Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 419

Around morning. Outside the Ferris wheel, a snowy landscape unfolded, covered in snow that had fallen all night. As time passed, the Ferris wheel cars slowly descended, releasing the overnight amusement park guests one by one.

At that moment, a barrage of camera flashes erupted.

The first people to emerge were a lesbian couple who had shared their love amidst the snowy scenery. Caught off guard by the sudden commotion, they hurriedly covered their faces and escaped from the Ferris wheel. It turned out that a group of reporters had gathered to take pictures.

“Tch. Not them. Prepare to shoot again!”

The reason these reporters had gathered was thanks to a message posted online by a fan yesterday. It detailed Beomseok and Karen’s secret rendezvous, claiming they had ridden the Ferris wheel and hadn’t come down all night, suggesting they might be staying overnight.

Thanks to this post and yesterday’s news, the reporters, eager to capture Beomseok and Karen’s appearance, had been out since dawn, enduring the cold while clutching their cameras. Beomseok, known as the world’s strongest gladiator, and Karen, a famous celebrity, spending a hot night together was a scoop they couldn’t afford to miss, even if they were cold and sleepy.

They relentlessly pressed the shutter every time a Ferris wheel car opened, exuding a feverish energy to grab the exclusive. After a while, when a couple emerged from one of the cars, they cheered and rushed forward. Beomseok and Karen were coming out, clinging to each other and sharing a deep kiss.

“Oh, Gladiator Beomseok and Karen are coming out!”

“Wow! It was real! Oh, Beomseok and Karen spent the night together!”

Karen, stepping out and staring blankly at the reporters, smiled brightly and waved.

“Hello, everyone!”

A reporter with blue hair hastily jumped out and thrust the microphone toward Karen’s mouth.

“K, Karen! Did you really spend the night with Gladiator Oh Beomseok?!”

With all the reporters’ attention focused on her, Karen blushed and snuggled into Beomseok’s arms, saying,

“Yes. We are in love.”

“R, really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Karen’s repeated affirmations brought bright expressions to the reporters’ faces. Now, the video footage and articles they had just shot would guarantee them a headline. The reporters rushed toward Beomseok and Karen, vying to get more information.

“Oh, Beomseok. Do you often come to Senoside to meet Karen?”

“Yes, of course. Especially recently, it’s the holiday season, so I come often.”

“Ah, I see. By the way, an article yesterday mentioned that Beomseok visited Senoside to recruit Prisika. How is this related to the current situation?”

Beomseok, who had anticipated that question, wore a faint smile. It was an issue that had become as controversial as today’s incident, so the question was inevitable. He shook his head with a regretful expression and opened his mouth.

“There is no connection at all. Yesterday’s article was just a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding, you say?”

“It seems that my visit to meet Karen was mistaken as an attempt to recruit Prisika.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere apologies to the Ancient Warriors team for the damage caused. Because I hid my relationship with Karen, the unfounded rumor of recruiting Prisika spread.”

“So, you had no intention of recruiting Prisika at all?”

Beomseok laughed heartily and replied with a playful expression.

“Hahaha. Which team wouldn’t be interested in Prisika? The problem is that her price is too high to even consider.”

“Ah. Does that mean we can take it that God’s Knights currently has no intention of recruiting Prisika?”

“Yes, that’s right. God’s Knights doesn’t have the funds to recruit her right now. Well, if the reporter here provides the funds, maybe it’s a different story.”

The reporter, taking it as a joke, laughed heartily. Even if he saved his entire life’s salary, he wouldn’t be able to afford Prisika’s shoelaces.

“Hahaha. Just kidding… Anyway, it’s a shame. If Prisika went to God’s Knights, they would become strong contenders for the championship.”

“Hehe. I also feel bad about it. But what can I do? God’s Knights is a poor team.”

The reporter who had been asking questions nodded. Unlike other sports tycoons, Beomseok only owned the God’s Knights single team.

Compared to other World League teams that had numerous lower-league teams and attracted huge funds to recruit gladiators, it could not be said that they had abundant recruitment funds. Fortunately, they had chosen a management method that resembled a private company, which greatly reduced expenses; otherwise, advancing to the World League itself would have been close to a fantasy.

“I see. Well, God’s Knights isn’t a rich team. I understand. Thank you for your answers.”

The reporter who finished the question slipped back. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that he was pushed back by the other reporters’ jostling. No matter how important the question was, the other reporters had many more questions to ask.

“Oh, Beomseok! What aspects of Karen do you like that made you start dating her?”

“Her bright and outgoing personality is very attractive.”

“Ah, is that so? Then when did you start dating Karen?”

Beomseok glanced at Karen slyly. If he said they had started dating yesterday, all the efforts they had made so far would be in vain. So, she spoke into the microphone in a bright voice.

“It’s been about a year.”

Then, a silver-haired reporter blocked their path and bombarded them with another question.

“By the way, Oh Beomseok. Where are you going in such a hurry with Karen right now? Are you perhaps going to find a quiet dating spot?”

“Hoo~ I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, it’s not. Karen has a shoot today, so I’m going to escort her. She seems to be quite busy as a celebrity.”

“Oh dear. That’s very disappointing.”

“Hehe. Yes, but what can I do? I have to understand her work, don’t I?”

“Yes, I understand that feeling. Then where is Oh Beomseok’s next destination?”

Beomseok pretended to ponder for a moment, then answered.

“It seems like I’ll have to stop by Ancient Warriors anyway.”

“Why there? Didn’t you just say you weren’t recruiting Prisika?”

“That’s true, but since the Ancient Warriors team suffered damage because of our affair, shouldn’t I go and apologize in person as a matter of human decency? Prisika has been causing a lot of problems lately, and with this situation on top of that, they must be very heartbroken.”

