Survival S Betrayals (4)
On the TV screen, the Airplane members and the Survival S MCs were dashing around frantically. The survival game had reached its climax.
Then—
Psssh!
“Gah?!”
A-Team Jeki! A-Team Jeki! A-Team Jeki!
The elimination announcement blared through the speakers.
Jin Haesol grinned and patted Jeki's shoulder, who was frozen in shock.
“Sorry, man.”
“...Hyung, did you just kill me?”
“Had to follow the master's teachings—no choice.”
“How could you? We're on the same team!”
“Nah. You're A-Team, I'm B-Team. Totally different teams.”
“That's not what you said earlier! And you swore the gun was empty!”
“Heroes always hold back 70% of their power.”
Jin Haesol waved cheerfully at Jeki as the staff dragged him away for elimination.
When they'd bumped into each other by chance, Haesol had insisted his gun had no bullets. And not just that—he'd shamelessly lied, saying they shouldn't eliminate fellow members to get more screen time. Of course, Jeki had naively bought it and let his guard down completely. After all, he knew creating footage mattered more than winning variety shows.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, I Hwan and Ki Uyeon were hustling—or trying to—in the survival game, but it was all hot air. Endless strategy talks like “Let's do this!” and “No, that way!” but zero results. They hadn't found a single bullet yet.
“Hyung hyung hyung! Hide! It's Heegyeong sunbaenim!!”
“Gah!!”
Chattering and scampering around like that naturally drew aggro. Spotting Tae Huigyeong, Uyeon and I Hwan crammed behind a trash can. Problem was, the can couldn't fully hide their bulky frames.
Tae Huigyeong's sharp eyes spotted them instantly.
“You punks!”
“Kyaaack!!”
“Eek!”
Uyeon dangled helplessly by his collar in Tae Huigyeong's grip, flailing and begging for mercy. I Hwan couldn't flee, just fidgeted anxiously.
“Aaaah! Save me!!! Hyung!! Monster!!”
“Nooo! Give me back my little bro!! You monster!!”
“...Why am I the monster? This makes me look like the villain.”
Clenching his fists, I Hwan tried prying Uyeon free—only to get nabbed too. Tae Huigyeong held one in each hand, the two guys helpless; the editing made it hilariously pathetic.
“Hey! I said not there. Why'd you go anyway?”
“It's all part of a greater plan you wouldn't get.”
“Greater plan my ass. You're just slacking 'cause you're tired.”
“You're grabbing innocents here? Just wait. I'll prove it. Stand over there and act suspicious. When they spot you and charge, lure 'em my way.”
“Me as bait?”
“Exactly!”
After a bit of bickering, Kang Jun followed Nam Eungyu's orders, acting shady in plain sight. Sure enough, B-Team's Kang Kyungtae popped out, eyes gleaming— he had bullets. Jun bolted toward Eungyu, luring him perfectly.
“Uwaaah! Hyung! Hyung! Save me!!”
“No bullets, huh? Caught ya! Run all you want, flea!!”
Psssh!
“Urk!”
Eungyu, hidden nearby, dashed past as Jun ran. But Kyungtae, way fitter, caught up fast. Just as he aimed—
Bang! From behind, Eungyu's toy gun fired!
B-Team Kang Kyungtae! B-Team Kang Kyungtae! B-Team Kang Kyungtae!
“Wh-what?? When'd you get there?!”
Kyungtae spotted Eungyu too late. Jun scampered back, high-fiving his bickering buddy.
Clap!
“Yes!”
“Nice!”
“See? Told ya it'd work.”
“Yeah... it did.”
Thanks to each member's solid plays, Airplane's Survival S outing wrapped up with rave reviews.
Back at the agency, Manager Noona beamed at us.
“You guys really got your faces out there this time. Booking requests doubled after airing. Survival S delivers.”
“That many schedules?”
“Yeah, twice as many. Variety appearances don't usually boost this much, but you nailed the filming. What's with everyone killing it lately? Aigoo, such good boys~”
“Ehehe.”
“We worked hard.”
“Wasn't that fun filming, but the edit made even us laugh.”
“Editing's straight-up cheating.”
The older demographic—prime Survival S viewers who didn't know us—loved it. Our names trended on searches post-airing. Fans cracked up at our antics: Me calling Na Yeonghui “master” and “corrupting” got hilarious edits from the PD. I Hwan and Uyeon were the unlucky duo with great chemistry but zero results. Jeki and Kyungtae hyung were the tragic icons scammed by teammates.
Manager Noona laid out our incoming schedules.
“Uyeon, you got eliminated early but synced so well with I Hwan you got tons of screen time. Variety offers are pouring in. Wanna go harder on shows?”
“Uh... what programs?”
“Kids' shows, One-Turn Girl too. Instead of listing, here's your personal offers. Company trimmed to the good ones—pick accordingly.”
Early debut focused on group schedules; now they pushed solos hard.
“Group stuff not listed, so don't overload. Pick 3-5.”
“Got it.”
I scanned the list, then froze at one entry and stared at Manager Noona.
“I gotta act?”
My acting stats weren't leveled properly. Acting? I'd get flak for bad acting and ruin the vibe. So many view idols through colored glasses!
“Oh! There Are Princes at Our School? It's a web drama—perfect for experience. Company recommends it. Wasting a face like yours on acting would be criminal.”
I personally think acting doesn't suit me. I'd start when debts cleared and coins stacked. Not now.
“Uh... There Are Princes at Our School is on my list too.”
Kang Jun dropped the surprise.
“Really? Us cast together?”
Web drama There Are Princes at Our School. We were both leads—the “princes” in the title.
“It's experimental. New writer, new director, mostly rookies. Won't go viral, but great for greenhorns building resume.”
“All rookies means I'm not solo sucking.”
“Builds cred better than zero experience. Plus, you two together? Company loves it.”
“Jun, you in?”
“Yeah... I wanna do it.”
Jun's decent at acting and didn't wanna miss out. His looks suited it too—less spotlight 'cause of me, but company grooming and steady workouts had him glowing more than trainee days.
“If I pass, does it screw Jun?”
“Nah, don't force it. But it's a golden chance. Shoots post-promo, perfect rest-period experience.”
“I'd love doing it with hyung...”
Jun rarely showed greed toward me.
“Too soon to decide. Got a script?”
“Duh.”
“I'll read and choose.”
“Cool. Here's the picks. Check the rest.”
Web drama... unexpected challenge. Hard to commit.
‘Princes’ already sounds cringe.’
School setting, plus ‘princes.’
‘Dialogues gotta be cheesy af.’
Bad acting plus cringy lines? Brutal shoot ahead.
‘Jun's really okay with the title?’
Per her advice, I picked 4 non-acting gigs. Favorite: high-pay cosmetics ad. Heard celebs rake in CF cash, and yeah, fame bumped rates sky-high. If alone, I'd ask if it's legit.
‘Solos are touchy.’
Couldn't discuss openly—money reasons. Honey Enter splits solo pay to the member, no group share. Issue: Popularity gaps widen rates. If A-team gets 100 mil, B-team 5 mil? Fine at first. But A hits 200, 500 mil while B's stuck? Inevitable jealousy.
Even bathroom trips feel off—how many stay chill?