The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 370

—————

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

—————

Yeo Joo Saves the World
Part 2, Episode 191

In the end, Sa Ma Young chose an all-black formal suit.
Without the vest and necktie that were his signature, he had even undone a couple of buttons on his black shirt.
Beneath his beautiful, radiant face, his firm and defined collarbones lay bare—unfamiliar yet dangerously captivating, impossible for any observer to look away from.
“Hmm, I suppose this will do.”
Yeo Joo always regarded him with a hint of disapproval.
Yet Sa Ma Young was far from foolish—he noticed how her gaze lingered long upon his face and form, even as she seemed unaware of it herself.
“You appear to be in good spirits today, my lord.”
Woo Jun Kyung, who had been quietly assisting Sa Ma Young in changing, spoke with measured calm.
“Do I?”
“Yes, it has been rare of late.”
“How does the suit look?”
“It suits you well, my lord.”
“Good. It needs to look beautiful in Yeo Joo’s eyes.”
A pause.
Woo Jun Kyung’s hands, which had been meticulously inspecting every detail of the black suit as if not even a speck of dust would be tolerated, hesitated ever so briefly.
“…Have you accepted your feelings for her?”
As Sa Ma Young’s loyal retainer, Woo Jun Kyung had been watching from his side all along.
From the day Yeo Joo first registered as an Awakener until now.
He had been among the first to notice that his lord was gradually losing his heart to her.
For a time, Sa Ma Young had kept his distance from Yeo Joo.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he had tried to distance himself from his own feelings toward her.
Even as he circled endlessly around the healer Yeo Joo, he seemed unable to acknowledge this about himself.
“Did you not hesitate?”
“Yes, I did. Unsuitably so.”
Sa Ma Young admitted it plainly.
“Nothing has ever been naturally given to me.”
Woo Jun Kyung could only bow his head in silence.
Others envied Sa Ma Young’s brilliance—though he was illegitimate, he lived as a third-generation chaebol heir.
But Woo Jun Kyung, who had once been a neglected child in the Sa Ma Family just as Sa Ma Young was, knew the truth.
A single book, clothes to survive the winter, even the surname ‘Sa Ma’ itself.
Sa Ma Young had filled every void through relentless acquisition, by any means necessary.
“Jun Kyung.”
He finally turned away from the mirror.
Sa Ma Young spoke—raw and unguarded, stripped of even the armor of his usual smile.
“You’re the first, Yeo Joo. The first thing I’ve ever wanted this intensely.”

* * *

The semifinals special broadcast had begun.
And it was live, no less.
Facing multiple cameras, even more lighting rigs, and hundreds of spectators who’d won their seats through lottery, a single phrase echoed through my mind.
‘Those broadcast bastards.’
There were several reasons for my irritation.
First, the Awakeners Association’s purpose in hosting the Guild Cup was a kind of ‘unified integration of hunter society.’
The idea was to reconcile awakeners who’d been divided and set against each other by outside interference through Gate raids conducted in a sports format.
But the combination of guilds that made it to the semifinals was remarkably convenient.
They’d split perfectly into Justice Guild and Dongbaek Guild on one side, and Fantasia and Sama Guild on the other.
If Utopia—which belonged to the Gong Gil Yeon Alliance rather than Justice Guild—had made it instead, the production team wouldn’t have been able to resist the temptation of this perfectly constructed rivalry.

[ Dongbaek Guild, Justice Guild VS Fantasia, Sama Guild ]

They hadn’t dared use the words ‘Gong Gil Yeon Alliance’ or ‘Jung Dong Alliance,’ but from the broadcast’s start, they were blatantly dividing the teams and stoking competition.
‘I hate the seating arrangement.’
The spacing between the guilds was far too narrow.
If that was the plan, why had they built such a massive set?
And to make matters worse, they’d seated Sama Guild right next to Justice Guild.
Kang Han on the right, Sa Ma Young on the left, with me wedged between them.
And the absolute worst part was having to watch the pre-recorded interview footage all together like this.
The first guild to be introduced was Justice Guild.

[ —The biggest upset in Guild Cup history! Don’t underestimate the wild card!
—We are ‘Justice’ itself. ]

The highlight reel that began with painfully cringeworthy narration was, predictably, focused on ’emotion.’
How underestimated Justice Guild had been in the early stages of the Guild Cup, how they’d overcome crises without receiving attention.

[ “I’ve been pretty lucky.” ]
[ “But turning luck into results—that’s skill, isn’t it? Justice Guild has real skill too.” ]

My edited-in comments drew scattered laughter from the audience.
In contrast, Kang Han’s interview that followed captured his characteristic calm yet confident demeanor.

