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“Hello….”

“Ah, Hero Jeong Gyeoul! Nice to meet you!”

The assistant director from PD Choi’s team greeted me with high tension, while I was barely hanging on.

Not only that.

“Wow! Gyeoul, long time no see!”

“I heard you quit variety shows, but you ended up coming back.”

“Just like you can’t say you want to do variety shows, you can’t just leave when you want to leave.”

The staff who survived with me on a deserted island and went through Monster Restaurant were all gathered here.

“…That’s how it turned out. This feeling of being fatefully intertwined. It’s devastating and miserable.”

While sipping on my iced Americano, the youngest writer set up the mic.

Unlike before, there was no explanation about turning off the power when going to the bathroom or what to do when the battery runs out.

Before I knew it, I was being treated like a variety show veteran.

This was really not a good thing.

If I can just get through this audition safely, I should never get involved with the broadcasting world again.

“I ordered coffee, so it should be here soon. Have some while you work….”

“Wow, really? Amazing!”

“Did Gyeoul order it? Thank you!”

“I’ll enjoy it!”

Although I was feeling some kind of disillusionment with variety shows, I didn’t feel that way towards the production team.

In fact, I was grateful for how well they treated and cared for me, a middle schooler who was a complete newbie to variety shows.

It wasn’t surprising that I, who usually doesn’t care much about others, personally ordered coffee for everyone.

Since I was being generous, I also ordered enough for the participants. 250 cups per car, totaling 750 cups.

Considering what I’m about to do later, this much is fine.

“But… am I the only one here?”

First audition, area 1-1.

A temporary set was set up in a large open ground in Gyeonggi Province for participants from Seoul and Gyeonggi.

Here, I had to work with Park Seol-hwa to classify the participants.

I heard it was because of Park Seol-hwa’s very strong request that I was paired with her.

But it seems like Park Seol-hwa hasn’t even arrived yet….

“Gyeoul!”

“…?”

“It’s been so long! I’m so happy to see you! How have you been? How do you keep getting prettier?”

“Ugh—”

Suddenly, Park Seol-hwa appeared and hugged me, rubbing her face against mine.

Just as my clean, sunscreen-free face started to get foundation smeared on it.

I barely managed to escape Park Seol-hwa’s face-rubbing attack.

Is the camera rolling?

Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?

“We saw each other a month ago.”

“That’s why! It feels like it’s been forever, I should see you at least once a day… It’s all because I’ve been so busy. It’s all my fault, sorry.”

“…?”

She was always a bit over the top, but today it was a bit more intense.

Looking around, I didn’t see any cameras filming us.

Are they just recording audio to use somewhere else?

….

I’ve really become a broadcast person, look at what I’m thinking.

“What cameras? I’m just happy to see you after so long.”

“Did something happen? You were always high-tension, but not this much.”

“Hehe, Soojeong said I don’t have to make potions while this is airing.”

“…Is that so good?”

“Of course! You try being locked in the guild leader’s room making potions all day. It drives you crazy.”

Recently, there were rumors that Kim Soojeong, the de facto power behind Daehyun Guild, was treating guild leader Park Seol-hwa like a salt farm slave.

Based on what I’ve experienced, the rumors probably aren’t far off.

It seems like it was leaked by someone within the guild, the details were quite specific.

Look at her now, jumping around like a wild boar freed from potion-making.

“Standby, please!”

I didn’t do any makeup, and Park Seol-hwa had already done hers privately.

It seemed like they wanted to start filming right away without wasting any more time.

With so many participants, it’s probably best to start as quickly as possible.

There are 400 participants just from Seoul and Gyeonggi.

Even if each person gets just 1 minute, that’s 400 minutes.

6 hours and 40 minutes.

Of course, I don’t want to work that long.

The judging method is entirely up to the judges… I plan to do it my way from the start.

If they didn’t like that, they shouldn’t have dragged me into this scene.

Hahaha—

I raised my eyebrows and curled my lips, laughing like a final boss villain.

Click—

“…?”

I heard a camera sound and looked over to see Park Seol-hwa taking pictures of me with her phone.

Can’t I report this as unauthorized filming?

