A Handsome Kinky Gangster Reporter

Having known the contents of the novel, I guessed I was overly confident at that moment. I was so confident of myself to think that he must have wanted my help. I was not even the main lead, stupid me.

I walked towards his direction without a hint of fear.

“Excuse me. I think I can help you.”

His golden eyes, which were visible under his gray hood, looked at me with a sharp glance. He glanced at me and answered shortly.

“Who are you?”

“Hi, you must be Philip, aren’t you? My name is Haley Mertes. I continue to work as a doctor because I used to help my mother despite my pretty appearance?”

To be exact, I was just being an assistant helping my mother.

Philip, who was listening to me, took half a step aside as if being suspicious of me. He was slender like an anchovy, as if he had gone through a lot of hardship. However, even so, the muscles hidden beneath his clothes seemed quite firm. If anyone asked how I know it, it’s because that’s how I used to describe Philip.

“And then what?”

“Your father has collapsed and is currently unconscious, hasn’t he? May I go to your house and check on his condition?”

Sring!

I heard the sharp noise of swords-clashing somewhere, followed by a cold object touching my throat. Philip aimed the dagger he was carrying at my neck.

“Who are you?”

If I moved even a bit, Philip would probably stab and get me killed right away.

‘D*mn! Even if I was not the female lead. I can’t believe you pulled out a dagger right away. Isn’t it too much?’

When Gloria asked if he was alright in the novel, I didn’t think Philip to be so careless. No, it was because my novel has a lot of loopholes. Anyone with common sense couldn’t help but to be wary of someone who suddenly acted friendly and caring towards them.

I should’ve brought the female lead and talked to him. This was my mistake.

“How do you know about my household condition?”

He was suspicious of me. Come to think of it, it was true. If some stranger approached me and said, ‘Your name is 00, right? How can I help you?’ If someone said something like that, I couldn’t believe it. The cold tip of the dagger that touched my neck and spun in Philip’s hand. Feeling the area around my neck sting, I thought there was blood flowing. I managed to hold my breath so as not to look nervous.

“I’m a reporter. I was on my way to open the newspaper company. I heard it while looking for something I needed. Your father must be severely ill. I was looking for you because I thought I could help you. However, I didn’t know I’d meet you on the street like this.”

Accidentally.

I deliberately emphasized that the thing that happened today was a very accidental encounter.

“You… Can you help cure my father’s illness?”

“Yes!”

I wasn’t sure, but it might be possible. I stared at his face while swallowing my saliva. I waited carefully for him to give the most positive answer.

Hope flickered briefly in Philip’s eyes when he heard my remark, but it quickly returned to suspicion.

“I don’t have enough money to pay for treatment. You have to know it in advance if you want to deceive me.”

“It’s not like that, so don’t be suspicious of me. Let’s have dinner together in that place tonight. I’ll wrap the food for your family separately. What do you think?”

When I pointed to the restaurant that Gloria entered earlier, Philip looked at me as if he was conscious of my presence. Yes, that was understandable. None of the people who approached him like this had good intentions before. I sighed and added.

“Your father’s name is Thomas, right? The one who brought wet plate technique photography to the Morris Empire. I’m helping you because I want to buy his camera. What do you think? Do you think I can’t believe me?”

It’s a good thing that I made a business card first. Even though I was the only owner who hadn’t found a decent office yet. I handed over a business card with my name written on it.

“I’m just an ordinary person who needs your father’s help. Therefore, please don’t hesitate to trust me.”

[Golden Wild Goose Daily]

[CEO Haley Mertes]

Philip still looked at me suspiciously even though he had my business card in his hand. He was wary of me, but on the other hand he also wanted to accept my help. His golden eyes began to tremble slightly. I quickly grabbed his wrist where his knife was held.

“Come on, I’m hungry. You should eat something too. I don’t want to eat alone.”

When I entered the restaurant while holding Philip’s hand, I heard a loud rumbling noise from his stomach. I tried to ignore the way his ears turned red. He let go of my hand whilst hiding the knife in his hand and ruffled his hair.

“Welcome.”

The waiter, who greeted me, frowned when she saw the person beside me. She seemed to dislike Philip, who was dressed shabbily. He was clearly not dressed in accordance with the formality of a fancy restaurant.

I stepped up to the table inside where Gloria was sitting regardless how the waitress served us.

“Gloria. Have you ordered your food yet?”

She looked puzzled at my question.

“No, I didn’t. There’s no dish A here.”

“We can order this instead. The menu that the chef recommended. Here!”

When I raised my hand, the waiter who welcomed us approached with an unpleasant expression on her face.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry, but our restaurant has a dress code. I’d like you to leave before other guests lay out their complaints…”

There was no need to respond to such a ridiculous remark. I ordered loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear my voice.

“Please give me five VIP sets recommended by the most expensive chef here. We request to eat for three, and two portions for takeaway.”

What do you think? Do you still want to kick us out?

When I shamelessly looked up at the waiter with raised chin, he stomped his foot and turned to the man in the distance for help. The fat bald boss, who finished grasping the situation, quickly approached us.

