Chapter 31 - Quiz Show
"I find myself kind of drawn to that sort of thing."
I continued as I sipped my iced tea. Mm. Sweet.
"Kind of... the imbalance created by the contrast between atmosphere and situation? For example, something like this. Imagine a fairy tale world. A prince and princess living happily ever after, laughing together. They decide to gather their forest animal friends and throw a banquet."
"Just hearing that much, it sounds like a beautiful picture, right? But then you add a twist. The handsome prince, the beautiful princess, the brave lion, the cute rabbit, and the easygoing turtle all gather together. And then... well, they all light up cigarettes and smoke together."
"Oppa, what kind of twisted nonsense is that?"
Seo-eun looked at me with an expression of disgust.
Come on, there's no need to be that horrified...
"I think I understand what you're getting at."
"Unnie Subin?"
When Seo-eun looked at Subin with a shocked expression, as if she'd been betrayed, Subin waved her hands frantically in denial.
"No, I mean. I think I get what Da-in is trying to say. Like a slightly dark fairy tale? That kind of feeling, right?"
"Mm, exactly. That's the vibe."
I nodded in agreement.
Actually, to be more precise, it's something more like... a drama inspired by Squid Game.
Squid Game, the Marble Game, dalgona candy picking, and so on.
Things that are so familiar to us, things that evoke childhood innocence just by hearing about them.
That sense of disconnect when those things aren't used for fun games, but instead for survival and death.
The rule where you don't get rewarded with dalgona candy for picking it out properly, but instead die horribly if you fail. That kind of rule. Games with rules like that are both cruel and funny, yet familiar—creating a huge sense of dissonance.
...If I tried to explain all this to these two, I'd just get scolded for rambling incoherently. Seo-eun would say it directly, Subin with her eyes.
And honestly, it's hard to make them understand since the drama inspired by Squid Game doesn't exist in this world. One less source of national pride—as a patriot, I find that truly sad.
"So... you're saying this terror attack is like that?"
"Exactly. Any terror attack needs a clear concept. I've used the dilemma concept twice already, so this time I'm going with a dark fairy tale concept."
***
[THE EGO SHOW]
[Now Live]
At an altitude of 25,000 feet.
All communication with the outside world—phone, internet, everything—cut off.
A sealed space in the sky.
This place, carrying approximately eighty people.
Was quiet enough to hear only breathing.
No, more precisely, only the voices of people had disappeared.
People sat in silence, quietly listening to the voice flowing from the speakers.
[Welcome to the greatest quiz show in the sky, The Ego Show Live!]
[Now then, let's start the game!]
They didn't know.
That the voice they'd casually heard on the news while eating dinner.
That voice they'd giggled at on YouTube.
Could be this terrifying.
It was definitely a voice they'd heard at least once on broadcasts.
Slightly flippant yet simultaneously cheerful, a voice that naturally commanded attention.
But why did his voice coming through the speakers now instill such primal fear?
Only now could they truly reflect on everything Egostic had done until this point.
Two large-scale terror attacks.
Over ten people killed by his own hands.
Association-designated A-Rank Villain: "Extremely cruel with high escape probability."
Everyone had laughed and joked about "Mangostick, Mangostick."
But now that reality had struck, they finally understood.
Why Egostic was called a villain.
His words flowing from the speakers sounded like those of an innocent child conducting a fun game.
But the content within was nothing short of cruel.
[Now, the rules of the game are simple!]
[Rule 1: Absolutely no making noise! The moment anyone makes a sound, one of the three wires attached to the bomb will automatically be cut! When they're all cut... you know what happens, right?]
[Rule 2: No communication! Cheating is a crime, a crime. If I catch you communicating in any way... well, I'll just blow it up immediately. We can always do the quiz show another time.]
With each horrifying statement, the faces of those on the plane turned deathly pale.
Some swallowed hard, others showed tears, and some closed their eyes in prayer to God.
