Chapter 1 – Starting the System Restoration

The PD is the king of the program.

But not all PDs are kings.

If the ratings are low...

The PD...

Even if they work their hardest...

They aren't even treated like a person...

They are blamed for crimes they didn't commit...

...and become trash.

What a dirty world...

So Dongsoo...

'I want to give up...'

He gave up on his dreams.

Three years passed like that.

= = = = = = =

SBC Broadcasting Station 3rd Floor, Production Department's Review Division Office.

There's a long wooden table against one wall, with a few old monitors on it.

On a desk in one corner, there are many scripts for programs currently airing on SBC.

And in front of that desk...

A man wearing a cap is sleeping with his legs up.

-Snore snore

With each snore, a strong smell of alcohol, as if he had been swimming in a vat of liquor, wafted through the air.

On the ID card hanging around his neck...

There's a photo of a man with sharp eyes and the words "PD Gang Dongsoo" are visible.

"Mmm... Cut... Okay... Okay..."

Just as he was mumbling in his sleep...

-Click

The door suddenly opened, and a man came in.

The man, breathing heavily, is PD Park Daechul from the Entertainment Department's 3rd Team.

He is the main PD for the talk show "Dotori."

Park Daechul shouted at Dongsoo, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Hey! Dongsoo! Wake up!"

"Huh...?"

Dongsoo looked at Park Daechul with bleary eyes.

"What...? Why are you here...? It's lunchtime...?"

"Your kid is coming!!"

"What?"

"Your kid is coming out!!"

"What are you talking about? A kid coming out... Oh, is today's Dotori guest a child?"

As he asked, Dongsoo yawned widely.

Park Daechul shook his head vigorously.

"No, my kid is coming out!!"

Dongsoo's eyes widened as he asked.

"Your kid? Huh!? Your wife's kid is coming out!?"

"Yes!! They're in the ambulance right now!"

"But it was supposed to be next month!?"

"How would I know!?"

"But why are you here!? You should go to the hospital!"

"I came to go to the hospital!"

"......?"

Confused by what he meant, Dongsoo tilted his head, and Park Daechul said,

"Watch the studio for me! We can't record without a director!"

"Why me? There are plenty of PDs in the 3rd Team! Get one of them to do it!"

"They all went to apply for 'Liar King'!"

Dongsoo frowned.

'Liar King' is SBC's number one-rated entertainment program.

Produced by his classmate and star PD, Dam Yunho...

'The situation is tough, but...'

"I can't do it! I'm still drunk!"

"Just sit there! The kids and Director Im will handle it!"

"Then put a mannequin there! Why should I go!?"

"We can't record without a director!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

Just then, Park Daechul's phone rang.

"Hello!? What? The kid!? Wait! I'm coming! Just hold on... No, don't hold on! Push! Push hard! Hard!!"

Dongsoo, still tipsy, wobbled as he got up from his seat.

"Bro, why don't you ask CP Kim...?"

"Dongsoo! I'm counting on you!"

"No way, man!? What are you counting on!?"

Park Daechul grabbed Dongsoo's shoulder and said in a serious voice.

"Please, watch the recording for me..."

"Bro, Park!"

Park Daechul dashed out of the review division office like lightning.

Dongsoo stood there, dumbfounded.

At that moment, Sub PD Yang from "Dotori" timidly entered the office.

"Senior... The recording time is...?"

Dongsoo, holding his aching head, asked.

"What? You're the sub? Aren't you in your third year?"

"Yes, Senior."

"Then you'll be the main today!"

"Eh... That's... a bit..."

Yang PD's eyes trembled with anxiety.

Watching this, Dongsoo thought,

'No wonder Bro Park asked me.'

Dongsoo said with a very annoyed expression.

"Since you're in your third year, you should start making things easier for Bro Park. Does he have to beg you all the way to the review division? He's suffering, coming from the Education Department to entertainment. Got it?"

"Sorry..."

"Apologize to Bro Park... I'll just sit there. The recording is up to you and Director Im!"

"Yes, Senior!"

