Fighting Fire with Fire
Sekki House was located on the outskirts of town.
The area, once quiet and desolate due to inconvenient public transit and a neighborhood populated only by the elderly, had recently transformed into a hot spot.
A hot spot, that is, for attention-seekers obsessed with views and donations.
"Sigh..."
Looking out the window, Dojin let out a heavy sigh.
On the road in front of the main gate, where barely ten people passed by on a normal day, a massive crowd had set up camp.
They were all cyber-wreckers running YouTube channels, or attention-seekers trying to piggyback on the latest controversy to draw in viewers.
"How many broke in today?"
At Dojin's question, Hong Eun-seop, who stood behind him, replied.
"A total of forty-six people across seven teams, sir."
"Crazy bastards."
A curse slipped from Dojin's mouth.
The situation was severe enough that a man who rarely swore was cursing without a second thought.
"You handed them all over to the police?"
"Yes, sir. We are proceeding with charges for trespassing, property damage, attempted theft, and violation of portrait rights and privacy. For those who were filming, we have also included defamation."
"Whew..."
Despite Eun-seop's calm reply, Dojin's sighs did not lessen.
It felt like locking the stable door after the horse had bolted.
"Have all the live streams featuring our staff been taken down?"
"Yes, sir. However, many viewers took screenshots, so it may not mean much."
"They know the YouTubers are being sued, so they won't dare share them carelessly. We'll have to be satisfied with that for now."
The only saving grace was that the two women had been caught on camera for an extremely brief moment, and the surroundings had been dark.
Although the YouTuber had shone a flashlight, it hadn't been aimed directly at their faces, so their features weren't clearly visible in the broadcast.
...Still, I'm uneasy.
It wasn't the general viewers Dojin was worried about.
It was Dohee's family.
He was on guard against the human trash who had sucked his wife dry until her death in his past life.
What if they found out Dohee was living a decent, human life at Sekki House instead of that sewer-like studio apartment?
They would undoubtedly come here to extort money from her again.
Gloating that there was even more to bleed out of her than before.
I will never let that happen.
One mistake was enough.
He had no intention of losing his wife to those pieces of trash ever again.
And to prevent that, he had to clean up the garbage right in front of him first.
"Can't we report them?"
Dojin asked, pointing to the crowd across the road.
It was strange for him, who prioritized security above all else, to leave them alone.
After all, some of the intruders who had broken into Sekki House over the past few days had been broadcasting from that very spot during the day.
Seeing them still loitering there, it seemed even Eun-seop was finding it difficult to deal with them.
Dojin's assumption hit the mark.
"The road is not private property, so we cannot report them for trespassing. If they were selling something, we could report them as illegal street vendors, but as you can see, they are just doing personal broadcasts..."
"They're quite the troublesome neighbors."
"They're closer to illegal immigrants. The kind who could cross the border at any moment."
Anger seeped through Eun-seop's calm tone.
It was clear how much stress he was under.
The problem was that Dojin was in a similar state.
No, to be precise, everyone at Sekki House felt the same way.
"Sigh, let's head down for now."
With those words, Dojin headed downstairs.
They had gone all the way up to the fourth floor of the main building—a place they rarely visited—just to check on the status of these "illegal immigrants."
"It's almost lunchtime, so what should we eat... Wait, what is wrong with the two of you?"
After parting ways with Eun-seop on the second floor, Dojin walked into the office and froze at the sight before him.
The two women had turned into shadows.
Wearing black hats, black masks, and sunglasses to cover their faces, Seung-wan in a black jacket and pants, and Dohee in a black long-sleeved dress, were visibly drenched in sweat.
"...What on earth are you doing in the middle of summer? Are you protesting against me or something?"
No matter how high the air conditioning was running, it was a brutal fashion choice for midsummer.
A hat and sunglasses indoors?
Even Dojin, who knew nothing about fashion, could tell something was seriously wrong.
"...You're back?"
"I prepared yours over there, Oppa. Put it on quickly."
Dohee pointed toward the desk, where a hat, mask, and sunglasses identical to the ones they were wearing lay waiting.
They looked like a matching set.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
When Dojin asked in bewilderment, Seung-wan pulled down her mask and pointed toward the window.
"Just in case."
"What do you mean?"
"Earlier, someone was spying on us from over there."
"What?"
"There was a telephoto lens camera filming us from on top of the wall. We closed the curtains quickly, but just in case, we've been covering up like this ever since."
At their words, Dojin quickly booted up the security computer.
He was checking the CCTV feeds.
As he reviewed the footage, Dojin's face twisted in anger.
There really were people climbing the wall to film the office.
What's more, three bastards were taking turns doing it.
