Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 097
Chapter Title: Survival Expert (2)
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‘What’s with the question mark?’
Lately, this System had gotten awfully unhelpful. What good was it just telling him there was a new usable function? He could only check it out after completing the request anyway. Same thing now.
‘What’s with this System being so unfriendly?’
Anyway, he’d confirmed that Adrian had some additional stats attached. All that was left was to grant Adrian’s wish and take what he could get.
[My wish is to get out of this damn place.]
Unfortunately, Yeonwoo had no plans to leave the island anytime soon.
‘I can make good use of him as a countermeasure against Obsessive Thoughts until we get off the island.’
And so, Adrian’s joining—known only to Yeonwoo—was complete.
***
“You’re going into the forest?”
“Yes. It’s perfect for the part where Yeowon starts getting excited about Jooyoung.”
It was the scene where the heroine Shin Yeowon’s heart began fluttering little by little from the male lead Kim Joo-young’s seemingly indifferent act of help.
“This is exactly the spot…… I love it……!”
Ji Director’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“Filming here means we can skip a separate hiking scene. Since we’re here, let’s milk it for all it’s worth.”
The assistant director added his interpretation from the side.
“It does seem…… pretty good.”
The island’s interior was untouched natural paradise, unmarred by human hands. The terrain grew steeper the deeper they went, culminating in a peak that jutted up on one side of the island. The adjacent side was a sheer cliff, giving the whole place the shape of a right triangle.
Ji Director, who had scouted it beforehand with a drone, insisted they had to make full use of the environment.
“Our Ji Director is totally pumped.”
Yeon Do-hee muttered, suddenly facing a hike overseas instead of back home.
“Yeonwoo-ssi’s gonna have it rough. Jooyoung has to subtly lead Yeowon here without her noticing. You won’t drop her or anything, right? Not that I think you would. Did you bulk up on purpose? You look way better than before.”
He wasn’t the type to gain weight easily despite what he ate. But lately, with all the indulgence, he’d started feeling a bit of urgency.
‘I hope I don’t end up rolling around if this keeps up.’
After the agency assigned him a trainer, he hadn’t slacked on building his physique—but lately, he’d kicked it into high gear.
-What kind of metabolism is that? I’m jealous.
The trainer had stuck out his tongue saying that, so it couldn’t look too bad.
“Just did some regular workouts.”
“Regular workouts give you that kind of build? When the movie drops, the reactions to you alone are gonna be wild. I’m just happy to ride the coattails.”
“……Anyway, I won’t make any mistakes like dropping her, so don’t worry. By the way…… is the filming permit sorted?”
“Look at you changing the subject.”
Yeon Do-hee grinned with her innocent face, nodding as if letting it slide.
“Ji Director said he got permission in advance. Since they don’t know how filming will go, he cleared it for the whole island…… Just to be safe, he checked with the investor again yesterday.”
“With Woo Do-gyeom-ssi?”
“Huh? You’re on a first-name basis?”
“Oh, my mistake.”
“Hmm. Got it. Everyone has their secrets, right?”
Yeon Do-hee smiled meaningfully, like they shared a secret.
“Anyway, with the permit approved, that’s why Ji Director’s so gung-ho. It’s private land too……. He said yesterday they added a local guide who knows the terrain like the back of his hand on short notice. Looks like we’re locked into heading in…… That interior looks pretty, doesn’t it?”
Who knows.
‘Pretty……’
From Yeonwoo’s vantage, a forest teeming with Obsessive Thoughts wasn’t beautiful—it was just grating on his nerves.
‘They’re probably deeper in.’
Surely they wouldn’t run into any.
‘Worst case, I’ve got Adrian.’
The spirit with 180 days of Lifespan and some question-marked additional acquirable stats came to mind.
Deep in the forest.
Somewhere.
Yeonwoo’s gaze lingered on the interior for quite a while.
***
“Are we even going the right way? Feels like we’re just filming ourselves lost.”
The so-called experienced local guide was pretty amateurish. The path to the drone-spotted location was way tougher than expected.
“Interpreter-ssi. We’re actually going the right way, right?”
One staffer finally asked in frustration.
“Probably. He says to trust him……”
Even the interpreter sounded dripping with doubt.
And understandably so—they’d been wandering for a couple hours already.
“Feels like we’re going in circles……”
Someone muttered after spotting the same tree from earlier, and
“He says no…… It’s definitely a different spot……”
“Can we trust that……? Sure, drone view and walking speeds differ, but this is too much……”
“Why not just go ourselves at this point…… Ditch the guide and fly the drone?”
“#*#%*)%!”
“……He says trust him.”
[Bullshit.]
Adrian picked up the interpreter’s weak words.
Of course, no one but Yeonwoo heard it.
[Dragging in some drifter like this and suffering for it?]
‘Tell me about it……’
Yeonwoo fully agreed.
[Humans these days got no fear, huh? I wouldn’t come in here. Forests are beautiful, but cruel too. They swallow people whole and stay quiet as ever, unchanged.]
Especially with Obsessive Thoughts prowling around.
‘Should I just guide them myself?’
With Adrian right there, who knew the island inside out, it was totally doable.
But Yeonwoo held his tongue.
No good explanation if they asked how he knew so well.
‘Can’t bullshit my way out of the environment question either. Sigh……’
Conclusion: stick with this quack.
The other staffers, faces sour with full distrust, felt the same.
But setting that aside.
For a place crawling with Obsessive Thoughts, the island’s interior was stunningly beautiful. Probably because humans hadn’t trampled it in ages.
“Wow…… Filming here would make a whole masterpiece on its own.”
“Feels more like a documentary than a movie. Title it something like ‘Nature’s Gift, Untouched Paradise.’”
At least the scenery provided some comfort amid the wandering.
“Let’s get some proxy satisfaction on our Nutyube. Comments on yesterday’s upload were all ‘Where’s this?’”
“Ha. Hope the investor appreciates it.”
“If he sees us lugging gear and lost like this, maybe he’ll cut us more slack.”
“Can I smack the guide upside the head? He’s light on his feet, hopping anywhere.”
“Let’s film plenty for Nutyube. This alone could fill an episode.”
“We’ve already got weeks’ worth from wandering around.”
“Pass. Upload us lost and subs’ll bail.”
One muttering staffer suddenly slipped to the side.
A vibrant flower he hadn’t seen before stood proudly.
“Huh. What’s that? Never seen it.”
“Ooh, super flashy and pretty. Flowers like this in the forest?”
In a sea of green, the flower’s brilliance drew a few staffers with cameras.
“Someone grab Ji Director. Need info from the guide.”
Moments later, the guide sauntered over.
He glanced at the flower and casually waved it off.
“He says it’s a flower once considered sacred here. Lucky to see it now.”
The interpreter translated.
“Ooh, good material. So vibrant and pretty they thought it sacred?”
As one staffer reached to poke the open petals,
“That’s poison.”
A crisp voice sliced coolly through the air.
***
[Sacred? Sacred my ass.]
Before the interpreter could respond, someone tsked.
Adrian, muttering in disbelief.
“Isn’t it?”
Ever since the guide started confidently leading them astray, Yeonwoo had hung back a bit. He’d even taken the luggage from the youngest staffer struggling with it amid the fumbling.
“I-I’m fine, really……”
“I’m good too. You’re falling too far behind—better head up front.”
“Um…… thank you.”
The staffer had refused, insisting actors shouldn’t carry gear, but Yeonwoo just snatched it anyway. Featherlight compared to the little guy’s huffing.
[Hmm. As expected, nature’s courtship starts with the male showing his prowess.]
“……What nonsense is that? I sent someone to talk to you on purpose.”
He had filming to do—no need to get treated like a lunatic.
[Oh, is that so? If the angel says……]
He said that, but his tone dripped skepticism.
“Anyway. What was that about the flower?”
[What do you mean?]
“You just mentioned it.”
[Ah, that.]
Adrian chuckled dryly.
[Just found it funny calling a poison plant sacred.]
“So it’s pretty dangerous?”
[Naturally. Brush it and you swell up; sniff it and breathing trouble depending on exposure. Sacred, my foot. Though death is sacred in its way. Hmm. Gaining a comrade might not be bad.]
No. Not bad at all? Hell no.
‘Movie’s not even out yet—can’t have it flop.’
An on-set fatality? Filming halt at best, cancellation at worst. Too big a deal to resume quick; delays drag, investors bail, project fizzles.
“That’s poison.”
The staffer yanked his finger back from the petal.
“Poison? Damn, close call.”
“Poison?!”
The interpreter beside him freaked out too.
The guide noticed their weird vibe, said something, then smirked after hearing the translation.
“Uh……. He says it’s not poison. Yeonwoo-ssi must’ve heard wrong?”
[What a load. Denying the obvious.]
Adrian snorted again.
[Believing some smug drifter who thinks he knows it all?]
Whose word to trust?
Yeonwoo didn’t agonize long.
Survival Expert Adrian.
His glowing job title in the Status Window came to mind.
‘The guide’s trust is already rock bottom after three hours lost.’
Plus.
“The layered petals match that sacred flower exactly. The serrated leaves are textbook too……”
Even the relaying guide seemed dubious, like ‘Buy this?’
[What a joke. Griping in front of an expert?]
Adrian scoffed again.
[Bud has spots inside, black lines on leaf undersides—what nonsense.]
Sure enough, the spots were there where Adrian pointed, fuming.
“Here.”
“What about it?”
“Don’t you see the spots?”
“So what about spots?”
“Black lines along the veins on the leaf back.”
“Look here. I’m the expert, not you.”
Tensions thickened; the interpreter fidgeted.
Though only the guide was getting hostile.
“You think I haven’t roamed islands like this? Some know-nothing from who-knows-where acting smart!”
Even local coordi and staff jolted at that.
The crew’s faces darkened too.
The guide’s words were downright rude.
As the mood plummeted icy,
“Why not touch it then.”
Yeonwoo’s calm voice cut through like a pressure release.
“What?”
“Touch it.”
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