Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Surviving in the Jungle (12)
As Kang Donghyun’s unexpected defeat was followed by another, the atmosphere among the cast turned grim.
The same went for the production team.
“I can’t believe even Donghyun lost…”
In truth, the staff had expected Kang Donghyun to win.
That way, they could have captured a satisfying scene and even filmed them enjoying a feast together.
But with things turning out like this, the originally planned banquet scene with the Lauri tribe could no longer be properly executed.
Naturally, the staff’s gaze shifted to the final participant, Baek Seungchan.
“This one will be tough too…”
They didn’t believe Baek Seungchan would win either.
After all, the difference in size was simply too great.
Baek Seungchan stood at about 180 cm and 70 kg.
Though he had a sculpted, muscular body, his opponent was of similar height but weighed close to 100 kg, boasting a massive physique.
Of course, they knew Baek Seungchan had exceptional physical abilities, but all they had seen so far was his agility.
“We’ll just edit this part appropriately and move on to the banquet scene.”
The latter half of the filming involved experiencing the culture of the “Lauri tribe.”
And to do that, they needed to participate in their banquet.
“Seungchan, they’re way stronger than they look, so be careful.”
“Yeah, try not to go head-on with strength if you can help it.”
Having already experienced defeat, Go Changmo and Kang Donghyun offered their advice.
Even though all the tribes were part of a competitive concept, it still hurt their pride for all the cast members to lose like this.
“….”
Despite cheering him on, their expressions remained dark.
Like the staff, they didn’t think Baek Seungchan would win.
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
After listening to their advice, Baek Seungchan smiled and stepped onto the sand arena.
“Whoa!”
As he stepped onto the sand, cheers erupted from the Lauri tribe.
Those cheering were the women of the tribe.
The cast and crew didn’t need a translation to understand why.
“…People really do have the same taste everywhere.”
“No wonder they were looking at Seungchan differently from the start…”
The two who had gone up earlier felt an even deeper sense of defeat.
And it wasn’t just them who were displeased by the women’s reaction.
“….”
Baek Seungchan’s opponent, a Lauri tribesman, also frowned.
Among the women cheering for Seungchan was someone he liked.
“I’ll take this seriously.”
Originally planning to hold back due to the chief’s instruction to go easy, he decided to fight seriously.
Thus began Baek Seungchan’s final “Batu.”
“Oh!”
Baek Seungchan briefly assessed his opponent, but the Lauri tribesman shouted and strode straight toward him.
Baek Seungchan frowned slightly.
“He’s underestimating me too much.”
The man was walking toward him without any guard.
He was clearly different from those who had faced Go Changmo and Kang Donghyun earlier.
They hadn’t gone all out, but they hadn’t looked down on their opponents either.
But this man was different.
He was completely looking down on him.
“And it seems like he’s got something against me too.”
There was hostility in his eyes.
“Is it jealousy?”
Baek Seungchan instantly read the emotion in his gaze.
“I was going to take it easy, but not anymore.”
Originally, he had planned to hold back and pretend to win by luck, but his mind changed.
He wasn’t kind enough to go easy on someone who harbored hostility toward him.
“Seungchan, keep your distance!”
“Don’t let him grab you!”
As the distance between them closed, voices called out from behind.
But Baek Seungchan stood still, watching the approaching man.
“He’s scared.”
The Lauri tribesman mocked him and grabbed his shoulder.
“Huh?”
In that instant, he felt a strange sensation.
His body lifted, and the world flipped upside down.
Thud!
The next moment, Baek Seungchan’s face appeared upside down, and a shock ran through his back.
When he regained his senses, all he could see was the blue sky.
“….”
Unable to understand what had just happened, he stared blankly upward.
The same went for both the “Surviving in the Jungle” team and the Lauri tribe watching the match.
“….”
They could only blink in shock, unable to say a word.
It was no wonder.
What had just happened looked like something out of a movie.
Baek Seungchan had lowered his body slightly, grabbed his opponent’s leg, and flipped the nearly 100 kg giant through the air before slamming him onto the sand.
“Wow! He won!”
After a brief silence, the cast of “Surviving in the Jungle” erupted in cheers.
Soon, cheers for Baek Seungchan rose from the opposite side as well.
“Whoa!”
“Whoa!”
It was their response to the impressive display he had shown.
At that moment, the Lauri tribesman who had been lying on the ground sprang to his feet.
With wide eyes, he stared at Baek Seungchan.
“Shouldn’t we stop this?”
“He looks angry.”
The cast watching grew worried.
Lee Byungman and Kang Donghyun approached Baek Seungchan just in case.
But what they feared didn’t happen.
The Lauri tribesman said something to Baek Seungchan.
Judging by his bright smile, he wasn’t angry.
Baek Seungchan looked toward the tribe’s translator.
“He says he’s sorry for underestimating you and wants a proper rematch later if there’s time.”
Baek Seungchan liked how he immediately acknowledged his mistake and apologized straightforwardly.
He nodded and replied,
“Of course. Anytime.”
At his response, the Lauri tribesman grinned and raised Baek Seungchan’s arm.
“Whoa!”
“Whoa!”
The cheers grew even louder.
