Chapter 83
Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: 24. Regarding Faith (3)
[Dogs Meow, Cats Bark].
It's a reality healing variety show featuring celebrities and their pets in everyday life.
The Heavenly Demon has a rather cold image, so showing him with a small, cute animal would definitely draw massive popularity.
But there are problems.
The fact that Garung is a yokai, and that it's not the Heavenly Demon's pet but the North Sea Ice Palace Saintess's, is an issue.
The real problem is that Garung looks like an Arctic fox.
"It's summer right now. Raising an Arctic fox in Korea in this weather will surely lead to accusations of animal abuse."
"Garung isn't a fox; it's a bird."
"If you bring in a fox and claim it's a bird, you'll get tagged as an idol with mental issues on top of everything."
"Isn't that... much different from what you're doing now?"
I ignored the Heavenly Demon's retort and continued.
"Plus, if an idol raises a rare animal, it looks like it's promoting the adoption of exotic pets."
"Being an idol means there's a lot to worry about."
"So... it seems tough to have Garung on the variety show, right?"
Truth be told, it would be nice to meet that kid Miho that Teacher Namgung Ryeo raises if we went on the show.
But no matter what, there's no need to ruin the Heavenly Demon's image just to film a variety show with a yokai.
The Heavenly Demon, however, spoke breezily as if it were no big deal.
"Well, it seems we can solve it easily enough."
"You can solve it?"
"I said Garung is originally a bird. If it used transformation technique to take the form of a fox, it can change into something else too, right? Just match its appearance to that Malamute or Samoyed or whatever."
I'd wondered how a bird over nine feet long in its true form could look like a fox; so it was transformation technique.
If Garung can take a different form than an Arctic fox, then appearing on the show would be fine.
"Garung, do you understand what we're talking about by any chance?"
"Garung!"
When I asked, Garung set down the chicken leg it was eating and bounded over to me.
It looked up at me with eyes asking what it should do, so I turned on my phone and showed it a picture of a Samoyed.
"Can you transform into something like this?"
Garung looked at the photo, nodded as if to say it could, then did a couple of flips in midair and landed lightly.
"Huh......"
Garung after the flips was definitely less fox-like than before, but it didn't quite look like a full Samoyed either.
It was more like something you could pass off as a Samoyed if you insisted hard enough.
The Heavenly Demon smiled, looking satisfied with that.
"Excellent, Garung. It feels like just the other day you couldn't even hide your wings."
"Garung!"
...But how are we supposed to handle that cry?
"Won't its unique cry become a topic?"
The CEO was optimistic.
"CEO, do you want the Heavenly Demon to appear with Garung?"
"The Heavenly Demon has such a strong character that anything short of Garung wouldn't make much impact."
That wasn't wrong.
The Heavenly Demon didn't seem like the type to dote on small animals anyway.
Could a normal dog or cat even not fear the Heavenly Demon?
If footage got captured of the pet being scared of him, who knows what rumors would start.
"And... right now is the time we need image improvement."
"Image improvement?"
"The Heavenly Demon's image has solidified into airheaded beauty lately......"
Ah......
The fallout from that outlier of being top of the school, Wi Hwa-jin, was huge.
It backfired into promoting a four-dimensional airhead beauty character, spotlighting all the ignorant remarks the Heavenly Demon had made before.
It had definitely debuted with a decadent beauty concept......
"Appearing on [Dogs Meow, Cats Bark] would at least salvage an image of being dim but loving animals."
"...CEO, you can be pretty harsh on the Heavenly Demon sometimes."
Is this what they call a critic fan?
"What about you, Heavenly Demon?"
"This seat wants to appear on more variety shows. The more broadcasts to appear on, the better."
The Heavenly Demon, who had quite the appetite for TV, showed no sign of refusing the CEO's proposal.
It was a show proposed by his own agency's CEO, so it felt a bit suspicious, but the Heavenly Demon fan CEO wouldn't do anything harmful to him.
"By the way, I hear that show installs observation cameras too."
"You'll be staying here for a while, so we can just install them here."
Was installing observation cameras the goal, perhaps?
Unlike dorm reality shows, this one has scripts and missions to some degree; the cameras are only in specific areas and not on 24/7.
If it were for surveillance, they'd have installed them secretly before we arrived rather than announcing it outright.
"Your face says you're wondering what my ulterior motive is."
My expression must have shown it—or rather, I hadn't tried to hide it.
The CEO read my face and readily revealed his intentions.
"You don't need to rack your brain, Cow Seed... I just want to watch the Heavenly Demon eating the three meals I personally prepare instead of him tiring himself out running around schedules, and living in this mansion I prepared for him, all up close."
I didn't want to know motives that sticky.
But since the CEO seemed sincere in his Heavenly Demon fandom, maybe let him appear once, figuring we're being fooled.
What's the worst that could happen on a pet healing variety show?
* * *
At the Heavenly Demon's debut, the N-Tuber 'Demonic Cult Field Mouse' who uploaded a 'Joining the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Starting Today Mamen' video.
Was waiting for the live broadcast upon hearing the Heavenly Demon had been confirmed as a regular on the pet healing variety [Dogs Meow, Cats Bark].
