Chapter 366
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 366
“Oh, it’s Hyung!”
As I finished my brief conversation with Kang Yeon-hu and approached the tent where the other teams were gathered, Jeong Da-jun spotted me first and waved vigorously. Beside him, Kang Yi-chae—who had been snickering to himself while clinging to a slightly dejected Seong Ji-won—smirked as he saw me.
“Welcome back.”
“How was it? Give us a review.”
“Ho-yun, was it scary in there?”
“Yeah.”
They were so different from my usual type that I was terrified I might actually be purified.
Perhaps because it was an unexpected answer, the members stared at me in silence, their eyes wide with surprise.
I let out a short chuckle and patted their backs, ushering them forward.
“I’m hungry.”
“Oh, right. Let’s... let’s go.”
“They said we’re eating dinner in the auditorium, Hyung! It’s a catered buffet!”
Jeong Da-jun immediately regained his excitement, bouncing around restlessly.
As expected, I felt most at ease when I was with these guys.
*
Though it was a bit late, we finished a hearty meal before all the cast members were told to change their clothes. As people buzzed with confusion while swapping their school uniforms for white jumpsuits, Kim Hee-yeong clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Alright! Forget everything about the team battles so far. We will now begin the final game to mark our grand finale.”
It seemed Kim Hee-yeong was determined to squeeze out as much footage as possible, especially since she was borrowing WH Entertainment’s name and had even brought in Black Call. She gestured toward a large screen installed in the amusement park and shouted.
“Repair the Amusement Park at Night!”
Immediately, text began scrolling across the screen.
She’s really having the time of her life, isn't she?
[In the final game, ‘Repair the Amusement Park at Night!’, you will each be assigned the role of either a Repairman or a Rogue.
The Rogues! Those who can never ignore the sight of others enjoying themselves! They have arrived at the amusement park. At this rate, the park’s attractions will be destroyed, and the citizens won't be able to ride them tomorrow.
During the three hours remaining until opening, the Repairmen must fix the broken machines and root out the Rogues to ensure the amusement park opens safely.
Perform the missions for each ride to complete repairs, and then ride them yourselves to verify they are functioning correctly.]
“Whoa, the scale is insane.”
“I’ve always wanted to try something like this!!”
A step ahead and slightly to the side, Jeon Sae-young muttered with an intrigued expression. Jeong Da-jun, who seemed to have grown close to him after getting some snacks earlier, scurried over to his side and started chattering excitedly.
[Conversely, the Rogues must hinder the Repairmen.
Using the provided trackpads, you can cut the electricity to streetlights in specific locations to obstruct the Repairmen’s movement.
Furthermore, by using a pointer filled with paint to shoot a name tag, you can ‘kill’ the Repairmen.
Eliminate all the Repairmen without revealing your identity as a Rogue!]
[Regardless of your role, you can ‘Report’.]
[When gathered in one place through a ‘Report,’ you can designate a suspected Rogue through a vote and eliminate them.]
[The Repairmen win if they root out all the Rogues before two-thirds of the Repairmen are killed, or if they successfully complete all assigned tasks.
The Rogues win if they kill more than two-thirds of the Repairmen, or if the Repairmen fail to complete the missions within the time limit.]
[※ The mission assigned to each ride only needs to be performed once.]
[※ Completed missions will be announced via broadcast at regular intervals.]
[※ The time spent moving to the gathering place due to a ‘Report’ is not included in the time limit. Immediately after a ‘Report’ is called, no new rides can be repaired. For 5 minutes following a ‘Report,’ Rogues can kill Repairmen, but it is prohibited thereafter.]
[※ Repairmen can restore electricity each time they succeed in a mission.]
[※ Rogues cannot kill Repairmen while they are on a ride.]
Kim Hee-yeong continued her explanation verbally.
“The prize is gold bars, which will be distributed among the members of the winning team. There are a total of 4 Rogues and 12 Repairmen. Please follow the staff to your designated locations to check your roles.”
The staff quickly handed out name tags. As I stood up after attaching mine to my back, I overheard the members talking nearby.
“Guys. I think it’ll be dangerous to be alone for this. Wouldn’t it be better to gather in one place and move together later?”
“Hmm, Hyung, would that be a good idea? Even if we’re members of the same group, there’s a chance one of us is a Rogue.”
“For starters, I don’t want to go around with Seo Ho-yun. His very existence screams Rogue.”