Dojin immediately pulled out his phone and called Eun-seop.
"Yes, Team Leader. Please call the police. We have some people to arrest for illegal filming and invasion of privacy. Yes, we have video evidence, so they can be caught red-handed."
Having summoned the man he had just parted with, Dojin decided to check the other CCTV feeds as well.
He had a feeling there might be others doing the same thing on the other walls.
Sure enough, he spotted a similar culprit on another wall.
Actually, this one was even worse; he had climbed completely over the wall and was filming inside the grounds.
Sharing the intruder's location with Eun-seop, Dojin spoke.
"I think we need to raise the security team's CCTV access level."
Currently, Sekki House had 148 CCTV cameras, but the security team only had access to 98 of them.
The cameras in the areas where Dojin and the others spent most of their time, or the hidden cameras, had not been shared.
However, the spot where the intruder had climbed over happened to be a blind spot for the security team's feeds.
The intruder had likely crossed there knowing it was a blind spot.
"I agree. For our safety, it would be best to share access to all but a few key areas," Seung-wan said.
"Yeah. We can't keep checking the feeds from here forever," Dohee added.
From their responses, Dojin could tell how much pressure they were feeling.
After all, the reason they had restricted the feeds in the first place was because of their own insistence.
"I don't think we need to share all the footage."
"Right. The fewer people who know our secrets, the better."
Yet those same women were now actively advocating for sharing the information.
I was planning to bring this up soon anyway, so this actually works out well.
Dojin trusted Eun-seop.
He was, after all, recommended by the Director himself.
However, he couldn't simply ignore the women's concerns about preparing for the worst.
He knew exactly why they were so wary of outsiders.
So he had waited.
He had waited for Eun-seop and the security team to earn their trust.
But looking at things now, there was no need to wait any longer.
Click, click.
With a few clicks, he raised the security team's authorization level to Level 1.
With this, the security team could view all CCTV feeds.
The only difference between them and Dojin's administrator level was the permission to delete footage.
Just then, the sound of police sirens echoed from afar.
"Are they here already?"
"That was incredibly fast. The first time we called them, I think we waited over twenty minutes."
Dojin nodded in agreement with their conversation.
Perhaps because the location was so remote, it had taken a while for the police to arrive during their initial reports.
But this time, the police arrived less than ten minutes after he asked Eun-seop to make the call.
"It must be because of the high volume of reports. Just like how the police frequently patrol areas in Seoul where incidents happen often."
"Ah..."
"Oh! That makes sense."
While the group was watching the illegal filmer get arrested, Seung-wan's phone rang.
"Sigh..."
"Who is it?"
Dojin asked, seeing Seung-wan sigh as she looked at the number.
She showed him the screen.
Main Writer, 2 Days & 3 Nights
"Ah..."
Though it was only a few words, Dojin understood why she had sighed.
Out of all the casting requests, that team was the most persistent and relentless.
Dojin had overheard a few of her calls; even during a single conversation, different writers would take turns trying to wear Seung-wan down.
Yet, because they managed to avoid crossing the line by a hair's breadth, Seung-wan had recently resorted to avoiding their calls altogether.
Still, 2 Days & 3 Nights is... They have those power-tripping staff members... Huh? Power-tripping?
"Wait a minute."
Dojin stopped Seung-wan just as she was about to decline the call again.
A brilliant idea had suddenly struck him.
"What is it?"
"Let's accept the offer. We can let them use the schoolyard and the third floor of the main building."
"What?"
"Huh?"
The two women gasped in surprise at Dojin's unexpected words.
It was the exact opposite of the stance Dojin had maintained until now.
But as Dojin continued to explain, meaningful smiles began to spread across their faces.
The schoolyard of Sekki House.
In this place, where only a select few were usually allowed, a group of unfamiliar faces had gathered.
Six men, looking as if they had just woken up, scanned Sekki House with half-open eyes.
"Sigh, seriously... Where are we now?"
"Right, no wonder they let us sleep comfortably yesterday."
"Yeah, this is classic 2 Days & 3 Nights."
Three of the six men chatted casually, clearly accustomed to such situations.
In contrast, the other three grumbled with bewildered expressions.
"Wow... Incredible. When I watched it on TV, I wondered how they could possibly not notice, but now it's happening to me."
"This is crazy. I feel like I've been possessed by a ghost."
"Wait, is it always like this? They just kidnap you while you're sleeping and dump you in some random place?"
"This show has always been like this. Yesterday was just a fluke."
"That's why I told you yesterday. I had a bad feeling about this."
"Exactly. If they go easy on you on the first day, the second day is always hell."
Even before the production crew could step in, the three veteran members began chiding the newcomers.