***

First preliminary round for Seoul and Gyeonggi. Area 1-1.

Participants with nervous expressions surrounded the set.

Wearing vests with numbers on their backs and stomachs, they couldn’t take their eyes off the judges’ seats.

“Wow, she’s so pretty….”

“I wonder what it would feel like to meet a girl like that.”

People admiring the beauty of Jeong Gyeoul and Park Seol-hwa.

“…She’s not even releasing magic power or raising her energy, why are my knees already weak?”

“That’s S-Class… just looking at her gives me chills.”

People feeling the energy of the two and experiencing the power of an S-Class hero firsthand.

“When are we starting? I’m so bored I could die.”

“Just because they’re S-Class heroes? Why are they taking so long with all the participants waiting.”

People complaining.

Someone dancing to grab attention while waiting.

A gym rat flexing his muscles every time he faces the camera.

Someone frantically writing notes, analyzing the participants.

A diverse group of people.

The production team controlling them, and the Awakened Ones dispatched by the Association.

Even the police who came to support.

“Ugh… I think I’m going to have a panic attack.”

“You have panic attacks? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Park Seol-hwa, who had been giggling and taking pictures of me, asked with a serious expression.

“I don’t, but I feel like I might.”

“….”

“Listen? They’re not just judging faces, but also chests and hips, it’s insane.”

“I’m used to it, so it’s fine… Are you uncomfortable? Should I just blow them all away?”

“No, more than half will be eliminated soon anyway.”

“…?”

I didn’t plan to judge for long, so I intended to eliminate a lot of people.

I didn’t want to keep hearing those idiots evaluating me.

And….

‘Judging my chest and hips is a violation of the Juvenile Protection Act, you bastards.’

With the assistant director’s slate sound, the recording began.

The program introduction and judge introductions would be filmed separately at the main set, so here we just had to judge.

Then it was time for the real judging.

I held the mic and was about to explain my judging method when….

‘What’s this? How do I turn it on?’

I’ve worn a waist mic before, but I’ve never held a handheld mic.

Thinking it was similar to a karaoke mic, I looked for the power button… but it was just smooth.

“Just talk.”

Seeing me struggle, Park Seol-hwa chuckled beside me.

Whether she thought it was cute or whatever, to me it felt like mockery.

Tap tap—

“Is it on?”

“Yes!!!”

Startled.

I didn’t expect an answer, but the participants shouted in unison.

I felt awkward and embarrassed.

They all probably think I’m an idiot.

You try holding a mic like this, you’d be just as flustered!

“Ah, sorry. It’s my first time with a handheld mic.”

I could have just continued sitting, but I stood up without realizing.

The presentation system from my school days really brainwashed people.

“First of all, thank you to everyone who participated, and I also apologize.”

“…?”

The participants started murmuring at my words.

They couldn’t understand why I was apologizing, so confusion was inevitable.

Since I was standing, I bowed, and the murmuring grew louder.

Park Seol-hwa seemed inwardly panicked but didn’t show it.

“The production team said the judging is up to the judges’ discretion. I’ve been thinking about this method since then… It’s already 10, so let’s proceed quickly. Everyone… hold on tight.”

“…?”

Did anyone expect the judging to be like this?

If anyone predicted this, I’m sure they’d make it to the top ten.

Because….

‘They must believe they can withstand my energy.’

Whoosh—

In an instant, the magic power I raised began to overwhelm the participants.

A precise control of the area so that the dispatched Awakened Ones, staff, and police weren’t affected.

Perfect control of power so that the participants’ bodies wouldn’t be harmed.

I pressed down on the participants’ entire bodies with magic power.

“Ugh!”

“What, what are you doing!”

“Gah!”

As soon as it started, participants started kneeling on the ground.

With skills like that, what made them confident enough to participate?

If I had gone one by one, I might have gotten so angry I’d have knocked them all down.

Park Seol-hwa, who had been watching to see what I was going to do, chuckled in disbelief and snapped her fingers.

Snap—

A crisp finger snap echoed, and the floor where the participants were gathered turned into a soft material.

I was going to use telekinesis to lay down anyone who fainted, but Park Seol-hwa stepped in and reduced my workload.

 

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