Chapter 416
The glamping site next to a hot spring in Gapyeong was gradually becoming quiet as the weekend came to an end.
Before lunchtime, people who had stayed for 3 days and 2 nights since Friday had left, and there weren't many new people. This was because it was hot in early summer and it was an ambiguous time, not a full-fledged vacation season. Besides, it was already evening.
"I hope you have a good time~"
The part-timer who was working at the counter on the outskirts was leisurely dealing with the rare customers.
Until the next customers came in.
'Huh?'
Ting.
As the door opened, seven tall men wearing hoods and colorful masks came in. It was too hot, but they were dressed awkwardly at the summer camping site.
This was even more so when an avant-garde character wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses appeared.
'… SNS aggro?
There was even a small white dog held by the person in the back with a good physique.
'Is this a membership training for physical education students?'
That being said, the majority was rather thin. Besides, wasn't this a place where there were far more families than college students?
'Hmm?'
Just as the part-time worker was about to get curious, a well-built person wearing a gray hoodie and a mask came up to the counter and asked a question.
"Hello~ We made a reservation."
"Yes, please tell me your name!"
The part-time worker thought while quickly checking the program. He had a nice voice, was tall, and at first glance, his eyes seemed handsome.
'… Is it the entertainment department?'
But she didn't do the useless thing of asking such a question. The part-time worker completed the check-in process appropriately and quickly, befitting the creed of working for as much as she got paid.
"Do you want one Royal Caravan and one Sunset Ondol?"
"Yes, yes!
At that time, someone wearing a black hood and sunglasses spoke to the group from behind.
"Check if dogs are allowed."
"Oh, right."
"Yes, there is a pet-friendly option."
The part-timer, who quickly and sensibly answered the question before it was asked, felt a strange sense of discomfort at the same time.
Despite the funny outfits, they had surprisingly good voices… Huh?
Didn't this sound like a voice she had heard before?
"Here…"
"Ah, thank you~ Can we go over there?"
"Yes! You can see it right away by looking at the parking lot on the left from here."
"I understand~ Thank you for your kind explanation."
She felt like she had heard this cheerful answering voice and tone somewhere…
However, the two had already turned around and were heading back to the group.
'Hmm.'
As the part-time worker regained her thoughts, a small voice was heard from the group.
"Mm… Wait, can you please hold the puppy?"
"Yes… !"
A white man wearing a baseball cap picked up a white puppy and placed it carefully on his shoulder…
"… !"
The part-timer woke up like a thunderbolt.
That was the dog she saw on a variety show! The composition was the same.
And they were from that entertainment show!
'The grandson one!'
And the cast from there…
'Oh my god.'
The employee covered her mouth.
It was TeStar!
7 people, considering their physiques and members, matched so precisely that she wondered why she didn't recognize them sooner.
'The clothes they're wearing…'
No matter what, they might be thinking about hiding their faces while not being noticed, but their outfits were so silly that it made it almost obvious…
'Wait a minute, that's Cha Eugene!'
The strange person wearing sunglasses was just Cha Eugene.
She also saw a video of just that on WeTube Shorts.
'Huh…'
As expected from a group with high individual recognition, the scan was completed in an instant.
Standing guarding the suitcases was Bae Sejin. Kim Raebin was reading a pamphlet. And the man with the familiar voice wearing sunglasses was Park Moondae, the one holding the puppy was Ryu Chungwoo, and the man who handed it to him was Seon Ahyeon…
Lee Sejin was talking to her!
The part-timer clenched her fists.
'I thought he was somehow handsome!'
It was just a handsome atmosphere!!
And finally, a productive thought occurred to her.
'Autograph, autograph.'
However, the mindset of a member of society was that her job took priority. Plus, there were more opportunities.
'When they check out…'
She wouldn't miss it then…
'Oh, really!'
She wanted to tell someone! Even her sister!
'Wow, she'll be really surprised when she hears it…'
When the employee turned on her KakaoTalk with excited hands…
"Excuse me."
"… … ?!"
When she raised her head, she saw eyes smiling shyly above the mask.
'Ryu Chungwoo! Ryu Chungwoo!'
The part-timer's brain was screaming, but Ryu Chungwoo spoke softly.
"We really came here to rest. Is it possible to keep it a secret for just a few days while we're here?"
"What? Of course… yes, yes."
It was possible. Of course!
"Thank you. Oh, please take this."
Oh.
Accepting the expensive bath salt set offered as a bribe with trembling hands, the part-time worker watched TeStar (presumed) walking away with a dumbfounded expression.
"Let's go, Mungae!"
"Woof, woof!"
"I told you not to encourage him"
… They came here to rest?
'I guess they're really close.'
The part-time worker put down her smartphone. She thought of her older sister and immediately erased the thought without a moment of hesitation.
And she nodded to the closeness of the idol group, who went on a family healing glamping trip in between activities without cameras.
Of course, she had no idea how crazy the twists and turns they had been through over the past 10 months. This had been their first reunion in a long time.
