Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wall-Mounted TV for You
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Wall-Mounted TV for You
As always, on a day when I was helping people with tickets.
Suddenly, ticket issuance from the machine stopped.
[An abnormal number of tickets has been detected issuing from this machine.]
[We have decided to impose restrictions as a result.]
[Tickets from this device are now limited to 10 per month.]
[Ticket limits reset at 00:00 on the 1st of each month.]
[Existing tickets are also abnormally numerous and have all been voided. They can no longer be used.]
This was the notice that appeared on the vending machine screen.
I'd felt it in the mirror dimension too, but these things definitely had egos of their own.
"What a shame. I wanted to help more people."
I opened the filing cabinet in the corner of the office.
"Well, I did print out too many."
2,500 sheets per slot.
An eight-slot filing cabinet meant I'd pulled 20,000 in total.
'And that's just what I've stored. Including what I handed out to people, it's even more.'
I had my excuses too.
'I figured they'd be happy if I printed a ton.'
I'd thought the entities would like seeing the tickets get used, but apparently I'd gone too far.
"No tickets until the first of next month, and all the existing ones are worthless."
Just in case, I tried using one, but no reward came.
"Guess it's true what they say—the goddess of opportunity only has a forehead to grab onto."
I pulled out the ticket I'd been keeping safe in my pocket.
[Reward: Driving skills on par with prime Michael Schumacher]
[Task: Catch a threadfin bream with a fishing rod]
[Deadline: 24 hours]
Threadfin bream are the fish even seasoned anglers might catch only once in a lifetime.
I'd planned to gear up thoroughly before tackling it, given the time limit.
"This was the easiest one, and I was prepping for it."
Even if I drew again next month, would the same task show up?
I could lower the reward level to get something, but my driving complex made me want the absolute pinnacle of human skill, not just average proficiency.
"Greed is hard to shake."
I'd just have to hold back my urge to drive somehow.
Either way, realizing I couldn't help people endlessly with tickets anymore sapped my work motivation.
'Heading home early today.'
Back at the house, I ordered some fried chicken.
While waiting for the chicken and sipping the mysterious soda from my upgraded WK Special Tumbler, I remembered my office staff and gave them a call.
-The customer is not answering. Connecting via voicemail.
Had Mr. Im Jin-guk found a better job and left?
Or had he fled, unable to overcome his fear of the entity?
As I prayed for his redemption and new life, with the chicken arriving and me reaching for the remote.
[♬♬♪♩♬]
The TV turned on by itself, blasting fast, upbeat music.
[Hello!]
A familiar, nostalgic voice followed, introducing the broadcast.
[Your announcer from Wall-Mounted TV for You, Announcer!]
The voice was the same, but the outfit was different.
No longer the standard announcer attire—it was now sleek New Yorker chic.
[The station upgrade wrapped up two weeks ago, but we took a bit longer picking outfits that suit us each. Please forgive the delay!]
He slipped his hands into his pockets and paced the set as he kicked off the news.
[Now, as you've all been waiting, we'll dive right into the updates! A revamped broadcast—hope you enjoy!]
Well, now.
"Good call ordering chicken."
[First up! Someone left a package at the home of Ms. Lee (26) in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province! It comes with a thank-you note. No cash value, but full of heartfelt sincerity—please accept it graciously!]
Right on cue with the news, I heard something drop in front of my door.
'They're intervening in reality in real time now.'
Was it always like this?
Or was it thanks to the upgrade?
I quickly opened the front door and grabbed the box. Inside was a handwritten letter with the usual thanks, plus a trophy.
「Wall-Mounted TV for You Inaugural Merit Award: Ms. Lee」
I placed the crystal trophy on the shelf below the wall-mounted TV and refocused on the news.
[Second item! In four days at 5 a.m., a danger-class entity is slated to appear in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. This is the one that escaped while the Foundation was in disarray. Its name: 「This Isn't Sundae Soup!」, and it raids shops selling noodle soup with sundae, turning the owner and customers into sundae. ]
I immediately texted Dong-wook.
My phone rang right after, but I'd already sent all the key info, so I powered it off to focus on the news.
[Third up! After nearly a century, Family Zoo is recruiting rare animals! Wildlife enthusiasts are buzzing. Let's check in with our reporter on the scene. Reporter, Reporter?]
The screen switched to a reporter with a microphone for a head.
[Yes, this is Reporter, reporting live from the scene!]
The outfit wasn't much different, but the face-mic had changed.
From a black studio mic to a silver concert one, making his voice louder, clearer, more resonant than before.
[I'm here at Family Zoo, famed for housing the rarest animals from every dimension. It's also notorious—50% of visitors never leave and end up as exhibits themselves.]
The background wasn't the zoo I knew.
The enclosures were the same, but instead of animals, massive orbs floated inside them.
[Interviews were usually impossible here, but now that we're Wall-Mounted TV, we can do them!]
Some orbs contained modern cities.
Others held lush jungles.
Some were lava-flowing lands, others dark ocean depths.
[Now, let's interview the head zookeeper about the rare animal recruitment!]
