Chapter 122.2
[Ah, fantastic. We now have one more adorable teddy bear.]
[Isnât this wonderful? A guest who even generates additional value! Letâs give a big round of applause to our dear âHappy Ending Teddyâ!]
WOOOOOOO!!!
The teddy bear trembled slightly before bowing happily to the crowd.
And at this momentâŠ
[Now, letâs move on to the next segment : Q&A!]
Braun cupped one hand over his speaker, as if listening.
[Are you there? My friend!]
This is it!
“Right here, Friend!”
I shot up from my seat in the audience, raising my hand high.
Gasps erupted from those seated around me.
And above my headâ
A glowing sign lit up.
Tell Braunâs Friend
All About It!
[For the next 100 seconds, my friend here will ask the audience for their thoughts on the show or any fun questions! Those who give great answers will win fabulous prizesâso letâs participate! Now thenâŠ]
A digital clock appeared on Braunâs TV face.
[Starting now!]
Whoosh.
Hands shot up across the audience.
I pointed at myself, looking mildly bewildered.
“Wait, youâre all raising your hands without even hearing my introduction or questionâŠ?”
Laughter.
“Ah, youâre rushing because thereâs a time limit? I, see⊠al-ri-ght⊠then⊔
I deliberately dragged out my words agonizingly slowly.
The laughter grew louder.
Good.
“First question: What was the absolute most boring moment of this show?”
[FRIEND!!]
“A moment so dull you thought you could do a better job yourself?!”
Braunâs perfectly-timed reaction triggered more scattered bursts of laughter.
From the front rowâwhere people were still drenched in the blood of the transformed guestâsome audience members enthusiastically took off their raincoats and waved them.
I hurried over to them, microphone in hand.
âNow.â
[Oooooh!]
Laughter erupted again. I deliberately looked at the audience member with an expression of deep betrayal, as if asking, How could you say that?!, before smoothly transitioning to the next question.
Perhaps because the previous segment had been so entertaining, the audienceâs reaction far exceeded my expectations.
It was almost hypnotic.
âThis is kinda⊠fun?â
For some reason, I felt a little exhilarated.
The 100 seconds passed in an instant, and just as we were nearing the final moments, the microphone was passed to an audience member.
“If you could make one request to this talk show, what would it be?”
I excitedly called out the question, and the audience enthusiastically shouted back.
“I want to take that teddy bear home!”
Ah.
“You canât.”
âŠâŠ
Silence fell over the audience.
And the stage.
“âŠâŠ”
Why did I say that? Noâdamage control first.
I quickly raised my eyebrows, making it seem like I had deliberately given a curt response. Then, with a knowing nod, I added,
“Our dear guest, Mr. Teddy Bear, says they donât want a serious relationship with a busy, overworked professional who has no time for them.”
“What?!”
The âHappy Ending Teddyâ frantically waved its tiny arms from the sofa, as if protesting. I solemnly nodded at the bearâs reaction and relayed the message to the audience.
“They really donât want to.”
ââŠ?!â
The teddy bear toppled over. The audience burst into laughter.
“Just kidding. Theyâd be delighted to go with you.”
“Wow! Thatâs amazing! A natural death has always been my dream.”
“For real? Me too.”
Grinning, I high-fived the audience member.
Phew. Crisis averted.
âNext!â
I quickly turned to find the next person to ask a question.
And thenâ
I froze.
The next person to raise their hand the fastestâwas wearing an all-too-familiar outfit.
“âŠ!!”
I stared blankly.
A faceless office worker in a suit and mask.
ââŠA Field Exploration Team member from Daydream Inc.â
My old workplace.
And among themâŠ
ââŠThe guys from D-squad.â
Three people I knew, sitting together.
How were all three of them here? NoâD-squad should only have Chief Lizard left, right? So howâŠ?
[Ding! Timeâs up!]
Ah.
[Now! Friend, let me ask you. Who is todayâs MVP audience member?]
“Todayâs MVP is⊔
I pointed at the last audience member.
“Our guestâs new adopter!”
“Ooooooh!”
[Hahaha! Wishing you a happy natural death!]
The chosen audience member sat back down happily, receiving a beautifully wrapped gift.
The âHappy Ending Teddyâ was staring at them intently.
“âŠâŠ”
With that, my segment came to a close. As I stepped offstage, I was met with the applause of the audience.
My heart was pounding.
âI did it.â
And just thenâ
[Now, letâs introduce our next guest. Ah, but before thatâŠ]
[Weâll be right back after these messages!]
Noooooo!
The audience booed and cheered as Braun laughed and waved them into the mid-show ad break.
Phew!
[Mr. Soleum!]
Braunâs TV screen displayed a massive grinning emoticon as he approached me backstage. He swapped to an awestruck face and held up a hand for a high-five.
Then, as if he were truly proud, he patted my shoulder.
[Friend. You did an amazing job! I canât believe that was your first time hosting a segment. That was a truly impressive 100 seconds. Ah, Iâm simply in aweâŠ]
“I donât think it was that great⊔
[No! This isnât flattery or empty praiseâitâs genuine admiration. Youâre starting to feel passion for this show, and thatâs making you even better at it.]
That was⊠a good thing.
“Um, by the way.”
I smiled.
“âŠThere were some familiar faces in the audience. Would it be alright if I went to chat with them? Just for a bit during the break. It wonât take longâŠâŠ”
[Ah.]
The host paused.
And thenâ
[Of course. Itâs break time, after all. Feel free to chat.]
Whew.
I got permission! What a relief.
“Alright, thenâ”
[Wait.]
A hand gripped my shoulder.
[Just one thing. Do not say anything that might make the audience feel out of place⊠Oh, and donât forget. Even when the cameras are off, the audience still sees you as part of the show.]
“âŠI understand.”
The TV hostâs face loomed over me.
[Youâll keep that in mind, wonât you?]
“Iâll keep that in mind.”
[Excellent!]
I took a step back, retreating from the host.
Then, I descended from the stage, making my rounds among the audience with the staff, checking in as if ensuring everything was running smoothly.
And finally⊠I arrived at a familiar spot, where recognizable masks had gathered.
Familiar masks.
“RoeâŠ?”
“âŠAssistant Manager.”
There they wereâSection Chief Lee Jaheon, Assistant Manager Eun Haje⊠and even Supervisor Park Minseong.
Siptea
The moment the D squad family finally gathered was so depressing đ
Lackthose
Aww đ„ș
CHELY_
They have arrived. đ„č