Chapter 96
Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Episode 32: Jungle Survival Manual (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lately, Kang Han-do had been feeling a profound sense of happiness.
It was all thanks to the steadily growing subscriber count on Kang Han-do TV.
The comments were relatively clean, too.
Of course, not every single one was positive. There were malicious comments scattered here and there.
But those hate comments were nothing new—they were the same ones he'd been dealing with since his days as a comedian.
'After over twenty years of exposure to this crap, no way am I letting it shake me now.'
Instead, Kang Han-do responded calmly, promising to improve and put in the effort.
His strong mentality and composed demeanor won over his subscribers' hearts.
When a broadcaster shows mental fortitude, it becomes a major selling point.
Recently, he'd reviewed a hack-and-slash genre game.
Being a paid package game, people checked reviews first to decide if it was worth buying.
That's where Kang Han-do's reviews proved invaluable.
Having played it himself, his verdict was positive.
It's a solid game. You won't regret picking it up.
His reviews were spot-on most of the time.
With over a decade of mobile gaming experience under his belt, his eye for quality had sharpened considerably.
Kang Han-do TV: Built on trust and reliability!
At first, people hadn't taken a celebrity reviewing mobile games seriously.
But his takes were more accurate than any other mobile game reviewer's.
That earned him rave reviews.
In the world of solo creators, he'd carved out respect through sheer skill.
With filming and editing wrapped up, Kang Han-do stretched.
"Whew, that was intense. Brutal."
Juggling broadcasts and his personal channel had left his mind in tatters.
Still, it was fun.
Since it doubled as a hobby, he enjoyed every minute.
And when that hobby started paying off? No way it wouldn't be a blast.
Today's footage was slated for upload in two weeks.
Kang Han-do had bulk-filmed two weeks' worth of content.
There was a reason for that.
"Starting this weekend, I'll be away from home for a while."
A little while back.
Kang Han-do had received an offer to appear on a show.
It was called Jungle Survival Manual.
True to its name, it dropped the cast into the jungle to fend for themselves.
Airing Fridays from 11 p.m. to midnight on a major broadcast channel, it consistently pulled 12-15% ratings.
What did it take to survive the jungle?
How to start a fire? How to use a machete? Fishing techniques? Building traps?
Sure, those mattered.
But Kang Han-do focused less on mastering real jungle survival and more on studying past episodes to understand the show's vibe.
Even if Jungle Survival Manual chased raw reality variety, it was still TV.
'Figuring out the program's flow matters more than survival skills.'
As a variety star, how could he make it entertaining?
That was his priority.
* * *
Kang Han-do rose early for the flight out.
The shoot for Jungle Survival Manual was in the Amazon.
He rarely traveled abroad, and now the Amazon of all places...
He couldn't help but give a wry smile at the grueling itinerary.
On the way to Incheon Airport, he casually asked Nemid.
"Have you ever been overseas?"
"When carrying out Sheridel-nim's orders, I have to travel all over the place. Of course, back then, it wasn't by plane like now."
"So, how did you get around?"
"With teleportation magic circles."
Of course.
Nemid's answer defied human logic, as expected.
"Then why not just use that teleportation thing this time?"
"This ability requires Sheridel-nim's permission. Using it recklessly could throw the human world into chaos. Plus, if I just popped in alone, how would I explain it to everyone else later?"
"Fair point."
It made sense.
He was heading out with Nemid and a coordinator set to meet at Incheon Airport.
As the trio entered the airport.
Reporters, waiting in advance, immediately started snapping photos the moment Kang Han-do appeared.
News of his joining as a member of Jungle Survival Manual Season 19 had already hit the headlines.
With its strong ratings, his casting drew massive attention.
"Han-do-ssi! Strike a pose, just once!"
"Haha, sure thing. And watch your step back there. Don't trip."
Ever considerate, even of the reporters' safety.
He waved lightly, striking a perfect photo-friendly pose.
Afterward, Kang Han-do headed to meet up with the Jungle Survival Manual production team.
Filming had already kicked off.
"Hello!"
He greeted Kim Young-man, the man leading Jungle Survival Manual.
A former comedian now dominating variety TV.
To Kang Han-do, he was a senior in comedy.
"Han-do-ssi, you're here? First time meeting."
Kim Young-man greeted him warmly.
Surprisingly, this was their very first encounter.
