Chapter 9- star 2
by lionMS Kim So-yoon acted naturally, unconcerned by the cameras filming from various angles. However, her actions were only natural; she meticulously adhered to the pre-planned schedule.
‘She’s like an old-fashioned soldier.’
Indeed, she was also a soldier. The major’s insignia and numerous medals pinned to her black coat were not mere decorations. The first day was dedicated to light reconnaissance of the terrain. The full-scale collaborative hunt began on the second day.
“Mr. Choi Kang-sik. Have you ever thought of becoming a soldier?” MS Kim So-yoon, who also served as an ambassador for the strong nation of South Korea, held Choi Kang-sik in high regard.
‘He’s surprisingly good at work!’ He was different from typical hunters who relied solely on their psychic powers and acted carelessly. He wasn’t some useless idiot who needed a manager to babysit him. Cooking, laundry, washing dishes, setting up tents, mapmaking… It was harder to find chores he couldn’t do.
Choi Kang-sik gave a wry smile. “I respectfully decline.”
“I could even make you my direct subordinate.”
“I apologize.”
What was the big deal about that? He was past the age to be swayed by sweet talk about being a direct subordinate and admiring a beautiful woman’s lovely figure every day.
‘This old maid is saying something scandalous!’ To switch from a popular young MS to an old military man!
MS Kim So-yoon shrugged. “That’s a shame.”
“Unnie! What’s the big deal about a few errands? A hunter just needs to be good at hunting. Doing chores is a waste of time and inefficient.” Han Jo-seop interjected. He was very displeased with Choi Kang-sik being highly praised.
The woman, who had been called ‘unnie,’ glared and replied, “So, do you live on dew alone? Fix your picky eating habits before you speak. What did you say when you buried those boiled carrots in the dirt?”
“T-that was a broadcast gag…”
“How pathetic.”
“……”
Kim So-yoon, having silenced the handsome man, began the briefing. “The monsters inhabiting Gimpo Airport are Buffaloks. They’ve pushed out the previous territorial lords with numerical superiority and taken over this place. It’s a very recent shift in power, so not many people know about it.”
“Oh! So that means a natural monopoly!”
“You, wait a minute?!”
“You’re truly amazing, unnie!” Han Jo-seop, undeterred by her scolding, interrupted again. His exaggerated voice even ruined the atmosphere. Like a child clamoring for attention! His obvious attempt to get more screen time was clear.
“The reason this information hasn’t been disclosed until now is because we weren’t certain. So, I hope there’s no misunderstanding that we tried to monopolize it.” Kim So-yoon’s eyebrows twitched as she hastily made excuses.
‘Is the kid on drugs or something?’ His condition hadn’t been good since yesterday. Screen time would naturally come if he performed well, without him even trying. Han Jo-seop, being no rookie MS, couldn’t possibly be unaware of that fact. Yet, he was as impatient as a dog needing to pee.
On the other hand,
“Leader. What’s the size of the Buffalok herd?” The young man who had been making waves online for days casually asked her. Unlike the exaggerated one, he calmly got to the point.
‘MS Cameraman.’ His real name was Choi Kang-sik. He hadn’t tried to remember it. But everyone around them kept talking about him, so he involuntarily memorized it. In a few days, he’d probably be forgotten as just one of the many MS with whom they’d exchanged pleasantries and phone numbers, but at least not now. The flow was as natural as a meeting. MS Kim So-yoon, secretly satisfied, replied, “The estimated number is around 70. They’re usually scattered throughout Gimpo Airport, so it was quite an effort to count them.”
The staff behind the cameras nodded in agreement. It was clear that it wasn’t just their bodies that had suffered.
“70 Buffaloks would be quite a challenge, wouldn’t it? Haha! I know that struggle a bit myself. A certain employer of mine, who was my boss until recently, threatened me with my salary, and I almost died investigating alone.” Choi Kang-sik rambled on about his experiences. It sounded like an exaggerated adventure story.