“Hey.”
Kim Seong-hyeon, who historically had suffered the most at my hands, raised his eyebrows and was the most vocally wary.
I watched this display with my arms crossed. Seong Ji-won, who had been the first to suggest moving together, scanned the members before looking at me with a bright smile.
“Then Ho-yun, do you want to move with me? I don’t mind even if you are a Rogue.”
“No.”
“Ah...”
When I flatly refused, Seong Ji-won’s face slumped again. I gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder as if to remind him of the cold reality of competition and headed toward my assigned location.
After arriving near the bumper cars and the roller coaster, I received a slip of paper from a staff member.
[Repairman]
The staff member took the paper back, and I immediately started walking. My destination was a ride that wasn't too far from where I was and looked like it would be physically easy.
“Seo Ho-yun-ssi, those dolls look really creepy. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’m not a big fan of intense rides.”
It was an ‘attraction’ featuring a long line of various dolls.
However, before I could take more than a few steps, the surrounding lights vanished with a sharp pop. The power had been cut.
Looks like the sabotage has already begun.
I stepped off the path and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before slowly walking again. That’s when I spotted a silver-haired figure sitting in front of a computer installed at the entrance of the attraction.
“Hey, Jeong Da-jun.”
“...!!”
At the sound of my voice, Jeong Da-jun, who had been typing away furiously, jumped up in shock.
“H-Hyung...!”
“Are you doing a good job with the repairs?”
If he was working that hard on a mission without knowing who was coming, he probably wasn't a Rogue.
I expected him to be with the others, but there was no one else around.
Just as I was about to scold him for moving alone in the dark when the power was out—
“Jeong Da-jun, if you’re by yourself, you’re the perfect tar— Hey, hey!!”
“Hyung, don’t come any closer!!”
“...What?”
Jeong Da-jun held both hands out in front of him and began backing away slowly, maintaining his distance from me.
“My instincts... honed from three years of The Dawn’s self-produced content, which is basically a jungle ecosystem... are telling me. You’re a Rogue, Hyung...”
“...”
“I’m sorry, but don’t come any closer.”
And with that, he turned around and bolted.
Feeling like a third-rate villain for some reason, I just stared after him, unable to even offer a rebuttal. Only after he was gone did I mutter to myself.
“...But I’m a Repairman?”
First the Baby Water Dumpling, and now the Elephant. I clicked my tongue inwardly, realizing once again that raising them with care was utterly useless. Suppressing the urge to follow the path Jeong Da-jun had taken, I walked over to the computer. First, I carefully read the repair instructions taped to the side of the monitor. It told me to complete a long-form typing exercise using a typing practice program.
Looking through the list, I saw several songs by idols under WH Entertainment. It seemed they had been included intentionally.
I guess they’re giving us a chance to promote them.
Well, if they’re giving it away for free, I might as well take it.
Aware that the longer I stayed, the more I was exposed to danger, I set the lyrics of their latest song, ‘Level S2,’ as the encoding and loaded it into the typing program.
“A shame there’s so much English.”
Since it only allowed Korean input, it was a pity the lyrics were significantly shortened.
It had been quite a while since I’d done any office work due to my idol activities, so my hands were a bit stiff, but since I could hit nearly 800 characters per minute, the mission was over in no time. The moment I typed the final period and hit enter, the lights on the attraction flickered on.
Wow, how flashy.
I wasn't particularly impressed and intended to just hop on the ride and finish the mission quickly, but a clear voice reached me from behind.
“Oh? You’ve fixed it already?”
Turning my head, I saw Chae Jeong-woo scratching his cheek as he entered the entrance.
“Hello, Sunbae-nim.”
“I came to fix it too... Hmm, if it’s alright, could we ride together?”
If he were a Repairman, he should be busy running around doing missions, so I couldn't understand why he’d insist on staying here. As I instinctively took a step back, sensing something off, Chae Jeong-woo gave an apologetic smile.
“Ahaha, you’re being too wary. It’s not like that. I just... have something I want to talk about with Seo Ho-yun-ssi, just the two of us...”
It was incredibly suspicious, but the moment a senior lowered his brows and made such a request—no, the moment a person like ‘Chae Jeong-woo’ of Black Call did that—there was no other choice for me but to agree.
I composed my expression while boarding the boat, and when I faced Chae Jeong-woo again, I patted the seat next to me with a nonchalant look.