Both had guested on countless shows, so they'd crossed paths at least once—or so you'd think. But nope, never.
Total strangers until now.
Kang Han-do spoke first.
"Feel free to drop the formalities, sunbae-nim."
"Hmm, should I? Jungle life is tough, so it's easier if we're like brothers from the start. Closing the distance early means we can lean on each other later when things get rough."
Advice from the jungle master himself. Worth heeding.
Six more cast members joined the group.
One familiar face among them.
"Eun-young-ah!"
"Oh, Han-do oppa?"
VSLine's leader and eldest sister. Eun-young looked at him in surprise.
"Han-do oppa's joining too?"
"Why play dumb? It's all over the news."
"Come on, it's for the cameras."
She knew full well but was hamming it up.
A full-fledged broadcaster now.
Like Kang Han-do, it was Eun-young's debut on Jungle Survival Manual.
Aside from Kim Young-man, there were no real regulars. It brought in fresh guests each season to drive the show.
That kept the same concept feeling varied and fresh.
Excluding Kim Young-man, only two people had appeared more than once.
They began briefing the newbies on jungle know-how.
With departure prep done, the crew boarded the plane.
Park Jong-woon, the buff singer with three prior appearances, chatted up Eun-young in the next seat.
"First off, secure shelter and food. We build the shelter ourselves. You know from watching, right?"
"Yeah. I'm a huge Jungle Survival Manual fan."
"Oh, nice! Perfect!"
As the youngest of eight cast members, Eun-young naturally got extra attention.
Meanwhile, Kang Han-do ended up next to Kim Young-man.
"First jungle trip has me weirdly nervous."
"No need to tense up. Once you're there, you'll think, 'This is doable.'"
"Got it. Here's hoping you look out for me, sunbae-nim."
"Just call me hyung. Like I said earlier—this shoot's mentally draining, so we gotta bond now to support each other."
"Understood. Then... Young-man hyung it is."
Never had he gone from strangers to bros this fast.
Especially with a senior like this.
'A fresh experience.'
Jungle Survival Manual was off to an unusual start.
* * *
After a long journey, they finally reached the filming location.
Nothing but green and brown as far as the eye could see.
A real 'jungle.'
Eun-young's eyes widened in awe.
"Feels like stepping into the TV. Not like a movie set at all?"
"It's no set—it's the real deal."
Kim Young-man gathered the cast.
"Alright, first up: role assignments. Jong-woon-ah, pick two and scout the area. The rest of us, let's build shelter."
True to form as leader, Kim Young-man systematically divvied up tasks from the jump.
Each cast member had a personal VJ attached.
They'd stick with their charges for the next three days and two nights—sleeping aside.
Kang Han-do teamed with Kim Young-man to gather house-building materials.
"This tree looks good."
Kim Young-man spotted a winner.
He grabbed a hand axe to chop it down.
"Han-do-ya. You know how to swing an axe?"
"Learned in the army."
"Yeah? Give it a shot. I'll show you the ropes."
Kim Young-man shared his expertise.
On his nineteenth jungle expedition, his tips hit home perfectly.
Kang Han-do hefted the hand axe and swung at the trunk.
Thwack! Thunk! Thunk!
Key was hammering the same spot relentlessly.
Axe work demanded stamina and precision.
After several swings, the tree teetered.
Kang Han-do called out.
"Timber! Heads up!"
Better safe—someone might be on the other side.
He kicked it hard.
Crack!
The thick trunk toppled.
Watching it all, Kim Young-man clapped.
"Nice! Great stamina, solid technique. Got myself a reliable worker. Feels reassuring already!"
"All thanks to your pointers, hyung."
"And humble to boot. How perfect do you gotta be? Haha!"
Kim Young-man lit up around competent guests.
Sure, time would tell, but the axe work alone screamed that Kang Han-do was no ordinary guy.
During his no-name days, Kang Han-do had juggled countless part-time gigs.
Nothing he hadn't tried.
So he nailed whatever Kim Young-man threw at him.
With a machete, he sliced massive leaves for the hut roof.
Now, Kim Young-man barely needed to direct—he just handled it.
Thanks to Kang Han-do's prowess, his VJ hustled to keep up.
The VJ, lugging broad leaves alongside him, remarked.
"Han-do-ssi, you're getting tons of screen time this episode."
"Haha, really? Music to my ears."
Even one extra second on TV was a win.
Kang Han-do had already notched a small victory.