[ 【 When the Guild Cup began, did you perhaps anticipate that Justice Guild would make it to the semifinals? 】
“We had no specific goal of reaching the semifinals. But I wanted to show it—the Justice Guild rising once more.” ]

‘Underdog’
(underdog)
—there was none of the exaggerated misfortune narrative or bitter intensity one typically associates with the term.
Rather, it was an exchange notable for its restrained tone and Kang Han’s unexpectedly eloquent articulation, rarely seen from him before.
Even as the Justice Guild’s segment ended and the screen transitioned to Fantasia as the second featured guild, I found myself lingering over Kang Han’s final response.

[ “The Justice Guild rising once more.” ]

The guild building standing tall as if guarding the space before Gwanghwamun, and the people who took pride in belonging to Justice Guild.
And the guild members who chose sacrifice until the very end, sustained by that pride.
As I recalled the faces of those who vanished inside the Cheon Ho Dong Gate, the interview segment for Dongbaek Guild, which was third in order, was already drawing to a close.

[ “The Guild Cup champion is Dongbaek Guild. Isn’t that obvious?” ]

With Yoo Myung Hwa’s leisurely grin as the final remark, the screen transitioned.
The protagonist of the dynamic and destructive match highlights, crafted with notably brisk editing, was Sama Guild.
“Wow.”
“That’s insane.”
I could hear the audience seated directly in front of the stage whispering to one another.
It was certainly well-produced footage.
So much so that I wondered if there was a Sama Guild supporter among the production staff.

[ “Sama Guild’s greatest strength is their cohesion.” ]

I found it somewhat odd.
Woo Jun Kyung appeared as the main focus rather than the guild master.
Had Sa Ma Young’s interview been so disastrous that there was nothing worth using from it?
But that couldn’t be right.
Eccentric as he was, Sa Ma Young knew better than anyone how to win people’s favor.
And shortly after, I understood why the production team had been saving Sa Ma Young.

[ “Any result other than victory would be unworthy of the name ‘Sama’.” ]

Just as Woo Jun Kyung’s arrogant remark seemed to mark the end of all the preliminary interview segments, the screen brightened again, and Sa Ma Young appeared.
And then came the controversial statement that aired.

[ “Even if I lose my Healer abilities, Yeo Joo’s value far exceeds that of the entire Justice Guild. There’s no comparison.” ]
[ “Excluding the Justice Guild, I think Sa Ma Young, the Hunter from the Sama Guild, stood out the most. He’s such a powerful Hunter, after all.” ]

So this is what they call devilish editing.
By cutting and splicing the context, it made it look as though Sa Ma Young and I were exchanging sweet compliments toward each other.
‘…Those broadcast bastards.’
Along with the words I was chanting like a mantra, I wanted to shout at the men on both sides of me.
‘Don’t look at me! Look ahead, ahead!’
Contrary to my silent scream, both Kang Han and Sa Ma Young were staring directly at me.
They stared so intently that I felt my face might burst through.
Fortunately, there was one final comment of mine that had been added.

[ 【I’ve been hearing rumors quite often about pink-tinted energy flowing between Sama Guild Master Sa Ma Young and Healer Yeo Joo.】]
“I have so much work to do right now. I’ll focus on fulfilling my responsibilities.” ]

“Pfft!”
“Hahaha!”
Laughter erupted from the audience as the pre-interview finally came to an end.
I’d rather be clearing a Gate.
Unable to maintain a serious expression alone, the corners of my forced smile trembled uncontrollably.
“That was the pre-interview footage of the four guilds that made it to the semifinals! It seems like a time when we could learn the true feelings of the opposing guilds. What did you think, Guild Master Sa Ma Young?”
The host, who was in cahoots with the broadcast bastards, deliberately threw the first question at Sa Ma Young.
“Well.”
Sa Ma Young, whose demeanor was noticeably calmer than usual today, answered with a smile.
“I’m not sure which guild we’ll face in the semifinals, but I’m quite looking forward to it.”
…Why is he giving such a normal answer?
I thought he’d bite at the bait the host threw and make some comment about me.
“Haha! That’s a response that reminds me of Healer Yeo Joo’s final words! That’s right—now is the time to focus on the Guild Cup!”
When Sa Ma Young, whom I had trusted, showed such a lukewarm response, the host seemed to have nothing more to say.
He looked slightly flustered, then turned toward the camera with an even wider smile and exclaimed.
“Then, we’ll have a more in-depth discussion in just a moment! Let’s take a quick commercial break!”
As advertisements began playing on the monitor showing the live broadcast, I felt my tension ease without realizing it.
“Phew.”
Preventing the apocalypse really isn’t easy.
A live broadcast—something never meant for me.
I was burying my body against the backrest of the single-person couch, my weary eyes blinking blankly, when suddenly—
A low voice brushed against my left ear.
“Did I look cool in Yeo Joo’s eyes too?”

—————

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

—————