Chapter 250
Chapter 250
The voice in Kim Rae-bin’s camcorder recording, which had been unwaveringly spirited despite his seriousness, took on a strangely subdued tone.
[Cam: Phew, it is currently… 9:00 PM.]
[Cam: Three hours ago…]
[Cam: All the lights in the villa went out.]
Then, on the screen, all the lights in the house suddenly cut to black.
[!!!!]
[Kim Rae-bin: Is everyone alright?]
[Cha Yu-jin: Hyung!]
[A Sudden Blackout]
From that moment on, the atmosphere of the episode shifted entirely.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Don't move for now. Let’s let our eyes adjust to the dark first.]
[TeSTAR checking on each other, relying on the light from their smartphones]
[But]
[One person… is missing?]
[???: Mmmph!]
[Park Moon-dae: Hyung!]
A strange tension began to permeate the survival episode, which had previously felt more like a sidesplitting adventure.
Furthermore, cross-cut interviews began to be spliced in.
[Seon A-hyun: Suddenly, I heard (Bae Se-jin) hyung scream….]
[Park Moon-dae: I was flustered. Everyone must have been shocked.]
The format felt somewhat reminiscent of a horror movie.
The infrared camera panned urgently. And then…
It illuminated Bae Se-jin, who was sprawled face-down in a bizarre posture that looked like he might go rolling away at any second.
[…??]
[Se-jin-ssi… is perfectly fine….]
That bit of physical comedy briefly lightened the mood back to a variety show, but it didn't last long.
The infrared camera moved closer.
[Shhhhhh]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Yes. There was a strange door behind the cabinet.]
[Park Moon-dae: But at the time, from what I could see… there was no space behind it.]
[Park Moon-dae: …I mean, there shouldn't have been a path. Other than the one leading to the basement.]
This was because the basement door they discovered was shown in a close-up, accompanied by a chilling silence.
TeSTAR hesitated, backing away from the door.
The interviews cut in again.
[Lee Se-jin: It was a bit creepy, you know? (Bitter smile)]
[Bae Se-jin: I had a strange feeling….]
Then, the perspective shifted to Cha Yu-jin telling ghost stories that night.
[Cha Yu-jin: Moon-dae hyung! Please say it in Korean!]
[Park Moon-dae: (Save me)]
[Cha Yu-jin: (In English) …So, in the basement of that house, a mad doctor performed a lobotomy….]
[Park Moon-dae: Once upon a time, there was a house in America haunted by the ghost of a doctor.]
[Lee Se-jin: Moon-dae, the lengths of your stories are different?]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Hmm.]
In reality, the atmosphere at the time had been reasonably warm and funny, but in the edited footage, the feeling was slightly different.
It was framed as if they were trying their best to laugh it off, serving as foreshadowing for what was to come.
The viewers were on edge.
With that lingering sense of unease, the show moved to the next day.
Finally, TeSTAR was shown splitting into teams to find the distribution board.
[Q: We heard (Bae) Se-jin-ssi was the first to suggest it?]
[Bae Se-jin: (Ears turning red) I just mentioned the circuit breaker….]
[Bae Se-jin: Yes, well, I felt like we had to try something. …I had a strange feeling.]
As the interview ended, Bae Se-jin’s tense face filled the screen.
And finally, as they found the distribution board and walked into the basement, Bae Se-jin’s remark was highlighted as if to continue the thought.
[Bae Se-jin: Why would someone go out of their way to build a villa like this on a deserted island…?]
[Suddenly, silence falls over the stairs]
The stiff faces of the members caught by the infrared camera passed by slowly.
And then, they arrived at the basement.
In the dark screen, relying on the light of flashlights rather than infrared, what the members discovered was—.
[Lee Se-jin: …Isn't that blood?]
[Blood?]
[!!!!]
The frozen screen distorted, repeatedly zooming in and out, while a creepy sound like a child laughing played as BGM.
[Aaaaah!!]
The TeSTAR members on screen were scared out of their wits, pouring out all sorts of screams and reactions.
Just as the viewers were also pouring out screams, shouts, and suspicions in the comments.
[Ding-dong~]
[????]
The lights returned to the basement.
Inside the cellar, which was now bright and milky-white thanks to a heavy filter, the five TeSTAR members were huddled together in a single mass, trembling.
However, one of the members in that huddle, looking confused as he surveyed his surroundings, slowly stood up and detached himself.
He trudged over and opened a freezer.
A cute housewarming sound effect popped up.
[Ta-da!]
[☆ Meat Party ☆]
[The true identity of the "blood" the members saw ↘]
A blunt arrow moved teasingly. Above it, a flashy, rainbow-colored CG sparkled brilliantly.
[Park Moon-dae: …….]
A melancholic BGM played over the dazed expressions of the idols….
And the cruel production crew even gave them close-ups and replayed the members' past reactions one by one.
[Cha Yu-jin: (Frantic English)]
[Kim Rae-bin: (Silent scream)]
[Bae Se-jin: I told you it was strange!! Aaaah!!]
[Lee Se-jin: Go up, go up right now…!]
[Park Moon-dae: (Falls over)]
[~List of Fishermen Who Hooked Themselves~]
Interview cuts of the five members covering their faces in shame passed by.
