Fortunately, Braun didn't suddenly throw a fit and demand we bury the entire station.
It seemed he considered it beneath the dignity of a talk show host.
'Phew.'
Taking advantage of the opening, I quickly recalled the contents of the Wiki.
Of this station, where Delusion Home Shopping was located.
—-
Afternoon Station (Blood Broadcasting Station)
A subway station that was once connected to the Segwang Metropolitan City local broadcasting station.
In conjunction with the broadcasting station, a temporary stage was set up in the concourse of this station, where citizen choirs and orchestras would perform.
Now, that was all in the past, and a certain home shopping ghost story, finding the station's infrastructure appetizing, had occupied it.
Let's all enjoy shopping!
…And when I clicked on 'home shopping ghost story,' it connected directly
to the Delusion Home Shopping page.
[Oh.]
[So, you'd already guessed that the channel of some merchant who doesn't even know his place was here, but you were concerned about this Braun's reaction, so you didn't click on it until after you got off the platform…Is that it?]
No, it's more like… um.
'Braun. Still, aren't you curious?'
[Hmm?]
'About what Delusion Home Shopping is doing here?'
According to the station's description, what happens at this station is as follows.
But if you don't feel like shopping, it's also fine to help someone else with their shopping!
As one of the few ways to obtain food through labor in the Segwang Special City Subway, those who visit this station are treated as having come for the home shopping channel's job advertisement and are hired on a short term basis.
The most frequent work is as a day laborer, but depending on the broadcasting station's situation, you may seize the //-unlucky-//[1]
unprecedented opportunity to work as a home shopping assistant or model.
If you are excessively good at your job, you may receive an offer for a contract position. Welcome to the eternal paradise of shopping!
'If we work as day laborers here, we'll be able to see what kind of work they do at Delusion Home Shopping.'
And… in the end, it comes down to this.
'Either we make a decent haul and return to the train, or we die quickly and escape before getting hit with Contamination from an irregular situation.'
It would most likely be the former.
Given its nature as a home shopping ghost story, it must be deeply connected to Items and information. We might even find an easy way into the Cheerful Research Institute in the machine room.
'Besides, it should be easier for me.'
After all, I have experience working in a similar place.
[A similar place, you say.]
[Oh… Don't tell me you chose that expression while putting this messy swindler's latrine in the same comparative class as my talk show?]
'…I've experienced a complex variety of occupations in all sorts of places. That's what I meant. You remember, right?'
[Ah, of course, I remember! My friend steadfastly endured even physiologically difficult occupations! The variety of places he held various jobs. They were truly fascinating episodes….]
Phew.
Anyway, I shared what I had learned from the Wiki with the rest of the party.
"Oh. Then we can get Items or information here."
"Yes. However…."
I looked at Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae with some concern.
"Dolphin, will you be okay with the Contamination?"
Would it be okay for someone who was contaminated enough to work as a dealer at the Body Casino to seek a job here?
I looked at the snap-on pin in Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's hair.
It seemed she was suppressing the Contamination with her own equipment, but it might become a bad trigger.
However, Deputy Lee Seong-hae nodded readily.
"Ah, it's fine! Anyway, since I died there, it seems the casino's surveillance on me has been lifted."
Then, clenching and unclenching her fist, she suppressed the urge to shuffle and shrugged.
"Um… I think it'll be fine as long as I don't go back to the casino."
"...Yes."
Just in case, I should get the Euthanasia Pill ready to be used at any time.
In any case, since we had already agreed, we went up the stairs and stood before the back door of the Delusion Home Shopping studio.
After knocking, we carefully opened the door.
Creak.
The hallway of a modern, clean broadcasting station was revealed.
And colorful posters.
-A record-breaking sellout!
-Cumulative sales surpass ■■■■ billion!
-Soaring ratings, is this entertainment or an advertisement!
-A home shopping experience created by the Entertainer of the era
-Your Tuesday night shopping mate
'....'
At a glance, they appeared to be typical self-praising posters for a home shopping channel. However, upon closer inspection, the items being sold gave off a bizarre and gruesome feeling.
