Chapter 36: Those Who Reach for the Sun (2)
36. Those Who Reach for the Sun (2)
We reached the top floor at a rapid pace, only to be met once again by dark green hedge walls and two doors.
"Doors?"
"Seems we have to choose one to enter."
As expected, the monitor installed in the center flickered to life.
〜〚Choose YOUR way〛〜
The first threshold toward destiny!
Trust your instincts!
Left? VS Right?
A 50/50 chance right from the start? With no idea what the setup was, I couldn't easily react or strategize which path might be advantageous.
'There's no audio, so they'll probably just show some rough visuals.'
In situations like this, keeping it simple is easier on the mind.
"Which way do you want to go? I'll take right."
As I made the concise decision and turned to Do-ha, he furrowed his brows in brief contemplation before asking:
"Do we have to take different doors?"
"Hmm, there weren't any specific instructions. Probably doesn't matter."
"Then I'll go right too. Safer to stick together early on."
I almost retorted, "What, is this a survival game?" before biting my tongue. Because it literally was.
It's not like they'd actually shoot someone dead on broadcast, right? Suppressing the urge to make a joke, we opened the right door.
And were horrified.
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
"......"
<Choose your own path and escape the maze within the time limit! Benefits will be awarded based on escape speed. Good luck!>
These crazy bastards actually built a real fucking maze?
"Good morning, PD-nim."
"Ah, hello, Team Leader."
"You've been working since dawn. Have something to drink while you work."
"Oh my, thank you. You really didn't have to."
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of Miro (behind those hedge walls Hajin and Do-ha had seen earlier)—
In the production headquarters, Ji Soo-ho, who had entered with Assistant Manager Yoon, surveyed the atmosphere of the production room while distributing the vitamin drinks they'd brought.
The monitors, capable of displaying multiple camera feeds simultaneously like CCTV, showed the trainees struggling through the maze (not the company name—an actual maze!).
'They must be flustered, but they're adapting well.'
When Soo-ho heard they'd started filming without prior notice to the trainees, he'd been privately concerned. It was only natural. This was their first broadcast exposure, so every detail mattered.
Yet the fact this insane concept got approved was entirely due to the efforts of the two people before him.
"First escape team's coming out. Get ready. When the kids exit, mic them up and give them the pre-shoot briefing."
"Kwon PD-nim, I'll head up for the MC script reading."
"Right, right. The MC should be on standby for about 30 minutes. The kids are coming out faster than expected."
"I'll have them ready in 20. Tae-il's a pro anyway."
PD Kwon and Writer Ko.
The main PD and main writer duo for this broadcast. Among all the production companies they'd met for Miro Survival, this was the team they trusted most.
'Kang Hajin's recommended production company list had them at the very end.'
Though skeptical at first because they were a new company, it turned out to have solid infrastructure since the PD had spun it off after years at a major network. Their portfolio was impressive too.
'How didn't I know about this place?'
A company with this much potential could grow significantly. Yet from their first meeting until now, Soo-ho had never once sensed an "aura" from these two.
'Stars aren't just limited to celebrities.'
Soo-ho had an ability to sense the "star quality" in people beyond just entertainers—those destined for greatness. It was why he'd formed connections early with future star PDs, buying them countless coffees and drinks during their rookie days, which now paid off in building Miro's "guardian deity."
'And the investor... thank god that worked out.'
Remembering the major sponsor who made this massive scale possible, Soo-ho sighed and watched the monitors. Several trainee boys were struggling through the maze in their own ways. Suddenly recalling the investor's one condition, he smiled wryly.
'I'll need to discuss this further with Hajin later.'
Despite their ten-year age gap, Soo-ho found it oddly difficult to speak casually to Hajin. In front of others, he had to call him "Hajin," but... Shaking off the frivolous thought, Soo-ho dragged over a chair and sat to monitor properly.
"How are they? These kids have zero broadcast experience."
"Entertaining so far. Honestly, it's not the most polished segment, but I got greedy with the opening. Still, it's turning out better than expected?"
PD Kwon scooted aside to give Soo-ho a better view. Across multiple monitors, trainees were captured from various angles as they navigated the maze garden, a set built with an exorbitant budget.
"These two are in first."
ㅡFIRST!!!!!!!!!!!
The moment they spotted the dazzling neon sign reading ☆EXIT☆, Dan Ha-ru and Joo Eun-chan sprinted past in a flash. Right behind them, Seo Tae-hyun—calculating every camera angle to ensure maximum coverage—showcased his veteran broadcast instincts while keeping pace.
Of course, the two younger trainees' reckless sprinting earned them a furious shout:
ㅡSTOP RUNNING, DAMMIT!!!!!!!
