Chapter 122

Backstage is bustling just before the live talk show begins. The silent crew moves in perfect coordination, checking developments and responding in real time.

“Whew.”

I caught my breath. By now, I could understand their communications in some detail...

The whispers of the faceless.

-Add lighting at number five.

-Requesting a change of shoes for the Host.

-Check the guest cushion’s position.

Everyone worked hard at their own station, putting thought into making a good show. And since the Host never skimped on praising anyone, spirits rose all the more easily.

It really was a good workplace. My coworkers’ lack of faces had been a little unsettling at first, but now I seemed completely used to it!

‘I guess people really are products of their environment.’

No matter how often I entered ghost stories, I had never gotten used to that. Maybe Braun really was right, and it had partly been a question of aptitude.

‘It’s fine.’

After checking that I was wearing my silver ring, as I habitually did, I finally stepped onto the stage.

“... Whew.”

Today was the day.

The day I would appear in a segment of Braun’s Late-Night Talk Show for the first time.

[“Soleum!”]

The Host, already finished with his preparations, approached.

[“That outfit suits you wonderfully. Yes... Goodness! Makeup, let’s cover this tattoo more thoroughly.”]

The Host checked me over meticulously, right down to the tattoo peeking out beneath my suit sleeve near my wrist. In an instant, the tattoo vanished without a trace.

I made it safely to my designated seat before airtime.

[“Excellent. Excellent... Now, Soleum. The camera light will come on shortly.”]

“Yes.”

[“And the audience will be seated immediately afterward, so all you need to think about is entertaining them. Now, we’re starting...”]

The old-fashioned prompter in front of me counted down.

3.

2.

1.

0.

[“Good evening! Tonight’s entertainment, new faces every day, and... your friendly Host!”]

Braun’s Late-Night Talk Show

The instant the studio sparkled to the sound of the band, the live broadcast began.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Wh-what is this...?”

The audience seats filled. Suddenly seated there, the audience looked startled or horrified at finding themselves in a dazzling television studio while getting ready for bed.

“What’s with my clothes?”

Everyone was seated in all manner of work attire. It certainly looked like an office workers’ special.

[“Welcome, hardworking office workers. Tonight, just for you, we’ll present a talk show that washes away the day’s fatigue, that you can’t look away from, that’s fascinating and frighteningly entertaining!”]

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP...

After clapping alone, the Host displayed an embarrassed, sorrowful emoticon on his TV head.

[“... No applause? None at all?”]

CL-CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!!

The audience clapped before they quite knew what they were doing.

“What the hell is this...?”

“Well, he’s handsome. Let’s just clap.”

Two office workers beside me who seemed to know each other whispered together and applauded again.

The Host greeted audience members individually, setting the mood with entertaining, cheerful jokes that had an unsettling edge, and horrifying, astonishing news they had never heard before.

“Oh.”

Before long, their tension eased, and they accepted the unreal space as natural. Like watching a magician or a science-fiction movie, these people accustomed to fantastical content grew hazy as the boundary with reality crumbled in their minds.

And that was when the guest appeared.

[“Today’s guest is... Ah, here they come!”]

An ornate door studded with twinkling, star-shaped bulbs opened, and the guest emerged.

The guest I had selected!

It was...

A cloth teddy bear, toddling along.

With mismatched button eyes, it was shabby and patched, but quite cute.

[“Isn’t it adorable? Allow me to introduce today’s guest... the Happy Ending Teddy!”]

Exclamations rose here and there as the little teddy bear sat on the sofa.

What is that thing? It’s so cute. It’s moving. Where are we? Is this a dream? What talk show is this... Oh, right, I applied to be in the audience!

The bewildered murmurs soon subsided, converging on a single response.

Interest in, and concentration on, the surreal talk show.

[“Sponsored by Delusion Home Shopping. Oh, this is a limited-edition product from 1999, no longer on sale, and the most iconic companion doll in the industry.”]

[“For an owner who treasures it until death, it creates an ‘ending to life’ as peaceful as sleep. For those who throw it away, it visits in the dead of night and turns them into dolls like itself!”]

Braun approached and held the microphone to the teddy bear.

[“How are you feeling? ... Oh, it says it’s so nervous it wants to visit its first owner’s grave and weep.”]

“Ahahaha!”

They liked it.

I relaxed. The eeriness of a cute, familiar, inanimate object developing a mind of its own, moving, and taking revenge had always worked.

That was why I’d gotten Good Friend too... No, stop.

‘Anyway, a good audience response often means a good viewer response.’

