Arrived at the Broadcasting Station (2)
"So this is the kid, huh...?"
Hwang Min-cheol, the main PD of Exorcism War 13, found the person standing before him thoroughly unlikable. Just some high school girl. A streamer who got lucky and blew up, with zero connection to the entertainment industry. Not an idol, no powerful agency backing her. If he told someone like that "I'll make you a star," the natural response should be to bow her head and sign the contract on the spot. At least, that was how he saw it.
"Arrogant little thing."
And on top of that? What? She actually wanted to do her own personal broadcast on his program? When Kim Yoo-jin had passed along that demand, he'd felt the blood rush straight to his head in pure rage. He'd wanted to flip the table right then and there (though he lacked the strength to actually do it) and scream at her to get lost and take her offer with her. But he couldn't. The head writer, Lee Ji-yoon, had stopped him.
"PD-nim, this isn't the time to nitpick!"
"No, but still, a personal broadcast is...!"
"So what if it's a personal broadcast? It's better than the show tanking, isn't it?"
"...Can't we just find someone else?"
"We couldn't find anyone else. That's why only Baek Seorin is left."
"......Damn it!"
He could only nod at Lee Ji-yoon's words. Baek Seorin's name was steadily growing among horror enthusiasts, and those same enthusiasts were the core fanbase of Exorcism War 13. So even if it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't, and even if she might cause another disaster on air, she was still the safer choice. That much was true, but...
"Still pisses me off."
Even though the line between internet and terrestrial broadcasting was blurring these days, plenty of people at the station still looked down on internet streamers as lacking roots and history. Hwang Min-cheol was one of them, which only made the two arrogant high school girls in front of him even more irritating. The fact that they were younger than him didn't help either.
"Ahem. Well, anyway, let's work well together."
"Y-yes, please take care of us, PD-nim!"
Lee Ha-eun's ninety-degree bow and extreme politeness eased his mood a little. However—
"You too. Let's work well together."
"Sure."
Unlike Ha-eun, Baek Seorin only gave a half-hearted nod, offered a limp handshake that barely counted as one, and immediately pulled her hand away. That left him with nothing but intense displeasure.
Ha. Fine. Let's see how long you can keep that stiff neck of yours held high.
He shot her a sharp glare, then turned away as if he had no desire to deal with her any longer. He wasn't an idiot. Even if he struggled to separate work from personal feelings, he knew full well that he was currently in the weaker position. But once the program stabilized... whether he would still be the weaker one or whether she would be remained to be seen.
***
"Ugh, my heart's pounding."
"Come on, he was just some middle-aged guy. Relax."
"Seorin! Like I said earlier, you really need to be careful—"
While being guided by a staff member toward the waiting room, Ha-eun kept taking deep breaths. I patted her back lightly to comfort her.
"You can wait here."
"Y-yes! Thank you!"
When the staff opened the waiting room door, Ha-eun and I offered a quick thanks and stepped inside. The moment we did—
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Hik!"
Countless eyes inside the room locked onto us. Most of the people wore expressions of mild curiosity.
"Haha, even kids like this..."
"I wonder if they'll actually be able to do it."
"She's pretty. Is she an idol? Never seen her before."
But among them, a few were staring at me with particularly sharp gazes. The emotion in their eyes wasn't curiosity. It was wariness. They were on guard against me.
"...I see."
The middle-aged monk in gray robes, his head neatly shaved, muttered quietly as if he understood something and gave a small nod.
"......"
The handsome man in his early-to-mid thirties wearing a black priest's cassock fiddled with his rosary and simply stared at me in silence, offering nothing more.
"Tch."
The young woman in the flowing red shaman's robes clicked her tongue and glared at me with the most openly hostile look of all.
I focused all my attention on those three. One glance was enough. The rest were either nobodies or outright frauds with no spiritual sense whatsoever. The only ones who could truly be called exorcists were these three.
"A-ah, hello! My name is Lee Ha-eun! I, um, I'm a streamer! My channel name is Mirinae! Please take care of me!"
"......Hello. I'm Baek Seorin. My channel name is Revenant."
While Ha-eun went around greeting everyone one by one, I kept my eyes fixed solely on the three of them as I spoke. The middle-aged monk was the first to stand up. He stepped forward and extended his hand toward me.
"Haha, it's a pleasure to meet you like this. I'm Bohyeon."
"Yes, nice to meet you too, Monk Bohyeon."
After shaking hands with the monk, I looked at the priest.
"......I'm Yohan."
The priest gave only his name, short and curt, then closed his mouth again. Clearly, he had no intention of telling me anything more. I turned to the young female shaman.
"Hmph!"
