Chapter 325
When I lived in
I had to hone my mana management skills as well as my personal combat skills.
That's why sometimes when I'm physically squabbling with the members, I unconsciously fall into old habits. However, at the last minute, I always stay alert and adjust my strength appropriately or stop using my skills. If I do it seriously, something big will happen.
But now it's different. This is not land, but underwater.
That means it's okay to throw the light Heo Yu-bin around like a windmill.
"Hiyaa!"
"Save me!"
Heo Yu-bin's desperate cries were buried in the tremendous sound of the water splashing.
The water was a moderate depth that came up to his waist and the cool temperature that blew away the heat all at once, making it the perfect condition for playing in the water.
Was he used to this environment, or was he suddenly consumed by revenge?
"...Come here, hyung-nim."
Heo Yu-bin, who was soaking wet all over, stood up, sweeping his bangs upwards like a scene from a boy's comic book when the main character awakens.
The eyes that had been begging for life while holding onto my arms were nowhere to be found.
"Where is the real head-first slaaaammm!"
"Hahaha!"
Heo Yu-bin ran towards me with great momentum, scooping up water with both hands.
I laughed as I took in all the water without even trying to avoid it.
I was soaked from head to toe in the stream water, but there was nothing better in this hot summer.
"Hyung, let's go quickly!"
"This is the perfect opportunity to hit Karis!"
The rest of the members who followed me and Heo Yu-bin also took off their shoes and jumped into the valley with all their might.
The filming crew followed in unison to capture the spectacle of everyone running fearlessly toward the water.
I could vaguely hear the manager hyung who ran after us, shouting in despair, "What kind of sudden change is this~!"
"Wow, this is really refreshing!"
Song Hyung-bin dipped his head under the water and raised his head while spraying water.
It was like a scene from a shampoo commercial.
And behind him, Kang Si-yoon was seen swimming backstroke, perfectly adapted to the underwater environment.
"Si-yoon looks like a sea otter."
"It would be perfect if you put a seashell on the boat over there."
Meanwhile, unlike our peaceful situation, there was some confusion going on behind us.
"Ah! Aaaah! I was wrong! I was wrong!"
"Huu....."
When I turned my head after hearing someone's pitiful scream, Yoo Min-ha was half-crushed by Ji Yoon-chul and struggling.
Ji Yoon-chul, who was using his slender body to press down on Yoo Min-ha's shoulder, looked as if he was experiencing something new.
Next to him, Chae Eun-gyu was wondering whether to stop him or just leave him alone.
"What's going on, Yoon-chul?"
"Hyung! Please save me!"
"......It's nothing. Min-ha hyung tried to knock me over, so I reflexively stopped."
Yoo Min-ha also begged to be saved, thinking that he was the same age as Heo Yu-bin.
After roughly summarizing the situation, Yoo Min-ha, who had tried to play a prank first, seemed to be getting a great reverse tour by the youngest.
In that situation, hmm.
I don't necessarily need to help.
"Yoon-chul, cheer up! Fighting!"
"Thank you, hyung."
"Ploob!"
Everyone was enjoying the pork belly harvest in their own way.
It was a much more enjoyable festival than Manager Hyung had thought.
'That's good....
I also relaxed for the first time in a while and relaxed in the water.
The sound of the water flowing, the refreshing scent of the trees, and the sky where the red sunset was beautifully setting.
I felt good energy being transmitted to my body as I enjoyed the beautiful natural scenery.
How long has it been since I felt this freedom and rest?
However, this peaceful time was soon broken.
"Hmm?"
I've been hearing the members talking from far away.
I thought they were just chatting amongst themselves, so I was just floating around leisurely.
It turned out that they had been secretly plotting a conspiracy.
I stared at Kang Si-yoon, Chae Eun-gyu, Song Hyung-bin, and Yoo Min-ha, who were slowly approaching me in a fan shape.
"What are you doing now?"
"Boss Raid."
"You're quite confident, Si-yoon."
"Of course. There's no better opportunity than now."
