Former Ranker's Newbie Life

Chapter 69

“Yoo Jung-Hyun...”

She was a popular interviewer and news presenter known for her work on KGN’s virtual reality gaming channel. As he recalled, she used to handle post-match interviews for one of the major gaming leagues.

I used to like her in high school. Jeez... it feels like another lifetime now.

Sure, technically speaking, it hadn’t even been a full year since he was just some clueless teenager in his last year of school, but Do-Jin had already lived through fifteen years since then. His eyes wandered as he thought back to those simpler days before the accident.

I can’t even remember her face clearly anymore.

He wasn’t some die-hard fanboy anymore, but it still felt nice seeing the name that brought back memories of his young, clueless gamer days. With that, Do-Jin made his decision and immediately called Director Kang-Hee.

“Yeah, I’ll just go with the KGN one for now. I’ll look through the rest later, but if something comes up, I might just skip them altogether.”

“Got it. I’ll tell the KGN team to prepare the interview outline and send it over ahead of time.”

He thanked her, ended the call, and did a bit of mental scheduling. Those guys seemed desperate enough. Worst case, the shoot will be done by next week. That gives me plenty of buffer.

What he was really working around wasn’t the interview. It was the first-ever World Event in LOST, the “Tower of Trials” update that was set to drop in exactly fifteen days.

“That one’s gonna blow up. The whole system’s built around how many floors you clear during the event window, and the rewards scale from there...”

Just thinking about the chaos it would stir up made his heart thump with excitement. It’d been a while since he felt this pumped. In his past life, that event had already come and gone before he even touched the game. All he had was some leftover footage and secondhand stories.

I’m not gonna miss a single thing this time.

There had been limited-time quests, exclusive loot, and other things he simply couldn’t have gotten unless he was there for it. Just the thought of it riled him up.

“Well, guess I’ll kill some time in-game until they lock down the date—”

He was mid-stretch, just about to stand, when his phone lit up. He let out a dry laugh as he glanced at the screen, which showed a new message.

“They work fast as hell, don’t they?”

Right after the call, the KGN team had already sent over all the interview materials, saying they’d bend their entire schedule around his availability.

“Guess I really stirred up a shitstorm, huh?”

***

A few days later, it was finally time for the interview shoot. Inside one of KGN’s studios, staff bustled around in a whirlwind of last-minute preparations. Producer Hwang Woo-Young scanned the space, then called out to one of the assistant producers who had been darting between people, handling various tasks.

“Hey, rookie!”

“Yes, sir!”

The youngest staff member, in the middle of moving equipment, immediately set it down and ran over. Woo-Young tossed a folder at him mid-stride.

“Take this to the waiting room. There was something missing in the original list of interview questions we sent. This is an add-on. Tell them it’s just a small update and ask them to look it over. Whatever they say, just brush it off.”

“Uh, but the shoot starts in thirty minutes...”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to give it to them now. If we hand it over before he’s seated on set and the interview starts, then it’s on them. We already gave him the questions ahead of time.”

“I mean... what if they say something about it?”

“It’s fine, really. ‘It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission,’ right?”

The rookie still looked uneasy. “Still, when you tell me to just slide this in last minute, it usually means the questions are a bit... spicy. What if he gets pissed and walks out of the interview?”

Woo-Young let out an exaggerated sigh and tapped his own head with the folder. “Come on, use your brain. They know this whole set is being live streamed. He’s not gonna storm out of here and nuke his own reputation live. He might be a gamer, but he’s not that stupid.”

“Ohh.” Realization finally dawned on the assistant producer, who now looked at Woo-Young with a bit of admiration.

“Good. Now get going.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the rookie dashed off, Woo-Young shook his head with a grunt. If that little shit wasn’t the Head Director’s nephew, I swear to fucking god...

However, the irritation passed quickly as he was already grinning just thinking about the opportunity ahead. “If I pull this off, I’m leapfrogging half the department. I know I’ll be at the top of the damn promotion list.”

With someone as popular as Do-Jin, the program’s success was practically guaranteed. Landing him for an interview was already a huge win, but one thing bugged him. Every pre-sent question was mild, with no bite, no edge, just plain boring. That was why Woo-Young decided to wait until the day of the shoot to sneak in the real stuff.

It only becomes a problem if you ask something without giving notice. As long as we notify him beforehand, it’s not ambush journalism. It’s fair game.

He was planning to bury the sharper, more provocative questions between some bland filler to make them less obvious. That way, the team could still say everything had been disclosed in advance. It was the perfect bait-and-switch, subtle enough to dodge blowback but juicy enough to stir up some drama.

Once it aired, it would be everywhere. The ratings would be through the roof with online buzz nonstop and their social feeds would be filled with hot takes for days.