“You’re still alive, somehow?” MS Kim So-yoon chuckled and responded appropriately to his story. It seemed he wasn’t just good at odd jobs.
‘So, his popularity wasn’t just handed to him.’ He was quite impressive for a rookie.
“Was it last summer? I was chased by a Buffalok once. Guidebooks only say to be careful of their enhancement abilities, so hunters tend to look down on individual specimens, but Buffaloks never stray from their pack. Never.” Even his seemingly irrelevant anecdotes naturally flowed into the main topic. Now, even his MS experience was questionable. Was that really a rookie of only a week?
Awesome! He's like a human encyclopedia. ;;Cameramen score an unexpected win. Oh! ^0^MS Babysitter. Will he be dragged to the Ministry of Labor too? Poor guy.
As the viewers’ reactions towards him improved, MS Han Jo-seop’s expression soured. He was openly looking for an opportunity to pick a fight.
MS Kim So-yoon snickered. ‘So that’s why his condition wasn’t good.’ However, she wasn’t worried. Han Jo-seop’s words also had a point. A hunter just needed to be good at hunting. It was a bonus if they were good at chores too. If the clumsy handsome man could just be helpful in the Buffalok collaborative hunt, she could easily overlook his minor words and actions.
‘Safety comes before broadcasting.’ Everyone’s single life was precious. Furthermore, she had many dependents who trusted her and followed her to dangerous hunting grounds. Her responsibility was extraordinary.
‘Right now… I’ll have to choose between the two, won’t I?’
“My humble opinion suggests this strategy: lure the Buffaloks to concentrate their buffs on one of them, then strike their undefended rear…”
“Ha! Are you crazy?” Han Jo-seop interrupted Choi Kang-sik’s opinion, picking a fight.
“Is there a problem?”
“Problem? Plenty! If 8 buffs are stacked, who’s going to lure and stall a monster comparable to a 2-star? Unnie. How about we combine our psychic powers and snipe the undefended Buffaloks one by one?” Han Jo-seop hadn’t just spoken out recklessly.
‘Arrogant bastard. How dare he casually suggest such an absurd tactic. Well, thanks to that, my superiority has been proven!’
There was nothing particularly superior about it. A strategy of silently dealing with them one by one from a distance. This was the basic tactic for hunting Buffaloks, a 1-star monster that became more dangerous the larger its pack. This wasn’t easy either, though.
MS Kim So-yoon pretended to ponder, then asked, “Hmm… Jo-seop. Are you confident?”
“Of course!” The handsome man pounded his chest in reply.
“If we can’t instantly kill it due to insufficient firepower, the Buffalok will call its comrades. Then it will immediately become dangerous. You know that, right?” MS Kim So-yoon, unable to stop worrying, confirmed again. 70 Buffaloks. This was a considerable number even for her, who was called the top MS in South Korea. She hadn’t proposed a collaborative hunt for no reason. Mistakes were not tolerated.
“Haha! Firepower? Unnie. Don’t worry. My nickname is…”
“Alright. I’ll trust you.”
“Haha! You viewers will be amazed too!”
She sided with Han Jo-seop’s strategy. While she frowned at his somewhat aggressive language, what he said wasn’t wrong. Let’s acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.
‘Han Jo-seop’s psychic power is strong.’ That’s why she proposed the collaborative hunt first. Han Jo-seop’s lightning was among the best in South Korea. Hence, his grandiose nickname: Taegeuk Thor! Although his mental state today was quite concerning…
“What about you, Kang-sik?”
He had proposed an interesting luring tactic, but it wasn’t in her plans. Therefore, this wasn’t asking for his agreement. It was asking: are you coming along? Or not? It was asking if he would continue this broadcast under their command.
So it's another sniping show? >0<I expected this the moment they invited Thor! =3=Upper management, everyone already knows that.
