Chapter 76: Desert Island Survival (1)
Chapter 76: Desert Island Survival (1)
Park Jung-woo had a thought.
How on earth did things end up like this?
The scorching sun beat down on him, and people were staring at him blankly.
Most of their gazes said the same thing:
‘What is this guy doing here?’
That was likely what was on their minds.
In truth, he felt much the same way.
‘Why am I even here?’
Well, it all started a few days ago.
It was when he heard about Desert Island Survival from Producer Shin, an old acquaintance of his father.
He couldn't quite remember what he had said at the time, but his appearance on the show was decided in record time.
And for good reason.
"Wow, they must have been really impressed by that last episode of Looking at the Past and Memories! The approval came through in a heartbeat!"
Producer Shin had laughed heartily, having secured the permission almost instantly.
He wondered what his agency was doing, not stopping this.
"You don't have anything to do until the next drama starts anyway. Go have some fun."
Hwang Jin-hwan, the CEO of Park Jung-woo’s agency, Ongaram Actors, had sent him off with a wave of his hand.
He made it sound like a vacation.
"Variety shows like Desert Island Survival are pretty laid-back these days. They only make it look tough for the cameras; it’s not actually that grueling."
He had even patted Jung-woo on the shoulder while saying that.
In reality, there was another reason the CEO was encouraging this.
It was because a man like Park Jung-woo almost never appeared on variety shows.
He was devoted entirely to his acting and modeling career, rarely showing his face on any other type of broadcast.
‘An actor must be careful about overexposing their image.’
That was likely due to the strict education he received from his father.
The CEO wanted to tell him that times had changed, but when an actor reached "superstar" status, even the head of the agency couldn't speak to them carelessly.
"Just don't go starting any scandals."
"……."
Scandal.
Jung-woo knew exactly who he was referring to.
Perhaps because Looking at the Past and Memories had been so impactful, everyone Jung-woo met asked him the same thing.
'You aren't actually seeing Princess Yeonhwa, are you?' or something along those lines.
"CEO, she’s still a high school student. She has three years left before she’s an adult. Three years."
"She’s only three years younger than you, anyway."
He had said that, then added:
"Three years goes by in a flash. A flash."
Despite his words, the CEO knew very well that Park Jung-woo wasn't the type to get caught up in a scandal. He was incredibly thorough when it came to self-management.
Regardless, before he even had a chance to refuse...
"Whoa, they said there was a secret guest!"
Jung Dae-hyun, the main MC of Desert Island Survival, was the first to greet him with a bright smile.
The blazing sun.
The sandy beach. The shore.
The dense jungle visible a short distance away.
The climate was tropical, nothing like Korea.
In every way, it was a place filled with things Park Jung-woo disliked.
That was the reality.
Park Jung-woo had arrived on a deserted island somewhere overseas.
*
‘A deserted island!’
Desert Island Survival was a variety show Seo-yeon knew well.
Of course, it wasn't a show she had particularly enjoyed in her past life.
It wasn't exactly the kind of show suitable for "study" purposes.
Regardless, Ju Seo-yeon found it quite interesting.
For starters, she had never been abroad before, nor had she ever been dropped into the middle of the wilderness like this.
‘I remember Desert Island Survival being a show with a lot of talk surrounding it.’
It couldn't be called a mega-hit.
However, it had a very loyal fanbase, ensuring a certain level of viewership.
Moreover, while there were many rumors about how tough it was, the show never neglected safety or pushed the cast to a cruel extent. There had never been any major accidents.
However, because the filming period was quite long, the only ones participating were Seo-yeon and Park Hee-jun, who had just finished filming their movie.
"Greetings! I am the Desert Island Exploration Captain, Jung Dae-hyun!"
A massive man, standing well over 190cm tall, bowed his head in greeting.
The "Exploration Captain."
The man claiming that title was originally a comedian from an athletic background who had naturally become the main MC of Desert Island Survival.
