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Chapter 359

Dolkong.

"...The scenery is nice."

"There's a cow over there...!"

An idyllic scenery of the road passes in front of the people who stuck to the windows and threw comments.

Yes, we are on our way to the countryside in a typical tourist bus that was rented for us.

Of course, there were cameras all over the bus. In other words, this will also be on air, so we couldn't waste any time.

"Waah~ there's a karaoke machine here too."

"Oh, it's been a while since I've seen that."

"I want to sing! Microphone, please!"

"Okay! Shall we bet the scores?"

Keun SeJin smiled and lifted the karaoke microphone and raised the mood. It's an entertaining attitude that seems almost desperate.

I understand.

I can't stand this peaceful, uncut atmosphere.

"Come on~ Our lead vocalist should sing a song here!"

He's working really hard.

"Give it to me."

"OOOH!"

I chose a popular song that's been around for about 10 years and tried to get the best score while singing it in the most exciting way possible.

This guy is also equally desperate.

'When we get there, the possibility of us meeting on the high seas in a fishing boat...still exists.'

Production team, please do what you are good at.

"That blue sea~ Cool breeze~"

"Oooh! Oooh!"

Please, let's go with the idea that they will ruin the cast.

But what I saw when I finally arrived...it's a cozy and warm cottage.

"....."

It was a quaint cottage in a sunny location that had a blue roof and a toenmaru.

TL/N: '툇마루' (Toenmaru) is a narrow wooden porch that runs along the outside of the rooms. It controls the amount of light and wind that reaches the rooms.

Members are excited.

"Uwaaaah!"

"It's a wonderful house with a very cozy feel!"

"....."

No...the outside appearance could be fake. Yes, the inside is important.

But after entering.

"The floor...it's warm."

"It's so warm that it gives me a pleasant feeling of life."

"Really, yes...!"

The carefully arranged ondol rooms have an old-fashioned, nostalgic charm, from mother-of-pearl cabinets and white china to candy tins and vintage-colored tabletops.

TL/N: '온돌' (Ondol) is a Korean form of floor heating that uses direct heat transfer using fire, hot water or electricity to the underside of a thick masonry floor.

"Have you seen the refrigerator?"

"Yes, there was a lot of stuff."

The kitchen is stocked with various spices, rice, and side dishes.

Sunlight shines through the windows and the air is very warm. I swallowed saliva.

'...The inside is better'

It's a house full of romance and longing for the so-called rural life.

'What kind of nonsense did the art director hear.'

Why did he make the accommodation so nice for no reason when they put a title like <The Grandchildren of That House>?

Not daring to ruin the cast will be a betrayal.

"Uwaah~ This is unbelievable! How could they do this?"

Keun SeJin changed his reaction according to the content, giving them a welcome to the house after seeing the atmosphere.

He's making an effort.

Meanwhile, the Director also said something to us.

"Haha, young people, we borrowed all of this from a resident and we'll have to return it when the recording period is over, so use it carefully~"

"Yes!"

Why is he talking like that?

What with that warm expression on his face?

I opened my mouth just in case.

"If we have to pay for that?"

"Oh, no, that's not the case~ Of course we rent everything! That won't happen! Never!"

Okay, thank you very much.

'I'll really have to ruin it.'

After a while, we finished our reaction when we were asked to meet at the toenmaru.

"Grandchildren of TeSTAR, please be seated here."

"Okay~"

We were given a brief summary of the content of the program.

It is not very different from what I heard at the meeting. We are to help the elderly by working in the fields and cooking.

'It's no fun...'

Wouldn't it be better if it was a full-fledged volunteer and hard work? According to the structure of the program, we will be paid to do that every day.

And the production team's explanation didn't end there.

"The following is how they will get paid~."

There is a lucky bag on the table placed on the toenmaru.

Ryu CheongWoo picked it up and opened it.

"What is it? WOW~~"

"...It's amazing~ Is it a bottle cap?"

