Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Translator: Penny
Chapter 67
The scenery is beautiful.
That was Ha-eun's first thought upon finally arriving at the opening location for <2 Days & 1 Night>.
When you think about it, the program <2 Days & 1 Night> itself is about traveling to find Korea's hidden tourist spots.
So naturally, the scenery around the opening location had to be good.
However, regardless of whether the purpose was a variety show appearance to promote or not.
The mere fact that she had 'traveled' to such a scenic place was enough to make Ha-eun feel a little giddy.
'The air is nice too.'
The beautiful natural landscape spread out before Ha-eun's eyes was a world she had never experienced before.
A world she could never have experienced, no matter what, back when she was confined to a small hospital room.
It was enough just to look at it.
It was enough just to be able to look at it.
It was a little later that Ha-eun, who continued to look around and sightsee, discovered the other guest, Yoo Sung-jae.
But, unlike Ha-eun, who had no connection whatsoever with the regular members of <2 Days & 1 Night>.
"Sung-jae, you know you're going in the water today no matter what, right?"
"Ah, hyung. I'm an actor, you know? Actors like me live off their image."
"You can live just fine off a ruined image too~."
Yoo Sung-jae, who had some degree of familiarity with Jang Seong-ho, the MC of <2 Days & 1 Night>, and the other members, was boisterous even before the opening.
In many ways, you could say it looked warm and friendly.
Well, anyway.
Because every single person over there was someone Ha-eun would be spending the next 2 days and 1 night with.
-Thud.
She took a few more steps closer to at least exchange greetings before the official filming began.
Not long after, as soon as she made eye contact with Jang Seong-ho, the eldest member, she bowed her head slightly.
"Hello. I'm actor Lee Ha-eun."
"Ah, nice to meet you, nice to meet you. I'm Jang Seong-ho."
An overall warm and gentle impression.
And, in contrast, a muscular physique.
The right arm of Jang Seong-ho, who then offered a handshake, was also brawny.
A figure that clearly revealed a glimpse of the time, 20 years ago, when Jang Seong-ho was active as a starting pitcher in the Major Leagues.
When she lightly grasped the hand extended to her, it felt like shaking hands with a bear.
However, from Jang Seong-ho, after finishing the handshake with Ha-eun.
"Uh, Ha-eun-ssi. Have you been working out, by any chance?"
Because the same incomprehensible question came her way.
For a moment, she was slightly taken aback, just blinking, before belatedly regaining her composure and nodding.
"No wonder. The moment I grabbed your hand, I really got the feeling you work out. What kind of exercise do you do? Swimming? Track and field?"
"Just, lightly... things like jogging or jump rope...?"
"Huh? It wouldn't be like this from just doing it lightly?"
A voice full of doubt.
In response, Ha-eun trailed off, suggesting it was probably because of the swordsmanship acting lessons she'd been receiving lately.
Strictly speaking, it was true she hadn't focused intensively on any specific exercise.
Before attending Kim Gyu-tae's action school, she had never learned anything like exercise at all.
Anyway, the objective of exchanging greetings in advance was achieved.
After that, she looked around again, taking in the picturesque landscapes.
Finally, the preparation for the <2 Days & 1 Night> opening began about 10 minutes later.
After being fitted with a filming microphone by her assigned writer, she was left alone with Yoo Sung-jae, waiting for the guests to appear.
"Ha-eun-ssi, how's your condition?"
"It seems okay. How about you, Sung-jae-ssi?"
"Honestly, mine's not good. Hyung Seong-ho is the type who really follows through, so I think I'll really end up going in the water later."
"...I see."
As they continued to exchange ordinary small talk, nothing more, nothing less, the opening of <2 Days & 1 Night> began before they knew it.
The regular members of <2 Days & 1 Night>, who had now gathered in front of the camera, gradually raised the energy level and began making the filming site noisy.
"Hmm... Seeing it directly with my own two eyes like this, after always watching it on TV, feels different."
"Probably getting in the water directly will feel different from watching it on TV too."
"Hah, even you're saying that, Ha-eun-ssi?"
