Episode 38
Episode 38: First Variety Show (2)
Seeing the acupressure slippers with sharp stones sticking out, the other cast members groaned.
"Isn’t that going to pierce your feet?"
"You broadcasting guys! There’s a limit!"
While others complained, Baek Seung-chan put on the slippers without hesitation.
"······."
He flinched slightly as he wore them.
‘These are pressing the pressure points properly…’
Whether it was intentional or not, the stones were positioned exactly on the most painful pressure points.
But who was Baek Seung-chan? He was Cheonmyeon-gwi, the leader of the Hao Sect.
In case he was ever captured during espionage missions and couldn’t take his own life, he had undergone torture training.
Compared to that, this pain was nothing.
Gritting his teeth, he started running.
"Oh? It doesn’t seem that bad?"
"Right? Seung-chan, you have to win!"
The cast, who had been worried, tilted their heads in confusion.
He was clearing the obstacles as if nothing was wrong.
Meanwhile, the production staff were flustered.
"Did the slippers get switched?"
"No, they didn’t."
"Then how is he running like that…?"
They had prepared these items carefully, especially because Kim Guk-jong usually endured everything.
And the stone acupressure slippers Baek Seung-chan wore were the worst among the ten options.
During testing, most staff couldn’t even stand still in them.
Yet—
He had already reached the second food box.
"Oh! That’s a good one!"
"It’s injeolmi."
The cast cheered.
Covered in soybean powder, it looked harmless.
Baek Seung-chan calmly ate it all.
The staff were shocked again.
"Are we sure we prepared this right?"
"Yes, we checked multiple times."
"Then how is he eating wasabi powder so calmly?"
It wasn’t soybean powder.
It was wasabi powder.
Once it touched moisture, it turned green.
"Wait, that’s not normal injeolmi…"
"His lips are turning green!"
"That’s wasabi?!"
The cast stared in disbelief.
"Impressive."
Only Kim Guk-jong looked proud.
"Ha…"
Baek Seung-chan finished it without changing his expression.
Even for him, it wasn’t easy, but compared to the poisons he had endured in his past life, it was nothing.
He moved on to the final box.
"Oh! Americano!"
"Drink it and you’ll win!"
He quickly drank it.
"······."
The staff fell silent.
It wasn’t just coffee.
It was fish sauce mixed into it.
"Baek Seung-chan has finished the race."
He finished 30 seconds faster than Kim Guk-jong, taking first place.
"Seung-chan, good jo—ugh!"
Yoo Hyuk stopped mid-sentence.
"That smell!"
Only then did everyone realize—
It was fish sauce coffee.
And Baek Seung-chan had endured everything.
"Not bad."
Kim Guk-jong nodded proudly.
After winning Round 1, Baek Seung-chan received a hint about the other killer.
As expected, it was Ha Hoon.
"What’s the hint?"
"Someone whose name contains"
He deliberately mixed truth and deception.
Suspicion fell on four people.
They all denied it.
Then Ji Seok-jun spoke.
"If Seung-chan is the killer, that could be a fake hint."
"That’s possible."
But Kim Guk-jong shook his head.
"No way. He wouldn’t lie."
Everyone began trusting Baek Seung-chan.
"Ji Seok-jun is out."
The PD announced.
"What? Why me again?!"
He was dragged away as usual.
Baek Seung-chan had eliminated him.
‘We need entertainment too.’
The second game was a quiz.
Baek Seung-chan intentionally placed last.
That was his mission.
Kim Guk-jong won and got a hint that the killer was male.
He identified Ha Hoon and eliminated him.
Baek Seung-chan completed his mission and eliminated Yang Si-chan.
Seven remained.
The final round was name-tag ripping.
Killers had to eliminate citizens without being exposed.
Citizens had to find clues and report them.
"Let’s split up."
Everyone scattered.
Baek Seung-chan tracked their positions.
‘I’ll start with three.’
Yoo Hyuk, Kim Ga-hee, and Song Ji-yeon were confirmed citizens.
He approached Kim Ga-hee first.
"Found anything?"
"Yeah."
The hint read:
“The killer has no double eyelids.”
She froze.
"…"
She slowly looked at him.
"That’s right. It’s me."
He smiled and tore her name tag.
"How could you…"
She couldn’t finish her sentence and was taken away.
"Sorry."
He moved on.
"There she is."
Next was Kim Hye-eun.
"There’s something on your back."
"Really? Can you remove it?"
"Yes."
He tore her name tag.
"It’s your name tag."
She was dragged away in disbelief.
One by one, he hunted them down.
Soon, only Kim Guk-jong and Song Ji-yeon remained.
‘Time to finish.’
"Seung-chan, seen anyone?"
"No."
Then Kim Guk-jong found a clue.
"Don’t come closer."
He read it.
"The killer has no double eyelids."
"...It’s you."
"Sorry."
"Let’s go."
They faced each other.
Kim Guk-jong grabbed his arm.
‘Strong.’
But not enough.
Baek Seung-chan acted strained—
Then suddenly broke free and tore his name tag.
"What…?"
"It was luck. Good job."
Then—
"Ah!"
Song Ji-yeon saw everything.
She ran toward the final judgment area.
If she succeeded, he would lose.
The stairs were too far.
He made a decision.
Jump—
From the second floor railing.
He kicked off a pillar, twisted mid-air, and landed smoothly.
He overtook her instantly.
"What?!"
"Sorry."
He tore her name tag.