The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

"HELLO and welcome to [Penalty Quiz]!" the male emcee said, making a bow and ending it with a flourish, looking like some kind of master showman.

This was the emcee's signature gesture to welcome the live audience, as well as the ones watching the broadcast at home or in some other place. Just as expected, the live audience in the studio clapped and cheered after that welcome.

"Today, we will have a special episode. And what does a special episode need?" he put his hand behind his ear as if waiting for the audience to answer. Mixed answers were heard from the audience. When he was finally done arousing everyone's curiosity, he said, "Of course, it's a special emcee! So, everyone, let's give a warm applause to the special emcee of this episode, the one and only, Lance Reid!"

The audience seemed to be shock hearing the name the emcee mentioned. This was because guests of [Penalty Quiz] were usually not reveal until the episode started. So, they had no idea that today's guests were the cast of [The Great War]. If they knew, they might have somehow guessed who the special emcee would be.

But the moment Lance Reid appeared in the studio, the audience cheered enthusiastically. The other first greeted the emcee before turning towards the audience.

"Hello everyone! This is Lance Reid!" Then he looked straight at the camera filming him and winked.

As soon as that scene appeared on the screen, the audience's cheers became even more deafening. Leland, who was watching this all from the side, felt like a bomb was detonated in front of him because of how loud it was.

He looked at Lance. The other was waving at the audience, smiling like some kind of professional playboy. And the audience loved it. Was this what they referred to as 'fan service'.

Well, at least he seemed to be a pro at that. Maybe this was why he was popular despite not being a good actor?

Yes, Leland was having a misunderstanding of Lance lack of 'acting talent' because of how the other badly acted earlier when they walked into the waiting room. If Lance knew this, he probably would have cried in the corner of a room.

"So, Lance, why did you suddenly decide to accompany me as a special emcee today?" the male emcee asked.

"What else? It's because I'm a big fan of the show!"

The emcee knew that Lance Reid was actually a last addition for today's episode. From what he heard from the program director, the other's agent suddenly asked if they could add Lance as a special emcee for today. Of course, the director quickly agreed. Because his presence would surely add to their show's ratings. It was still dubious though.

No matter what how curious the emcee was, he was still a professional. So, work came first. He showed an exaggeratedly moved expression in response to what Lance Reid said.

"Then, we're very honored. But I'm sure that's not the only reason."

Lance laughed. "That's right. It's because the guests for today's episode are very close to my heart."

"Oohh... now you're making me curious." The emcee looked at the audience and asked. "Are you curious too?"

The audience's answer was a resounding 'yes'.

"Then, I won't make you wait anymore," Lance said. "Let's all welcome the cast members of [The Great War]!"

After he said that, four people entered the studio. Yujin was walking at the front, followed by the third female lead, and the fourth female lead. The one walking at the end was Astrid. Even though all of them had supporting roles in the drama, it's enough for the audience to get excited at their presence.

It's because Astrid and Yujin were promising newcomers while the other two were also steadily making a name for themselves.

"Welcome to [Penalty Quiz]. Please, say hello to our audience," the emcee said after the four stood at the center of the studio with them.

The first one to introduce himself was Yujin.

"Good afternoon to everyone watching here and from their home. This is Yujin Wells. I will do my best to answer the questions given by the Quiz Masters. Please look forward to it!"

Then, the two women also did their greetings one after another. After they were done, it was now Astrid's turn.

"Hello everyone! I'm Astrid Townsend. This is my first time guesting here so I'm a bit nervous. But I will definitely do my best!"

He said that last part with a 'fighting' gesture. It was captured on the huge screen in the studio which made most of the audience go 'aww'. Even though most of them didn't know what that gesture meant, they had a feeling that he was cheering himself up. Which made him looked cute and adorable in their eyes.

"Now that our amazing guests for today made their greetings, let's start the quiz, shall we?" the emcee said before turning to Lance. "Then, Lance, will you do us the honor?"

He was asking Lance to do the tag line that he usually said before the quiz start.

Lance then looked at the camera with a playful smile. "It's quiz time! Will you be rewarded or will you be punished?"

Four podiums suddenly appeared in front of the four guests. There's a buzzer on each podium. Then, the emcee started explaining the game rules. Which was pretty straightforward.

There's a panel that containing different categories and were divided into easy, medium, and hard difficulty. Each questions corresponded to a number of points depending on the difficulty level. Easy was worth 2 points, medium was 5 points, while the hard was 10 points.

The panel system would be the one controlling what kind of category and difficulty would be chosen. In short, the questions would be very random. The one who had the most points at the end of the show would be the winner and would be given a reward. While the one with the least points would be penalized. Of course, if one gave a wrong answer, they would also have to go through a penalty.

And just like that, the quiz finally started.