Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Episode 17. Sudden Meeting (2)
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While Oh Min-tae and I were exchanging stories.
A woman nearby called out to me as if she knew me.
"Over here, Han-do-ssi!"
"Oh, yes!"
I bowed my head and greeted Choi Ye-hee and the woman next to her, Jo Yeo-min.
Jo Yeo-min greeted me back before staring at me in amazement.
She patted Choi Ye-hee's shoulder, reacting with delight as if to say, *What do we do?*
"Wh-what do we do! He's a real celebrity!"
"Of course he is. You think he'd be fake?"
Choi Ye-hee scolded Jo Yeo-min to calm down a bit.
She had seen celebrities a few times before, but this was the first time encountering one in such a casual, private setting.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Han-do."
"I-I'm Jo Yeo-min. N-nice to meet you!"
The two shook hands lightly.
Then I introduced my friend Oh Min-tae, who was standing awkwardly behind me.
"This friend of mine..."
"I know him! You're Oh Min-tae-ssi, right?! Eek! What do we do?! I've always wanted to meet you!!!"
"......"
Jo Yeo-min's enthusiastic reaction, even toward Oh Min-tae, left the man himself even more flustered.
"Haha. Nice to meet you."
As she shook hands with Oh Min-tae, Jo Yeo-min's hand trembled subtly.
Having barely finished greeting the two of us, Jo Yeo-min seemed to lose strength in her legs and leaned against Choi Ye-hee.
Choi Ye-hee let out a deep sigh at her friend, who couldn't even stand properly after just two handshakes, and supported her by wrapping an arm around her waist.
"If you're having a hard time, stand up straight."
"You think you could stay calm with celebrities right in front of you?!"
Choi Ye-hee had met me so many times by now that she felt virtually no tension.
Listening to the two women, I gave an awkward smile and suggested we move spots.
"There seem to be a lot of people passing by nearby, so let's relocate for now."
"Yes, that might be best."
Choi Ye-hee agreed with me. She once again urged Jo Yeo-min to get moving.
"Sigh... seriously. Stop clinging already."
Choi Ye-hee patted Jo Yeo-min as if soothing a child.
* * *
After the Speed Man opening shoot began.
Having finished the simple guest introductions, Oh Sin-hoon said energetically to the PD.
"Alright, give us today's mission!"
"Today's mission is... right here."
The PD held out his hand and distributed small notepads to the cast, one per person.
"Each team's mission is written inside those notepads. The first team to clear their mission gets this prize."
"A prize?"
"There's a prize?!"
The cast put on their best poker-faced acting, pretending not to know.
Of course, Oh Sin-hoon was doing the same.
In reality, they all knew about the prize from the script reading. Still, to keep the realism, they fixed their gazes on the PD, feigning ignorance.
"Yes. Pure gold..."
"Pure gold?!"
"No way!!!"
"Oh my god...!!"
The writers smiled in satisfaction at the cast's exaggerated reactions.
As expected from people who frequently appeared on variety shows, their reaction acting was top-notch.
"Yes. But as I mentioned earlier, it's only for the one specific team that clears the mission first. Keep that in mind."
Oh Sin-hoon calmed the buzzing cast and switched straight into host mode.
"Got it. Then let's get started right away!"
The cast split into three teams for the mission and began boarding their assigned vehicles.
Since the cast had to drive themselves, who took the wheel would greatly impact the mission's success.
"I'll drive."
Oh Sin-hoon volunteered for the driver's seat. Ryu Mi-ni and the other two cast members nodded in agreement.
With pure gold as the prize, this mission was no joke.
No matter that it was variety TV, this was a battle they couldn't afford to lose.
* * *
The restaurants near Daehangno were packed with students, as always.
Especially around lunchtime, the popular spots were swarming so much that finding a seat was nearly impossible.
Our group was lucky enough to snag a table just before the rush hit.
A four-person table by the window.
Choi Ye-hee and Jo Yeo-min sat against the wall, while Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae took the opposite side.
"There are a ton of people."
I started the conversation, taking the lead.
Choi Ye-hee and Jo Yeo-min nodded at my words.
"Yeah. With the semester just starting, it feels even more crowded."
"Right, totally."
Even they, who passed through the university main gate often, could tell the crowds were unusually thick.
Meanwhile, Oh Min-tae handed the menus to the women.
"You order first."
"Oh, thanks!"
"No problem. Ladies first, right?"
Gentlemanly lines flowed effortlessly from Oh Min-tae, uncharacteristic of his usual self. Watching silently, I felt a light wave of nausea inside.
