It was a good thing that the Chuseok holiday was guaranteed after the island distress entertainment was over. Because I'd have a place to use it…
'… I was going to press 'Check the Truth' then.'
Even if my condition was not very good, it was an advantage to be able to recover during the holidays, and it was very good that they'd all go to their parents' homes because it was a holiday.
'I'll be able to tidy up by myself.'
But now, all of a sudden, what kind of suggestion was this?
'Calling his co-worker over to his house for the holidays?'
Did he decide to make us uncomfortable with each other?
In particular, Ryu Chungwoo, like me when I was young, still had a chance of going down to his parents' house every holiday…
"… …"
'I'm done.'
Until there… Let's not speculate unnecessarily. It was meaningless
Tabak.
I was slowly walking along the mountain path, and I just asked him openly.
"Wouldn't it be too much for me to come during the holidays?"
"It's okay."
Ryu Chungwoo answered honestly.
"Nothing different from usual. I already talked about just staying with my family only. Wouldn't it be nice to have some holiday food?"
"… …"
Ryu Chungwoo smiled bitterly as to what he interpreted my silence as.
"Actually… It's a little uncomfortable to see my relatives "
"… !"
"I was recruited into
Ryu Chungwoo spoke calmly.
"Because there was even an article about it… Since then, my parents have also said they don't go on holidays with the rest of the family."
"… …"
Okay. The
Ryu Chungwoo's parents also seemed to refrain from interacting with relatives, fearing that they would fall prey.
I chose my words.
"That's wise."
"Haha, is that so? Anyway, so it's just me and my parents at home. My sister is going on a trip with her friends. Oh, and our dog is there too."
"… …"
"Think about it. Being alone in the dorm is probably going to be difficult this time."
"What?"
The bitter smile disappeared from Ryu Chungwoo's face, and he showed a bit of mischief.
"I don't know? The members and the company said that you shouldn't be left alone because strange things happen every time you go on vacation."
"… …"
That… I deserved it.
I was at a loss for words as I recalled my past from my last vacation.
'Because I robbed them all.'
If I were in their shoes, I would also monitor a team member who got sick every time they were on vacation or if they always got caught up in dog fights.
I'd have to try to find a way to get out of this, but if it wasn't possible…
'Then… Isn't Ryu Chungwoo's idea not too bad?'
I wasn't that close with this guy, so I'd get a room and live comfortably.
It wouldn't be a very pleasant time to see Ryu Chungwoo's parents, but it would be bearable.
'And…'
I inhaled.
There may be pictures of my parents.
So, when they went on a big family trip or something… Wouldn't there be someone who took a picture or video?
'If only I could look at a group photo.'
How could I put this… Even if 'Ryu Gunwoo' didn't exist here, I could confirm that my parents are there…
'Useless talk.'
I brushed off my thoughts.
Here… Even if there were records that my parents were there, what I saw now wouldn't be helpful at all. Needless agitation would only grow.
'Don't fall for the bullshit in my head.'
I cut off the urge and gritted my teeth. A crackling sound rang in my mouth.
The problem was, the guy next to me heard it too.
"Is it that uncomfortable?"
"… !!"
"No… Things like that happen, too. It can be uncomfortable to spend time with adults you don't know."
I didn't mean to say that.
I understood what he meant the first time.
'He meant to ask if I was uncomfortable.'
Ryu Chungwoo looked a bit bitter, but soon changed his complexion and spoke comfortably.
"Well, think about it."
"…"
It might be right to move on here.
But I opened my mouth.
"It's not that hyung makes me uncomfortable. It's not that I'm reluctant."
"… … Hmm."
Ryu Chungwoo seemed to stare in my direction as he walked down, then answered easily.
"Okay."
"No, I'm not lying… It's true."
"I know. Thank you."
I guess he didn't understand anything.
I kicked a stone with my foot.
"Because that's not the case, I hope you don't have a strange sense of debt."
"… !"
Wasn't it a hard decision to invite a co-worker over for the holidays?
