive function of the press, is it?”
“I… just… simply… reporting…”
“Simply reporting? You know perfectly well how this is going to turn out. I’m going to tell Mr. Heukryong about this, so if you want to stay sane, just get lost.”
“…Yes.”
Gu Seong-wook nodded and quickly gave up.
It wasn’t just Luna; it would be absolutely detrimental if the Baekseo Daily’s image became negative in Heukryong’s eyes.
There would be far more stories coming out in the future than there are now.
For now, it seemed safer to appear as though he had backed down obediently.
Or, perhaps, he could at least help them and forge a positive connection… … .
“Is this the shop where Player Heukryong’s mother is?”
Just then, a strange sound was heard from the shop entrance.
Turning their heads at the same time, the two saw a group of exotic-looking people holding back customers entering or leaving.
“What’s that?”
Luna frowned.
Gu Seong-wook, standing beside her, examined a camera visible in the crowd—or more precisely, the logo attached to it.
“…Byte News?”
“What? Byte News? That American media?”
Luna turned her head to ask, her voice slipping out naturally.
Gu Seong-wook met her gaze and spoke with a serious expression.
“This looks like… we’re in big trouble. Those guys are really reckless!”
***
Thud—!
Hanbit left the house and ran for his life.
He decided that running was faster than taking a taxi.
'Those crazy bastards… …'
Yeon-woo explained that reporters from Byte News had stormed his mother’s shop.
The burning rage in his heart intensified along with the heat rising in his body.
However, he was angrier at himself for not having prepared for this situation in advance than at the tyranny of the devils who had come to ruin his daily life.
'You guys messed with the wrong person.' He
had no intention of letting them get away with it, even if it was already too late.
He was confident that he would make them pay the price, no matter what it took.
His mind was working coldly, picturing retaliation in preparation for his burning rage.
The method was already nearly complete based on Yeon-woo's judgment.
Ta-da!
While updates arrived via text, Hanbit kept running.
He reached the entrance of the shop in no time.
“You must leave. This is private property.”
At the entrance, a group of people and the police were arguing.
In particular, an orange-haired woman with a sly grin standing at the very front caught my eye.
Looking at her face, it seemed as though Asian blood flowed through her veins.
“I told you we didn’t do anything! Isn’t it wrong to discriminate against foreign customers? You kicked us out even though we had already entered.”
“No, you aren’t customers; you’re here to cover a story, aren’t you?”
“Since we’re from the United States, right? Isn’t this the land of freedom? We might become customers while reporting, and we might cover the story as a side trip. That’s just how it is.”
“You shouldn’t be saying things like that…”
“If I’m guilty, I’ll accept the consequences. Of course I should. But right now, we are innocent foreigners, aren’t we? Gomtang… oh, Gomtang sounds good. I’m so hungry, so I’m going to eat something. Okay? Alright, alright, I’ll turn off the camera for a moment and come back inside.”
The woman explained to her colleagues in English and finished getting ready in an instant.
The Byte News reporters, now transformed into customers, squeezed their way into the shop.
The police had no authority to stop them.
It was because the burden would be immense if the label of discrimination against foreigners were to be attached to us.
“Boss, let’s accept them for now, and take action later if a problem arises. Forced eviction is possible, but kicking them out like this could damage the shop’s image. Well, rumors are circulating everywhere these days.”
“Ah, yes. This is really…”
The old man with snow-white hair let out a sigh.
Hanbit, who had been watching the scene, approached him.
“Boss.”
“Oh? Hanbit, you’re here?”
The boss turned his head at the sound of the voice.
Although he didn’t fully understand the situation yet, he knew it was about Hanbit and his mother.
“I’m sorry; I caused an unnecessary commotion because of me.”
“Your mother must have been more shocked than I was. Go inside right away.”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Hanbit entered the shop with him.
Inside, about ten part-time reporters were leisurely settled in.
“Son.”
Just then, a voice came from a seat hidden by the kitchen.
It was his mother.
“…Mom.”
“It’s okay. Mom is fine. I never knew my son would become this famous.”
Seeing his mother’s composed expression, Hanbit bit his lip.
An impurity had invaded his daily life, which should have been free from the attacks of reporters.
Now was the time to sort out this situation properly rather than dwell on self-blame.
“You’re here?”
A short-haired woman stood by his mother’s side.
He had already heard about what Luna had done through Yeonwoo.
It appeared she had physically blocked the rushing Byte News reporters.
He had only introduced the shop once, and he never dreamed it would come back to haunt him like this.
“Thank you so much. I heard you personally blocked them.”
“I’ve had a lot of clashes with the media lately. If they get involved in an assault case with me, it’ll be a headache for them, too. Oh, our legal team will be arriving soon. Those guys are masters at playing the line, so it’s hard to kick them out.”
Luna said, lightly shaking her smartphone.
Since Yeonwoo was also on his way with lawyer acquaintances, it felt like the scene was about to turn into a legal battleground.
“By the way, who is the person standing next to you?”
“Ah, this is…”
“Hello! I am Reporter Gu Seong-wook from the Baekseo Daily! Nice to meet you! There have been rumors circulating, but I never knew you were exactly like your character!”
As I turned my gaze to the man standing stiffly beside me, he greeted me with tremendous force.
The Baekseo Daily was one of the country's major media outlets.
“Hello. It seems you have come to cover your mother as well.”
“Ah, that was the case at first, but I changed my mind after meeting your mother. Now, I am clearly on the Black Dragon’s side.”
Puffing out his chest with confidence, he said something strange.
I glanced at Luna, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“I caught her. If I had let her go, I would have covered it just as it was.”
“No, if you say that…!”
At this nonchalant confession, Gu Seong-wook’s face was filled with astonishment.
It was as if the words ‘I’m doomed’ were appearing before his eyes.
However, a savior was by his side.
“Luna… no, Seol-ah and this person helped Mom a lot. They adamantly blocked the reporters from getting close.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Haha, it’s nothing!”
As if she had even introduced them by name, Mother smiled as she looked at the two.
Hanbit, inwardly relieved by her usual demeanor, gazed at the boisterous seats of the Byte News reporters.
“Okay, they say everyone here is ordering Gomtang? Kimchi? Radish kimchi? You’re giving those out too, right?”
The reporters ordered nonchalantly with playful hand gestures.
Among them, the woman with orange hair seen at the entrance was looking over here.
To be precise, his gaze was fixed on the Black Dragon himself.
'He's so confident.'
He looked as if he had anticipated the Black Dragon would be here.
Watching that brazen attitude, Hanbit looked at Reporter Gu Seong-wook and asked,
"What is the thing media outlets fear the most?"
"Huh? Well, I think it's advertisers turning their backs…"
Gu Seong-wook, who had glanced at Luna, gradually grew quieter.
It seemed something had happened in the past.
Nodding, Hanbit turned his attention to his smartphone and said,
"Good. Then, let's try touching that big advertiser over there."