She made it abundantly clear with her entire body that even telling me her name would be unpleasant, then deliberately turned her head away.
"Haha, please understand. Neither of them are usually like this. They seem quite nervous."
Monk Bohyeon smiled gently at me. Behind that smile, I could clearly read the meaning: You know exactly why they're nervous, don't you? So I simply nodded.
"I understand."
"Good, that's a relief. By the way, how did you end up joining this show?"
"Well, obviously—"
I made a circle with my fingers.
"—for the money."
"Hahaha, now that's a very understandable reason. But I get the feeling that's not the only one."
"......There is one other 'minor reason,' but it's a secret."
"Hmm, I see."
Monk Bohyeon had probably already guessed. The money was just a superficial excuse, and the "minor reason" I mentioned was the real purpose. But there was nothing he could do except suspect. What else could he say to someone who claimed they were only here for the money?
While I was having that ordinary conversation with Monk Bohyeon—
"Alright, everyone! We're starting the shoot! Please come out!"
Filming time had arrived.
***
"Whoa~ It's been a while since I last saw you!"
"It's really nice to be gathered like this again! Hahaha!"
"Oh my, Sun-nyeo, you look even prettier than before!"
"Hohoho, I switched cosmetics this time. I guess it helped."
Once the cameras were rolling, the cast members chatted away cheerfully as if they were meeting for the first time, even though they'd already greeted each other in the waiting room. It was all strategy to boost ratings. Religious figures like priests, monks, and shamans usually had an image that was hard for ordinary people to approach. So the opening segment featured light, everyday small talk to close the emotional distance with viewers.
Once the talk wound down, the MC—a comedian-turned-celebrity hosting Exorcism War 13—stepped forward.
"Now then, for today's Exorcism War 13, we've welcomed new exorcists to kick off the new season. Let me introduce them! The internet broadcaster who's been setting the streaming world on fire lately—Revenant, Baek Seorin, and Mirinae, Lee Ha-eun!"
"""Waaaaah!"""
Clap clap clap clap!
When Ha-eun and I stepped into the camera's view from the waiting area, the cast erupted in cheers and applause. I glanced at the female shaman who had been glaring daggers at me in the waiting room. That hostility was nowhere to be seen now—she was clapping enthusiastically with a genuinely welcoming smile. So this was what a broadcast face looked like. Impressive.
"Now, let's take some time to properly introduce our two new members!"
After that, everything flowed smoothly. The MC asked the usual questions—whether we'd been friends for a long time, why I chose the name Revenant, how it felt to suddenly become so popular—and Ha-eun and I answered diligently. Once the opening talk ended, the real filming began.
"As you all know, in Season 1 of Exorcism War 13, everyone worked together as one team to complete missions. But starting from Season 2, we'll be dividing into three teams of four, four, and five members respectively, each tackling their own missions."
The cast members looked intrigued at Hwang Min-cheol's explanation.
"Monk Bohyeon! Please team up with me!"
"Haha, if fate allows, we'll naturally end up on the same team, won't we?"
"Father Yohan! Let's be a team!"
"Unnie! Will you team up with me?"
Everyone swarmed the three real exorcists, begging to be on their teams. It made sense—they knew they were fakes themselves, so of course they'd cling to the genuine ones.
"Ahem, teams will be decided randomly through a draw."
"What? That's not fair!"
"Huh? So Monk Bohyeon and Father Yohan could end up on the same team?"
"That would be way too overpowered..."
"Haha, don't worry. The three most popular members from Exorcism War 13 will each serve as team leaders. In other words, everyone except those three will draw lots to form teams."
"Oho."
"Phew, that's a relief."
The cast members dramatically protested and then dramatically relaxed at Hwang Min-cheol's words. Watching them, I realized that even if they were fake exorcists, their variety show experience was no joke. Ha-eun and I could only stand there blankly, unsure how to react.
"Now then, please draw a slip of paper from this box. Each slip has either A, B, or C written on it. People who draw the same letter will be on the same team. Don't open it right away—wait until everyone has drawn."
Hwang Min-cheol placed the black box in front of everyone. One by one, the cast members stepped up and drew their slips.
"Baek Seorin-ssi! And Lee Ha-eun-ssi! Please come forward!"
At Hwang Min-cheol's call, I stepped up first and drew a slip, followed by Ha-eun.
"I hope we end up on the same team. Right?"
"Yeah, me too."
Finally, Monk Bohyeon and the other two each took one of the three remaining slips marked A, B, and C.
"Alright, on the count of three, everyone opens their slips at the same time! Ready... one, two, three!"
The moment Hwang Min-cheol finished speaking, Ha-eun and I unfolded our slips together.