A smiling show host was cutting off his own arm with a kitchen knife. Meanwhile, a person demonstrating eye drops had bloody tears and eyeballs pouring out of their eyes.
'Ha….'
The feeling of having entered the wrong space sent a shiver down my spine.
And then another thought occurred to me.
'The taglines….'
They seem somehow familiar.
[Oh.]
Right.
[You've witnessed it, Mr. Roe Deer.]
It seems to be blatantly copying Braun's Late-Night Talk Show….
In fact, there's even a tagline that seems to have been copied from the Tuesday Quiz Show.
'…Braun.'
Even though it was a thought, not a sound, I asked cautiously.
'Was it because Delusion Home Shopping… has been copying you lately that you were displeased?'
[Wouldn't anyone in mass media want to emulate a legendary role model? That is only natural.]
[The problem is their attitude….]
I could almost hear the sound of fingers impatiently tapping on an expensive wooden table.
[How dare a cheap imitation of a merchant, trying to use the fame of my talk show, spout slogans like 'the new era of entertainment' or 'a show.']
'…!'
[Their purpose is not entertainment. Their only goal is to hold the audience's attention for even a moment to sell off their cheap goods. Ah, how can something be so vulgar and disgusting….]
I feel a gaze on me.
[That's why I'm so looking forward to this! I can't wait to see what you'll do here, Mr. Roe Deer.]
From far away, high above, or perhaps right beside me, as if watching me.
The gaze of the show media.
[Of course, I can already picture my friend being horrified by the vulgarity of this place….]
'....'
I swallowed and quietly walked further down the hallway.
'It won't even get to that point.'
We'll probably be working as day laborers.
And before long, as expected, we stood before a door with a sign on it.
If you came for the job ad, come here
Inside the door, which looked almost like a warehouse, there was no one, only contracts placed haphazardly on a shelf. And the contents of the contract….
Day Laborer Contract
'Phew.'
Fortunately, it was within my expectations.
"Do we just sign here?"
"It seems so."
"Well, it doesn't say anything about mortgaging our souls."
We each signed the contract, which read, 'Term of Employment: 1 day,
Duties: Various unspecified support tasks, Compensation: Differential pay based on performance.'
The cautionary notes below were censored, evoking a sense of meaningful foreboding, but our hands, able to escape through death, were unhesitant.
And the moment we finished signing.
-Buy now! Today's unbelievable special price, which will never come again, 4,999,980 won! An impossible package, the lowest price in human history relative to inflation!
A sound began to be heard.
The sound of the Delusion Home Shopping broadcast.
"…!"
"Noruya, this way."
To survive in the Darkness, gathering information is essential. After leaving the warehouse, we quietly walked down the hallway as we as we got used to it, carefully heading toward the source of the sound.
And as we peeked around the corner, a huge space finally revealed itself.
A home shopping filming set.
-Who could possibly achieve a perfect diet for only 4 million won? It's absolutely impossible. But today, the opportunity has come to you!
Bright lights.
A voice that sticks in your ears, all sorts of effects that seem determined to
dazzle your eyes, fast-tempo music. Sound effects that seem to incite purchase and intensely colored text.
It's like a home shopping show from its heyday, around the 2000s.
But….
-Look. Isn't it amazing! Only the fat has been peeled away!
Right in the center, a person is visible, a layer of their skin being peeled off.
An image so clean it looks artificial.
The person, smiling with wide-open eyes, is motionless, but their skin, rising like dead cells as if molting, splits open and fat flows out.
-It is truly a diet supplement made by the devil, a bug that eats fat, the Aesthetic Caterpillar Egg Cluster!
-Its simple use is like a gift from the gods! Just take it with water after a meal, and that's it.
While those words are spoken, the camera briefly shows the show host.
During that time, the demonstrator who had been on display was thrown out as if they were trash.
Thud.
And their spot is filled by an identical-looking demonstrator.
Reappearing with stylishly done hair and an outfit that seems to show off muscle and slimness, they strike a pose for the camera.
