I'm Just a Regular Person (5)
I'm Just a Regular Person (5)
The mood on the filming set shifted abruptly.
An unexpected commercial break.
Of course, since the LaEve Show was a live broadcast, this wasn't unprecedented—but it wasn't exactly a common occurrence either.
Cold sweat beaded on the face of Rex Nova, the anchor and main host of the LaEve Show.
Noticing this, the PD in charge quickly stepped onto the stage.
"What on earth is going on?"
Even for the PD who confidently ran a program on NCB24, Rex Nova was not someone to be taken lightly.
CCO of Resurrection Corporation.
Renowned MC of the program.
An influencer with tremendous sway.
The PD couldn't even begin to imagine what could possibly fluster him like this.
Even when asked about the situation, Rex Nova showed no sign of answering.
He just stared blankly at the guest sitting across from him.
'......Is there something special about this guy?'
The PD glanced at the Asian youth.
But apart from his good looks, he couldn't find anything particularly special.
"There's a limit to stalling with commercials. Let's just continue with the program for now."
Hearing the PD, Lee Si-woon added, addressing the pale-faced Rex Nova.
"I really am just a regular person. I happened to go to the party by chance, so you really don't need to worry about it."
"......."
But despite Lee Si-woon saying that,
the color still hadn't returned to Rex Nova's face.
The PD couldn't make sense of the situation at all.
What the hell was going on?
Even if he wanted to ask Rex Nova, there wasn't enough time.
"Fifteen seconds until the commercial ends!"
At the voice of a staff member off stage, the PD pulled himself together and shouted.
"Anyway! This is a live broadcast! Whatever problem arises, we can sort it out after the show, so please do your best!"
Of course, removing the 'Asian youth' in question might have been one tidy solution, but...
On the other hand, he also had this thought.
Controversy makes money.
'...If a problem cropped up later, I'd just write a few incident reports and be done with it, whatever.'
Soon after, the paused broadcast resumed.
19. I'm Just a Regular Person (5)
"...We went to a sudden commercial break! The LaEve Show continues now!"
But a professional was a professional, after all.
Rex Nova, still unable to regain the color in his face, doggedly continued his hosting.
Fortunately, the stage lighting was very bright,
so his condition wasn't too obvious.
Watching Rex Nova stumble through his words as he carried on, I took a brief moment
to diagnose the situation objectively.
The me that Rex Nova knew was as follows:
Appeared at a party that only high-ranking corporate officials could enter.
And even attended with the famous 'Monolith Chairman-nim', who had never attended the party before.
Two figures who showed up exceptionally at a party that allowed only one person per corporation.
.......
It was understandable that he'd mistake me for an employee.
In the cyberpunk world, the power and influence of megacorps often surpassed that of several nations.
He must have felt like a bomb had dropped from the sky.
It wasn't true.
I, too, made excuses that it wasn't true, but
it was questionable how much he believed my words.
In fact, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have believed it either.
Hm.
I ended my brief deliberation.
Well, it would work out somehow.
I just resolved not to worry too much about it.
It wasn't like I had lied.
And it didn't seem like making excuses would make him believe me anyway.
"You certainly look like someone who could be in relationships with multiple beautiful women! Haha..., it's true."
But him worrying so much about my reaction was a bit much.
Thick veins bulged on the face of the PD supervising the set from off stage.
He was mumbling to himself while gripping his temple, and it didn't sound like anything nice.
A staff member raised a hologram panel.
『Next Person』
Rex Nova's expression brightened noticeably after checking the panel's content.
"Ah, then it's a little early, but let's bring out someone else! Please come out!"
The name rose from the hologram emitter.
『Vince Barbo』
A celebrity?
It seemed like a name I'd seen somewhere before.
I wasn't the type to remember the names of every celebrity who appeared on variety shows, so
I was just wondering who he was, when
"The hot topic man recently arrested on charges including tax evasion, and he has returned!"
A man appeared from off stage.
His confident stride stood out.
Golden skin extended below his chin,
and as if covering his entire body, the skin visible outside his suit was all gold.
"The leader of the group Rain Earth, which disappeared due to his absence! It's Vince Barbo!"
Ah.
"Hello, I'm Vince Barbo!"
I remembered.
He was the man who had harassed us in the waiting room when we went to see Andrea's concert.
[......Hmph.]
I heard Eve's nasal tone tinged with strange displeasure.
If he'd been arrested for unpaid taxes, it should have been hard to get out, but somehow he had made a comeback.
Should I call this fate?
Andrea must not have known about his appearance either, because her expression was so stiff it couldn't be shown on air.
Before Vince Barbo took his seat on the sofa,
he first approached Andrea.
"It's been a while, thorny rose."
"You son of a─."
Andrea, unable to contain her momentary rage, almost caused a major broadcasting accident, but Rex Nova, who suddenly appeared, separated them.
