Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Snack Truck Wars
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The production crew, who had been planning to film the coffee truck scene, was thrown into a moment of confusion by the two unplanned snack trucks flanking the original one.
“We’ll enjoy the food!”
“Thank you for the food!”
The cast members, who had initially only greeted Your Girl, were now thanking Answer as well while enjoying the snacks.
Unlike Your Girl’s truck, which only offered coffee and tea, our coffee truck came equipped with soft-serve ice cream. That, combined with the snack truck boasting the contrasting charms of chicken skewers and churros, drew a much larger crowd.
Seul-bi cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted toward Your Girl.
“Mi-ji! You love churros! Why aren’t you having any?”
“…Ugh, so damn annoying…”
On the receiving end of the same treatment she’d dished out to Seul-bi, a deeply offended Mi-ji muttered a stream of curses.
“Ahaha! Look at her reaction!”
“Oh, is she running away? Where are you running to?”
Seol-ah tilted her head slightly, then grabbed Yi-na’s wrist and headed toward Mi-ji, who had hidden herself.
Perhaps because of their memory of what Seol-ah had done during the last recording, the Your Girl members in their path flinched and scurried away toward their own coffee truck.
Seol-ah and Yi-na reached Mi-ji, who was grumbling behind a pillar.
“Ah! You scared me.”
Mi-ji jumped, startled to see Seol-ah and Yi-na instead of her own members.
“Our coffee truck has ice cream, toooo!”
“Pfft!”
At Seol-ah’s cry to Mi-ji, we all burst out laughing.
“Ah, seriously!”
The faces of the Answer members, filled with the joy of victory, crinkled with amusement as they watched Mi-ji and the rest of Your Girl try to slip away.
It was an amusing development, but my ears were focused on the conversation between Hwang Beom-seok PD and the manager in charge of Your Girl.
“The shot isn’t looking good. I’ll ask them to move.”
“But that would be too obvious.”
“These days, people just laugh off PPL popping up in the middle of shows. It’s no big deal.”
So he planned to only show Your Girl’s truck on air? Did he think I would have positioned our trucks on either side if I hadn’t anticipated that?
“Yoo-jun. Take pictures of the people in line right now. Get some shots with all three trucks in them, too.”
“Yes, sir!”
Choi Yoo-jun followed my orders without question, even if he didn’t understand my intentions.
“Let’s take a commemorative photo.”
“Huh? Oh!”
Answer and I took a picture with the snack trucks and the waiting line in the background.
It might be within the PD’s discretion to only show Your Girl’s coffee truck on the broadcast, but posting photos on social media was a matter of personal choice.
We weren’t the only ones taking pictures. Several production staff members and other cast members were also proudly holding up the coffee, ice cream, churros, and chicken skewers sent by Fire Emblem, snapping photos with the trucks in the background.
#The high-claass coffee and snack trucks sent by Fire Emblem!
If posts with tags like that spread on social media, there was a high probability that public opinion would turn against them for trying to artificially boost Your Girl’s popularity.
I uploaded the photo Choi Yoo-jun sent me to the Fire Emblem group chat.
-Me: Thanks so much. Everyone loves it.
-Tae-in: I sent the best ones. Is it good?
-Me: lol You have every right to brag. It's delicious. Like, trendy cafe-level good.
-Seul-chan: Oh, looks pretty good.
Tae-in and Seul-chan looked pleased as they saw the photos I sent of the snack trucks.
-Jun-ho: Those guys sent it without me. How embarrassing, my name isn't even on it!
-Hyun-sung: Mine either! Hey, I'll send one for the next schedule, so contact me separately.
-Tae-in: lol Those guys are dying to spend their money.
-Seul-chan: We don't have time to spend money, so of course we're itching to lol When are we gonna get to flex?
-Me: Alright, thanks, everyone.
While it was true they were making huge investment returns thanks to me, they were also just good, loyal guys to begin with.
Together, we planned to backstab Gyeon Sang-jin at the decisive moment and either take over the company or, failing that, run it into the ground.
Gyeon Sang-jin’s evil deeds were still ongoing, and bringing about his downfall wasn’t just about my revenge; it was about stopping the creation of more unfortunate victims.
“By the way, Hyung, look at Your Girl. Their faces are sour.”
Just as Choi Yoo-jun said, Your Girl looked thoroughly annoyed by their unpopular support trucks.
It was understandable. Their truck only had mediocre coffee and herbal tea, while the aroma wafting from our truck—brewing premium-bean coffee and serving cocoa and ice cream—was on a completely different level.
