Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 83 (Part 1): New Friends (3)

─Seol Ha-woon: “This time, too, my word is absolutely right.”

Is this Seol Ha-woon’s iconic line? Or just insane trolling?

Either way, Ishia’s mouth hangs open, unable to close.

[ Hi! My name’s Kelvin~ ]

The broadcast cuts to a commercial break. Ishia flops onto the sofa.

She’d sensed something was off since the day of the on-site labyrinth event, but *this* kind of behind-the-scenes drama? Even for Seol Ha-woon, isn’t this a bit much? No matter how she thinks about it, it feels like trolling.

*Gulp.*

Swallowing hard, Ishia opens SilTalk with bleary eyes. The server, backed by a major corporation, has already recovered.

She feels oddly nervous. It’s as if the platform will be flooded with people cursing Seol Ha-woon…

– LOLOLOL this is freaking hilarious
-LMAO holy shit, this is spectacular
– LOLOLOL
Mr. Always-Right says, My Word is Absolutely Right.
– Historically, nothing beats a good fight
– But why are they acting like that? Isn’t it just better to let Seol Ha-woon take charge?
– No, Kim Doo-gyeom is freaking funny too LOL. They’re brawling like crazy, but if it were me, I’d just hand it over and say, “Do it.”
– Those guys have no faith, no faith at all…
– I know, right? Just let Seol Ha-woon be the Scout, damn it.
– Kim Doo-gyeom’s got this weird vibe. He says it’s too much responsibility but still clings to it like he wants it.

“…Huh?”

The public sentiment is strange.

It’s not impossible for Seol Ha-woon to avoid criticism. After all, it’s entertaining.

But suddenly, the spark seems to be catching in an odd direction.

Ishia hurriedly checks SNS and community sites.

@laisal Why’s Kim Doo-gyeom acting like that?
@donotdeep So freaking frustrating, that idiot. Just let Seol Ha-woon take it, man.
@madebyu Kim Doo-gyeom’s nice, so why’s everyone hating?
@AZLXCL If he was really nice, he’d have stopped the fight. Isn’t he just greedy, clinging to the Scout role?
@mmmzy You say Kim Doo-gyeom isn’t the type to lie? Well, tbh, Mr. Always-Right isn’t the type to lie either lol.

Ishia clicks on the accounts.

“…Oh.”

She gets the gist of it.

Seol Ha-woon versus Kim Doo-gyeom. If you compare their fanbases, Kim Doo-gyeom’s is clearly larger.

Kim Doo-gyeom has been active in the exploration scene since he was young, he’s good-looking, and he’s had great chemistry with Ryu Yeon-hwa throughout the broadcast.

On the other hand, Seol Ha-woon, to put it bluntly, is mostly popular with the so-called “floaters.”

He’s lived for 28 years, but he’s only been in the public eye for a mere 50 days.

Even so—when Ishia checks the accounts defending Seol Ha-woon:

@laisal Wow… Seol Ha-woon is legit. I almost cried when he opened the door to let Jun-ho in.
*8 days ago*

@AZLXCL Survival Labyrinth still of Lee Jun-ho and Seol Ha-woon facing each other. Damn, Jun-ho’s expression is insane.
*5 days ago*

@mmmzy Rewatching the snowfield arc, and Lee Jun-ho and Always-Right are lowkey the highlight LOL. They act like they’re about to fight but don’t, it’s hilarious.
*4 days ago*

There are a lot of Lee Jun-ho fan accounts.

So, it’s payback for Seol Ha-woon helping Lee Jun-ho in the previous episode.

It’s not exactly a “I’ll repay you” kind of sentiment, but more like Lee Jun-ho’s fandom has developed a favorable view of Seol Ha-woon.

@QEASD What did Kim Doo-gyeom do wrong?;; Everyone agreed with him. And Kate’s the one fighting with Seol Ha-woon, so why drag Kim Doo-gyeom?
└@AEAOZAM Idiot LOL. That’s not the labyrinth mindset. Anyone can see Seol Ha-woon would do better as Scout.

As a result, defending Kim Doo-gyeom gets you mobbed.

Even Kate’s fandom, instead of poking the hornet’s nest that is Seol Ha-woon, finds it easier to pile on Kim Doo-gyeom.

