The vintage TV remained still.
‘I’m not interested in listening to your persuasion or arguments. Just send me away, right now.’
……
……
Thuk.
Braun placed me back onto the desk.
And then, his voice softened into something… almost sorrowful.
[I just… don’t understand. Think about it, Mr. Roe Deer. Why would you leave behind something fulfilling and enjoyable, only to return to a life of misery?]
[Was there something you didn’t like about our show’s working conditions? No show in the world is perfectly ethical, Mr. Roe Deer… you know that.]
[Perhaps… your conscience is merely an excuse. Could it be that, deep down, you were simply dissatisfied with your role as staff?]
[How about a change of residence? Ah, or perhaps… a stronger, more magnificent form—one that better suits the show?]
No!
‘I already told you—I won’t listen to any of your persuasion!’
I’d be trapped if I wasn’t careful. I was a doll now. I didn’t even have my silver ring. I couldn’t afford to let him convince me…
‘I’m quitting. That’s it. This conversation is over.’
[……]
The TV-headed figure pulled back.
[I see what your misunderstanding is.]
[But as your friend, it’s only right for me to grant your wishes.]
His gloved fingers gestured to the staff, as if instructing them to remove me.
[You are fired. Go ahead, leave this wonderful studio behind and return to your pathetic, dull life.]
[However… there will no longer be a good friend waiting for you.]
‘……’
[Remember that. Now, once today’s show ends, you can go wherever you please. That is, of course…]
His voice turned mocking.
[If you can go anywhere at all, in that stuffed body of yours.]
‘You’re the one who put me in this form. Change me back.’
[Oh? And why should I do that?]
‘Because—’
[How laughable, Mr. Kim Soleum. You’ve done nothing but act selfishly, saying whatever you please without taking responsibility for this show.]
[And yet, when you refuse to listen to my persuasions, now you are trying to persuade me? How very shameless. Ah, but I suppose that, too, is a form of entertainment.] ɽ𝘼ℕộ𝔟Ęs̈
[One of the best kinds, in fact—the joy of watching someone get punished.]
The staff didn’t place me back on the desk.
Instead, they tossed me onto the small table beside the guest’s chair.
A precarious spot—dangerously close to the edge, as if I might tumble into the trash bin below.
[Oh, and look at that! The cameras are turning back on!]
Braun’s voice shifted instantly, bright and cheerful again.
A perfect fit for the talk show.
[Now, sit back and enjoy the rest of the show. Think carefully because this is your last chance.]
[Will you choose punishment, or…]
At that moment—
Pik.
A thin, strange noise rang out before me, accompanied by a flash of light.
Something entered my field of vision.
A pin-thin hole had been punctured in the studio’s ceiling.
And from above, an eerie, unnaturally blue light shone down upon me.
Then—
Pikpikpikpikpikpikpikpik!
More holes appeared in rapid succession.
Stuffing burst from my body.
‘Ah.’
Something had…
…Pierced me.
[……!]
Could it be…
Was this the ‘Sacred Fire’ bombardment?
No.
‘Am I… dying?’
If I died in this form, would I just… die as a stuffed toy?
At that moment—
[Wait…]
I felt a hand grip my plush body.
The host.
He was likely trying to stop my stuffing from spilling out.
But the relentless barrage of precision strikes targeting my ragdoll body refused to stop.
Pikpikpikpikpikpikpikpik!
My head was severed from my body.
And it fell to the ground.
[……!!]
BOOM.
Krrrrrk-KRRRRK-KRRRRK!
The ceiling collapsed.
A rain of transparent, glowing projectiles crashed down onto the talk show stage like a meteor shower, destroying the entire set.
In my tumbling field of vision, I caught sight of the host, standing frozen, gripping the tattered remains of what had once been my fabric body and stuffing.
Ah.
Just like how I had been momentarily shaken when my good friend was torn in two…
He also…
– Kim Soleum-ssi.
“……!”
– Are you back?
“…Yes.”
I regained consciousness in the void once again, where nothing could be felt.
Through the CCTV-like vision before me, I could see that Lee Jaheon was still on the move.
The only difference now was that the studio in his field of vision was shaking violently, as if it had been struck by a bomb.
– The ‘Sacred Fire’ bombardment has commenced.
Yes. I know…
Because you shot me with it.
“…Did you deliberately target the stuffed doll I was in? To force me back into this body?”
– Yes.
– The bombardment will continue for another ten minutes, but the current situation remains high-risk. You must escape this location as quickly as possible—preferably within the next three minutes.
“…Can’t the host just force me back into a doll again?”
– It is possible.
– However, that Darkness is an extreme phenomenon devoid of balance. As a supernatural entity fixated on its talk show, the host will likely prioritize restoring the studio and eliminating the cause of its destruction before anything else.
Lee Jaheon was moving at an insane speed, his tone utterly dry as he spoke of something so chilling.
Then, just as emotionlessly, he made another statement.
– Additionally, access to a safehouse has been approved.
“…What?”
– The Coalition has acknowledged that the current situation prevents the emergency call user from escaping.
– Therefore, Supervisor Kim Soleum, you can now be transported to a location where you will be safe from pursuit by supernatural entities.
“……”
I don’t know what this ‘Coalition’ is, but it’s probably some kind of alien organization.
– Given the circumstances, the only way to prevent further complications is to leave this studio immediately and relocate to the safehouse.
So… I could escape the host’s pursuit for a while?
That meant I’d have time to reassess my situation and maybe find a way to completely sever his ties to me through the <Dark Exploration Records>.
Through the CCTV-like vision, I watched Chief Lizard sprint down the violently shaking hallway of the studio amidst the deafening explosions.
“…Have you found the exit?”
– Yes.
– While infiltrating the studio again to locate your summoned consciousness, I reverified the escape route.
“……!”
It felt as if I really could escape.
Whether it was through the ‘Delusion Home Shopping’ or somewhere else, I might be able to make it to that ‘safehouse’ they approved, and at least buy myself some time.
It was a tempting solution, but…
……
I knew the truth.
It was nothing more than a temporary fix.
‘This is an extreme and hostile method of escape.’
If I left like this, it felt like I’d be making an irreversible choice against the host…
‘The host… Or rather, Braun might just be able to find me again.’
This escape wasn’t a solution. It was just a delayed confrontation.
And more importantly…
“……”
I recalled the moment just before I was wrenched away from the stuffed doll.
The sight of the host desperately trying to hold my plush body together as it was being torn apart.
“……”
Maybe…
“…Squad Leader.”
– Yes.
“Are you the type of sentient being that gets easily contaminated by darkness?”
– No.
‘…Okay.’
And one more thing.
“If I die in this body, will you simply return to being Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”
– If you die within 55 hours, yes.
……In that case.
“Squad Leader.”
I swallowed hard.
“Don’t head for the exit. Go to the host instead.”
If this was a gamble anyway—
I’d take a direct approach.
“I’m going to try a different way out.”