***
*Bzzz.*
Gyeon Sang-jin’s mood lifted as he saw the incoming call. He answered, imagining the joyful voice of Your Girl’s Mi-ji.
“Yeah. Mi-ji, how’s the coffee?”
-It’s so embarrassing I could die!
Caught off guard by her irritated tone, which was the opposite of what he’d expected, Gyeon Sang-jin was quite flustered.
“What? Why? Did something go wrong with the coffee truck?”
-That’s not it… The Fire Emblem oppas sent two more snack trucks!
“What are you talking about… Two more trucks came besides the one we sent?”
-Yes! With Answer’s name plastered on them! Nobody’s drinking the cheap coffee from our truck!
“Explain it to me in detail.”
Bewildered, Gyeon Sang-jin listened to the full story. As Mi-ji explained the situation, her voice laced with continued frustration, Gyeon Sang-jin’s own anger began to rise.
“Alright. Stop whining. All that matters is that it looks good on the broadcast.”
After hanging up, Gyeon Sang-jin tilted his head in confusion.
“Why… what do they have to do with Answer to be sending them trucks…”
“There’s Min-jun, sir. The one who was in the debut group.”
“Ah, fuck!”
At Manager Jang’s words, Gyeon Sang-jin grit his teeth and called Manager Park.
-Yes, Chairman!
“Put any of the guys on the phone!”
-Sir? Who…
“The Fire Emblem guys!”
-Ah! Yes.
Startled by Gyeon Sang-jin’s venomous tone, Manager Park quickly handed over the phone.
-Hello?
“Why did you send a coffee truck to those Answer bitches!”
-Huh? I didn’t send one.
The words from Fire Emblem’s main rapper, Jun-ho, sounded exceptionally smug to Gyeon Sang-jin.
“Put someone else on!”
-Hel… lo?
“Was it you? Did you send Answer a coffee truck?”
-No? What coffee truck are you suddenly talking about?
“Who sent it! Put the one who sent it on the phone!”
Gyeon Sang-jin’s stress levels were steadily climbing. Soon, a small commotion could be heard over the receiver, and then Tae-in took the phone.
-What’s going…
“You bastard! Why would you send a coffee truck to Answer instead of our own girls and humiliate them like that?”
-Excuse me? What are you talking about?
“Because you sent a fancy coffee truck to Answer, our girls were totally humiliated! Do you get it? Acting so thoughtlessly!”
-…I’m not sure what you mean? I sent it with the message, ‘Answer, have a good competition with Your Girl and make an entertaining show. Fighting!’ Is that wrong? Isn’t that a good thing?
Faced with Tae-in’s confident voice, Gyeon Sang-jin was furious to the tips of his hair, but he was at a loss for words.
After all, he was the one who had sent a coffee truck in Fire Emblem’s name without even telling them in the first place.
“Hoo… From now on, consult with me before you do something like that. Consult with me.”
-What? Why would we need to consult you about sending a coffee truck? It’s just like buying each other coffee.
“Ugh…”
Though his attitude was insolent, it was a gentlemanly response compared to Gyeon Sang-jin’s own outburst and baseless tantrum, so he couldn’t lash out further.
Instead, thoroughly stressed, Gyeon Sang-jin slammed the phone down and began to massage the back of his neck.
“Manager Jang… massage my neck.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim. I mean, Chairman.”
Manager Jang began to knead the neck of Gyeon Sang-jin, who was craning it from side to side.
“A little harder. Really dig in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why does that bastard have to interfere with every little thing…”
“More importantly, Chairman, your neck has been stiff lately. Do you think you might be developing high blood pressure?”
“You idiot! They said that’s a myth! A stiff neck has nothing to do with high blood pressure!”
Gyeon Sang-jin vented his frustration on the wrong person.
“Still… it’s been a while since you had a check-up…”
“Enough! I know my own body.”
Gyeon Sang-jin thought of Min-jun and ground his teeth.
“Ever since that bastard left, he’s been an obstacle at every turn. I really need to get rid of this son of a bitch.”
“Tsk… It’s true. If we had just let him debut as planned, none of this…”
“Hey! Stop talking nonsense and massage my neck properly!”
“Yes…”
Having been scolded for no reason, Manager Jang’s expression was anything but pleasant.
***
Our snack trucks were moved to a spot a little farther away from Your Girl’s coffee truck.
However, Your Girl’s truck was only used for a few shots, while the actual production staff and cast members frequented ours.
Because of this, the staff at the snack truck had to grill chicken skewers nonstop.
*Sizzle.*
It was Seul-bi and the other Answer members’ turn to get their skewers, and they bounced on their feet in anticipation. Their fan-pleasing reactions were being saved one by one on Choi Yoo-jun’s phone.
