A Battle of Wills
For a split second, Tae-hyun forgot his manners and protested to Lee Se-yeon. But Se-yeon was utterly shameless. Whenever she dealt with him, her skin grew inexplicably thick.
"Oh my, what are you talking about? Isn't this just another strategy? Surely someone who stops at nothing to win isn't going to claim this is out of bounds? If you feel it's unfair... well, you know what to do, right?"
"..." Tae-hyun's lips twitched. It had been a long time since he had been hit with such a clean blow!
"Ha, haha... Sure, go ahead and try. But that strategy has a fatal weakness."
"What weakness is that?" the PD, who had been listening in, asked curiously.
"The weakness that you'll always be slower than me!"
"...U-um, it's not like either of you actually has to beat it first...?" It was a perfectly reasonable question, but neither of them paid him any attention. The fire of competition was burning hotter by the second!
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! If Tae-hyun wanted to keep Se-yeon in check, he could have just slowed his pace. That way, she wouldn't be able to watch him trigger the traps and memorize them. But Tae-hyun refused to do that.
Why resort to petty tricks against Lee Se-yeon? I'm going all out! The direct approach! Since she was forced to follow a step behind anyway, Tae-hyun held the absolute advantage. He had absolute faith in himself. Sparks practically flew from his eyes.
As the tension escalated, the PD was the one growing anxious. "Director! Director! It hasn't even been an hour, and Kim Tae-hyun is already in the final stage! At this rate, he's going to clear it in about an hour!"
"I-I know," the PD replied, his voice trembling with anxiety. What do I do? What can I do? After agonizing over it, the PD made up his mind. He was a man of his word. But I never promised I wouldn't interfere!
This game was notorious for punishing the slightest lapse in concentration. Even if you made it right to the very end, a single slip-up would send you plummeting back to the starting line! I just need to trip him up once. Just once!
"Ahem, cough. You two are working so hard. Would you like something to drink?" He casually struck up a conversation. For gamers trying to focus, this kind of distraction was the absolute worst. It shattered their concentration.
"Coffee? Green tea? Cola? Sprite?" The PD shamelessly rattled off options, trying his best to create a distracting atmosphere. The staff members watched him with grimaces. Does he really have to go that far?The pressure of being a director is truly terrifying.
"Wow, you guys even provide drinks? Lee Se-yeon scared me so much, but this show is actually pretty nice, isn't it?"
That's only because it's you! everyone in the room thought in unison. Other guests had shed tears of blood on this set, yet Tae-hyun was casually sprinting toward the finish line. Normally, drinks were a reward reserved for guests who actually struggled and provided entertainment!
"So, what would you like, Player Kim Tae-hyun? Haha, it's on the house, so don't worry... Cola? Coffee? Cola, right? Or maybe Sprite is better?"
"I'll have a hot iced Americano."
"A hot iced Americ... huh?" Se-yeon scolded Tae-hyun, looking utterly dumbfounded. "Stop ordering weird things."
"Pardon? What do you mean, Se-yeon? I'm just saying that drinking cold coffee in this weather will give you an upset stomach."
"..." Despite the banter, neither of their hands shook. The PD realized his verbal distraction tactic had failed. Another way, then! If he was too obvious, they'd catch on. He needed something subtle but nagging...
"Give me the tray, I'll carry it over." Taking the drinks, the PD began to walk forward slowly. His target was Tae-hyun, who was currently making the best progress. I'll just lightly, accidentally bump into him. That alone will break his focus! I'll time it for a crucial moment...!
Right at that moment, Tae-hyun spun around. His elbow drove straight into the PD's solar plexus! Thud! "Urgh!"
"Ah, my apologies. I felt a sudden surge of murderous intent from behind. I didn't realize you were there. Please don't come any closer. When I'm gaming, I get so absorbed that I lose awareness of my surroundings."
"Ugh... y-yes..." Since he was the one with bad intentions, the PD couldn't even complain. He staggered forward, set the drinks down, and retreated.
"A-are you okay?" "I-I'm fine... Just... do whatever it takes to distract them!" While the PD lay groaning on the floor, another staff member stepped up.
"Everyone! I forgot to mention, but you have a Chance!" "A Chance to clear this immediately and go home?"
"...N-no, it's a Chance where you can call a friend to help you... and if you call a friend, we'll even order food for you!"
"I'm not hungry, so I'll pass." "I'm fine too." Ugh! Normally, guests who spent hours here grew starving and clung to these Chances. But not these two. They looked like they were ready to pack up and leave any second!
"You have to use the Chance! It's a waste not to!" "But I don't have any friends."
"..." At Tae-hyun's words, everyone in the room, including Lee Se-yeon, stared blankly at him. "Uh... isn't Miss Lee Se-yeon your friend?"
"Se-yeon isn't a friend..." At his words, Se-yeon looked slightly hurt. Wow, that's harsh. We've known each other since Pan-On 1, so we've known each other for quite a while, haven't we? And who helped him during the tournament...?
"...She's closer to a rival or a nemesis." "...You actually get it!" "...??"
Pat, pat! Tae-hyun looked bewildered as Se-yeon, suddenly looking pleased, patted him on the shoulder. Why is she acting like that all of a sudden?
"Ah! I see your game!" "...??" "You pretended to be happy just so you could pat my shoulder and distract me!"
"...What a crazy..." The PD, still lying on the floor, doubted his ears. He must have misheard, right?
"I won't fall for your sabotage, Se-yeon. I already anticipated that exact move."
