Chapter 360
Chapter 360
One hour had passed since it was revealed that every single one of their Carrot Coins had been stolen.
"Guaaaagh!"
Inside the cozy lodging, it was a mental disaster zone.
Kim Rae-bin, the one who had actually drawn the cursed note, was huddled in a corner, looking like he’d just showered in cold sweat.
"The carrots… my carrots…"
The shock seemed to have hit him hard.
"So…"
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke up calmly.
"What you're saying is, we're currently penniless."
Boom!
If this were an edited broadcast, an exclamation mark would have popped up over his head. These guys were genuinely, realistically traumatized.
I crossed my arms and spoke bluntly.
"In short, we’re beggars."
"B-Beggars…"
"How could this happen overnight?"
All we had left was a single dog.
Around the despondent members, the little furball hopped around as if trying to cheer them up.
Woof! Yap!
The members' complexions brightened slightly.
"Right, at least they didn't steal our Mung-ge. Right?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"…He’s still a puppy, so there was a risk, but I’m glad. He’s not hurt, either."
Are they for real?
Honestly, I wondered if it was worth getting this worked up over some variety show money disappearing, but this was the side effect of being completely relaxed for the past two days…
No, it wasn't a side effect.
"…!"
I’ve been played.
Those bastards planned all of this and treated us so well on purpose. All to catch us at our most vulnerable and extract the perfect shocked reactions…
They set this up brilliantly.
—"Oh? What should we do? Of all things, you had to pick that one~ The other notes definitely didn't say that."
—"Then show us! Let us check!"
—"Oh, no, you can't do that! We have to use them next time!"
—"Aaargh! Seriously!"
That guy definitely prepared both notes to say the coins would be stolen.
I recalled the face of that shameless PD and barely suppressed a curse.
You called this "healing," you son of a…!
No… let’s stay calm. From a programming perspective, this was where things started getting interesting. Healing… right, two days of healing footage was more than enough.
I had to think that way. I absolutely had to. Don't get mad; if you get mad, you lose.
In the midst of this, Seon A-hyun, who had been keeping his mouth shut, raised his hand as if he’d made a decision.
"Yes, A-hyun."
"W-We have thread… so, maybe I could make something and, um… see if anyone wants to buy it…?"
"Whoa."
"Hmm, people with steady hands really do think differently."
It wasn't a bad idea. The sight of top-tier idols huddled together doing manual labor like sewing eyes onto dolls would be quite a novel and hilarious sight if they looked desperate enough.
However, in cases like this, the production team's intent was what mattered.
"…Well, you're amazing for thinking of that, but… shouldn't catching the culprit be our top priority? The staff said so, too."
Right, that was likely the direction the show preferred.
—"Exactly who?! Who stole them?"
—"Yes! This mysterious night visitor is someone currently residing in this village!"
Bae Se-jin swallowed hard.
"They're basically telling us to go catch them."
"Hmm."
The members fell into thought. After a moment, Kim Rae-bin, his face pale, muttered seriously.
"What if we get harmed…?"
"Ah, we can't have that."
"Y-Yeah. It could be… dangerous…"
No, they were over-immersed. This wasn't a genre variety show; there was no way the production team, whose absolute priority was comedy, would let that happen.
Keun Se-jin nodded solemnly.
"You're right. It could be dangerous."
You look way too excited. You're just happy that hardships have finally arrived so you can get more screen time, aren't you?
Ryu Cheong-woo offered a compromise.
"But we're short on food right now… so for now, let's focus on helping out to earn some coins."
"Yes!"
"While we're at it, let's keep an eye out for the thief. There must be hints."
"That is a… very wise decision."
That much was fine. It felt immersive, and compared to the footage of us happily volunteering the day before, it would be… quite funny.
"……."
No, I told myself not to get annoyed.
Anyway, we immediately set out with cameras in tow to find the residents.
"Sir~ Would it be okay if we continued cleaning your yard like yesterday? If you give us a few coins, we’ll do a really~ good job!"
"Huh? It’s fine."
Surprisingly, however, people weren't giving us any work.
"…?"
"How many houses have rejected us now?"
"Five."
It was an unnaturally suspicious situation.
Even the grandmother at the sixth house clicked her tongue and said:
"Oh dear… those coins? I don't have any of those anymore. Can't you boys just come in and have a bite of food instead?"
The production team brightly answered in our stead.
"They cannot~!"
"Why are you answering for us?!"
"It's the rules! The rules! You all know how the reward system works, so why are you acting like this?"
These guys were really something.
It seemed the "countryside hospitality" the production team had been raving about had died a sudden death overnight.
At this point, even a saint would be ticked off. Ryu Cheong-woo let out a hollow laugh and asked:
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
"That's why! We've prepared something just in case~!"
Right, of course you did.
They're definitely going to make us do some ridiculous labor…
"It's the Carrot Farm!"
