Chapter 80
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80
“What do you want to eat?”
“There are some greens in the field over here. Like I mentioned earlier, we were talking about making bibimbap.”
“Sounds good.”
I wanted to immediately incinerate the T-shirt Kang Yi-chae had specially commissioned, but the production crew—who were practically collapsing from laughter—insisted I wear it. They probably thought it was "guaranteed gold" for the broadcast, but I suspected their lingering resentment toward me played the biggest part.
In the end, I resigned myself to my fate, donned the ‘Nuisance’ T-shirt, and set the cauldron over the fire.
“Do we have kimchi?”
“What kind of question is that to ask a Korean?”
As serious as they always were about food, the members engaged in a solemn discussion while efficiently dividing the chores.
Jeong Da-jun, who had managed to wheedle a lighter out of a staff member, lit the fire in the hearth and poured in the washed rice and water. Kang Yi-chae was beside him, hunting for kimchi, while Kim Seong-hyeon neatly sliced pink sausages…
“Then I’ll go pick some radish greens with Ho-yun.”
“Have fun~!”
I was glad I’d dressed comfortably. The rain had stopped, but the air was thick with humidity. Even though I was wearing the three-quarter sleeve shirt Yi-chae had made and shorts that came down to my knees, I was already slick with sweat after just a few steps. A staff member with a camera scurried along behind us.
“This is my first time picking radish greens.”
“Oh, really?”
“…What, have you done it before?”
“I lived with my grandmother, remember? She did a lot of farm work.”
Arriving at the field, Seong Ji-won set down the basket he’d been carrying under his arm and pulled on a pair of work gloves with practiced ease. The staff member bypassed me and zoomed in on Ji-won. They were eager to capture even one more good shot.
I’d bet my life the caption would say something like, ‘The Main Vocal’s Unexpected Charm.’
“Here, you too.”
“Thanks.”
I stood there blankly after putting on the gloves, while Seong Ji-won found a spot, crouched down, and began diligently harvesting the greens.
Well… I guess I just grab the top and pull. But strangely, whenever I tried, only the stems snapped off, leaving the roots firmly in the ground.
“Seo Ho-yun.”
“Whoa, you scared me.”
I was getting competitive and focusing hard in my own way when Seong Ji-won suddenly appeared right beside me with a dead-serious expression.
‘…Hey, there’s no need to use my full name and look that stern….’
I calmed my racing heart and turned my head. Seong Ji-won gave me a demonstration on how to pull the radish greens.
“Don’t just grab the top like that. You have to grab near the root and pull it out smoothly. Not with a jerk. S-m-o-o-t-h-l-y.”
“Jerk… smooth?”
“Smooth.”
“…Jerk?”
“…Just get out of the way.”
Tring!
[Ah~, it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you fail at something~]
It’s my first time doing farm work, so of course I would…
I kept my mouth shut and followed Ji-won’s example, grabbing the roots and pulling the greens out one by one. As I worked, the song I’d heard on the LP earlier came to mind, and I started humming.
“How much of my… immature self~.”
“…….”
“Can ever… become meaningful~.”
“Ho-yun… that’s not meaningful at all.”
It had been a while since Seong Ji-won looked that disgusted, so I sang even more passionately. Receiving silent encouragement from the staff member acting as the temporary cameraman, I stubbornly finished the first verse. Meanwhile, Seong Ji-won sighed deeply, his hands moving even faster.
After finally finishing the whole song, I pulled off my work gloves—which barely had any dirt on them—and wiped my brow with a look of pride.
“So satisfying~.”
“…….”
Carrying the overflowing basket, Seong Ji-won silently ignored me and walked past. As I trotted down after him, a delicious aroma began to waft through the air.
“Hyungs! You’re back?”
“We’re frying ham and egg pancakes!”
After returning, we trimmed and washed the radish greens. Then, we mixed the fluffy rice and transferred it into a large basin, but the amount was strangely massive.
“What the? Why did you make so much rice?”
“Look at you guys. That’s not a pile of radish greens; it’s a mountain.”
“Seong-hyeon, why are there so many sausages? We’re running out of plates.”
“…I just kept going?”
Ah, these guys… they really are Korean.
At this rate, this wasn't five servings; it was more like fifteen. I quickly counted the staff members. It looked like we’d have enough to feed everyone.
“Who are you going to satisfy with a tiny portion?~”
“Just hurry up and mix it.”
I added the chopped raw radish greens, kimchi, sesame oil, and gochujang, then mixed it all vigorously. The savory scent tickled my nose. I popped a spoonful into Jeong Da-jun’s mouth as he stood by, drooling.
