LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 77
Expedition Leader Jung Dae-hyun.
So far, he’s been a variety show entertainer traveling through numerous remote areas while filming for a deserted island survival show.
With outstanding physical abilities and even better adaptability, this filming was no different from his usual experiences.
And that’s why, it was even less easy.
‘This is going to be tough for getting enough content.’
Two actors have come to promote a movie.
In cases like this, the promotion often takes precedence over the variety show aspect.
First of all…
‘Joo Seo-yeon is still a teenager, a high school girl.’
Naturally, there are more things she can’t do than can.
In a normal deserted island setting, she was a young actress with a lot on her plate.
Honestly, he couldn’t understand why they sent someone with such a minor role for promotion.
‘But I have to do my best to keep the show lively.’
He is a professional.
Regardless of whether it was promotion or variety.
He intended to maximize it either way.
After all, [Deserted Island Survival] was a program he took great pride in for being a popular show on KMB.
But then…
“Seo-yeon, the fish went that way!”
At Bang Ha-yoon’s shout, Seo-yeon raised her wooden spear.
It was the same wooden spear she had been carrying around.
‘No, if she stabs like that clumsily…’
At the moment Dae-hyun thought this…
Thwack!!
The spear pierced the body of the rapidly moving fish.
The move was clumsy, but the speed compensated for it.
“Oh, I got it!”
“Whoa!!”
Of course, the expedition members erupted in cheers.
No one expected Seo-yeon to catch it in one go.
People clapped for the triumphant Seo-yeon, holding up the fish stuck on her spear.
But…
‘Huh?’
Actor Park Hee-jun and Jung Woo just looked at her as if they were saying “Oh, okay.”
And that was just the beginning.
Climbing mountains, catching bugs.
Seeing her actively moving around, Dae-hyun stuck out his tongue.
‘Did she perhaps do sports?’
It didn’t make sense otherwise.
“From now, we’re going to ride the raft. As for the paddling, I will…”
Park Hee-jun, and Park Jung-woo.
The last spot is usually allocated to the member who always pairs up with Dae-hyun, but…
“…Seo-yeon, do you want to do it?”
“Yes.”
Basically, she was being proactive about everything.
What can you say, outside of variety…?
‘It feels like she’s really excited.’
Just as Dae-hyun thought this, Seo-yeon seemed quite thrilled.
Since middle school training camp, this was probably the happiest he had seen Seo-yeon.
As mentioned before, Seo-yeon naturally had a blunt side to her emotions, so once she got excited, it would be hard for her to calm down.
You could say she’s particularly weak to pleasure.
If Lee Ji-yeon had been there, she would have slapped her to get her to stop.
‘Well, she has this side too.’
Jung-woo observed Seo-yeon paddling excitedly with a curious gaze.
He had thought she was a calm person, but secretly she had a competitive spirit.
Especially, it was obvious that she loved receiving compliments.
‘When I first saw Seo-yeon, she seemed prickly.’
‘But she’s working hard, unlike typical kids these days.’
Anyway, Seo-yeon’s current demeanor was seen as very positive by the other cast members.
It’s only natural that a young actress trying her best would come off well.
So everyone clapped enthusiastically for whatever Seo-yeon did, resulting in an infinite positive feedback spiral.
And then…
“Wow, isn’t paddling tiring?”
“Seo-yeon, your stamina is extraordinary. Seriously.”
The staff observing couldn’t help but express their disbelief.
It wasn’t just any boat but a raft.
Of course, the current wasn’t too strong, but it’s quite a challenge for a woman to paddle.
“And isn’t the view just fantastic?”
“Oh, but you shouldn’t air this recklessly. If you push too much like this, Park’s fans will hunt you down.”
While riding another boat, Shin PD casually remarked.
Of course, this was a proper motorboat, not a raft.
‘Anyway.’
From Shin PD’s viewpoint, it was unexpected.
Never had he imagined Seo-yeon would be the type to thrive in the wilderness.
Dae-hyun didn’t know, but the cameraman filming Seo-yeon seemed enchanted, only capturing her.
She wasn’t doing anything ordinary.
‘I thought this was just for promotional purposes…’
But it’s quite intriguing!
Especially, actress Joo Seo-yeon was known to the public as Yeonhwa (Princess).
That is, she had a strong image of being calm and aloof.
In particular…
‘It seems like they care about Seo-yeon’s image uniquely.’
Nova Entertainment and Seo-yeon’s manager had similar vibes.
Image.
But the Yeonhwa image wouldn’t be a bad thing.
It felt as if they were considering the potential for a negative image.
“Seo-yeon, for this variety show, the promotion is important, but focus on maintaining a bright image. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Since Seo-yeon’s manager was following her, they happened to overhear that conversation.
‘A bright image?’
The Yeonhwa image alone should be bright enough.
‘Is it because of [The Chaser]?’
Shin PD, having worked in the industry for a long time.
Naturally, he was quick on the uptake.
‘There’s something brewing here.’
He thought he should subtly ask later on.
Then he said, “Director Min, make sure to show Seo-yeon on camera more.”
“Uh? Isn’t it supposed to be Park Hee-jun?”
Of course, among the guests, the one who should get more camera time would typically be the main actor, Park Hee-jun.
However, Shin PD nodded.
“Yes. At least let it show half and half.”
“Um, understood.”
Anyway, Seo-yeon was quite an entertaining sight, so it wouldn’t hurt to capture her.
‘I hope her stamina lasts.’
Shin PD thought while watching Seo-yeon paddle happily.
“Oh, the paddle broke.”