Inside, there was a pattern engraved with circular shaped holes.

"You can only use one type of coin here, and you can earn more through various tasks!"

The director points to the lucky bag.

"That's~ the <Carrot Coin>!"

"Oooh!"

Sounds like an unhealthy name.

However, the members' eyes sparkle even with the toy coin made by pressing an awl into the bottle cap.

"Why is it called Carrot?"

"It's because a real carrot has been exchanged for a carrot coin."

"Hahaha!"

Generous reactions poured in from the production team who talked about anything.

TL/N: Actually, the play on that sentence is in 'real carrot' and 'carrot coin'. 'Carrot = 당근 = danggeun', but its pronunciation in Hangul is similar to 'Of course = 당연 = dangyon', that's why Koreans say 'carrot' instead of 'of course, obviously'. Also, the boys are supposed to have to learn new work (e.g., farming), that they chose carrot is reminiscent of the fable of the donkey, carrot and club, in which a reward (carrot = money) is offered if they do the work or a punishment (club = no money).

"I get it~ Carrot and carrot!"

"That's new."

"Let's use this for public money."

And then I nodded.

'That's right.'

There's no way for the production team to produce this medicine for the cast to frolic free and enjoy abundantly around the countryside.

'They must have been playing with this coin.'

Obviously, it will create an image of debt growing like a snowball or of being overwhelmed by the lack of coins.

'So, to generate more impact...'

I need to start with mass consumption.

I finally started my plan. I eagerly threw myself in my lot.

"For now, let's take this to the market to buy something to eat."

"Okay."

"I'll make a list of what to buy!"

Should we aim for the image of panicking after seeing the price?

When I entered the market, I held a coin given to me by Ryu CheongWoo, asked the production team for help as a pretext, and asked a meaningful question.

"Are we borrowing this coin?"

However, the production team responded firmly.

"No. What we have given you~ is a start-up fund!"

"Okay."

.....It doesn't look like they're lying.

Hmm, maybe. If so, will we feel like we're running out of coins because the prices are ridiculously high?

We start shopping.

"How much does this cost?"

Towels are a must. Surely they'll catch us charging exorbitant prices for this kind of thing?

"Oh~ young people... Anyway, it's two carrot coins! Just give me that!"

"Thank you very much. Here you go."

"...?"

Wait.

"Please buy that!"

"YooJinie, do you want to eat dalgona? Okay~ Imo-nim, how much does this cost?"

"Ohyu, you're so handsome. Oh? So extraordinarily handsome~"

"Aigo, thank you so much! Imo-nim is also very beautiful~"

"Oh, yeah? Then, one coin is enough to give you 7 of these!"

"...Iyaa~ That's amazing! Thank you so much!!!"

"...?"

TL/N: '달고나' (Dalgona) is a crunchy candy-flavored cookie. '이모님' (Imo-nim) is a respectful way of saying 'auntie,' but it's said to any woman in her 50s or 60s, not necessarily a relative.

Whatever you choose, it's ridiculously cheap.

'They're giving it to us.'

What is this?

After receiving Keun SeJin's dalgona and almost dropping it, I looked back at the production team and tried my luck.

"...It's very cheap."

"All villagers are very generous~"

That means the residents arbitrarily set the prices of things.

So, if the cameras record and it's not real money, they'll obviously give it away!

'Do they have a screw loose in their heads?'

Did they make this meaningless free rule in their right mind?

"So, should we go home and cook~?"

"Mo-MoonDae-yah. This time, could you let me try...? I want to grill meat..."

"...It's okay."

The prices are as good as free, easy work, good house, no difficulties to solve.

I made a sympathetic judgment.

'It's ruined.'

Who would want to see the simple healing experiences of the members of a popular idol group touching the heart?

Of course, fans may want to watch it, but... there should be some kind of stimulus that arouses some interest.

'No ups and downs.'

