An hour had passed since it was revealed that all our carrot coins had been stolen.
"Aaaahhh."
Inside the comfortable house, it was a mental mess.
Kim Raebin, the person who pulled out the note, was stuck in a corner, looking like he just took a shower in a cold sweat.
"Carrots… Carrots."
It seemed like a big shock.
"Then…"
Ryu Chungwoo calmly opened his mouth.
"That means we don't have any money right now."
Dong!
When they edited this, an exclamation mark would definitely appear above our heads. These guys were really realistically shocked.
I crossed my arms and spoke quietly.
"In a word, we're beggars."
"Th-that's it…"
"How could something like this happen overnight?"
All we had was one dog.
A bundle of fur jumped around the devastated guys as if to cheer them up.
Maaaang! Woof!
The members' complexions brightened a bit.
"Well, I'm glad they didn't steal Mungaemungae, right?"
"Y-yeah!"
"… It's still a pup, so there's a risk. I'm glad they didn't take it away. It could've gotten hurt."
Was he serious?
No, to be blunt, I wondered if this was happening just because entertainment money had disappeared, but for these past two days, we had been relaxed as if it was a side effect…
No, It wasn't a side effect.
"… !"
'We got tricked.'
These guys planned it all and did it so well.
In order to properly pull off this shocked look in a disarmed state…
'They did it amazingly.'
-Huh? What should I do? Why did you pick this? The other message penalty slip probably didn't contain this message.
-Then show us, so we can check!
-Oh, you can't do that! We're going to rewrite it next time!
-Ugh! What?
'Both of the penalty slips probably contained the same contents anyway.'
I refrained from cursing as I remembered the face of the PD who was babbling so shamelessly.
You called it healing, you fucker!
No… Let's calm down.
This was a section that would be quite fun. Healing… Yes, being able to heal for two days was already more than enough.
I had to think like that. I definitely thought that way. Don't get upset. If I got upset here, I'd lose.
Meanwhile, Seon Ahyeon kept his mouth shut, then raised his hand as if he had made up his mind.
"Yes, Ahyeon."
"I-if we have yarn… We can make something… In fact, let's find out if there's something… ?"
"Wow."
"Well, a person with dexterity can come up with an idea like this."
It was a good idea. The sight of first-tier idols sitting together and doing the handwork of gluing doll eyes would be unique and funny if they looked desperate.
However, in this case, the intention of the production team was important.
"… Well, it's true that it's a great idea… But isn't catching the culprit the top priority? The production team also said so."
Yeah, that was probably the direction this program preferred.
-Who on earth?? Who stole it?
-Yes! This unidentified night guest is someone currently living in this town!
Bae Sejin swallowed his saliva.
"They're telling us to catch them outright."
"Hmm."
The members were immersed in worry. After a while, Kim Raebin muttered seriously with his pale face.
"If we get harmed…"
"Oh, that won't work."
"Y-yes. It could be dangerous…"
No, it was overindulgence. This wasn't a genre entertainment show, and the production team's top priority was making people laugh, so it was impossible for them to do that.
Keun Sejin nodded his head seriously.
"Yes. It could be dangerous."
He looked excited. Finally, hardships and adversity had come and we were able to get our bearings… Was that why?
Ryu Chungwoo proposed an arbitration plan.
"But right now we don't have enough food… For now, let's help out and earn some coins."
"Yes!"
"And then let's see who might be the thief. There must be a hint."
"Good… That is a wise decision."
This was good enough. It was immersing, and compared to the painting I did during the volunteer work the day before, haha, hoho, it was really… it was funny.
(TN: Yes, Moondae really did say haha and hoho here.)
"…"
No, I said I wouldn't get upset.
Anyway, we set off on that road with a camera in search of the residents.
"Father~ Is it okay if we continue cleaning the yard like we did yesterday? If you give us some coins, we'll be really nice to you!"
"Huh? It's okay."
However, surprisingly, people did not give work.
"… ?"
"How many houses have we been turned down by now?"
"Five houses."
An unnatural situation for anyone to see.
The grandmother in the sixth house even clicked her tongue and said this:
"Oh my… That coin? I don't have those anymore. Can't you just grab a drink and go?"
The production team answered brightly.
"No~"
"Why are you answering for us?!"
"It's a rule! Why are people who know everything about the system like this?"
These bastards were really…
It seemed that the rural affection that the production crew was crying out for died suddenly overnight.
At this point, Ryu Chungwoo asked again with a smile. Even the saintly gentleman was in a state of confusion.
"Then what should we do?"
"So! We have prepared something just in case."
Yes, I guessed that they would.
'They will definitely make us do ridiculous amounts of work…'
"It's a carrot farm!"
"… !"
This wasn't the scale I thought.
We took a short bus ride and arrived at the end of a green farm spread out on a flat land.
