The Hostage Rescue Operation
“Remember how last time, Jay played a terrorist, got taken hostage, and then took you all down one by one?”
“Oh, please. Don't even start.”
“We got absolutely humiliated over that.”
After the episode aired, the show itself had been swept up in accusations of being rigged.
People complained: how much did Yoon Jay's agency pay them to hype him up like that? What kind of special forces veterans lose to a single actor, even swarming him as a group? It made no sense.
“Hyung, was it really that bad?”
Yoon Jay asked Lee Min-gyu and Ha Eun-sung, whom he was seeing for the first time in a while.
“Was it bad? You're asking me that, Instructor?”
“And all those comments about swarming you... ah, no, that was way too much of a broadcast-ready line.”
But once Yoon Jay's background came vaguely to light, the show got reassessed. The reasoning went: if that lone actor used to hunt down terrorists on the actual front lines, then losing to him made perfect sense after all. Rerun viewership skyrocketed, and the show even cracked the top ranks on OTT platforms.
“Today's mission is similar to last time. You'll all work together to take down Mr. Jay here—’Alpha,’ returned from the dead.”
“We couldn't beat him back then. What makes you think we can now?”
“Oh, I think you can.”
The director held up a tablet screen for the cast to see. On it, Kang Hajun, Baek Do-kyung, and Nam Chan-hee appeared, confined somewhere unknown.
“So that's why we haven't seen them...”
It was the variety show they'd all appeared on together to promote Intermission, and everyone had been puzzled by the absence of the three men. Reading Yoon Jay's awkward smile as embarrassment, the cast members' expressions began to relax.
“Mr. Jay must rescue them and get them safely to the designated point. Clues to the hostages' location are hidden all over the set.”
“Oho...”
A hostage meant baggage—and baggage meant openings. The cast of Soldiers K flashed their eyes like a pack of hyenas.
“A hostage rescue operation...”
It had been a while. Yoon Jay glanced sideways at Jung Seung-woo and Choi Tae-yang.
Back then, he'd thrown himself into it hoping he might be able to unload some of his past burdens. Things were different now.
Can I take it easy on them?
After that unstable moment when he'd nearly attacked Yoon Do-jun, a genuine worry crept in: would the recording actually go smoothly? If his old instincts woke up and he lost all judgment and hurt someone, it would be a disaster.
“How about you, Eun-sung? And you, Min-gyu? The way you're talking, it sounds like there's a story from before the Rendezvous episode...”
“Ah, we got absolutely destroyed back then.”
“Even now, the shoulder he got me with still aches sometimes...”
Lee Min-gyu and Ha Eun-sung grinned. Just like in the Rendezvous episode, they had never once beaten Instructor Yoon Jay, not even years ago. Was revenge finally within reach?
“Should be tough.”
Yoon Jay was wearing an unusually troubled expression. PD Han Kook-young didn't believe that face for a second. The man was simply too good an actor—it could easily be another performance.
“Hyung.”
“Hm?”
“You going to be okay?”
But Jung Seung-woo, who knew the truth, saw it differently.
“Honestly, if something happens, I'll need you to keep an eye out for me... You good with that?”
“Of course I am.”
He was a regular cast member of Soldiers K, but his first priority was guarding Yoon Jay—more precisely, guarding other people from Yoon Jay.
Then again, for this hyung to voice a lack of confidence... Jung Seung-woo turned to look at Choi Tae-yang, who had tagged along as both backup and bodyguard.
On my own, I still can't handle him...
Living with Yoon Jay, he'd worked out how to read him, but he couldn't take him solo yet. It took Jung Seung-woo and Choi Tae-yang together to restrain him.
“PD Han, can we add one more member to the team?”
“Hm?”
“Tae-yang hyung!”
Choi Tae-yang pointed at himself and mouthed, Me?
“He's Mr. Jay's bodyguard, isn't he? Why him?”
