Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Flames and Hidden Wounds
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“?!”
The flames shot up in an instant.
“Ah, hot!”
Do Kyung let out an involuntary scream. His vision blurred from the heat. Even as he stumbled back, his mouth fell open at the sight of the fire soaring sky-high.
“Gasp.”
Is my face okay? The sudden wave of heat made his skin sting.
As the flames surged, they singed the ends of Do Kyung’s bangs, leaving his hair frizzy to the touch. Luckily, that was the extent of it—no real injuries.
“Phew... whew.”
“Jeez.”
It wasn’t just Do Kyung; everyone jumped at the sudden flare-up, eyes wide as they backed away a couple of steps.
The others looked startled too, but no one seemed hurt.
“Huh?”
Once the initial shock passed, he started noticing other things.
“Th-the chicken!”
At someone’s shout, all eyes turned to the meat. The chicken, which had been browning nicely, was suddenly smack in the middle of the blaze.
“Nooo!”
“The meat’s burning!”
“Wh-what do we do?!”
With the fire raging like that, no one could just reach in. The flames had died down a bit, but they were still fierce.
If they left it like this, it wouldn’t be roasted chicken—it’d be a charred lump of coal.
“How the heck did you catch it?!”
It was right then, as Han Dong-woo stomped around in frustration.
“Hold on a sec.”
Song Woo-yeon, who’d stepped back from the heat, moved forward. Han Dong-woo naturally yielded the spot.
“W-Woo-yeon. What do we do? The fire’s too intense...”
“Yeah. It could be dangerous. We can just eat the clams and crabs—they’re plenty. Let the chicken sit till the flames calm down... Huh?!”
Oh Jun-hee’s words trailed off.
Instead of explaining, Song Woo-yeon turned the pulley in front of him. What followed was astonishing.
Creak, click.
The griddle plate began rising upward.
Thanks to that, the chicken was only lightly scorched—no real damage. As it lifted to the top, the flames gradually subsided.
Creak, creak.
While Song Woo-yeon adjusted the chicken’s position to match the settling fire, the others finally snapped out of it.
“Gasp.”
“Wh-what the hell is this?!”
“Did that thing just... move?!”
They couldn’t hide their shock, pressing Song Woo-yeon for answers. He gave an awkward smile and replied.
“Barbecues are tricky to control the fire, so just in case, I made it adjustable.”
A moving griddle plate?
Do Kyung muttered to himself that he’d never seen anything like it. He said it so casually, but it wasn’t casual at all.
Even if some manufacturer came out with it as a fancy gadget, it wouldn’t be out of place. Yet Song Woo-yeon delivered it with the nonchalance of “I just picked it up.”
Do Kyung was no business expert. Still, he could tell that laid-back attitude wasn’t ordinary.
“Whoa. Something like that exists?”
“I whipped it up myself. Fire control’s always a headache with barbecues. I wondered if there was an easier, safer way. I tinkered with all sorts of designs—like a windmill shape. But it’d be hard to make one right here, so I went with the simplest...”
Song Woo-yeon rattled it off like a machine gun, then paused. Sorry, but Do Kyung had lost track midway.
Sensing the blank stares, Song Woo-yeon continued sheepishly.
“Uh, anyway, it’s nothing special. I didn’t expect to use it right away like this.”
His grinning face made Do Kyung blurt out an unwitting “Wow.”
His sparkling eyes shone brightly between softly curved lids. A jack-of-all-trades, they said. He tried not to stand out, but his innate brilliance filled his gaze.
And that wasn’t all.
Usually, he’d time his inputs perfectly, letting conversations flow naturally. But with this moving griddle, he’d forgotten all pretense and dived right in.
Do Kyung vaguely sensed that this was closer to the real Song Woo-yeon.
In other words, “Cooking Enthusiast” Song Woo-yeon suited him better than “Entertainer” Song Woo-yeon.
“Amazing...”
Do Kyung couldn’t swallow his murmur of awe.
‘People passionate about their field just shine like that.’
The thought flashed through his mind.
He’d thought he was used to seeing idols sparkle. But this was a different kind of allure from the stage lights.
Creak, click.
“I’ll take it.”
Andric grabbed the pulley and said. Song Woo-yeon hesitated a moment, then grinned.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Watching Song Woo-yeon’s back, Do Kyung thought to himself.
‘I want to get closer.’
