Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Spicy Fish Stew Night
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“PD-nim.”
“Yes.”
“Is it really okay for us to play games with those guys……?”
The hyungs’ voices were trembling slightly. It was as if they felt their lives were in danger.
……Come to think of it, that was only natural.
If we failed even once in the table tennis rally and the ball bounced the wrong way, it could cause damage on the level of getting shot.
Maybe even worse than getting shot.
“Anyway, Seo-hyun’s team wins!”
In the end, the race concluded with our team’s victory.
Dinner was ours.
Naturally, the losing side couldn’t help but voice their complaints.
They probably thought it was unfair.
But honestly, the gap between me and Yeonhwa unnie wasn’t that huge.
If Jun-hyuk hyung had been just a bit faster, Jeong-ho hyung would’ve fallen, and we could’ve easily lost.
“Isn’t this unfair? Even if Yeonhwa and Ha-rin teamed up, they couldn’t beat Seo-hyun?”
“But honestly, you lost because Jun-hyuk was too slow just now. If he’d been a little faster, you guys would’ve won.”
“Aigoo, hyung. Why’d you have to say that.”
“Hey, wait till you get to my age, okay?”
Even as Seung-ho hyung tried to throw a tantrum, Woo-hyuk hyung shut it down sharply beforehand.
And Woo-hyuk hyung……
“UHAHAHA! I’ll Be Fine As Long As It’s Not Meeee!”
He shouted the program’s slogan triumphantly.
He was right. Losing was the problem.
In the end, Yeonhwa unnie’s team, which couldn’t even snag dinner, had no choice but to stare at Ha-rin with pleading eyes.
But……
“Ha-rin’s abilities are prohibited.”
Lee Myung-ho PD restricted Ha-rin’s abilities as if he’d anticipated it.
But did they listen just because the PD said so?
While the PD was away for a moment, they whispered to Ha-rin in secret.
“Later, after the bedding luck draw ends, let’s sneak some out and eat.”
“……Should we? I’m hungry. But is it really okay? If we use it this time, we might really get in trouble.”
When Ha-rin looked a bit anxious, Yeonhwa unnie stepped in.
“Ah, or…… should I catch something myself? Even so, fooling the PD twice feels a bit……”
“Catch what? It’s so late already.”
“Th-there were a lot of fish nearby…… Maybe because it’s near the stream?”
“Fish?”
“Yeees……. They didn’t say we couldn’t forage for ourselves……”
“……Can you really catch them?”
“I-I’m good at it.”
“Then let’s give it a try. Just in case, we’ll tell the PD.”
It seemed Yeonhwa unnie’s team was planning to fill their stomachs through self-sufficiency.
Streams like this one had surprisingly plenty of food if you looked.
But……
I wondered if anyone could clean them.
Oh, right. Ho-jun hyung was secretly good at cooking, wasn’t he?
“Hey, Seo-hyun! You’re not eating?”
“Ah, I am!”
Of course, I just enjoyed the victory feast regardless.
The production team was definitely generous to the luck-draw winners.
* * *
Yeonhwa’s team watched enviously as Seo-hyun’s team ate their delicious meal.
Of course, regular meals didn’t excite Yeonhwa much…… but losing felt oddly regrettable, and she pitied her teammates’ hardship.
‘I should step up at a time like this……’
Thinking about it, she hadn’t shown any standout moments like Seo-hyun since appearing on variety shows. When watching shows she was on, she wasn’t confident they’d be entertaining.
So, she had to do something.
She’d heard Ha-rin had already shown off her abilities when the cast was hungry, but Yeonhwa herself hadn’t demonstrated anything beyond her physical prowess.
People watching her on variety would surely wonder what abilities she had.
She was a little nervous…… but she thought now was the time to show something.
“So, how are you gonna catch the fish? With your hands?”
“Ah, no…… I saw Seo-hyun and Ha-rin showing off their abilities, so I felt like I hadn’t shown mine.”
“Oh, what ability are you gonna show?”
“Th-this kind of thing.”
Yeonhwa lightly tore the tip of her thumb.
As droplets of blood beaded up, she swung her hand widely.
The scattered blood droplets in the air transformed into bats and began dispersing on their own.
Flutter-flutter-!
“Whoa…… What’s that?”
“They’re my familiars. I make them from blood, and they do what I want. Like…… auto-farming in games?”
“You like games?”
“Yeees……. There’s nothing else to do stuck at home.”
“Oh.”
At that moment, Ho-jun, who loved games, showed interest.
“What games do you play?”
“W-well…… It’s embarrassing to say, but…… I play all sorts. RPGs, FPS, AOS…… Ah, anyway, the kids will bring fish soon.”
“If they catch fish, I’ll clean them.”
“Yes, sure.”
“I’ll help too.”