[Park Moon-dae: …I was a little flustered. It’s not that I was scared.]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOL]
At the end, a caption of blatant laughter was attached to Park Moon-dae’s interview where he tried to act composed.
And the viewers also burst into laughter without mercy.
Even after the two other members found the five members frozen in self-loathing, the editing did its best to make people laugh.
[Seon A-hyun: I found the circuit breaker…!]
On the screen, a heartwarming scene of Ryu Cheong-woo and Seon A-hyun high-fiving after operating the distribution board switch was inserted with a soft effect.
[We’ve banished the scary blackout, so rest easy, members!]
Furthermore, even though TeSTAR was incredibly embarrassed, they eventually got excited upon seeing the meat.
They worked hard to find the frozen chickens and practically danced, and their raw reactions doubled the laughter.
As they carried the meat up the stairs, these words slipped out.
[Bae Se-jin: …Still, I’m glad there were no cameras.]
[↑ There were.]
[PD: We were originally planning to do a treasure hunt, but then that happened…]
[TeSTAR, blessed by the Variety Show Fairy]
[Thank you for your sincerity… ☆ from the entire production crew whose filming was ruined by being stranded]
They emphasized once again that nothing was staged.
Having squeezed out every bit of laughter until the very end, the broadcast ended cleanly with a reference note.
[※ The person who lent us the villa is an elderly couple with a romantic dream of returning to farming. ※]
[※ We would like to thank the villa owners once again for their generous understanding regarding the broadcast and remarks. ※]
The episode concluded on a warm and refreshing note with TeSTAR happily filming a mukbang after boiling the chicken soup.
Naturally, as soon as the broadcast ended, viewer reviews exploded.
Moreover, the production crew didn't forget to flash plenty of teasers.
Since it hadn't been revealed yet how they came to rescue the production crew, they aimed for next week's ratings by dragging out this bait.
The teaser also looked extremely entertaining.
TeSTAR rescuing chicks, TeSTAR packing flashlights, and even the sight of them high-fiving while putting on hiking boots.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Wow, what on earth is this?]
[Lee Se-jin: I really never imagined the filming would turn out like this! Hahaha!]
Survival, adventure, and exploration.
A bright and active teaser that seemed to pursue more genre-specific fun decorated the end.
Because TeSTAR looked energetic and happy, it appropriately offset any potential criticism that the format was "sadistic."
[TeSTAR is going to rescue the production crew?]
[Just how grand will the production crew’s "healing" gratitude be!]
Finally, by highlighting how much "healing" TeSTAR would enjoy after this stranding drama, they emphasized that the "healing part" was still to come.
Furthermore, excited SNS posts from TeSTAR were uploaded one after another.
============================
After the King of Crybabies, it’s the King of Scaredy-cats, Moon-dae (Photo)
(Laughing emoji)
============================
└ Stop it, Lee Se-jin.
└ Stop it, Moon-dae Moon-dae.
============================
Hello, Loviewer. It’s Seon A-hyun.
(Photo)
This is a scented candle I made. I debated whether to bring it on the island trip but left it behind. Watching the broadcast today, I feel a bit regretful. Could it have been a source of strength when the members were scared?
============================
└ No, hyung, I wasn't scared!
└ Yu-jin-ah, if you lie, you’ll grow horns on your butt.
└ (Tiger emoji) I won't grow any!
Thanks to that, the fans were swept up in the momentum of the variety show vibes and even forgot their complaints or worries. Because the members looked truly happy.
And while waiting for the next episode, they excitedly speculated about the content.
For the record, the last guess was correct.
"It’s refreshing."
"…Yes."
I sat on a rock, trying my best not to pant.
The morning air is nice, but it might just be that the oxygen tastes sweet because I’ve been moving my body.
I turned my head. Ryu Cheong-woo muttered in short admiration.
"The view is great."
Just as he said, the villa, the coastline, and the sea and land beyond looked quite spectacular.
It makes sense. We’re at the top of a mountain.
'Damn it.'
I never thought I’d actually end up hiking.
I recalled the content we filmed after rescuing the production crew.
Since the waves were still too rough for boats to sail even after the rain stopped, we did several activities connected to the "disaster" theme.
'Receiving vegetables by helicopter made for a pretty good scene.'
I just didn't know that breaking in the hiking boots then would lead all the way to an actual hike.
I slightly regretted handing the note to Kim Rae-bin during the last treasure hunt.
'I didn't know the penalty would be something like this.'
Of course, it doesn't seem like a penalty to this guy.
I stole a glance at Ryu Cheong-woo.
"……."
His expression looked quite relaxed.
Perhaps thanks to the hike, the gloomy and suppressed feeling he’d had since the accident seemed to have vanished.
'…Ryu Cheong-woo has been through a lot, too.'
I feel like I should be a bit more accommodating from now on.
Since it seems like he’s past the point where he might explode if touched, it should be fine to talk to him more and treat him better.
"Have some water."
"Ah, thanks."
I quietly drank warm scorched rice water with him.
However, I didn't expect this conversation right before our descent, after the drone camera had moved away.
"Right, Moon-dae. If you’re okay with it… how about going to the members' homes instead of the dorm during this Chuseok holiday? Ah, my house is fine, too."
What?