“Get in.”
“Thank you.”
Chae Jeong-woo didn't hesitate for a second and hopped right in.
And the staff, who I expected to follow us, simply waved at us after checking the camera installed at the front of the boat one last time.
“Alright, departing!”
The park employee checked that the safety bars were down and released the brakes. The boat floating on the water swayed before slowly moving along the waves.
Dark purple lights and fog settled in, and the sight of old dolls creaking and twisting into grotesque shapes was quite eerie.
...Is this really something kids can ride?
Chae Jeong-woo scanned the scene with a calm gaze and spoke.
“...I think this would have been enough for a penalty.”
I was just staring straight ahead when Chae Jeong-woo threw a direct question at me this time.
“I just came here after going to the haunted house. Aren't you scared?”
“No, not really...”
“Haha, Woo-seong said Yeon-hu was shaking like a leaf.”
Chae Jeong-woo leaned back leisurely in his seat with his arms crossed.
“He was praising Seo Ho-yun-ssi the entire time we were eating. Saying you took such good care of Yeon-hu.”
“Woo-seong Sunbae-nim is exaggerating. We were all just scared together.”
“Is that so? From where I’m sitting, it looks like Seo Ho-yun-ssi is still fulfilling that old request.”
This small talk is starting to veer into territory that’s definitely not for broadcast.
I frowned slightly for a moment before glancing at the camera and quickly smoothing my expression.
“...Sunbae-nim, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Letting out a soft chuckle, Chae Jeong-woo tilted his head slightly toward the camera.
“Hmm... Haha, they’ll edit it out, right? I trust our company will do a good job.”
The fact that he specifically mentioned ‘the company’ suggested that WH Entertainment was scheduled to perform a pre-broadcast review. In exchange, Kim Hee-yeong had essentially scouted the entire company.
“Anyway, I wanted to say thank you. And I wanted to congratulate you on the success of this album. I heard that for the year-end stage order, The Dawn and High Five will take turns closing the show.”
“...”
“Our company was fairer than I thought. No discrimination as long as the results are there. It’s the first time someone from outside has come in and achieved results beyond expectations, so I only just found out myself.”
I haven't heard a word of this either.
I turned my head completely the other way, staring into the distance and responding dryly.
“We still have a long way to go to catch up to you, Sunbae-nim.”
“Oh, come on. I consider Seo Ho-yun-ssi a rival, you know? I can’t afford to let my guard down either.”
“...Hahahaha.”
I’ll pretend I didn't hear that either.
“Thank you for continuing to keep the promise I asked of you until now. Especially regarding our Woo-seong. I think I know why The Dawn members like Seo Ho-yun-ssi so much. Because you’re so kind to people.”
“...”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
I do it because I have a goal.
I grumbled to myself, unable to say it out loud.
“Ah, we’re here.”
The waiting staff had already moved to the exit to film us as we returned.
My head throbbed for a moment at the thought of the fallout if the conversation we just had were to be aired, but Chae Jeong-woo showed no change in expression, seemingly certain it would be edited out.
“Shall we go?”
“...Yes.”
I followed Chae Jeong-woo as he stood up first, and we stepped out of the attraction, standing under the streetlights that were brightly lit again. Facing me, Chae Jeong-woo smiled, his eyes crinkling softly.
“But Ho-yun-ssi, I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t think the next part will be edited out.”
I knew my bad feeling wouldn't be wrong.
The moment Chae Jeong-woo’s hand went into his pocket, I quickly backed away, looking for a place to hide.
“Hmm, there’s nowhere to run.”
Chae Jeong-woo, holding a pointer with a keychain attached to his finger, let out a "Ta-da!" If I turned my back and ran now, I’d definitely be killed.
As I was quickly calculating how to escape this situation—
“—Hyung!!!”
Suddenly, a black shadow lunged from somewhere and tackled Chae Jeong-woo. Staggering from the impact of the hug, Chae Jeong-woo couldn't withstand the weight and fell backward.
“Don’t touch my hyung!!”
The person who shouted at the top of his lungs was, surprisingly, Jeong Da-jun—the very one who had scurried away upon seeing me.
The maknae held onto the bewildered Chae Jeong-woo with a death grip and sent me a look of absolute determination.
“Ho-yun Hyung! I believed in you from the very beginning!!”
Who are you trying to kid?