"Does anyone know why the end of Episode 10 of Gate Date was cut?"
First, let me say that I just watched the rerun, noticed something weird, went to the broadcast station's website, bought the episode, rewatched it, and then wrote this post.
The end, where the esper fought the monster in the city, was completely cut. Why?
It was definitely in the original broadcast. There were lots of posts about it, but why did they cut it from the rerun?
862 comments
It's obvious, hahaha. They had to cover up the monster escaping due to their gate mismanagement. How could they leave it as it was, hahaha.
┗ 2222 There's no other reason.
"Does anyone know why the end of Episode 10 of Gate Date was cut?"
First, let me say that I just watched the rerun, noticed something weird, went to the broadcast station's website, bought the episode, rewatched it, and then wrote this post.
The end, where the esper fought the monster in the city, was completely cut. Why?
It was definitely in the original broadcast. There were lots of posts about it, but why did they cut it from the rerun?
862 comments
It's obvious, hahaha. They had to cover up the monster escaping due to their gate mismanagement. How could they leave it as it was, hahaha.
┗ 2222 There's no other reason.
I also watched and thought, huh? The Association probably ordered it cut.
But I only realised after watching that broadcast that two monsters escaped, haha. The news only kept saying that the espers quickly captured the monster that had sneaked into the city.
┗ Yeah, I also thought there was just one monster before watching the show.
┗ It's crazy that not a single article mentioned this.
1. They were already getting flak for the monster escaping. If people found out there were actually two monsters, it'd be chaos. 2. They obviously didn't send any espers because it was a dump, trying to hide that, haha.
But why did they show it in the original broadcast? They should've cut it from the start.
┗ 22 If they were going to cut it, they should have done so from the beginning.
┗ I heard they aired it without the Association's consent?
What? I missed the original broadcast. Please explain what was cut.
┗ After the mission, they went to a staff dinner. Stepped out for a moment, encountered the monster that escaped from the gate, and fought it. There were other monsters to deal with, so no support came, and he ended up defeating it alone. The monster caused a building to collapse.
┗ Thanks. Wait, what? The building collapsed?
┗ Yes, but Joo-hyun used his powers to prevent casualties. However, he got trapped under the rubble.
┗ ?????? Is he alive?
┗ They said he is, but not sure exactly.
Honestly, I think cutting it was the right decision. Even though it was blurry and distant, it was too scary and brutal seeing him trapped under the rubble.
┗ Honestly, agreed. Watching with my family, we all gasped. The scene ended without showing his rescue, leaving everyone wondering what happened.
Wow, it's true. All the clips have been taken down.
What's with people complaining about no espers sent to the dump? Obviously, it makes sense to prioritise high-density areas to minimise casualties.
┗ 222 Priorities, duh.
┗ Still, sending no one at all is crazy.
┗ Come on, people live there too.
┗ If Joo-hyun hadn't been nearby, imagine how many would've died.
┗ Isn't it good if those trashy people die, haha.
┗ ?
┗ Troll, don't feed it.
I also watched the rerun, and they really cut it, haha. Instead, they increased the salamander screen time, haha, so cute.
* * *
"..."
"..."
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep staring."
At the brusque tone, Ga-ram clicked his tongue lightly. With a flick of his hand, the monster lunging at him was instantly charred black and fell to the ground.
"You look pretty intact for someone who was trapped under a building."
Joo-hyun finally understood the meaning of his stare.
A month and ten days had passed since Episode 10 of Gate Date had aired. Recently, Joo-hyun had ended up watching the rerun with the espers from Block C. As with Wednesday Film, it was quite embarrassing to see himself on screen.
"Look at that expression. He looks so downcast."
"He must have been nervous. Cute."
Se-hwa and Chae-kyung commented as they had watched the tense Joo-hyun stiffly moving on the screen. When the salamander-like monster was unleashed, Seung-cheol jokingly had nudged him, teasing about neglecting his duties.
Normally, he would have faced significant punishment, but the monster incident in the city had fortunately overshadowed it.
The neatly edited video ended abruptly, leaving a strange sense of disjointedness. Everyone's eyes had been on Joo-hyun's broken leg and the bandages still wrapped around him.
"They cut the whole ending."
"Yeah, but I think it's better. That scene was… scary."
Except for Seung-cheol, who was away on a mission, the colleagues who watched the original broadcast with him agreed it was a relief the scene of Joo-hyun being trapped under the building was removed. Their concerned faces made him feel both embarrassed and somewhat pleased.
