Chapter 282
Chapter 282
[◀◀◀]
On the screen, the kind face of the counselor replayed, commentating on the individual interview with Ryu Cheong-woo.
[Counselor: You have a strong independent and autonomous streak, so it’s impressive that you’re in the position of an inclusive leader.]
Up to this point, the wording was exactly the same as before. However, a new sentence followed.
[Counselor: Then, what would Ryu Cheong-woo be like if he weren't the leader?]
[Counselor: How would he act in a situation where he could exercise his independent nature more freely?]
The screen changed again.
[After the individual interview]
[A mysterious letter suddenly delivered to Cheong-woo]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Hmm? What’s this?]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: …?? Zombies?]
The moment it was revealed that Ryu Cheong-woo had known about the zombie situation even before the group interview began, the chat window was once again filled with screams.
The role he had been assigned was a member of the faction that brought the zombie virus into this research lab.
His goal: turn everyone into zombies, or blow the place up!
[Counselor: I wonder how different Mr. Ryu Cheong-woo will be from his usual self when he is in a position opposing the group members, stepping out of his role as a leader.]
With the counselor’s voice acting as background music, Ryu Cheong-woo’s previously hidden actions began to come to light.
In the ventilation shaft, he had intentionally remained still and pushed the members to the back of the passage so they would be forced to confront the zombies.
And when they escaped into the dark room, he moved alone to eliminate hints about the spy.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: (Waves once at the camera)]
Fans wailed at the sight of Ryu Cheong-woo approaching a corpse mannequin first and removing a note from the hand opposite the gun.
The note read: ‘There is a traitor among the guests.’
[Ryu Cheong-woo: I was worried about whether I could do a good job, but it’s surprisingly fun.]
Ryu Cheong-woo intentionally overused the laser gun and then induced a debate on whether or not to shoot the zombies.
All to waste time.
Finally, after watching Park Moon-dae dash off as if he’d noticed something, Ryu Cheong-woo spoke to the members.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: I’ll go after Moon-dae. I have a gun.]
[Kim Rae-bin: Understood!]
Ryu Cheong-woo sped through the hallway—which was vibrating with building collapse effects—at an incredible pace to catch up to Park Moon-dae.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Park Moon-dae!]
After showing all those cuts, the scenes converged as if being sucked back into the present.
Ryu Cheong-woo aiming his gun. A frozen Park Moon-dae.
People were screaming like crazy.
And a moment later, those same people would scream once more at the next scene.
[Park Moon-dae: That’s good. Since you said it works on people, too.]
The moment Park Moon-dae pulled out his own laser gun, the chat window froze from the lag.
“Holy crap!”
The graduate student also screamed.
Since she was watching the video on the subway just like last time, people’s eyes briefly turned toward her, but she didn't have the luxury to care.
Interview scenes were interspersed.
[Park Moon-dae: When I looked back at what was in the mannequin’s hand earlier… there was exactly one shot left.]
[Park Moon-dae: I took it for the time being. I was planning to give it to Cheong-woo-hyung just in case… but I ended up using it on him anyway.]
‘Insane!’
He deduced the pass inside the lab coat, and he even prepared something like this!
‘Shouldn’t Moon-dae appear on more variety shows like this??’
The real-time chat window was shouting similar sentiments in unison, spitting out words through single-syllable screams.
Then came the conversation between the two in their standoff and Ryu Cheong-woo’s situational briefing.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Moon-dae. But even if we just stay in this standoff, you won't be able to use the ID card anyway, right?]
“Gasp!”
Despite the trump card Park Moon-dae had prepared, it seemed Ryu Cheong-woo would win as things stood, but the balance of power soon collapsed.
This was because the members, who were supposed to be at the back door, came pouring out of the ventilation shaft.
[Cha Yu-jin: I got it! It’s right here!]
The members who had been left blankly at the back door had moved immediately, pushed by Cha Yu-jin’s pestering, Keun Se-jin’s agreement, and Bae Se-jin’s reasoning.
Only Kim Rae-bin, who had lonely and stubbornly argued that they should stay at the back door just in case, watched the situation with a look as if he had lost the world.
[Kim Rae-bin: I did not dare to imagine that such a situation would occur….]
Kim Rae-bin, looking dejected and hollow in his interview, was honestly hilarious and cute.
Back to the standoff.
As the dynamic shifted due to being outnumbered, Ryu Cheong-woo obediently lowered his gun and surrendered.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: This isn't going to work. I surrender.]
[Cha Yu-jin: Waaaa-hoo!]
The production team had edited the footage relentlessly, showing the situation constantly flipping due to exquisite timing before finally resolving happily.
Thus, Ryu Cheong-woo’s cool surrender exploded with a heartwarming freshness rather than disappointment.
[Park Moon-dae: Honestly, if Cheong-woo-hyung had played dirty, he could have easily won, but I think his good character prevented him from doing so.]
