Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Episode 18. Surprise Appearance (2)
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With the addition of Choi Ye-hee and Jo Yeo-min, the number of participants had now reached four out of five.
The last remaining spot was filled by a sturdy-looking guy nearby.
This made it four celebrities and five civilians (two of whom were actually celebrities) on one team.
Two staff members had been pulled from the crew to help turn the jump rope.
The burly male staffers gripped the ends of the rope, and the team members lined up in two rows in the middle.
"All right, fighting!!"
"Fighting!!"
At Oh Shin-hoon's rallying cry, the others shouted with all their might.
It would be great if they succeeded on the first try, but truthfully, no one including Oh Shin-hoon expected to nail it right away.
They had five attempts at the jump rope challenge.
If they couldn't hit twenty jumps by the end of those five tries, the first mission would be a failure.
If they failed, they'd have to move to another location and tackle a different first mission.
That would waste time, putting them a step further from victory.
While they dawdled failing the first mission, the other teams would undoubtedly charge ahead toward the pure gold prize.
Whatever the nitty-gritty reasons, it all boiled down to one thing.
Clearing the mission here solved everything.
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At the PD's whistle, the two male staffers began slowly turning the jump rope.
The first rope came swinging toward them.
All nine jumped in unison...
...and they failed to clear it.
"Aah!"
The first attempt, and they blew it on the very first jump.
The culprit was Ryu Mi-ni.
"S-Sorry."
Seeing her flustered, everyone repeatedly assured her, "It's okay! It's okay!"
Even her teammate Oh Shin-hoon brushed off her adorable flub with encouragement.
"It's fine. It's just the first try anyway. We'll get it next time."
"Yes!"
Bolstered, Ryu Mi-ni psyched herself up again. The cheers from the crowd grew even louder.
Then the second attempt. It seemed like they might last a bit longer this time.
"Ow!"
A short yelp escaped Choi Ye-hee.
The rope had snapped against her calf.
Her mistake doomed the second try as well.
"S-Sorry. Because of me..."
Choi Ye-hee bowed her head repeatedly in apology. But Oh Shin-hoon encouraged her once more.
"Everyone slips up once in a while. All right, straight to the third!"
No sooner had Oh Shin-hoon finished than the third attempt kicked off.
Around the fifteenth success...
"Huh!"
Oh Min-tae made a split-second bad call, stepping a beat off and blowing it just shy of sixteen.
"Ugh... sorry. Haha."
Oh Min-tae gave an awkward laugh and apology.
But right then.
"No, Oh Min-tae, come on, do better."
"Min-tae, I didn't peg you for that. Your coordination must really suck, huh?"
"Booo~"
Not just the cast, but the civilians watching the shoot nearby started jeering Oh Min-tae in unison.
*What the hell is this temperature drop?*
They'd been all supportive when Ryu Mi-ni and Choi Ye-hee messed up, but Oh Min-tae got no mercy.
Since it was a variety show, they needed to stage fun moments like this on purpose. Of course, the one taking the heat couldn't help feeling thrown.
The jump rope challenges continued.
The fourth ended on Oh Shin-hoon's error, leaving them with just the fifth and final attempt.
"Let's hype up and go! Fighting!!"
"Fighting!!"
They shouted the fighting chant again to steel themselves.
One more failure, and the first mission was toast.
They had to succeed somehow!
Their burning resolve showed on their faces—especially Oh Shin-hoon's and the team's.
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The PD's whistle for the fifth time. The challenge began immediately.
One, two, three, four...
It was going smoothly so far, and soon the onlookers started calling out the numbers.
"Seventeen!!"
"Eighteen!!"
"Nineteen...!!"
Just one more to go.
Nail this hurdle, and the mission was cleared!
But such thoughts often jinx it.
"...?!"
The rope whipping under their feet suddenly stopped.
"S-Sorry!!"
Choi Ye-hee bent at the waist in frantic apology.
Her second blunder sealed Oh Shin-hoon's team's failure on the first mission.
"Aah...!"
Oh Shin-hoon and the team, along with the watchers, let out sighs.
It was especially crushing—they'd failed the fifth try right on the cusp of twenty.
"Hold on a sec."
Suddenly, Oh Shin-hoon shot his hand up and marched over to the PD.
His dedicated VJ and several cameras swung to follow Oh Shin-hoon and the PD.
"Let's do this. That was too close to give up, so give us one more shot..."
"No extra chances."
The PD was firm, but Oh Shin-hoon pressed on regardless.
