Delusion Home Shopping #4-168 Studio.
In the studio where the lights suddenly went out and darkness and silence descended, only the pleasant male voice coming from the smartphone in my hand echoed alone.
The Host’s voice.
[Come to think of it, ‘Friend of the Talk Show’, it seems you still don’t fully understand how forced collection of broadcasting fees works.]
When I lifted my head, I saw the Delusion Home Shopping show host’s face distorted with terror.
Like a ghost screaming through the widened holes of his features.
[Shall we take a look? You will be able to watch it in real time, right before your eyes....]
[No, d-don’t....]
[First is the cost charged by the platform. Oh, Midnight Talk Show is transmitted through the venerable ■■■■■c. The price of attempting to hitch a ride in the same time slot, broadcasting from such a remote, isolated place as this....]
He explains it kindly.
[Hm, it should be something like the rental deposit for this humble, insignificant little studio.]
[No!]
I raised my hand.
My hand was trembling.
No.
The entire studio was trembling.
[It has begun.]
[Wait, hold on—stop it for a second!]
As if responding to that scream, the studio began to lose its vitality.
“...!”
As if a freshly baked hot loaf dried out cold and turned into a moldy lump of grain, the lively feeling that made up the studio was sucked upward.
Upward, toward some indescribable, bizarre, vast, deep, distant, multilayered dimension—
If the studio were alive, it was dying now.
It even sounded like I could hear its dying scream...
And soon everything chilled over.
[There... the studio deposit has been collected.]
[N-noooooo!]
[Oh, look at you being dramatic. I thought you had no talent since you just repeated the same lines over and over.]
The show host collapsed onto the floor.
His arms were stuck flat to the ground, radiating a grotesque and sickening terror.
The uncanny old voice inside the smartphone spoke gently, like a gentleman.
[Then next....]
.......
[The broadcasting fee Midnight Talk Show is owed remains.]
The show host jerked his head up.
[The price for using my program as advertising, the price for having my program simultaneously broadcast your home-shopping survival event in real time—this tremendous act, you see.]
[Oh, do not worry too much. It is simply that....]
[I’ll be taking this studio as payment.]
[Wait! You didn’t say anything about paying money! I only said I’d allow the transmission! If money was involved, I wouldn’t have—]
[Goodness, must we spell out the obvious?]
[...!]
He was getting back the very same words he had thrown at the Host earlier.
Pale as death, the show host pleaded in a trembling voice to his creditor.
[W-wait, wait, Mr. Brown—no, Host, sir. Please listen to me. I have always respected you. H-ha, the entertainer of an era. I’ve worshiped your shows so much!]
[Oh.]
[I’ve been extremely cooperative, haven’t I? And we’ve always had a good relationship, haven’t we? Delusion Home Shopping once even supplied teddy bears to Midnight Talk Show free of charge!]
[Ah, yes, I remember.]
For a moment, the show host’s face lit up.
But—
[Thank you. Then I will now proceed with collection.]
[Aaaaaaaaah!]
Snap.
A finger-snapping sound rang out.
Then flames engulfed the corpse of the studio, frozen cold.
Through the flames I could almost see the show host—Red Friday—writhing and screaming, and then—
[Ta-da.]
It was all gone.
“.......”
As if nothing had ever existed.
Where the studio once stood, there was now only an empty black void.
Left behind was a single A4 notice posted on a door far away, the one leading toward the platform.
Rental inquiries
■■■■-■■■-■■■■■
[And that’s it. That was how to collect broadcasting fees from a scammer!]
Clap clap clap clap!
Holding the smartphone in one hand, I clapped the back of my other hand enthusiastically.
Goodness, what marvelous skill!
And such a refreshing ending—almost a shame it wasn’t aired on the talk show!
“Will you maybe talk about Delusion Home Shopping on the next talk show episode?”
[Haha, my friend, even mentioning something is a kind of attention. There is a reason we have never put jokes about Delusion Home Shopping in the script until now.]
“I see... understood.”
But then another question rose in my mind.
“Um, what about the show host? What happened to him?”
[Hm, he ran away during collection. Probably holed up at Delusion Home Shopping headquarters, bawling his eyes out.]