And some held entire universes.
[Head Zookeeper?]
[Happy to meet. Me, Head.]
A weary 20-something man in beige zookeeper garb grimaced as he began the interview.
[Recruiting. Rare animals. Anything. Welcome.]
[Yes, what's the scope for 'rare animals'?]
[Rare. Machines. Planets. Stars. Transcendents. Humans. Concepts. But must have ego. Life. Movement.]
[So anything goes, as long as it has ego, life, and moves.]
[No ego. Rocks. No move. Plants. Tree-Stone. Head. Tricky. Haha!]
[Haha! What a fun joke!]
[This place. Zoo. Not. Botanical.]
His grimace was so intense his features spun like mad—you couldn't make out his face.
Staring too hard felt like it'd make my own life spin, so I looked away.
[Applications welcome. Prizes ready. Looking forward. To all.]
[And that's the interview! As Head Zookeeper said, they're recruiting rare animals with rare prizes for winners—please join in!]
Subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen.
[Recruitment Dimension: Zoo-42]
[Entry Method: In-Person Visit, Parcel Delivery]
[Address: ■Snake■-■■Giraffe■Lion■-■Raccoon■■■■■Camel■■■■■Zebra]
Too bad—I had no clue which dimension, and the address was illegible, so no entry for me.
"Even if I could, I got no animals to send."
The closest thing? My albino king cobra maybe?
"Sorry, can't send you off."
Thinking of it, I pulled out the king cobra and set it on my lap, stroking it.
It seemed to recognize me as its owner, staying docile under my touch.
[Haha, Family Zoo prizes are legendary for exceeding expectations. Who'll win this time? Now, fourth item! A big incident brewing at an abandoned school in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. Let's meet the intern on site! Intern, Intern!]
Screen switched.
In front of a creepy abandoned school stood a woman with a notepad for a head.
[This fucking sucks. I was supposed to go to the zoo, right? But that mic geezer sends me here and takes the zoo gig?]
[Uh, Intern, Intern?]
[Broadcasting company's grown, but they keep me as intern citing lack of experience, and now he snags all the good stories? I found the Family Zoo event!]
[Ah, minor broadcast glitch...]
[Oh? Yeah, Snore King? He's still announcing. Private dorms now, so no snoring—huge relief. No nose, yet snoring like what? Thought it was a rocket launch at first. Woo-goo-goo-goo! Boo-goo-goo-goo! Quaa-goo-goo-boom! Like that!]
[......]
Back to the studio.
[One moment.]
The announcer sent a message to someone.
Moments later, the feed cut back to the intern, now composed.
[Hello! This is Intern, dispatched to the abandoned school!]
[( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )]
Her voice was calm, but a sad emoticon floated on her notepad face.
[This weekend, a group doing a guts test here will die due to some dangerous entity.]
Through the screen, the school's name was visible.
'Dukcheon High School.'
The intern entered the building.
Bloodstains scarred the entire hallway floor from a prior incident.
[The group, including some celebrities, was meant to succeed, but someone's meddling dooms them.]
[(੭ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )੭⁾⁾]
No bodies in sight.
Instead, eerie noises echoed from the dark end of the hall.
[The ringleader behind this is currently feeding. Human? Beast? We'll leave that for you to decide.]
[(꒦ິㅁ꒦ິ)]
[Yes, got it. Anyway, Intern—talk with Snore King later.]
[( ᴗ_ᴗ̩̩ )]
Back to the studio.
[That's the news for today. We had more, but something more urgent came up, so we'll stop here.]
The announcer signed off.
[This has been your announcer from Wall-Mounted TV for You, Announcer.]
The screen went dark.
"Hmm."
Wanted to see more.
After praying for the intern's peace, I searched Dukcheon High School.
'An abandoned school for over a year.'
Landowner deceased.
Kids fighting over inheritance in court, so the site's left to rot, no demolition.
'Something entity-like there will cause murders.'
Hint: presumed people-eater.
Victims: celebrities plus others.
'Look into the celebs?'
Best move: stop the victims from going.
Then contact the Foundation for capture and containment.
[This weekend at Dukcheon High School, entity victims expected. Please handle.]
[Kim Dong-wook: Seunghoon, talk to us please.]
Reply came instantly; I shared what I'd learned.
Dong-wook didn't ask sources—just when, what, specifics.
"Hmm."
Hope that wraps it.
Four days later, call from Dong-wook.
"Handled 'This Isn't Sundae Soup!' alright?"
-Yes, captured it thanks to you. Would've been disaster if it hit Seoul. Knew the neutralization method, so prepped—no casualties.
"What's the method?"
-Splash it with a liter of tasteless pickled radish soup.
Weekend approaching fast.
Foundation could handle it, but unease lingered.
"Guess I should check it out."
That Saturday evening.
『Mr. Lee Seung-hoon, arrived at Dukcheon High School.』
"Thanks, Sarang."
The upgraded Polaroid camera.
Sarang.
With the dried 「Friendship」, it disembarked at Dukcheon High School.
"Hope nothing happens."