Chapter 421
Park Moondae received a lot of attention for a week after episode 4 aired, in which he previewed the horror experience.
As it was as predicted, he boldly accepted the fate of the group's laugh controller.
'Really?'
There was even a fan who threw a ghost doll at him at the concert venue.
-You're crossing the line (video)
Although such behavior disappeared after causing quite a bit of controversy on social media, it meant that the impression from the entertainment show was clear.
He seemed like a cowardly guy, and that made viewers want to make fun of him.
-The hyungs patting Park Moondae's head on the way home from Doll Island (GIF)
-He's like a puppy who accidentally stepped on a scary doll ㅋㅋㅋㅋ (photo)
Of course, that was the end of the week.
'It was expected.'
Even though he was reluctant about ghosts, he wasn't so reluctant in other thrilling situations.
Like in the next episode.
[Great white shark cage experience]
Inside the iron cage that sank to the bottom of the sea.
While TeSTAR members dressed in snorkeling gear screamed and moved like mimes…
Park Moondae was standing still.
Anyone who saw him would think he was a statue.
-Oh my
-That's right, Moondae was this kind of guy from the very beginning.
He didn't move at all. Then, he expressed interest by resting his chin on his hand. This meant that he was quietly enjoying the sight of a great white shark while being trapped in a cage at the bottom of the sea.
[↑ Even after seeing this, he is extremely interested]
- Wow. Tibet.
In that way, Park Moondae regained his dignity in one fell swoop!
What was interesting was that Park Moondae wasn't the only one who found it interesting.
After a few minutes of group fuss…
[(Gyaaagh!)]
[Kim Raebin: (It's a surprisingly delicate-looking creature!)]
[Bae Sejin: (Not understanding what is being said)]
[Kim Raebin: (You don't agree?! That's possible!)]
[Bae Sejin: (Still not sure)]
Surprisingly, despite its scary name, the great white shark cage experience received favorable reviews from most members.
It was stable enough to be commercialized, and because the fear threshold had already increased due to the horror experiences, it was accepted as fun.
Besides, it was definitely an amazing and unique experience.
The course of the 'We will do what we want to do' team was nothing short of a healing success.
-As expected, this team would be the best for the broadcast ㅋㅋㅋ
Although the team members of this team were selected with extreme awareness of broadcasting, the comment was correct for the team leader.
[Cha Eugene: Moondae hyung and I chose the right thing!]
In the interview cut, Cha Eugene grinned.
… Although the image of Park Moondae catching everything Cha Eugene threw behind him under the name of 'both of us' passed by, the two were a team anyway.
[Cha Eugene: Teamwork is the best!]
And Park Moondae healed his feelings of betrayal to some extent by taking a two-shot photo of Seon Ahyeon and the shark.
[Seon Ahyeon: (Like this?)]
[Park Moondae: (Good)]
On the jungle speedboat that followed, he showed great interactions with Ryu Chungwoo, resolving his (one-sided) resentment.
Lastly, there was a zipline from a cliff.
[Cha Eugene: Whoa-hoo!!!]
Although it was extremely exciting, it surprisingly didn't cross the line of being painful because everyone found it fun. And Kim Raebin's full course, which continued in succession, soothed all the regrets of fans who expected healing.
-The youngest is the best
-Our rabbit, wow, how can he be so good at being dutiful?
Viewers enjoyed the sweet healing after a long killing journey. Kim Raebin even surpassed Mungae and became the mascot of healing.
[Mungae: (Look and enjoy! Hyungs, come quickly to Korea!)]
The healing entertainment ended in a truly healing way, with an outdoor shot of a beautiful starry night as TeSTAR waved while making a video call with Mungae, who returned to Korea from Indonesia.
A total of 8 episodes. It was short and intense original content.
-It was really good!
-It's perfect because he took care of everything we wanted to see happily at the endㅠㅠ
And Chilean fans achieved an unexpected victory.
-TeSTAR enjoyed the beautiful scenery and traditional food of Chile! "True satisfaction"
-Only Chile wins (smiling emoticon)
Although it was a little disappointing.
-*Healing* (Waving shyly on the difficult 4-day, 3-night Torres del Paine trekking course)
All of this usually happened when TeSTAR did entertainment properly.
Comments from happy viewers and fans.
Park Moondae plopped down on the bed and put scrolled through his smartphone.
He had already deleted the horror experience preview account that was created just to be shown on TV.
Instead, the name of his actual monitoring account, which was changed regularly, flashed at the top.
-Ah, this entertainment show was so good. It filled the gap between tours well… Honestly, I'm so amazed and grateful that they didn't lose their original intention with each content.
-I really want to like you for the rest of my life, TeSTAR, let's keep going like this♡ㅠㅠ
"…"
Like a sign that everything was going well with daily life.