That was reassuring. The talk show was structured so that its nonhuman viewers could enjoy the audience’s reactions themselves, as if watching a reaction video.

Fascinating. Stories really were enjoyable and reassuring when you were one step removed!

[“Now, let’s hear our guest’s story and what it’s been up to!”]

The show proceeded smoothly. Through the Host, the Happy Ending Teddy Bear spoke of a heartbreaking yet warm farewell with a kind owner, and of a terrible owner’s bloodcurdling abuse and the satisfying revenge that followed.

Props, photographs, and illustrations from those times were displayed, drawing everyone in and building the mood.

Then came the final climax.

[“Ah, so the father who burned you with cigarettes and beat the child who played with you... is here in our audience!”]

[“That person is... you!”]

BA-DUM!

A spotlight shone on one audience member.

[“Come on up... Hahaha! Let’s welcome our second guest with a round of applause.”]

It was the former owner who had thrown the doll away, planted among the audience.

He was escorted onto the stage, where the Happy Ending Teddy personally demonstrated the process of turning him into a teddy bear.

Screams and blood flew everywhere, but the engrossed audience found it satisfying, even as they were a little horrified. Those in the front row, who had even received raincoats from the crew, applauded.

As though they were reading an entertaining ghost story.

[“Ah, wonderful. Now we have another adorable teddy bear.”]

[“What a good thing. A big round of applause for our guest, the Happy Ending Teddy, who even creates such marvelous added value!”]

“Woooo!”

The Happy Ending Teddy trembled as it greeted everyone joyfully.

And at that point...

[“Now, on to our next segment. Questions and answers!”]

Braun raised a hand to his speaker as though listening closely.

[“Are you there, my friend?”]

Now!

“I’m here, friend!”

I shot up my hand and stood in the middle of the audience. Exclamations burst from the people seated around me.

And above my head, a sign lit up.

Tell Braun’s Friend!

[“For one hundred seconds, my friend can ask audience members what they think of the talk show, or ask them entertaining questions! Those who give proper answers will receive wonderful prizes, so give it a try. Now...”]

A clock appeared on Braun’s TV face.

[“Starting now!”]

Hands went up in a wave.

Looking slightly flustered, I pointed to myself.

“Um, you’re raising your hands before you’ve even heard my introduction or a question...?”

Laughter.

“Oh, there’s no time? O... kaaay... I... un... der... staaaand.”

I deliberately dragged out my words incredibly slowly. The laughter grew louder. Good.

“First question. ‘What was the least entertaining moment of this show?’”

[“My friend!!”]

“When did you go beyond yawning and think you could do a better job yourself?!”

The perfectly timed, planned reaction drew another smattering of laughter from the audience.

Some people in the front, covered in the blood of the former owner who had become a teddy bear, enthusiastically took off their raincoats and waved them.

I hurried over and held out the microphone.

“Right now.”

[“Ooooh!”]

Another burst of laughter. I deliberately gave the speaker a look of betrayal, as though asking how they could say such a thing, then moved to the next question.

Perhaps because the previous segment had been entertaining, the response was much better than I’d feared.

It was almost spellbinding.

‘Is this... fun?’

Somehow, I felt a little exhilarated. The hundred seconds flew past, and the microphone reached an audience member whose turn would be almost the last we had time for.

“If you could ask this talk show for just one thing, what would it be?”

I called out excitedly, and the audience member called back just as excitedly.

“I want to take that teddy bear home!”

Oh.

“You can’t.”

...

In an instant, the audience went cold.

So did the stage.

“...”

Wh-why did I do that? No, first fix it.

I raised my eyebrows, as though that curt reply had been deliberate. Then, nodding as if I understood, I said,

“Our dear guest, Mr. Teddy, says he doesn’t want a serious relationship with an office worker who’s too busy working overtime to make time for him.”

“What?!”

On the sofa, the Happy Ending Teddy frantically waved both arms as though denying it. I watched, nodded solemnly, and relayed its message to the audience member.

“He definitely doesn’t want to.”

“...?!”

The teddy bear toppled over. Laughter erupted from the audience.

“Just kidding. He says he’d be delighted to come.”

“Wow! I’m so happy. Dying of natural causes has always been my dream.”

“Really? Mine too.”

Smiling, I high-fived the audience member.

Whew. Somehow, I’d pulled through.

‘Next!’

I quickly turned for the next question. The next person, whose hand had gone up fastest...

Was dressed familiarly.

“...!!”

For a moment, I stared blankly.

An office worker wearing a mask and a suit.

‘... Daydream Inc.’s Field Exploration Team.’

My old workplace.

And specifically...