-A miraculous supplement!
-If you buy now, at this record-breaking special price, we'll even send you a single Happy Maker as a free gift! This package is an opportunity that will never come again!
Woooahhh!
Amidst the inserted cheers of a crowd.
Outside the studio, where the camera doesn't reach, fat pools flow from the body of the demonstrator, carelessly thrown on the floor.
Through the split-open gaps, worm-like bugs reveal their teeth like leeches.
Dozens of them.
They are melting and eating the fat all over the body, coming out and going back in. Wriggling.
"Ugh."
Someone in our group made a sound like they were holding back a short retch.
But then.
-Shall we show you one more time? Excellent!
-We will show you properly one more time with another person!
And….
The show host, beckoned with a finger, precisely in our direction.
"…What?"
In that moment.
The body of Agent Bronze from our group began to be 'moved' at once into the home shopping set, as if being dragged.
"...!"
Section Chief Lee Jaheon and I reflexively grabbed the agent, and Agent Bronze also seemed to be resisting, gritting his teeth as his muscles tensed,but… I knew.
'Force is meaningless…!'
It would only injure Agent Bronze's body.
He wasn't just being dragged; it was an effect occurring due to the employment contract.
Of all the day laborers, he had been 'unluckily' drafted for an immediate home shopping demonstration.
Goosebumps ran down my spine.
In my head, all sorts of thoughts were instantly derived and flashed.
The products sold on Delusion Home Shopping are effective, but their side effects are also certain. And sometimes, they sell dangerous Items that are close to a 'dud'….
That thing is a 'dud.'
Seeing the previous demonstrator lying like a corpse, oozing blood and flesh after the fat, an utterly certain sense of doom consumed my mind.
And arriving at the answer happened in an instant.
'It's better to just die.'
I have to kill him quickly so he can get out of here.
'Damn it.'
I immediately shoved the Euthanasia Drug I had into Agent Bronze's mouth.
"...!"
Agent Bronze wore a bewildered expression, but soon… he swallowed.
The next moment.
Thump.
His body fell to the floor.
"...."
Section Chief Lee Jaheon pulled Agent Bronze's corpse away.
I gasped for breath in shock.
The show host seemed to have noticed the anomaly of the day laborer becoming unable to 'demonstrate'….
-Now, model, please come in!
He nonchalantly continued with the home shopping broadcast.
And I realized.
He was going to take someone else as a demonstrator.
'Damn it!'
I urgently tried to pull out another Euthanasia Drug from my pocket with a
trembling hand, but before I could, my body stiffened and was flung forward.
Into the lights.
'Wait.'
And then….
-Now, in this person's case, the area they wish to diet is….
The moment I helplessly stepped into the middle of the home shopping studio, under the glare of the camera.
-No, you're… this can't be!
The show host grabbed my shoulder.
I lifted my head. The weird, pale, red show host, mimicking a person with an open mouth, gapes at me in welcome.
-Everyone! The assistant host of the Late-Night Talk Show has come to our home shopping channel!
"…!"
I'm fucked.
'An irregular situation….'
It identified me as a worker from a similar broadcast ghost story. A situation where I have no idea how Delusion Home Shopping will react.
'Just how interested are they in Braun's talk show to even recognize me.'
I want to say 'You've got the wrong person,' but there's no way that would work on a ghost story, and it occurs to me that Braun is listening to this conversation.
And that's not the problem.
-It's a truly welcome face, isn't it? Please say hello!
I felt my lips pull up into a smile. An unnaturally bright smile spread across
my face. Like a proper Delusion Home Shopping demonstrator.
-Now, please swallow the miracle diet pill with water. It's so easy, right?
My hand picked up the water glass on the desk.
'Fuck…!'
And with a full smile on my face, I grabbed the round, pill-like parasite egg cluster and brought it to my mouth….
Bba-bba-bba-bba-bam!!!
"...!"
-Everyone! We've just received word. The prepared quantity has completely sold out!
The strength left my hand.
-Thank you for your support. Then, Tuesday's joy! Tuesday's passion! Tuesday's lowest price, we will be back again!
