Chapter 167: Field Work (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: Field Work (1)
After the casting for In My Office was announced, articles began pouring in from all directions.
≫ Spark’s I-wol: “I Want to Try Acting Now”… A New Challenge
≫ Striking While the Iron Is Hot: “Spark’s I-wol to Appear in In My Office”
≫ “I Want to Show a Mature Side…” Spark I-wol’s Surprising Transformation
Half of them were backhanded compliments or subtle digs. Since I had been a hot topic until recently, they couldn't outright headline it as “Is Kim I-wol the Next Terrible Idol-Actor?” but there was still a lingering negative perception regarding idols branching into acting.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was scanning the headlines beside me, spoke up.
“I guess people don’t know how good you are at acting, Hyung. You’re a total pro.”
“Me?”
I hadn't even received the script yet, nor had I shown him any audition pieces, but Lee Cheong-hyeon sounded certain.
When I questioned him, he nodded and explained.
“You know, that one act you’re so good at. The… ‘I think they’re making me do some total bullshit, but I’ll answer energetically as if I’m going to give it my all’ act.”
“Cheong-hyeon, shall we have our first-ever dorm conflict and spend some time on a livestream talking about internal friction within Spark?”
“You can’t say I’m wrong, can you? I saw right through you, didn’t I?”
He saw through me so accurately it felt like he’d poked a hole in my heart. I definitely raised him wrong. Either that, or he’d been learning strange things behind my back.
Lee Cheong-hyeon scurried away, snickering. A sigh rose from deep within my gut.
I should probably get the framework for the fan song lyrics down before the script arrives.
I opened my diary, which I valued as much as my own life. This month’s schedule was packed as usual.
There were local festivals, and we were supposed to go on Challenge.Living again….
Wait.
Challenge.Living?
“Seong-bin, did they say when we were going on Challenge.Living?”
“I only heard it was sometime this month. They said the filming date hadn't been set yet….”
“And that day is today! Have you been well, Spark?”
“Aah!”
Before Jeong Seong-bin could even finish his sentence, the production crew swarmed into the practice room. It was a sight reminiscent of a rising tide.
More importantly, it was 10 PM.
They wouldn't be coming at this hour just for a meeting….
“Are we… leaving right now?”
“As expected of I-wol. Look how quick he is on the uptake.”
“Right now?”
Kang Gi-yeon’s eyes widened.
“But… we look like a mess right now.”
Park Ju-woo’s voice was desperate. It was a stroke of luck that we’d been doing vocal training instead of choreography practice, so at least we didn't smell like sweat.
“It’s fine. You’re all going to become a mess once we get there anyway.”
The PD spoke with a benevolent smile.
But PD-nim, while a pearl still shines even when buried in mud, a barnacle is just a barnacle even after you fish it out.
What I’m saying is, a barnacle like me needs time to mentally prepare.
“Is there somewhere we have to go starting this late?”
Choi Je-ho’s bewilderment was understandable. If we left now, we could reach almost anywhere in Korea before sunrise.
What kind of work is mainly done at night?
We already did the street sweeper episode. Is it track maintenance for the trains? Or maybe an extension of the cafe episode, like working the night shift at a PC Bang?
While my brain was working overtime, I hurriedly pulled a pouch out of my bag.
Then, I shoved motion sickness medicine into Park Ju-woo’s hand.
“This is definitely a long-distance trip. Take this, quick.”
“Okay….”
Park Ju-woo swallowed the medicine like it was the elixir of life. He seemed to sense the impending threat to his survival as well.
“Alright, Spark! We have a long way to go! Let’s move out!”
“Yes!”
We climbed into the van in an orderly fashion. Cameras had already been installed all over the vehicle.
“What do you think we’ll be doing?”
Kang Gi-yeon asked as he buckled his seatbelt.
“Looking at my mom, she stays in the lab until late at night if the experimental results don't come out.”
“Is there anything we could actually help with in a lab?”
For once, Choi Je-ho made a valid point. None of us here even had a bachelor’s degree—well, mine had technically vanished—let alone a master’s or a PhD.
“Maybe something like squid fishing?”
“That sounds plausible…!”
Kang Gi-yeon agreed, but Jeong Seong-bin countered.
“Wouldn't we have had to leave earlier for that? We’d have to go all the way to Ulleungdo. And the season is almost over.”
“Hyung, how do you know when squid season is?”
“I saw it on the news.”
I doubt the news anchor ever imagined an idol would be watching a report on squid season so intently.
While we racked our brains, the van sped southward.
An activity in the southern region on a calm autumn day that starts in the early morning or dawn.
Something where appearance doesn't matter, so makeup isn't necessary; something difficult enough to satisfy the viewers, yet simple enough for even children to do as long as they have the labor.
Furthermore, something that requires going at night despite the difficulty of filming in the dark.
To put it another way, something that has to be timed perfectly with a specific ‘time’….
“It’s the mudflats.”
“Huh?”
We’re going to the mudflats, you idiots!
After driving for a long time, the van arrived in Mokpo. Everything was pitch black. The scent of brine filled the air.
As we were getting out one by one, the PD approached us.
“I heard you figured out where we were going halfway through?”