Maybe if it were the usual Ryu Chungwoo, he would have recommended that I should go to the house of someone the same age as me that I was close with.
'Instead of rambling on about his house like this.'
But the reason why he did this… It meant that the idea of 'being nice to Park Moondae' was stuck in this guy's head.
And there was one reason for that.
"I was not injured in the accident instead of hyung. It was just bad luck."
In the car, instead of this guy, I was hit with a steel rod.
Ryu Chungwoo was silent for a moment, but then answered firmly.
"No."
"But, that's right. In terms of seat position…"
"Moondae, I have eyes too. I saw you pushing me… you almost died from it. And we don't know what the aftereffects will be like."
Ryu Chungwoo continued without hesitation.
"I quit my job because of the aftereffects of a car accident. It wasn't like I was about to die."
"… …"
Yeah. I saw that too.
I reflexively recalled the scene of the accident I saw in 'Truth Check'.
The guy who broke his arm and cried.
'… Maybe, it also affected me.'
It was true up to that point.
With the scene following Ryu Chungwoo's accident in my head, I quietly listened to him.
"And you… you're already in a state of low stamina due to the aftereffects. In the past, hiking like this would not have made you so breathless."
"… …"
"You were seriously injured, and lying down for too long must have made your condition like this."
It wasn't like that.
Hey, that's… It was because there was no Bacchus.
'I'm going to get it back during the next drawing, you bastard.'
And there wouldn't be any other side effects because of the use of the nectar. I recovered at a terrifying speed, but what?
It was a problem that would end once I bulked up.
'I'm breaking out in a cold sweat.'
However, Ryu Chungwoo, a civilian who did not know this web novel-like setting, kept his forehead pressed.
"It's like that happened to you instead of me. So how could I not be sorry?"
"… …"
Okay. Anyway, because Ryu Chungwoo gave up archery due to the aftereffects of a car accident and had a hard time, he must have felt a lot of debt to me who was beaten instead.
"Whew."
Well, I didn't think it was going to work anymore if we kept going back and forth like this.
After thinking for a while, I opened my mouth.
"Is that so? Well, let's say I saved your life."
"… !"
"You can continue to be very grateful. If necessary, I will call you without hesitation, so please repay me."
I thought it would be more inconvenient to tell him not to thank me, so let's just use it well until he felt less sorry.
"Oh, and I'll be okay because I'll cover my stamina with exercise."
"… …"
Ryu Chungwoo stopped walking with a bewildered face for a moment. I guess he didn't know that such a change of attitude would happen in an instant.
But in the end, he burst out laughing.
"… Haha!"
Don't laugh, it's okay.
I heard Ryu Chungwoo speak coolly.
"Okay, I'll repay you."
"Yes."
The air got a little lighter. I shrugged.
And as we continued to descend, he added a word.
"Still, I won't go to hyung's house for the holidays. I'm going to another house that I'm interested in."
I shrugged my shoulders when I saw Ryu Chungwoo answering neatly.
Okay. If I must go to someone else's house, I must go to the quietest place.
Of course, the opposite of the quiet holiday vacation I was hoping for was happening outside of the airing of this variety show.
• * *
-Really good!! TeStar is the best!
"… Thank you."
I received a phone call from the production crew making a fuss.
And I totally understood why they were making a fuss.
'The program went better than we thought.'
The ratings report for episode 3 came up to 6.1%.
'Idol entertainment on cable is out of the norm at this level.'
It was as high as CVN's standard regular variety shows.
I later picked up the PPL of the frozen chicken I ate on the island, and it was obvious how good the response was because sales were soaring.
The voices of the production crew, who had great success, were bright.
-We really want to do Season 2!
"Good."
Of course, the people at the top of the broadcasting station would also be giggling.
I heard that there was even talk of kicking out the pilot program that would come after us and organizing a behind-the-scenes specialization instead.
'Well, coincidence overlapped with coincidence, so the luck of filming was a big factor.'