"…!"
This wasn't the scale I was expecting.
We took a short bus ride and arrived at the edge of a vast green plantation stretching across the flat land.
"Whoa…"
"It's huge."
How on earth did they contact—no, they probably contacted this place first and then decided on the lodging and the type of coins.
The PD spoke with a beaming smile.
"I told you that physical carrots could be exchanged one-to-one for Carrot Coins, right?"
"Ah~ I remember!"
"That's right."
Amidst the impressed members, Kim Rae-bin’s face brightened with relief.
Poor kid.
"Then, are you saying we can exchange the carrots we harvest directly for coins…?"
"Uh-uh~ Everyone, someone else farmed and grew those carrots a long time ago. You can't expect us to just give them to you for simply harvesting them~"
"……."
I knew it.
Then, the PD made a highwayman's proposal.
"For now, if you dig up everything from here to there, your daily wage will be 5 coins per person!"
"Hieeeek!"
"I'm not doing it!!"
"I want to go home."
The staff suppressed their laughter as they watched the horrified idols.
Is this funny to you?
"Everyone, you have to eat~"
"……."
The guys, now accustomed to the program's unfairness, only looked distraught for a moment before they started moving.
"Should we start from over there?"
"Yeah."
"I hate carrots."
Even while grumbling, they ended up giving it their all.
I grabbed a hand hoe, dug into the earth, and pulled out orange root vegetables one after another.
The footage will turn out well.
We would come across as pure, diligent young men who hadn't lost their rookie mindset and worked hard without cutting corners, even after becoming famous.
Or just as a bunch of suckers who keep getting tricked.
Damn it.
Either way, it was a win for the show… but because I’d fallen for the fake-out and gotten stabbed in the back, it stung quite a bit.
Is this the land version of a deep-sea fishing boat?
"Put them in here!"
"Okay."
The hours of hard labor filling giant baskets continued.
The PD picked up a megaphone.
"Now~ five more! No straightening your backs until you pull five more~!"
"Aaargh! Are you going to take responsibility if our backs give out?"
"Oh? Is the daily wage too high?"
"We're sorry."
Honestly, it wasn't at a level that would strain our bodies. Compared to practicing performances during a busy promotion period, it was just tiring.
"Work, work!"
"……."
Still, the atmosphere was definitely there.
The vibe of being treated like medieval serfs was irritating… but it would obviously be funny after editing. That was the point.
I understand.
I occasionally glared at the staff with resentful eyes while diligently digging up carrots. Up to this point, it was bearable.
The problem started after that.
"Here's your pay!"
"Waaaaagh!"
"We aren't eating carrots for a while. I won't even touch carrot cake."
"Right, Moon-dae."
We went to the mart to buy dinner with the coins we’d worked so hard for… only to be faced with astronomical inflation.
"Give us… just ten of those!"
"…!?"
Suddenly, the price of Dalgona had jumped tenfold.
"20 coins for one pound of meat?"
"You're trying to kill us!"
Meat prices had also skyrocketed.
Naturally, the guys lost it and ran to the production team, shouting.
"You said there was no manipulation!"
"We absolutely! Did not! Arbitrarily set the prices, everyone~ Not at all!"
Kim Rae-bin asked with a face that looked like he was about to lose his soul.
"Then what is this situation…?"
"Well, how are we supposed to know what's in people's hearts~? Everyone is just selling at the price they want."
"……."
I clenched my fists.
I didn't know whose idea this was, but I sincerely wanted to give them a good smack.
In the end, we returned home with a shopping basket that was pitifully empty compared to the last two days.
I made a stoic declaration.
"Let's just make sujebi (hand-pulled dough soup)."
"Aah……."
"Sujebi… is good."
It was impressive they could even manage a reaction.
"I'm sorry…. The starting point of all this… was my mistake…."
"W-What are you talking about! It's obviously the PD pulling tricks!"
Kim Rae-bin, who had drawn the note, was practically catatonic, and Bae Se-jin was sticking close to him along with the dog to comfort him.
"……."
This won't do.
I tapped Keun Se-jin, who was putting the groceries in the kitchen.
"We have flour and butter left, right?"
"Huh? Yeah. We do… why?"
"Just a second."
I checked the butter we’d overspent on the first day and headed to the kitchen.
The free time they gave us to curse the production team—how I used it was up to me.
*
Park Moon-dae was making something.
Mmm.
As soon as Ryu Cheong-woo came out from showering, he caught a savory scent. Then he saw Park Moon-dae’s back as he moved efficiently in the kitchen.
…Western food? I thought he said sujebi.
Even in the midst of it, the way he was conscious of the camera angles to ensure the cooking process was captured well was very much like him.
He’s so calm.
It was clearly an infuriating situation, but he was silently working on a realistic solution. In moments like this, he really felt like the older one.
Ryu Cheong-woo cautiously entered the kitchen.
