Chapter 60: Cable Variety Show (3)
Chapter 60: Cable Variety Show (3)
Normally, Play Until the King was a show that felt almost entirely raw.
Aside from avoiding profanity, the atmosphere among the cast was incredibly lighthearted, characterized by a sense of freedom as they goofed around.
And yet.
'Why is everyone so frozen?'
Seo-yeon felt a bit puzzled.
For some reason, the atmosphere was stiff. Was it because she was an actor?
However, the others had their own reasons.
'Wow, she really is gorgeous.'
'Are we even the same species?'
The aura created by Seo-yeon's appearance naturally muted their voices.
On top of that, Hwang Jun-ho, who was essentially the main host, was feeling quite troubled in his own right.
'Can she actually play games?'
Should he have discussed what games she could play beforehand?
In the past, he tended to give guests a heads-up. But as the show's concept gradually shifted toward a more "raw" feel, it had changed to a system where they decided the game on the spot by spinning a roulette wheel.
'Well, if the PD has any sense, he’ll have picked out some decent options.'
With that thought, Hwang Jun-ho rattled a wheeled roulette board into the center.
"Alright, first, let's take some time to select the game that will be responsible for today's broadcast."
The sections of the roulette were all covered with Velcro strips, hiding the titles. It seemed they would be revealed only after the wheel stopped.
'Please, something easy!'
No matter how he looked at her, Seo-yeon didn't have the face of someone who played games.
Of course, among celebrities these days, many pushed concepts like being a "fashion geek" or a "fashion gamer," but Seo-yeon's appearance didn't even suit that kind of "fashion."
It was only natural to doubt her gaming skills.
"Is there a specific game you're hoping for?" Hwang Jun-ho asked.
"I'm confident in any game," Seo-yeon replied triumphantly.
She didn't seem to consider the possibility of being bad at games for even a second.
In fact, this wasn't a baseless assumption. Seo-yeon's overwhelming physical stats proved it.
Isn't it common knowledge that a TS body possesses incredible reaction speeds? At the very least, Seo-yeon was confident she could excel at anything involving physical coordination.
'But come to think of it, I haven't played any games since being reborn.'
To be fair, it was mostly because she had already seen the endings of most games in her past life. Because she couldn't feel emotions properly back then, she had cleared them without much excitement.
The memories of those games remained vivid even now.
In a sense, Seo-yeon possessed perfect recall of the media she had consumed in her previous life—creative works like dramas and movies, as well as information about the entertainment industry.
And among those memories were games.
Whenever she tried to remember them, everything came back without a single omission—the stories, the endings, and even the walkthroughs. Of course, some things were gradually fading, but still.
'I played a lot of games in my past life, so I should be fine this time too.'
That was the source of her confidence.
She had the strategies and the memories, and now she had this invincible TS body!
With those thoughts, she spun the roulette.
[Out Crazy 2]
A game that begins with the protagonist, a journalist, infiltrating a psychiatric hospital. In other words, a horror game.
"?"
Of course, it was a game Seo-yeon had never played. Even including her past life.
*
A horror game, of all things.
The roulette felt like it was fueled by the production team's malice.
However, Hwang Jun-ho was inwardly impressed. If the guest was someone who didn't know games well, a horror game was actually better for getting good footage.
Of course, it was a roulette, so it was technically luck.
For the record, the other games on the wheel were things like "the pot game" or other notoriously frustrating "trash games."
Seo-yeon probably didn't realize it, but landing on a horror game was actually a stroke of luck.
"Seo-yeon, have you ever played a horror game before?"
"……I don't think so."
"Oh boy."
Hwang Jun-ho slapped his forehead while secretly giving the production team a thumbs-up.
Horror games were always most entertaining when played by someone with no resistance to them.
'It'll be easy to transition naturally, too.'
If she gave up because she couldn't handle it, another cast member could simply take over. For the record, Hwang Jun-ho was quite confident in puzzle-heavy games like horror titles.
"Alright, then let's begin. Check the timer."
The other cast members sat side-by-side on the prepared sofa.
Seo-yeon, who was the first to be handed the game controller, swallowed hard as she listened to the eerie background music.
Her expression was so solemn that it actually made for a great shot.
'Hmm, but we need some "tasty" reactions.'
Producer Choi Gwang-soo, who was filming Seo-yeon, was a bit worried about that. Since she was an actor, he feared she might prioritize her image. Variety shows lose their flavor if the guest can't handle looking a bit foolish.
Amidst those concerns, the game began.
Seo-yeon watched the journalist enter the eerie psychiatric ward and remarked, "It looks dangerous just by looking at it. Why is he going in?"
"Ah, well, you'd have to see the first game to know."
"If something happened in the first one, shouldn't he be avoiding this even more?"
It was a question of pure logic.
No one could really argue with her. She wasn't wrong. Survival should be the priority.
"But Seo-yeon, are you confident with horror games?"
"Me?"
Seo-yeon began to navigate the dark ward, manipulating the somewhat unfamiliar controller.
In truth, even though it was a horror game, Seo-yeon didn't really get the hype. After all...
"I've never felt fear in my life."
"……"
Hwang Jun-ho fell silent at a statement that sounded like it came from a legendary general.
Regardless of how it sounded, it wasn't a lie. In her past life, her condition prevented her from knowing fear, and as a result, Seo-yeon was still dull when it came to emotions she hadn't properly learned.
"So, even if you ask me if this is scary……."
Seo-yeon actually navigated the character through the early sections while speaking in a calm tone. Her character moved through the grim hospital without hesitation, taking bold strides.
Just as the cast members were starting to think, 'Oh, she really is confident in horror games,' it happened.
"Not really."
[SCREEEEEECH!!]
A classic jump scare.
