The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 369

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Yeo Joo Saves the World
Part 2, Episode 190

If something cannot be avoided, acceptance comes swiftest to those who surrender early.
“The questions are surprisingly straightforward.”
It was my assessment after reviewing the interview materials the PD had belatedly provided.
“Well, it’s not like we’re filming a variety show.”
There were certainly some deliberately provocative questions interspersed throughout to needle the supporter groups of other guilds, but nothing that couldn’t be navigated.
Still, I carefully reviewed the entire questionnaire just to be safe, and then caught sight of my reflection in the mirror—it startled me.
“Wow, a professional’s touch really does make all the difference.”
Unlike other hunters, each with their own distinctive aura and striking allure, my appearance was ordinary.
Not hideously ugly, but there was nothing particularly exceptional about my face either.
Yet with the professional’s technique applied, the very same face seemed to carry an entirely different impression.
Here are the eyes and eyebrows! And here are the nose and lips!
But pay no mind to the rest of the face’s empty space!
Meticulous selection and focus were evident throughout—the seasoned skill of emphasizing strengths over weaknesses.
Click.
Just then, Kang Han finished his interview first and returned to the makeup room and waiting area.
Our eyes met through the mirror—his green gaze steady.
“How was it? The interview—easier than you expected, right?”
“….”
Kang Han gave a slight nod while staring intently at my face reflected in the large mirror.
His expression hadn’t changed from when he first arrived—eyes unblinking—which made him seem either surprised or shy.
The way he stood quietly by the doorway, maintaining distance, reminded me of our first meeting.
“It’s still me, Yeo Joo.”
“I know.”
“I was wondering if perhaps you didn’t recognize me.”
“I would recognize you even if you wore a burlap sack. But.”
“But?”
“…Your usual appearance seems far better.”
If Kang Han said it, I was the type to accept even the most absurd claims without question.
But this time, I couldn’t agree.
“The makeup artists would be terribly disappointed to hear that.”
“No, I’m not saying your current look is bad.”
Kang Han reached to brush back his neatly styled hair out of habit, then stopped short and hurried to continue.
“What I mean is… you’re beautiful even normally, Yeo Joo….”
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of knocking saved me.
“Yes! Come in!”
Thank goodness!
The door opened, and the youngest PD in charge of the broadcast peeked her head inside.
“Healer Yeo Joo, are you all ready?”
“Yes! I’m heading out now!”
I threw off the blanket that had been draped over my knees and stood up, waving at Kang Han.
“I’ll be back soon!”
And while I’m gone, try to do something about that flushed face of yours!

* * *

“It seems like Healer Yeo Joo isn’t the type to get nervous easily.”
“That’s just how I am by nature.”
The pre-interview recording proceeded smoothly in a calm environment with only a few cameras and staff members present.
Without the harsh, piercing lighting, the atmosphere felt no different from having a one-on-one conversation with the PD, which made me more relaxed and talkative.
But contrary to what the PD said, I wasn’t entirely without nerves.
I was simply hiding it.
If I became too comfortable and made a careless slip of the tongue, it could create a troublesome situation.
“So far, we’ve mostly asked questions looking back at the Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches. Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
“Hmm, no. Honestly, the matches were all decided by the narrowest of margins, so my only takeaway is that our country’s Hunters are truly formidable.”
After I delivered a comment that Association Director Ji Jung Hwi, who had organized the Guild Cup, would appreciate, I noticed the PD sitting behind the camera quietly giving me a thumbs up.
I answered with a subtle smile.
I could do this kind of lip service all day long.
“Then, Healer Yeo Joo, while watching the Guild Cup, if there was a Hunter whose performance stood out the most, who would you say it was?”
“The Hunter with the most outstanding performance?”
On the surface, it seemed like a question no different from the ones before.
But something felt off.
The PD’s face wore a friendly smile like a neighbor, and the staff members were all diligently doing their jobs as usual.
So why did my spine feel so cold?
‘It’s a trap.’
I wasn’t foolish enough to ignore my instincts.
I attempted to brush it off lightly with a joke.
“Guild Master Kang Han.”
“Ha ha, not the Justice Guild, Healer.”
That didn’t work.
The PD seemed determined to extract an interesting answer from me.
‘The safest answer would probably be Guild Master Dong Baek.’
Yoo Myung Hwa was a Hunter without any antifans.
Cheerful yet formidable, the Dongbaek Guild under her leadership consistently maintained the top spot in public popularity.
‘But if I mention that, it could spiral into talk about the Jung Dong Alliance.’
While things had quieted down since the initial Pangyo incident, the rivalry between the Jung Dong Alliance and the Gong Gil Yeon Alliance had resurfaced with the start of the Guild Cup.
The fact that exactly two guilds from each alliance had made it to the semifinals only intensified the situation.
That said, I didn’t want to single out Sung Ro Sa from Fantasia.
“Excluding the Justice Guild, I’d say Sa Ma Young from the Sama Guild stood out the most to me.”
“Oh, Guild Master Sa Ma Young?”
Pleased with my answer, the PD’s voice rose a pitch higher.
“What’s your reasoning?”
“He’s such a powerful hunter, after all.”
I shrugged lightly.
“His command over his guild members is excellent, and he set the fastest record in the quarterfinals. If I had to pick one person, it naturally has to be Guild Master Sa Ma Young.”
“Hehe, I see.”
I’d given my reasons while excluding personal feelings as much as possible—so why was she laughing?
I tensed up as I recalled the makeup artists’ hushed conversation in the Makeup Room, where they’d held back when mentioning Sa Ma Young.
A large wheeled monitor rolled into place with a mechanical sound, and the PD flashed that ominous smile again.
“I’d like you to watch a previously recorded interview and give us a brief comment.”
With a soft beep, Sa Ma Young’s smug face appeared on screen.