A staff member, from behind the camera in its blind spot, showed him enlarged viewer comments on a tablet. Complaints about being tired of obvious tactics flooded in. However, the broadcast proceeded as planned!
‘As expected, it’s going to flow this way…’ Choi Kang-sik shrugged at Kim So-yoon, who asked if he would follow.
“Don’t worry about me.”
He wasn’t a psychic. He had no means to take down a monster with one hit from a distance.
‘So, I was planning to volunteer for the luring role.’ The most dangerous position. It was only natural for the person who brought up the plan to take it. But they hadn’t even considered listening to it. A variety survival show that only looked good on the surface. It was a play following a script.
‘If they don’t want it, what can I do?’ Choi Kang-sik cleanly gave up. He was just a supporting character who appeared due to MS Han Jo-seop’s whim. He couldn’t object to the main characters’ decisions and ruin the broadcast’s atmosphere.
“Jo-seop. Follow me.”
“Yes! Unnie!” Han Jo-seop’s lips curved up like a clown’s. He turned and whispered, “Parachute. Just stand there sucking your thumb. I’ll show you how different my level is from yours, who just stumbled upon a monster or two and boasted.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re great.” Choi Kang-sik snickered at his childishness.
“This guy… Well, never mind. A competent person like me has to be understanding! Because incompetence like yours can only lead to jealousy. Hahahaha!” Han Jo-seop boasted and set off.
[A hasty certain God bakes sweet potatoes]
[A certain God is uncomfortable]
“Then… as a minor extra, it’s fine if I act alone, right?”
Choi Kang-sik separated from the group. Since it was an important filming for monster hunting, the staff didn’t care about his departure. No, they didn’t feel the need to care. He wasn’t a psychic, so he wasn’t helpful. Han Jo-seop’s words weren’t wrong.
‘Right. Sniping is out of my league.’
If so, why not just do what he could do? Choi Kang-sik took out the camera, his only luggage and possession, from Han Jo-seop’s car. He immediately turned on the power.
“Hello everyone. This is MS Cameraman. Wow! This wasn’t scheduled, but how did you all know to come?”
It wasn’t just one or two viewers. The chat room, which had been a black screen until recently, was now bustling with viewer comments. And the number of viewers was rapidly increasing in real-time.
I thought you were gone when you suddenly disappeared. As expected. lolHello. Ignored MS. ^0^/You suffer a lot from the psychics' abuse. ㅠI came to see that plan you mentioned. ㅎ
MS Kim So-yoon’s broadcast wasn’t bad. Her beautiful visuals and stable hunting were her greatest strengths.
‘Dozens of times might be fine.’ However, if it kept repeating, it would inevitably become boring. Be it a beautiful woman or a tactic. In contrast, Choi Kang-sik’s broadcast was spontaneous. Non-stop broadcast accidents! That unexpectedness drew viewers, who were tired of predictable broadcasts, to his third-rate broadcast in this poor environment. And that wasn’t all.
[A hasty certain God briefly puts down the sweet potatoes]
[A certain God watches]
[A certain God happened to drop by]
[Viewer: 6]
His viewership had also increased. The young man, who had set Gimpo Airport as his broadcast background, began to explain.
“I’ll continue what I couldn’t say earlier. Many people blindly believe in sniping Buffaloks. But there’s something to be aware of. Herds that have recently relocated and are emotionally unstable frequently check on the well-being of their family members. That cycle is, on average, every 6 hours, so if you’re lucky…”
“Moooo!”
“Moooo!”
“…Did you hear that? Looks like I’m out of luck.”
[A certain God feels sorry]
[A certain God is pleased]
Choi Kang-sik, with the camera positioned on his left shoulder facing forward, rummaged through the overgrown landing strip.
‘Oh! This looks good.’ He picked up an airplane door and held it like a shield. Good recycling.
“Alright, viewers. Shall we embark on a journey behind the scenes with MS Cameraman? Today’s lesson: watch your back!“