Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Translator: Penny
Chapter 96
Reve finally received a full-fledged variety show offer:
Survive on 20,000 Won, a primetime broadcast program.
Originally aired under a different name, the show had been canceled years ago. It was revived with a slightly tweaked title a few years back.
The selling point, they said, was watching celebrities squabble over meager sums of money.
With rising inflation making it impossible to survive a week on 10,000 won as before, the budget was adjusted to reflect current prices, and the duration was shortened.
The mission: survive for three days on 20,000 won. This meant the participant was in for three days of grueling hardship.
Moreover, the show was notorious for its 24/7 surveillance, making even sneaking a midnight snack impossible.
"Yehyeon Hyung should definitely be the one doing the mission."
"Me? Why?"
"This kind of thing is usually the job of the team's visual."
"You'd never compliment me. Tell me the truth."
"Hey, did you see that? Guys, did you see that? Even when I try to say something nice, he reacts like this! How am I supposed to say anything nice? Hyung, you shouldn't keep scolding me for being rude! You're even dismissing your own brother's good intentions! What's wrong with you?"
As I glared and raised my voice, the youngest member, who had been scrolling through his phone, casually revealed the truth:
"Eden Hyung said Yehyeon Hyung could survive for days on just one lettuce, so he should definitely be the one to do the mission."
Seo Yehyeon, seizing his chance to gloat, tilted his chin upward with smug satisfaction.
"See? There was an ulterior motive all along."
"Jaehee, this is betrayal."
Betrayed by the youngest member I had trusted so deeply, I slumped dejectedly. There's no one in this world you can trust, they say.
"This is something the leader should handle."
"You only look for the leader when it suits you."
"That would only make sense if you never asserted your authority as leader in the first place."
"Yeah, no."
"Seriously, is this the kind of conversation twenty-two-year-olds and twenty-one-year-olds should be having?"
"Well, wait till you're this age. Do people suddenly become dramatically mature?"
Of course, I had regressed after turning twenty-seven, but I couldn't be bothered arguing, so I decided to stick with my current age of twenty-one.
If we calculated based on my age before regression, Seo Yehyeon should be calling me "Hyung."
"By the way, who are we up against?"
With that question, I voiced the reason that had been making me uneasy since I received the variety show offer.
"Altair."
They were already making it obvious they were trying to keep Reve in check.
Cha Yeonho was the only one who openly showed his hostility toward me. However, according to the gossip I'd heard from the KICKS members before my regression—or rather, the backstabbing—Rising was fiercely competitive, so the others likely shared Yeonho's attitude.
Was it a coincidence that another variety show overlapped with The Dating Guide, or was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?
Even Cha Yeonho's jabs at me on The Dating Guide had backfired, turning into a counterattack against me by Altair's fans.
Fortunately, my "refreshing" performance on the show overshadowed the negativity.
"Wow, thank goodness we're not KICKS. If we were, no matter who got stuck with the mission, Eden Hyung and Hajun Hyung would have starved us all by refusing to spend a single penny."
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Kim Dobin openly sighed in relief, dramatically wiping his chest.
"Hey, even if Jun might, I'm not that ruthless."
"Isn't it the other way around?"
"Well, our Jun goes completely berserk whenever KICKS is involved."
Gyeon Hajun grinned at my remark and nodded.
"Can't deny that."
In any case, we had to decide who would carry out the mission and inform the production team by today.
"The leader should do it, right?"
"No, the team's visual should. We need someone who'll get a lot of camera time and promote us with their face."
"Youngest member, wanna give it a shot?"
"I'll gladly defer to my hyungs."
"Dobin, you do it then."
"I'm the type who'd blow through ten thousand won in a day and still have money left over. Self-awareness is my specialty."
"Hajun, wanna give it a try?"
"Ah, Hyung, why are you trying to put even more restrictions on someone who's already struggling to handle meal duties?"
"I'm sorry, Hajun..."
After a fierce round of procrastination, the designated mission performer was finally decided...
"Buy one head of lettuce and eat it for three days. That's how we win. Got it, Hyung?"
"This is insane. I'm trying to watch my diet, but I can't survive on just lettuce!"
The Eldest Member decided to demonstrate self-sacrifice firsthand.
Reve's entry fairy and visual, fighting!
Surviving on 20,000 Won: Altair vs. Reve
Project: Three Days on 20,000 Won!
The appearance of Altair, a six-member boy group firmly established as A-list, and Reve, a rising five-member boy group gaining momentum, drew considerable attention.
[Cha Yeonho: Hello, I'm Yeonho, the mission executor from Altair.]
[KJ: Yeonho is the biggest penny-pincher in Altair, so he was unanimously chosen for this mission. After observing him, we realized it would be more advantageous to have a frugal member handle it rather than coaching someone else.]
[Cha Yeonho: Penny-pincher? At least call me thrifty!]
[Ju Hyeongjin: Exactly! Our Yeonho Hyung is incredibly resourceful. He always snags discounts, coupons, and free gift certificates, and he even compares credit card benefits to choose the best one.]
Kim Seogyun: I really admire Yeonho Hyung. I'm too tired to live like that.
Gwon Taehyeok: I'm confident Yeonho Hyung can save more than 5,000 won.
I Sumin: But what if we save that much and the other team challenges us to a balance swap?