"Well, if you do well in the mini-games, you just don't have to go in."
She was completely sincere.
She had not a grain of sand's worth of intention to deliberately take a penalty to create a more impressive scene.
She intended to ensure that a situation where Ha-eun ended up looking like a drowned rat never occurred under any circumstances.
She was even more determined to prevent a situation where Ju Jeong-yun, who appeared under the pretext of bringing spare clothes, would barely hold back laughter while filming Ha-eun with a camera.
"So, Your Highness the Crown Prince, fighting."
"...I'll take the words, thank you."
By now, only a few seconds remained until the guest introductions.
Shortly after, upon hearing the cue to appear from the staff member standing in front of her, she walked in step with Yoo Sung-jae and revealed herself before the camera.
"Today's guests! Actor Yoo Sung-jae-ssi and Lee Ha-eun-ssi~! Nice to meet you!"
A huge voice that properly demonstrated what high energy was.
Following a brief greeting, a rough explanation of who Yoo Sung-jae and Ha-eun were was given.
It was after that that the short teaser for , prepared in advance by the <2 Days & 1 Night> production team, was played.
In response, Jang Seong-ho and the other regular members offered their respective impressions and took turns asking Yoo Sung-jae and Ha-eun questions.
The problem was.
"Eh? Now that I think of it, didn't Hyung Nam-soo learn kendo?"
"Kendo... I learned it for about 5 years."
"Five years means you learned everything there is to learn! Now, player entrance~!"
That 'Im Nam-soo', one of the regular members of <2 Days & 1 Night>, was gradually being pushed forward towards Ha-eun.
The bigger problem was that an atmosphere was being created where Ha-eun and Im Nam-soo had to have a swordsmanship duel.
Of course, it was only the atmosphere.
No matter what, they couldn't have a swordsmanship duel in the middle of the opening, so Ha-eun also planned to just go along with it to some extent and end it.
However.
"Here, we prepared for this, just as expected."
As if they had foreseen this situation, the sponge swords prepared in advance by the <2 Days & 1 Night> production team were handed to Ha-eun and Im Nam-soo.
Immediately, Im Nam-soo, looking very flustered, made a fuss.
"No, why did you prepare this seriously to this extent!"
"Since when have we ever done things roughly? If you're scared, just say you're scared~."
It was right after that that Ha-eun and Im Nam-soo finally took stances, pointing their swords at each other.
Anyway, since it was a variety show, Im Nam-soo was in a position where he had no choice but to be hit one-sidedly by Ha-eun, the guest.
If by any chance he seriously faced Ha-eun, even with a model sword, he would receive a barrage of criticism from viewers.
Crucially, for a more fun and comical scene to be produced, Im Nam-soo's side had to be the one getting hit one-sidedly.
And so, eventually, the sight of Im Nam-soo approaching Ha-eun, full of openings from head to toe.
And then, not even a few seconds later.
-Creepy.
'...Wait a minute. His eyes feel a bit strange?'
Stopping his steps unconsciously due to the murderous atmosphere emanating from Ha-eun right in front of him.
Unfortunately for Im Nam-soo, however, Ha-eun's sword was already flying towards him like an arrow.
By the time Im Nam-soo belatedly noticed this and hurriedly tried to raise his own sword.
-THWACK─!
"Gahk!!"
A dull pain had already been inflicted on Im Nam-soo's waist.
Even though it was clearly a soft sponge sword, the impact was tremendous.
"Ah, um... S-sorry!"
"Ah, it's okay, it's okay. Nam-soo, you rascal, you're just putting on a show."
Frankly, even to Jang Seong-ho, it looked a little painful.
But for the filming to proceed smoothly, the uniquely cheerful atmosphere of <2 Days & 1 Night> had to continue, so he deliberately pretended not to see it.
And so, the opening, which was a bit more chaotic than Ha-eun had expected, somehow came to an end.
After that, a lottery box for moving on to the next filming was presented before all the cast members.
"Now, please each draw one lot. The 'food' written on that lot is what you need to buy from the traditional market you see over there."