• * *
I admitted it.
'Actually, it's like it's been 10 months since I went on vacation.'
If I added up the time I wasn't able to rest before then, it'd be over a year.
Thanks to this, travel destinations were subject to long, never-ending searches and discussions by people who wanted to go to a good place no matter what.
And finally, a conclusion was reached.
"Of course, the place Ahyeon went to is the best."
"What?"
"…"
If that was the case, I wanted to ask why they were sitting in the waiting area of the shop, not sleeping, tapping on their laptops.
I found the answer in Bae Sejin's words.
"Well, it looked the best from the beginning. But since it's a place he's only been to once, it might be a bit boring for him."
"N-no… ! Absolutely not. It's definitely a good place, so I want to go there with the members… !"
"Hyung… …"
The atmosphere quickly warmed up. They soon forgot that they had spent hours meaninglessly trying to come to this conclusion.
Ryu Chungwoo smiled bitterly.
"Good. Then, Ahyeon, can you introduce us to a few activities that you found enjoyable?"
"Yes… !"
"Okay~ Then our destination is Gapyeong Healing Glamping!"
And on the very same day, they found a tent at a regular price.
'I'm not sure if you can call this a tent.'
"Oooh, good!"
I looked around at our reserved spot on the outskirts of the campsite, surrounded by dense trees.
The outside of the tent looked to be average, but the inside was made of pine wood and even had hot water.
Plus, there was even an outdoor bath.
There was comfort that made it feel like you were actually camping. It was truly healing.
"… ! They say this is hot spring water."
"Do you want to go in? Do you want to go, Mungae? … Uh-huh, wait a minute."
"Don't bother the dog."
Even if we were traveling with a dog, this was obviously a pool for large dogs, so if we wanted to put something that was the size of a fist in it, it'd have to wear a life jacket.
Fortunately, the excited guys who looked inside came to a magical conclusion.
"Well, shall we have dinner first? The day is coming to an end."
"Sure~"
Of course, being hungry came first.
"That's right! We have been starving for a long time."
It wasn't something a guy who ate raw potatoes at the rest stop should say, but anyway, from then on it was time for a barbecue and a campfire.
The fire was made with firewood in front of the caravan.
"Oh, oh."
It was rare for this to happen in a situation where there was no staff, but the meat was cooked well without any particular problems.
'It's delicious.'
I fixed the fire. Meanwhile, Kim Raebin quickly turned over the meat on the grill with a reverential look on his face.
"Then, Moondae. Should I grill it too… ?"
"Hahaha, Ahyeon, can you actually wash the mushrooms here?"
"Ah, yes..!"
And time passed peacefully.
There was no one looking to see if the bribe given to the worker at the counter worked. Sometimes, a kid running around in front of another caravan in the distance snooped around.
"Oh my, does he want to eat some meat too?"
"Hey, the kid might be allergic."
"Oh. Sorry."
After passing the time with trivial nonsense, we washed up, roughly divided the rooms, and slept soundly.
"Don't set an alarm, let's sleep as much as we want."
"It's such a good idea, isn't it? As expected of the leader."
I slept on the floor on the first day. Mosquito repellent was in the air, and the sound of insects was heard.
It had been a long time since I didn't have to think about a number or the next goal I had to reach.
The next day, we woke up after lunch and tried horseback riding nearby.
"Yippee-ki-yay~!!"
Cha Eugene did all the horseback riding. It seemed that even Ryu Chungwoo, who followed behind with a smile, surprised the employees.
Were they really beginners?
'It would have been okay to quarantine those two guys in the advanced course.'
"Moondaemoondae, what on earth is Eugene saying?"
"I don't know."
"… I need to search to see if it's a bad word… Ahh!"
"Oh my, hyung."
At that time, when Bae Sejin, who almost lost his balance on the horse, regained his balance following the staff's instructions, I saw another guy whispering in his ear.
"Hyung, it seems like he just wants to sound like a cowboy…"
We heard Cha Eugene shouting something like 'Hiya' from afar.
"Hmm, it's okay as long as it's not problematic."
Bae Sejin rode a horse quite skillfully after that, but it somehow felt like he was acting.
And Seon Ahyeon, the one who whispered earlier…
"Have you also done horseback riding?"
"Yes! But not a lot. Just sometimes."
This was the third 'guy who used to do sports'.
'It looks like this guy is good at horseback riding too.'
It seemed like they adjusted it while planning the course.
"Oh, really? I didn't know either~ Okay, Sejin has got it."
And the next day, we went to a wool ranch.
"I think I can buy some wool… I'm thinking about making a sweater."
"Oooh~!"
"If Ahyeon wears that this Christmas and posts a picture on our official account, that would be great."
In that way, we used our time without worrying about efficiency.
There was no filming, no proof shots, and nothing to use as a broadcast episode or build-up.
Time to just relax and play.
"S'mores are delicious. Hyung, let's eat s'mores! We have to buy marshmallows!"
"Alright."
Cha Eugene looked at me with a serious face.