[Park Moon-dae: In a good way, of course.]
Amidst the members running toward the back door, Park Moon-dae’s gentle comment was warmly inserted.
[Keun Se-jin: Uh-huh! The spy better walk faster!]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Haha, alright.]
Ryu Cheong-woo, walking with the members, had a silly smile on his face.
And the expert’s analytical commentary began during this final sprint before the escape.
[What are the types of TeSTAR members observed during the disaster escape process?]
After a brief explanation of the ‘Role-playing Classification Method’ supposedly developed by the research lab itself, evaluations for each member appeared.
First was Ryu Cheong-woo, the twist of this episode.
[Counselor: As expected, even in solo actions, he shows calm yet challenging behavior without any anxiety. This side of him seems very natural.]
[Counselor: However, Mr. Ryu Cheong-woo has very high ethical and moral standards and does not prefer using petty tricks.]
Behind a close-up of Ryu Cheong-woo running, his interview and a flashback were layered.
It was the scene where he chased after Park Moon-dae. There was another small twist here.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Chasing after Moon-dae then wasn't particularly… because I intended to stop him or anything.]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: I just thought it might be dangerous for him to go alone. There was smoke coming out of the walls and everything.]
Ryu Cheong-woo’s final action had simply been an act of kindness.
Of course, it was also because he had seen Park Moon-dae’s abnormal reaction, but the production team had already cleanly cut that part out.
This was because as soon as filming ended, Park Moon-dae had politely informed them, “I find it quite uncomfortable when my five senses don't function properly in a fire-like situation.”
The production team had been startled, apologized, and even contacted him separately to say they would be more careful with the editing.
But even setting that fact aside, this truth made for a sufficiently heart-warming edit.
[Ryu Cheong-woo / Humanitarian Explorer]
[An autonomous, human-friendly type with the spirit to pioneer the future]
Ryu Cheong-woo’s type popped up next to his face like a certification mark.
It was the easy-to-view type classification that Park Moon-dae had hoped for.
Evaluations for the other members followed.
[Kim Rae-bin / Ethical Healer]
[Cha Yu-jin / Destructive Explorer]
[Bae Se-jin / Ethical Fighter]
[Keun Se-jin / Rational Strategist]
[Seon A-hyun / Humanitarian Fighter]
Not a single person’s type overlapped.
Whether it was a coincidence or the research lab had interpreted the data slightly in their favor for a more dramatic feel was unknown, but it looked impressive.
‘Hmm, so it’s 16 types in a 4x4 grid.’
The graduate student nodded, watching the story with quite a bit of interest.
She wasn't sure if the theory was that solid, but it was quite fun how they explained everything according to each member’s actions. Though she felt some of her lab colleagues might foam at the mouth in anger over it.
And Park Moon-dae, whom she had been waiting for, was last, perhaps thanks to his performance.
[Counselor: Looking at this escape, Mr. Park Moon-dae has perfectionist tendencies, but at the same time, he has a great desire to take risks and challenge himself, doesn't he?]
The action of grabbing the gun, the sight of him being the first to burst out of the restroom to check if zombies were coming out, and finally, the sight of Park Moon-dae sprinting in reverse briefly passed by.
[Counselor: It might be good for him to practice a bit of self-control so as not to overexert himself, but he is a very brilliant and confident person.]
Next to the smiling face of Park Moon-dae, who had reached the back door and pulled out the ID card, his type was stamped.
[Park Moon-dae / Destructive Strategist]
[The incarnation of efficiency and full-throttle sprinting, a brainy type who sees the forest rather than the trees]
‘So cool!’
He managed to be cute with his pink hair while oozing this much coolness—that was her bias!
‘My fatigue is completely gone….’
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the screen.
[Whoa!]
The screen, which had briefly paused to display the type, flowed again, finally showing the back door opening and TeSTAR pouring out.
In the evening after sunset, the members of TeSTAR, looking refreshed just by sight, came out and shouted “Success!” and “Awesome!”
[Bae Se-jin: I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.]
[Cha Yu-jin: The best! Let’s do it again!]
[Keun Se-jin: It was fun~]
‘I had fun too!’
The graduate student smiled and watched with satisfaction. It was a great ending!
And just when it seemed the video was concluding.
The screen changed.
[TeSTAR: Ohhh~]
Instead of the outdoors, the members appeared sitting at a table in a cozy indoor setting.
The members were clapping enthusiastically.
“…??”
[Keun Se-jin: Did you enjoy the video, viewers!]
[Seon A-hyun: We… also just finished watching Episode 1…!]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: And we are sitting here to hear the main point.]
Ryu Cheong-woo grinned. Cha Yu-jin chimed in.
[Cha Yu-jin: Roommates!]
“Oh right, roommates!”
She had forgotten about it before she knew it. Apparently, this was additional footage explaining that! The graduate student focused on the screen again.
[Park Moon-dae: They say they are going to announce our rooms now.]