My hand waves at the camera as I smile.
And the home shopping host conducting all of this waves his hand next to me.
The show host.
-Thank you!
It's a man in a black suit.
The thing, which looks to be in its late 30s, has the typical body of a show host and wears a trustworthy, affable smile.
But when it opens its mouth, the inside is a crimson abyss.
Black eyes with bizarrely large pupils.
And with a face made up to be strangely white, it grinned at the camera and then….
Cut!
The program ends.
For a moment, my strength gave out and I almost knocked over the water glass on the table, but I managed to put it back in its place.
'Damn it.'
…Over there, outside the studio, I can see Agent Bronze's corpse, still there.
And the sight of my companions, who seemed to have been fiercely discussing what to do with me, barely managing to compose themselves.
I quickly looked away.
Because the lead show host of Delusion Home Shopping was smiling happily at me and patting my shoulder.
-My, my! A pleasure to meet you. I never thought a celebrity like you would apply for a short-term part-time job!
And he subtly kneads my shoulder.
The large black pupils in the strangely white-powdered face look at me.
-Did you quit the Late-Night Talk Show? Of course, the number of job seekers who want to join Delusion Home Shopping is as numerous as the stars, but for our former Late-Night Talk Show crew, I think I could make a spot for you….
"…You seem to be very interested in the Late-Night Talk Show."
The show host pauses for a moment.
-You could call it the interest of a fellow industry professional! Our two programs are the stars of entertainment, mutually helping each other.
-Of course, in terms of volume, there's no comparison. Compared to our home shopping channel, Mr. Braun's talk show is a bit… well. Symbolic, but isn't it small-scale?
[Oh.]
The back of my neck becomes drenched in a cold sweat.
The show host, as if excited, gestured with his fingers and walked with me out of the studio.
He didn't even glance toward the day laborers, and in the meantime, I saw Deputy Lee Seong-hae stopping the corpse of Agent Bronze from being taken away by the trash cleaners.
"…Come to think of it, I didn't know Delusion Home Shopping had a studio here as well."
-Ah, this Studio 4-168 is a relatively new one. But we got it at a reasonable price. Making a profit is what's important. However… the broadcasting fees are higher than I thought.
-To really stir up the shopping fever, we planned a record-breaking entertainment broadcast this time.
-It's happening today. And to have a celebrity come to our part-time recruitment! The energy is good.
"…A record-breaking plan, what do you mean?"
-It's a very provocative and fun format.
-It's… a show host survival.
What?
-Thrilling and dizzying entertainment where only one person who sells the most items survives! And shopping! Shopping! Shopping!
-Who among the show hosts I'm watching will survive!
-The viewers won't be able to look away, the viewership will be locked in and purchase volume will soar, and some will passionately buy anything to support the show host they're cheering for!
"…I see."
I swallowed. And I asked in a deliberately calm tone.
"Then what will we day laborers be doing in that plan? …Will we become demonstrators like before?"
If he said yes, I was planning to have everyone immediately down an Euthanasia Drug.
But the show host didn't affirm it.
…Nor did he deny it.
-About that. First, hear me out.
-Surprisingly, the winner of this survival show takes the entire portion of the total sales revenue allocated to the show hosts, all for themselves!
The show host thrust his face close to mine.
-A truly amazing benefit, isn't it?
-But this entire package is being offered right today! To all of you who came after seeing the job ad!
"...!"
That means….
-That's right. Today's day laborers all become contestants in the show host survival!
"…!!"
[Oh, friend. I don't particularly enjoy phrases like 'I told you so,' but there couldn't be a more perfect time for it.]
[I told you so.]
[About these vulgar merchants, I mean.]
The show host's cold breath tickled the nape of my neck.
-Now, then, let's go to work as per the contract. Survival contestant, new show host for Delusion Home Shopping. Braun's friend.
And so, I became a daily show host for Delusion Home Shopping.
Along with the entire exploration team
[1] supposed to have a slash through (I’m unfortunately unable to do so…sob)