Dongsoo took out a vitamin jelly from his pocket and chewed it while asking.

"Hey, where's the 'Dotori' studio? Is it at the main office?"

"No, it's at the Ilsan SBC Studio!"

Dongsoo's eyes widened.

"Is it still standing?"

"It's the last recording today. Starting next week, we'll move to the Paju Studio."

"Oh! So I'm decorating the finale?"

"Congratulations!"

"......"

"Sorry... It's not really a cause for celebration..."

"Whatever, let's go."

"Yes!"

Dongsoo and Yang PD headed to the Ilsan SBC Studio.

= = = = = = =

Dongsoo arrived at the Ilsan SBC Studio.

'After that day... It's been three years, hasn't it?'

The heat of the scene, which he hadn't felt in a long time, felt cozy, like home.

Thanks to this, Dongsoo...

-Snore snore

...fell into a deep sleep in the director's chair.

Yang PD was unsure whether to wake Dongsoo, looking worried.

'The recording is about to start... There's no choice. I have to wake him up!'

Just then, the main writer of "Dotori," Im Hyesook, approached.

"Just leave him."

"Huh? But..."

"What can you expect from someone who's so drunk! Just let Sub PD Yang handle it."

"......"

"Hurry up!"

Yang PD reluctantly replied, "Yes..."

Im Hyesook, looking at the sleeping Dongsoo, thought,

'Crazy dog Gang Dongsoo, stuck in the review division... He's really changed...'

She clicked her tongue, remembering the days when Dongsoo used to run around the scene like a madman.

'He should know when to settle down...'

At that moment, Yang PD asked,

"Writer Im, is the guest ready?"

The junior writer, holding a sketchbook, said,

"They're doing the final check. Ah! They're coming up now!"

As the junior writer said, men in white gowns were carefully moving the guest onto the stage.

Yang PD nodded.

"Then..."

Just then, a light on one side of the studio flickered.

Yang PD, flustered, said, "Huh? Huh?"

Writer Im Hyesook, frowning, shouted at the lighting director,

"Director! Why is it doing that again!"

"It's just old equipment..."

"Try to fix it! The recording is about to start!"

"Damn... Wait! Hey! Go check it out!"

The assistant lighting director replied, "Yes!" and ran off.

Yang PD whispered to Writer Im Hyesook,

"Thank you, Writer..."

"Pull yourself together! This is the PD's job!"

"Yes..."

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The assistant lighting director arrived backstage.

He frowned at the tangled wires.

'This is a mess...'

Of course, it made sense since this studio was closing after today's recording.

'Let's see...'

He skillfully found the lighting line.

He chuckled when he saw that the cable wasn't properly plugged into the old socket.

'Lucky. It's not a big problem.'

He firmly plugged the cable in.

However, the socket was so old that it kept shaking.

The assistant lighting director frowned.

'This won't do...'

Just then, he heard Yang PD's voice.

"Is it still far?"

"Just a moment!"

Thinking, 'There's no choice...', the assistant lighting director took out some electrical tape from his pocket.

-Squish

He taped the cable to the socket, muttering,

"Just hold on until the recording is over..."

He shouted as he walked back to the stage,

"It's done!"

A short while after he left...

Sparks started flying from the socket with a crackling sound.

And...

= = = = = = =

Dongsoo thought,

'Did I turn on the boiler and sleep?'

It was still November, and he thought it was a crazy thing to do.

His head was pounding from a hangover, but he forced his eyes open to turn off the boiler to save on heating costs.

And...

He saw the studio was on fire.

-Oh! Fire!

-Fire extinguisher! Fire extinguisher!

-Call 119!

-Everyone out!

It was chaos.

Dongsoo thought,

'Is this... a dream...?'

At that moment, someone slapped his back.

"Ouch!? What!?"

"Snap out of it! Get out now!"

"Im Writer...? What's going on...?"

"What do you mean! There's a fire! Get out now!"

"Fire...?"

As Dongsoo got up, Im Hyesook ran to a junior writer crouched in a corner, screaming, "Ahh! Ahh!"

