Chapter 126.2
As the punishment numbers increased, they grew even more brutal and horrifying.
Punishment 3, Punishment 4, Punishment 5âŠ
Clang!
Kim Soleum barely escaped a gourmet restaurant that specialized in cooking sentient beings, dodging the chefâs cleaverâat the cost of losing a few strands of hair.
And then.
Punishment 6
The Crimson Scarecrow
A vast cornfield.
From the thickly grown stalks and leaves, a twisted, multi-limbed creature slithered, chasing Kim Soleum like a centipede.
By this point, escape seemed impossibleâŠ
But the one controlling Kim Soleumâs body was a named character from the <Dark Exploration Records> âEmployee D of the Field Exploration Team.
Dodging like an acrobat, he counterattacked.
And with a flash of the bloodsucking knifeâ
Slash! Three or four scarecrow limbs were severed. The audience gasped in awe.
However, it was only a matter of time.
In a ghost story about a monster in a cornfield, one could never win by brute force.
His already-wounded body had limitsâŠ
ââŠSo this punishment was designed for me to die.â
Kim Soleum waited.
Waitedâ
Waited for the momentâ
Just as the scarecrow lunged to pounceâŠ
– NOW!
Following Kim Soleumâs advice, Lee Jaheon abruptly turned at a sharp angle.
And thenâsprinted at full speed.
Towards the TV screen.
“Whaâ?!”
“He’s getting bigger!”
And then.
[Oh!]
He jumped straight out of the TV.
Kim Soleumâs body rolled onto the floor, and Lee Jaheon landed in a controlled breakfall.
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
Crazy!!
The audience went wild.
[Unbelievable! My goodness!]
For a moment, the host himself seemed to forget his anger.
What mattered now was that the show had reached new heights.
As if the only thing that mattered in the world was that a good show could be completed, a smiling emoticon flashed on the massive vintage televisionâs screen with the accompaniment of a showmanâs bright voice.
[To clear six punishments! That was absolutely thrilling! A breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat spectacle! Ah, truly delightful. Everyone, did you enjoy it?!]
YES!!!
The audience erupted in cheers.
And thenâ
The host, speaking in a velvety smooth voice from within the colossal TV, responded.
[Well thenâŠ]
[Get back in and take the 7th punishment.]
The TV screen loomed closer once more.
[The audienceâs cheers were sweet, werenât they? You must repay their enthusiasm. Oh, we canât possibly end it nowâlook how much they love it! Keep going. KEEP GOINGâŠ]
At that moment.
From the rubble, an anonymous, faceless crew member barely managed to retrieve a sketchbook and held it up from below the stage.
âEMERGENCY ALERT.
[âŠAha!]
The TV stopped.
[Oh, would you look at that?]
[Itâs time for a commercial break.]
The audience groaned in disappointment.
[Haha, as much as I regret it, we must wrap up this surprise segment here. But donât worryâan extravagant finale awaits you all!]
[And of course, this brief commercial break will only heighten your anticipation!]
With a smiling emoticon on its screen, the TV head made a bow to his audience.
[Yes. When the cameras turn off, when the audienceâs eyes are gone, when the stage lights go darkâŠ]
The host addressed Kim Soleumâs figure.
[Who can say what wonderful things might happen to a guest after their segment ends?]
“âŠâŠ”
[Weâll be back shortly.]
Click.
The camera lights went out.
Yet, the crew members did not come up to clear the half-destroyed stage.
In the darkness, with the murmuring voices of the audience still vividly presentâŠ
The host raised his hand.
He fixed his gaze upon the now-useless guest of a finished segmentâ
Upon the reckless fool who dared destroy his set and break his dear friend.
And then, the giant gloved fingers slowly pressed together, about to produce a chilling snapâŠ.
“Braun.”
The hand stopped.
“Did you incinerate my âstuffed bodyâ?”
âŠâŠ
[Aha. So youâve returned to that form.]
[Did you come crawling back to ask for help? How shameless. Then again, shamelessness is a virtue in showbusinessâŠ]
“No.”
Lee Jaheon, still piloting Kim Soleumâs body, calmly recited his words.
“I just had a question.”
The emoticon disappeared from the TV screen.
âI knew it.â
Kim Soleum was certain.
Braun couldnât read his thoughts right now.
Because the one speaking directly to Braun was Lee Jaheon.
Just as reading a script aloud doesnât mean knowing the playwrightâs full intent, Braun had no way of deciphering the true mind behind the words.
And the same applied to Kim Soleum.
âBecause Iâm not really here.â
He was seeing and hearing everything indirectly.
In persuasion, context and atmosphere play a crucial role.
But right now, all information was being filtered solely through words and visuals. Without the full sensory experience, he could withstand the âpersuasionâ of the great host.
That meant, for the first time, they could have a real conversation.
A genuine conversation. One where neither party could see into the otherâs mindâwhere they would have to listen, interpret, and truly engage.
“Will you hear me out? I think you wonât be expecting this question⊔
[Ah. Bluffing can sometimes have its uses on stage.]
[But such tactics only work on amateursânot on a true entertainer.]
The master of this talk show creepypasta fixed his unseen gaze upon him.
[Do you really believe that reciting tired old scripts, common ghost stories, or dull platitudes will be enough to move me?]
But.
“Thatâs not it. Itâs just a personal question.”
His voice was calm.
[âA personal questionâ?]
“Yeah.”
Kim Soleumâs lips moved.
“Was it frustrating being a good friend?”
The TV screen froze.
But stillâhis smooth voice continued.
[A performer who finds their given role suffocating does not deserve to be on stage.]
[In that sense, this Braun has never once felt confined by masks.]
“I see. Because when I was a stuffed doll, I felt pretty trapped and scared. I was just wondering if you ever felt the same way.”
[Oh, forming empathy and connection? Predictable, and oh, how boring.]
[Go ahead, waste your breath trying to justify why I shouldnât incinerate you and that grunt right here and now.]
[Before the commercials end.]
“âŠâŠ”
Kim Soleum thought.
He knewâif he simply ran away now, he would inevitably face an even worse end in the future.
Still, putting all his bets on this gamble remained an option to him.
But to Kim Soleum, a gamble was only worth taking if thereâs a real chance of success.
And he had his reasons for taking this bet.
This was the possibility he was holding onto.
“Then. Did being a good friend make you happy?”
