Son of the Dragon King
“Staaart!” With Ha Bong-seok PD's shout, the mission kicked off.
Pork belly. On a deserted island, in the dead of winter, no less.
“Oppa, let's split up and search. It'll be faster that way.”
“Yeah, got it. I'll check out that ridge over there.”
O Seokgyun vanished into the woods on the right. I headed left, toward the relatively flat bushy area.
Ten edible ingredients... Easier said than done—finding green leaves in a midwinter forest was like hunting for a needle in a sand dune. But the woods weren't completely dead even in winter. I scanned the ground with wide eyes.
Amid the dry fallen leaves, a faint green sprout caught my eye.
“Found it.”
I crouched down and carefully dug into the soil. Serrated leaves with deep roots.
“Knew it.”
Winter dropwort had a strong aroma. And even if it was just one root, it counted as an ingredient. One down. At this rate, ten would be a breeze.
As I roamed the forest, more ingredients popped into view one by one. Smooth sailing. Totally smooth.
But that smoothness only lasted until my stamina hit rock bottom.
“Huff... huff...”
My breath burned in my throat. My legs felt like lead weights. I'd only been walking for about thirty minutes, but my body was already screaming for mercy. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and glanced back.
The camera director following me looked perfectly calm as he pointed his lens, heavy camera slung over his shoulder and all.
He checked his watch and replied flatly.
“About twenty minutes.”
“...Twenty minutes.”
Despair. So far, I'd found one stalk of dropwort, some early wild garlic, mugwort, dandelion, arrowroot, pine needles, and bramble. Seven in total. Three more to go.
But no matter how I looked around, nothing new caught my eye.
This won't do.
Pork belly was slipping away. I could picture that vicious Ha Bong-seok PD slapping it on the grill with a smug grin. No way I'd let that happen.
I dragged my heavy legs deeper into the woods.
Please... just one more...
That's when I spotted it—something unnatural between the trees, behind the bushes. Not natural. Artificial color, angular shape.
...A tent? A tent in the middle of a deserted island forest?
Curiosity and caution surged together. I crept closer. Voices from inside. I shot a startled glance at the camera director. He smirked meaningfully and aimed his lens at the tent.
Aha.
It hit me. This was a broadcast setup. Ha Bong-seok PD's handiwork, no doubt. So what's inside...
I cautiously pulled back the tent flap. A figure in a deep black hood sat before a small box. Dim lighting, trying for a mystical vibe. But that silhouette was familiar.
“...Yeongji Writer?”
The hooded figure flinched and looked up.
“Huh? Oh, no. Ahem.”
She deepened her voice and launched into her lines.
“Stranger... you've come far. The items you seek are here.”
“......”
“To claim what you desire, you must pay the proper price.”
I stared blankly. Huh. That kind of setup? But...
“I haven't even said anything yet...”
“Ahh...!”
Yeongji Writer panicked, her real voice slipping out. Her face flushed red under the hood. She was so awkward. Should've known since she botched hiding the camera at that restaurant last time. Total airhead vibes.
“Th-that's not it...! Uh, anyway!”
She tossed the hood aside in frustration.
“It's a quiz! General knowledge quiz!”
“A quiz?”
“Yes! Get it right, and you get a random ingredient!”
Oh ho. So this was the 'mission' Ha Bong-seok PD mentioned. A hidden stage for ingredients.
“One at a time? Can I try multiple times?”
“Well... if you get them right. If you can.”
Yeongji Writer smirked mysteriously, full of confidence.
General knowledge? I was pretty good at trivia. Tons of random facts rattling around in my head.
“Pick your difficulty! Easy, medium, hard!”
“Easy first, then...”
“Haha! More chicken than I thought! Let's see...”
She rifled through her cue sheet with a mocking grin. Excuse me? Calling me chicken? My competitive fire ignited. I'll nail every one.
Rustling from outside the tent.
Areum-ah?
O Seokgyun approached, dirt-caked hands clutching something.
“Oppa? How'd you find this place?”
“Just stumbled on it wandering. How many you got?”
“Seven. You?”
“Five or so?”
He opened his hand: dropwort, wild garlic, mugwort, pine needles, arrowroot.
“...”
I compared to mine. Exact matches. All five were in my seven.