[PD: Yes, everyone~]
The PD’s voice, which popped out instantly, was met with the laughter of staff and members from all over.
[PD: Do you remember the types you received?]
[TeSTAR: Yes!]
TeSTAR showed their types and descriptions to the camera once, holding the notes they had just received.
[PD: Our Communication Research Institute has paired you up as roommates with people who perfectly complement each other based on those types!]
[The magic of becoming one with the advertiser who gave us the PPL]
“Oh~”
The graduate student watched the video with a fluttering heart. So that was why they had divided them into those types!
‘So who is it, exactly?’
[Keun Se-jin: Ah, I’m fine with whoever I’m with! I hope they tell us quickly!]
[PD: Now, revealing them!]
While a clip of Bae Se-jin praying for a single room and a nonchalant Keun Se-jin were interspersed, the PD revealed a whiteboard.
[Bae Se-jin, Cha Yu-jin]
[Ryu Cheong-woo, Park Moon-dae]
[Seon A-hyun, Kim Rae-bin]
[Keun Se-jin]
It was a clean reveal.
“…??”
And both outside and inside the screen were filled with questions.
[Kim Rae-bin: I have no complaints about the room assignments, but weren't you supposed to assign us with similar types?]
[Bae Se-jin: Exactly!]
The types didn't match at all!
However, the PD said nonchalantly.
[PD: Hey, not similar, but ‘complementary’ personalities!]
[!!!!]
[PD: Think about it, you have to have different personalities to complement each other!]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Oh my god.]
There was a brief commotion among the members as they realized they had been tricked again, but they soon accepted reality and greeted their new roommates.
The way they tried to hold back their laughter was very variety-show-like.
Except for one person.
[Keun Se-jin: PD-nim? What about me??]
[PD: For Mr. Keun Se-jin… a single room is recommended so you can experience acting alone for once!]
[Keun Se-jin: Aaaargh!]
The exaggerated agony of the social butterfly Keun Se-jin provided a big laugh.
And while the graduate student laughed at that, she couldn't help but focus her attention elsewhere.
‘Oh, nice. He’s in the same room as the leader!’
It was Park Moon-dae’s roommate.
[Ryu Cheong-woo, Park Moon-dae]
‘That’s not bad.’
Thinking that they would both get along well, the graduate student finished her thoughts comfortably.
Of course, not everyone felt that way.
Because of this new roommate assignment, a few words were being exchanged under the surface, but it was strictly under the surface.
The fandom, united against the new season of Idol Inc. as their enemy, had not yet degenerated into a disorganized mess.
The overall reaction was very positive, just like the graduate student’s.
[TeSTAR’s zombie escape with an insane twist (Spoilers included)]
TeSTAR’s hiatus was thus maintaining its form without any downward trend.
And whether they liked it or not, contrary to the predictions under the surface, they had already changed rooms.
[Keun Se-jin: Moon-dae Moon-dae, I’m bored. A single room is so sad, really T_T]
‘What a joker.’
The guy who secretly liked getting a single room because it gave him a good character bit sure had a long tongue.
[Then come out to the living room.]
I replied quickly and tried to turn off the screen, but he was faster.
Vibrate.
[Keun Se-jin: No no, Park Moon-dae has to come visit. The answer is already decided. Hehe.]
“…….”
I’m busy, you punk.
[Going to work out.]
I shrugged and turned off the smartphone screen.
It wasn't a lie. I really intended to go out.
‘I need to build my body more.’
Since the atmosphere of the self-produced variety show during this hiatus was good, I had to pull up the preparations for the comeback as much as possible.
‘As for things to worry about… there are none.’
The research lab that gave us the PPL was caught up in some minor copyright controversy regarding their types, but it didn't involve us, so it didn't matter.
‘I heard it’s similar to some personality classification from a board game.’
Forget that; rather, it was something else that weighed on my mind.
“Are you going to work out?”
The fact that I’m roommates with this guy.
“Um, yes.”
I looked at Ryu Cheong-woo and nodded.
I didn't feel as reluctant as before, but if you asked if I was completely comfortable….
‘Not quite.’
Actually, there was an opinion to just treat the roommate variety show as a show and swap everyone back, but I quickly withdrew it myself.
‘The risk is too high.’
It’s better to be a bit careful than to get caught and have discord rumors break out. And since it’s not like it’s uncomfortable anymore, I’ll get used to it as we live together.
I made up my mind to be more cooperative with my roommate.
Should I add some meaningless explanation that I wouldn't normally do?
“But I’m debating for a moment because there aren't many places to go.”
There would be too many people on the walking trails, and likely too many people at the gym as well.
‘Should I just go to the company?’
It was the moment I was about to fall back into contemplation.
“Ah, then let’s go together. I was just about to go work out, too.”
“…?”
Ryu Cheong-woo stood up from his desk with a bright smile.
“There’s a place I go to often.”
…Hmm, I suddenly have a bad feeling about this.