Because the quantity was so large, my arms actually started to ache from mixing. I finally managed to scoop it into bowls, and sure enough, there were fifteen servings. We handed the rest out to the staff.
“Great job, everyone~!”
“You should eat before working. Oh, have you already eaten?”
“Ah, no. Not yet….”
“Then it’s a good thing we made plenty.”
Since we were a small-to-mid-sized agency, the Daepasung planning team couldn't handle everything. The crew included not just acquaintances but also university students majoring in film or broadcasting who were looking for experience.
Do you know how miserable it is for the cast to eat delicious food while the staff watches with growling stomachs…?
Thinking back to my own rookie days, running around filming sets after skipping meals or making do with a single triangle kimbap, I felt a slight tear prick my eye.
Tring!
[1. This is bibimbap that Ho-yun made with his own hands~♡
“…This is bibimbap that Ho-yun made with his own hands.”
“…Th-thank you?”
The flustered staff members locked their cameras and awkwardly accepted the bowls.
Right… thanks for not saying anything.
We also set up a table with the bibimbap, ham and egg pancakes, and utensils.
“Wow, this is seriously delicious. Have our… rice-cooking skills improved?”
“That’s all thanks to Seo Ho-yun. He nagged us so much about making sure we eat properly.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t want the fried egg on top?”
“I’m sorry!”
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
The crowning glory of bibimbap was, of course, a soft-boiled fried egg. I placed the eggs I’d cooked separately and kept aside onto each member’s bowl.
“It’s nice because it’s fresh. It’s a bit hot, but there’s a good breeze….”
“If you stay still, it gets cool.”
“That’s exactly what my grandmother always says…!!”
Seong Ji-won rubbed his arms as if he’d gotten goosebumps. Looking at the members, I started to feel a bit better.
Tring!
[You look happy. Is it because the kids are eating well?]
No.
I looked at them with a satisfied grin.
“Because I’m looking forward to what’s coming later….”
[……Your personality….]
The system window grumbled.
So what? What are you going to do about it?
What.
“That was a great meal~.”
After finishing the food, we even polished off the ice cream we’d put in the freezer earlier. Since the concept was a healing variety show, things proceeded without any particular missions.
That was when Lee Ji-hyeon from the planning team stepped forward and handed out blank sheets of paper to the members.
“Everyone, we still have some time before dinner.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we write something for a time capsule in the meantime?”
My eyebrows twitched. I didn't remember writing that into the plan…. When I sent her a look, Lee Ji-hyeon quickly signaled back.
‘It’s to kill time.’
‘Good.’
If that was the case, then fine. I could see her ambition to utilize even the smallest gaps in time to extract emotional highlights.
Only the members, who knew nothing, chatted brightly.
“A time capsule? What was that again?”
“It’s a letter to your future self. I used to do it a lot when I was a kid….”
“Ah~, that.”
Lee Ji-hyeon said with a bright smile.
“In the time capsule, you can simply write about what you think you and The Dawn will look like in five years.”
“Five years? Not ten?”
“Yes, five years.”
In ten years, most of the members would be in their thirties, and it was uncertain if the group would even stay together. The intention was to look back at it when they were at their peak to create more content.
‘Wow, she’s smart.’
I nodded and slowly accepted the paper. Some members pondered deeply as they wrote, while others scribbled away excitedly. But looking at the blank white page, my mind went empty. After jotting down a few useless comments directed at the members, I paused.
‘Will I… still be here in five years?’
No, that was unlikely. According to the system, once the Main Scenario was over, there was a high probability I would leave this world and return to my original one.
It had only taken me half a year to resolve the scenarios for Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun. Since there were two members left, even with various buffers and calculations, it shouldn't take more than a year.
Well, it might take a bit longer for The Dawn to become a first-tier idol group….
But I didn't plan on taking five years.
…I stared at the sentence I’d written, sighed, and crossed it out with two thick lines. Then, I added underneath:
[Return everything to how it was.]
I had no intention of living like this forever.
I must have become too immersed during these short six months.
Even if the camera captured the paper later, people would likely just think, ‘Our Ho-yun wants to stay true to his roots, haha,’ so it didn't really matter.
Holding the twice-folded paper in my hand, I hovered around the other members.
“Hey, what are you writing?”
“Waaah!”
Jeong Da-jun hurriedly hid his paper with both arms. Then he peeked up and glared at me as if I were some kind of degenerate.
“Hyung! Don’t look.”
“Good grief, is it a diary or something?”
I hadn't thought much of it, but seeing him hide it like that made me a little curious. I went over to Kang Yi-chae, who also folded his paper with a mischievous glint in his eyes and waved it around.
