Free Web Novel“—60 seconds until live broadcast! 59, 58....”
I clenched and unclenched my hands in tension.
Looking around, the brightly lit home shopping studio came into view.
And there was the countdown clock.
10:00
When the show began, it would start ticking down.
Within those ten minutes, survival depended on how much one could sell.
To think I’d end up doing something this insane.
But calm down.
It’s fine to die.
I repeated it to myself—It’s not dangerous. It’s not dangerous.
If I die, I’ll just wake up from the dream. Actually, that might even be better.
I looked to my side.
My teammates were standing in their respective studios. Our eyes met.
Yeah.
As long as one of us makes it to the end and uses the prize money to buy items, that’s enough.
I recalled the sales shortcut I’d thought up, nodding inwardly.
Only one person needs to survive.
—3, 2, 1...
I looked straight into the camera.
—Action!
The light came on.
“Hello! I’m today’s one-day show host, contestant number four—‘Friend of the Talk Show.’ Thank you for watching.”
Then—
Real-time comments began appearing on the prompter beside the camera.
“......!”
—What’s this guy even selling?
—Saltredbeansasltredbeansasltredbeans
—Die.
—LMAO what is this, some kind of ghost story?
—Hello.
—Stay with me looks nice.
Where the hell is this being broadcast? frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Reading those bizarre scattered chats sent a chill crawling up my spine, but I kept smiling.
“Today, at Delusion Home Shopping, I—contestant number four—will be selling...”
I hesitated.
Someone real might actually be buying this.
Something non-lethal, but easy to move.
I pulled a rectangular box out from under the desk and set it on top.
It looked like a miniature gray shipping container—sturdy, dull, and unnervingly plain.
“This is Samra & Sons’ ‘Into the Vacuum’ series!”
—What?
—Did this dude just talk like a nerd?
—What the hell’s he saying.
I knew it....
But it’s the best choice among the given options.
Because—
Into the Vacuum
A funeral container advertised with the slogan: “Safely transport vital body parts of deceased generals.”
Apparently developed for carrying remains of high-ranking officers through long interstellar travel.
Sometimes found already filled when discovered. Contents identified as biological ■■■■■■.
Yeah. I know what you’re thinking.
“You’re going to sell a space-war funeral container?”
Even the station had left it collecting dust, unsold in the warehouse.
But listen—
The key is the selling point.
I lifted the container seriously and held it up to the camera.
“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present—a legendary airtight storage unit!”
—Huh?
—Get trapped and die.
—What’s he talking about.
“You’ll be amazed! Just seal it up like this...”
I snapped it open and shut for emphasis.
“...and you can store any refrigerated food at room temperature!”
—???
“That’s not all! The shelf life increases dramatically! Freshly caught fish will still taste freshly caught even after a month! You can even enjoy it raw!”
—Insane.
Exactly.
I was going to sell it as a kitchen appliance!
“The product that redefines your kitchen itself!”
I started talking like a madman.
Got bulk ingredients you gave up on because you couldn’t finish them before they spoiled? Buy this container.
Got expensive delicacies you wanted to save for a special day but didn’t dare? Buy this container.
Wanted to preserve a precious meal cooked by someone gone, only to throw it out when it rotted? Buy this container!
“And that’s not all!”
I paused for effect.
“The original price of this premium product is over two hundred. But now—one, two, three, four! A set of four.”
I spoke solemnly.
“All for just 530,000 won, available only on today’s broadcast!”
—Oh.
—Expensive!
—Actually, that seems about right.
—Gold-plated?
—PleasehelpmeI’mtrappedinhere.
—What even is this? How’s that scientifically possible?
—Good boy.
—Pricey, but intriguing.
“Think about it. That’s the price of a hair dryer. For patented, market-leading, life-changing technology? You won’t find cheaper.”
I spoke with utter conviction.
“We’ve secured limited stock to make this price possible. I mean it.”
—If it really stops spoilage, that’s actually a steal.
—You’re amazing.
—Iwanttobeinsideit.
—Placing my order.
“There’s even a full free-return guarantee! Try it once! If it doesn’t actually ‘stop shelf life’ and keep food fresh at room temperature—return it, no questions asked!”