“Yes, he's a colleague at the same company... I figure if we move together, we might actually stand a chance.”
“Hmm. Mr. Jay, do you agree? And the rest of the cast?”
Yoon Jay nodded. The other cast members agreed too.
They had their pride—they wouldn't let their guard down and get crushed like last time. And if Seung-woo, the ace of Soldiers K, was bringing him in, there had to be a reason.
“Then do you, the bodyguard, consent?”
“Yeah, sure. Good chance to loosen up, anyway.”
“Ha! Excellent. We'll set your appearance fee the same as Seung-woo's.”
Choi Tae-yang was startled by the sudden offer, but he'd already guessed why Jung Seung-woo had called for him. He exchanged awkward greetings with the existing cast and introduced himself to the camera.
“Hyung, you know your role, right?”
“I know it.”
Choi Tae-yang's job wasn't to faithfully follow the mission of Soldiers K. It was to find Yoon Jay quickly and watch for any change in him.
The two of them looked far grimmer than the rest of the cast.
What's going on with them?
Watching the pair whisper to each other, PD Han Kook-young tilted his head. They didn't seem to be scheming just to beat Yoon Jay—but as long as usable footage came out of it, he didn't much care.
“Alright, our cast members—Omega Team, move to your designated points!”
Yoon Jay, who would be facing the many alone, was granted all the equipment he could reasonably want.
The existing cast got only basic gear and would have to farm for equipment scattered across the set. The production team's own idea of a balance patch.
Unlike last time, getting hit by a single paint round wasn't the end.
If you carried a first-aid kit item—or a teammate used one on you—you could recover from your injury and return to action. Naturally, it was a single-use item.
The only vital spot was the head. A sniper shot to your goggles or helmet meant instant elimination.
Sniper rifles, therefore, had to be farmed in the field—and there were only two. It was as if a survival game had been lifted straight out of a video game and into reality.
Omega Team moved out, and Yoon Jay, left alone, looked over the equipment laid out before him and let out a small, helpless laugh.
“...PD, there's something off about this equipment.”
“Well, that bonus video of you assembling a rifle got great views. Since you're here, why not show us a little more of that performance?”
“You're not just trying to stall for time with this, are you?”
“This is why I hate guests with sharp eyes...”
PD Han Kook-young clicked his tongue. Yoon Jay smirked and began assembling the replica firearm he'd used so often in the past.
A performance, huh. Might as well work in a few flourishes.
He spun the slide in his palm and snapped it home with a sharp clack. Then he fitted the remaining components in one smooth, precise motion after another.
After adjusting the sights, he inspected the magazine. The allotted rounds were few—no doubt he was meant to farm for more in the field.
Finally, he slipped exactly what he needed into the pockets of his tactical vest. The staff let out quiet murmurs of admiration at his practiced, effortless speed.
“That'll do for armament.”
He slid a silicone knife into the pocket along his thigh and pulled his shoelaces tight.
“You don't need more than that?”
“No. It'd be dead weight.”
A great deal of equipment had been laid out for Yoon Jay, yet he took almost none of it. His loadout was lighter than the production team had imagined.
“Do I just start from here?”
“Yes. You'd best hurry, though. Omega Team's already split up and farming for good gear.”
“Hm...”
Yoon Jay swept his gaze over his surroundings. The set, at least, was well built—plenty of footholds to climb. Omega Team was closer than expected, too; he might be able to pull off a surprise.
But his sharpened senses told him no one was nearby. Besides, this was broadcast television—surely they wouldn't eliminate him this early?
“So... what's he doing?”
“Looks like he's analyzing our set.”
“Right. I'll get going, then.”
Ordinarily he would have bolted without a word, but Yoon Jay was nearly a broadcast veteran himself now. He kicked off the floor and sprang upward, stepping onto a jutting ledge in the wall.
Back in the Rendezvous episode, his parkour had drawn reactions like Is he a flying squirrel? and What is he, Assassin's Creed? Now he scaled straight up to the rooftop in one fluid movement and scanned the situation.