‘... They’re from Team D.’

Three people I knew sat side by side.

How were those three... No, Team Leader Lizard was definitely the only one left in Team D now. How had they...?

[“Ding! Time’s up.”]

Oh.

[“Now! Let’s ask my friend. Who is today’s MVP audience member?”]

“Today’s MVP is...”

I pointed to the last audience member.

“The volunteer to adopt our guest.”

“Ooooh!”

[“Hahaha! May you die happily of natural causes!”]

The chosen audience member received a beautifully wrapped gift and sat down happily. The Happy Ending Teddy stared intently at them.

“...”

And so my segment ended. I exited through the door to the audience’s applause.

My heart pounded.

‘I did it.’

And around then...

[“Allow me to introduce our next guest. Ah, but first...”]

[“We’ll be back after these commercials!”]

“Aaaaaagh!”

Braun smiled and waved to the booing, cheering audience as the commercial break began.

Whew!

[“Soleum!”]

Braun came backstage with a huge smiling emoticon filling his face, switched it to a deeply moved expression, and high-fived me. Then he patted my shoulder as though proud of me.

[“My friend. Wonderful work! So marvelous I can hardly believe that was your first time hosting. Those were a very impressive hundred seconds. Ah, I’m truly in awe...”]

“I don’t think it was that good...”

[“No! This is neither empty praise nor flattery, but pure admiration. Now that you’re developing a passion for this show, you’re producing even better results.”]

That made me happy.

“Um, by the way.”

I smiled as I spoke.

“... I saw some familiar faces in the audience. Could I go talk to them? Just briefly, during the break. Not for long...”

[“Ah.”]

The Host stopped.

And then...

[“Of course. It’s a break, isn’t it? Go and enjoy your conversation.”]

Whew.

I had permission! What a relief.

“Then I’ll just...”

[“One moment.”]

He gripped my shoulder.

[“However, you must not say anything that might strike the other audience members as odd... Oh, don’t forget. Even with the cameras off, the audience still sees you as a member of the cast.”]

“... All right.”

The TV head drew closer.

[“You’ve taken that to heart?”]

“... I’ll keep it in mind.”

[“Excellent!”]

I backed away from the Host.

Then I left the stage and went around thanking the audience with crew members in tow, as though checking whether anyone was uncomfortable.

Until... at last, I reached the gathering of familiar masks.

Masks I knew.

“Roe Deer...?”

“... Deputy.”

Section Chief Lee Jaheon, Deputy Eun Haje, and... even Supervisor Park Minseong sat there.

‘Wow.’

Seeing them together felt strange. They looked as though we had gone back to before entering the Hungry Hangman Darkness.

“I never expected to see you here! It’s good to see you. Have you all been well?”

Team Leader Lizard and Deputy Eun Haje nodded. When our eyes met, Supervisor Park Minseong smiled and waved too. He looked slightly pale, but otherwise healthy.

Had he recovered enough to comfortably go out on nights like this? What a relief.

“Yes. We’re doing well... But Roe Deer, are you all right? How have you been?”

“Oh. I’ve been doing well.”

I could guarantee that.

But in the end, I couldn’t resist asking.

“Today was my first appearance, though... Could I ask what you thought? I’m a little nervous.”

Silence.

“You were very good.”

“... Thank you.”

Whew.

The silence bothered me a little, but Deputy Eun Haje wasn’t the sort to give empty praise. It should be fine.

“Come to think of it, have you eaten today?”

“Eaten? Ea...”

Oh.

Now that she mentioned it, it seemed quite a while since I’d last eaten.

So... before preparing for the broadcast?

Had my last meal been on the train, before changing jobs? Something like that.

Anyway, I couldn’t have been healthier, so it was fine!

And it was too personal a topic for a talk show’s commercial break.

I smiled and waved a hand.

“I’m fine without it.”

“...”

Supervisor Park Minseong quickly rummaged in his pocket and took something out.

“Roe Deer. Still, this is a break, right? How about at least having a snack? Here...”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m told gifts from audience members can only be accepted through official channels. To keep our operations aboveboard.”

I politely declined the old-fashioned candy Supervisor Park Minseong offered.

Holding the Nostalgia Candy, his expression dimmed.

“Oh...”

... Had I done something wrong?

I thought hard and came up with an alternative.

“Don’t worry. I have the exact same candy among my things, so I’ll eat that.”

“...!”

“All right.”

Deputy Eun Haje reached out and shook my hand.

Her hand was hot.

“Make sure you eat it.”

“...”

“Mr. Roe Deer.”

Oh.