Cha Yeonho: Let's worry about that after we actually save that much, guys. I'm already feeling the pressure.
Altair had watched every episode of the show and meticulously planned their strategy.
Seo Yehyeon: Hello, I'm Yehyeon from Reve, and I'll be the mission performer.
Yoon Eden: Why did we pick Yehyeon Hyung as the mission performer? Because he's the most frugal. He's our team's biggest picky eater. Why are you laughing, Dobin?
Kim Dobin: No, it's just too funny. It's not like he's good at saving money or anything. He was chosen because he has the best fuel efficiency. It sounds like we're talking about a car!
Yuje: If we can just save on food expenses, we're halfway to winning. This could definitely be an advantage in the competition.
Gyeon Hajun: We can help with everything else.
Yuje: Does anyone in our group actually keep track of discounts or memberships?
Yoon Eden: No way. We only ever use delivery app coupons.
Seo Yehyeon: I don't trust any of you. I just don't trust you...
Yoon Eden: I don't trust Hyung either, except when it comes to food expenses.
Seo Yehyeon: Hey, can we change the mission performer now?
Reve had come out without a plan, pushing only his ability to save on food expenses.
After watching each other's introductory videos, Altair and Reve displayed starkly contrasting reactions.
KJ: Who are these guys...? Are they just planning to cut their food expenses to the absolute limit?
Cha Yeonho: I'm confident. There are essential items we need to buy, so this isn't a game where you can win by just saving on food.
KJ gaped at his juniors' audacity to focus solely on food savings, while Cha Yeonho confidently declared his determination to win.
Yoon Eden: From what I've seen, we can't save on anything else. None of us are the type to hunt for discounts or use memberships. So let's just cut our food expenses to the absolute limit.
Seo Yehyeon: To save that much, we'd have to eat only one meal a day. The problem is the rules require us to eat two full meals every day.
[Yoon Eden: We all have our own ideas, right? Ahahaha.]
[Seo Yehyeon: No, we don't have any ideas. We're doomed, seriously. Can't we switch mission participants even now?]
Despite hearing about their opponent's extreme frugality, Yoon Eden stubbornly stuck to his "food expenses only" strategy, while Seo Yehyeon, already sensing defeat, tore at his hair in despair.
Before them, the common rules and mandatory purchase items for this round were announced:
Rule 1: Starvation is strictly forbidden! Eat at least two meals a day!
Rule 2: If those around the mission participant want to give them food, they must charge at least 500 won! If eating home-cooked meals, pack them in the designated lunchbox! (Lunchbox price: 1,000 won)
Rule 3: Mandatory purchase items cannot be paid for by others or obtained through favors!
Rule 4: Mid-term check-in on Day 2!
Mandatory Purchases:
Day 1: Coffee Day 2: Treat acquaintances to a meal* Day 3: Movie tickets
With the rules announced, lunchtime approached.
Since skipping lunch meant certain defeat, the mission participants calculated their lunch expenses using their ₩20,000 budget.
Cha Yeonho:I'm packing my own lunch. Two meals a day at ₩2,000 each means ₩6,000 for three days. I need to set aside that amount first. I'll pay ₩1,000 for today's lunch.
Seo Yehyeon:I bought a ₩2,000 head of lettuce. This should last me... well, at least two days.
Cha Yeonho's Day 1 Lunch Expense: ₩1,000
Seo Yehyeon's Day 1 Lunch Expense: 2,000 KRW
- What kind of rabbit is Seo Yehyeon? Surviving four meals on just lettuce, with no dressing or toppings? ᄀᄂ?
- Seriously hardcore ㅋㅋ
There were contestants who stubbornly insisted on paying 500 KRW each to mooch meals off others, but this was the first time anyone had tried to survive for two days on just lettuce.
Today's mission was to acquire the mandatory purchase item.
Cha Yeonho: My credit card offers a 50% discount at this franchise. Yeah, there was a good reason I insisted on coming here.
Seo Yehyeon: It's a cafe near the dorms. A takeaway Americano costs 1,500 KRW.
Both contestants have completed their Day 1 mandatory coffee purchase!
Cha Yeonho's Expenses: 2,250 won
Seo Yehyeon's Expenses: 1,500 won
- Seo Yehyeon's luck is insane, lololol
- The magic of losing money: buying coffee at a 50% discount from a cafe 30 minutes away on foot ends up costing more than buying it from the cafe right in front of your house.
Altair's Side
Gwon Taehyeok: Hyung, want some snacks? I'll sell them to you for 500 won.
Cha Yeonho: Ah, maybe I will. I saved quite a bit today.
Gwon Taehyeok: Exactly! Honestly, I don't think anyone could save more than you, Hyung.
Still unaware of the other party's expenses!
Reve's Side
Kim Dobin: Hyung, aren't you hungry? Would you be willing to split a bag of snacks with me for 500 won?
Seo Yehyeon: What are we even going to eat after 6 PM?
They don't even care about expenses.
Both spent the day living on the bare minimum they could afford.
The next day, their first challenge loomed: treating their friends to a meal!
Cha Yeonho: I firmly believe our Altair members will only ask for what's reasonable.
Seo Yehyeon: I can already picture it. My younger siblings will insist on blowing all our money today and desperately trying to win a Swap. Ha...
They had to budget carefully, considering the movie tickets for day three!
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny