Chapter 116
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116
“Ah, Ho-yun! Good job today.”
“…Yeah.”
Seong Ji-won acted as if nothing was wrong.
Whether we were on stage for a regional event, or the younger members were snickering behind us, or even when I was staring intently at him, Seong Ji-won maintained a peaceful smile.
To be honest, if I hadn't seen that B-Live, I would have thought everything was normal and moved on; his acting was that good.
‘…Wait, no. This guy isn't even good at acting.’
Maybe he was just good at hiding things.
Having given Seong Ji-won a sufficient grace period (meaning, one day) to speak up, I decided not to let this worry drag on and just get straight to the point.
I stepped in front of Seong Ji-won as he tried to pass by and crossed my arms.
“Seong Ji-won, I watched your B-Live yesterday.”
He flinched.
Realizing my intent, Ji-won tried to dodge the subject with a strangely evasive look.
“You’re so busy, yet you even watched that? Ahaha, thanks…. I didn't say anything weird, did I?”
“No.”
But there was something else.
“Was that a sasaeng calling your phone?”
“……!”
The moment I cut to the chase, Ji-won’s eyes wavered. He touched his lips for a moment, seemingly searching for words.
“…Ho-yun, you really don’t hold back.”
“It’s one of my charms.”
“Ahaha….”
Ji-won laughed awkwardly at my brazen remark and rubbed the back of his neck. Then, glancing at me tentatively, he spoke.
“Yeah, a sasaeng. It’s incredible, really. Even if I change my number, they keep calling….”
“…….”
I, too, had experienced my phone battery draining in an instant or being woken up from sleep more than once because of sasaeng calls. Now, if a call comes in as 'No Caller ID,' I don't even pick up.
I changed my number periodically, and the other members did the same.
Which meant….
“Did you tell the company?”
…It also meant we were that used to it.
If Ji-won had seen the call and simply identified it as a sasaeng, he would have just said so. He wouldn't have gone out of his way to avoid the topic and act like a guilty puppy.
That was the suspicious part that prompted my question, but Ji-won merely nodded.
“Yeah, of course I did. I’m going to change my number again this time.”
“…Right.”
Ji-won drew a firm line, signaling me not to push further. I rubbed my chin, wondering if there really was something behind this or if I was just being overprotective… when my eyes locked with Ji-won’s as he gazed at me.
“But you know, Ho-yun.”
“What.”
He asked with a faint smile.
“Are you worried about me right now?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Naturally, if there’s a problem with the team, I want to know.
However, before I could say that, Ji-won wore a satisfied expression as if he already understood.
“No, just… thanks.”
“…….”
“Seong Ji-won! Could you come here for a second?”
“Ah, I’ve gotta go. They’re calling me over there.”
…Suddenly turned into a sub-vocalist who was hovering around restlessly out of concern for a teammate, I was left speechless.
Ding!
[Wow, Seong Ji-won’s exit was incredibly natural….]
“…Seriously, I almost got sucked in for a second.”
While I was marveling at Ji-won’s high-level technique, Jeong Da-jun suddenly appeared beside me, holding a Pika-Chu Pork Cutlet in each hand—heaven knows where he got them.
“Hyung, they said we’re splitting into teams to film later!”
For now… I decided to put the master-level Seong Ji-won aside and focus on work.
After packing our schedule with regional events for several days, it seemed they wanted to milk the trip for all it was worth; they were filming self-produced content today. I knew this place was a famous tourist spot, but since it wasn't peak season, it wasn't very crowded.
Still, just in case, everyone had wiped off their stage makeup and roughly covered their faces with hats or masks.
The cameras were already following us.
“Really? Two teams?”
“No. I heard they’re splitting us into three?”
“…Ah.”
Just as I was about to turn toward the production crew, worried that Ji-won might end up alone, Kang Yi-chae quickly intercepted, taking a dainty bite of a rice cake skewer he’d also acquired from somewhere.
“Yi-chae thinks~ two teams would be better than three?”
Wow….
“Why?”
“Gasp! What if Yi-chae is left all by himself? What if someone just whisks me away because I’m too pretty?”
‘Kang Yi-chae’s intuition is seriously insane too….’
Ding!
[What is with this group…?]
[I’m starting to get scared… stop it….]
I mean, these guys have been criticized so much that their situational awareness has become god-tier….
“I really wish someone would just take you away….”
Muttering, “That makes me want to leave him alone even more,” I pressed down on the back of Jeong Da-jun’s neck and lightly exchanged glances with Kang Yi-chae. Fortunately, Ji-won, who hadn't seen the brief exchange, nodded with a smile.
“Right, then can we go in two teams?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
The staff agreed immediately and shook a drawing box. As the members huddled around the box, the camera zoomed in close. We drew our lots, and the results weren't bad.
“Oh! I’m on a team with Seong-hyeon and Yi-chae.”
“Hyung, hyung! Ho-yun hyung is on my team!”
“…….”
“Why are you smiling like that?!”
Personally, I hoped our maknae’s intuition would never improve and stay exactly as it was forever.
I feigned ignorance while stroking his head, and Jeong Da-jun tilted his head back and forth before falling silent.
“…Whew, so what are we doing?”
“Can we film a mukbang? We even put together a list of restaurants we want to visit!”
“Haha, you even thought of that?”
The staff member immediately smiled and held out an envelope.
“Now, for today, the use of personal cards is forbidden! You must enjoy yourselves using only the amount we provide.”
“……?”
There was no way Lee Ji-hyeon would be this nice.
It was mostly because of me, but the Daepasung planning team was always gnashing their teeth, looking for revenge against The Dawn for the mountain of work and overtime they had to endure.
Even Jeong Da-jun seemed suspicious of such 'mild' content and hesitated.
“…Can we really just enjoy ourselves?”
“Yes! Of course!”
The staff member beamed.
“Have a happy trip~. Now, off you go!”
The staff members scattered, leaving only one VJ for the camera and one staff member to report on the situation for each team.
We decided to open the envelopes before splitting up.
“How much is in here?”
“……Ten thousand won.”
Only ten thousand won for teams of three and two…?
“It’s called ‘The Return of Ten Thousand Won’s Happiness’!”
At the planning team’s ridiculous scheme, Jeong Da-jun’s jaw dropped, and he looked at me, sensing I was likely the cause. Having recently been pushing Lee Ji-hyeon and the rest of the planning team even harder, I quickly averted my gaze.
Is this my fault?
“…For the three of us? At a tourist spot?”
“In the countryside? Here?”
The faces of the three who became a team turned grim. Especially Kang Yi-chae, who had been shouting “My eel tail!” all day, insisting on grilled eel for dinner, looked like he was barely swallowing a curse.
“Why~? It’s not like you’re spending ten thousand won over a whole week.”
“Can’t we just use our own money?”
“…What about the main rapper’s stamina recovery?”
Since they were already hungry after finishing the event, everyone’s morale plummeted by 200%.
Meanwhile, Jeong Da-jun counted heads, quickly finished the math (he seems smart at times like this), and let out a "He-heng" laugh.
“Ho-yun hyung, since there’s only two of us, we can spend five thousand won each on food!”
“Wait, really? We have three people, so give us five thousand more!”
“No.”
At the staff’s cold, firm answer, the three of them looked depressed.
‘Hey, don’t worry.’
Regardless, this was Lee Ji-hyeon from the planning team.
Would she really just tell us—no, idols—and especially a group with a food-obsessed guy like me, to simply film 'Ten Thousand Won's Happiness'?
Lee Ji-hyeon was the person who, despite her relatively short career, had planned the 'Two Salads a Day' challenge and the 'Post-Apocalypse Trilogy.' No matter how I thought about it, she wasn't the type to lazily copy an ancient program format and make it boring, nor was she someone who would incur the fans' wrath by making their 'oppas' suffer for no reason. She would definitely add a mission.
I shrugged and called out to Jeong Da-jun.
“Maknae, let’s go!”
“Baby, let’s go!!”
“Am I a baby?”
“I’ll yield the position to you, hyung.”
Nineteen-year-old Jeong Da-jun spat out a long-outdated catchphrase at a thirty-three-year-old soul and followed me pertly. While Da-jun and I snickered, exchanging trivial jokes like “Were you even born back then?” and “I saw it while I was in the nursery,” the other three stood there dazed, with expressions of despair.
Not my problem.
“Hey, but are you going to be okay?”
“Yep! I just ate a lot of snacks, so I’m fine!”
It was good to see him so energetic.
I smiled proudly and stroked his head, but….
“…Hyung.”
“What.”
“I’m hungry….”