In any case, the documentary co-produced by the Association and the broadcaster had ended like that. Though Joo-hyun's injury scene had been cut, a black screen had appeared with a notice that the esper in question had been undergoing treatment, before cutting to adverts.
"Those who watched the original broadcast probably thought you were dead."
"Or that you were barely clinging to life."
Bom-i and Se-hwa's voices were filled with discomfort. Honestly, Joo-hyun had thought he would die back then, too. Yet, Beom-jin's words about protecting Joo-hyun's and maybe even Cha In-ho's privacy were not lies. Satisfied with that, Joo-hyun turned the channel without regret.
It was Ga-ram who had dredged up the forgotten matter.
"My guide is skilled."
At the softly spoken words, Ga-ram was initially shocked, then pulled a disgusted face. As Joo-hyun's foot aimed for Ga-ram's shin, he easily dodged and struck down another monster with lightning.
The thought of many people seeing him getting beaten up by a monster made Joo-hyun feel embarrassed, but he knew the interest wouldn't last. Who would care about a runaway esper for long? They'd just laugh at him once and quickly forget.
Especially since it seemed the rerun had cut the entire ending, fewer people would even know about it.
Ga-ram, looking slightly dissatisfied, eventually shook his head and took down the remaining monsters.
"But what is this for?"
Joo-hyun murmured as he extracted an opal-coloured gem from the corpse.
Today's mission was to collect these gems. They were embedded in the monsters' foreheads, so Ga-ram quickly killed them, and Joo-hyun collected the gems.
"They'll probably sell them to the rich."
"Why?"
"Because the rich want them."
Ga-ram, glaring as if to say stop asking, glanced at the cast on his arm and clicked his tongue loudly again.
Ignoring him, Joo-hyun squatted down and held the gem up to the light. It did look quite pretty, changing colours depending on the angle. One rounded, multi-faceted gem slipped into the runaway esper's pocket unnoticed.
* * *
Even after surviving, Joo-hyun's daily life hadn't changed.
In fact, standing at death's door had happened more than once, so nothing much was different. At most, the guiding room now had a cosy yellow sofa instead of a hard chair, and the cracked table had been replaced with a smaller, cleaner glass one.
"You don't smoke much these days?"
Cha In-ho, leaning lightly against the round table, spoke in a curiously cheerful voice.
"…I haven't gone to the store recently."
Red eyes briefly glanced at the floor before rising again. Fortunately, it seemed the lie wasn't noticed.
"I hope it stays that way."
Feeling slightly offended by the earnest words, Joo-hyun crossed his legs and sank back into the sofa. The snugness of the sofa made him worry that Cha In-ho might take it back after their matching contract ended.
Of course, Joo-hyun had no intention of voicing this anxiety. He slid his hand into his pocket, feeling the mixture of smooth and rough surfaces of the stone.
What punishment would he face if caught? Would they lightly overlook it as a minor infraction or treat it as a serious offence for embezzling the Association's property?
After a moment's thought, Joo-hyun felt an inexplicable certainty that he would never find out. Because Cha In-ho wouldn't report it to the higher-ups.
After hesitating for a while, Joo-hyun nonchalantly took out the gem and tossed it to Cha In-ho.
"What's this?"
Cha In-ho deftly caught the pebble-sized stone and raised an eyebrow. The peculiar stone, shimmering with various colours, gleamed in the guide's hand.
Feeling suddenly awkward, Joo-hyun diverted his gaze to the green leaves outside the window, frowning slightly.
"I picked it up during a mission… I heard it's valuable."
"Are such things just lying around beyond the gate?"
Joo-hyun glanced at Cha In-ho, worried he might have figured out he had secretly taken it. But he merely examined the gem with a pleased expression, showing no sign of mockery. Even though it wasn't a deeply meaningful gift, he had picked it with his guide in mind, and his delighted look made Joo-hyun feel bashful.
Scratching the back of his neck, his nails tapped against the choker.
"If you don't need it, you can throw it away."
"Throw it away? Joo-hyun, you gave it to me. And where else would I get something like this?"
"It's nothing special. Just a common stone…"
The monster's gem was far from common, being valuable enough for the Association to send S-grade espers to retrieve them. But there was no need for Cha In-ho to know that. Joo-hyun didn't want him to realise how much he cared.
Pride might not put food on the table, but it could make a possibly rejection less painful. Joo-hyun's foot tapped anxiously against the floor.