Broadcast Debut [2]
Startled by the sight of the Post-it Talisman, Professor Park Do-jun quickly recovered his composure.
So he's the comic relief.
Park Do-jun had enough broadcasting experience under his belt to see at a glance exactly why Kim Do-sa had been cast for this show.
"I'm Park Do-jun, professor. Looking forward to working with you on the broadcast. And you are...?"
"Ah, I'm Kim Han-soo from the ClapClapApplause channel. Today I'll be joining as an occult panelist alongside Kim Do-sa here."
"Ah, ClapClapApplause. That channel's quite well known."
"It's an honor to be recognized, Professor."
It's the textbook fraud-peddling channel I despise, that's what it is.
Park Do-jun hid his true feelings and shook Kim Han-soo's hand with a smile.
"Oh, there are our seats. Let's sit over there."
"Yes, Kim Do-sa nim."
After the introductions, Kim Do-sa and Kim Han-soo took seats some distance away from Park Do-jun.
"By the way, are you sure I should even be here?"
To Kim Han-soo, who scratched his head as though the whole thing weighed on him, Kim Do-sa replied breezily.
"The PD said he'd love for you to appear too. What's there to be so stressed about?"
"But... it doesn't make sense for someone like me to stand on the same stage as you, Kim Do-sa nim."
Well, well?
Park Do-jun smirked inwardly at Kim Han-soo's words.
The funny thing was, the ClapClapApplause channel—so desperate to flatter Kim Do-sa—actually had more subscribers and higher average view counts than Kim Do-sa himself.
What kind of act is he even going for?
While he was snickering inwardly at the scene, another guest entered the waiting room.
At her appearance, Park Do-jun's eyes sharpened.
Shin Han-hee... the shaman who serves the Gyeonggang Red Dragon.
The Gyeonggang Red Dragon was a dragon deity said to dwell in the Han River, worshipped by the Gyeonggang merchants who once plied their trade along the river basin.
As the god of the river running through the nation's capital, its divine rank was remarkably high even from a purely folkloric standpoint, superstition excluded.
And since Shin Han-hee served such a lofty deity, she was a fairly famous name in this industry.
So Shin Han-hee was the opponent they'd lined up for me this broadcast?
For a pilot program, they'd prepared properly.
Just as Park Do-jun was thinking today's show wouldn't be easy—
"K-K-K-K-Kim Do-sa nim!?"
Shin Han-hee, who had entered the waiting room with an air of stately dignity, spotted Kim Do-sa tucked into a corner munching on snacks with Kim Han-soo—and promptly freaked out.
"Th-Thy humble servant bows before the Master!"
Then she practically flew across the room, dropped to her knees before him, and bowed her head to the floor.
"Whoa, seriously, what is this—!?"
Park Do-jun wasn't the only one caught off guard.
"What are you doing all of a sudden—!?"
"I heard the news! That Kim Do-sa nim single-handedly vanquished the Great Demon that descended upon Seonhwa High! The Republic of Korea's first Demon Slayer! As for failing to recognize your august self and prancing around stiff-necked at Yoon Chang-sik's mansion, this humble servant offers apology upon apology...!"
"Okay, okay, that's enough already!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Kim Yi-yeon forcibly hauled Shin Han-hee back to her feet.
Park Do-jun stared blankly at the scene, his brain frozen on words like Seonhwa High, Great Demon, and Demon Slayer.
Meanwhile, Kim Yi-yeon shot him a sidelong glance and whispered to Shin Han-hee.
"Has word spread much that I'm the Demon Slayer?"
"Pardon? No, I don't believe so... The story that a Demon Slayer has been born in Korea is everywhere, but the Bureau's been keeping who it is under wraps, so..."
"Then how do you know I'm the Demon Slayer?"
"Well, the video—"
"Argh...!"
Then again, while talk of CG and AI might have worked on the general public, any psychic who knew me would have recognized me in that video instantly.
Thank goodness so few psychics actually knew who I was.
"By the way, what are you doing here, Shin Han-hee?"
One look at her and you could tell she had far too much pride to come on a show like this and play the fool.
Giselle Breed, maybe. Not her.
"Well... work's been getting harder and harder lately..."