Added to the production team's mission explanation was Jang Seong-ho's suggestion that today's two guests draw their lots first.
In response, Yoo Sung-jae and Ha-eun, who were checking each other's reactions, drew their lots in turn.
Afterwards, the other cast members also drew their lots one by one.
Then, on the signal from MC Jang Seong-ho, they all opened their lots at once.
'...Was there really a bread like this among breads?'
The lot Ha-eun drew was .
The exact location of the store was not written.
This was the same for the lots drawn by the other cast members.
In response, MC Jang Seong-ho took charge and asked the production team what to do now.
"Do we just buy it from anywhere?"
"Yes. As long as it's a store inside the traditional market, anywhere is fine."
"This is just in case I'm asking, but is this first-come-first-served too?"
"Yes, that's correct. The person who buys it the fastest will receive the highest score... Then, everyone, start!"
"?! No, what do you mean start right away without any warning─"
Before Jang Seong-ho's remark, which carried a slightly absurd nuance, could even finish, whoosh.
Someone among the cast started running at full speed towards the traditional market in the distance.
"Who, who is that?!"
The smallest physique among the cast.
Yet, the running speed was so fast that even the veteran VJ of <2 Days & 1 Night>, who had been through all sorts of hardships, could barely keep up.
It was Ha-eun.
And with a very serious expression.
The slightly awkward demeanor she had shown among the <2 Days & 1 Night> members, who were all showing high energy regardless of who it was, had already vanished without a trace.
\*
[ It seems... I won't be able to do the featuring this time. I'm sorry, they said my guardian needs to be by my side continuously... ]
"No, no, family comes first. We're fine, so please take good care of your mother."
Like that, click.
Until the very moment the call ended, Lee Gun-yeol, who had been trying hard to maintain a calm expression, suddenly darkened.
Currently, the finals of the hip-hop survival program , which Double Lee is participating in as a producer, are just around the corner.
Therefore, the withdrawal of the female singer who had promised the final stage featuring was quite a serious problem.
The other female singers associated with Double Lee also all had their own schedules.
He could try asking, but would they readily agree to appear on the big stage of 's live broadcast finals?
Adding insult to injury, the amount of free time available to recruit a featuring singer was also approaching zero.
It would be a tight situation even if they recruited a new female singer tomorrow and started recording the final song.
"...Let's go with this final without the featuring part."
"Then it will definitely feel empty."
"We'll have to increase mine and Ji-hoon's parts a bit. There's no other way."
And so, it was eventually decided that this final stage would proceed without any featuring besides Double Lee.
Hwang Ji-hoon, the rapper who is the main protagonist of this final stage, also didn't deny that it was unavoidable.
However, he didn't think that the stage proceeding like this would be the best stage.
After all, this final song was composed with a female singer's featuring in mind from the start.
The overall mood of the song.
The intention contained within the tone and lyrics.
Finally, the performance concept for a final-worthy stage.
There were too many things that had to be abandoned because the female singer who had promised the featuring withdrew due to unavoidable circumstances.
For Hwang Ji-hoon, who had lived the life of an unknown rapper until now, this final of was literally a dream stage.
He didn't want to waste this once-in-a-lifetime, golden opportunity like this.
The song he wanted to share.
The stage he wanted to present.
Only when there was no compromise or regret in either of these two things did he think he finally had the qualification to challenge for the win.
He didn't know what the other competitors would think, but at least Hwang Ji-hoon thought so.
Afterwards, for quite a long time, after much deliberation upon deliberation, what he was looking for was a hole to crawl out from when the sky was falling.
A lifeline that would save Hwang Ji-hyuk in this regrettable situation where he had to face the finals with lingering attachments.
It was about 30 minutes later that Hwang Ji-hyuk found something that at least resembled a lifeline.
However, it was still impossible to judge whether he could grab that lifeline or not.
And so, carefully opening his mouth, which had been firmly shut until now.
"Uh, hyungs."
"? What's up?"
"Uhm, it's just... …I was wondering if we could ask Pinocchio-ssi."
He uttered the name of a certain singer who debuted with a featuring on Double Lee's 10th album.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny