He spoke with the corners of his mouth lifted.
[It’s an E-Rank dungeon, right? Honestly, there’s nothing much to see. I’m just happy to be here with the heroes who saved the world. Especially you, Choi Ga-hyeon… I’d really like to get to know you.]
[Why?]
[Why, you ask? Do I need a reason to want to be close to a hero who saved the world?]
As Lim Hee-seop laughed heartily, the living room fell into a different kind of silence. Blue Star, resting his chin on his hand, spoke up.
“He’s probably going to get edited out of most of it.”
“Wouldn’t be surprising. He’s the most popular actor right now. His agency probably begged them as much as they could.”
“Still, seeing him like this just makes him more irritating.”
Lee Myung-won added with a sigh of pity.
“I’m sorry. I just thought it’d be more fun to have another attention-grabbing actor join the shoot…”
“No, no, I’m not blaming you, Myung-won. I mean, didn’t Baek Tae-beom already smack the crap out of him?”
Sure enough, as soon as the shoot wrapped up, Baek Tae-beom had slapped Lim Hee-seop across the face, causing quite a scene. Thanks to that, Lim Hee-seop was currently on a temporary hiatus, claiming injury.
Well, at least he didn’t kill him.
The The Hero Has Returned program continued describing the dungeon and how it had been created. I was honestly impressed all over again. Using Hunters with Creation-type skills to overlay something new onto an existing dungeon, conjuring and controlling monsters… and even tampering with the system window?
Still, there must’ve been limits, because the dungeon’s name was <Forged Labyrinth>. If I had paid attention to that sooner, I might not have been fooled so easily.
And the shiny thing I’d spotted in the corner of the dungeon—that had been a camera. No wonder it seemed so artificially placed.
[A~ Right, Baek Tae-beom’s love for Choi Ga-hyeon is really well-known.]
As I watched Lee In-seo playfully banter on-screen, I sensed movement behind me. Baek Tae-beom leaned his chin on the top of my head and rested his weight against me. I squirmed in protest, about to complain, when he leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“I thought I was going to lose it wanting to kill that bastard back then….”
“You…”
“Give you up? Not a chance. Everything about you belongs to me.”
My face flushed red. There were high-ranking Hunters around us with sharp hearing, and yet he said it like he didn’t care who heard. Yoo Ji-won let out a whistle.
“So you are dating, huh? Since when?”
“Can you not?”
“I mean, it’d be weirder if you weren’t. You’re so head-over-heels for each other. If either of you were seeing someone else, that’d just be—nah, no way.”
I threw a pair of chopsticks at Yoo Ji-won. He instantly caught them in his mouth like some circus trick. I wanted to bite him out of pure spite.
“So, can I expect grandkids soon?”
“What are you even talking about, Guildmaster?!”
Even amidst all the chaos, the broadcast continued.
This was right after Baek Tae-beom, Lim Hee-seop, and I had fallen into a staged trap. A brief silence passed among the cast, followed by a collective sigh of relief.
I’d been wondering what happened after we fell, and the footage transitioned smoothly to the situation room inside the dungeon. When a part of the wall with subtly misaligned patterns slid open to reveal a passageway, I clicked my tongue. They really went all out.
Everything that followed was exactly as I had expected. The show focused on Baek Tae-beom and me fighting monsters, while cutting Lim Hee-seop out as much as possible. Even the camera angles were slightly tilted to avoid him. Though there were occasional shots of him yelling angrily, it didn’t interfere with the main flow.
‘They picked the edit points well.’
I figured nothing too problematic would come of it. Even during the follow-up interviews after the surprise camera segment, Lim Hee-seop acted totally unbothered.
The real twist came from a post on an online forum where someone raised a question.
[Title: About Lim Hee-seop in The Hero Has Returned
Author: ThisAin’tRight
Views: 488,563 | Upvotes: 7,795 | Bookmarks: 8,421
Isn’t something kinda off?
Especially these parts—
34:5736:21
and
46:2248:38
Try adjusting the audio levels and listen carefully.]
[Comment Section]
—What are you talking about? I can’t hear anything.
—What’s supposed to be off?
┖ I’ll upload the noise-cleaned version. Attachment: 6334_MP4
┖Whoa, what the hell is this?
┖You can hear it super clearly;;;; Sounds like he’s cussing—saying stuff like ‘fucking bastards’ and ‘motherfuckers’ with that kind of tone?
—Is this edited? It’s way too clean and vivid.
┖Is this some kind of broadcast manipulation??
┖But honestly, he barely had any screen time. The show’s main leads were supposed to be Choi Ga-hyeon & Lim Hee-seop, but they only showed Choi Ga-hyeon. Lim Hee-seop was practically invisible, especially during the boss fight.
┖Are you saying the network cut all his scenes and added background audio of him cussing to ruin his image?
┖You never know… maybe they muted his scenes and laid in the audio of him swearing…
┖Who would be dumb enough to pull something that obvious? Wouldn’t it make more sense if Lim Hee-seop actually had a problem?
—It really does sound like Lim Hee-seop’s voice, though.
┖Agreed. It doesn’t sound fake at all. And who swears so fluently like that? Damn.
┖So you’re saying that’s how he really talks when he’s mad? ;;
┖The tech they used was so slick that we all got fooled. But if those curses were aimed at Choi Ga-hyeon and Baek Tae-beom, that’s seriously messed up.]