The silver-haired reporter nodded, seemingly convinced. Not knowing the inside story, he couldn’t help but be taken in by Beomseok’s words.

“Ah. That makes sense.”

Beomseok smirked, hugged Karen tightly, and began to walk quickly through the crowd of reporters. He had finished saying everything he needed to say, and he had to hurry to make Karen’s shooting time.

“Okay. Then we’ll be going now because we’re busy. We have somewhere to go.”

“Beomseok! Just a moment.”

The reporters were still clinging to him and Karen, but Beomseok stubbornly walked forward. He could answer as much as he could while walking, and he couldn’t spend his whole life chatting with reporters.

He headed to the outdoor parking lot where Aron was, answering the continuous questions of the reporters following him with simple answers. As soon as he arrived, he got inside without delay and disappeared high into the sky.

‘Okay. Then, Jade. Shall we go see that guy’s face?’

Around the afternoon of that day, Beomseok arrived in front of the Ancient Warriors training camp gate on the outskirts of Senoside. He was going to drop Karen off at the filming location and come straight here, but the film director earnestly asked him to make a cameo appearance, so he arrived at this time after filming for a while.

Normally, it was an offer that he could just refuse, but he reluctantly agreed, thinking about Karen and the time it would take for the scandal articles to spread.

He looked at the elf guard guarding the front gate and said.

“Hey. I came to see Jade, is it okay now?”

The elf guard, who had been staring at him intently, was startled and threw the door open. He already knew that it was Beomseok.

“Ah. Are you perhaps Beomseok?”

“Yes. That’s right. But is it okay to go inside now?”

“Did you make an appointment?”

“No. I came suddenly, so I couldn’t make an appointment.”

The elf guard looked troubled. He knew that Beomseok was a celebrity, but he couldn’t just let an outsider in without an appointment.

“Then it will be difficult.”

“No, it will be easy. If you just contact Jade, he will immediately allow entry.”

“Jade?”

“Yeah. I probably have something important to say to him. Anyway, contact him now. He’ll tell you to let me in.”

If he said that, she couldn’t help it. He didn’t make an appointment, but it was right to contact him first because he might be an important guest. The elf guard soon asked Beomseok for his understanding and went into the guard room. After a while, he ran out in a hurry, looking troubled.

“Um, well. He said that he has something important to do today, so please come again next time. He said he will definitely see you then.”

“Ah. He has something important to do? Then go back and tell him. Tell him that I know everything and came, so he will regret it if he doesn’t come out right away.”

“B, but… For me…”

“It doesn’t matter. You just have to go and tell him this again. Tell him that I don’t have much patience, so if I go back today, there will be no chance to negotiate again. And be sure to add that something he will definitely regret will happen in the future.”

“W, what do you mean?”

“You don’t need to know. You just have to tell Jade exactly what I said. Got it?”

The elf guard hesitated for a moment, then went back into the guard room. It seemed that Beomseok looked very angry, so he had to let him know. He could be scolded from above for asking twice, but if he continued to refuse him here and problems arose in the future, he would have to take all the responsibility.

The elf guard who came out again said to him.

“Um, please wait a moment. Jade said he will be out soon.”

“Really? I understand.”

As time passed, an electric car came running with a loud motor sound from afar. It was a man who looked to be in his 40s, and he was clearly Jade. Beomseok smiled faintly as he watched him walk to the front gate made of iron bars.

“Mr. Jade. It’s been a long time.”

Jade, who opened the door and came out, shook hands and greeted him lightly.

“Yes. It’s nice to see you again. But Oh Beomseok, what brings you here today?”

“Well. I came for several reasons: to apologize for the Prisika issue that came out in the newspaper yesterday, and I have something to talk about.”

“Ah. Is that so? Well, then follow me. I know a good cafe nearby.”

Beomseok shook his head. There were too many problems if what he was going to say was known to the outside. There were already paparazzi camped out nearby listening for information, and if he went to a cafe and chatted, a major accident could happen.

“That would be difficult. Let’s just go inside and talk. It wouldn’t be good if our conversation was leaked to the outside. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“It’s a quiet place, so there won’t be any problems.”

“There are a lot of paparazzi around, aren’t there?”

Jade looked around and looked embarrassed. There were a lot of people with cameras across the street from the front gate and at the nearby bus stop.

“Why are there so many paparazzi…?”

“Haven’t you seen the news?”

“What news are you talking about?”

Beomseok looked at him with narrowed eyes. It happened in the morning, but the scandal between him and Karen had spread throughout Senoside through various media outlets.

But Jade didn’t know about it. It was something that couldn’t have happened unless he was distracted by something important.

“Well, I heard from the elf guard that you were busy with something important, and it seems to be true. Actually, a scandal about me was reported in the local media today. It’s about my affair with Karen, and that’s why the paparazzi are here now.”

“Karen, is that perhaps…?”

“Yes, a celebrity that everyone would know if I said her name.”

Something had gone terribly wrong, and Jade looked troubled. Karen was a world-class celebrity, and the media was very interested in her. If there was a rumor about her affair with Beomseok, it wouldn’t go unnoticed.

‘Tch. Why did the rumor about him and Karen come out today…? By the way, this is a problem right now.’

In fact, he should never let Beomseok inside today because he was having important negotiations that Beomseok shouldn’t know about. But it seemed that he couldn’t go outside and talk to him.

The fact that Beomseok came so angry meant that he had noticed the media play he had recently made. If that fact was known to the public through the paparazzi, Ancient Warriors would receive a big penalty.

Because he could be mistaken for trying to put God’s Knights in trouble with impure intentions.

In the end, he had to let Beomseok inside. If he was careful, there was no reason to get caught, and even if he was caught in the negotiation scene, there was no reason for problems because he had already laid the groundwork in advance.