Compared to his large frame, his impression was very gentle, which helped ease the tension of those around him.
"And over here! We have the two actors from the upcoming film, The Chaser."
A natural introduction.
This was followed by a brief promotion for The Chaser, which had actually begun back at the airport.
Of course, they didn't reveal everything—just a little teaser.
Seo-yeon stayed quiet for the most part, while Actor Park Hee-jun did most of the talking.
‘I’m just a convenience store clerk...’
It wasn't that Seo-yeon didn't want to speak, but rather that she felt she had to be careful given what was currently known about her role.
"Alright, that’s enough for introductions. Since we only have two guests this time, we finished quickly. Right?"
Desert Island Survival had three fixed members, including Jung Dae-hyun.
The format involved them working together with the guests.
This time, there were two guests.
The two actors appearing to promote The Chaser.
Ju Seo-yeon and Park Hee-jun.
‘...Will it be okay?’
The MC, Jung Dae-hyun, didn't seem to have any concerns, but the fixed member Na Tae-sik couldn't help but worry.
First of all, he wasn't worried about the actor Park Hee-jun.
Park Hee-jun was a man who had served in the special forces during his military service.
He was over 180cm tall, with a solid physique built of pure muscle.
"Let's go."
And so, Seo-yeon's first overseas shoot began.
*
Thus, they arrived at a location... a bit away from Papua New Guinea.
It was a deserted island of decent size with a somewhat established ecosystem.
Seo-yeon’s mouth hung open at the silence of the place.
A sudden overseas shoot.
Moreover, it was her first time in a place like this, so she felt a sense of excitement.
"And, I’m only revealing this now."
At that moment, Jung Dae-hyun stepped forward and spoke.
The eyes of the group, who were just beginning to unpack, turned toward him.
"Actually, there is one more guest today!"
"One more guest?"
The other members' gazes shifted to Seo-yeon and Park Hee-jun.
They were wondering if someone else from The Chaser was coming.
"I don't know about the others, but this is someone very familiar to Seo-yeon-yang."
"……Me?"
Someone familiar to Seo-yeon?
‘Is there someone like that?’
As someone with an extremely narrow social circle, the list of people Seo-yeon could call an "acquaintance" was very short.
Among those she knew well...
"It’s none other than Actor Park Jung-woo!!"
Dun-dun!
It felt as if a sound effect should have played behind him.
"Park Jung-woo?"
"Whoa, don't joke around. Why would Jung-woo come to a place like this?"
As the members voiced their disbelief one by one...
A man walked out from the brush.
He had a tired face.
A handsome man who looked like he had no idea why he was there.
"……."
Park Jung-woo.
The moment Seo-yeon saw him, she was bewildered.
‘Why is that person here?’
In her past life, Park Jung-woo had never appeared on a single variety show.
*
Regardless, despite the brief commotion caused by Park Jung-woo's appearance, the filming began in earnest.
True to its name, Desert Island Survival involved filming their survival on a deserted island for three days and two nights.
All they were given at the start were bottles of water.
Water was unlimited.
If nothing else, a lack of water could lead to health issues.
‘Aw.’
Seo-yeon felt a bit disappointed.
‘...I came here after binge-reading the entire Survival Series.’
She shook the sloshing water bottle in her hand.
She had wanted to try making a water purifier out of a plastic bottle.
"Excuse me, what are we supposed to do without any tools?"
Jung Dae-hyun spoke to Producer Shin as if he found the situation absurd.
"There are tools, there are. However, we’ve hidden them around the island."
Producer Shin chuckled as he spoke.
At his words, Jung Dae-hyun’s face took on a look of dismay.
‘They don't plan on making this easy.’
Then again, the show wouldn't be interesting if they gave them all the tools from the start.
Unlike their usual shoots, this wasn't a jungle or a particularly harsh environment.
"First, let's split into an Exploration Team and a Survival Team."