"Please take a seat first."
He stopped Vince Barbo with a mechanical laugh.
His actions blocked Vince Barbo, but his gaze was directed at me.
He kept checking my mood.
Perhaps sensing something strange given the show's usual nonstop format, Vince Barbo sat on the sofa with a dumbfounded expression.
Since he appeared after me, his seat was naturally next to mine.
"Oh, is this him? The man of rumors."
"...Haha, that's right. Anyway─."
"He certainly has the face to match."
Rex Nova's efforts to change the subject went up in smoke.
Even after going to prison, his personality remained the same; Vince Barbo continued saying whatever he wanted.
"Still, it'd be hard to get the 'Rose' with just a face. Do you have something special? What's your job? To me, you just look like a regular person who came to collect an appearance fee... of course, I'm joking."
Listening to him, it seemed he didn't remember my face.
Well, when we saw him in the concert waiting room, I was wearing a mask, so it made sense he might not recognize me.
Vince Barbo leaned his face toward me.
His golden skin was extremely unnerving.
And now that I looked, his eyeballs were golden too.
"Are you an aspiring celebrity? Oh, I didn't hear about that from my agency."
"Haha, he's not an aspiring celebrity. Let's change the subject for now─."
Rex Nova struggled to intercept the comment and change the subject somehow.
"If you really are an aspiring celebrity, you shouldn't go after the rose your senior has his eye on. You have no professional ethics."
"I keep telling you he's not an aspiring celebrity. So just stop─."
"Ah, why? Isn't this the kind of show where this level of talk is okay? They told me to speak honestly, so I came out─."
"Enough!"
As if he couldn't take it anymore,
Rex Nova shouted forcefully.
Honestly, it was already a broadcasting accident.
But even in that situation,
Rex Nova was intently watching my reaction.
His complexion looked even paler than before.
"...I'm telling you, if you don't want real trouble, shut up."
He stopped Vince Barbo while muttering very quietly.
At Rex Nova's inexplicable behavior, the PD started clutching his head again.
If it hadn't been a live broadcast, curses would have been flying left and right.
Vince Barbo, still not grasping the situation, began staring at his senior celebrity with a puzzled expression, as if wondering why he'd been shouted at.
If you read his expression,
it looked like he was thinking, 'Has this guy lost his mind?'
Only Rex Nova, who alone knew the truth (or not), looked years older than before and was sweating bullets.
"...We'll continue with the broadcast!"
Did he just plan to push through head-on?
Having bluntly cut the flow, Rex Nova calmly began his commentary.
"We were supposed to continue the talk a bit more, but due to special circumstances the viewers don't know about, we'll proceed quickly."
It just looked like he'd given up.
Well, anyway, if the broadcast ended quickly, it was a win for me, so I didn't pay much attention. I just waited for his hosting.
"Next is... yes!"
The corner name rose from the hologram emitter.
『Call with Acquaintances』
"That's right! It's the call segment where we hear directly from the people around the controversial figure. As you all know, this corner was created to satisfy the curiosity about what those acquaintances think about the controversy!"
Just then, Rex Nova's wandering gaze met mine.
But before me, an 'I', could look away first, Rex Nova urgently twisted his neck and avoided my gaze.
"?"
It seemed like a movement that was really hard on his spine and neck, but he looked around naturally again.
...Usually, this was a corner where they forced ordinary guests to make phone calls, listened to the lively reactions and experiences of the people around them, and enjoyed the flustered look on the guest's face.
Even if I turned my head to look at him, Rex Nova had absolutely no intention of making eye contact.
Finally, his wandering gaze landed on Vince Barbo, who was next to me.
"First, Mr. Vince Barbo."
"Huh? This wasn't discussed beforehand."
"We'll proceed with the call─, yes?"
Rex Nova, who had been continuing his lines while ignoring Vince Barbo's puzzled voice, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He straightened up, turned his head, and looked off stage.
It looked like he'd heard something from a staff member or the PD through some means.
The PD stood where his gaze had gone, and the look of rage from earlier had completely vanished.
His pupils were dilated, and he looked like he was denying reality.
What's going on.
Before my question could be resolved, Rex Nova ended his spiel with a very exaggerated gesture.
"Viewers, we're truly sorry! We'll go to another commercial break and see you soon!"
.......
I wasn't a regular viewer of this program.
But common sense told me that this series of consecutive commercial breaks was strange.
As if possessed by something, Rex Nova walked off stage.
And a moment later,
after a brief conversation with the PD,
Rex Nova blankly approached me.
"Ha, haha."
I spoke to him, keeping my voice low so the mic wouldn't pick it up.
"What's wrong?"
"...You said you were a regular person."
"?"
That's right.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Rex Nova lowered his head with a dejected tone.
"...The Monolith Chairman-nim contacted us."
"Huh?"
"They said they're going to call directly soon...."
.......
Why.