“Yes, I-wol Hyung did….”
“The audio director was terrified because no one was sleeping. It was a long drive; you should have gotten some rest.”
Spark has a strict rule about not sleeping where there’s a camera. Unless it’s an act of God like motion sickness, injury, sudden indigestion, or a 24-hour no-sleep schedule, we have to stay alert.
“The driver didn't even put the destination into the GPS, so how did you know? Did our script leak?”
“Haha, I wonder.”
My mouth was smiling, but my heart was crying. There is no filming location with a worse cost-to-effort ratio than a mudflat.
Labor in a mudflat has an inverse relationship between intensity and screen time. It’s hard to get funny scenes other than people falling over a few times at the beginning, while the work speed is inevitably sluggish because of the muck.
There was only one benefit Spark could get from this shoot: a full-body natural mud pack.
They probably threw a whole group in because if a regular cast member filmed this alone, it would turn into a boring documentary.
I lamented inwardly as I took my place in the formation under the lights.
Once the site was organized, the PD began the intro.
“So? Do you have any idea what kind of work you’ll be doing today?”
“Digging for… cockles?”
Park Ju-woo took a stab at the answer.
“I saw this on MeTube. Cleaning barnacles!”
“What’s that?”
“You use a high-pressure hose to blast barnacles off the bottom of a ship. They lift the boat up and everything….”
Lee Cheong-hyeon grew excited explaining barnacle cleaning. None of the options sounded easy.
Then again, they wouldn't give a job involving high-pressure hoses to non-professionals.
Regardless of the intensity, it was a safety issue. The Challenge.Living crew wasn't a team that lacked the sense to balance that.
“Ah, it’s so rewarding when no one gets the right answer. It makes all the effort the writers put into picking the item worth it.”
The PD smiled with satisfaction as he watched us struggle to guess.
“Last time, Spark came too prepared for the part-time jobs. So this time, our writers gritted their teeth to find this item.”
The Challenge.Living team must really hate losing. That’s probably why they dragged us all the way to Mokpo at 1 AM.
“Spark’s daily task for today is ‘Catching Mudflat Octopuses’!”
An item most people wouldn't have heard of often.
A task that’s difficult to prepare for in advance.
And a specialty where you won't know if you’ve succeeded until you actually try.
It was perfect. And that’s why the future looked bleak.
Spark is supposed to be a group of cool idols who look great and are so incredibly good at their jobs that no one can find fault with them!
“But it looks like the tide hasn't gone out yet?”
Choi Je-ho asked, pointing toward the sea. Indeed, the water’s surface was visible not too far away.
“We’re going to take a boat out from here.”
“A boat?”
“They say octopuses don't live near the shore.”
At the same time, documents for boarding were thrust into our hands. After filling them out, we were each given a plastic bag.
“Inside are work clothes, gloves, and everything else. You can change on the boat. Just pull them on right over the clothes you’re wearing now!”
“Wow, this is our first group outfit since our practice clothes!”
Lee Cheong-hyeon rejoiced. He was definitely taking a jab at the day I suggested we buy practice clothes as our first friendship item.
Since we had to catch the tide, the boarding process happened in a flash.
The sight of us layering on gloves inside the boat was quite fresh. It was a scene never before seen from Spark.
“Ju-woo Hyung, is your motion sickness okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine for now.”
“Gi-yeon, your shoulder strap is twisted.”
“Thanks.”
It was good to see everyone looking out for each other.
Until the boat reached its destination, we reminded ourselves of today’s goal.
“How many did the PD say we had to catch per person?”
“Wasn't it ten?”
“Is ten a doable amount? I have no idea since I’ve never caught one.”
Jeong Seong-bin, Kang Gi-yeon, and Lee Cheong-hyeon put their heads together to debate the topic: “Will Spark be able to catch 60 octopuses today?”
Choi Je-ho was sitting with his back against the wall, watching them while sipping a mix coffee a crew member had made for him. That guy… he’d probably adapt and survive just fine even if you dropped him in the middle of nowhere.
After chatting in the cramped space for a while, we heard the sound of the boat docking.
Following the captain’s instructions, we waited until the water gradually receded, revealing the vast mudflat.
“Spark, please disembark! The mud is very deep, so watch your step!”
As soon as the PD finished speaking, a pained grunt erupted from beside me. Choi Je-ho’s right leg was buried up to his knee in the sludge.
“You’ll be catching octopuses here for the next two hours. To catch octopuses, you’ll need tools, right?”
At that moment, a staff member dropped something from the boat onto the mud.
Six large baskets woven from what looked like straw, presumably for holding the octopuses, and….
Shovels?
…Six shovels. And they had incredibly long heads and handles.
That’s strange. When I saw this on the internet, people were digging up clams with little hand trowels. Is the difference between a ‘mudflat experience’ and a real mudflat starting with the equipment?
Whether my pupils were shaking or not, the PD didn't care. Instead, he brought a crew member forward and spoke.
“Now, before we begin the real shoveling… I mean, octopus catching! We will watch a demonstration from a seasoned expert!”
I heard that loud and clear.
That man definitely just said ‘shoveling’!