“Wh-what?”
Omega Team could be nearby—is he seriously allowed to move like that? Caught off guard, PD Han Kook-young barked an order at the staff.
“Get a drone on him, fast!”
“Wh-what is this?”
It was just as Yoon Jay set out. The blindfolds of the hostages—Kang Hajun, Baek Do-kyung, and Nam Chan-hee, a.k.a. Beta Team—were pulled away.
They'd been dragged here almost the moment they arrived on set.
“Where'd Jay hyung go?”
“Huh? Good question.”
“Did he go somewhere else?”
The room where Beta Team was confined was dark and bleak. A sound like wind moaned from somewhere, and all three flinched, instinctively pressing their bodies together. One man's absence had never felt so enormous.
“Jay hyung is supposed to be here...”
“What do we do now?”
Just then, a monitor mounted on the wall flickered to life, and a voice rang out.
(Ahem, ahem. Awake at last, gentlemen?)
“KYAAAAAH!”
All three let out soprano shrieks that ill-suited their appearances. And to make matters worse, all three were a bit on the timid side. It wasn't for nothing that they'd been muttering about needing Yoon Jay from the very start.
On the screen, a figure in a carnival mask continued his explanation: you have been taken hostage by someone, and armed soldiers outside are closing in to eliminate you.
(To escape, you must solve three puzzles.)
“Weren't we supposed to be filming Soldiers K?”
“An escape room? Out of nowhere?”
The production team had no intention of letting Yoon Jay have the spotlight all to himself.
(Of course, you could simply wait quietly for ’Alpha’ to rescue you. So—what will it be? Shall you wait? Or shall you escape by your own hands?)
The three men chose the latter, naturally.
“Alpha would be Jay hyung, right?”
“So we're princesses locked in a tower, and Jay hyung's the prince?”
“Wow, I can buy Jay hyung as the prince, but us as princesses? Gag me.”
The three mimed retching, then looked down at the handcuffs rattling around their wrists. So that was why their hands had felt weird.
“First thing's first—we need to get these off.”
“Should we look for a key or something?”
“Uh, there's no keyhole on these cuffs?”
The monitor flickered back to life, and the voice returned.
(The first puzzle.)
(Solve the pattern on the screen.)
“GYAAAH!”
“Oh, for the love of—stop popping up out of nowhere!”
The three scaredy-cats yelped all over again.
Watching them through the monitor, PD Han Kook-young chuckled. This reaction was gold. The three were rookie celebrities, lacking in variety-show data—but looking at them now, they were characters optimized for entertainment.
“Anyone here done escape rooms?”
At Kang Hajun's question, the other two shook their heads. Now what?
“You two study anything at least? I dropped out of school, so...”
“Don't count on me either.”
“Same.”
A sigh escaped all three mouths at once. What now? For the moment, they combed the room, hunting for clues.
Then Baek Do-kyung, who had been silently lost in thought, lifted his head.
“Guys. Think about it. We're on this show to promote our movie. These puzzles—and everything after—will be about our film. Guaranteed.”
“Ooh, that's logical.”
“His brain really does work fast, huh?”
It made sense. The other two nodded, and their eyes lit up.
“Then this pattern—it's connected to our movie somehow?”
“Something to do with music?”
“An instrument, probably.”
“An instrument, huh... If we connect this like this, what does it look like to you?”
The three pressed their faces close to the monitor, eyes darting every which way.
“A guitar?”
“Oh! No—it's a violin!”
Kang Hajun stepped forward and traced the pattern into the shape of a violin.
“Nice.”
A sharp beep-beep! sounded, and the handcuffs binding their wrists fell open.
“Yes!”
The three threw their arms around each other with a whoop of triumph. Anyone watching would have thought they'd already won the whole thing.
(Now then—on to the second puzzle.)
Emboldened by their success, the three men waited for the next challenge.