Regardless, the voice continued flowing from the speakers.
[Now then, let me explain the core content—Rule 3.]
Simultaneously, the display screens in front of each seat changed.
A black-and-white animation in the style of 1980s American cartoons began playing, with text appearing in English.
[EGO's Funny Non-Sense Quiz]
'Non-Sense Quiz...?'
As if answering the question forming in people's minds, Egostic's voice from the speakers continued.
[The rules are simple! There will be a total of ten Non-Sense Quiz questions, and you need to answer them correctly! If even just one person gets them all right, I'll quietly and safely let the plane go. But if everyone gets them wrong? Boom. The bomb goes off!]
It sounded deceptively simple.
Answer ten Non-Sense Quiz questions correctly?
Like a game elementary school students play when they're bored.
A game far too childish for adults.
But when lives were the stakes, the story changed completely.
[I'll personally read the Non-Sense Quiz questions starting from number 1! You'll also be able to read them on the display in front of you. Where do you submit your answers, you ask? Check the messaging app on your phones! You'll see a text from an unknown number, right?]
As his words ended and people hurriedly pulled out their phones, there was indeed a text message.
[THE EGO SHOW Submit your answers here!]
A single text from an unknown number.
No one knew how he'd sent a text on a plane where signals didn't even work, but regardless, it was definitely there.
The announcement continued from the speakers.
[Once a question is given, you have 3 minutes to write your answer and send it via text! Wow, 3 minutes! That's enough time for a whole cup of instant noodles to cook. Pretty long, right? You know how when you pour water into cup noodles, those 3 minutes until you can eat feel like forever? I've been generous for your sake. Haha.]
'What's generous about that, you crazy bastard!'
People could only think it internally, unable to voice it aloud.
Because Egostic had warned that he'd detonate the bomb the moment anyone made a sound.
[Get even one question wrong and you're immediately out! No second chances. If you fail the first question, knowing the answers to the remaining nine won't mean anything, will it? Still, surely among this many people, at least one person can get them all right. I believe in you!]
Rules that sounded incredibly unfair even just hearing them.
However, they had no right to refuse.
Before people could even collect themselves, cheerful music began playing from the speakers.
Against the backdrop of upbeat music came Egostic's exuberant shout.
[Alright then! Without further ado, let's begin the first-ever Ego Show! First question! How many people can fit in the Titanic's lifeboat?]
At the same time, the question appeared on the displays in front of the passengers' seats.
[First Question. How many people can fit in the Titanic's lifeboat?]
And below it, numbers began counting down in bold red letters.
[3:00]
[2:59]
[2:58]
People hurriedly began typing their answers into their phones.
Before long, time ran out, and Egostic's voice broadcast again with cheerful music.
[Yes! Time's up for the first question. The correct answer is... nine people, since it's a lifeboat! That was pretty easy, and almost everyone got it right. As expected of Koreans, a people who love wordplay! Magnificent.]
Those who had texted [9 people] received a message reading [Correct!].
Some breathed sighs of relief, while others' faces turned deathly pale.
Regardless, Egostic's broadcast continued.
[Now then! Let's move right on to the second question! What is the hottest fruit in the world?]...
***
*
[This quiz show is hell, shivering]
[Wow, I would've pissed myself if I were there]
[Egostic is a real villain, but who's the idiot trying to pass him off as a hero? Those people are all gonna die]
[Fact) As long as it's not me, I'm good]
[But how did he even install bombs on the plane? Don't they thoroughly check for explosives?]
[No clue LOL]
[What's the captain even doing... Can't they just make an emergency landing?]
[If they tried that, Egostic would probably blow them sky-high immediately.]
*
"Association President, what can we even do while the culprit is doing this up in the sky?"
"We're useless."
The Association President continued speaking while watching the broadcast with a grim expression.
"Go get some popcorn, Stardus."
Stardus threw the popcorn sitting beside her right at the Association President's face.