It must have been fun because it was exciting and unpredictable. Honestly, it would be difficult to revive that feeling, so the next season… I didn't know.
'Still, should I say something good?'
The production crew kept their promise.
As soon as the distress time was over, they took all the remaining production costs and made it a luxurious vacation.
At that time, the number of snow crabs eaten would be three per person. Well, Cha Eugene had five.
*We also want to appear again if the schedule is possible. I really enjoyed it."
-Ah~ Thank you. Moondae-ssi!
That should be enough. I ended the conversation with the PD, who was excited and returned the phone to all the members.
"Is it the PD?"
"Yes."
"They keep calling.
Bae Sejin grumbled. I shrugged.
"Looks like you're in a good mood. Because the program went well."
"That… yes."
Bae Sejin muttered darkly.
"… Even though it's all over."
"… …"
Okay. Very… he was a comedian.
Bae Sejin and I were silent in the car for a while, remembering that the stupid things we did in episodes 2 and 3 were emphasized one by one and got on the broadcast.
'I'm afraid of the fan signing event…'
The silence was broken moments later by words from the steering wheel.
"Sejin, is it here?"
"Ah, yes! This apartment."
It was an instant when Bae Sejin looked at the navigation screen and regained his complexion.
'Is this the power of an apartment without any loans?'
Probably.
"It's the top floor over there!"
Bae Sejin spoke with a slightly flushed face.
"My mother is here."
"Yes."
That was right.
I decided to spend this holiday at Bae Seiin's house.
I heard that he was not going anywhere and planned to spend quiet time with his mother.
The cause was also good.
-That, think of it as a housewarming party!
-Okay, let's do that.
-…?!
-Thank you for the invitation.
In other words, Bae Sejin was robbed of his true story.
'I'm sorry if these were empty words.'
Just in case, I bought expensive fruit and meat.
If I had to, I was planning to stay for a day or two just to show off, so it'd be okay.
"Welcome~ You must be Moondae!"
"Hello."
"Come in, come in~"
Bae Sejin's mother was a bright person with a soft impression.
"I just saw your entertainment show again. Ugh, our babies have been through a lot…"
Okay. Bae Sejin must be an only child, so it must've been not very pleasant to see her only child going to the island and going through all kinds of hardships…
"Still, it was so much fun!"
".. … Um, yes."
Well, I was glad we gave her satisfaction.
Anyway, as expected, Bae Sejin was quite harmonious with his mother.
"Moondae is really handsome in person. My kid has talked a lot about Moondae since the program came out."
"Wh-when did I!"
"What, you told me you have a dongsaeng who can sing very well~"
"Ugh!"
Bae Sejin suffered from shame and sank. Bae Sejin's mother smiled and hugged her son tightly.
"…"
Well, it was a nice mother-son relationship.
After a while, Bae Sejin, recovering from the shock, stood up after being patted on the back by his mother.
"… I'll show you the room."
"Yes. Thank you."
Let's not make fun of him.
I was politely introduced to the room I would be staying in, and in the meantime, I got to look around the house.
"I chose the wallpaper. Sky blue."
"It looks good. It's neat."
"… Great. Oh, this closet is like this too!"
"Oh."
As if he was very proud of the house he had prepared, Bae Sejin also came back to life completely in the second half.
And after spending some time eating the fruit I bought, we had dinner.
"Thank you for the food."
"There's not much, but you guys should eat a lot~"
Dinner was mung bean pancakes and bulgogi japchae.
Bae Sejin, who was worried that his mother would prepare it by herself, said that the restaurant had it delivered in advance.
'It feels like a holiday.'
Anyway, I couldn't deny that it was a great time.
"I… !"
"Okay, please give me a bowl."
I emptied the bowl clean and robbed Bae Sejin of washing the dishes.
And after a while, I returned to my room.
Tak.
"Hoo."
Sitting on the bed, I crossed my arms.
I told them I'd stay alone until night because I had places to contact, so I had plenty of time.
"Status window."
It was time.
The right time to hit the 'Truth Check'.