The so-called 'Karis Raid' that they've tried since long ago, but failed every time.
The members who have always been pushed by me in all the content that uses their bodies are always looking to beat me.
That's why I sometimes try to combine my strength to create a one-on-many fight structure.
I guess they thought underwater combat would be worth a try.
I slowly got up and nodded. Let's try this.
"I told you! This is really reckless!"
"....Why are they going through all this trouble?"
Heo Yu-bin and Ji Yoon-chul, who cleverly got out of this fight, were sitting on a rock rising up by the water and watching.
That was a really smart choice.
It's true that my movements were slow because it was underwater.
However, as I said earlier, it was also the optimal condition for me to display my strength without hiding it.
I smiled at Chae Eun-gyu, who was closing the distance from me.
"I thought Eun-gyu hyung would back out, but my judgment was lacking."
"Ha, haha....... I also wanted to hit you once."
"You're really persistent."
I immediately flew towards Chae Eun-gyu right after making a light joke.
Chae Eun-gyu, surprised by the unexpected attack, let out a high-pitched scream.
"Kyaah-?!"
My leg-strike that unfolded like lightning struck him with a sudden force and he fell backwards coolly.
- Splash!
As Chae Eun-gyu and I fell into the water, creating a cool splash, the other three members also ran at full speed.
"Cover from above! If we just press down on this weight, he won't be able to do anything!"
This was also an expected development.
"Let me beat Karis too!"
"Waaaah!"
In the end, they're going to use the weight of the majority to press down on me.
I stood up, looking straight at Kang Si-yoon who was fearlessly throwing himself.
Since it was underwater, I couldn't take large strides, but if I just used my upper body flexibly, I could easily dodge such attacks.
I leaned back at the right time to avoid Kang Si-yoon, and he landed on top of Chae Eun-gyu who was struggling under me.
"Keuk!"
"Ugh! What the! Why is hyung here!"
"Of course I should be here, my neck! My neck! Don't pinch my flesh!"
"Hyung, you should get out of the way so I can get up!"
It was easy after that.
I don't know if everyone runs in together but since they're scared, Yoo Min-ha and Song Hyung-bin just went after me one by one and were defeated individually.
This raid was also going to be the boss's victory as expected.
"... too easy to win."
I tilted my head as I looked at the members sitting in the water, half out of their minds.
Then I asked Ji Yoon-chul and Heo Yoo-bin, who were still sitting on the rock watching the big defeat.
"Yu-bin, Yoon-chul. Do you think the picture of me losing once was funnier?"
"No, hyung! It's still funny enough!"
"...I guess I'm satisfied with it."
"I see. Thank you for the good feedback."
"Hey, Ji Yoon-chul! What did you just say? Hiyaa!"
Kang Si-yoon was sitting still, waiting for an opportunity to attack me from behind.
However, this time, I saw through his movements and he dove miserably under the water.
"Si-yoon, who told you to make such a loud noise when you attack from behind?"
"Kelok, Kelok! My nose is full of water, phew!"
"It's noisy, so stay a little deeper."
As I leisurely let Kang Si-yoon do the reverse tour, Heo Yu-bin and Ji Yoon-chul, who were watching from the rocks, clapped their hands as if they were having so much fun.
After playing in the water, we gathered in front of the tent again, wrapped in towels.
Now that the sun had set and the warmth had disappeared, it was starting to get a little cold.
"It's cold, it's cold! We should probably make a fire quickly."
"Do we really have to make the fire ourselves? Like Yoon-chul did before?"
"..... I would never make it if you told me to make it with a bow drill."
Ji Yoon-chul, who had personally experienced the bow drill during the
Fortunately, the production team wasn't that vicious.
I can't believe how convenient it is to make a fire with a torch instead of using a primitive method.
As we dried our bodies by the campfire, everyone seemed to be getting hungry.
"Now let's grill some meat?"
"The game is over, right?"
"Pork belly! Grill pork belly quickly!"
It's said that blessings come to those who work hard.