"Wow…"
"It's so spacious."
How on earth did they arrange this? I guess they made a few calls and decided on the accommodation and coin type.
The PD opened his mouth with a bright smile on his face.
"Did I tell you that physical carrots are exchanged for carrot coins on a one-to-one basis?"
"Ah, I remember!"
"That's right."
Among the admiring members, Kim Raebin looked relieved.
Oh my.
"So, do we directly exchange the carrots we harvest for coins?"
"Uh-huh~ Everyone, these carrots were grown in someone else's field a long time ago, but of course, you can't just give them away just because you harvested them~"
"…"
I thought so.
And the PD made a suggestion that seemed like a robbery.
"First of all, if you cash everything from here to there today, it'll be 5 coins per person per day!"
"Hey!"
"Don't do that!!"
"I'm leaving."
The production crew suppressed laughter while looking at the freaked-out guys.
Was this funny?
"Everyone, you need to eat~"
"…"
Those who had become accustomed to the irrationality of the program looked blank for a moment and soon began to move their bodies.
"Shall we start from there?"
"Okay."
"I don't like those carrots."
Even though they complained, they ended up doing their best.
I grabbed a tool and dug into the ground, pulling out rows of scarlet root vegetables.
'The image will come out well.'
We would come out as pure and sincere young people who did not lose their original intention even if they wandered, and who followed the rules and worked hard.
Or were we bastards who got fooled again?
'Fuck you.'
Either way was beneficial… Maybe it was because we just got backstabbed, but I felt quite numb.
'Is this the land version of an ocean fishing boat?'
"Let's put it here!"
"Okay."
The hours of hard labor of filling the huge basket continued.
The PD grabbed the megaphone.
"Okay, five more! By the way, don't straighten your backs until you've pulled the carrot out."
"Ugh! Will you take responsibility if our backs hurt?"
"Huh? Are your daily wages too high?"
"Sorry."
Honestly, it wasn't that hard on the body. Compared to when I was active and practicing for a performance, it was just tiring.
"Work, work!"
"…"
Still, the atmosphere was just right.
The atmosphere of being treated like a medieval servant was infuriating… Of course, it would become more interesting after editing. This must be it.
'I understand.'
Sometimes I would look at the production crew with resentful eyes and eagerly grab a carrot. It was bearable up to this point.
The problem arose from the following.
"Here's the daily wage!"
"Wow!"
"We won't eat carrots for a while. I won't even eat carrot cake."
"Yes, Moondae."
We went to the supermarket to buy dinner with our hard-earned coins… Faced with exorbitant prices.
"That… It'll be ten coins!"
"… !?"
Suddenly, the price of dalgona jumped tenfold.
"20 per piece?"
"We're dying!"
The prices for meat also skyrocketed.
Of course, some members turned their attention to the production crew and shouted at them.
"You said there was no manipulation!"
"We never said that! We didn't set the prices beforehand, folks~ Absolutely not!"
Kim Raebin asked with an almost delirious expression.
"Then what is this situation…"
"No, how can you know people's thoughts? They can sell it at whatever prices they want."
"…"
I clenched my fists.
I didn't know who the person who came up with this idea was, but I sincerely wanted to stick to just one thing.
In the end, we returned home with a shabby shopping cart that was nothing compared to what we had the previous two days.
I declared calmly.
"Let's just make sujebi and eat it."
(TN: Sujebi/수제비: Korean traditional soup consisting of dough flakes roughly torn by hand, with various vegetables.)
"Ah, ah…"
"Sujebi… It's delicious."
They were still trying to show reactions.
"Sorry… I was the starting point for all of this… … It was my negligence…"
"What are you talking about! Of course, the PD played a trick!"
Kim Raebin, who pulled out the note, was almost lost, and Bae Sejin and the dog were there to comfort him.
"… …"
This won't work.
I tapped Keun Sejin, who was putting his luggage in the kitchen.
"Is there flour and butter left?"
"Hm? Yeah. There's some left behind… Why?"
"Give me a second."
I checked the butter I had overpaid for on the first day and headed to the kitchen.
I could use the free time the production staff gave me however I wanted. No matter what I did.
• * *
Park Moondae created something.
'Mmm.'
As soon as Ryu Chungwoo came out after washing up, he smelled a fragrant smell. And then he saw the back of Park Moondae moving steadily in the kitchen.
'… Is he making Western food? I thought he said he was making sujebi.'
Being conscious of the camera angle and taking the time to capture the cooking process well was truly his own behavior.
'He's so calm.'
It was definitely a situation worth getting upset about, but he was silently coming up with a realistic answer. This was when it truly felt like he was the real hyung here.
Ryu Chungwoo carefully entered the kitchen.
"Do you need anything?"
