<Episode 1376> 1376. Spirit’s Atlantis
Elena and Yuria have decided to appear on a sitcom.
It’s called “Six Brothers of Zone 6,700,” a long-running program that’s been airing for two years now. The content is lighthearted but fun, with the protagonists also trying their hand at breaking into the entertainment industry—making it surprisingly well-researched when it comes to showbiz details.
The ratings for *Six Brothers* hover around 60%, occasionally spiking up to 70% during peak episodes. With rumors spreading that Fobitz will make an appearance this time, surpassing 70% seems almost guaranteed.
“Normally, getting cast in *Six Brothers* isn’t this easy…”
Given its high ratings, many celebrities are vying for roles in the series.
“It was Lilith Entertainment pulling strings.”
Elena and Yuria arrived at the set.
Unlike variety show sets, which feel casual and relaxed, the sitcom set had an atmosphere akin to war.
“I get it. Since sitcoms film five episodes per week, things must be hectic.”
They approached the director of *Six Brothers*.
“Hello, Director. This is Tia from Fobitz, Yuria, and I’m Sung Yoojin, producer at Fobitz.”
“You’re here?”
The scruffy-bearded director replied with obvious irritation. He glanced briefly at Yuria and Elena before waving them off.
“As you can see, we’re busy. Even if your acting skills suck, we’ll just gloss over it. So don’t worry about bad reviews—that’s on you.”
“Heh heh… our girls know how to act!”
“We’ll find out later. Anyway, since you’re only appearing for one or two minutes tops, just don’t cause any trouble. We’re wrapping this scene soon, so wait over there for ten minutes.”
“Yes, please take care of us.”
I didn’t bother telling Elena and Yuria to greet anyone formally; they weren’t planning to stay in the entertainment world forever, so rumors about rudeness wouldn’t matter much. Of course, if such gossip spread, I’d personally rip the director limb from limb and shut him up.
We were supposed to wait ten minutes, but filming dragged on, leaving us waiting nearly thirty.
“Yuria! Tia! Your cue! Step forward!”
Yuria and Elena stepped in front of the camera, dressed as spoiled rich-girl extras adorned head-to-toe in luxury brands. For most celebrities, this would’ve looked tacky—like putting pearls on a pig—but not for them.
On these two, even the finest designer goods seemed inadequate compared to their natural grace and dignity.
‘This episode features the female protagonist working part-time at a department store when two wealthy socialites fight over her diamond necklace.’
Classic sitcom material.
Yuria crossed her arms, subtly emphasizing her fuller bust without looking vulgar. Instead, she exuded elegance and charisma.
“Hey, you. Hand over that necklace to me.”
Yuria’s haughty expression, perfect diction, and magnetic charm were flawless.
“…Impressive.”
Even the director couldn’t help but marvel.
Elena held her own against Yuria effortlessly. Raised among imperial politics where intrigue reigned supreme, she knew exactly how to play the game.
“Excuse me? I got here first. That necklace belongs to me. Lady, hand it over.”
“W-well… technically, you did arrive first, but she showed her card earlier…”
Yuria smirked triumphantly, urging the protagonist along.
“That’s right. First come, first served. What are you waiting for? Check out already!”
“Excuse me, miss. I’m a VVIP customer here. Do you know who I am?”
“Hmph. Like anyone doesn’t recognize a VVIP when they see one.”
“Ugh, who do you think you are?! Back off—I’ve already claimed that necklace!”
“Back off? How dare you speak to me like that?! Are you insane?!”
“Crazy? You’re the one losing it!”
“Crazy? Let’s settle this then!”
CRACK!
Yuria slapped Elena across the face.
Perfectly scripted, yet the sound was unusually loud, causing Elena’s head to snap sharply to the side. Feeling the tension rise, I swallowed hard.
‘They’re both such incredible actors that I momentarily forgot it was all staged.’
Elena slowly turned her head back. Her sharp eyes pierced through Yuria with a death glare.
“Right now…”
“Whaddya think you’re gonna do, glaring at me like that? I’ve already decided to buy that necklace, so back off and scram. You don’t wanna get roughed up even more…”
Zzaak!
Elena’s palm struck Yuria’s cheek. Yuria’s silver hair fluttered in the air as she turned her head back to glare fiercely at Elena.
“…”
“…”
This is where the female protagonist should step in and mediate. But the female protagonist is too scared to intervene and is trembling in fear instead. She’s intimidated by the overwhelming aura emanating from Yuria and Elena. It’s understandable—heck, even I’m on edge just watching. The director, who should be calling cut, is frozen in place, entranced by the scene.
“Are you really going through with this?”
“Do I look like someone who can’t follow through?”
“You bitch!”
“You hag!”
Yuria and Elena simultaneously lunged at each other. They grabbed each other’s hair and began screaming at the top of their lungs. Normally, such shouting would make voices sound hoarse, but…their voices were crystal clear, ringing sharply in our ears.
“Ack! Let go of that!”
“You let go first! Aaaah!”
“Let go, I said!”
“You first!!”
“KyaAAAAAAH!”
“AAAHHH!”
The female protagonist finally snapped out of it. She hurriedly inserted herself between them.
“A-ah, ladies! Calm down! Please calm yourselves! If you keep this up, I’ll call the police!”
“Kuuuuuuhhhh!”
The director shouted. He grinned, clearly pleased.
“Ho ho…I got too absorbed despite being the director. Expect great footage from this. Ah, prepare for the next scene—the one where the ladies reconcile after the protagonist intervenes. Having a policeman there might add some flair too.”
“Director, there’s no policeman in the script…”
“Can’t we just get a police uniform? Stop acting so green, assistant director.”
“…I’ll prepare it immediately.”
A break was called.
I approached Elena and Yuria, still tense. Their disheveled hair, the distinct handprint on Yuria’s cheek…
“What are you asking about like it’s something obvious? We wouldn’t have fought seriously, would we?”
“Yes. If we had fought seriously…this wouldn’t be the end result. And I don’t particularly harbor ill feelings toward Lady Elena.”
“…Actually, I did have a bit of malice. Yuria, don’t you remember? Last time, you killed me.”
“Hmm. My memory fails me.”
“You…!”
Contrary to her words, Elena’s face remained calm. Her growling sounded more like idle banter. Relieved that they weren’t genuinely fighting, I sighed in relief. During the break, the two spent their time drinking wine.
The filming was flawless.
It has been three weeks since Yuria and Miling were summoned. Pobitz only has half of his remaining time left.
‘Popularity is steadily rising. No problems.’
「Pobitz Popularity: 3,151,698」
「Pobitz Popularity Rank: 11th」
They haven’t yet entered the top 10.
But starting this week, that will change.
‘This week, everything we prepared will start paying off.’
Starting this week, the programs Pobitz filmed will begin airing. The members have appeared on over ten variety shows, and there are four exclusive programs dedicated solely to Pobitz. All of these are scheduled to premiere this week.
‘After all, popularity is also about building momentum.’
Pobitz will storm through Region 6,700 like a typhoon.
‘And at the end of this week, Pobitz will debut a new song. This time, we worked with Etwall to create costumes that perfectly match the concept without being weird, and successfully mobilized all resources from Lilith Entertainment.’
There was opposition from Lilith Entertainment. They argued that Pobitz’s image was being consumed too quickly.
‘You don’t get it. You have to hit hard while things are still fresh. The stronger the stimulation, the better. To secure dominance over Region 6,700, Pobitz needs to reach number one—even if just for a brief moment.’
The variety shows featuring Pobitz flooded the airwaves.
Each member showcased their unique charm on the variety shows. Their overwhelming visuals and individual personalities were enough to attract fans. Along with Pobitz’s pure image, it was irresistible.
「Pobitz Popularity: 5,004,395」
「Pobitz Popularity Rank: 9th」
Popularity skyrocketed, and so did their ranking.
“Perfect timing! Venus Studio’s schedule is disrupted because their studio collapsed! This is our chance for Pobitz to dominate the entertainment industry!”
Lilith cheered. The more popular Pobitz becomes, the greater the profits for Lilith Entertainment.
“To be honest…Chunma, isn’t that Gender PD?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Pretending not to know? Fine. But you’d better be careful. Venus Entertainment doesn’t mess around when they decide to act. Heard about Aphrodite’s myths? That woman has quite the nasty temper.”
“Will they directly attack?”
“It’s possible.”
“…”
Time passed.
Using SNS actively, Pobitz spread heartwarming stories…
It spread across the . Of course, it was fabricated praise. However, the dumb piglets didn’t doubt the praise much.
Journalists from other agencies who were paid to write malicious articles about Pobitz appeared.
The content of the article claimed that Pobitz was throwing money around on music sites and had an inappropriate relationship with me, the producer. They also spread nasty scandals in an attempt to curb Pobitz’s rising popularity.
Fortunately, the cyber-wreckers are quiet. They’re still terrified from the suicide video of Park Soon-chul from PakssiTV. Of course, there were some fools who attacked Pobitz… but when that happened, I hunted down those cyber-wreckers and journalists and threatened them. After kindly tearing off one arm and grinding it into a mixer for them to eat, they wisely decided to stay quiet.
“Pobitz’s Popularity: 7,712,928”
“Pobitz’s Popularity Rank: 7th place.”
Things are going smoothly.
Pobitz’s popularity is steadily rising.
“PD Sung Yoojin. I’m aware that Pobitz’s recent popularity isn’t ordinary. There’s a way to bring Pobitz even higher. Would you like to hear it?”
Colin, the director of Lilith Entertainment, appeared before me and said this. The middle-aged man with brown hair looked at me somewhat disdainfully.
I endured it once. He is the director of Lilith Entertainment, after all. Perhaps he really has a good proposal.
“Let me hear it.”
“The 6,700 district is a society dominated by a small group of elites. Although Aphrodite holds the number one spot in popularity rankings, without them, the society of the 6,700 district would not function. Conversely, their power and wealth can control the entire 6,700 district.”
“…Director Colin, could you please get to the point? I’m kind of busy.”
“There will be a secret party of theirs in three days. I’d like you to send Pobitz there.”
“Are you asking Pobitz to offer sexual favors?”
“Not exactly sexual favors… just flattering them will do. During the process, there might be some sexual harassment… but surely you can endure that much, right? Consider the rewards: over ten advertisements, two fixed programs Pobitz can appear in for a year… If you find it awkward to tell Pobitz, I’ll persuade her. Let her meet those ladies… AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
I tore Colin’s limbs apart.
I repeatedly regenerated his limbs using top-grade potions and then tore them again.
As much as I’d like to rip his torso apart too, that would be too easy.
“…You’re going to live a long time.”
I called David from Nar Entertainment. Using a lie detector, I extracted information from Colin. He planned to sacrifice Pobitz in exchange for cash and investment in a new agency. I also found out everyone who intended to lay hands on Pobitz.
David swallowed dryly and asked me,
“…Do you plan to hunt them down and kill them?”
“That’s too easy. And if I kill all of them now, it’ll dampen Pobitz’s rising popularity.”
“If you give the order, I’ll take care of it.”
“David. I won’t kill those bastards. I’ll keep them alive. Until the end of this world. And there are quite a few people I intend to save.”
During my time as Pobitz’s manager and producer, I’ve met all sorts of people.
Among them were those who sent naked pictures to Pobitz’s official email, others like Director Colin who subtly proposed sponsorship, those who crossed the line with vicious comments, obsessive fans who stalked Pobitz, and those who threatened to kill her while trolling online.
I remember all of them.
“…May I hear your plan, Yoojin-nim?”
“I’ll build a farm under this city.”
“A farm? For horses?”
“No. A human farm. A human farm solely designed to inflict suffering on those who don’t know their place.”
David trembled slightly. He knows better than anyone that I’m serious.
“They’ll spend their entire lives eating their own flesh and filth.”
「The King of Coins laughs.」
「The King of Coins is happy.」
「A fallen star admires you.」
「The Gold Collector acknowledges you.」
「The Devourer of Sins fears you.」
「The Sacred Flame scorns you.」
「The Cycle of Life and Death warns you.」
「The Lord of the Skies finds interest.」
「The King of Coins bestows a gift upon you.」
A pitch-black gem appeared in the air. I took it.
「Core of Eternal Hell
Can create an eternal hell.
Those within the eternal hell cannot die. They will suffer forever. There is no salvation.
The overseer of the eternal hell is unaffected by its influence.
Rank: SSS」
“…Seems like you’re pretty pleased with it, huh, David? Make your choice. Will you become the overseer of the farm?”
I deliberately showed him the Core of Eternal Hell.
David’s choice was already decided.
“Leave it to me. I won’t disappoint you.”
“If you don’t want to become a bug, you’d better perform well.”
