Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Have to Go to Work
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The atmosphere of the post plummeted straight into chills.
A sudden blackout wiped out the footage, leading to the emergency airing of [Hot Talk Tok Tok Mid-Year Special].
Episode 166.
Various captures from panels and audience shots from that hastily compiled episode from previous broadcasts scrolled by as attached photos.
That was...
No need to circle and zoom in like before.
Anyone reading this post would now remember this man's face.
Black eyes.
A smiling mouth.
In every scene from the old talk show variety program where everyone was laughing and chatting, this man alone stared straight at the camera amid dozens of people.
Episodes 157, 158, 160, 162, 164...
In every episode pieced together and aired in 166.
In one corner of the lively variety show.
Clearly, this man had never been spotted in those previous episodes before. If he had, there wouldn't even be talk of him only appearing in episode 6.
But after re-editing and airing as episode 166, he appeared.
He definitely wasn't there before, they hadn't noticed him... but now he was.
And check this comparison out.
Two photos side by side.
A zoomed capture of the previously discovered 'man in the screen,' circled in red.
And a zoomed capture from episode 166.
Comparing the two in the same framing...
His expression changed.
Only the man in 166 was grinning with all his teeth bared.
And the pupils of those black eyes staring at the camera seemed subtly dilated...
The eerie chill from that low-res photo.
Apparently, this expression appeared in every discovered highlight scene.
A chill running up the spine.
Realizing this was no ordinary matter, the station staff took internal measures among the production team.
They started inspecting entrants to the set or outdoor shoots more thoroughly.
The panels and audience members, that is.
To check if anyone resembled the 'man in the screen.'
It was the 2000s. Back then, they didn't verify identities that meticulously.
So this stricter approach stood out, and rumors spread among the celebrities and on-site staff.
The captures of the 'man in the screen' circulated around then too, it seems.
All sorts of stories flew around. A PD who died in a previous broadcasting accident, the station director's suicidal son, a construction worker killed during station renovations, an occult summer special from years ago summoning something weird...
But none were confirmed as fact.
Whether they held rituals or shamanic rites, the phenomenon didn't vanish.
It kept appearing...
So in the end, the production team changed their approach.
So what did they do after that?
They just kept deleting him.
Once the final edit was ready, they'd scrub through the footage in the editing room, find the man wherever he appeared, and cut him out.
That way, he stopped showing up in the aired versions... and the urban legend gradually faded. Probably because he stopped appearing.
Occasional captures claiming he reappeared turned out to be lookalikes, which actually served as explanations.
And so the commotion died down.
That's what I thought until now, anyway...
Recently, I heard a spine-chilling story from a friend who's a broadcasting writer.
It's too long, so I'll save it for the next post.
And.
"...He's appearing here again."
Finishing the brief recap of 'Data Volume 1,' the PD swallowed hard with a pale face as he spoke to Lee Seong-hae.
A terrified expression.
"The 'man in the screen'?"
"Yes..."
The bizarre, horrifying phenomenon from the now-defunct broadcasting station was reappearing in the modern MBS variety department.
"We're deleting and avoiding him as much as possible... but this doesn't seem normal, so we agreed to call in experts."
The two Field Exploration Team employees had suddenly become exorcism pros, but true to their unflappable natures, they kept a calm demeanor.
Whatever worked.
"Whether it's a ritual or whatever, just make him stop showing up. Ideally, resolve it nicely if possible..."
"Yep. Don't worry!"
Once they collected it for the company, he wouldn't appear here anymore anyway.
Lee Seong-hae smiled faintly, recalling the countermeasure for the 'man in the screen.'
The included countermeasures in the data were more detailed than expected.
Practically a clear manual. Though unproven in the current situation, caveats were attached.
'If we're lucky, the employee might even get to rest!'
Call them in only at the very end if possible.
"W-well then, let me guide you."
"Yep!"
The PD led them to the editing room.
NO ENTRY
Under Construction.
The door creaked open.
Kiiieek.
Contrary to the sign, the dark editing room stood intact and empty.
All screens off, equipment powered down.
"We put up the sign to keep others out. Editing... we only do urgent stuff here during the day when necessary, otherwise at external studios or from home."
A modern coping method impossible in the old defunct station.
These days, editing software and hardware specs had standardized and become commonplace.
The empty editing room felt somehow chilly and oppressively still...
"Hmm..."
Kang I-hak scanned the room carefully, then spoke up again.
"Man, this... ain't no ordinary nasty spirit attached here."
"...!"
Kang I-hak clicked her tongue and said gravely.
"Ah, this... ha, looks dangerous."
"......"
"We'll need more time than usual and extra prep."
"H-how long?"
Kang I-hak looked solemnly at the PD.
"Congratulations."
"...Pardon?"
"You're very lucky. What you have here is a sacred item we went to great lengths to procure."
Thud.
Kang I-hak lightly tapped the carrier.
"No prep time needed. This one's... not extra fee territory; we'd have to redo the quote entirely."
"Ah."
Kang I-hak gazed at him reassuringly.
"But this time, we'll do it for free."
"...!"
Busy folks providing laughs to the nation—we'd eat the loss this once...
Under her dazzling sales pitch, the already weary and frightened PD went blank, then nodded.
"Th-thank you."
"Haha, keep up the good shows. ...However."
