Chapter 79
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 79
Chapter Title Bow Drill Success
Everyone looked quite surprised that Ji Yooncheol had volunteered himself.
But the person in question wore an incredibly determined expression.
I want to make up for it.
Huh?
Make up for it? What does that mean?
It means he wants to correct his own mistake.
Oh, bankai! In Korean, its called making up for it! I learned a new word today!
While I was explaining the word to Hashimoto Ken, Ji Yooncheol stepped forward with heavy strides.
I feel like I gathered the least amount of twigs.
No, Yooncheol. You did plenty well enough.
No, I didnt.
He just shook his head slightly at Kang Siyoons words.
Ji Yooncheol furrowed his brows as he stared piercingly at the five cards.
As if he were trying to figure out what was written on the back of them.
Seeing him like that, I quietly extended my hands to both sides.
I think itd be okay to trust Yooncheol once.
Oh, Karis. Did you two get close while we were gone?
Not exactly, but I can sense his resolve in his tone, so I want to give him some trust.
He had no talent for chopping firewood either.
And his twig gathering hadnt yielded great results.
He must feel like he has to do something now, so he thinks he needs to draw a good card here.
I watched Ji Yooncheols back and hoped his determination would lead to good fortune.
Ill go with this one.
Ji Yooncheol, who had been glaring intently at the cards, chose the fourth one.
He went in front of the camera and revealed the back of the card.
Fire card. Success if you create an ember using a bow drill within the 1hour time limit.
Bow drill? Isnt that the one where you have to spin a wooden stick really hard?
Ththis seems pretty tough.
Did I pick the wrong one?
Ji Yooncheols eyes started to droop again, but I quickly shook my head.
There mustve been even worse missions on the other cards. Yooncheol, would you read the others too?
Yes.
Ji Yooncheol flipped over the card farthest to the left first.
Wind. Within 1 hour, fill an air mattress with air. But only using your breath.
Oonly using breath? No air pump or anything? We have to blow it up ourselves?
That really seems tough.
If wed gotten the wind card, it wouldve been really hard.
As the fact came out that hed avoided a brutally difficult mission, the corner of Ji Yooncheols mouth subtly lifted.
His slightly drooping eyes returned to normal.
Riding that momentum, he revealed the rest of the cards.
Earth. Within 1 hour, assemble a tent thats securely fixed to the ground.
Water. Within 30 minutes, pass water in buckets to fill 2 liters.
Hearing the other missions, fire actually seems a bit better?
I have no idea how wed even do the tent.
I saw Yubins team doing the bucket relay earlier. They looked exhaustedtheir clothes were completely soaked.
Then fire really is the best card out of them?
It required using the somewhat unfamiliar bow drill equipment, but compared to the others, it was just simple manual labor.
They didnt even need a full flamejust enough smoke and an ember, and the mission was a success.
Ji Yooncheols smile grew wider bit by bit.
Ahem. Last card. Superpower. Succeed in the whisper challenge game a total of 6 times within 20 minutes.
Whisper challenge sounds fun.
Itd be fun, but success ratewise, its low. Our team has me and Ken, both foreigners, so communication might not be smooth.
Hmm.
Kang Siyoon gave me a meaningful look.
Ken might have trouble, but you understand Korean better than anyone, so youd be fine.
Even if I speak well now, the game could still be tough.
Anyway, Yooncheol picked the most decent one, right? Good job, good job!
Thank you.
Ji Yooncheol bowed his head as he returned to his seat.
He had a slightly proud expression for a moment before quickly regaining his usual poker face.
The production crew gave us a quick rundown on how to use the bow drill.
Fix a wooden spindle into the groove on the fireboard, then press down on the socket stone while moving the bow back and forth to rotate the spindle.
Maintain a steady speed to create charred sawdust in the groove, and soon an ember will form.
In short, it was simple labor requiring strength and endurance.
The one with the best strength here is me, so itd be relatively easy if I stepped up.
But I had already seen Ji Yooncheols sparkling eyes.
I wanted to let him keep riding the momentum of regaining his confidence through drawing the card.
Since Yooncheol picked it himself, how about he gives it the first try?
You think you can do it?
Its something Ive never seen before, but Ill give it a shot.
Ji Yooncheol sat down in front of the bow drill the crew had set up.
Hes putting his whole body into it.
I smiled inwardly watching his back.
He wasnt showing it outwardly, but Ji Yooncheol was definitely burning with determination inside.
They said just grab the bow and keep spinning.
Got it.
Ji Yooncheol gripped the bow handle tightly.
And began moving it back and forth vigorously.
Did you two talk a bit?
We didnt have a very deep conversation.
I wanted to learn more about what kind of character he is.
Kang Siyoon sidled up close to me and whispered.
His gaze was fixed on Ji Yooncheol, who was moving his arms fervently.
He seems to be doing well?
Can I be honest?
Karis the judges honest evaluation?
Hm.
I closely watched the spindle rattling between the groove.