***
[Title: All You Lim Hee-seop Fans, Get In Here
Posted by: baegwolah
Views: 531,143 | Likes: 3,211 | Bookmarks: 6,643
This post was quickly deleted after being uploaded.
Below is the full version.
It’s a photo from the filming set.
Not sure if this counts as proper proof, but I’m posting it anyway.
I used to be a huge fan of Lim Hee-seop; heard a lot from the staff about how kind and professional he was. Handsome, talented, and a Hunter on top of it all—some were even saying he might be the “second Blue Star.” I had high hopes this time around.
But during the surprise camera segment, his reaction was insane. He grabbed Baek Tae-beom by the collar (honestly, I was shocked Tae-beom didn’t fight back), cursed at Choi Ga-hyeon, refused to fight, and just slumped in a corner ranting. ;;;;;
He must’ve been really touchy about the “2-Hee-seop” meme or something, because he went off on Baek Tae-beom about it, cussed like mad, and talked about Choi Ga-hyeon like he was just an object.
I used to think he was this energetic and cool person, but turns out it was all fake. Seriously, how can someone change like that in an instant?
And for those wondering why Baek Tae-beom was covered in blood at the end—that’s because Lim Hee-seop pushed him into the boss. Tae-beom had no choice but to use a fake blood prop he was holding.
I think the editing team didn’t even know how to salvage the footage, so they just cut it all this way. I’m just letting you all know. If you’re still defending Lim Hee-seop at this point, wake the hell up.
That’s it.
[Comment Section]
– What even happened?
┖Holy shit, that’s terrifying. How can someone change like that…;;;;
┖Now it makes sense why some of the editing cuts felt weird. They had to keep Lim Hee-seop out as much as possible….
– If what this person says is true, then Lim Hee-seop really did something awful. If that had been an actual S-Rank dungeon, someone might’ve died.
┖This is brutal.
┖My mom really liked Lim Hee-seop…
– So your only “proof” is a photo from the filming set?
┖This is already damning enough and you’re still defending him;;;
┖What, you think you’re better than Lim Hee-seop or something? lol
┖At the very least, I’ve got a better personality than 2-Hee-seop.]
***
Because he was such a famous actor, the post spread like wildfire—and its impact was massive. People were saying they had no idea “he was that kind of guy,” demanding that he be dropped from the drama and publicly apologize.
Naturally, Lim Hee-seop’s agency tried to spin it by claiming “Lim Hee-seop was also assaulted by Baek Tae-beom,” but the response was swift and merciless—He deserved it for what he did, people said, and they tore into him even harder.
His agency eventually reached out, saying they wanted to issue a formal apology, but as I’d requested beforehand, Lee Myung-won refused them outright. I didn’t want anything more to do with that kind of person. Didn’t want to see him, didn’t even want to hear his name.
As if mirroring that wish, all the commercials featuring Lim Hee-seop were pulled, and the drama was reportedly being aired early to cut him out.
Hard to say whether it was sad or satisfying. Either way, it no longer concerned me. My attention was elsewhere.
“All done.”
I closed the workbook and shut off the timer with a sigh. The online lecture I’d had playing in the background stopped too. I patted my stiff shoulders and stretched.
No doubt about it—my brain worked slower than it did in high school. Still, I figured I’d get used to it eventually. Or rather, it wasn’t about getting used to it. This was something I had to do.
The truth was, I was preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test.
I looked at the workbook’s cover—bright yellow, with cheerful slogans telling me I could do it. It was designed entirely for the CSAT. I found myself lightly brushing the surface with my palm, lost in thought. The weird feeling that welled up inside… that hadn’t changed over the years.
Taking the CSAT in my late twenties. Some might say it was too late. I’d even heard it to my face—people asking why I was struggling so hard when I could just enjoy life from where I stood.
But none of that mattered.
This whole ordeal had made something clear to me: I was loved more than I thought. And those who loved me—they wouldn’t turn their backs on me, no matter what happened.
I hadn’t realized how deeply moving it was to have people who cheered for me, who stood by me. The loss had been so overwhelming that I hadn’t even tried to look around. But now, even with what little talent I had, I wanted to leave a mark in this world—so those who loved me wouldn’t regret doing so.
So no, this wasn’t a late decision at all. I had plenty of days ahead of me, more than enough to do what I needed to. Some might say I was living with luck beyond my means, but because of that, I was determined to live gratefully, always.
And so, I let myself reach for something a little more.
“Hyung.”
Baek Tae-beom called from behind as he wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes, feeling his familiar warmth brush against my cheek.
“When did you get home?”
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“You looked too pretty, all focused like that.”
I was used to hearing things like that by now.
Baek Tae-beom effortlessly lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bed. A laugh slipped out as I felt the soft mattress cushion my hips.
“How was your day?”
“Same as always. Lee Myung-won nagging, annoying guild members…”
He mumbled as he lowered his head and kissed me. I ran my fingers through his hair, playfully messing it up. His warmth wasn’t unfamiliar.
His lips grazed my skin, then parted to let his tongue slip in between mine. Wet and red, it twisted with mine, teasing, slow and thick. Saliva clung between us. I took a deep breath and gently bit his lower lip before letting go.
“Don’t be too hard on Lee Myung-won.”
Baek Tae-beom narrowed his eyes. He bumped his forehead against mine and scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m the one dating you, though?”
