The usual atmosphere of If You Switch It On, You’ll Be a King was that of a nearly raw broadcast. Although the cast refrained from using profanity, the mood was light and carefree, with everyone playing around freely.

But today...

‘Why does everyone seem so stiff?’

Seoyeon felt a bit puzzled. Everyone seemed unusually tense. Was it because she was an actress?

But they had their reasons.

‘Wow, she’s really pretty.’ ‘Is she even the same species as us?’

Seoyeon’s appearance naturally muted their conversations. Meanwhile, Hwang Junho, who was essentially the main host, felt rather awkward.

‘Can she really play games?’

He regretted not discussing what games she could play beforehand. In the past, they used to give the guests a heads-up.

However, as the show’s concept evolved into more of an impromptu style, they started spinning a roulette wheel on the spot to decide.

‘Still, if they had any sense, they’d have picked something appropriate.’

Thinking this, Hwang Junho brought over the roulette wheel with a rattle.

“Now, let’s take a moment to select the game that will drive today’s broadcast.”

The roulette was covered with sticky notes hiding the game titles, and it seemed the games would be revealed once the wheel stopped.

‘Please, let it be something easy!’

No matter how you looked at it, Seoyeon didn’t seem like someone who was familiar with games. Although there were many celebrities these days who promoted themselves as “fashion otakus” or “fashion gamers,” Seoyeon’s appearance didn’t fit even those labels. It was only natural to doubt her gaming skills.

“What kind of game would you like to play?” Hwang Junho asked.

“I’m confident with any game,” Seoyeon replied confidently, showing no doubt that she could handle whatever came her way.

This wasn’t an unfounded confidence. Seoyeon’s overwhelming physical abilities backed it up.

It’s common knowledge that someone who’s undergone TS (Total Substitution, a trope where someone’s physical body is drastically altered) would naturally have superior reflexes, right? At the very least, Seoyeon was sure she would excel at anything that required physical effort.

‘But, now that I think about it, I haven’t played any games since I was reborn.’

To be fair, she hadn’t felt the need to because most of the games she knew, she had already completed. Lacking emotional depth in her previous life, she cleared games without much excitement. The memories of those games were still vividly clear to her.

Since she could recall every detail of her past life, including game stories, endings, and strategies, Seoyeon was confident she could do well this time too.

With those thoughts, she spun the roulette.

[Out Crazy 2] A game where the protagonist, a journalist, sneaks into a mental hospital.

In other words, a horror game.

“?”

Of course, Seoyeon had never played this game before. Not in this life or the previous one.

A horror game, of all things. The roulette felt like it had been set up with malice.

But inwardly, Hwang Junho was impressed. If the player was someone unfamiliar with games, a horror game could produce some great reactions.

Of course, it was purely luck that the roulette landed on this, but the other games on the wheel were notoriously difficult, like the “pot game” and other challenging titles.

Seoyeon didn’t know it, but she was lucky to have landed on a horror game.

“Seoyeon, have you ever played a horror game before?” “...I don’t think so.” “Oh dear.”

Hwang Junho smacked his forehead, subtly giving the crew a thumbs-up. Horror games are best played by those with no prior experience, as their reactions tend to be more entertaining.

‘It’s also easier to pass the controller if she gives up.’

If she couldn’t continue, another cast member could take over. Incidentally, Hwang Junho was pretty confident in his ability to handle horror games, especially puzzle types.

“Okay, then, let’s get started. Please check the time.”

The other cast members settled onto the prepared sofas. Seoyeon, who was handed the game controller first, swallowed nervously as the eerie background music began to play.

Her serious expression looked almost cinematic, making it a perfect scene.

‘Hmm, but she needs to give some good reactions.’

PD Choi Kwang-soo, who was filming Seoyeon, was a bit concerned. As an actress, he worried she might prioritize her image too much.

A variety show only works if you’re willing to let yourself be silly. With that worry in mind, the game began.

Watching the journalist enter the ominous mental hospital, Seoyeon asked, “It looks obviously dangerous, so why are they going in?”

“Oh, you’d have to watch the previous game to understand.” “If something bad happened before, shouldn’t they avoid going in?”

A valid question. The cast members had no answer. After all, survival is the most important thing.

“But Seoyeon, are you confident in playing horror games?” “Me?”

Seoyeon began moving through the dark corridors of the mental hospital, operating the unfamiliar controller. To be honest, even though it was a horror game, Seoyeon didn’t feel much of anything.

And for good reason.

“I’ve never felt fear in my life.” “...”

Hwang Junho closed his mouth at her confident declaration, like she was some kind of invincible warrior. And she wasn’t lying. In her previous life, due to her condition, she had never experienced fear, leaving her somewhat numb to emotions she hadn’t properly learned.

“So even if you ask if this is scary...”

At first, Seoyeon navigated the early parts of the game calmly, moving through the eerie corridors with steady steps. The cast thought, ‘Maybe she really is confident in horror games.’

“Not really.” [Aaaargh!!]

And then, a typical jump scare. A grotesque creature suddenly appeared around the corner.

Crack!!

A breaking sound echoed.

“Huh?”

When Hwang Junho looked down, he saw that the joystick on Seoyeon’s controller was gone.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just gone—it had snapped off and flown across the room.

‘Did that really just break?’

The cast members watching from behind had similar thoughts.

The moment the creature jumped out, Seoyeon’s thumb had pressed down on the joystick so hard it broke off. Naturally, the character she was controlling died.