The spindle is turning okay, but the socket stone needs to be pressed down firmly to hold it steady. Right now, its rattling too much.
So that means?
Its a total mess.
Oh no.
Kang Siyoon shot him a sympathetic look.
Ji Yooncheol was really giving it his all with the bow.
To the point where sweat beaded up on his forehead.
Should I go help a bit?
That would make it succeed faster.
Alright, big bros on it.
Tossing those words over his shoulder, Kang Siyoon strode over to Ji Yooncheol.
Then, without a word, he pressed down firmly on the socket stone with both hands.
!
Youre doing great, Yooncheol. Just keep spinning like that.
Yes.
I inwardly admired Kang Siyoons handling of it.
If hed said something like Youre doing it wrong there, it couldve upset the guy.
But by pointing out the mistake and immediately helping himself, there was no friction.
Thanks to Kang Siyoons assistance, the spindle started turning much more steadily.
Heat began building in the groove where no sign of smoke had appeared before.
And before long, the longawaited smoke started to form.
Smokes coming out! Just a bit more, hang in there!
Nice, keep this pace!
.
Realizing the goal was in sight, Ji Yooncheol moved the bow even more fiercely back and forth.
His arms must be numb and his eyes stinging from the smoke, but he poured in his all regardless.
Finally, the staff watching under the bow drill raised their hand and shouted loudly.
Ember formed! Wood tent team succeeds in 20 minutes 13 seconds!
Wooooah!
You worked hard! You worked hard!
Everyone did amazingly.
We immediately hugged each other and let out cheers.
Ji Yooncheol, sandwiched in the middle, stood there dazed with his limp, ragged arms before breaking into a big grin and saying quietly.
I did it.
Yeah, man! Good job! Doesnt your arm hurt? Its dangling like crazy.
It hurts a little, but Im fine.
Yooncheol, you were so cool! Your foreheads covered in sweat!
This much is nothing.
You have to wipe it off!
As Kang Siyoon and Hashimoto Ken showered him with fervent praise, Ji Yooncheols chest seemed to puff out a bit more.
It felt like watching a smug cat.
Hard work pays off.
Ah, the meat is so good.
Karis, you grill meat so well!
Haha, anyone can do this.
I cant grill meat. It all burns if I try.
We enjoyed a hearty barbecue feast with plenty of food.
For the sake of the guys whod worked hard, I rolled up my sleeves and grilled the meat myself.
And though I hadnt asked for help, Ji Yooncheol quietly stood beside me, cutting the meat into bitesized pieces with scissors.
You barely ate anything cutting the meat, huh? Lettuce or perilla leaf?
I like lettuce.
Okay, big lettuce wrap coming up.
Kang Siyoon personally wrapped it and fed it to the maknae.
Hows that? Im pretty good at this, right?
Its delicious.
See? My skills havent gone anywhere.
Siyoon, I havent eaten either because I was grilling.
You can just eat what you grilled yourself.
Siyoons a discriminator.
Hey, dont say anything controversial!
After stuffing ourselves full of meat, we joined up with the other tents we hadnt seen in ages.
Yubin, whys your whole group so tanned like that?
We drew the wrong mission card and had to make our own fire! It was so tough!
What did you even draw.
Twigs and firewood chopping! No one knew how to chop firewood, so we failed miserably!
Heo Yubins team members had their faces covered in black soot.
From what I heard, theyd drawn our tents mission and failed spectacularly.
The other tents vented about overcoming their own ordeals too.
I had no idea pitching a tent was this hard. Wow, how do you do it fast?
Song Hyeongbin said he nearly exploded his head trying to pitch the tent.
Haha, my throat hurts so much. The whisper challenge was way harder than I thought.
Eungyu hyungs secretly such a klutz! I explained it super clearly, but he messed up twice in a row and ruined it.
I wasnt great at it. Sorry.
Chae Eungyu and Yu Minha returned with their throats half wrecked from the whisper challenge.
The production crew had the 28 trainees sit in a semicircle.
Then, from far off, they slowly dragged over something large.
Theyre really set on making this an ocean of tears.
I spotted three or four people whod burst into sobs the moment they saw what it was.
A campfire piled high with thick logs was lit.
Gazing at the beautifully burning flames, we fell silent for a moment.
I love the sound of the wood crackling.
Yeah, feels like a school retreat or something.
Brings back memories.
The campfire that always capped off middle or high school retreats.
The trainees were lost in nostalgia.
And right on cue, the production crew fired up the beam projector and pulled out their hidden card.
Uh, do I just speak looking here?
This feels tense.
I havent even gotten to the dorm yet, but Im shaking so much.
Ah, this shouldnt be coming out now.
No wonder I felt uneasy when the campfire started. Oh god, what do I do.
Why show this now? Its cheating.
The trainees let out collective sighs.
But the crew ignored them and played our predebut interview clips one by one.
I glanced to the side.
Sure enough.
Heo Yubin was already sniffling.
Hashimoto Ken and Yu Minha stared at the projector screen with teary eyes.
Theyll be bawling their eyes out soon.