This bland structure makes it impossible to capture the excitement, the laughter, and the spicy flavor.

In short, it's a simple, bland soup that everyone knows.

I'd rather have ups and downs or be taken to an awesome place, but now the concept is neither.

'We're spinning.'

TL/N: He means they're spinning in the same place, but they're neither going backwards, nor forwards.

I restrained myself from speaking by bringing the dalgona to my mouth.

Obviously, before the end of the program, I tried to steer the program down a new path.

From the concept of forced agriculture to the horror specials, all the proposals I made were fine. If only I could make them a little more thought-provoking...

But surprisingly, they didn't work.

"Oh, that's a bit exaggerated, isn't it?"

"Yeah? I don't think so."

They cut them before they started them.

The production team said, 'We've talked to the agency,' and it went like a snake.

'These fuckers, why are they so obsessed with healing when they move their mouths so well?'

TL/N: 'Moving their mouths' or 'moving their tongues' is related to calling the production team as 'snake.' MoonDae describes them as people whose words can seduce and deceive everyone as they have done in the past.

Why are they doing this to us even though the previous program was a quiz show with actors who got us into trouble?

I smacked my lips bitterly.

'Isn't it too relaxed?'

Since TeSTAR is doing so well, I think they're trying to save themselves for fear that we'll say something different or that the fans will get mad at them for treating us carelessly.

It's a very likely situation, so I have a bad appetite. Damn it, dalgona tastes bitter to me.

"Huk~ Look at this, MoonDae MoonDae, there are eels here too!"

"Wait."

I decided to look for work and make more.

Now that it's like this, what else can I do to engrave the image of a harmonious workaholic so that I can benefit?

'If there is none, I'll do it.'

Thanks to this, the sweet and sour pork I prepared for dinner, including all sorts of useless steps, came out amazingly well.

...It would be nice if this could be used as mukbang at least. Please.

* * *

I continued my attempts to weave the content together somehow, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't get the angle.

It's all incredibly peaceful.

'It's fucked up.'

Still, something came after dinner on the first day.

The guys who came down, came up with something else.

"Tada!"

"Uwaah..."

Ryu CheongWoo, smiling, puts a dog with a black nose and white fur on the toenmaru.

That guy plays energetically with his four paws.

"Wang!"

"....."

I almost reached out my hand toward him without realizing it, but stopped myself.

It's a furball small enough to be picked up and lifted.

"I met the camera director's grandmother and she told me he was one of the puppies her dog gave birth to."

"He was following us and he said 'Okay,' so we brought him here!"

"S-she said his na-name is Mungge."

"Wang!"

TL/N: '뭉게' (Mungge) comes from '뭉게뭉게' (Mungge mungge), which is a mimetic word as it is used to refer to round, thick and/or ascending cloud-like shapes. Would Keun SeJin have thought of the nickname MoonDae MoonDae (문대문문대) after remembering that word? The pronunciation is slightly similar.

The dog stumbled between Bae Sejin and me. Bae Sejin's face turned red.

"C-can I hold him?"

"Here, you can hold it by the sides."

I looked at the dog's stupid, thoughtless face and his wagging tail.

'This...might be okay.'

Because people like dogs.

Besides, it's obviously not purebred, so there won't be unnecessary controversy. Hmm. Excellent.

I nodded my head inwardly, rather pleased.

"Since this dog came to TeSTAR, it should get a name to perform its activities~ What do you guys think of MoonDaengDaeng?"

"Hey."

TL/N: '문댕댕' (MoonDaengDaeng) is MoonPuppy, I decided not to translate it because Keun SeJin is obviously playing with the mimicked word again, as well as making fun of MoonDae.

I deliberately overreacted to Keun SeJin's silliness, and ran around the yard with Keun SeJin and the dog.

"Hahaha!"

I thought that wouldn't elicit so much laughter, but the members and staff laughed anyway.

...It might not be so bad.

