“Are you okay? I’m sorry.”
The mont Han-gyeol hit the floor, the Blood Fiend’s attitude turned polite.
On closer look, the face was familiar—it was the program’s assistant director.
“I only ant to give you a little scare...”
Pleased with his makeup, he reached out a hand.
Han-gyeol flinched and recoiled reflexively. Had that hand been specially made up too? Dark veins stood out on its back, as if grabbing it might turn him into a Blood Fiend as well.
“Ha ha! I’m fine. I’d feel bad if I grabbed you and ssed you up~”
Han-gyeol politely declined and got to his feet. As he brushed off his clothes, he slid next to Jun-seo and asked cheerfully, “So—are you setting up a hidden-cara prank?”
“Yes. Is that okay?”
“Okay” doesn’t begin to cover it. He’d nearly attacked a person. In his spotless “Good-Deed Generator” record, this would’ve been a stain. If his legs hadn’t gone limp, his reflexes only slightly slower and the AD might be sporting a nasty bruise now.
“But isn’t this too dangerous?” Even a civilian like him almost lost a hand. What if their target used their powers?
“If any participant uses their ability...” Han-gyeol’s gaze cut to the AD—almost as if this might be their last eting. The AD waved him off, laughing. “If I thought that’d happen, I never would’ve volunteered. I’ve got protective gear.”
He lifted his shirt to show an A-grade chest plate that auto-generated a shield on °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° detecting danger. Han-gyeol recognized it imdiately—he owned the sa. He wore his during action scenes to absorb impacts and prevent injuries up to a point; he’d heard it could stop a single life-threatening blow.
“Oh? I have one too. Heck, with that, there’s no problem. It might even be fun, right?”
“Right? Oh! Han-gyeol-ssi, want to join in?”
“?”
“Yes! There’s one set left. You’re an actor—you’d make it even more realistic than !”
Han-gyeol had once starred in the Blood Fiend film Seoul-bound. Though he hadn’t played a Fiend, he and the cast used to prank each other in costu. Tired of his fixed image, he craved a new challenge. Showing the crew this side of him could only help. After a mont’s thought, he agreed.
“I’d love to join~”
He even dared hope it’d bring him closer to 1-Chonyang.
✧
But that hope shattered the instant filming began.
“This is the worst....”
Like a tragic heroine, Han-gyeol sank to his knees, patting at his chest where the cotton-candy prop had vanished.
“I almost died....”
“What on earth are you doing here?”
A contemptuous glare pierced him—he’d never felt so humiliated. Han-gyeol couldn’t even reply.
“W-well, hic...”
His regret traced back just monts earlier. At the AD’s invite, he’d gone to the special-effects make-up room, reborn as a Blood Fiend, eager to prank the participants. Jun-seo had explained:
“When the participants arrive, we’ll guide them to the interview room. You hold the reflector behind them; when the AD does the first scare, you make your second entrance.”
“Oooh, the script is great.”
“Thanks in advance~”
The AD and the writer, already set up in a modest interview room—a single cara, the AD in Fiend make-up, and the youngest writer with an interview sheet—greeted him warmly. It looked like an empty lot, but it was a virtual set—safety in case a real ceiling collapsed, even with gear.
“Wow, it really feels real.”
“Right? First ti in here myself.”
“That seat over there?”
“Yes—stay close to the wall; participants might attack suddenly.”
“Okeee~”
Han-gyeol sat with the reflector; only the center seat remained. Soon the first participant arrived: Tae-eon.
“Hello~ Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. How about you?”
“I slept fine, but there’s a cold going around staff. Everyone’s sick.”
“Cough, cough.”
“That’s why we’re all masked...”
Both AD and Han-gyeol wore masks and hats.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Cough. Shall we start?”
Han-gyeol nodded. After brief pleasantries, the interview began.
“If you hadn’t Awakened, what would you be doing now?”
Off-topic for a survival show, but Tae-eon answered earnestly.
“I Awakened late but started working early, so I have a main job.”
He was a famous Sokcho attraction.
“I’d probably still be running my café?”
As he smiled, the AD removed his mask, cleared his throat, ripped off his hat, and stood.
“Keeeek!”
“Uwaaah!”
Tae-eon crashed to the floor, and Han-gyeol lunged with the reflector.
“키에에엑!”
Before he knew it, Tae-eon vanished, replaced by a neat little grave.
“...Excuse , Mr. Tae-eon?”
“Sorry, it’s a hidden cara prank. Mr. Tae-eon? You can co out now...”
Thunk-thunk—the AD, Han-gyeol, and the writer pounded the grave. Finally it split, dirt tumbling, and Tae-eon’s clean face peeked out, smudged with soil.
“A prank...?”
He sighed, brushing earth from his face.
“Why would you do this....”
The first prank was a success. Next up was Yeon-woo.
“Hellooo!”
He sat where Tae-eon had. The writer asked:
“If you hadn’t Awakened, what would you be doing?”
“A lot of training, I guess—archery.”
The writer swiftly changed tack.
“Then who among the participants is the top contender?”
“The winner? I thought it’d be at first, but now it’s Ddonggang-a—”
“키에에엑!”
“Ah!”
The AD sprang up. Startled, Yeon-woo hurled his chair at the Fiend. Sizzle! tal struck electricity, sparking. Thwong! The chair fell with a faint burnt sll.
“What is this?”
He noticed the writer and the Fiend smiling.
“A hidden cara?”
Realizing he’d been duped, Yeon-woo felt wronged—but one more prank remained. Han-gyeol threw the reflector:
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
About thirty needle-like beams of light shot down.
“...!”
Buzz—thankfully the gear held, or Han-gyeol would be a human roast. Exhausted, Yeon-woo left. The final target: the talk of the town, “1-Chonyang,” Roi.
“Hello.”
Roi bowed and sat. The AD had switched his entry order with Han-gyeol for variety. The writer asked:
“You’re hugely popular—feel it?”
“People recognize ; I’m grateful.”
“Secret to your popularity?”
“The secret? Well...”
“Cough, cough!”
Nearby, a cough. Thud—the reflector dropped; the staff’s head drooped unconscious. Roi’s eyes widened. As he rose to help,
“키에에엑!”
Han-gyeol convulsed, arms twisting grotesquely. His hat flew off, revealing hideous Fiend make-up.
“Hee-hee! Bet he’s surprised!”
Pride vanished in an instant. Clang!
“Cough...!”
The shield shattered and the impact slamd him.
“Kyah!”
“Han-gyeol!”
The staff, not Roi, scread in shock.
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