Walking through rural rice fields at night could be quite creepy. Because there weren't a lot of lights like the city. There were street lights that flickered occasionally.
Still, it didn't seem to have much of an effect on people who were used to this to begin with.
I asked the guy trudging along with the shovel.
"Aren't you scared?"
"… ! Is there any reason for me to be afraid?"
Okay then. Let's just get on with our work. I picked up my smartphone and turned it on to video recording mode.
"A camera?"
"I think we should film what happens."
I waved my hand at the selfie camera. Kim Raebin also instinctively lowered his head.
"Hello everyone. The time right now is 3:30 in the morning. We left home safely."
"Yes, that's right."
"I'll explain why we came out."
I declared calmly.
"No more carrot economic fraud… We decided to start a revolution."
"Yes??"
"A revolution."
Kim Raebin's pupils began to tremble.
"I… hyung. I know that getting carrot coins is important, but wouldn't it be rude to carelessly dig up a field that belongs to someone else…"
"Of course, that's rude behavior."
"What?"
I stopped at the end of the rice field, at an ambiguous place where the stream began.
I guess it would be okay since we had reached this point.
"Let's leave the shovel here."
"The shovel…?"
Kim Raebin looked dazed for a moment but then regained his intelligence.
"Well, if we're pulling carrots, wouldn't it be easier to use a shovel?"
I chuckled.
"Our destination is not the carrot field."
"… !"
"I made you bring it out because if we did this, other people would be assuming we were going to the carrot field."
There were unmanned cameras all over the house. Of course, one of the youngest members on duty would be observing.
If so, our unexpected behavior would certainly have been reported.
'Heading to the carrot field.'
'They should have predicted it from the beginning.'
Coins and carrots with a one-to-one exchange rate.
Then, wasn't it likely that people would try to dig up carrots at night?
Just look at Kim Raebin right now.
"Were you worried that we were going to steal crops from someone else's carrot field?"
"I am in no way questioning hyung's morality. Since it is an entertainment show after all, I thought that such a pattern of behavior might be possible!"
"Okay. You must have had a hard time thinking about it. Don't worry anymore."
This was what I was aiming for.
'Just look at us playing in the carrot field somewhere.'
I was recording this separately for those who couldn't keep up anyway.
I also placed a flashlight and more tools next to the shovel. And then I took another step.
"Are you throwing them away?"
"No, I'll leave it for a moment and come back to get it. It's a bit awkward to go into the store with a shovel."
"That's true, but… Are there any stores open this early in the morning?"
"Yes."
I raised my finger and pointed to a faintly twinkling sign in the distance.
"A place open 24 hours every day."
"… ?"
Kim Raebin turned his gaze to follow my finger. I took a picture of him with my camera.
A puzzled face appeared on the screen.
"Why… There?"
"I heard you've also visited a place like this before."
It was when I heard him talking about his childhood last time.
"Yes. That's true, but…"
"Okay, I'll trust you."
"… ?? Oh, I understand!"
Kim Raebin looked even more confused but quickly answered. He was indeed a knowledgeable person, so it was easy to work with him.
"Good. Let's go in."
We went into an old building that was still lit.
Red letters fluttered in the wind on illegal road advertisements.
[Woori General Hardware Store]
[Emergency on-site construction available – open 24 hours]
• * *
And the morning was bright.
"Has everyone woke up?"
"Good morning…"
"… Why are you guys coming out of the entrance instead of your rooms?"
We returned to the accommodation after 7 o'clock.
There was nothing in particular in my hand. These were just the tools I took with me when I left.
The PD camped out in the yard and asked us a question in a puzzled voice.
"Where have you two been?"
Still, I sent a text message to the production crew last night saying we were on an adventure so they wouldn't report us as missing or anything.
I answered, putting the shovel back in the yard.
"We tried to go to the carrot field but got lost."
"Hahaha!"
Was he that happy?
Be very happy. It would be more fun that way.
And after the production crew's interrogation, questions came pouring in from the members.
"What did you do, hyung? Did you eat something delicious with Kim Raebin? Did you do something fun?"
"No. We starved."