"… ! Hyung, are you being serious right now? Are you sick?"
"I can't be that healthy."
Anyway, that day, we bought chocolate and biscuits and roasted marshmallows over an open fire to make s'mores. And we ate it while looking at the stars.
"Moondaemoondae, we have to jog twice tomorrow."
"I know."
It was almost the first time these seven of us had spent time together just to have fun like that.
The beach vacation had failed when Kim Raebin's grandmother collapsed.
'… … It's okay.'
The hot springs were also very helpful.
Taking an open-air hot spring bath every evening was a good way to end my day before going to bed.
"We have to buy this. Let's leave it at the dorm! I'll even pay with my money."
"There's nowhere to put it."
The hot water lowered the tension.
Then, what we experienced in that strange system world began coming out of our mouths.
"You know what? Kim Raebin grilled a lot of meat on the strawberry farm. I heard it from Kim Raebin there."
"Huh, really?"
"No wonder he's good at grilling. It's all a learned skill."
"As a minor, I couldn't pick strawberries delicately, so I helped prepare something else. But I really appreciate the compliment. I will continue to work hard!"
The guys sitting In the outdoor hot spring one by one started talking casually without paying attention to the context of the conversation.
"Have you contacted VTIC sunbaenim?"
"Yes. They seem to be doing well."
"Good~"
"I didn't know we would become friends with them like this."
I twitched my eyebrows as I recalled the list of recommended works I had received from Ju-Dan yesterday.
The other two guys also contacted me quite often.
'We worked together for half a year, so maybe it's natural?'
Ryu Chungwoo spoke softly, perhaps recalling his 'Wishze' activities in a similar way to me.
"Come to think of it, we weren't able to do a proper tour there. It feels like it's been a very long time since we've done something like that."
"That's right. I'm looking forward to it."
Not only Cha Eugene but there were people nodding their heads here and there one after another. Ryu Chungwoo nodded along with them and then added a comment playfully.
"Ah, only Sejin tried it, right?"
Keun Sejin smiled.
"You can't call it a proper tour."
"…"
"No, really… That's right."
He almost looked serious for a second.
"Anyway, I missed our group so much~ Now that we're going on tour, you all must be really excited to perform hard, right?"
I got it, bastard.
"Huh? It looks like Moondae isn't responding?"
"That's because you're asking the obvious."
"… !"
Resting was good, but I needed to do something stimulating to get my mind going.
"Let's do the tour properly."
Smiles spread on the faces of others, including Keun Sejin.
That was the conclusion of the day.
It was the fourth night of the trip, and also the last.
And the morning of check-out…
"Thanks to you, we had a really good time. Thank you!"
"No. Really, I… !"
We gave autographs and pictures to the counter staff and the owner, who remained silent, and boarded the car back to Seoul. The guys wearing neck pillows were laughing.
"It was fun."
"It was definitely a camping experience that made me realize that rest can also be a useful time."
"We're going to the beach next time!"
"Good, good."
Amidst the chattering crowd, I picked up my smartphone and accessed the group's official account… It suddenly occurred to me.
Come to think of it, I brought that with me just in case.
"It's all okay now, isn't it?"
"Hmm?"
Fortunately, it was a clean and well-maintained building in preparation for the future of taking photos at the counter.
"It's okay, it's okay."
Then…
After some discussion, I took out a smartphone for the W app.
I attached it in front of the passenger seat, adjusted the angle, and then turned on the broadcast…
Tidik.
"Hello, Loviewers!"
-???
-1 bar
-What's going on?
Since the morning, the comments had been pouring in with greetings and questions asking what was going on.
And then questions arose.
-Are you guys filming something?
"Are we filming? No, we're coming up to play by ourselves!"
And the members chatted excitedly among themselves.
"Ah, what we did… We went to the hot springs and went horseback riding… And we touched baby sheep. Well, we brought Mungae too."
"Ah, Moondaemoondae was really funny back there. Like when Eugene made lava out of marshmallows? The expression on Moondae's face at that time was a sight to behold~"
"Hmm, I remember Sejin talking about lava. Yesterday, Ahyeon had a successful time grilling meat! We were all surprised. It was delicious."
"Pictures? Uh, we didn't take any pictures…"
"Uhm. Like that video… Oh, there's a video!"
Seon Ahyeon laughed and showed a balloon floating on the grass on his smartphone.
[Muang!]
That was the beginning and end of all material.
"Um… It's not a serious broadcast. It's really just a way for us to have fun!"
There was nothing else.
-?
-No, please show TeStar's faces.
-Show us what you did.
-A cruel act that only shows the ending
A silent scream took over the chat window.
'… … Did we just play around too much?'
I realized.
This was just for the purpose of conveying the latest news, but when they listened closely, they realized that what was being talked about was a break from our own content.
So it really stimulated the interest of those who were interested.
However, the live broadcast was overflowing with extortion without substance.
-Go back, guys, and go camping again quickly.
Thanks to this, the comments were filled with madness.
… … This was the beginning of all the great transformations that followed.