A grotesque creature suddenly lunged out as she turned a corner, accompanied by—
CRACK!!
The sound of something breaking echoed.
"Huh?"
Hwang Jun-ho looked down at the controller in Seo-yeon's hands.
The joystick used for movement was gone. On closer inspection, it hadn't just vanished; it had snapped clean off and gone flying.
'Wait, can those even break like that?'
The question flashed through his mind. The cast members watching from behind thought the same thing.
The moment the monster jumped out, Seo-yeon's thumb had jammed the joystick so hard it snapped and flew away.
Naturally, the character Seo-yeon was controlling died.
"Um, Seo-yeon?"
"Th-There was a slight mistake."
Her reaction was different from before. Her pupils were shaking, and her voice trembled.
"I guess you were really startled."
"I wasn't startled."
Seo-yeon was handed a new controller.
'Was the durability of that controller just low?'
Everyone examined the broken controller. It was simply amazing how cleanly the stick had snapped off.
With that minor trouble out of the way, the game began in earnest.
And that was when the real show started.
"Left, left, left, left!"
"……!!"
"No, if you go from there to there! Roll! Roll!"
"I, I pressed it. It didn't roll……."
[SCREEEEEECH!!]
CRUNCH!!
Every time a jump scare appeared, it was time to change the controller.
The state of the numerous gamepads scattered on the floor was utterly wretched. Joysticks were missing. Evasion buttons were caved in and wouldn't pop back up.
"Hmm."
Producer Choi Gwang-soo thought as he gathered the broken controllers into a box.
'Did she come to the wrong show?'
The first time was a fluke. But when it happened a second and third time, the truth became obvious.
How on earth did she manage to wreck every single controller? They were reaching the point where they had to bring out the emergency spares.
Furthermore.
'Why won't she give up?'
I mean, it was certainly fun to watch. A passionate performance that didn't care about her physical well-being…… wait, was it a performance? She looked genuinely terrified.
"……If it's too scary, should I take over?"
Four hours into the shoot, Gong Tae-gyun, one of the cast members, tentatively spoke up.
"I-I'll try a little more."
"It seems like you're not used to the controller……."
"The controller just can't keep up with my reaction speed."
Ah, is that how it works?
No, looking at it objectively, her reaction speed was fast; she was just clumsy with the controls. Considering the controller shattered almost the exact moment the creature lunged.
'This, this can't be happening.'
Seo-yeon, for her part, was desperately immersed in the game.
Never in her life had she imagined she would be bad at games. Isn't it common sense that you're good at games after a TS? If you're bad at games after a TS, is it even a TS? You're just a girl then.
Her world was crumbling, and common sense was being denied.
Regardless, Seo-yeon was experiencing an unexpected internal gender crisis while playing the game.
[GRRR, RAAAAAAARGH!!]
"KYAAAAAAH!!"
The dramatic appearance of a grotesque mid-boss creature.
At the shocking visual, Seo-yeon let out a scream for the first time in her life.
SLAM!
Simultaneously, Seo-yeon's controller finally split in half.
Watching the plastic fragments fly in all directions, Hwang Jun-ho felt like he was witnessing a truly bizarre spectacle.
Along with the "Game Over" screen, Seo-yeon's body slumped sideways.
Did she die?
The scene was so tragic that the thought actually crossed his mind. As everyone looked at Seo-yeon with that sentiment—
"Please…… take over."
He wondered if there was any reason to be that despondent over a game, but Seo-yeon spoke weakly as she lay there.
That was the moment six hours had passed since the start of the shoot.
*
And so, after a reasonably successful shoot, the episode of Play Until the King aired.
Since the show usually had such low ratings, it didn't become a huge issue at first. However, the atmosphere shifted as various shorts and clips of Seo-yeon began circulating on the internet.
While the actual broadcast only recorded a 0.8 percent rating—slightly higher than their usual—the rerun uploaded to the official YouTube channel achieved the feat of surpassing 1 million views in just one week.
Since she was an actor who had been generating a lot of buzz lately, there were many mentions of her. The fact that she was young and appeared in a school uniform also became a hot topic.
Though she had dropped out once in the middle, Seo-yeon eventually succeeded in clearing the game. The total time was a whopping 8 hours and 45 minutes. It was a bit slow, but considering the delays caused by breaking the controllers, it was a decent timeframe.
Even the Ring Fit segment, which passed by like a mini-game at the end, was being talked about. For the record, during Ring Fit, she finished in an instant without a single failure or death.
'That's not a pure game.'
Everyone gave her a thumbs-up during Ring Fit, but Seo-yeon was depressed. She had wanted to be praised for being good at actual games.
I'll have to practice later.
Seo-yeon made that vow to herself after the broadcast ended.
Anyway.
It was a bit different from Seo-yeon's intention, but it could be said that she succeeded in generating buzz in online communities and creating a positive image. It would certainly help neutralize her image as Princess Yeonhwa and for the villainous roles she would play in the future.
"Seo-yeon! You got a CF offer!"
As Seo-yeon sat sulking while watching the rerun of Play Until the King, her manager, Park Eun-ha, approached her with a bright smile.
Though it felt awkward at first, she had fortunately become close with Seo-yeon quickly. They were now on "unnie-dongsaeng" terms.
"……What kind of CF?"
"A game controller ad."
"I'm not doing it."
It was an advertisement boasting about the durability of a game controller. Naturally, Seo-yeon had absolutely no intention of doing it.
A week later.
Just as Seo-yeon was finally starting to pull herself together.
"Did you hear?"
"Well, actor Hwang Min-hwa……."
A certain rumor reached Seo-yeon's ears.
It was the news that Nova Entertainment's flagship star, Hwang Min-hwa, was leaving the agency.