The members who worked hard all day to make the portions were drooling and waiting for the pork belly to be grilled.
On one side of the grill, the skewers we got from setting up the tent were neatly arranged, and all sorts of delicious smells were wafting.
"Come on, let's all eat well!"
"Hey, let's try what Min-ha grilled."
Today's meat grilling duty was volunteered by Yoo Min-ha.
Surprisingly, Yoo Min-ha was talented at grilling pork belly, and he cut the pork belly, which was dripping with fat, into appetizing sizes.
We, who were waiting with chopsticks in hand, rushed in like a pack of hyenas.
"...Hmm."
"What is that sound?"
We looked at Heo Yu-bin, who had started to sniffle.
"It's so delicious!"
"I don't know if this is acting or not anymore."
"Everyone's acting in variety shows has increased because of Kang Si-yoon."
"Ha, the influence of this body is what it is. How are you going to live without me?"
We were all too busy savoring the flavor of the pork belly to even think about responding to Kang Si-yoon's nonsense.
After devouring the pork belly and skewers like that, we stared blankly at the night sky that had become completely dark.
"...It's kind of peaceful."
Chae Eun-gyu, who was looking at the sky, said calmly.
The sound of the bonfire crackling away.
The sound of the valley flowing peacefully behind the campsite.
The sound of birds chirping somewhere in the trees.
And the members sitting next to each other.
It felt like a very new and mysterious feeling was spreading inside me.
"We've been running really hard all this time. Right?"
"It was a waste of time to rest."
Our conversation naturally led to reminiscence.
From the time of our debut until now, a year later, the members have been running together chasing one goal.
A desire to repay the love sent by fans.
An idol who never loses their original intention and always does their best.
We tried to become a person who can develop more tomorrow than today.
As I was talking about this with the members, I felt myself becoming emotional.
Song Hyung-bin looked at the burning fire with a faint gaze.
"I sometimes feel that way too? There have been so many happy things these days, so when I close my eyes for a moment and open them, I wonder if it's all a dream."
"I think I know what you're feeling. I felt exactly the same way when we finished the Seoul concert."
"When Yoon-chul cried, I also had a hard time holding back my tears..."
Heo Yu-bin talked about the behind-the-scenes story as if he could now talk about it.
"If you want to cry, you can cry, but why did you hold it back?"
"No, Yoon-chul was crying so sadly. So I was afraid that if I cried too loudly here, the tears would spread......."
"Oh, because it seemed like we'd all cry?"
"That's part of it, and I also wanted to give Yoon-chul a one-shot. When will I ever see Yoon-chul crying again?"
Ji Yoon-chul of that day, who became a stuffed animal known as the 'tear-soaked cat' meme.
Ji Yoon-chul blushed slightly, embarrassed by the memory of that day.
"...Let's roast marshmallows."
"Yoon-chul won't look us in the eye!"
"Why are you talking about something else by yourself?"
"I don't know."
Judging from the fact that he changed the subject for no reason, he must be really embarrassed.
Kang Si-yoon laughed out loud for a moment and then said in a serious voice.
"We've really prepared hard for this first full-length album, so let's work even harder to show an even better side of ourselves in the future."
"We have to run again~."
"Oh, I don't really say things like that."
"Why, why?"
"What's wrong?"
Song Hyung-bin also brushed his bangs as if he was embarrassed.
The leader, who avoided our gaze, soon made a promise in a low but firm tone.
"...I don't know about anything else, but I think we can work harder because of our members. Ah, ahhhhh! Ah, my hands and feet are shaking!"
"Why are you embarrassing yourself when you said it yourself?"
"That's right! The people who actually listen are fine!"
"Ahhh, I don't know, I don't know!"
A precious time to prepare each person's will before the comeback.
Now it's time to go to bed with the brightly shining stars.
"Sleep well, hyung."
"Min-ha, sleep well too."
"Oh, but no way."
Kang Si-yoon suddenly sat up from lying down.
The filming crew was still rolling the camera at the entrance of our tent.
"No way, is there some kind of mission in the morning?"
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