The reason Demonic Cult Field Mouse was anticipating this healing show was to make new clips to upload.
Even after the debut fandom entry video, they'd made and uploaded countless Heavenly Demon clips to N-Tube, but when views plummeted recently, they hurriedly compiled Heavenly Demon's dumb moments.
Unfortunately, that video hit 100,000 views in a day, creating a fandom atmosphere mocking the Heavenly Demon as ignorant!
'If this keeps up, Hwajin will become an idol with an empty head full of flowers......!'
Of course, he did make a lot of ignorant remarks in reality, but Demonic Cult Field Mouse believed it was all for his TV image.
As a healing show, even the PD in charge was known for a mild temperament; with the Heavenly Demon on, it surely wouldn't edit maliciously like other shows.
No matter how ignorant Hwajin was, appearing with a pet would make him look smarter than the pet—that was the belief.
Demonic Cult Field Mouse waited for the live broadcast with a sense of mission to clean up the mess they'd caused.
First aired were Namgung Ryeo and her cat Miho's story.
Then the daily lives of other cast members followed, but still no sign of the Heavenly Demon.
'Time for the broadcast to end... Is Hwajin's part at the very end?'
While doubting if today's recording even featured the Heavenly Demon, the screen changed to reveal the courtyard of a grand mansion.
Soon after, the Heavenly Demon sitting in a camping chair in one corner of the mansion's courtyard appeared on screen.
'...A dog?'
The Heavenly Demon was cradling a small white Samoyed in his arms—a dog with fox-like eyes that were utterly adorable.
Then a voice, presumably the PD's, came from off-screen.
- Heavenly Demon, please introduce yourself!
The Heavenly Demon stroked the dog languidly and opened his mouth.
- I'm Heavenly Demon Wi Hwa-jin. I handle visuals in Gupailbang.
Demonic Cult Field Mouse flinched at the unexpected words.
Visuals? Wasn't he a composer member?
- Could you tell us what kind of group Gupailbang is?
The Heavenly Demon raised one eyebrow, looking incredulous.
- You don't know Gupailbang? Surely not knowing Gupailbang makes you a spy?
'Ah, no.'
Truly worthy of carrying the Heavenly Demon concept—declaring ignorance of his own group makes one a spy was peak arrogance.
-Right, of course. No viewer wouldn't know Gupailbang! But this friend in your arms is new; could you introduce it?
-This one?
At the question, the Heavenly Demon glanced down at the dog in his arms and... began spouting absolute nonsense.
-This one's called Garung, a fox... no, Malamute?
-Pardon?
-Isn't it a Malamute? It's only been a dog for a short while, so I'm a bit confused.
-...Pardon??
Demonic Cult Field Mouse had a gut feeling.
'The agency must have told him to push the four-dimensional airhead beauty......!!'
Demonic Cult Field Mouse refused to believe their ultimate bias had truly confused a Samoyed with a Malamute.
-Haha, you're so funny, Heavenly Demon.
-Is that so?
The Heavenly Demon looked puzzled at being called funny for a moment, then puffed up.
-This seat has some variety sense.
-Seems like it. Does Garung take after you and have variety sense too?
-Garung's decent at acting.
-Oh, what kind of acting?
-For now, dog acting.
-......?
Even without seeing it on screen, you could guess the PD's pupils were shaking.
-Ah, you must mean the usual dog tricks, like collapsing when you finger-gun 'bang.'
-I don't know what you're talking about, but it can probably do it.
-Could you show us? If Garung has a favorite treat, I'll prepare it!
-...You'll prepare Garung's favorite treat?
This time, the Heavenly Demon showed surprise.
-Is that... okay? The manager will get mad?
-Pardon? The manager will get mad? What does Garung like?
-Chi... no. Saying it like that will make the manager mad. Hmm... vegetarian?
-Wow, so Garung likes veggies more than meat?
-No, it likes meat. But meat that's vegetarian.
-Vegetarian meat......? Ah, you mean like Ibérico?
-What's Ibérico, some monk?
-A monk?? Ibérico is a pig raised on acorns... It's pricey these days, but we can prepare enough for Garung.
-Ah, it's a pig? That should be fine. The manager won't get mad.
-...Your manager must manage Garung's diet strictly too.
The conversation felt somehow off-point.
But Demonic Cult Field Mouse innocently found it novel that a dog liked Ibérico.
And decided to give up on seeing intellectual sides from the Heavenly Demon.
If the agency was set on pushing the four-dimensional concept this hard, it was inevitable.
-One last question! You'll be with us on [Dogs Meow, Cats Bark] from now on—what goals or images do you want to show?
At the PD's question, the Heavenly Demon nodded as if he had something prepared.
-First, I want to change the program name to [Dogs Are Garung, Cats Are Garung Too].
-No, that'd be a problem for us?!
-And since the agency asked to improve the ignorant image, I'll pursue seriousness over laughs.
-...Is that code for fully editing out today's recording?
-What do you mean?
“......”
Demonic Cult Field Mouse, who had just been definitively schooled that four-dimensional airhead beauty wasn't a kitschy push concept.
Turned on their laptop in utter resignation and started editing 'Dumb Cute Heavenly Demon Compilation 2'.