A natural homebody, he didn’t mingle much outside his group members or agency seniors and juniors.
Still, Do Kyung’s heart always held curiosity for lives in other worlds. Having been a trainee since childhood, he’d always wondered about normal adult life.
‘He’s the same age, too. ...Maybe we could hang out a bit?’
Do Kyung’s eyes sparkled at the idea.
“Wow~ Looks all cooked perfectly!”
“Dinner’s a feast tonight~!”
Oh Jun-hee’s cheerful voice snapped Do Kyung from his reverie. What followed was a delightful dinner.
With two chefs, their first jungle supper was... out of this world.
“Mmm...”
Do Kyung groaned softly and cracked his eyes open. Spending the night in Kim Hyung-man’s makeshift tent, even the sleeping bag couldn’t soften the hard ground—his back ached.
“Ow.”
Unable to sleep shallowly any longer, Do Kyung sat up. He planned to stretch a bit and try sleeping again.
Only a few observation cameras were on, and the crew was all asleep—no one to see.
Midnight in the jungle. Pretty romantic, he thought as he quietly got up.
But,
The spot next to him was empty.
‘Andric hyung was beside me, right?’
Why’s it empty? Bathroom break? That’s when, through a gap in the shoddily built wall, he heard muffled voices chatting.
‘Who’s up at this hour?’
Straining his ears, he caught fragments.
“...... ......? ......don’t you?”
Huh. That voice.
Do Kyung’s eyes flew wide.
It was Song Woo-yeon. The response came from Andric.
‘What? Just the two of them? What’s their deal?’
Come to think of it, Oh Jun-hee had been watching them with a sly smile.
‘No way... is the Ice Prince’s rival in some special relationship?!’
Do Kyung held his breath, pressing his ear to the wall. Now their voices came clear.
“You knew, right?”
Song Woo-yeon asked abruptly.
Andric just sat silently. Both facing away toward the campfire, their faces weren’t visible.
“Don’t dodge it. It couldn’t all be coincidence.”
“......”
“If you’re gonna play dumb, go inside and sleep. I came out for some alone time for once.”
What were they talking about? It didn’t quite sound like lovers’ talk.
Song Woo-yeon’s tone was friendly enough, but that was it. Andric wasn’t even responding.
“What’re you doing? Not going in?”
Prodded by Song Woo-yeon, Andric finally spoke.
“......Checking my scratches. Wanted to make sure they’re not bad.”
Scratches?
What scratches? Do Kyung’s eyes widened.
“They’re not bad.”
“Let me see. I only glimpsed it—couldn’t check properly. Looked like it was bleeding.”
“The stitched part must’ve split a little.”
With that, Song Woo-yeon rolled up his sleeve.
Ah!
Under the moonlight and firelight, a tightly wrapped bandage appeared. Do Kyung clapped both hands over his mouth.
‘Wh-when did that happen?!’
He’d had no idea about the arm injury. And it was stained reddish here and there.
That must’ve made moving tough. Constant throbbing pain he had to endure. Yet he never let on once...
“This spot’s hard to reach. Since you’ve seen the wound, mind helping with the disinfectant?”
“......”
Andric silently watched Song Woo-yeon unwrap the bandage. The revealed wound was even worse.
What the hell had he done to get hurt like that? His forearm was covered in gashes, with stitches scattered everywhere.
Andric took the alcohol swab and gently wiped over the wound.
“Ow! That hurts.”
Song Woo-yeon grumbled lightly, asking for taps instead.
“......Why keep going when it hurts this much? Why not quit?”
Andric’s voice was stiff, laced with anger.
Do Kyung nodded in agreement.
‘Right! If it hurts that bad, say something and bow out. What if something happens in the jungle?!’
But Song Woo-yeon’s reply was:
“The hospital said it’d be fine with proper disinfecting.”
“You didn’t tell them you were heading to the jungle.”
“......True, but it’s not inflamed or anything. I promised the crew I’d drop out if infection shows.”
Andric frowned at that. Sitting face-to-face, their profiles were faintly visible.
“Don’t you know how vital arms are for a chef? Why be so stubborn? What if it goes wrong?”
“And Chef An’s helping. Keeping it easy.”
“......”
“Take care of me till the end. I want to see this show through.”
Seeing that smile, Do Kyung was speechless. Andric must’ve been too.
Andric paused, then carefully asked.
“......Why go this far?”