I shouted from my diaphragm.
[My friend... oh, heavens above.]
...Embarrassing.
Mortifying...!
But the corner of my eye flicked to the live stock counter beside the prompter—honestly.
Nice!!
The remaining quantity was plummeting fast.
Moments later—
“Sold out! Thank you, everyone. That’s all the stock we had for today.”
I bowed and closed the segment.
01:45
Whew.
Done.
—Contestant #4! Brown’s—no, “Friend of the Talk Show” host!
—Wow, first to sell out. Total clearance! Impressive performance!
—Unfortunately, ranked third in sales volume—low-priced item limitation.
—Still top tier! The lowest-price comet!
I looked at my glowing second-place marker and suppressed a sigh.
Better that I stay in until the end anyway.
And... sadly, last place was—
—Contestant #2! “Hawk’s Eye” host is eliminated!
“Well, guess that’s that.”
Deputy Eun Haje shrugged.
They’d tried selling “Sleep-Gamble Snuff,” a product that keeps you awake three days straight but knocks you out for an entire day afterward—and ran into a wall.
Yeah... home shopping doesn’t really suit you.
Honestly, I’d thought Section Chief Lee Jaheon would drop first, but apparently his bizarre design sense and sheer brute strength drew just enough attention for him to finish first.
“Well then, everyone. I’ll go ahead.”
—Eliminated contestant... huh?
Before the main host even moved, Deputy Eun Haje gave us a little wave—and collapsed neatly.
Quick ingestion of the euthanasia pill.
—Ah... the shock of elimination must’ve been devastating.
—Tragic, but failing to sell enough of a record-setting special offer is grounds for elimination! Oh, it breaks my heart to have taken away your chance to buy!
The body was swiftly cleared from the studio floor.
It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I reminded myself—Deputy Eun Haje was already gone from here.
I kept facing the camera.
—And that concludes Round One of the simultaneous special-discount sales battle! Thank you for your support!
The round ended.
“......”
Staff came in to reset the studio. The main show host chatted with them about something, and I tried to quickly coordinate with the remaining team—
But—
—Get that out of here.
The show host pointed at Deputy Eun Haje’s corpse. I reflexively spoke up politely.
“Ah, should I take care of it?”
We should move them somewhere safe—
—Oh, come now, Brown’s friend. That’s what contractors are for! No need for you.
—Up you get.
...Right now—
The corpse
was moving.
—Stand over there and wait.
Deputy Eun Haje’s body stood. No—moved.
With expression.
A pale, horrified face. Deputy Eun Haje stared at me, body jerking unnaturally—and then walked away.
Leading their own dead body.
I watched, frozen in horror.
—We’ll keep reusing them during the survival rounds. Need interviews and such, after all. freewebnovel.cσ๓
What?
“They’re... dead, aren’t they?”
—Sure. Dead, but still useful. Delusion Home Shopping loves cost efficiency! Broadcast fees here are high, but this works out great. Maybe isolation helps! Anyway, we’ll keep them till the limbs rot off!
Wait—
Wait. Wait, hold on.
That’s when it clicked—why Bronze Agent’s corpse was still here.
In Se-gwang Special City, when we die, our bodies usually vanish. I’d assumed disappearance or erasure.
But no.
They shouldn’t remain—yet here they were.
They couldn’t leave.
Which meant—
You can’t get out, even after death.
—The insurance ad’s wrapping up. Get the next batch ready!
I turned my head.
Another group was entering the studio we’d used.
White-painted faces with eerie smiles.
Neat suits, styled hair.
The typical look of a show host—inhumanly polished.
Creatures belonging to the Delusion Home Shopping ghost story.
—Now then, contestants six through ten! Everyone, please welcome the next group for the Survival!
No.
I realized it.
They weren’t residents of the ghost story.
They were people from Se-gwang Special City.
Citizens who’d come to work part-time, signed the wrong contract, and vanished—kept here because they were “useful.”
Dead or alive, it didn’t matter.
Souls enslaved to show business.
And then another revelation.
—When this broadcast ends, we’ll select four finalists out of ten! With two eliminated immediately, and another four following them, that leaves four for the final round!