Im Hyesook's shouting snapped Dongsoo back to reality.

'Really on fire?'

Fires often happened in old studios, but for it to happen today...

'What bad luck...'

Most of the staff and cast had already evacuated, and Writer Im Hyesook was leading the remaining people out.

Dongsoo was about to leave quickly.

That's when he saw it.

"......!"

A silhouette of a person on the burning stage.

At first, he thought he was hallucinating from the alcohol.

Because...

'How can someone sit still in a fire? Today's "Dotori" guest is a car mechanic, right?'

Dongsoo shouted to the fleeing people,

"Hey! There's someone there! Im Writer! Over there...!"

No one heard him, too busy trying to escape.

They didn't seem to know there was someone on the stage.

Dongsoo thought,

'This is really bad...'

But he...

"Damn!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he ran towards the stage.

Writer Im Hyesook, who was about to leave the studio, was shocked to see Dongsoo running to the stage.

"PD Gang!!! Where are you going!!!??"

"What do you mean!!! I'm going to save someone!!!"

'Someone...?'

Im Hyesook looked at the stage.

There, sitting was the "Dotori" guest, the A.I. humanoid "Gwon."

"PD Gang!! That's not a person!"

But Dongsoo had already run onto the burning stage.

Im Hyesook shouted in despair,

"Hey, you crazy bastard!!! Come back!!!"

= = = = = = =

Dongsoo sat down on the burning stage, muttering,

"...I'm going to go insane..."

On the opposite side, a man in hanbok, the A.I. humanoid "Gwon," replied,

"Yoga!? What kind of yoga in a fire!?"

What the hell!?

At that moment,

-Clang!

A burning lighting fixture fell next to Dongsoo.

"Ah!"

Dongsoo, frowning, shouted,

"Shut up! Who's fault is this...?"

"What, what is this...?"

Dongsoo saw a burning banner.

"A.I. Humanoid 'Gwon' Talk Show"

The super A.I. humanoid "Gwon," equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, surpassing the first A.I. humanoid "Jin" developed in Taiwan...

Made in Korea!

Super A.I. Humanoid 'Gwon'!

Dongsoo had seen it on the news.

Yeah...

But...

"To jump into a fire to save this thing!!!"

It's a robot! A robot!

Dongsoo wanted to turn back time!

Then "Gwon" asked,

"What are you talking about! I came to help you!"

Gwon made a creaking sound as it looked around the burning area.

Then it said,

"Right..."

'Even if I didn't know it was a robot...'

At that moment,

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions sounded from all sides of the stage.

Dongsoo, covering his head, crouched down.

"Damn...!"

He suddenly remembered a conversation with a senior at KBC.

'Damn...'

He didn't want to die like this!?

"Cough! Cough!"

It was getting harder to breathe.

Dongsoo collapsed.

He heard someone calling him.

It was probably Writer Im Hyesook.

Then Gwon asked,

"......?"

Gwon pointed to its head with its finger.

"Right... You're a tough one..."

"Ha ha... Right... Cough cough... You're right..."

Dongsoo laughed weakly and said,

"Why did you come to save me...? It's because..."

At that moment,

The ceiling started to shake.

And...

-Crash!

The ceiling collapsed!

Dongsoo thought,

'Am I going to die like this?'

His life flashed before his eyes.

He regretted it.

Coming to the review division and wasting time...

If he had known...

'I shouldn't have given up...'

Chase your dreams!

'Run like a mad dog!'

Too...

Regretful.

Dongsoo closed his eyes tightly.

The debris from the ceiling was about to hit his body...

-Crunch!

'Huh...?'

He lifted his head at the strange sound.

And his eyes widened.

The A.I. humanoid Gwon had shielded Dongsoo from the falling debris!

"You...!?"

"What?"

Dongsoo saw a large metal object falling.

"Danger...!"

-Crunch! Boom!

Something broke and exploded.

Dongsoo felt a burning sensation on his back and head.

And...

He lost consciousness, hearing Gwon's voice for the last time.

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