"Come on, why not! I'm just asking for one more—can't you cut us that slack?!"
"Yeah!"
Ryu Mi-ni jumped in to back him up. With her on board, the PD let out a faint groan.
Moments later, he tossed out a wild condition.
"Fine. But on one condition."
"What?"
"If one team member does a talent show and gets applause from everyone here, you'll get one more try."
"Talent show..."
"But celebrities can't participate."
"What?!"
"No way!"
They protested hard, but the PD shook his head, unmoved this time.
No choice—they had to pick one from the three non-celebs among the instant recruits, excluding celebs Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae.
"Who's gonna..."
Before Oh Shin-hoon could finish, determined Choi Ye-hee thrust her hand up.
"I'll do it."
Oh Shin-hoon nodded at her bold move to make up for her mistakes.
* * *
To atone for her slip-ups, Choi Ye-hee had to pull off the PD's suggested talent show.
*I have to be the one to do it!*
That was Choi Ye-hee's personality—she owned her messes. That's the kind of woman she was.
At her eager pitch, Oh Shin-hoon double-checked.
"You sure you're good?"
"Yes!"
Choi Ye-hee radiated confidence.
Even Yeo-min, who'd been friends with her for ages, thought it rare to see her assert herself so fiercely.
Kang Han-do, for his part...
*Ye-hee really steps up when it counts.*
Still, this could turn into an opportunity for Choi Ye-hee.
A talent show meant showing off what you did better than others. And she had a legit talent.
That skill was...
"What're you gonna do?"
"I'll sing!"
The PD gave the okay at Ye-hee's bold declaration.
Better to belt a song, dance, or impersonation than some half-baked comedy skit.
After all, Choi Ye-hee was just a civilian, not a pro entertainer.
Civilians didn't have many ways to wow a crowd. A song, though—that had solid odds, or so Oh Shin-hoon and the team figured.
"What song?"
"Ryu Mi-ni's 'One Spring Day.'"
"Ooh...!!"
Picking a song by Ryu Mi-ni, who was right there. She clapped, visibly excited.
Choi Ye-hee strode to the center of the open space, brimming with confidence, and steadied her breath.
A moment later.
"The sadness seeping from your breath~♪ A sound that hits deeper than words~♬"
People found themselves leaning in at Choi Ye-hee's clear voice.
It was "One Spring Day," the title track from Ryu Mi-ni's second album.
A slow-tempo ballad that rocketed Ryu Mi-ni to stardom.
As the song filled the space, listeners doubted their ears.
It was Ryu Mi-ni's song, steeped in her signature style—yet Choi Ye-hee reinterpreted it in her own color.
A tune everyone knew as Ryu Mi-ni's started morphing into Choi Ye-hee's.
Her crystalline tone wove a gentle melody.
The sweet voice cleansed their ears.
"Each step closer~♪ Feels like you'll be there~!!"
She nailed the high notes effortlessly.
Even the song's peak pitch sailed through without a hitch.
"One Spring Day" was Ryu Mi-ni's song, sure—but right now, it was Choi Ye-hee's.
* * *
After the song ended.
"...Thank you."
As the bashful Choi Ye-hee bowed,
Thunderous applause erupted.
"Woooaaah!!"
"Amazing, amazing!!"
"Wow! She sings like a pro!"
Genuine admiration burst from everywhere—not empty flattery.
Not just the crowd, but Oh Shin-hoon, who'd listened intently; Ryu Mi-ni, the original singer; the PD; and the staff—all wore stunned expressions.
No one expected such flawless vocals.
Kang Han-do, who'd known her skillset early, just nodded like it was par for the course.
*As expected of Ye-hee. And she shows it off without flinching, even with all these eyes on her. Good thing.*
The line between celeb and civilian? Simple: Do you tense up on camera or not?
By that measure, Choi Ye-hee's performance rivaled a pro's.
She'd imprinted the name Choi Ye-hee on everyone, unflustered.
Right now, she was a celebrity.
"Bravo!!"
Oh Shin-hoon clapped and pulled her in front of the camera.
"You sing incredibly well!"
"It was the best!"
Even Ryu Mi-ni showered her with praise.
Proof of just how exceptional Choi Ye-hee was.
After thanking her, Oh Shin-hoon approached the PD.
"All right, that good enough now?"
"..."
No PD could deny them after that roar.
He nodded reluctantly, feigning maximum regret. The team fired up again.
"This time, let's nail it for real!"
"Fighting!!"
"Fighting!!"
With their sixth fighting chant, their final attempt began.