Tae-hyun's booming voice came through the headphones crystal clear.
Wait, how is his mic picking that up? As the staff marveled, Soo-ho felt slightly embarrassed.
"This group seems lost... It shouldn't be this hard."
PD Kwon pointed to another angle where several trainees had hit dead ends.
Was the opening too brutal? As PD Kwon scratched his forehead with a pen, Soo-ho spat out his coffee while staring at one monitor.
"...? Team Leader Ji, what's wro—"
Seeing Soo-ho coughing and wiping his mouth with a tissue, PD Kwon blinked in confusion.
Just then, a walkie-talkie message came in from an assistant director stationed at one of the maze's camera spots:
ㅡSe... Senior. This is A2 Spot. Uh... A trainee is climbing the wall.
"Huh?"
ㅡHe's scaling the maze wall... Should we let this slide? Or intervene...?
PD Kwon (wondering if this meant what he thought) checked the monitor again. He didn't need to locate A2—the shaky camera angle from a hidden operator said it all.
ㅡHey, is Won-ho visible?
ㅡNot here. Can you see Do-ha hyung?
ㅡI never went up there.
"What the hell are these lunatics doing now?"
On screen, three figures were scaling a green wall far taller than themselves, precariously balancing as they searched for an escape route.
While the cameras struggled to keep up with the disappearing figures, the leading madman—Hajin—locked eyes with one camera and smirked.
ㅡIf you want to reach the sun, you gotta aim high first.
Then he leaped to the next wall and vanished from frame again. Normally, this would be considered a broadcast mishap and edited out, but...
"Why intervene? Hey, grab an ENG camera and chase them. Is the ceiling rig ready?"
ㅡYes! Prepping it now.
"The others won't escape for another ten minutes anyway. Deploy a second ENG unit."
ㅡCopy!
"Writer Yoon, make sure to note them for interviews later. This is gold."
"Got it. I'll relay it to the interview team."
PD Kwon's eyes sparkled as if he'd struck gold, barking orders through the intercom. Camera operators, writers, and PDs scrambled into position. Meanwhile, Soo-ho dumbly blinked at another feed where Hajin's head suddenly popped up over the green wall.
'What in the...'
So, here's how this all happened.
Thirty minutes earlier.
After entering the maze, Do-ha and I sensed the gravity of the situation and decided to stick together. Being alone in this setup would guarantee zero screen time anyway, and two heads are better than one.
"Hyung? Kang Ha-jin?"
Mid-journey, we encountered someone who'd likely been doomed to "screen time disappearance" from isolation—Kim Won-ho, now sporting intensely bleached blond hair during break time.
"What are you doing?"
"They said to confess my deepest secret, so I did, but the door won't open. I gave them everything!"
"That phrasing is weird."
Won-ho glared at the door with betrayed indignation. Meanwhile, Do-ha quietly pressed a red button hidden in the hedge walls surrounding the square maze.
Bzzzz—
"I spilled five shameful, embarrassing secrets, and this is a scam—huh?"
"Having five of those is the real issue."
"It says to press the button."
With the door opened in three seconds by Do-ha, Won-ho's betrayal deepened into despair. Wow, this is straight-up bullshit. Grumbling, Won-ho naturally joined our group.
'Ah, right.'
Watching Won-ho and Do-ha walk ahead, I remembered something I'd forgotten.
'Reward preview.'
That quest reward I'd meant to check earlier before Do-ha beat me to it.
Resolved to check it now, I opened the system window. A priority-marked notification, highlighted in red at the top, unfolded before me.
[Single Quest 03.]
['Want to stand out?'
Details: The trainers still show little interest in you, a fledgling trainee. Excel in the monthly evaluation and earn a spot in the special class!]
[Quest completed.]
[Success rewards: Clue for regression tracking & Comrade recruitment]
[Claim your reward? (Select one)
Choosing option 1 would leave me as the lone victim of a sneak attack in this dark maze, so I skipped it and pressed 2. The notification expanded again.
[System Alert: 'Lee Do-ha' (response rate 68.9%) and 'Kim Won-ho' (response rate 92.3%) have "responded" to you. You may recruit one as a comrade.
※Unselected candidates' response rates will accumulate, but future recruitment timing isn't guaranteed※]
[Current comrades: 2/??]
When the hell did they respond like this? Having to choose between them was a luxury problem.
I looked at the two ahead of me.
"Found it! Isn't this it, Do-ha hyung?"
"That's just a bug."
"Eek! Warn me sooner!"
Kim Won-ho and Lee Do-ha.
This was truly a time to trust my instincts.