"You actually thought of that...?" Se-yeon asked, dumbfounded. But Tae-hyun, utterly convinced of his own theory, shouted with supreme confidence.
"That kind of attack won't work on me, Se-yeon! Besides, I've already... finished!"
Tap-tap-tap—clack! Along with his shout, Tae-hyun executed the final jump. The character on the screen soared upward, and the ending credits began to roll. Clear!
"O-one hour and twelve minutes...!" the staff cried out in shock. To set a world record on his very first attempt! They had heard he was good at games, but they never imagined he would be this monstrous.
Meanwhile, the PD, who still hadn't recovered from the shock, began to sob from his position on the floor. "Sob... It's really over now...!"
"Director! There's still a chance! Pull yourself together!" "To bring in Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon only for them to finish in an hour... A written apology won't even cover this... How could I make such a blunder...?"
The PD groaned in agony. The staff scrambled to comfort him. "We still have Miss Lee Se-yeon! As long as she's still playing, we can secure enough footage!" "Exactly! We can still make it highly entertaining!"
"R-really?" The PD regained a sliver of hope. But right at that moment, Se-yeon spoke up. "Clear!"
One hour and fifteen minutes! By closely following Tae-hyun's movements, Se-yeon had perfectly memorized the map. Naturally, there was barely any time difference between them.
"Aaaargh!" "Director!!" The PD, who had just started to sit up, collapsed once more. Oblivious to his plight, Tae-hyun whistled as he slipped on his coat.
"So, we can leave now, right?" "W-wait..." "See you next time! Though I don't know when that'll be!" Step.
"...?" Tae-hyun paused on his way out of the studio. Lee Se-yeon hadn't gotten up. "Why aren't you leaving?" "Huh? I'm going to try again and set a new record."
"...Isn't that cheating?!" "Oh my, what are you talking about? Challenging a game again to set a record is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
If he left now, Tae-hyun would be the winner. Se-yeon was clearly staying behind to break his record. And she was more than capable of doing it. She probably has the entire map memorized by now. Tae-hyun had absolute faith in Se-yeon's skills. She had only trailed behind him because it was her first attempt; now, they were on equal footing. His record was bound to be broken!
"Fine. That's how you want to play it?" "...?!" Tae-hyun sat back down. Se-yeon clicked her tongue at the sight. "Why aren't you leaving?" "Haha, what do you mean? I just find this game so fun that I want to play some more." Zzzzt! Sparks flew between them once again. Seeing this, the staff whispered to the PD, "Director, things are taking a weird turn."
Spring! The PD, who had been lying like a corpse, bolted upright. "I knew I could trust you two!" "..."
It became a fierce back-and-forth. Tae-hyun would take the lead, then Se-yeon would break his record, only for Tae-hyun to reclaim the top spot...
Are we still filming, or are we just watching?Who cares? It's entertaining, so just keep rolling. At first, the staff were thrilled that the shoot was running long. After all, it guaranteed plenty of footage. However, they had yet to realize just how terrifying these two could be.
"Yawn..." "How long are they going to keep this up?" "Right now, Kim Tae-hyun is ahead by thirteen seconds." "Again? It was Lee Se-yeon just a moment ago." "Let's just wrap it up and go home... We already have more than enough footage..."
"Director. Why don't you go talk to them?" "And say what?" "Tell them it's time to stop..."
The PD opened his mouth to say, Can't we film just a bit more? but stopped himself. The look in his staff's eyes was too pitiful. Please let us go home! We have families waiting!
"...Fine. I'll talk to them!" the PD grumbled, reluctantly rising from his seat. He still had plenty of energy and felt they could easily keep filming.
"Excuse me, Player Lee Se-yeon. Don't you think it's about time to wrap—" "Just a moment. Let me break this record first."
"Well, the staff need to go home..." "Isn't the premise of this show that no one gets to leave until they beat the game? I thought this was perfectly fine."
"But you already beat the game!" "It's only a true clear if I hold the number one record." "..."
"You guys can go ahead and head home. I'll leave after I break this record." Was she always like this?! This was a side of Lee Se-yeon they had never seen before. The PD quickly pivoted to target Tae-hyun.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun, don't you want to go home?" "I'll leave as soon as Lee Se-yeon gets up." There was no way he was going to leave first and let her claim the number one spot!
"..." "Can't you guys just go home first?" "No, we have to manage the studio... We can't just leave you here alone..." Please, just go home!It's been almost two days! the staff screamed internally.
Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap— Another day passed.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun, Player Lee Se-yeon." "Go ahead. I'm listening." "I'm concentrating right now, so could you please be quiet?"
The PD's eyes were hollow and sunken. Yet, neither of them even spared him a glance. Thud! "?!"
"It's my fault! I was wrong! Please, let us go home!" The PD finally fell to his knees! The staff members' eyes welled with tears at the sight.
"Se-yeon, what was that thud? What happened?" "I don't know. Look for yourself. I'm too busy trying to beat this." Neither of them turned their heads!
"Oh, seriously! Just stop already! Let us go home!!" Overwhelmed with emotion, the PD reached out and yanked the power cords straight out of the computers.
"Absolutely magnificent! To think we'd hit record-breaking viewership ratings! I knew my boast about bringing those two in would pay off!"
"Ha, haha... Thank you..." "But say, you look exceptionally exhausted. Are you alright?" "I-I'm fine."
"You played a huge role in this broadcast as well. I was truly impressed while watching! How did you manage to insert yourself so perfectly like a seasoned scene-stealer? You could honestly be an actor!" That's because it wasn't acting...