[Come, shall we walk a little?]
I realized that beside me, a towering gentleman in a suit was already walking.
Like praising an employee, the man patted my shoulder as he walked across the place where the ‘Delusion Home Shopping Studio’ had once been.
Footsteps echoing.
And on the empty wall there, a black-and-white poster appeared out of nowhere.
A Friday Gift for You
Miracle Prices! Magical New Products!
Delusion Home Shopping
[Originally, Delusion Home Shopping was an advertisement program that aired randomly on Fridays. It seems it lost its identity somewhere along the way.]
The poster vanished as his gloved hand brushed over it.
[And now that the newly built studio is gone, they should finally understand their place and run their business more humbly.]
[Yes. ‘Returning to one’s beginnings’—what a pleasant phrase.]
“You’re amazing, Host!”
[Oh, no need to call me that, my friend. I am simply your friend Brown!]
But wanting to express respect from the heart is only natural, isn’t it?
For a moment emotion swelled in my chest—but I soon recalled the important matters.
“Um, what about the short-term employees who worked in that studio... and us? What happens now?”
[Oh, Midnight Talk Show also took over this studio’s employment contracts, so you will all be moved to the talk show studio.]
“Then the residents of Se-gwang Special City who were trapped here—will they become Midnight Talk Show crew?”
[If they are ready to work hard, opportunities are open!]
What a relief!
‘They’ll get a chance to work at Midnight Talk Show, and they’ll escape Se-gwang Special City too!’
It was wonderful to know there would be a new chance for people who had been bound to this Delusion Home Shopping studio, wasting away in thankless work.
“Then my teammates too?”
[If they work for one day at the talk show, they will be sent home with wages. Oh yes, they must be treated according to their contracts.]
“Thank you!”
I smiled brightly and bowed my head.
‘This is great.’
Everyone would get to enjoy a fun, rewarding day at Midnight Talk Show!
So then...
......
‘Wait?’
A strange unease twisted in my gut.
Hadn’t I forgotten something?
[Now now, my friend. Time to enjoy your reward. Have you forgotten? You won first place!]
“Oh!”
I let out a cheer—then deflated slightly.
“But Host, the studio is empty now... so I don’t think I can receive the prize money you promised.”
Unless I went to Delusion Home Shopping headquarters to sue them or something, it’d be impossible.
“What a shame. A percentage of the sales revenue would’ve been a big sum. I thought I could finally repay what I owed you....”
Not to mention the Host bought all those gifts for me! I needed to pay that back too—
[Goodness! You truly need not worry. I told you—pay me back at your own pace, friend. And the gifts are gifts indeed. Now....]
Snap.
With a tap of fingers, a storage room door appeared in the empty space.
Inside... were all the products Delusion Home Shopping had sold.
“...!”
[These are the items collected from this studio. Take as much as equals your prize money.]
Good heavens.
[I will invoice Delusion Home Shopping for the cost. Now, go ahead and pick whatever you want!]
“Thank you!”
I hurried into the storage room.
My heart was pounding.
The items were varied—some I recognized from the wiki and felt my heart leap, others I wasn’t certain about but wanted to open just to see.
First, whatever caught my eye—
‘Happy Maker.’
A necessity. I quickly grabbed an entire dozen. And then, and then—
‘...Holy.’
Something massive occupied a corner of the storage.
The Bloodlust Tub.
And not the small foot-bath edition I had purchased.
A sleek, curved body in black lattice patterns; an elegant, snow-white ceramic tub, glossy and shining; its feet finished in gold.
And that heavy, bright golden faucet that looked like it could spill steaming hot water any moment.
A tub of youth, wrapped in plastic, clutching at a human foot.
‘...Should I take it?’
It might make a great gift for the Host!
But I forced my gaze away.
‘I—I should pick things that help with exploration first.’
Yes. To make exploring Se-gwang Special City easier—things that would help me and my group uncover secrets safer and faster.
.......
Ah.
“Host.”
[My friend is calling me.]
“...My teammates who died—what happens to them?”
[Oh, we give them whatever they want. They can finish one day of work and return home per contract, or they can try to keep working for the talk show.]