Thus, Baek Seungchan and the “Surviving in the Jungle” team were warmly welcomed into the Lauri tribe.
The Lauri tribe’s banquet for their guests began immediately.
“Whoa!”
“Whoa!”
Shouting loudly, they began to sing, using instruments resembling drums made from animal hides and horns crafted from bones.
It was a traditional song of welcome.
“It feels just like the songs I heard in the southern jungles.”
As Baek Seungchan listened, he was reminded of a tribe he had encountered in the southern jungles of his previous life.
Rather than melody, it carried a powerful energy, making the listener’s heart race—very similar to their traditional songs.
Meanwhile, the prepared food was brought out.
Various grilled fish and meats, along with dishes wrapped in large leaves.
“It smells good.”
“Yeah, it smells delicious.”
Kim Gahee and Kim Ahnki, who had grown accustomed to Baek Seungchan’s cooking, had been slightly worried.
Many of the indigenous tribes they had seen ate insects and such.
But contrary to their concerns, the dishes prepared by the Lauri tribe gave off a mouthwatering aroma.
“It looks delicious.”
Baek Seungchan nodded.
Though the food looked somewhat rough, the smell alone was excellent.
There was no way it wouldn’t taste good.
“….”
Unlike Baek Seungchan’s group, who smiled at the spread, Lee Byungman and Kang Donghyun’s group looked gloomy.
Aside from the “chicken party” Baek Seungchan had hosted, they had never eaten their fill.
They had hoped to finally have a proper meal, but it seemed that chance had slipped away.
However, their expressions soon brightened.
“You can all participate in the banquet together.”
Originally, the production team had planned to give out small portions of food after passing separate missions, but since it was the Lauri tribe’s tradition to generously feed their guests, the chief insisted everyone must join the banquet.
“This is so good!”
“It really is! The flavor is a bit unique, but it’s addictive.”
The Lauri tribe’s food was indeed delicious, and everyone enjoyed the feast.
The Lauri tribe was a warrior tribe that survived through hunting.
As such, their daily life revolved around it.
Therefore, the “Surviving in the Jungle” cast had to learn their hunting methods.
The first task was harvesting wild beehives.
“Bees? Ugh, I hate them.”
“I heard getting stung by wild bees really hurts…”
At the mention of collecting beehives, the cast immediately grew worried.
But not everyone reacted that way.
“Wild honey is good.”
“Right.”
Having tasted wild honey before, Lee Byungman and Baek Seungchan smacked their lips.
“Seungchan, you’ve had wild honey before?”
“A long time ago.”
Baek Seungchan replied with a smile.
Not in this life, but in a previous one—long ago.
“Oppa, is wild honey good?”
“It is. It has a slight bitterness, but the flavor and aroma are very rich.”
“Oh, I’m curious. It would be so good with yogurt ice cream.”
Kim Gahee, who had recently become obsessed with adding honeycomb to yogurt ice cream, was more curious than afraid.
And so, the cast of “Surviving in the Jungle” headed into the forest to collect wild beehives.
Since the tribe already knew a location, they arrived quickly.
“Oh! I see the hive.”
“But isn’t it too high?”
“I don’t think I can even climb that.”
The beehive was high up in a tree.
“They’ll show us a demonstration first.”
Baek Seungchan relayed the translator’s words.
At some point, he had naturally become the group’s English interpreter.
Afterward, a Lauri tribesman lit a bundle of straw in one hand and climbed the tree without any safety equipment.
“Wow, he’s so fast…”
The others marveled at his speed as he climbed swiftly toward the hive.
Buzz—!
As he approached, the bees began to move with threatening sounds.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
The onlookers grew worried, but nothing happened.
The bees couldn’t get close to him.
The reason was the bundle in his hand.
It wasn’t ordinary straw, but a plant that, when burned, produced smoke that bees disliked.
“Oh! He got it.”
The tribesman easily harvested the hive and climbed down.
“Now it’s our turn.”
After the demonstration, it was time for the cast.
Those attempting it were Lee Byungman, Bearman, and Baek Seungchan.
They were the only ones somewhat skilled at climbing trees.
“I’ll go first.”
Bearman stepped forward confidently.
But despite his confidence, he failed and came down midway.
“Ugh, it’s too scary…”
Even knowing the smoke made it safe, the buzzing of the bees was too intimidating.
“I’ll try next.”
Next was Lee Byungman.
“This is all I could get.”
Drawing on his jungle experience, he succeeded in harvesting some of the hive.
But it wasn’t perfect.
He had been stung and had to come down early.
“They say that’s still impressive. Even in their tribe, many warriors are too afraid to do it.”
Baek Seungchan translated, while a Lauri warrior smiled and gave Lee Byungman a thumbs-up.
Then it was Baek Seungchan’s turn.
“I’ll go right away.”
After a light stretch, he began climbing the tree.
“He’s really good…”
“He might even be better than the Lauri tribesman…”
The others watched in awe as he climbed with incredible speed and stability.
“Whoa!”
Even the Lauri warriors watching were visibly astonished.
“Wow, there’s really nothing he can’t do.”
Baek Seungchan quickly harvested all the beehives from the tree and climbed back down.
“Whoa!”
When he returned, the way the Lauri tribe looked at him had completely changed.