Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Eye of the Storm (4)

'Party Breaker' Lee Soo-ah.

Even PD Do Yung-sun, the executive producer of Super Hunter K, was well-acquainted with her.

Among this round's successful qualifiers, there was no one else who so perfectly fit the 'villain' role.

'If only her rank were a little higher.'

He even thought, 'What a shame.'

Soo-ah's Hunter rank was C-rank.

By no means a low number, but among the Hunters participating in Super Hunter K, it wasn't particularly high either.

She was one of those most likely to be eliminated after failing to get picked by any management team in the first round.

Leaving that aside, she was a rather competent candidate for broadcasting purposes.

First, her infamous nickname among Hunters of similar rank: "Party Breaker".

A Hunter with the worst party play skills, whose growth hit a ceiling due to her magic power fission.

No one would really blame them on TV for using her as a running joke; she was the perfect candidate to be set up as a public enemy.

'And yet Lee Soo-ah chose Unique.'

PD Do had to struggle to suppress a strange twitch of his lips.

Lee Soo-ah had made an appeal to join Unique, the team with that arrogant manager.

"But I guess Shin Ah-yeon alone isn't enough after all. No matter how you spin it, having just one applicant? Just one?"

"That's just it. Even with all the buzz Shin Ah-yeon created, I didn't expect Unique would only get a single Hunter wanting to join."

The staff exchanged such conversations, glancing between Lee Soo-ah and the people from Unique.

Whether those parties noticed the ridicule hazing around them or not, neither showed any particular reaction.

In that ambiguous atmosphere, Baek Hojun, the MC, hastily tried to smooth things over.

'There's no helping it. Soo-ah may be low ranked, but she's not a bad option as an early villain.'

PD Do watched the situation unfold, grinning slyly.

'If Unique takes Soo-ah, it'll be perfect.'

The picture would look beautiful.

Unique, currently running wild with blind faith in Shin Ah-yeon, was getting quite a bit of attention among small and medium-sized management agencies.

Probably, the other managers would want nothing more than to crush them.

If he set up the stage properly in such circumstances, he wouldn't have to worry about filling Super Hunter K's early airtime at all.

"If anything, this might be too boring now."

"Sorry? What was that, PD Do?"

"Oh, Ah, it's nothing."

No matter what, that cocky manager and his bet with PD Do would probably be settled within the month.

Imagining the guy, kneeling and begging for forgiveness, brought a grin to his face.

'What could a mere manager possibly do?'

But PD Do Yung-sun did not know.

That the Hunter he considered a villain would become the signature star of Super Hunter K and create an ending beyond his wildest imagination.

***

"Hooo~"

As soon as rehearsal ended and she stepped outside, Soo-ah finally felt like she could breathe again.

To be honest, she felt suffocated.

The stares directed at her for picking Unique.

The disdain from those who knew her as the Party Breaker.

All of it felt like it was choking her.

As if to say, "What could someone like you possibly accomplish on this show?"

'But.......'

From the beginning, Soo-ah had no interest in winning Super Hunter K.

She just wanted to break free from the terrible curse lingering in her body.

She'd barely managed to cling to the lifeline offered to her—one that no one else had ever given her.

Whether that lifeline was real salvation or not, she didn't know.

But the man she'd watched thus far had, at least, never looked down on her.

He never said she didn't have a future.

That's why she participated in Super Hunter K.

Winning didn't mean a thing to her; it held no importance and not the slightest interest.

"You didn't have to stick your hand up back there, you know."

Lost in thought, Soo-ah jumped a little at the voice. At some point, Jung-woo had approached her.

Behind him, Shin Ah-yeon was standing, watching her with a curious expression.

Having to face Ah-yeon here of all places was a shock for Soo-ah, who couldn't help but startle.

"Ah, h-hello! N-nice to meet you......."

"Didn't you already meet Ah-yeon on the previous broadcast? So this isn't really your first time."