“Do you need anything else? We had some great wine in our store at the moment. I’ll give you three drinks for free, would you all like to give them a try?”

The boss gave a friendly capitalistic smile, and he signaled the waiter to leave through his back. I smiled as a response to that smile and pretended to have a lot of money.

“Alright, but please order two glasses of wine. One of us is underage, so he can’t drink yet. I’d like to order a sweet drink for him instead. Can you recommend another drink?”

Although Philip was basically the same age as us, his birthday was a little later than the rest of us, that’s why I wasn’t sure if he already became an adult. Therefore, I tried to get him to drink a non-alcoholic drink for his sake.

“Our restaurant’s signature drink, Cherry Coke, is very popular.”

“That’s it then. We’ll order that.”

The price of the drink on the menu was so expensive that it made my eyes nearly get out of their place. I couldn’t believe I had to pay this much for a cup of sweet red colored drink. However, I was determined to spend a lot of money today. Let’s enjoy a flexible life after a while.

If I could take this opportunity to win Philip’s trust, I would be satisfied with just that.

‘I can’t imagine how well he’ll treat me after buying him food.’

I had to use this opportunity to get the camera from Philip’s father. In order to win the competition against other newspaper companies with simple paintings by experienced artists, I had to put clear pictures in my newspaper.

This Morris Kingdom was a place where traders freely trade with other countries, but it was especially tight for cameras.

However, if someone asked whether cameras themselves are illegal, I could answer that they were not. Although it was not legally forbidden to use, the nobles considered photography to be something despicable, which it started with the empress. Even in the temple, it was criticized as an abomination that ignored the Gods.

Painters were worried that cameras would cut off their jobs and pays. Therefore, they offered all sorts of bribes to the temple. In collaboration with the priest, they added the malicious accusation by saying that ‘The camera was created by the devil.’

‘When people’s faces are caught on camera, their souls will be damaged.’

Hilariously, the priests were the ones who spread these words among people. Not many people believe such absurd rumors. However, no one wanted to take the risk and use the camera.

Philip’s father, Thomas Dunger, realized very belatedly that his new business was not profitable. He lost a lot of money due to this, and suffered mental stress due to his partner’s betrayal that left him lying ill on the bed. I just wanted to use my mother’s ability to cure his disease and gain Philip’s trust and get a camera at the same time.

As the founder of a newspaper company, I naturally needed a camera. To tell people about the as-yet-unnamed newspaper company, clear photos were necessary. And the priest’s assertion that cameras corrupt the human spirit couldn’t be believed by people who were born with a modern mind anymore.

I have to write about good things first. Isn’t it right?

“Do you want to order dessert?”

“You already ordered too much. I think this is enough.”

Gloria stopped me by holding my sleeve. Meanwhile, her eyes were fixed on Philip. Gosh, do you recognize a sub-male lead as a main lead instead? She asked me cautiously.

“By the way… who is he?”

Oh. The man that you would only use then abandon and would be left with sole hope.

I pondered for a moment. I couldn’t just say that.

After thinking for a moment what to say, I moved my lips again.

“Philip, the friend I met today. Perhaps, he was the same age as us? Your birthday hasn’t passed yet, right?”

“It’s in the past. Yesterday…”

“Oh, if you’re already 20, we are the same age. I brought her because I have to visit his father today. Philip, this is Gloria.”

Before I realized it, the words floating in Gloria’s head disappeared. I didn’t know how those words appeared and disappeared. Would they just disappear when the conditions were met?

Philip just nodded his head when he saw Gloria. So far, there was no response. He would rather look at me and frown.

“I’m also an adult. How can you think of me as a child…? I can drink something like alcohol.”

I ignored his grumbling. He was crazy enough when he was drunk. He lived up to his last name, ‘Dunger’, Philip had a rather deviant personality. Should I say that he gradually turned into a strangely obsessive and perverted-looking man?

I ended up spending all my emergency fund savings to eat at this restaurant. But the good thing is, I should take it as a comfort that I didn’t lack money in my pocket even when I show off like this.

While waiting for the food, I overheard a surprising conversation.

“Wow, you’re way off. Are they not going to eat everything and run away because they don’t have any money?”

“Look at the way they’re dressed. It’s obvious how they’re going to make a fuss about something that comes out of the food later.”

“Oh, that must not happen.”

“Do you want to bet with me?”

I turned quickly to the side where the source of the voices were, and saw the customers at the diagonal table pointing and laughing at our direction. Judging from their clothes, it seemed that they were not high-ranking nobles either. They were dividing up the position among the commoners.

I got up from my seat in an angry manner and tried to confront them, but Philip quickly put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head.

“I don’t mind hearing it, so don’t do anything. Just pack my portion. I’ll be waiting outside.”

Oh my goodness. How thoughtful of him to say so. I bit my lip tightly and raised my voice in the hope that the people who sat at the diagonal table would hear it.

“Philip, do you know what snazz up fashion?”