Chapter 69
Chapter: Sleeping Luck (Bok-bul-bok)
Sleeping Luck.
The winner gets to sleep in a cozy room.
The loser has to sleep outside in the freezing weather of early November.
It might only be November, but nights in the mountains are colder than winter in the city. Especially in a place like Hwacheon, Gangwon-do. Out of courtesy, they provide a tent, but if you rely solely on that, the weather is cold enough to make your jaw freeze stiff.
Because of this, everyone had to put their lives on the line for this game.
I wondered what kind of game the PD had in store this time.
"Actually, we put a lot of thought into this game. Since two of our guests have such an incredible sense of smell, we couldn't use our favorite 'hidden weapons' (bad-smelling/tasting food)."
The PD spoke with a hint of regret.
On the other hand, the cast members looked at the PD with uneasy expressions.
"So, what are we actually doing?"
"We thought about playing around with taste or smell... but it felt a bit wrong to do that to such precious guests. So, we decided on a simple team game."
"Wait, Director. Didn't you see earlier? If we do anything physical with these girls, we’re gonna die!"
"They know how to control their strength, so there's no need to worry. Besides, there won't be any violent physical contact to begin with."
"Then what on earth is the game?"
"It’s simple: Bottle Cap Flicking. There’s a long table inside the house. You just have to flick a bottle cap and get it as far as possible without it falling off the edge. The top four will get to sleep indoors."
It was a simple, yet surprisingly well-balanced choice.
The goal was to rank the top four people who sent their caps the farthest within the limited range of the table.
For "Mutants" like us, who possessed overwhelming physical abilities, this was actually a disadvantage. There was a limit to how much we could suppress our power. Even when we tried to tap it delicately, our "delicate" was still stronger than an average adult male's full strength.
Realizing the cast members had the upper hand here, smiles began to spread across their faces.
"Then let's try a practice round first."
"Sounds good."
Woo-hyuk went first, followed by the rest of the cast. Some caps barely reached the edge, while others were flicked too softly and barely moved. Looking at his cap sitting right on the edge, Woo-hyuk let out a sigh of relief.
"......Can't we just count this as the real game?"
"No!"
"Aw, man..."
The cast and I watched him with exasperation.
No matter how you looked at it, that was a bit much...
Of course, I probably would have felt the same if I were him, but in times like this, it's better for the "picture" to just go along with the flow.
Soon, the cast finished their turns, and it was the guests' turn.
Harin was first.
Ironically, Harin had the "weakest" physical stats among us, which turned out to be a blessing. She flicked the cap perfectly, and it stopped right at the very edge.
"......PD-nim."
"No."
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"You said it was a practice round, so it stays a practice round. Harin-ssi, you were the one who insisted on doing a practice round, weren't you?"
"......Tsk."
"She only learned the bad habits. She learned from the wrong person."
The surrounding cast clicked their tongues. What was funny was that Woo-hyuk had already joined in on that sentiment.
"I know, right? Who did she learn that from...?"
"Wow......"
"Why?"
"I didn't know a person could be that shameless."
Laughter erupted from the filming crew. It was a funny scene even to us.
Anyway, Harin’s turn ended... and finally, it was my turn and Yeon-hwa unnie's.
Tension filled the air.
Considering what we had shown earlier, flicking a bottle cap into a wall or having it smash through the wall and fly away wouldn't be surprising at all.
"......Please, go easy. We worked hard to rent this Hanok (traditional house)."
"Of course."
...I said that, but I wasn't sure.
If I go too easy, it’s not fun. But it’s also no fun to lose because I was too careful.
Suddenly, I felt mischievous.
"Ah, but what if I flick it too hard and break the wall?"
"You're joking, right?"
"I'm not joking. I'm just not used to controlling this much power."
Actually, I was lying. I just wanted to tease the PD.
But the PD, who didn't know that, looked up at the ceiling and spoke.
"If this place collapses, we have nowhere to sleep......"
"Oh, come on. It won't collapse."
The people around me looked at me as if I were talking nonsense.
"You literally smashed the ground to pieces earlier."
"I'll do my best."
I took my stance. How much strength should I use?
Even though it was a practice round, this was my first time doing this since becoming a Mutant, so I couldn't get a feel for the power scaling.
For now... let’s try with the amount of strength it takes to lightly pick up an object.
I pressed my middle finger against my thumb and pulled back.
If I pull too much, I'll break the wall, so I kept it moderate.
Then, I released my thumb and flicked the cap.
Tak—!
With a crisp sound, the bottle cap flew.
Kwajik!
Immediately after, a crashing sound followed. The bottle cap had embedded itself directly into the wooden wall of the Hanok.
......Okay, I definitely need to go weaker than that.
"......At least the wall didn't fall down. Thank goodness."
The PD let out a deep sigh as he looked at the sight.