"W-well, yes, but we've never actually spoken directly before...... And you're so informal with a Hunter?"

"It just turned out that way."

Normally, when talking about Ah-yeon in front of other Hunters or people, Jung-woo was always careful to address her as 'Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim', but didn't bother with that formality in front of Soo-ah.

Perhaps it was because he already saw her as a Hunter who would soon be joining their side.

"Hey, look, it's Unique and Lee Soo-ah."

"Do those two have some kind of connection? I guess that's the only explanation for what she did in there."

At that moment, some Hunters started whispering as they spotted Jung-woo and Soo-ah talking together.

That made Soo-ah shrink her shoulders in discomfort.

She could never get used to other people's stares or disdainful voices.

Jung-woo noticed and quickly spoke.

"There are too many eyes here. Let's go somewhere else. And Ah-yeon......"

"I'll head back first. You have something to talk about with her, right?"

Ah-yeon glanced at Soo-ah again as she spoke, her attitude awkward as she struggled to hide her shyness.

With these two—both awkward with people—standing together, an uncomfortable and slightly strange tension filled the air.

"Then, go on ahead. I need to talk to Soo-ah-ssi a bit more."

Ah-yeon nodded and turned away at Jung-woo's words.

To say 'head back' was really just to go to the car where Sung-hwan was waiting.

'Lee Soo-ah, was it?'

As she walked away, she recalled the way Jung-woo's face had lit up when speaking about Soo-ah.

It really seemed like he believed Soo-ah had remarkable talent as a Hunter.

'Hmph, somehow it bothers me.'

If Jung-woo thought so, he must have his reasons.

Even so, it strangely got under her skin—maybe because his attitude toward her felt subtly different from how he was with herself.

It felt... softer, somehow?

Maybe just more careful and attentive.

It was simply the difference between someone who had already been thoroughly developed, like Ah-yeon, and someone who was just starting out, like Soo-ah—but it inexplicably bothered her.

'...... But it's not like I really need to care about this.'

Whatever attitude Jung-woo took with Soo-ah, what did it have to do with her, really?

That's what she tried to tell herself, but still, it annoyed her.

Especially having to leave the two of them alone made her footsteps feel heavy.

What kind of conversation would require sending her ahead alone?

'I really am curious.'

Yes, she was very curious.

Should I, just this once, sneak over and eavesdrop with that tracking spell I cast earlier?

It was as she was considering it—

"Oh my, Shin Ah-yeon-ssi."

Someone called out to Ah-yeon in a very friendly tone.

Annoyed at being called at such an important moment, she turned her head to see a familiar face standing there.

A woman, brimming with confidence and surrounded by several attendants.

"We've met before, right?"

With her seductive looks and revealing outfit.

Her nickname was 'The Seven-colored Sorceress'.

And she was a candidate to become the next S-rank Great Mage, destined to lead modern Korea's magic world.

Ji Yeon-hwa—she arched one corner of her mouth at Ah-yeon.

***

The rehearsal ended successfully—if one could call it a success.

I got a sense of the general skill level of the participating Hunters, and a rough idea of how the show would go.

'Still, I didn't expect Soo-ah to be the only one.'

I knew how hard it was to change the way people thought.

But for not a single other Hunter to want to join, even after Ah-yeon's recent feats, showed just how thoroughly Unique had earned their garbage reputation.

'Maybe some thought Ah-yeon would leave soon anyway.'

A reasonable guess.

If Ah-yeon were a typical Hunter, it would be understandable.

'Still, I need to address that as well.......'

I realized I needed to better showcase that Ah-yeon wouldn't leave Unique so easily.

In that respect, this season of Super Hunter K was a great opportunity.

A chance to boost the management's reputation and recruit new Hunters.

Even though there wasn't another talent on Soo-ah's level, there were still a number of quite gifted Hunters.

"Anyway, isn't this all a bit troublesome for you?"

We'd moved to a relatively quiet spot, and I opened the conversation with Soo-ah.

"Because you raised your hand earlier, you attracted some ridicule just now, didn't you?"

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. It would have been the same even if I hadn't."

Soo-ah smiled wryly and shook her head.

"The only thing that surprised me was that I'm apparently more famous than I thought. At this rate, I'll never be able to assemble a party in the future......"

"I'd guess the broadcasting side plans to use Soo-ah-ssi's image for their own agenda."

"That could be. I do look perfect for a villain role, don't I? ...... There were real victims, after all."

She muttered that, looking gloomier than I'd ever seen her.

'It's only natural—her self-esteem and confidence must have plummeted.'

She was different from Ah-yeon in many ways.

Maybe it was having once reached S-rank, or just her personality.

Ah-yeon kept both self-esteem and confidence even in seemingly hopeless situations.

She had a bit of a shy side, but I never saw her think 'I can't do this'.

She always insisted she could, and she actually did.

But for Soo-ah, it was the opposite—her self-image was entirely wrapped in 'I can't'.

"Anyway, I don't care about TV or any of this. Like you said earlier, the only reason I'm here is to fix my magic power fission."

"More important than winning Super Hunter K?"

"I never even thought about winning. More than that, I just want to fix this cursed body."

She looked at me with desperate eyes, as if clinging to and begging for me.

"I saw that interview when Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim was with the Dungeon Exploration Team. She said you could be trusted. That, at the very least, you're not someone who makes things up."

She wondered if those words had been said just for the sake of TV image management.

Still, Soo-ah wanted to believe what Ah-yeon had said.

No, she needed to believe it.

Like someone praying the lifeline she'd been handed would not prove illusory.

"Is it really possible for me to get better......?"

Everyone must have told her it was impossible.

That there was no way to fix the magic power fission with modern technology.

And they weren't wrong.

In their world, there was "no one" who could fix it.

But—

While there was no one who could cure it, there were some who had the talent to overcome it.

"If it's Soo-ah-ssi, you can do it."

She possessed that talent.

All I was going to do was help awaken it.

"...... Really? You're really not just saying that?"

I nodded at her earnest questioning.

Then I pulled out a document from my coat and handed it to her.

Some things are better set in writing than spoken aloud.

"What's this......?"

"A contract."

"A contract?"

She looked at me questioningly, so I smiled.

"I was originally going to give it to you later, after filming started, but I thought it'd be better to do it now."

"Does that mean join Unique......?"

"Similar, but not quite. This is a temporary contract."

"Temporary?"

I pointed out several sections as she read it.

"It's more of a promise than a contract."

"A promise......"

Soo-ah read the sections I indicated, entranced.

The contract was simple.

'During Super Hunter K, we will completely cure the magic power fission that Soo-ah suffers from.'

And if they failed, Unique would accept full responsibility, never interfere with Soo-ah again, and pay generous compensation.

"Th-this is...... Wouldn't Unique only lose out if you sign something like this......?"

"Lose out? On the contrary—if we succeed at treating you, then you become formally part of Unique."

Near the end, there was a clause to that effect.

Seeing it, Soo-ah chuckled quietly.

"If I really did recover, I'd have joined Unique regardless of the contract."

"That may be, but it's always good to have something in writing, isn't it?"

After all, if Soo-ah changed her mind and went elsewhere, I'd want to prevent that. Though it was a clause of no real consequence for her.

"...... Manager Park, you really sound confident. That you can cure me."

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have spoken to you in the ballpark that day."

At my answer, her expression finally softened a little.

With the gloom gone, I could finally see the face that'd been hidden by burn scars.

"As someone who plays baseball, you know what the most thrilling moment is, right?"

Her face was like a wounded fox, her timid eyes looking up at me.

"Hitting a walk-off grand slam."

The ultimate turnaround.

There was nothing more exhilarating than snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Ah-yeon loves games, Soo-ah loves sports.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】