[ “If you had to name one hunter who stood out the most while watching the Guild Cup, who would it be?” ]

Sa Ma Young, asked the same question as me, smiled broadly before answering.

[ “Yeo Joo the Healer.”
“But didn’t Yeo Joo only participate up to the quarterfinals? And you picked a healer instead of a combat-type hunter—that’s rather unexpected. Why is that?”
“I don’t want to tell other people.”
“Could it be because the Sama Guild doesn’t have a healer?” ]

The PD’s voice, striking at a sore spot, was utterly irritating.
Perhaps that’s why.
Sa Ma Young’s face, which had maintained an easygoing smile, gradually lost its warmth.

[ “Even if Yeo Joo lost her healing abilities, her value would exceed that of the entire Justice Guild. There’s no comparison.” ]

My heart sank.
Not from being moved.
Because I’d grasped the meaning behind Sa Ma Young’s words.
What remains of me even if I lose my healer skills—he was referring to my Purification skill.
But the PD, who couldn’t possibly know that fact, seemed to interpret Sa Ma Young’s words in an entirely different light.

[ “Oh, that could sound incredibly romantic, couldn’t it?” ]

Sa Ma Young offered no particular response.
Instead, as if questioning when his face had ever been expressionless, he simply offered a meaningful smile—radiant and warm.
“What do you think, Healer Yeo Joo?”
“It seems Guild Master Sa Ma Young holds me in quite high regard. I’m grateful.”
“There have been persistent rumors of romantic undertones between Guild Master Sa Ma Young and Healer Yeo Joo for some time now, haven’t there?”
It was almost fortunate that the PD had chosen to frame Sa Ma Young and me in ‘that way’ for the camera.
I deliberately adopted an overly serious expression as I spoke.
“There’s far too much work to be done right now. I intend to focus on my responsibilities.”
And I meant it sincerely.
When the apocalypse arrives, romance and everything else becomes meaningless.
Pink-tinted rumors? Romance?
Just as an exam-taker prioritizes the approaching test above all else, preventing the ever-encroaching apocalypse is my greatest concern.
Everything else can wait until after I’ve stopped the end of the world.
“I see, understood. I’ll wrap up the interview here.”
Having captured my reaction to Sa Ma Young’s interview on camera and achieved her intended purpose, the PD gracefully withdrew without pushing further.
“Thank you for your time.”
I turned off the wireless microphone I’d been wearing and returned it to the staff with a bow.
And just before heading back to the Waiting Room, I glanced at Sa Ma Young’s smiling face still visible on the monitor and thought to myself.
Once my purification skill becomes known, this interview will become noteworthy for entirely different reasons.

* * *

On the day of the semifinals draw and live talk show broadcast.
Sa Ma Young shook his head at the Stylist, who as usual offered him flamboyant clothing.
“Something more refined.”
“But that was the line you seemed most pleased with from the collection I showed you last time….”
Yet Sa Ma Young answered firmly.
“Yeo Joo doesn’t like that style.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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