—Each will host a grand finale broadcast—lowest prices ever, unbeatable bundles, special gifts!
—Stay tuned! It’s Delusion Home Shopping’s Black Friday!
There are more contestants.
My blood went cold.
The winner might not even be one of us...!
If they win, it’s over.
We’ll all be eliminated—bound here, like them.
No way to argue “the day’s over, let us go.”
The employment state would persist.
Because the dead don’t clock out.
“......”
“What are we gonna do?”
Baek Saheon came up beside me, sweat running down his pale face, nearly grabbing my collar.
“Looks like even dying doesn’t get us out. Why the hell did you make us sign those contracts—!”
“......”
“There’s no guaranteed way to win, either!”
I turned to him.
He glared, jaw clenched, and I reached out—
“Thanks.”
“...??”
I patted his shoulder.
“Mr. Noru. Should we try to break out of the station now?”
“...No. Too risky.”
If we got caught, they’d accuse us of “ruining the show” and demand a colossal fee.
“There is a way to win. Please—just wait for it.”
“Mmm... okay.”
[Mr. Noru... my friend forced to play the cheap huckster in this vulgar carnival, selling to the audience in filth—oh, what a disgrace.]
[You look like you could use some help.]
He was right.
I really did need help.
[Oh, then....]
So I decided to procure my own help.
[Hm?]
I placed a hand over my chest.
Because I’d just remembered.
A guaranteed way to win.
Beneath the skin, the tattooed lines pulsed faintly with my heartbeat.
The one spot that had been thrumming ever since we encountered this broadcast ghost story.
I pressed down on the tattoo and drew out one of the contaminations I’d stored there.
"Preparing for Live Broadcast"
Comfort. Fullness. A shiver of thrill. Tension.
Home shopping, of all things—honestly, it’s not exactly my field. I always figured I was more suited for late-night talk shows...
But a true professional doesn’t get picky about jobs in the industry!
[No—oh, my God... Noru?]
Sorry, sir! I’ll make sure not to tarnish the good name of the late-night talk show!
I flashed a bright smile and lifted my head. My teammates were staring at me with blank faces, but that was fine. From now on, I’d handle this like a proud member of a famous talk-show crew.
I’m a show-business professional, after all.
***
In one corner of the train shelter—between Cars 5 and 6—stood a single, anxious figure.
Ko Yeongeun.
There was no privacy anywhere on this train. This narrow space between the cars was the only place where one could be alone with their thoughts, out of everyone’s sight.
Even here, she had to step aside whenever someone passed through, so she tried to steal whatever solitude she could find.
And she thought:
Will they be all right?
The old coworkers who’d come looking for her—would she see them again soon?
They’d said it usually took about a day, but her heart was restless. She kept going to Car 7 to peer toward Afternoon Station.
Anxious, she glanced from time to time at her now-useless smartwatch.
...The goat-mask bastard had hinted he could sell her a spare battery, but she’d # Nоvеlight # ignored him.
It wouldn’t matter anyway. Just for a little while longer.
There’s no point.
She stared at the dead screen of the drained watch. Its black surface reflected her face—
and then—
a spark.
The display lit up.
“...?!”
There shouldn’t be any charge left—none!
“W-what the...”
Ko Yeongeun clamped her mouth shut and hurried to unfasten the watch. It had to be a supernatural phenomenon—and she was certain she’d already powered it off and stashed it away.
If not for the face now filling the screen, she might have flung it aside.
“Hello? Nice to see you, everyone!”
“...!!”
Kim Soleum.
His bright, healthy face filled the tiny smartwatch screen, smiling radiantly, cheerful and lively as ever.
What... what is this?
Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.
Then a caption appeared at the top of the display:
[MangSang Home Shopping]
Home-Shopping Host Survival? Wait—what?
On the small screen, Kim Soleum reached a hand under the desk as if to pull something out.
“I’m truly delighted to introduce this to you. Please look forward to it.
The product I’ll be showing you today is...”
He lifted his hand—
and showed nothing.
“...?”
The Kim Soleum on screen beamed.
“There isn’t one.”
“...?!”
“There’s nothing to sell. I’m not selling anything.”
The home-shopping channel fell into chaos.