"Oh… alright. Cheer up."
Cha Eugene passed by.
And as I walked by the guys who were still sleeping or had just woken up, one guy put me in a headlock.
Of course, it was Keun Sejin.
"No~ I'm disappointed. How could you leave Sejin behind like this at night? Heok heok."
Let go, you bastard.
"It was nothing like that. I didn't even have a camera so I used a smartphone."
"With Park Moondae's filming skills, didn't you film it like a professional? It must have been an important scene, so I'm even more disappointed~"
Indeed.
"I did it because I thought I would get caught if there were a lot of people, okay? I took Raebin because he had a role to play."
"Oh…"
Keun Sejin stopped crying and grinned.
"I'm becoming more and more curious?"
"I'll tell you before breakfast, so gather the other guys."
"Hmm?"
I chuckled.
"Because we did a good job. I have to share it."
And after a while…
The production crew heard TeStar's sudden announcement that they were going out.
"Everyone, you only have 4 coins, are you really going to go shopping?"
"Yes. I still want to go."
"Oh, that's good for us~ Whatever it is, it's up to TeStar!"
He was using his tongue well as if it were oiled. I guess the production crew was excited to make fun of us scrambling to buy something.
Anyway, we went to the supermarket again in the morning accompanied by the production crew.
As soon as we entered, Ryu Chungwoo explained in a friendly voice.
"Guys, shall we choose everything we want to eat?"
"Yeaaah! Great!"
"Well, then… I'll bring some fruit… !"
The production crew was taken aback when they saw the members scattering in perfect order.
"Huh?"
"What?"
And the PD spoke to me in a subdued voice.
"You know that if you steal from the carrot field, it's theft, right? Do you want to have double the penalty?"
"I said I didn't do it."
They seemed to suspect that we dug up the carrots and hid them in a corner of the field where surveillance nets couldn't reach.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
"Okay~ So is this all?"
"Wait a moment."
"Wow, Moondae is going all out. One duck per person?"
When I went to the checkout with a mountain of supermarket items, the store manager welcomed me once again.
However, what he said was different.
"Hmm, coins… Please give me just one today."
"… !!"
"Thank you~"
As Keun Sejin quickly tried to finish the calculation, the production crew shouted in confusion.
"O-one?"
"Wait."
"This can't be happening… ?"
"Hm? What can't be happening~ Chungwoo hyung, please calculate the bill!"
"Haha, yes."
Ryu Chungwoo handed out the coin and finished the calculation.
Click!
Looking at the amount displayed next to it, I think we bought items worth 300,000 won. The production cost was sweet.
The PD managed to ask.
"… What did you do?"
"What?"
"No, what did you do??"
"Why do you keep asking? Originally, you said that the residents would choose the prices on their own accord, right?
"…"
Other staff members could be heard holding back laughter around the PD, whose mouth was wide open.
I nodded to Kim Raebin, telling him not to say anything.
"I'm glad he gave it to us cheaply."
"I know."
Now, the first section was completed.
After preparing and eating a huge breakfast, we drove the cart again to help the elderly.
"Hey!"
"Cha Eugene, slow down! Speed!"
And this time too, enthusiastic and generous coins poured in.
"Take this~ It's a service for sweeping the yard yesterday~"
"Thank you… !"
"Oh my, the young people are having a hard time~ Here! You can have five coins."
"Wow! Father, really… Well, good-looking people think differently, right?"
We earned 36 coins in just 3 hours.
More than the first day.
The members shrugged their shoulders.
"Oh, we earned as much as our daily wage on our carrot farm."
"That's it. Let's go."
At this point, the PD blew himself up.
"The massage chair for seniors… Don't you need it?"
"I don't need it~ But it would be great to have that~"
"Ugh!"
The PD couldn't stand it anymore and started spitting out an alien language made up of exclamation points.
If I were to translate it, it would be something like, 'You bastards make the game dirty.' This was an undeserved compliment.
I lowly high-fived the members.
Section 2 was also successful.
And around the time of eating Saecham…
I prepared for the last revelation before the thunder came.
"I'm done washing dishes~"
"Let's get some rest."
