In the House (13)
The editing room of the main PD, Yoon Sa-hyeok.
"Look at these views..."
Kim A-rang grinned as she scrolled through the highlight clips uploaded to YouTube.
The scale of the views was on an entirely different level. Now, even a few million seemed low. These were global views, completely transcending what could ever be achieved within the confines of the Korean peninsula alone.
"PD Yoon, have you checked YouTube?"
She asked, staring at the back of Yoon Sa-hyeok's head. There was no response. Kim A-rang glanced at the clock.
7:47 PM.
There were still three minutes left before his scheduled break.
...He's like a real robot.
A complete machine. Fifty minutes of work, ten minutes of rest. Fifty minutes of work, ten minutes of rest.
He would undoubtedly move the exact second the clock struck 7:50 PM.
And he would start by stretching.
Tick-tock. 7:50 PM.
"Kheeem~"
Right on cue, Yoon Sa-hyeok stretched his arms. Kim A-rang suppressed a laugh.
"PD Yoon!"
"...?"
Only then did he turn around, tilting his head in confusion.
"Were you here?"
"Of course I was. I asked you about the highlight clips ten minutes ago."
"Ah. I already saw them. They were well made."
Yoon Sa-hyeok smiled and picked up a cup of mix coffee.
"I made that for you, too. Five minutes ago."
"...Thanks."
He tapped the paper cup with his finger.
"How is Seol Ha-woon's monitoring going?"
"Always great. Another massive hit."
"...Looks like you're watching something else, though?"
Yoon Sa-hyeok glanced at her laptop.
"Ah~ I thought these NPCs might make a good segment."
She was currently watching the duo of the truck and the robot. It was a cute, two-to-three-minute travelogue.
"More importantly, did you check the viewer numbers for episodes 9 and 10?"
"Over six million combined?"
"Just passed it."
Episodes 9 and 10 had already become a social phenomenon. Academic papers analyzing the show's philosophical discourse were being published left and right. It had captured Southeast Asia, Europe, and even North America. At this point, if you didn't watch it, you were practically a Labyrinthin.
"But what are you going to do about all the casting requests?"
This was the real reason Kim A-rang had come. The sheer volume of offers pouring in for Yoon Sa-hyeok was staggering. Almost every talk show, including We Quiz, was desperately trying to book him.
"Can't PD Kim go instead? He's more famous than me."
"Oh, come on. Honestly, even if your public recognition is similar, you're the one who planned everything from the concept to the big picture, PD Yoon."
"Have PD Kim do it. If possible."
"...If you really want that, wouldn't it look better if you went on together?"
"Then pick just one."
"Definitely We Quiz."
The talk show hosted by the nation's top MC. It was practically the dream program for every entertainment PD in the industry.
"PD Im is going to be so jealous."
"Oh, PD Im is always sleeping anyway. I'd acknowledge him if he slept as little as I do."
"True."
Yoon Sa-hyeok patted Kim A-rang's shoulder.
"Great job. We've finally gotten on track."
"...If we're just getting on track now, what is this, Jupiter's orbit?"
Kim A-rang checked the clock.
It was almost 8:00 PM. From that point on, communication would be impossible. He was pathologically strict about his routine.
"Well, I'll be off. Joint appearance on We Quiz, and we decline the rest?"
"Do that."
"Okay. Get some rest~"
Kim A-rang left the main PD's office. Fiddling with her smartphone, she headed up to the rooftop to clear her head.
"...Ha."
She came across a rather amusing news article.
"This is a comedy."
Even the article templates were nearly identical. It was utterly ridiculous. Which tune did they want them to dance to?
She checked the popular posts on online communities.
It was the exact same across every community, regardless of age or gender. From the MZ generation to the older generations, everyone was obsessed with Labyrinth Exploration NaN.
And Seol Ha-woon, riding this massive wave of popularity like a surfer, finally achieved it.
[ Rank 7: Seol Ha-woon ]
His profile voting rank had reached single digits. Right after Kang Hyun, Lee Jun-ho, Kate, Seo Ji-woo, Ryu Yeon-hwa, and Jo Woon. He had leaped over all the foothills, and now only the true mountains remained.
Kim A-rang believed that if he went all the way, Seol Ha-woon would win it all.
"...This is what living feels like. This is it."
Leaning against the rooftop railing, she exhaled a breath of fresh air.
"Fuuu~"
As an entertainment PD, a rush of fulfillment, as if she had been born for this very moment, welled up inside her...
Den Water, a sea where almost all the water had been drained. The submarine was buried in the mud like a fish dragged onto land.
Psssssh. The hatch opened, and the robot and the truck emerged.
— Let's go.
〔....〕
Bzzzt. Sparks flew from the robot. It had already changed its battery three times, but its condition was only worsening.
The power leak was getting more severe.
— Not much further. Hang in there. Keep walking.
Still, they moved together.
Leaving Den Water, they entered the Escort ship.
Clack-clack-clack-clack.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Matching footsteps and wheels, they advanced down the corridor.
〔Pa tients re quire sta bi li za tion.〕
〔Patients re quire sta bi li za tion.〕
〔Pa tients re quire sta bi li za tion.〕
〔Pa tients re quire...〕
Passing the detention center where senile robots still tended to zombies,
And passing the corridor where advertising holograms startled people:
"Welcome! Our Escort ship is responsible for public safety in accordance with space laws!"