Section Chief Lizard was looking at me.

“Press the button.”

“...?”

I wasn’t quite... sure what he meant.

But it wouldn’t be professional to show my confusion.

“Yes. I’ll certainly do my very best. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the show. Sleep well, and good luck tomorrow too.”

I hoped being in today’s audience had brought a little joy to their difficult daily lives.

Was this the feeling of a show creator? The one Braun had talked about?

I studied the three of them for their reactions.

‘I guess it’s hard to see their expressions because of their masks...’

Wait a minute.

If they were wearing masks, were they exploring a Darkness right now?

Then I should reassure them!

“Oh. If you’re here for ‘work,’ there shouldn’t be any problems. Just enjoy the show and head back.”

“... Really?”

“Yes! It’s very safe here.”

There couldn’t be many Darknesses this easy to clear. Hadn’t it actually become easier than The Tuesday Talk Show?

‘None of the regular audience members die!’

In fact, if we wanted to make things more sensational, we could have imposed more horrifying penalties, like The Tuesday Talk Show.

Instead, the mood now was relaxed enough that the other audience members could enjoy watching someone get their just deserts.

I felt a brief surge of gratitude toward Braun.

But Supervisor Park Minseong shook his head slightly.

“We’re not here for work.”

Huh?

“... We came to see you, Roe Deer.”

... Me?

“Roe Deer. How on earth did you end up in this situa—”

[“Oh, my friend!”]

“...!”

The Host beckoned from the stage.

Right. The commercials were almost over. That meant the show was resuming!

“I’ll head back up now. See you again. Oh! I think this next one will be really entertaining... Just sit back and enjoy it.”

“Um...”

Without hearing the reply, I ran toward the stage, greeting audience members along the way.

The lights were dazzling.

* * *

Once again, the talk show ended to tremendous applause and cheers.

[“Thank you. See you all again tomorrow at 11:33 p.m.!”]

Braun deftly wrapped up the broadcast and, as always, attended to the crew and everyone involved on the darkened stage.

Including me.

I was gazing at the empty audience seats when I snapped out of it and received his praise.

[“How was it? More fun than you expected, wasn’t it, Soleum?”]

“Yes. Um... It was better than I expected.”

[“I’m delighted. Good. I’ll speak to the writers about having you appear once or twice a week from now on. ‘Braun’s Friend’!”]

“Oh, sure.”

My stomach fluttered, perhaps from the recognition. I should accept it gladly!

Then the Host asked in passing,

[“Oh. Did you enjoy talking to your former coworkers, my friend? I saw you speaking to them in the audience.”]

“...! Yes. It was nice seeing them after so long.”

[“I see. I’m curious what delightful conversation you had!”]

“Oh, they were checking whether I’d eaten.”

[“Aha, our show always offers a dedicated catering service to meet our crew’s dietary...”]

The TV screen clouded over.

[“... You haven’t touched a meal all this time, Mr. Roe Deer. You haven’t requested personal catering, either. Good heavens! I told you on the first day.”]

Somehow, it had just seemed like a bother. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck.

“I’ve been fine without eating.”

[“My goodness! Making me into a wicked business partner who won’t even feed you. No, it’s my oversight. New crew members can miss things while they’re busy settling in. As your friend, I, Braun, should have paid closer attention...”]

Braun held out his hand.

[“They say inspiration and ideas come from physical stamina. Promise me you won’t do this again.”]

I wasn’t sure. It hadn’t made much difference. If anything, I’d felt better...

“Hmm. I’ll try.”

[“Oh dear, my friend has even picked up the industry’s bad verbal habits!”]

Braun chided me lightly, almost jokingly, but didn’t press me any further.

It was time to rest now.

[“In case you forget to rest too, let me say that making the best show requires plenty of rest, Soleum!”]

“I know, I know. See you in a bit.”

I parted ways with Braun for a while, passed the crew, and made my way around backstage to my dressing room.

CLICK.

I opened the door, went inside, rolled up my sleeve, and looked at my arm.

My tattoos were hidden beneath the makeup.

“... Hmm.”

Interesting. Apparently, tattoos covered so they couldn’t be seen didn’t work.

‘Now that the live broadcast is over, I can remove the makeup.’

I rubbed it off.

: Socius :

: Benefactor :

Then I reached into the tattoo that served as an inventory and took something out.

‘It’s been a while since I used this too, hasn’t it?’

In my hand was the Nostalgia Candy.

‘I did say I’d eat it.’

Hmm... Well, it wasn’t as though I was hungry or lacking energy.

After a brief hesitation, I unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it straight into my mouth.