"Uh, um...... yeah. I'll be careful. Honestly, it's my first time flicking a bottle cap after the mutation, so I didn't have the right feel for it......"
"Yeon-hwa-ssi too?"
"Ah, no...... I tested all sorts of things while experimenting with my mutation, so I have a rough idea......"
At least Yeon-hwa unnie managed to control her strength successfully. Looking at her, I realized she handled her power much better than she let on.
......I can handle myself too, I’m just new to this specific experience.
But now that I’ve got the feel for it, I’ll get a good result in the real game.
The best part of 'Sleeping Luck' was teasing the members who had to sleep outside.
They probably think I’m the most likely candidate for elimination.
I'll show them that’s a mistake.
. . .
The real game of Bottle Cap Flicking began.
My turn was near the end.
Actually, the order didn't matter much.
The key was who could get closest to the record.
The cast members chose the safest method.
If the cap flies off the table, it’s a foul and counts as zero, so instead of aiming for the very edge, they flicked them to land safely in the middle-to-end section.
Of course, some failed to control their strength and flicked too softly or too hard.
"Ah, noooooo!"
Would you believe the person screaming right now is an MC who has won the Broadcasting Entertainment Grand Prize?
However, since the rules stated that if too many people went out of bounds, a rematch would be held, Woo-hyuk began trying to distract the other cast members as much as possible.
"Ah, seriously! Why is this guy like this!?"
The interference was quite effective, and many cast members flicked too softly or sent their caps flying off the table.
In the end, it was decided the cast would have a rematch after our turns.
But Yeon-hwa, Harin, and I were burning with competitive spirit. If only four out of nine could survive, it would be best if the three of us made it.
Harin went first. As she showed earlier, she successfully landed the cap right on the edge.
An overwhelming 1st place.
It would be incredibly hard to beat that.
"Hehe."
The camera caught her confident smile. She’s going to be popular when this airs.
Yeon-hwa unnie performed similarly to Harin. They were basically tied for 1st with a paper-thin margin.
"Wow......"
The cast members were stunned.
If I succeeded as well, the three of us would be sleeping comfortably while the rest suffered outside.
They tried to distract me by making a fuss, but I’m not the type to be swayed by that.
I composed myself and flicked my finger in the silence.
I had practiced earlier; the power control was perfect.
I was sure I could land it right near the edge alongside Yeon-hwa and Harin.
......Or so I thought.
But what on earth was this?
"Whoa!"
Why did my bottle cap just barely fly off the edge?
This can't be happening. I jumped up from the table and asked the PD.
"You just said there'd be a rematch! I'm included in that, right?"
"Haha. Of course."
Good. If I do it one more time, I'll be perfect...
"Nice!"
...I was not perfect.
The cap I flicked flew off the table again and fell helplessly to the floor.
No, what is this? I have no trouble with strength control in daily life, so why is it only this bottle cap flicking that I can't get right?
In the end, I was destined to be a member of the outdoor sleeping crew.
The indoor crew consisted of Harin, Yeon-hwa, Jung-ho, and Su-chan.
Everyone else was headed outside.
"This can't be happening......"
Woo-hyuk patted my slumped shoulders.
"But, is it okay for her to sleep with us?"
"Oh, don't worry. Just in case, I brought an extra tent."
The PD said he had prepared an extra tent in case me, Harin, or Yeon-hwa ended up sleeping outside.
I'm so touched I could cry......!
As soon as the results were finalized, the losers had to go set up the tents.
In this game, even the process was part of the deal, so I went to set up my tent without complaint.
That’s when the four members of the outdoor crew approached to help me.
"Seo-hyun, do you know how to set up a tent?"
Jun-hyeok asked. I nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. I served in the military."
"......Ah, right."
Now that I think about it, quite a few people knew I used to be a man but didn't know I was a veteran.
I nodded again.
"Yes. So I've set up tents like this many times."
"Oh......"
I fixed the shape of the tent with magic and drove the stakes in.
Combining magic with my overwhelming physical strength, the tent took shape in an instant without the need for any special tools.
"Whoa, you’re seriously a jack-of-all-trades."
"Are you guys done with your tents? If you need strength, just let me know. It’s not hard for me anyway."
"We’d appreciate the help."
I finished their tents in no time using a similar method.
This is way easier than it used to be.
Normally, you'd have to hammer the stakes in with a shovel, but I didn't need that. I just slammed them down with my palm once, and they sank right into the ground.
The hardest part is usually getting the basic frame of the tent to stay up, but since I solved that with magic, I just had to secure the stakes and I was done.
Securing the stakes didn't require any complicated process either; I just hammered them down with my bare hands, and they were instantly fixed in place.
The PD let out a hollow laugh at my absurd tent-setting speed.
What, is it your first time seeing a veteran?
The military is a place where some people set up 24-man tents all by themselves; this much is... honestly, nothing.