From that day on, the dog slept with us in the middle of the ondol room.

After that, the little work continues.

Harvesting potatoes, watering crops, feeding ducks and massaging villagers.

And what I'm doing now is delivering groceries.

"Listen!"

"It's almost finished."

It's to deliver items to farms that are a bit far away.

Walking around the countryside with the dog was perfect for doing it without thinking.

And on the way back.

"Oh, shall we take a break there?"

"That's a good decision!"

There are no restrictions, so we can use the time as we want.

So at the end of the day, just before sunset, we would leave the bikes parked and sit in a pavilion.

"I want to go to bed~"

"Me too!"

And we could even stretch out on the floor.

'We do all kinds of things.'

We were lying down together, but I don't know if this will be enough for the recording.

At that moment, Seon AhHyun, who was lying next to me, murmured briefly.

"I think this is also good."

"....."

"No worries...It's been a long time since...we haven't spent time like this."

"...True."

All this time, we've been running hard regardless of fire and water. It's a job where you fall down when you stop.

'I even made plans to rest efficiently when I had days off.'

...It's inevitable that it's been a long time since I've had this kind of time.

Time passes aimlessly.

"It's one per person. No more."

"Uuuuh..."

Bae SeJin, who had just rushed out of the supermarket, handed out popsicles he had brought.

It tastes fruity.

Seureureu– Seureureu–

The wind shakes the grass.

"It smells good."

"Yes, it does."

It's calm.

As I lay in the pavilion, I realized I was quite relaxed.

"....."

Maybe... this isn't so bad.

'Could this be the reason...why curative entertainment programs keep popping up?'

In retrospect, the supply seems to be increasing because it is subtly popular, but there may be demand for this relaxing feeling.

'I'm sure it feels like we're moving away from fierce competition.'

I settled my head and thought.

'...Should I let it go this time?'

Although I was enjoying this entertainment program a bit without worrying about anything else, I thought that it wouldn't affect the mission.

This time, I will rely on the editing skills of the production team and delegate the content to them.

'It could be that since I took my first step in the entertainment industry with <Icorpo>, I just looked for things that were too stimulating.'

I don't know the taste of what's natural.

I slowly enjoyed the sweetness of the ice cream and rested my head on the floor.

It wasn't so bad that this cramped pavilion was crowded.

* * *

It's been such a peaceful two days.

By the time the members and I finally get used to this simple life...

"Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning!"

The production team, who came every morning, showed up again and called us.

'We'll be tasked with other trivial things to do.'

However, there was something to do before today's work briefing.

"Would you guys like to play a mini game for a while?"

"A mini game?"

"Yes. Let's just say there is a brief event this morning, so we'll decide what happened with this mini game!"

"Ooooh."

The mini game was a simple game against the production team.

It's something we've often done so far, and if we won, we got snacks or fireworks.

So everyone naturally agreed and participated.

"Waah~ It seems like Mungge is always with MoonDae."

"Haha, I guess he feels similar to him because he's a puppy."

"Hyung."

How can Ryu CheongWoo be like that?

I participated by petting the dog without much tension, and lost.

"Ah."

"Well, it happens."

"It's okay! Let's work more!"

None of us feel too agitated. We have an atmosphere where we just laugh and encourage each other.

"Then I'll take out a penalty note to see what happened to our event."

"Okay~"

So far, phrases like 'conduct a volunteer activity today' or 'buy corn' had been written in the penalty notes.

And all that's left are two notes.

"Let RaeBin choose."

"All right!"

Today's batter, Kim RaeBin, vigorously drew one of the two remaining penalty notes.

And he stiffened.

"...??"

"RaeBin-ah?"

"What's wrong?"

"RaeBin-ssi, please read it for us~"

At the call from the production team, Kim RaeBin opened his mouth with trembling pupils.

"This morning, an unknown guest came in... and stole all the precious <Carrot Coins> from TeSTAR?!"

"...!"

What...?

>