*How can people be so sly?*
Putting on a polished, packaged image completely opposite his normal one just because young women were present—I nearly called him out on whether his conscience was doing well.
In any case, shortly after we ordered, the food arrived remarkably quickly.
"Here's your food!"
The female server swiftly placed our orders in front of us with quick hands.
We'd ordered spicy stir-fried chicken for four.
She lit the gas stove and began stir-frying the chicken and vegetables with skillful flips of the spatula.
"You can eat now."
We each picked up a piece of meat to taste, and all reacted similarly.
"Oh, it's better than I expected."
"It's good!"
It suited Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae's tastes perfectly.
The two women, who had been here before, nodded knowingly.
"It's one of the famous spots in Daehangno."
Choi Ye-hee spoke up first on their behalf.
At her words, I was already picking up my second piece of meat.
"I see. That explains the great taste."
"I'm glad it suits your taste, Han-do-ssi."
"Haha, yeah."
As we created a warm, friendly atmosphere, Min-tae flashed a sly grin.
"Should've sat Ye-hee-ssi next to you instead of me, knowing this would happen."
"You punk. Cut the weird talk and just eat."
"Got it, got it. Like I'd say anything scary, jeez."
And so the young men and women savored the stir-fried chicken for a moment.
At that instant, a loud murmur suddenly spread through the restaurant.
"......?"
Noticing the commotion, I tuned into the conversations around us.
"I heard a celebrity just showed up at the main gate!"
"Really?!"
"Yeah, seems like they're filming!"
Their words sent chills down Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae's spines.
A celebrity at the university main gate...
Wasn't that pointing right at us!
"Han-do-ya. Shouldn't we at least put on masks while eating? If we get caught for no reason, it'll be chaos..."
"How do you eat with a mask on? From what I overheard, it might not be about us."
"What? Really?"
That was a relief, but it also piqued their curiosity.
What celebrity had come that the whole restaurant was buzzing?
Jo Yeo-min, setting down her chopsticks, relayed the new info she'd heard to the two men.
"Someone said they saw Oh Sin-hoon-ssi near the main gate."
"Oh Sin-hoon sunbaenim?!"
Why would he be here?
I inferred what program he might be filming.
"Looks like it's Speed Man shooting."
Among the shows Oh Sin-hoon was on, only Speed Man involved moving around locations for missions.
Jo Yeo-min reacted sensitively to my guess and asked to confirm.
"Really?!"
"Just a guess."
"Then since we've finished eating, let's go watch!"
"......Pardon?"
Flustered for a moment, I made a dumbstruck face without realizing. But there was no stopping Jo Yeo-min, now in full frenzy mode.
"Come on! They'll be done filming at this rate!"
"......"
We had just finished eating anyway, so standing up now wouldn't be a big deal.
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae were left stunned by her bulldozer-like energy.
Choi Ye-hee gave an apologetic look and offered her excuses.
"Sorry about this. Yeo-min flips out whenever variety shows are involved..."
"I-I see."
Faced with Jo Yeo-min's contrasting personality to Choi Ye-hee, Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae could only muster awkward smiles.
* * *
The moment they arrived at the university main gate, Oh Sin-hoon shouted quickly to his teammates.
"Move, move, move!!"
At his words, Ryu Mi-ni and the other teammates disembarked swiftly.
As soon as they appeared, cheers erupted like wildfire from the crowd.
"Oh my god, isn't that Oh Sin-hoon?!"
"It's him!!"
"Ryu Mi-ni's here too!!"
"Amazing...!!"
Smartphone camera flashes popped off everywhere.
Even in the bustle, Oh Sin-hoon made eye contact and greeted each person individually.
"Yes, hello! Oh... yes, nice to see you!"
The area around the university main gate turned into total chaos with the arrival of national MC Oh Sin-hoon, known for his clean image among celebrities.
And since it was lunchtime, even more onlookers gathered.
Pushing through the crowds, Oh Sin-hoon and his team reached a small open space near the gate.
The staff, who had arrived early to set up, had already cleared the area, so filming proceeded without major issues.
The PD waiting in the open space greeted Oh Sin-hoon's team. Waving it off, Oh Sin-hoon cut straight to the chase.
"Skip the greetings—give us the mission quick, quick!"
"Alright, here's the first mission."
Everyone focused at the PD's words.
As with all things, the first start was crucial.
Not just this mission, but clearing multiple ones ahead would bring them closer to victory, so they needed to knock out the early ones fast.
Knowing this well, Oh Sin-hoon was pressuring the PD.
"The mission is simple."
The PD gestured around them as he continued.
"Get five citizens here to do group jump rope with you—over 20 successful jumps, and it's cleared."