As he watched the stories pouring in, Park Moondae felt it right again.
The confidence and realization that he was back.
"… … Hoo."
He put down his smartphone.
The end of the tour.
For the first time in a long time, I was able to sleep deeply without having nightmares about waking up in the space of that vague skeletal system again.
TeSTAR had completely returned.
And the next day, Park Moondae made a decision.
He agreed with the company and members' story of 'let's prepare an album,' but he also wanted to do something before that.
"Keundal."
[Oh my, hyung! Are you able to contact me now? What's going on?]
"… There is a place I want you to go to."
[What?]
In Park Moondae's body, Ryu Gunwoo closed his eyes and spoke.
"… I want to see my parents."
Entry into the country was quite noisy.
This was due to the fact that it was his first time in the country in a while. It was difficult to have a schedule in Korea since he was filming entertainment shows during the tour.
However, his actions after entering the country proceeded quietly.
After spending a few days doing some private schedules…
(TN: There was a sudden perspective shift from third-person to first-person here!)
I got dressed and left the room.
"Are you going today?"
"Yes."
"Have a nice trip."
Tuk.
I didn't bother to protest against Keun Sejin, who lightly hit me on the back. Instead, I bumped the back of his fisted hand once and continued walking.
I couldn't mobilize people from the company for this job, and I couldn't even use public transportation.
However, Park Moondae couldn't drive without a license. One more person was recruited.
"Are we going to that officetel first?"
"Yes."
It was Ryu Chungwoo, who had a license and a car.
The SUV he bought just before the tour came in handy while camping.
"Thank you."
"Already?"
Ryu Chungwoo, who willingly gave up a day during his own vacation, took the wheel.
"Let's get going."
And after picking up Keundal at the officetel, we arrived at the destination after spending quite a bit of time on the road.
"… Hello."
It had been a very long time since I had visited a grave.
I approached the glass cabinets that filled one wall and saw white ceramics behind just one of them.
It was an ossuary.
The simple composition with the names written on it was surrounded by a few photos.
"…"
It took money to have a burial, and since I was a minor, there was nothing I could do properly.
So, when I came to my senses, it ended with cremation and placement in the charnel house.
I didn't choose the spots specifically, but the view was too high… It was okay now.
I lightly wiped the glass cabinet.
"Hello."
Keundal, now Ryu Gunwoo, opened his mouth and bowed his head towards the charnel house.
It was something I was thankful for.
I lifted my hand, opened the glass, and put the bouquet of flowers I bought inside.
The space was narrow. So much so that the bouquet got crumpled.
"If it's okay, I'd like to move them to a larger location."
"… … Y-yes?"
Yes, that was what I said to him.
I laughed softly.
"The place of the urn. Since I can't do it myself, you'll have to use your own signature. Of course, I will pay the cost."
"… ! Of course… No, you don't have to pay."
"No, I have to give it to you."
If I didn't pay him back, wouldn't that be a total scam?
And, if I didn't give money, it wouldn't feel like I really did it.
I put on my hat.
It wasn't a weekday or a holiday, so there were hardly any people. Still, if I got caught, there would be an uproar.
'Three is a lot.'
The fact that there would be rumors that I visited my friend's parents' charnel house was a little… It felt strange, though.
'It doesn't matter.'
I raised my head, took out the bouquet, and removed some flowers. Anyway, no matter how much embalming was done, it was barely damaged. I used the flowers I took out, placed them in the glass cabinet, and closed it.
Tak.
It didn't look bad.
It was the moment I turned my head to Ryu Chungwoo to tell him I would stay a little longer.
"… !"
He… Was he crying?
"Hyung."
"Ah… I'm sorry, it's a bit weird."
"…"
Yes.
This guy was also a relative. He knew my parents.
I thought to myself when I looked at the white urn.
'… That's how it happened.'
Even though I wasn't sure if my parents could hear me…
I could still feel them.
'I'm living well, so don't worry. … I'm sorry that the body you gave me has changed. Still, he's doing well too.'
I hoped that bringing in Ryu Gungwoo, who was fine on the inside or out, would be an extenuating factor. I smiled faintly.
Ryu Chungwoo also seemed to be standing calmly again after wiping the moisture from his face.
The sun carefully shined inside.
It was a quiet morning, and I stood in front of the charnel house for quite some time.
• * *
After changing the location of the urn to a better place, the way back was quiet, but the atmosphere was not uncomfortable. However, I couldn't help but ask about this.
"Your parents."
Keundal's shoulders trembled slightly.
"Oh, uh.. they're in the sea. They said they wanted to do that before… …"
"… Okay."
Considering the circumstances of this guy, there must have been no money to bury them in a charnel house, so I had a suspicion that it might have been done by the officials, but my thoughts ended there.