Kang I-hak frowned.
"You'll need to stay in the editing room for three days from now. No one else enters."
"Yes!"
"And this schedule extension... it'll incur charges. Nothing we can do about that."
Her masterful spiel continued to 'as you'll see, our line of work barely breaks even, so cash or goods only,' until the PD dashed downstairs to withdraw funds—and even handed over his gold accessories.
Kang I-hak snatched them up, waved off worries, and saw him off.
"Just sleep tight now!"
"Thank you..."
The moment the PD vanished from the editing room, Kang I-hak turned to the group, beaming with extra earnings in hand.
"Now we say our skills let us handle in one day what would've taken three!"
A devilish ploy.
"Ooh."
Lee Seong-hae, who had watched quietly, spoke up.
"You sure are good at fooling people."
"Fooling? It's creating extra income without bothering anyone or taking a loss!"
Kang I-hak swiftly divided the gold and cash into thirds.
Her hands moved with expert precision at market rates.
"He'll save money long-term after this anyway, and even if not, he'll expense it to higher-ups or wherever."
"......"
"Come on, take your share—perfect for our numbers. Me, Dolphin-nim, and... our stylish employee!"
Kang I-hak quickly turned to the carrier and offered the gold.
"Employee?"
"Yes! Of course. Here, cash to gold—sound good, employee?"
As if it would take it...
Thud.
"......"
"See?!"
Sure enough, a being that knew gold's greatness. Kang I-hak silently pumped her fist in victory to the air.
Lee Seong-hae froze briefly, then bowed to the carrier seriously.
"Hm... need human money?"
Thud.
"Want more?"
Thud.
"Hey, does the company not pay your salary?"
Silence.
The carrier remained quiet. The mascot seemed confused. Better not push.
'But... it does seem like they aren't paying?'
After pondering, Lee Seong-hae decided to ease the kind employee's mind.
Back to business.
"I'll work hard!"
Tap tap.
Doesn't have to work hard? Such a kind soul!
"Alright then... shall we prep to dive in now?"
"Yep."
The brief capitalist interlude over, Kang I-hak shut the editing room door.
Thud.
The now-sealed editing room.
"...Turning on the screens."
The central equipment monitor lit up, displaying a variety show file mid-edit on the desktop.
And then it popped up on its own.
The next post.
The reason those involved in the 'man in the screen' legend particularly feared the editing room.
The reason they were here.
At first, it was possible. They could cut him out and make clean final cuts.
But as time passed, episodes piled up, and they edited more... even after deleting and deleting, sightings increased.
And his form grew weirder.
Before, in crowds, you'd pass him by unless scrutinizing. But suddenly, even glancing by made you hit pause from the sheer oddity.
I don't know exactly what state. Editing room folks couldn't describe it. They just repeated one thing.
'He looks angry'...
Eventually, workload hit its limit.
Keep deleting, but he kept coming back—overtime-heavy industry got worse, even veterans pulled all-nighters hunting and cutting the 'man in the screen.'
Then they devised a new method.
Complete cutoff.
Avoid scenes with crowds where the 'man in the screen' might appear.
No audience shots from the start, just add sound. Or zoom tight on reacting individuals.
This way, crowds rarely entered frame at once.
Seemed like it'd ease things. Looked plausible.
After proposing this, the mood calmed a bit. Like a real solution had emerged.
The suggesting PD and assistant director sighed in relief and headed to the editing room to try it.
And the next day.
Both committed suicide in the editing room.
"......"
The PD hanged with a power cord from the ceiling, the assistant director slashed his artery with shattered monitor glass on a chair.
A suicide note right by the door.
But the handwriting was so messy, unreadable what it was written with...
The PD who handled cleanup and my writer friend had worked together; he said it looked like schizophrenic ravings—jumbled words, no context. Too shocking, so rough memory.
But one night, piecing the words together, it clicked...
Like this.
The man in the screen doesn't want to be deleted
He is angry
Air him immediately
I have relayed as is
I don't want to die
Sorry
Couldn't sleep from fear that night.
Ended up staying at a temple for days.
Even without that, most PBS variety staff were so shocked or terrified, the department shut down completely.
Remember if you're my age? Sudden news of two deaths at PBS variety, then 2-3 weeks of cancellations in mourning...
That was this.
New editing room built, but vibe never recovered. PDs quit in droves, even writers shunned new contracts.
Everyone from that era at PBS knows.
PBS shutdown often blamed on politics, but this incident surely doomed variety beyond repair...
Anyway, silver lining.
With the station gone in 2008, the 'man in the screen' legend truly ended.
.
.
.
Know what?
This is from yesterday's episode.
A high-res photo was attached at the end.
Capture from [Elegant Midnight Belly Laughs] episode 36, 6:23.
MC and solo guest chatting warmly. Camera briefly shows production reactions.
Among the mosaicked staff, one seated person...
Recognize him?
The man in the screen is watching.
Teeth-baring grin, dilated pupils, eyebrows twisted in rage.
Staring at you through the camera.
PBS is defunct.
But a station that fully took over its equipment and staff relaunched it.
Know which?
MBS.
And [Midnight Belly Laughs] is MBS variety.
.....
Skip MBS live variety for a while.
Something started reflecting on the editing room screens.
Just in case.