[If they fear disappearing when the contract ends, that is!]
“.......”
Wait.
Wait wait wait—!
“So... wh-when the employment contract ends... they die?”
[Hm? Haha, my friend, they cannot die again.]
[Because they are already dead!]
My blood ran cold.
[Since they were working in a dead state, when their contract ends they will return to that state. Unable to move, without will, without self... corpses.]
“.......”
Like Mr. JANG Heoun, employed by a ghost story and becoming one himself.
Returning to being dead.
But if that happened inside Midnight Talk Show’s studio... that would mean—
‘They’d die outside Se-gwang Special City...!’
Just death.
The end.
‘No.’
Couldn’t they just keep working on the talk show? No—that... no!
I put my hand to my chest. Contamination, I had to suppress the contamination. As part of the Midnight Talk Show crew, I was contaminated and might make a terrible, foolish decision, I—
[My, my... don’t struggle so hard, my friend.]
The Host patted my back.
And spoke warmly.
[Is this not already a sufficient achievement? Brilliant showmanship, a dizzying climax, catharsis bursting like fireworks! Wonderful.]
[Enjoy this accomplishment, my friend!]
[...Perhaps this is the close of a chapter. An ending where you return to your true workplace....]
“.......”
[Of course, it would be difficult to enjoy a celebration in a place like this. The crew is already cheering and preparing a party. Let us return to the talk show studio—]
“No.”
I forced the contamination back into the tattoo.
A ripping sensation, like skin peeling and flesh being torn away, an overwhelming recoil and pressure.
“...!”
The contamination of Midnight Talk Show was violently shoved aside.
The magical sparkle of happiness, comfort, hope, the rising excitement—all vanished like lies.
And in their place, emptiness, fear, worry, and pain returned.
Like this empty rental space.
“Hahh.”
I sucked in a breath.
“...I’m sorry, Brown. But I’m refusing. I... want to keep exploring here.”
[.......]
“I want to explore and learn the truth.”
The truth about the Delirium Lab, about this extinction-class disaster, about my summoning.
And how to rescue the person trapped here.
.......
[Very well.]
Brown’s hand withdrew.
[I said it, didn’t I? That on your adventure, on your journey, your good friend would always accompany you....]
“...Yeah.”
But at the same time, if he found any opening, he would try to end my journey and drag me into a talk-show ending.
If he thought something ruined “the fun of the scene”, he wouldn’t help me even if I begged.
‘He’ll always be like that.’
Before, that had confused me, frightened me, made me feel hurt... but now I know better.
This TV-headed friend is a ghost story.
That is an unchanging truth.
But he is also my friend.
“...By the way.”
I said:
“Today was fun. You had fun too, right? Our teamwork was pretty good.”
[You state the obvious! Have you forgotten where your showmanship came from? You learned it from me—from Brown....]
It’s dangerous, but I have to keep the balance.
So I don’t lose trust or friendship.
‘Phew.’
And then, I swallowed and said:
“So... about the first-place prize.”
[Hm?]
“Can I choose something other than the items here? Like... maybe an employment contract.”
[...An employment contract?]
“A day-worker contract. Labor counts as property, right? Since you took it, I think I can receive it as a prize. Not much... just...”
Two people.
“...Bronze Agent, and Deputy Lee Seonghae. I want their contracts.”
[Already dead, those two.]
“.......”
[Ah, yes. I see your idea. You want to obtain the employment contracts and free them... yes? So they can escape this sealed city through death!]
[...But is such a thing even possible?]
What?
[Mr. NORU. You are not a studio. You do not operate a location in this isolated place—so how will you ‘free them from here’?]
My vision went white.
[Impossible! They will simply become lingering spirits trapped in dead bodies.]
[Unable to escape this city through death ever again. Oh yes....]
“.......”
[Even if you bring them back to this empty place where the studio once was and tear up the contracts, nothing will change.]
“...So.”
My voice came out, drained and pale.
“So they’re trapped?”
[Correct. That is the answer.]
Bronze Agent and Deputy Lee Seonghae would now never awaken from the nightmare of Se-gwang Special City.