"Do you need anything?"
"I'm almost done. It's fine. The others helped."
Park Moon-dae opened the air fryer.
Along with a savory aroma… yellow cookies revealed themselves.
"Want a taste?"
"Ah."
So it was cookies.
At that moment, Cha Yu-jin popped out.
"I want some!"
"It's hot, so be careful."
"Hoo, hoo!"
Ryu Cheong-woo watched Cha Yu-jin take a bite, his eyes lighting up as he gave a thumbs up, and realized.
He’s planning to sell these.
It was a great idea. He figured the other members, who didn't want to go back to the carrot field, would react well to it too.
"…! These are good."
"I'm glad."
Ryu Cheong-woo was impressed by both the taste and the idea.
I should watch closely and help out when we make a large batch.
However, that thought was quickly shattered.
As soon as the cookies cooled down a bit, Park Moon-dae swept more than half of them into a container and spoke.
"The others will make the sujebi… Hyung, come with me."
"…Me?"
Where?
Then, Park Moon-dae took him along and walked to… the village hall, where the residents had just finished their dinner.
…??
What on earth was going on?
"Hello, everyone."
"Ah! Aren't you that… that star who came from Seoul with the cameras!"
"The cameras are with us today, too. And I made something. It's soft, so it should be easy for you to eat."
"Oh my, what is all this!"
Park Moon-dae handed out cookies left and right, buoyed by the enthusiastic welcome of the elders who had found something interesting for the first time in a while.
Ryu Cheong-woo joined in the action before he knew it.
Park Moon-dae went a step further and even "sold out" Ryu Cheong-woo.
"This hyung won a gold medal in archery at the Olympics. Do you happen to remember him?"
"Oh my goodness!"
"Yes, I think I remember, oh my~"
"Hahaha."
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled, shook hands diligently, and even gave them massages, but he still didn't know why Park Moon-dae was doing this.
"Shall I sing a song?"
"Sure, sure~!"
Park Moon-dae even sang a trot song on his own and performed "POP★CON," doing all sorts of fan service.
"……??"
Ryu Cheong-woo’s mind became even more complicated, but for now, he followed along without a word, singing a verse himself and diligently answering the elders' questions.
He must have a plan.
And when the atmosphere was fully ripe and the elders' guards were down.
Park Moon-dae got to the point.
"About these bottle caps, by any chance, did the people from Seoul say anything specific about them today?"
"Ah, that!"
While the camera director looked flustered, Park Moon-dae finally heard the truth.
"Well, you see…"
*
I spoke up.
"So, you promised to give high-end massage chairs to the ten residents who have the most Carrot Coins?"
The members, having heard the full story, were now gathered on the veranda, confronting the production team.
The PD tried to avoid our gaze for a moment, then muttered even more shamelessly.
"Wait, you went and heard about that?"
"Aaargh!"
"It's true!"
"How could you do this to us, really!"
A barrage of criticism followed.
Even Seon A-hyun’s face turned red.
"You said it was healing, o-or to sue you if it wasn't…!"
"Oh?"
The PD offered nonchalantly.
"Go ahead~ Sue me!"
"…!!"
"I mean, these Carrot Coins~ are they even a real currency? They're just bottle caps~ I'm not sure if it'll hold up!"
"Kuaaaagh!"
Tremble, tremble.
Bae Se-jin’s shoulders shook as he gritted his teeth and muttered.
"I won't forget this…."
"PD-nim~ Someday, all of this will come back to you as karma!"
Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, the PD quickly made an excuse.
"No, everyone… you shouldn't be doing this to me. There really is a thief! Definitely!"
"…!"
"If you just find that thief! We'll return all the coins… and we'll give you a prize from our own pocket! 100 coins!"
"…! R-Really?"
"Of course~ Have you lived your whole life being tricked?"
Uh, yeah, by you.
"……."
I took a deep breath.
Right. This is what makes it funny and interesting.
TeSTAR was already used to this production team through numerous experiences of being scammed.
So, to create a more provocative and entertaining picture, this was the right way to go.
"It's also the best way to get shots of the kids desperately trying to find the culprit and performing for the elders and the staff."
"……."
But… why am I so pissed off? The picture of being caught off guard by someone else's scheme? I don't find it funny. Not at all.
"M-Moon-dae? Are you okay?"
"……."
I made up my mind.
The PD's voice echoed.
"Go find the thief~"
That night, past midnight, in the dead of night. A time when even the staff had withdrawn, leaving only the unmanned cameras.
Slide.
I quietly opened the gate and stepped out.
Of course, I wasn't alone.
"Um… Moon-dae hyung."
Kim Rae-bin, in his tracksuit, followed hesitantly with a confused face.
"May I ask… why you wanted me to accompany you?"
"Grab a shovel and follow me."
"…??"
"We're going to dig up carrots."
I wasn't going to let this slide.