Tightrope Rivals and Hidden Alliances
Holed up at home bingeing webtoons and movies to build some culture, playing games whenever boredom hit— that routine flew by in a week. Finally, the big day arrived: the start of Top Beast Survival. With Jung Soo-jin cheering me on, I headed to the filming location.
The set was tucked away in a corner of Gyeonggi Province. They'd basically built a whole new complex from scratch on an empty field for this show, and feeling that massive scale hit home made my TV debut feel all too real. Stepping out of the taxi, I spotted the tent serving as the waiting room. As I went inside, a staffer approached.
"Excuse me, how did you get here?"
"Is this the participants' waiting room? Name's Lee Min-ho."
"Yes, you're confirmed! Have a seat inside, and we'll relay the instructions."
A quick scan of the room showed most of the participants had already arrived. The place buzzed with chatter.
"Chaeni, hello!"
"Big Palm Uncle, hey!"
"Whoa, Jang Seok-gi! I'm a huge fan. Could I maybe get an autograph later...?"
Aside from a few regular folks, it was all YouTubers clustered together chatting. No interest in awkwardly forcing my way in, so I plopped down on a nearby chair.
"......"
But as I entered, the chatter died down—except for a few people—and the room went quiet.
What’s with this vibe?
Suddenly, it felt like I'd done something wrong. Arms crossed, playing it cool, when YouTuber Chaeni approached.
"Hi! You're Lee Min-ho, right?"
"Yeah, and you're Chaeni? Nice to meet you."
She smiled with her eyes as she greeted me. No idea what her angle was, but ignoring someone to their face wasn't my style, so I returned it warmly.
"But how'd you know me?"
"I saw your pre-interview video! You were amazing!"
"Haha... Among all the participants here, that's pretty standard."
"No way! Not everyone can do that!"
She glanced around, then whispered in my ear. Her perfume wafted over as she leaned in.
"So... wanna team up with me?"
"Team up?"
"It's a competition with 20 people. Perfect split: 10 YouTubers, 10 regulars. There'll definitely be team missions."
Solid logic. Filming wrapped in a day— no way they'd do all 20 matchups one-on-one. Team events were inevitable.
"Wouldn't someone else be more helpful than me?"
I tried to bow out, but she widened her eyes.
"In my book, you're the top contender for the win. Isn't that humility a bit much?"
"Alright... sure. No harm in trying our best together."
I nodded, pretending not to notice her exaggerated reaction. She probably didn't actually think I'd win, but no need to make enemies. As we talked, the room filled with chatter again.
Clap clap
"Broadcast starting soon! We'll call you in one by one. Act like you just arrived when you enter!"
With the staffer's cue, we filed into the set one at a time. I was dead last. The waiting room monitor showed the set's interior. There was the host, Crokochi, hyping up the participants.
"Lee Min-ho! You're up!"
"Coming!"
I stood, got mic'd up, and entered the small room inside the set. Participants sat clustered, watching videos on the screen ahead. Everything from now on was probably being recorded and broadcast.
"Hello."
"......"
Déjà vu? Like in the waiting room, was everyone icing me out? I quietly took a seat. My pre-interview played on the monitor, with a chat window beside it.
Oh, they caught that on cam. It was the clip of me catching Lee Ji-hyun PD as she tripped. No wonder they had to use it—unmissable footage. Even I was impressed watching it, complete with slow-mo emphasis.
"...Impressive. How'd you do that?"
The guy next to me whispered. Kang Sang-won? His face was stiff, probably for the cameras.
"It just happened—my reflexes are pretty good."
Couldn't mention superpowers, so I bullshitted. He stared like I was a freak. That look from this uncle hurt a bit. Then my hobby answer—"gaming"—played with my submitted footage, and participants shot me surprised glances.
The chat scrolled wildly. Viewer count hovered around 20,000—insane for a paid broadcast at 5,000 won per sub. Must be from all the promo by participants and crew. The edited version would hit YouTube later, and with ad revenue plus sponsorships, the show's already halfway to success.
Guess I gotta show some skills.
Then Crokochi shouted the start of competition.
Whirr—
We turned, and what looked like a wall slid open.
Thud
"Whoa......"
"They prepped all this?"
The real Round 1 set appeared.
100m ropes stretched horizontally in the air, with a pool full of water below. No visible safety gear for dramatic falls, but they'd dug a pit and filled it to prevent real injuries.
Team scores meant I couldn't carry alone.
The buzz quieted as YouTubers took positions. Regulars huddled too.
Beep—
YouTubers started crossing: some froze hanging on, others ankle-hooked and shuffled, a few arm-walked upside down. Varied styles.
Screech— Splash
"...How should we do this?"
"For tightrope, hook your ankle and use arms and legs together..."
"Ugh, scared of heights."
Watching YouTubers struggle offered no real strategy for us regulars—just tips on technique. Quietly eyeing Chaeni grunt her way forward, Jang Seok-gi sidled up.
"You seem calm—confident, huh, Lee Min-ho?"
"Same to you, Jang Seok-gi."
We shared a light chuckle. Strangers, yet hyper-aware of each other—familiar yet not. Cameras caught it. I glanced, then said,
"Wanna bet?"
"Bet?"
"Loser who crosses last grants the winner one favor. Deal?"
He'd peeked at chat too.
"Deal. But nothing to do with the show."
"Obviously. Fair play only."
Handshake sealed.
"Whew, tough..."
"Damn, palms scraped."
Beep—