"Hard?"
Kim Yi-yeon recalled the exorcism Shin Han-hee had performed at Yoon Chang-sik's mansion.
Well, facing an upper-rank cursed spirit would do that.
Every time you met people in this industry, they'd go on about how anomalies were multiplying and growing stronger by the day.
With Shin Han-hee's level of skill, it made sense she'd struggle.
And yet the god this woman carried wasn't exactly a weak one—so why was her actual ability so lacking?
"So... you'd rather suck up easy broadcasting money than risk your life fighting anomalies?"
"I-I wouldn't go that far..."
"It's a wise choice."
"Pardon?"
"Why work yourself to the bone chasing wealth and glory? If there's an easier way to live, take it."
"Y-You're absolutely right! Actually, I'm hoping to use this network debut as a springboard into streaming! I may not look it, but my face is, ahem, quite presentable, wouldn't you say? S-So I watched Kim Do-sa nim's channel and thought, maybe I could do it too..."
"Excellent decision."
And so I, a broadcasting senior [career length: under one month], passed on some fine pointers to my junior.
Seen this way, I looked like a generous senior actively helping out a rookie streamer—but I had my own agenda.
Baek Gong-ju had told me to keep things moderate, phrased like friendly advice, but for a small-time self-employed operator like me, there was no telling when the government's standards might shift again. The anxiety never went away.
So when the opportunity arises, I need to get as many psychics established in the streaming scene as possible.
That way, when the Paranormal Administration Bureau inevitably came to crack down on psychics who appeared online, there'd be plenty of voices ready to speak up on their behalf.
While I chatted with Shin Han-hee, the remaining guests gathered, and it was time for the broadcast.
"We'll now escort our panelists to the studio set."
The name of the show featuring Kim Do-sa was Psychic Society.
It was a program PD Choi Ji-hoon had prepared as a special lineup, doubling as a pilot production.
The panelists filed onto a set dressed to send shivers down your spine, each taking their assigned seat.
Among them, alongside guests like Kim Yi-yeon and Park Do-jun, were famous celebrities and idols.
The format of Psychic Society was simple.
First, the gathered panelists were split into the Occult camp and the Science camp.
Then a guest storyteller would enter, share their tale, and each camp would offer its take on it.
Once both camps had made their arguments, viewers voted for either Occult or Science.
When the story segment wrapped, whichever camp had earned more votes won, and the losing side faced a penalty.
In short: prime-time television playing the Occult vs. Science vs. game.
Since it was a viewer-voting show, Psychic Society also ran a simultaneous stream on YouTube.
For a pilot program, the combined star power of celebrities and idols was working—the concurrent viewer count had already climbed past thirty thousand.
And among those viewers were some of Kim Yi-yeon's fans.
Yu Min-seo and Tsukumo Momo.
Tsukumo Momo chatting from her actual account flustered a good portion of the audience.
And so, with everyone's expectations converging, Psychic Society began.
"Welcome, viewers, I'm Yoo Joon-seok. Haven't you been noticing an uptick in anomalous incidents lately? In this age of science and reason—have you ever caught yourself thinking, what if?Could it be? Have you ever doubted, even for a moment, the existence of the supernatural? We've prepared this for viewers just like you! It's time to settle the battle between science and the occult—this is Psychic Society!"
After the host's opening spiel and a brief intro sequence came the introduction of the two camps.
Each side had four panelists.
For Science: folklore professor and fraud-psychic hunter Park Do-jun; veteran celebrity Park In-seop; physics YouTuber Vector; and Soda, the youngest member of Sister, the hottest idol group at the moment.
For the Occult: the shaman-concept YouTuber ClapClapApplause; Shin Han-hee, a recognized name in the industry; Jin-woo, leader of Thirteen, the most trending boy group of late.
And finally...
"The man who's absolutely worth every penny—Channel Kim Dosa! Please give him a warm welcome."
"Ahahaha, the Miser Master—the money-grubbing Daoist! What a rock-solid concept!"
The host's cheerful laughter brought the introductions to a close.
"It's not a concept..."
Kim Han-soo grumbled in protest, but his voice was too quiet for anyone to hear.
"Before we begin—Occult vs. Science! Let's check in on our viewers' opinions!"
The YouTube poll drew participation from over twenty thousand people, and the results came in almost immediately.
"95 to 5! Ah, as expected, science dominates! Occult panelists, you'll need to work hard if you want to win the viewers' hearts!"
"Yes, we'll do our best!"
Jin-woo of Thirteen flashed a bright smile, and Kim Han-soo and Shin Han-hee each voiced their determination as well.
And Kim Yi-yeon...
"Believe in the occult or believe in science—that's the viewers' freedom. I'm just here to make sure you're entertained. I was invited as the comedy act in the first place, wasn't I?"
Kim Do-sa's openly declared ambition to be the designated comedian was more than enough to get the audience laughing on its own.
He's living up to the hype.
Watching the viewers' reactions from outside the studio, PD Choi Ji-hoon allowed himself a knowing smile.
And then, at last, the monumental first storyteller of Psychic Society took the stage.
"Now then, let's welcome our very first storyteller!"
"Hello, I'm Kim Min-ae, and I live in Incheon."
Kim Min-ae's story went like this:
Lately, whenever she went outside, she kept feeling people's eyes on her, which was strange. These days it had grown so severe that she sensed someone watching even at home—even while she slept.
"You see... I recently went on a courage test to a haunted spot... and ever since then this has been happening... Could it be that a ghost followed me home from there?"
Once Kim Min-ae finished, it was time for the panelists to speak.
"Since the minority gets an advantage, we'll give the first word to the Occult camp."
With the Occult camp holding the floor first, Jin-woo of Thirteen noticed something strange.
Why is nobody speaking up?
The other Occult panelists weren't taking the initiative.
No—more precisely...
Are they deferring to someone?
ClapClapApplause, the famous shaman YouTuber, and even Shin Han-hee, the shaman so skilled that even Jin-woo had heard the rumors.
Both of them were holding back their remarks, watching one person for cues.
Kim Do-sa.
No... why?
He couldn't understand why a famous occult YouTuber and a renowned shaman were deferring to a rookie streamer who called himself a comedy act.
But setting that aside, if this silence stretched any longer, it would become a broadcast disaster.
"Um...!"
Just as Jin-woo, a hardcore occult enthusiast, opened his mouth to say something—
"Isn't that just a stalker?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
At Kim Do-sa's pronouncement, Jin-woo—and indeed every other panelist—was left flustered.
And with good reason...
"B-But Kim Do-sa nim, you're on the Occult camp—if you say that..."
"Occult camp, schmoccult camp. One look and it's obviously a stalker. What is there to debate? Kim Min-ae, was it?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Don't worry. There's no ghost attached to you. Well, I can't say it's absolutely zero chance one's attached to your house, but looking at your condition, that doesn't seem to be it either... It's a stalker, plain and simple. When this show ends, the police station should be your first stop."
At Kim Do-sa's extremely grounded advice, Kim Min-ae—who was supposed to stay neutral—flared up instead.
"I-I already considered that! But it wasn't! When my doorbell rang at midnight, no one was there, and I checked the security camera afterward—nothing was recorded at all!"
In response to Kim Min-ae's outburst, Kim Do-sa scratched his head.
"Hmm, fine. But from what I can see, there's absolutely no ghost attached to you, Kim Min-ae, and you haven't been cursed either. Completely clean... Still, if you're anxious, shall I do a quick reading for you?"
"A reading?"
"Yes. Your name is Kim Min-ae, and your date of birth?"
"Oh, um... two thousand..."
Kim Min-ae blurted out her birthdate in a daze, and as he listened, Kim Do-sa began shaking his divination sticks.
"Let's see here~"
The moment he stopped mid-shake, at the height of the ritual's fervor—
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
The divination sticks didn't fall—they shot out like bullets and embedded themselves in the panel desk.
"Let's see... Master of the Great House, Blue Water, and Loss of the Foothold. The trigrams read like so...? Anything come to mind?"
"What is that even supposed to... Ah."
In that instant, Kim Min-ae's eyes went wide with shock.
"So there is something."
At the sight of her face, Kim Do-sa smiled a knowing grin.