Ha-rin chimed in at Ho-jun’s words. Apparently, Ha-rin had quite a bit of solo-living experience and could handle basic ingredient prep.
“Fish are tricky to handle.”
“I love fish, so I’m good at prepping them. You can trust me.”
“I trust you, then?”
“What should we make? Spicy fish stew’s the best, right?”
“Let’s make something tastier than their dinner.”
“But do we have seasonings?”
“The PD said he’d give us some. I asked earlier.”
“Oh.”
Yeonhwa’s bats soon returned with quite a few fish.
The sight of blood-red bats carrying fish from the sky was something you didn’t see every day, leaving Yeonhwa’s team staring blankly.
“Whoa…… Never thought I’d live to see bats bringing fish in their mouths.”
“Tell me about it. Ah, Ho-jun. All done?”
“Yessir~ Just need the ingredients, and I’ll have spicy fish stew boiling right away!”
The bats, having fulfilled their role, turned back into tiny blood droplets and seeped into Yeonhwa’s body.
While Ha-rin and Ho-jun prepped the fish, Seo-hyun’s team, having finished eating, started peeking over.
“What was that just now? Blood bats……?”
“That’s Yeonhwa’s ability. They said self-sufficiency is allowed, so she used them to catch fish.”
“Oh, so you’re making spicy fish stew?”
Hearing Woo-hyuk, Yeonhwa’s team desperately pushed him away.
“No way, hyung, you’re not thinking of eating dinner and then more stew, are you?!”
“Hey, just one bite!”
“That’s gluttony on a disease level, a disease! Have some shame!”
“Oh, Ha-rin, you can cook?”
“Yes. Learned it living alone after mutating.”
“Oh……”
“It’s nothing much. Just basic stuff?”
“You’re pretty skilled for basic. Ho-jun hyung, how’s she doing?”
“She’s good. Ah, all prepped. Want a bite when the stew’s done, Seo-hyun?”
“No, I’m full. If anything, give it to Woo-hyuk hyung.”
At Seo-hyun’s words, Ho-jun shook his head.
“That hyung’s too shameless. No way.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“Ah, can you light a fire? We need a strong flame for the stew……”
“No gas burner?”
“We have one, but…… the heat’s weak.”
“Got it. I’ll gather some firewood then.”
“Ah, S-Seo-hyun. Come with me.”
“Why you too, unnie?”
“……Bored.”
At Yeonhwa’s words, Seo-hyun smiled and nodded.
“Sure.”
* * *
Since we needed firewood, I had no choice but to ask the PD if we could chop some trees.
“PD-nim. Can we chop trees?”
“What’s with the sudden logging?”
“We need firewood.”
“For firewood…… Can’t you just gather branches?”
Ah, right. We could just gather branches and light a fire.
I smiled awkwardly and headed to nearby trees with Yeonhwa unnie, Seung-ho hyung, and a few camera crew.
Picking up fallen ones would be best.
But gathering them one by one would waste time, so magic was the way to go.
I swung my hand. A gust of wind arose, gathering scattered branches from everywhere.
“Every time I see it, it’s amazing.”
I smiled at Seung-ho hyung’s words.
“It’s amazing to me too. I haven’t known how to use magic for long.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I awakened to magic when I went to America.”
“That video?”
“Yeah. When I swept away the corpse legion. I was shocked too. It was so gruesome and horrific, I just burned them all right away.”
“It was mosaiced all over…… How bad was it?”
“I recommend not seeing the real thing. It’s not worth it. If my mental strength hadn’t strengthened from mutating, I would’ve starved for days.”
Seung-ho hyung nodded at my words. Let’s end the story here.
It was something viewers might be curious about, but not suitable for a fun variety show.
I could do a separate interview later if requested.
“Anyway, that’s when I awakened magic and took down the lich and dullahan.”
“You learned how to use magic right then?”
“Yeah. Mutants gradually become aware of their abilities at a trigger point, and that was when I unlocked all of mine.”
Seung-ho hyung and the camera crew nodded with oohs and aahs.
Anyway, when we returned with loads of branches, Ho-jun hyung and Ha-rin had finished prepping the spicy fish stew.
“Oh, you’re back!”
“Gonna show us a fire trick?”
“Why not.”
I immediately lit the branches with magic.
Whoosh-!
The branch pile, without a single ember, was engulfed in flames in an instant.
Ho-jun hyung placed the pot of stew over the fire.
Now we just wait for it to boil.
It didn’t take long for the spicy fish stew to boil.
Woo-hyuk hyung, after some back-and-forth, finally snagged a bite of the stew. Jun-hyuk hyung and Soo-chan hyung tried to stop him, but he forced his way in.
Separately, I got to taste a bite too. Ho-jun hyung’s cooking skills were the real deal.
Anyway…… With bellies full, the final mission was about to begin.
The main event of I’ll Be Fine As Long As It’s Not Me.
The bedding luck draw.