TRPG Hell: Scandals and Snowballs
The role assignments for our favorite idols were decided quickly.
"Baechu. You're an idol trainee with a history of school violence. Total trash."
"Ah, why me!!"
"Ali. You're an orphan girl who's the head of the household after losing your parents young."
"Ooh... Holy Allah..."
"Jjusam. You're a TS loli elementary school girl idol... Wait, why does a card like this even exist?"
"Hoooh!! That's right!! This guy!!"
"......"
As expected, there wasn't a single normal role among them. They must've deliberately set them up as provocative characters for the broadcast's entertainment value.
And in the midst of it all, a TS loli elementary school girl idol...
I hadn't done anything, but I suddenly felt a sting somewhere. I wasn't a loli girl, but I was sort of a senior(?) in that genre, at least for now.
Anyway. Noa continued the proceedings.
"Like this, all of you with your various backstories will debut as idols with the same goal. But no one knows what awaits at the end..."
"Alright, is everyone ready? Then starting with Yume, please draw a sub-scenario card."
"Yes."
This TRPG's format was super simple. Nine sub-scenarios and one main scenario. Strengthen your stats in the sub-scenarios, then break through the main scenario with those boosted stats.
Perfectly understood.
Strengthen stats in sub-scenarios, conquer the main. That's it. Simple enough rules even Latte-unnie's aging brain could grasp.
So I immediately drew a card and handed it to Noa.
"Here."
"Let's see then."
Noa took the card from me and started reading the scenario right away.
"You've started an affair with a famous movie director."
"...Huh?"
"But oh my god! As you're leaving the motel after a steamy night, you're caught on camera by paparazzi lying in wait!"
"......"
What the hell kind of plot is this from the jump... Affair with a movie director right after debut? And then getting busted by paparazzi on top of that...
"Th-this... for an... idol...?"
'Mom's a top idol, for fuck's sake.'
This isn't some one-day entertainment industry crash course. Surely you can handle an affair like this without getting caught?
"So, what will you do, Yume?"
Noa tossed the question at me with a smile that seemed subtly expectant. Since the game had to go on, I gave the most common-sense answer from my 'common sense'.
"First, stuff 'em with some thick stacks of cash."
"...Pardon?"
"Like ten bills? Yeah. That should do it?"
"......"
The viewers were shocked by my follow-up. Flustered, Yume continued.
"She's just a rookie who debuted, right? Even if they write an article, it won't make much money, so ten bills should be plenty..."
"Yume... rookie idols don't usually have that kind of cash..."
"Mom's an idol, right? Huh? With stadium tours, she's gotta have some saved up!"
"......"
"...Roll a D20. 8 or below succeeds."
Noa finally started the dice roll judgment, reluctantly persuaded by me. I pulled up my character sheet on one side of the screen to check my stats.
Pretty pathetic social and mental stats for the child of a top idol. Mental could be chalked up to her mom dying, but low social was unexpected.
No wonder success rates are low.
But with no better options right now, I rolled the D20 immediately.
Roll roll...
[19]
The result: 19. A massive failure. I screamed.
"Kaaaaah!!!!"
"...You tried to bribe the paparazzi, but unfortunately, he was an upright paparazzi with strong journalistic integrity."
"What?"
"To protect people's right to know, he published the article, and you took massive damage to your fame."
"No fucking way..."
A dizzying trashfire plot that made my head spin. But it didn't end there.
"You've developed depression. Skip your next turn, and Talent and Mental stats drop by 2."
"Kaaah..."
"Charm stat +1."
"......?"
"What the..."
I was so dumbfounded I lost my words. Noa continued.
"Also, the movie director you had the affair with will remember this."
"......"
"That's it. Any questions?"
"This is bullshit..."
"Yes. Moving on to Baechu."
I protested my injustice, but Noa ignored me and passed the turn. Just like that, I became an affair-ridden youth, staring at my tattered character sheet.
"......"
It was summer.
The TRPG continued.
"Ali. You've inherited your lost parents' fortune and become a rags-to-riches billionaire. But you're still an orphan."
"No... parents are with Allah now..."
"Jjusam. You were nearly assaulted by a pedo in an alley, but thanks to your daily image training of fighting a Malaysian sun bear, you landed a perfect hectopascal kick to the groin."
"What how insane."
"Baechu. Your school violence record got exposed, dealing massive damage to your fame. Trash."
"Ah why!! Only me!!"
The other TRPG pod members excluding me grew quickly. But because I skipped a turn due to early depression, the snowball effect left me unable to do anything in the main scenario and got me eliminated.
"Nothing... happened..."
No, actually a ton of shit happened to me... This is too hard fr...
Agency CEO gets busted for embezzlement, lead manager flees a hit-and-run... Endless bullshit on bullshit. My fame was deep in the negatives, stats trashed. Mental even went below zero to negative.
This won't do. I'll get eliminated. Time to change strategy.
"Yume's turn. Draw a sub-scenario."
"......"
At Noa's prompt, I drew a scenario card and handed it to her.
"You've been swept up in a 2 billion won tax evasion scandal. That movie director holds a grudge and mobilized reporters for revenge."
"To end the controversy, you go to the movie director."
"......"
"So, what will you do, Yume?"
Noa's question followed. At that, I recalled a figure I'd buried in memory long ago and came up with the simplest, most effective solution.
Ah, this cool, heavy sensation. Almost a year since then.
The endless humiliation and oppression... Time to end the bullshit.
Thanks, Seohee Shin!
"Here, I sell my body?"
Time to return to Zenith as Eunha Seong.