“Ah...”
A sigh escaped. Combined, still seven. Three short of ten. Ten minutes left. Not enough to scour more woods.
One option remained: ace this shady tent's quiz for ingredients.
“Writer-nim. Random ingredients? Or ones we don't have?”
“Random! Random! Don't get too comfy on broadcast.”
She drew a firm line. Wait, why's she treating me like a freeloader?
I'll show her. I explained to O Seokgyun.
“Oppa, all ours overlap. We need to quiz our way to the last three.”
“Quiz? I'm trash at trivia...”
He looked troubled.
“It's fine. I'll handle it. You just cheer.”
I stepped up confidently. Yeongji Writer fired the first one.
“Easy mode first. World geography!”
Geography? Not bad.
“What's Australia's capital?”
Australia? Map unrolled in my head. Sydney, right? Opera House. Or Melbourne?
Sydney? Melbourne? One of those for sure.
As I opened my mouth, O Seokgyun shot his hand up beside me.
“Answer! Canberra!”
“...Huh?”
I gawked at him. Canberra? What's that? First I'd heard of it. Oppa, you pulling that out of thin air?
But Yeongji Writer said,
“Correct!”
“...What?”
I blinked in shock as she handed him a mushroom.
“Congrats. Shiitake acquired.”
Oh, mushroom at least. Good—we hadn't gotten any. Two left.
...
“Areum-ah, you had no clue, huh?”
He called me out trying to play it cool.
“If we had more time, maybe...”
“...Your face when the answer airs later. Priceless.”
...
Sorry. Thought it was Sydney or Melbourne.
Trudging along. Chilly winter island beach. O Seokgyun and I headed to the rocks to check the octopus trap.
Wait, what about the pork belly?
...
First, the quiz. O Seokgyun stepped up big time. Nailed a bunch after, but sadly, mushrooms aside, all duplicates. And me...
“Sigh...”
“...Areum-ah. Don't beat yourself up. Acing it all would've been weirder. Made for fun footage—should be happy, right?”
Yeah. I bombed every single one. Excuses? Sure. Never knew a day wasn't exactly twenty-four hours. Apparently 23:56:04.
“...Questions were brutal.”
“Yeah, that one stumped me too. Four seconds? What?”
Missing didn't bug me much. Wasn't like I forgot or mixed up. No shame in whiffing unknowns.
But the sigh? That smug Ha Bong-seok PD grin when we failed and returned.
'Oof, why the long faces? Don't tell me you failed?'
'Aww, too bad. Got the premium pork belly ready.'
Grind. Hated even picturing it. Sigh.
Anyway, only the trap left. Low hopes, though. Barely two-three hours set, no bait, just tossed in.
“Let's check. Something's gotta be in there.”
We reached the drop point.
“Careful—wait here.”
“Okay. You too, oppa.”
He strode off behind the rocks. Hope something's caught...
“WAAAAAAAAH!!!”
What?! Did he fall? That scream's shark-bite level at least!
“Oppa! You okay!?”
“WAAAAAAAAH!”
What? IQ drop? Just inhuman shrieks no matter what I yelled.
Then O Seokgyun burst from behind the rocks. Told me to wait 'cause it's slippery—then bolts forgetting himself.
“Careful! Slow down!”
Something in his hand?
What the...?
“WUOOAAH! No, wait—jackpot! Jackpot! Areum-ah!”
“...Octopus?”
Bigger than a man's head. From afar, looked like his hand was eaten. Suckers coin-sized.
“H-how is this...”
Speechless. No-bait trap in shallows snags this monster? Statistically impossible. Worse odds than lotto jackpot.
O Seokgyun pulled it from the trap. Tentacles wrapped his arm.
“Jackpot! Jackpot! Areum-ah!”
Same line on repeat. Hoisted it like a trophy, cheering.
“See that! I did it!”
I stared dumbfounded. Lunch's seat dome, now this octopus. This guy's... what is he? Dragon King's son? Saved a nation in a past life? Ridiculous luck gave me chills.
Camera crew and staff gaped too.
“Whoa... that caught?”
“Staged? Staff-planted?”
“Dude, you're staff.”
And one realization hit: Survival ain't gear or skill...
It's pure luck.