The skin on the chicken thigh meat sizzled over the hot flame, rendering its fat to help the meat cook deliciously as it gradually shrank.
Once the skin was cooked to a slight crisp, a soy-based sauce—commonly called teriyaki, made primarily with cooking wine and soy sauce—was brushed on before it went back over the hot flame.
The Maillard reaction occurred as the soy sauce was exposed to the intense heat. A mouth-watering, smoky aroma wafted through the air.
It occurred to me that this would make a great video for our channel.
“Yoo-jun, video.”
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as Choi Yoo-jun started recording, Seul-bi’s reaction came out naturally.
“Whoa! This smells amazing!”
“Seul-bi. You had spicy stir-fried pork, spicy beef soup, and spicy squid and pork belly today… isn’t this a bit much?”
“Ahaha! I’ll just work out!”
“So you work out to eat?”
“Yep! I can endure a tough workout, but how can I resist delicious food!”
*Sizzle.*
“Chicken skewers are ready.”
“Look at this! It’s not just slathered in sauce, it’s a real, flame-grilled chicken skewer!”
Seul-bi, the first of the Answer members to receive a skewer, thrust it toward Choi Yoo-jun’s camera before bringing it to her own mouth.
“Hooo… Nom!”
After carefully taking a bite of the hot skewer, Seul-bi’s face lit up with admiration as she gently shook her head.
“The fat has rendered out, leaving crispy skin over tender thigh meat!”
Ro-si, who had gotten her skewer and come to stand next to Seul-bi, followed her lead and savored it deliciously.
“Ah… I really want one.”
Swallowing hard, Choi Yoo-jun couldn’t help but say it.
“Geez! Oppa, you can eat your fill in a bit! We have to go back to filming.”
My laughter and Choi Yoo-jun’s were recorded along with Seul-bi’s playful banter. After finishing her skewer, Ro-si’s eyes sparkled.
“To the Fire Emblem oppas who sent coffee and snack trucks to support us, Answer, and the members of Your Girl… thank you once again. It’s truly an honor, and it’s delicious, too. We’ll be sure to repay your kindness someday! Thank you!”
“Cut.”
“Khehehe.”
When I imitated Hwang Beom-seok PD, Choi Yoo-jun and the members started to giggle.
***
“Oppa, where are you guys sleeping?”
“There’s a motel about five minutes from here.”
“So Yoo-jun oppa and Min-jun oppa are sleeping together?”
“We have to if we want to save on the room.”
“I seeee. Still, it’s not far, so I’m a wittle relieved.”
Yi-na spoke with a mix of relief and disappointment.
“Good work today.”
“You worked hard.”
“Oppa, don’t worry about us. You should go get some sashimi or something. We’re at the beach, after all.”
Choi Yoo-jun chuckled at Seul-bi’s words but said nothing.
Once the filming for their room check-in began, there was no reason for me and Choi Yoo-jun, as their managers, to stay at the resort any longer. We were ready to call it a day.
“Oh, and you heard about the breakfast buffet, right?”
“Breaakfast? A breakfast buffet? Wha- what is this!”
I thought Seul-bi would be the most excited, but surprisingly, it was Yi-na.
“I’ve never had a hotel breakfast buffet before! It’s going to be on TV, so I have to eat a lot.”
“Why are you so excited about that?”
“It has scrambled eggs, bacon, and avocado, right? Stuff like that? It looks so cool.”
The Answer members smiled at Yi-na like proud mothers.
“We’re really leaving now. Call us right away if anything happens.”
Leaving the excited Answer members behind, we left the resort.
“Let’s get a room first.”
“Yes, sir. Where should we go?”
The setting sun reflected off the window of a lodging establishment in a golden shimmer.
“…Still, since we came all this way, should we get an ocean view, too?”
“Ah! But that’s expensive.”
“On a weekday at this hour, places with a lot of empty rooms offer them for super cheap. It’s all on the apps.”
“Huh? Uhh… you seem very familiar with this…”
“You’re having weird thoughts again, aren’t you?”
“No, well… it’s a compliment. A compliment. A guy like you, Hyung, it’s understandable, yeah.”
I let out a small laugh at Choi Yoo-jun’s insinuation.
“Whoa! The ocean!”
Choi Yoo-jun exclaimed happily as he looked at the long, winding coastal road.
Right. Let’s just think of this as a trip and enjoy ourselves. I should also take a proper look at the VR map’s response.
I was very much looking forward to the VIP mail notification I hadn’t opened yet.