As if to lie down comfortably among the guys lying on the veranda, Ryu Chungwoo quietly unpacked his lucky bag and put it in front of him.
And the production crew, who were confused and asking about news about the village, suddenly asked the question.
"What on earth…"
The author, who was checking his lucky bag just in case, soon discovered something.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Then, he called out to the PD passionately and held out a coin.
"Hey, isn't this different?"
"… !!"
The production crew began to murmur. And for a while, they were running around and making phone calls like crazy.
Just then, the right news arrived.
"Someone distributed dozens of carrot coins to each house in the morning! They said it was a special gift…"
"… !"
Oh, I got caught.
Although it was already too late.
"… TeStar, grandchildren."
"Yes?"
"Now… I heard there are over a thousand carrot coins loose in this town?"
"Is that so?"
Okay.
If the residents thought that their coin holdings were at the level of top 10 stability, wouldn't it be natural for their generosity to return?
"Even at the supermarket… There are about five hundred of them?"
"What?"
Okay. We negotiated there as well.
-In the future, when cameras arrive, please allow me to purchase all the items with one coin.
Since the cost of the goods was charged to the production team anyway, there was nothing to lose.
"Everyone, how did this happen??"
"We don't know either. Right?"
"Okay then."
The PD called out.
"Moondae-ssi! Raebin-ssi! What did you do when you left at dawn?"
Well, we dug up carrots.
We didn't go to the field at dawn, but we did mine coins.
'It's because the mining method is unique.'
Who would make coins in such a sloppy manner as if they were children's free toys?
They were easy to replicate.
"No, this…! This! It's fake."
"Is there a problem?"
I tilted my head as I looked at the production crew in shock, holding the same yellow carrot-patterned coin printed at a hardware store.
"I don't know. It looks the same. They're all the same, isn't that right?"
"Oh, it's exactly the same?"
"… I can't tell the difference either."
The production crew screamed as they were being taunted by the two members who had the same name.
Okay.
It was fun to watch entertainment shows where successful people suffered from unexpected events.
But I didn't think it necessarily needed to be a test.
Therefore… What about a certain entertainment production company that has been on the path to success until now, but was scamming the cast?
"Anyway! Moondae-ssi and Raebin-ssi, it's clear that you went to the hardware store and ordered something!"
I guess they figured it out now.
"Yes."
"No, TeStar can only use carrot coins to purchase items. What did you do?"
The PD shouted excitedly at the theory he had finally caught.
I shrugged.
"Oh, he gave it to me for free because he was a fan of ours."
"… !!"
"Who works with fan spirit?! You gave him money, didn't you?!"
Yes. Of course, I paid. It was comfortable because I was a celebrity whose face was well-known.
It was a few times more expensive because it was handled by real-time express at night, but it was worth every penny.
But I answered without changing my expression.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"Ugh!"
And soon the PD changed his target.
"Raebin-ssi!"
"Yes, yes?"
"Raebin-ssi, you are a good person, aren't you? Or are you condoning lies like this?"
"Well, that's…"
Oh. That was a good approach.
But I also expected him to do that.
"It's not a lie."
"What… ?"
Kim Raebin spoke with clenched fists.
"The carrot coins… It is a desirable trend for everyone to benefit a lot from them."
"… !!"
"If a problem arises, I will provide them with a massage chair at my own expense!"
"What??"
He had already been brainwashed for 2 hours… No, I convinced him by explaining it well.
"…"
This was how the production crew sank.
"Moondaemoondae, let's buy everything from the store. We only have to pay one coin."
"Wait a minute"
"Why? You said the prices were up to the residents' voluntary pricing."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Even the writer picked up the sketchbook in which he hastily wrote this:
[We have a rabbit-like production cost and product placement! Help me!]
Unconditional surrender.
"Healing! We'll give you a genuine healing show!"
"Just this time?"
"Next time too! Next time, we'll take you to the hot springs over there for our Very Healing Full Course, hot springs!"
In this way, the economic disturbance in the Carrot Coin world came to an end due to indiscriminate mass production.
And just at that point, the preview for episode 1 was released.