Jung Dae-hyun gathered the members and spoke.
First, the Exploration Team to find the tools.
And the Survival Team to find edible fruit and build a shelter.
Those accustomed to physical labor were assigned to the Exploration Team.
Those who didn't look the part were categorized into the Survival Team.
In Seo-yeon's case, she was naturally placed in the Survival Team.
Along with Park Jung-woo and the only female fixed member, Bang Ha-yoon.
‘I’m saved.’
Park Jung-woo, who had been worried he might be dragged into the Exploration Team, finally felt relieved.
"Let's start a fire first."
At that moment, he heard Seo-yeon’s voice, filled with motivation.
Jung-woo looked at her with eyes full of bewilderment.
"Why?"
"It's common sense to start a fire first."
"No, I mean, how?"
He was genuinely curious.
More importantly, how did she plan on starting a fire in the first place?
"You need tools to start a fire. They just went to go find them."
In response to Jung-woo's words, Seo-yeon picked up a log of appropriate thickness and a branch.
‘Is she seriously saying she’s going to start a fire with those?’
Was she overreaching because she was greedy for screen time?
That thought crossed his mind, but seeing Seo-yeon’s strangely sparkling eyes...
‘She’s serious.’
Seeing Seo-yeon’s determination—her "I really want to do this!" attitude—Park Jung-woo’s lips trembled.
"……Then I’ll start the fire. You go find some more wood or……."
"I want to do it."
"……."
Starting a fire by rubbing wood together was by no means an easy task.
It was heavy labor that even men struggled with.
From Jung-woo's perspective, it was something Seo-yeon absolutely could not do.
‘Wait, does Senior Jung-woo want to try starting the fire too?’
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes and glared at Jung-woo, who was stubbornly insisting on starting the fire himself.
"Then, let's decide with Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"Huh?"
"The winner gets to start the fire."
"Wait—!"
Before Jung-woo could even get a word out, Seo-yeon thrust her hand forward for Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Caught off guard, Jung-woo reflexively threw out Rock.
For the record, Seo-yeon threw Scissors.
"……."
"I won."
Jung-woo let out a sigh of relief.
He had been flustered by the suddenness of it, but he thought he could use this to persuade her.
However.
"Hmm?"
Seo-yeon’s "Scissors" fingers clamped down hard on Jung-woo’s "Rock" fist.
Creeeak. A sound that should never come from a hand echoed out.
"Gah!!"
Jung-woo jumped back, pulling his hand away.
Seo-yeon spoke triumphantly.
"Scissors are stronger, aren't they?"
"No. This……."
Is it broken?
Jung-woo looked at his hand in shock, but fortunately, there seemed to be no lasting damage.
"……Fine, fine. I’ll do something else. You stay here and start the fire."
"Okay."
At Seo-yeon’s answer, Jung-woo sighed and turned away.
She’d probably give up after getting tired in a little while anyway.
‘But how is that girl’s grip strength so high?’
Is that why she said she’d try to start a fire?
As that thought occurred to him, he remembered something Seo-yeon had asked him before.
She had asked him what his "total" was.
‘…….’
Could it be that she hadn't asked that for no reason?
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
And as for Seo-yeon, who was left alone...
With a serious face, she placed the branch against the log and prepared to start the fire.
The cameraman filming her thought:
‘This kid is more unique than I thought.’
Watching Seo-yeon suddenly volunteer to start a fire, the cameraman captured her image.
Was it greed for screen time?
He had his doubts, but it was entertaining, so he figured it was fine.
‘Once people see her struggling to start a fire...’
Just as he thought that, Seo-yeon vigorously rubbed the branch.
CRACK!!
The wood in Seo-yeon’s hand was instantly pulverized, as if it had been shoved into a woodchipper.
Naturally, no fire was started.
"……."
Holding the branch that had been shredded along the grain, Seo-yeon’s pupils wavered.