“Uh, Seoyeon?” “I-I made a small mistake.”

Her reaction was noticeably different from before. Her pupils were shaking, and her voice trembled.

“You seem pretty startled.” “I’m not scared.”

Seoyeon was handed a new controller.

‘Was the controller’s durability that low?’

Everyone examined the broken controller. The joystick had snapped off cleanly, which was surprising.

With that minor hiccup, the game resumed in earnest.

And then the real fun began.

“Left left left left!” “...!!” “No, if you go that way, you have to dodge! Dodge!” “I-I pressed it. It’s not dodging...”

[Aaaargh!!]

Crack!!

Every time there was a jump scare, it was time to switch controllers. The number of destroyed controllers piling up on the floor was pitiful. Joysticks were flying off, and the dodge buttons were smashed in so deep they wouldn’t work.

“Hmph.”

PD Choi Kwang-soo collected the broken controllers into a box and thought.

‘Did we get the wrong person for this show?’

At first, it seemed like a fluke. But when something happens twice, three times, it’s no longer a coincidence. How could she keep destroying every controller?

They were starting to run low on spares. Moreover...

‘Why isn’t she giving up?’

Admittedly, it was fun to watch. She was more physically engaged than he expected... but was this really acting?

She seemed genuinely terrified.

“...Should I take over if you’re too scared?”

Four hours into the recording, one of the cast members, Gong Taekyun, hesitantly offered.

“I-I’ll try a bit more.” “You seem unfamiliar with the controller...” “The controller just can’t keep up with my reflexes.”

Oh, is that how it works? To be fair, her reaction time was incredibly fast, even if her control was clumsy. The way she destroyed the controllers almost simultaneously with the appearance of a creature was proof enough.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Seoyeon was genuinely trying her best. She had never once thought she’d be bad at games. Isn’t it common sense that TS people are good at games? If you’re TS and can’t play games, are you even really TS?

You’re just a girl.

Her world was crumbling, and her understanding of reality was being challenged. Seoyeon found herself grappling with an unexpected identity crisis as she played.

[Grargh!]

“Eek!”

The grotesque mid-boss creature made a shocking entrance. Its terrifying appearance caused Seoyeon to scream for the first time in her life.

Boom!

And at the same time, Seoyeon’s controller finally split in half.

As the plastic pieces flew everywhere, Hwang Junho found himself marveling at the scene before him.

With the game over screen on display, Seoyeon collapsed sideways onto the couch.

Did she die? It looked like a scene from a tragic movie.

Everyone watched her with concern.

“Please, take over.”

It seemed strange that a game could make her so despairing.

It was now six hours into the recording.

Despite everything, the filming of If You Switch It On, You’ll Be a King was considered successful. Initially, with the show’s low ratings, it didn’t make much of a splash.

But as clips of Seoyeon circulated online, the atmosphere began to change. The broadcast itself only slightly exceeded the usual ratings at 0.8%, but the rerun posted on the official YouTube channel surpassed one million views in just a week.

• “Is she really a fashion gamer? Or is she just a fashion gorilla?”
• “This is the first time I’ve seen a controller break like that.”
• “I’m a personal trainer. I couldn’t even break a controller with a hammer.”
• “If she can crush a controller like that, who’s going to use one?”
• “She should be an athlete, not an actress.”
• “I’ve never felt fear in my life.”
• “I believe her.”

Given that she had been a hot topic recently, people were talking about her a lot. The fact that she was young and appeared in a school uniform also attracted attention.

• “Wearing the school uniform was a genius move.”
• “It’s hilarious how everyone avoided looking at her.”
• “She might be a fashion gamer, but she surprisingly knew a lot. Maybe she’s for real.”
• “She doesn’t seem bad at games.”
• “The final part with Ring Fit was epic. She should quit acting and do this.”
• “She actually cleared the game in the end. Cheers to that.”

Although she had faltered at one point, Seoyeon eventually managed to clear the game. It took 8 hours and 45 minutes.

It was a bit slow, but considering the delays caused by the broken controllers, it was a decent time. The Ring Fit segment at the end was particularly noteworthy. For the record, Seoyeon completed the Ring Fit challenge in record time, without a single failure or death.

“That wasn’t really a game,” she thought.

While everyone gave her a thumbs-up for her performance in Ring Fit, Seoyeon felt a bit down. She wanted to be praised for her gaming skills, not just her physical abilities. She decided to practice more later.

In any case, even if it wasn’t exactly what she intended, Seoyeon managed to create some buzz in the community and succeeded in leaving a positive impression.

The image of Princess Yeonhwa would certainly help balance out her upcoming villain role.

“Seoyeon! You got a CF offer!”

As Seoyeon gloomily watched the rerun of If You Switch It On, You’ll Be a King, her manager, Park Eunha, cheerfully approached her. Although they had started out awkwardly, Seoyeon and Eunha had quickly become close, now referring to each other as sisters.

“...What kind of CF?” “A game controller ad.” “I’m not doing it.”

The ad was meant to showcase the durability of the game controller, but Seoyeon had no intention of participating.

A week later, just as Seoyeon was starting to regain her composure.

“Did you hear?” “Apparently, actress Hwang Min-hwa...”

Seoyeon overheard a conversation.

It was about Nova Entertainment’s star, Hwang Min-hwa, who was reportedly leaving the company.