“Want to see?”
“Yeah.”
“Then show me yours too, Hyung.”
“…….”
“You don’t want to, do you?”
Kang Yi-chae, whose silver tongue had only gotten sharper lately, was a lost cause.
I went over to Kim Seong-hyeon, and as expected, he was completely unguarded. I crept up and snatched it away.
“Hey!”
Leaving the flustered Kim Seong-hyeon behind, I slowly read the contents.
“I hope the deeeesperation remains, and that the fans can be happy~.”
“Ugh, don’t read it out loud!”
“Ahaha.”
“You nuisance… that T-shirt really suits you….”
“You’re glowing, Kim Seong-hyeon.”
I was acting exactly as the T-shirt suggested. There was more written below, but I didn't get to see it all. I chuckled and gave it back, then looked toward Seong Ji-won, who had already finished and was folding his paper.
“Ho-yun, what did you write?”
“Just some random stuff.”
“Okay, if you’re finished, please put them in this box~.”
Seeing that all the members were more or less done, the staff member approached. The members took the box and placed their papers inside one by one, then gathered in the yard.
“Should we bury it around here?”
“How deep do we have to dig?”
“Just dig a little, just a little.”
I replied as I lightly shoveled dirt to bury the box.
“Alright~, we’ll do brief individual interviews now~.”
“Okay~.”
As if they couldn't miss a single emotional beat, they requested individual interviews.
They called me first, seemingly wanting to take them one by one.
“I’ll be back.”
“Who wants to watch a horror movie with Yi-chae while he’s gone~?”
“There’s a horror movie too?”
‘Wow.’
As expected of Kang Yi-chae. He’d caught on and was setting the mood himself.
‘Well….’
Not that it would matter much.
I gave a bright smile.
“Right, I’ll be back.”
“Hyung, get me a Melona on your way back~.”
I ignored Jeong Da-jun’s habitual craving for ice cream and stepped outside.
Coincidentally, a light drizzle was falling again. When I turned my head, I saw Lee Ji-hyeon in the room across the way, holding a finger to her lips and gesturing for me to come quietly.
“We need to get footage for the time capsule segment… but Seo Ho-yun-ssi, you need to do a more special interview.”
“Of course.”
Lee Ji-hyeon and I locked eyes and shared a wicked chuckle. Then, as soon as I sat in front of the camera, I wiped the expression off my face and put on a calm mask.
The interview began.
Q. Seo Ho-yun-ssi, how are you feeling right now?
“It’s the best. My heart is fluttering.”
Q. What do you think you’ll be doing in five years?
“…Hmm. I’ll probably be teasing the younger members.”
Q. Finally, please say a word to the members who will be watching this video.
“Hey, guys.”
I gave a kind smile toward the camera.
“You’re not the only ones who know how to pull off a surprise.”
Lee Ji-hyeon gave me a thumbs-up, looking pleased.
Tring!
[Wow… the pettiness….]
Yep, I’m looking forward to it too.
After finishing the shoot, I returned and swung the door open, making the kids jump.
“Gah! Make some noise before you come in!”
“You really scared me.”
“Why are you so jumpy?”
“The horror movie is at its climax right now,” Kim Seong-hyeon grumbled. I squeezed in next to the guys, who were already munching on a pile of snacks.
“Kim Seong-hyeon, go get your interview done.”
“Why do I suddenly feel so reluctant to go alone…?”
Seeing him look strangely anxious made my heart swell with satisfaction. The horror movie had already passed the halfway point, and the sounds were getting increasingly eerie. Terrified, Jeong Da-jun forced his way between me and Seong Ji-won.
“Go away.”
“No!! I don’t want to be on the end. I feel like something’s going to grab me.”
“Things can still grab you even if you’re in the middle….”
“Uwaaaah!”
I intentionally tugged on the back of Da-jun’s shirt as I spoke, and he let out a shriek, completely losing his mind. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his constant whimpering of, ‘Don’t live like that, Hyung is seriously so mean!’ Seong Ji-won was surprisingly the most composed, and while Kang Yi-chae screamed, it was half-mixed with amusement…
‘Things are about to change, you punks.’
“Have a good trip~.”
It was finally time for the last one, Jeong Da-jun, to head out.
“Uuuugh, I’ll be back….”
“There are staff members outside too.”
“Ah, right… that’s true.”
Even so, for Jeong Da-jun, the outside would be pure horror itself.
I waited with the anticipation of someone who had just poured water into a cup of ramen. Exactly 2 minutes and 41 seconds later, a scream erupted from outside.
“Euaaaaahhh!!”
Man, Jeong Da-jun finished even faster than a cup of ramen.