"It's almost over, so it's okay. The other guys helped me."
Park Moondae opened the air fryer.
Then, with a fragrant smell… A yellow cookie appeared.
"Would you like to sample this?"
"Ah."
It was a cookie.
At that moment, Cha Eugene came out.
"I want to eat!"
"It's hot so be careful."
"Hehe!"
Ryu Chungwoo realized this when he saw Cha Eugene putting a cookie in his mouth and giving a thumbs up with shining eyes.
'I guess he's thinking of selling snacks.'
It was a really good idea. He thought the reaction of the members who didn't want to go to the carrot field again would also be good.
"… ! It's delicious."
"That's a relief."
Ryu Chungwoo was impressed by both the taste and the idea.
'I'll have to keep an eye on him and assist him when he's cooking in large quantities.'
But that idea was quickly shattered.
This was because as soon as the cookies cooled down, Park Moondae, who had poured more than half of them into the container, said something else.
"The other guys are going to make sujebi… Hyung, let's go together."
"… Me?"
Where?
And where he walked with Park Moondae… It was the village hall where they had just finished dinner.
'… ??'
What on earth was going on?
"Hello, old man."
"Ah! Aren't you that star who came with the cameras from Seoul?"
"The camera is with me today too. And I made something. It's soft, so it would be perfect to eat now."
"Oh my, what's this!"
Thanks to the enthusiastic support of the senior, who discovered something fun for the first time in a long time, Park Moondae scattered cookies in droves.
Ryu Chungwoo suddenly joined in the action.
Park Moondae went one step further and sold out Ryu Chungwoo himself.
"This guy won a gold medal in archery at the Olympics. Do you remember him?"
"Oh my!"
"Yes, I think I remember. Yah~"
"Hahaha."
Ryu Chungwoo smiled and shook his hands eagerly and gave him a massage. However, he still didn't know why Park Moondae was acting like this.
"Let me sing a song."
"Okay, okay~"
Park Moondae even sang his own trot song and even danced to 'POP★CON', showing off all kinds of jokes.
"… … ??"
Ryu Chungwoo's feelings became more complicated, but without saying anything, he sang a verse and eagerly answered the seniors'' questions.
'I guess he has an idea.'
And when the atmosphere was fully ripe and the elders' barriers came down…
Park Moondae got straight to the point.
"By any chance, have you heard anything about this bottle cap-looking coin? Did the people from Seoul say anything about this today?"
"Ah, that!"
While the camera director was confused, Park Moondae finally heard the truth.
"That is…"
• * *
I opened my mouth.
"So, I heard they decided to give the newest type of massage chair to the ten residents with the most carrot coins."
All the members who heard the full story of the incident gathered together and confronted the production team on the veranda.
The PD seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Soon he muttered more shamelessly.
"You heard that?"
"Aaaack!"
"That's right!"
"How could you do that to us, really!"
Criticism was pouring in.
Even Seon Ahyeon turned red.
"Y-you said it would only be a healing show or else we could sue you… !"
"Huh?"
The PD naturally recommended it.
"Do it~ Sue me!"
"… !!"
"They're just Carrot Coins~ Is it an actual currency? It's just a bottle cap~ I don't know if that will work!"
"Aaaah!"
Shake, shake.
Bae Sejin shook his shoulders and muttered through gritted teeth.
"I won't ever forget this…"
"Producer~ One day, this will all come back as karma!"
The PD must have been a bit stung because he hastily made an excuse.
"No, everyone… You shouldn't do this to me. There's a culprit who stole your coins! There definitely is!"
"… !"
"If you just find the culprit! You'll get your coins back… We will also give out our own prize money! 100 coins!"
"… ! R-really?"
"Really~ Are you still dwelling on the betrayal?"
Hey, you cheated first.
"…"
I took a deep breath.
Okay. This was how it was funny and fun.
TeStar had become accustomed to this production team due to our experiences with numerous scams.
So, this was the right way to create a more stimulating and interesting picture.
'Maybe it's the best idea because then there'd be clips of us risking our lives to find the culprit, as well as acting cute in front of the elders and the production crew.'
"…"
However… Why were we being treated like this? Were they trying to create unexpected images? I'm not funny. Me?
"Moo-Moondae? Are you okay?"
"…"
I made up my mind.
The PD's voice rang out.
"Please find the culprit~"
It was just after midnight that day. At this point, the production crew withdrew, leaving only the unmanned cameras.
Dururuk.
I quietly opened the front door and came out.
Of course, I wasn't alone.
"I… Moondae hyung."
Kim Raebin, dressed in training clothes, hesitantly followed along with a confused look on his face.
"I… May I ask why you want to accompany me?"
"Pick up the shovel and follow me."
"… ??"
"We're going to dig up carrots now."
I won't leave them alone so easily.