There was no time to think about such useless things like that…
"When the time comes, why don't we go together?"
"Ah…"
"Is it far?"
"Oh, well. It's Ganghwa Island, but…"
I thought so.
"Then, I'll take the weekend off."
"Oh! It's okay. You'll probably be busy…"
"Do you want to go today?"
"… !"
The above statement was not made by me.
"We have time today. Let's go. I'll give you a ride."
These were the words spoken by Ryu Chungwoo in the driver's seat.
And after some persuasion, the destination was finally decided.
"Thank you."
"No, I'll be seeing the sea for the first time in a while."
The guy who just saw the sea a month ago while filming a variety show spoke well. Anyway, we stopped by Ganghwa Island briefly along that route.
Hwiiiii-
Summer season was almost over.
The beach wasn't completely empty of people, but it was still quiet.
Thanks to this, Keundal could sit on the beach bench and look at the sea as long as he wanted.
"…"
I sat on the bench next to him in silence. I knew there was no need to talk to him.
And Ryu Chungwoo lowered his voice politely and spoke.
"Wait a minute, I'll go and get something."
"Aren't you tired from driving?"
But the guy didn't listen and turned around, and started heading towards the mall.
'Indeed.'
He was a consistent guy in many ways.
It was then that I realized something.
The sea breeze that blew behind him…
No wonder. It occurred to me that this cut in my field of vision seemed like a familiar scene.
And I realized it right away.
'Ah.'
That guy… He came to Ganghwa Island in a variety show filmed when he was in STier.
The new variety show that had just started on the public airwaves did not do very well.
-Oh~ After all, he's a national representative!
'This comes to mind so clearly.'
The memories I recovered by destroying the system settled in my head just as they were originally.
So, it wasn't a strange shape that popped up all of a sudden, but it naturally came up like this every once in a while.
'Now that I think about it, it's a more unusual situation.'
I was on a team with an idol I knew before, but we were even relatives.
I didn't realize it right away because I had been in TeSTAR for such a long time, but this… It felt a bit strange.
What I meant was that I became quite meddled with someone I only knew one-sidedly, and we stayed together for quite a long time.
Ryu Chungwoo and the others too.
"…"
I put my head on the bench.
It was then.
"Park Moondae… ?"
"… !"
"It's really Park Moondae."
The time had finally come. I got caught.
Two high school students running to the beach take out their smartphones with excited faces, as if they were here to have fun.
"Can I have a picture!"
"Me too!"
"Yes. Wait a minute."
Well, it was like this.
I lowered my mask and looked at the two people alternately into the smartphone lens.
Then Park Moondae's face appeared on the screen.
With my parents… Well, there was no way we looked alike.
"…"
"Thank you!"
"No, it's me that's thankful."
It was over.
It had been a few years, so let's not indulge in unnecessary sentimentality.
'That damn system isn't helpful.'
I was sure my head was filled with bullshit because that bastard was imitating someone else's parents as some kind of Antarctic researchers.
'I've already gone through this much trouble, so what does it matter if I resemble them or not? They'll still recognize me regardless.'
I nodded inwardly and smiled steadily at the camera.
"Aaaah, get home safely!!"
"Yes."
After nodding to the returning high school students, I clicked my tongue and turned my head.
… At that time.
[Outbreak!]
Abnormal status: 'If not ■■, ■■' occurs!
"… !!"
A hologram.
What was this now… Wait a minute.
"Ah."
However, when I turned my head again, the holographic window that seemed like an afterimage disappeared.
I took a breath.
What was that?
'… … Status window.'
Even if I brought up the status window and looked at everything, it was the same.
There was no such thing as an emergency pop-up.
"…"
"Hyung?"
"No."
As soon as the high school students left, Keundal talked to me on the bench nearby.
I asked hastily.
"Did you see it?"
"… ?? Those girls from earlier? Did they take a picture?"
I looked at his face. He was confused and slightly nervous, but it didn't seem like he was hiding anything.
He was telling the truth.
I slowly opened my mouth again.
"… Yes. We took a picture."
"Yes… Yes?"
I relaxed my shoulders.
I didn't know who was best at detecting status window abnormalities, so how could something like that suddenly appear to me?
'I'm a little sick of it too.'
Maybe it was because I was suffering so much that I was even hallucinating.
I clicked my tongue and adjusted my posture.
"I brought some ice cream. Would you like some?"
"Oh, thank you!"
Not long after, Ryu Chungwoo came back, and I decided to cool off by eating ice cream. I was wondering if I was really suffering from the heat.
But the shocking news wasn't over yet.
"And, I just got a call from the company."
"Company?"
"Yes. They said they have something serious to discuss."
And Ryu Chungwoo continued speaking as if he could not understand.
"… They were saying that we should postpone the album?"
What?