"For insurance inquiries, call 19820-1092..."
They reached the Esmos ship, which now felt as familiar as home.
— Robot. Not much further.
〔....〕
The robot couldn't even make a sound. The truck's mouth felt bone-dry.
— Let's go...
Walking while constantly coaxing it. Looking back repeatedly, worried it might fall behind.
— We're really almost there, Robot.
〔....〕
Finally, they arrived at the staff gate, thick with graffiti warning that everyone would die.
— Let's go!
Psssssssssh.
The truck entered past the gate first.
— Robot!
〔....〕
But the robot could not enter. Its panel only blinked, its limbs refusing to move.
It was about to shut down.
— Hey! Robot! Wake up!
No matter how much the truck tapped with its robotic arm, there was no response.
At this rate, its data would be permanently lost.
— ...Dammit. Wait here.
The truck stopped. Before long, the sound of someone running down the corridor echoed.
Julione.
Rushing out of the supervisor's office, she sat in front of the robot with her tools.
"Because of this damn body damage..."
The body was too heavily damaged; repairing the circuit board was useless. Welding and soldering had reached their limits. Ultimately, mana kept leaking out.
Shhhhhh...!
From somewhere, the sound of zombie footsteps approached.
A chill ran down Julione's spine. She looked back.
The wide-open gate. The spaceship to take them home was right in front of them...
‘...If you try, you can do it too, Mr. Truck. After all, this tape was originally yours.’
That voice suddenly came to mind.
Julione stretched out her palm. Mana. Though she hadn't learned it deeply, as a ship crew member, she drew up what was basically a basic requirement.
She visualized. A tape that could repair this robot.
Riiiiiiip!
"!"
The tape manifested. Julione quickly wrapped it around the robot's body.
"Hey! Open your eyes!"
〔....〕
Slowly, the panel sharpened. The robot tilted its head up to look at her.
〔Truck.〕
"Yeah. It's me. Let's go!"
Thud. The robot stood up on its two legs.
"Good."
Just as Julione smiled brightly and was about to step inside with it—
Screeech—!
A grotesque zombie with no eyes, nose, or mouth lunged. A horrific sight filled Julione's retinas.
Her life flashed before her eyes.
〔Protecting Truck.〕
The robot reached out and grabbed the zombie. Then, it threw it like a baseball.
Crash!
The zombie slammed into the lobby wall.
"...Haaah."
Julione clutched her chest.
"G-Good job. Let's go!"
〔Acknowledged.〕
Cosmos Ship A-Sector, prison. A mana bubble illuminated the interior in blue.
"Did you... suspect her from the beginning?" Seo Ji-woo asked blankly.
"No. I told you. I was confused."
Many people have the talent to deceive others, but few are as excellent as Eldia.
She didn't just act nice; she did nice things. She perfectly hid her true intentions and didn't show any impatience.
However, there was a decisive hint.
"But you guys didn't know about the Comrade Skill."
I obtained the Comrade Skill the moment I formed a party with Julione. It meant that a deeply profound bond wasn't strictly necessary.
But Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyun hadn't received a Comrade Skill from Eldia.
"Comrade Skill?"
"Yeah."
I pulled Duct Tape from my palm.
"This tape, I got it from Truck."
"...Wow. The lucky one was the 'My Words Are Right' guy all along," Seo Ji-woo muttered enviously.
Anyway, I pretended to trust Eldia as much as possible. I told her what she wanted to hear, and I didn't let my true feelings show either.
We were testing each other.
"Is she dead?"
"I don't know. Not yet."
Eldia is no ordinary human. At the very least, the survival instinct of a human with the ambition to live forever is unimaginably tenacious.
"If she's alive, we have to kill her."
"...Whoa. Savage."
"Ha-woon hyung."
Suddenly, Kang Hyun spoke up. He had been lost in thought for a while, and now he brought up the most realistic point.
"How do we get out?"
"...Well. First, we need to find out where the zombies are."
According to the terminal, they're swarming. But the interior is completely empty. At least, there are no zombies in the direction we're looking.
"Wait."
A sudden, ominous thought struck me.
I looked up. I conjured a light in my palm and let it float upward. Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyun's gazes followed it to the ceiling.
"Oh, dear."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
The zombies were 'stuck' to the ceiling. There wasn't a single gap. Packed tightly together like a beehive.
Seo Ji-woo swallowed hard.
"...I almost cursed just now."
"You usually curse a lot anyway," Kang Hyun retorted.
Seo Ji-woo snapped her head down. "Are you still sulking?"
"First, let's search the ground for anything useful."
"Yes."
We have to move while the zombies are still on the ceiling.
I spread the radar of my Sequence. Sensing the unique vibration of an object somewhere, I walked over, leaning on my cane.
There was a broken tablet and a pair of glasses. Some researcher must have become prey here too.
I charged it with a Xenon Battery.
Whir.
It turned on.
"Oh. You found something?"
Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyun approached.
There were quite a few files on the tablet. I opened them at random and read.
■ Subject disposal method for data acquisition.
■ ...Zombies can be controlled by threading their central nervous systems through 'hoses'. Release them at 1-hour intervals to dispose of subjects.
"...This place. It wasn