“This is literally going to be at the center of all the buzz...”

He thought back to the Haberkan and Bloodshed guild broadcast that had crashed and burned, and to the string of failed attempts to get Do-Jin on board since then. He’d taken plenty of heat from the higher-ups for those disasters. Just thinking about turning it all around and finally coming out on top put him in a good mood.

That little shit Do-Jin was the one who ruined the Haberkan, too. He had the nerve to ghost us for months and act like he was too good for a simple interview. I’ve seen plenty of cocky little shits who thought they were hot stuff, then disappeared like a fart in the wind. He’s not special.

Just the thought of getting back at the guy who’d messed up his last shot gave Woo-Young a twisted grin.

***

“This is fucking ridiculous! Who the hell throws in new questions right before the damn interview?” Inside Do-Jin’s waiting room, Chun Ji-Hyun was making a fuss and seemed even more flustered than the man himself. The newly delivered list of interview questions hadn’t been part of the original agreement.

“What’s going on?” Do-Jin, who had been napping with a sleeping mask on, stirred at the noise. He pushed it up and blinked groggily, trying to sit up.

Nearby, a young assistant producer explained in a panic, “We’re checking the live stream setup right now! Please go over the updated questions and direct any concerns to the main producer. That’s all I was told to say!”

“Wait a—” Ji-Hyun started, but he had already bolted.

The assistant producer was just doing exactly what his senior told him: drop off the questions and get the hell out. Now left holding the bag, Ji-Hyun stood there dumbfounded.

“What the actual...!” She let out a deep sigh and was about to curse under her breath when the door opened again.

Thinking it was that same little shit who had run away, Ji-Hyun lit up, ready to rip into him. “Are you seriously handling things like th—” But she clammed up mid-sentence, her face drained of all color.

“You were saying, handling things like what?”

It wasn’t the assistant producer at the door, but the big boss.

“D-Director Ju...!”

Kang-Hee, the top dog of Rael Entertainment, stood there looking at her with a perfectly calm expression.

Ji-Hyun bowed at a full ninety degrees. “I am so, so sorry!”

The scene played out like a skit straight out of a comedy show. Do-Jin tried to stifle a laugh but failed and let out a small snort.

Kang-Hee glanced at him briefly before turning back to Ji-Hyun. “You were about to say something. If you’re bold enough to say it to the door, then it must be serious. You remember I said to report anything unusual on set immediately, right?”

Whenever it came to work, Kang-Hee was sharp as a blade. Her tone had the precision of a scalpel, slicing through the air. Ji-Hyun, sweating bullets, stumbled through a rushed report. Somehow, the new list of questions had ended up in Kang-Hee’s hands.

“Calling this sloppy would be too generous. How dare they try to slip in these loaded questions at the last minute and hope nobody notices?”

The director’s heels clicked across the floor as she walked up to Do-Jin and handed him the printout. With her long, slender finger, she pointed at one of the questions.

Do-Jin read it out loud. “‘What are your thoughts on the rumors that the Haberkan raid was just a kill steal against the Bloodshed Guild?’”

Kang-Hee clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. “Are they looking down on you because you were just a regular guy until recently, or are they underestimating Rael Entertainment because we’re new?”

Or maybe they think they’ve got real power just because they’re backed by a national network, Kang-Hee thought silently.

With a cold, sarcastic smile tugging at her lips, Ju Kang-Hee looked at Do-Jin and continued speaking. “Newbies desperate for airtime might still play along, but not us. We’re rejecting these questions outright. Although... I wouldn’t put it past them to try and sneak this shit in once the camera’s rolling. Even so, don’t worry. I’ll be on site. If they cross the line, I’ll shut it down right then and there.”

Kang-Hee wasn’t bluffing. If they tried to screw with Do-Jin on air, she would actually pull the plug on the whole shoot. That was how much she valued him.

Ironically, the man at the center of all this looked completely unfazed. “Why are you being so dramatic?”

Do-Jin let out a lazy smile and casually flipped through the pages. “Can I just handle this on my own?”

Kang-Hee sighed softly. “Do-Jin, don’t underestimate how dirty the media can get. One slip of the tongue, one careless word, and they’ll twist it until you look like a complete asshole. I’m not saying it’s that serious yet, but you’re opening yourself up to stress you don’t even need to deal with.”

Do-Jin understood exactly what she meant. If a hostile question rattled him and he misspoke, it could easily blow up into unnecessary trouble.

Even so, Do-Jin stayed completely unconcerned. “I haven’t done anything worth being grilled over, have I? So why should I be scared?” A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Situations like this could be a pain, but handled right, they were also the perfect chance to turn the tables.