“…Oh.”

From here on, it’s no longer about who’s right or wrong.

It’s a battle of fandoms.

* * *

Kim Doo-gyeom clutches his smartphone. *Brrrrrr.* It vibrates violently, even though it’s not on silent mode.

“…Ah, what the hell is this crap?”

*Crack.* Veins bulge in his grip. The screen cracks.

*Thud!*

The tempered glass shatters, and the display goes black.

“Fu*king sons of bitches.”

Kim Doo-gyeom hurls the smartphone to the floor. The main broadcast isn’t even over, but he’s pissed as hell.

“Fu*king hell, should I just track them all down and kill them? They wouldn’t dare say a word to my face…”

He can’t take it anymore. Kim Doo-gyeom storms outside.

[Doo-gyeom, you okay?]

*Ding.* A text from Ryu Yeon-hwa.

It’s his second phone. The one he just smashed was his third.

“…Do I look okay?”

Is he mocking him or what?

Ryu Yeon-hwa, that jerk, is no help at all. If he’s so worried, he could just post one line on SNS.

[Don’t worry.]

Kim Doo-gyeom sends a curt reply and wanders aimlessly until he sits on a bench along a walking path. He glares at his smartphone, biting his nails.

“…One hundred million, huh?”

That’s the offer he got.

While browsing communities, Kim Doo-gyeom found someone claiming to have been bullied by Seol Ha-woon and approached them posing as a reporter.

For 100 million won, they’d provide the scoop and even post it online.

“One hundred million…”

One hundred million isn’t pocket change. But the info is solid. There’s evidence, too.

If they take the money and run? He’ll track them down and snap their neck.

“…Damn it.”

Fine.

If he can screw over that bastard Seol Ha-woon, 100 million is worth it.

Kim Doo-gyeom opens an anonymous messenger.

* * *

─Yoo Ji-in: [Alright~! Let’s begin the Scout selection vote!]

Right after the commercial break.

The conflict between Seol Ha-woon and Kate, and the Scout selection issue, wraps up anticlimactically.

– What? Why a vote all of a sudden?
– They said let the team decide LOL what the hell, did the crew get shot?
– The crew has zero sense.
– They should’ve let them fight it out to the end.

True.

The other seven teams selected their Scouts relatively smoothly, and the plaza team chose Kim Doo-gyeom via vote.

Kim Doo-gyeom, who entered early, gathered some decent intel.

– Kim Doo-gyeom’s doing fine, so why’s everyone hating?
– Those guys are just obsessed with Seol Ha-woon being right all the time.
– What did Kim Doo-gyeom even find out? Just how the plaza looks, right? My neighbor Grandpa Lee Cheol-su and Grandma Yoon Ok-ja could’ve done the same holding hands.
– If Always-Right went in, the labyrinth would already be cleared ^^

The sentiment seems to tilt slightly toward Kim Doo-gyeom, but it quickly gets slammed again.

─Yoo Ji-in: “Everyone, please start the strategy meeting.”

Now, all teams devise strategies based on their Scout’s intel.

Kang Hyun’s luxury hotel, Lim Hae-jun’s casino, and so on… All teams have eight members, except the plaza team, which has only seven.

– They’re really doing it without Seol Ha-woon LOL
– Kate would accept him if he just backed down, but Seol Ha-woon never bends. This team’s doomed.
– Seol Ha-woon probably has the most tactical experience there LOL. Does that noble think money and connections make you good at everything?
– Chill with the inferiority complex up there.
– Kate’s freaking pretty LOL.

It’s itching to spoil, but time flies, and soon it’s the day of the on-site labyrinth stage.

A massive crowd gathers at the on-site stage.

─Yoo Ji-in: ”Labyrinth Exploration: NOW and NEVER. Welcome, live audience!”

Ishia closely scans the crowd on the screen. ‘Did I get caught on camera?’

─Yoo Ji-in: ”From now on, your explorers will enter the labyrinth. First team!”

The team drawing the most attention goes first.

─Yoo Ji-in: “Warrior Lee Jun-ho, Archer Kate…”

Seol Ha-woon’s team enters the plaza labyrinth.

SilTalk and communities explode. The broadcast isn’t even over, but the blame game and finger-pointing have already begun.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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