Jeong Da-jun crumbled in exactly 3 minutes and 17 seconds.
“Just one hotteok…!!”
I slapped the back of Jeong Da-jun, who was breaking down in front of the flashy cafes and restaurants lined up for tourists.
“Eat a proper meal instead of that.”
Seeing this, the planning team staff member assigned to report on us, who had been eating a hotteok himself, flinched and stepped back. Jeong Da-jun, who had been clinging to me, immediately switched targets and latched onto him.
“Jeong Da-jun uses ‘Freeloading’!! Just one freeloading session…! Just one bite for me…!”
“…Uh, haha. Sorry, Da-jun. That’s not in the plan~.”
…Was the planning team’s goal actually just to torment us like this?
That hypothesis was starting to gain traction.
Standing next to a fake-sobbing Jeong Da-jun, I crossed my arms and sneered.
“Baby, let’s go.”
“……I’m seriously annoyed.”
Finally accepting that he couldn't eat, Jeong Da-jun’s shoulders slumped.
“I’m hungry, hyuuung….”
“I told you to eat a meal.”
“—I wish it was hotteok.”
“Then just don’t eat anything.”
“How can you be so cold-hearted to the maknae?!”
As I was about to drag Jeong Da-jun away, the planning team staff member, who still had hotteok syrup on his lips, gave a wide grin.
“We’ll start the mission here. Da-jun, have you ever heard of the Prisoner’s Dilemma?”
The staff member explained excitedly, and although Jeong Da-jun didn't seem to fully understand, he nodded along for now.
The Prisoner’s Dilemma.
When two accomplices suspected of a crime are arrested, if one confesses while the other remains silent or denies it, only the one who confessed is released. The one who remained silent receives the maximum sentence.
Conversely, if both deny it or both confess, they receive the same sentence. However, the sentence for both denying it is lighter than if one had betrayed the other.
In short, the ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’ is a non-zero-sum game involving two participants. Cooperation benefits both, but if one thinks only of their own gain, it leads to the worst outcome for everyone as more rounds progress.
‘Why is this self-produced content so grandiose?’
As I stood there skeptically, the staff member gave a big thumbs-up.
“Let’s play a TMI Game. From now on, if both teams keep each other’s secrets for just 5 minutes, we will add fifty thousand won to your funds.”
“……!”
“That’s not bad.”
I spoke indifferently, but the next condition was even more radical.
“However, if you expose the other team’s secret, we will add one hundred thousand won.”
“That’s even better.”
When I muttered that, Jeong Da-jun, who valued friendship with his teammates, glared at me.
Hey… I’m just saying it’s a good deal.
“Then what if both teams expose secrets at the same time?”
“Then 50 percent of your total funds will be confiscated.”
“…And if only the other side exposes us?”
“All your funds except for one thousand won will be confiscated.”
I could see exactly how this would go.
Between the two of us, only Jeong Da-jun looked deathly serious. The camera staff quickly followed, focusing on our expressions.
“Hyung, honestly… I think it’s better if everyone just stays quiet!”
“Why?”
“To be honest, Yi-chae hyung is a bit… worrying. But if we all stay quiet, both teams can get fifty thousand won! Then we can eat something delicious for dinner!”
Perhaps because the chance to eat the food he’d just missed was back on the table, Jeong Da-jun spoke eloquently as if he’d suddenly become brilliant.
“The best choice for us is to exercise our right to remain silent and get fifty thousand won each! I trust the hyungs!!”
“Wow, you’ve really been studying hard.”
“Of course! Hyung, I told you not to get in my way, didn't I?”
Right, it was worth leaving him alone lately since he’d been a bit sensitive about his studies. Meanwhile, the planning team staff member let out a chuckle as if he found the decision amusing.
“Well then, shall we be generous and end it a bit sooner? In 1 minute?”
“Yes! Our trust will not waver!”
Whatever.
Of course, knowing that trust is no different from the dregs of old emotions unless it's put in writing, I simply waited.
And sure enough.
“Alright.”
After 1 minute passed, the staff member held out a hand to Jeong Da-jun, who looked ready to shout “Our friendship is forever!” with his arms stretched high.
“Give me the money.”
*
1) A segment from the MBC variety show Happiness Corporation (2003.11.15.~2008.10.02.).
2) A famous line from the SBS drama Lovers in Paris (2004.06.12. ~ 2004.08.15.).