Having dealt with the crew for years, they knew complaining was utterly useless.
It was much better to tease the rookies and liven up the atmosphere.
This chemistry was the result of years of working together with the crew.
Yet, even the veterans froze at the production director's next words.
"The place you are standing in is an abandoned school building on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. Its original name is Jeong-a Elementary School, and a YouTuber recently bought it at an auction."
"Huh? Wait a minute. I know about this place..."
A cast member who was a former rapper was the first to react to the PD's words.
But his face, which would normally be smug with knowledge, had turned pale.
As someone who practically lived on YouTube and Shorts, there was no way he didn't know what had happened here.
"What is it?"
"Do you know something? What is it? Is it scary?"
"Hyung, what's wrong? What is it?"
"Ah... What? Why are you acting like this? It's still daytime!"
Naturally, anxiety began to spread across the faces of the other cast members.
Deciding not to drag it out any longer, the PD revealed the true identity of the location.
"Currently, this place is called Sekki House, but among those who have watched the YouTuber's videos, it goes by another name: the Ghost House."
Aaaah!
"Ugh!"
"Aaargh!"
"Seriously, why are you doing this?!"
As soon as the PD finished speaking, a ghostly wail echoed, causing all the cast members to jump and yell at the PD in fright.
But the PD was just as startled.
"What was that...? Did someone play a sound effect?"
"No... We haven't done anything yet..."
Seeing the production crew turn genuinely serious, the cast members froze in place as if nailed to the ground.
Any trace of playfulness had long since vanished from their faces.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the tense atmosphere of the shoot, a hostile confrontation was brewing at the main gate of Sekki House.
"You cannot keep approaching. You are disrupting the shoot."
At the words of the 2 Days & 3 Nights staff member, the cyber-wreckers who had been camping out for days began to grumble.
"Oh, seriously! What did we even do? We're just standing here! Is this your land?"
"Exactly. Technically, we came here to film too. Can't colleagues in the same industry show a little mutual understanding?"
Perhaps emboldened by their numbers,
the cyber-wreckers boldly spat words at a staff member whose imposing physique would normally make them avoid eye contact.
However,
the staff member smirked.
"The same industry... Well, I wouldn't know about that. This land might not be ours, but we are conducting an official shoot with permission from the provincial office. If you have a problem, take it up with them. If you come any closer, we will report you to the police for obstruction."
The blatant mockery on the staff member's face,
combined with the way he drew a clear line between them, finally caused the wreckers' tempers to flare.
"Ha, what? Report us? You think you can just say whatever you want?!"
"Report us? Go ahead! Do it! Fuck, you think we're just going to take this lying down? This is a total power trip, you know that?"
"Maybe you'll snap out of it once an article gets published about a broadcasting station abusing its power. Huh? You think you're still the absolute bosses? What era of public broadcasting do you think this is?!"
Outsourced production staff and cyber-wreckers.
A clash was inevitable when two groups, both believing they held the upper hand, collided.
However, there was a difference.
While the outsourced staff maintained at least a minimum level of restraint, the cyber-wreckers were willing to do absolutely anything for donations and attention.
"Hey! Just ignore them and go in!"
"Fuck it, yeah! Let's grab some footage of the celebrities inside while we're at it!"
"Yes, Brother Baek Suryeon! Thank you for the 100,000 won donation! You know me, right? I'm a man of my word. Once the donation goal is met, I'll charge in alone if I have to!"
"If we all film together, they won't even know who took what! If they make a fuss later, we can just say we found it online or throw a mosaic over it!"
"Oh! Smart! Let's go!"
There were far too many of them for the three staff members managing the site to block.
As the staff's makeshift barrier collapsed helplessly, the emboldened cyber-wreckers scrambled over the wall.
The fate of those who had climbed the wall just days prior had completely slipped their minds.
But there was one thing they didn't know: the police were already rushing toward them.
Weeee-woooo, weeee-woooo!
"Everyone inside, come out immediately. This is a warning. Come out immediately."
"W-what? Why did the cops get here so fast?"
"No, more importantly, why are there so many of them? Didn't only four cops show up here at most before?"
"Fuck, does that matter right now? We're screwed, run!"
"Sigh, damn it. Look over there. It's already too late."
At one wrecker's words, everyone looked in the same direction.
Three police vans had pulled up without them noticing, and dozens of officers were pouring out.
With virtually no public transit available, they couldn't abandon their cars and run, leaving them with no choice but to be carted off as red-handed criminals.
Even as they were being dragged away, they couldn't comprehend how so many police officers had arrived so quickly.
Entirely unaware that three people were watching them from the fourth floor at that very moment.