“Huh?”
Seo-yeon lifted the broken paddle.
And the raft drifted away a bit further.
Thus, it would take a solid amount of time until their return.
*
Typically, what the participants of [Deserted Island Survival] struggle with the most is sleep.
First of all, the climate is different.
It’s humid, with bugs flying about, so most people can’t get a good night’s sleep.
Seo-yeon knew this too, so she spoke to Jung-woo with a worried tone.
“I’m worried since it’s my first time sleeping outdoors.”
“The bugs are a problem, but at least sleep if you can…”
Jung-woo was saying this when he suddenly turned his head.
Seo-yeon’s head was leaning to the side.
“…Zzz.”
“…”
But you said you couldn’t sleep…
Anyway, risking it, Seo-yeon managed to sleep quite well and literally zoomed around in [Deserted Island Survival].
At first, the cast members only clapped, but by that point, they were starting to feel something unusual.
‘Why isn’t she getting tired?’
Two nights and three days.
It’s a short schedule, but in a first outdoor shoot, it would usually be exhausting.
But hunting, paddling, climbing trees.
She just kept on running around.
At some point, the cameraman was so exhausted he couldn’t keep up.
‘Wait, won’t this raise suspicion once we air the broadcast?’
Shin PD casually thought.
Even Park Hee-jun, a special forces veteran, was no ordinary person.
He could survive solo on a deserted island.
But this was a special forces veteran…
And Seo-yeon was a regular high school girl.
How could a regular high school girl be comparable to a special forces soldier?
‘[The Chaser]… what kind of movie is it?’
Those watching Seo-yeon mostly shared a similar thought.
But if you were to ask if everyone was doing well, that wasn’t the case.
“Don’t cook.”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t.”
Jung-woo said while eating the coconut dish Seo-yeon made.
It looked like she crafted something with a lobster she caught on the deserted island.
‘Is this properly seasoned?’
At least Park Jung-woo finished eating.
Seo-yeon was not a good cook.
Not that she was dramatically bad at it.
‘There should be a limit to how poorly you can season something.’
It was like a dish made by a guy living alone in a rented apartment.
Just thinking casually, “If I add this amount of salt and do it this way, it should be fine!”
Such careless thoughts filled her cooking!
“I’ll handle all the cooking.”
Finally, Jung-woo rolled up his sleeves.
Regardless of anything else, careless cooking is unacceptable.
“Seo-yeon, just leave it. Park Hee-jun played a genius chef in a drama before…”
He had apparently been immersed in cooking back then, judging by Shin PD’s comments.
Seo-yeon nodded, watching Jung-woo, who was uniquely skilled with a knife.
‘So, I’m not the only one who loses myself in my character.’
Park Jung-woo doesn’t use full method acting like Seo-yeon; he is a straight-A student who prioritizes research and interpretation of his roles.
Technically, he was already perfected.
Thus, Park Jung-woo’s performance always rolled out smart and professional.
Cooking was probably a part of that process too.
‘He picks at every little detail…’
But he’s serious about acting, which is impressive.
And then it hit Seo-yeon.
’Oh.’
Suddenly, watching Jung-woo, she remembered.
‘Dream Future.’
The male actor in Dream Future is none other than Park Jung-woo.
“What’s with the stare?”
At that moment, Jung-woo approached with a plastic plate of the meal he brought from the expedition.
“Senior.”
“What?”
“When’s the audition for Dream Future?”
Upon hearing the term Dream Future, Jung-woo furrowed his brow.
How does she know about that?
‘Does she know someone among the production staff?’
This was one of the projects KMB was keenly watching.
While it didn’t involve tons of investment, it was certainly a challenging drama.
“A month from now. But you’re filming a movie already, right?”
“I’ve finished shooting my part.”
“Oh, right, that’s why you came for promotion.”
After saying that, Jung-woo paused for a moment.
Then he carefully looked at Seo-yeon.
His expression is always so impassive, it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.
“Why, do you want to be in it too?”
“Yes.”
“…”
For a moment, Jung-woo was left speechless by Seo-yeon’s response.
After all, Park Jung-woo is the main male lead in Dream Future.
Dream Future has many young actors, each with their own pairings.
But the most significant roles are the one played by Park Jung-woo as ‘Kim Si-hwan’…
And the coupling with the character ‘Song So-ha’.
‘Wait, is she thinking of competing for the role of Song So-ha?’
Jung-woo involuntarily swallowed hard.
They had acted together when she was in Yeonhwa, but back then, she was still young.
The thought of performing a romance scene with a grown-up Seo-yeon didn’t even cross his mind.
‘A month to go… I wonder how tough the competition would be for the role of Joo Ha-rin.’
Of course, Seo-yeon wasn’t aiming for the role of Song So-ha paired with Park Jung-woo.
She was looking at the role of Joo Ha-rin, which had a proportionate amount of presence — neither too much nor too little.
An adorably charming character with a surprisingly big amount of popularity despite her often modest portrayal.
Currently, Seo-yeon’s character Cha Seo-ah in [The Chaser] is her opposite.
Whereas Cha Seo-ah struggles to feel emotions…
Joo Ha-rin experiences emotions far more intensely than others.
An emotionally sensitive, cheerful, and cute character.
Honestly, Seo-yeon felt a bit insecure about it.
That having the character opposite to her own would refer back to her own nature.
‘But…’
Seo-yeon definitely wanted to try for that role.
Initially, she decided to aim for it to protect the 400 million won she earned from advertising, but as an actress… it’s a necessary journey.
You can’t always cling to just one character.
You shouldn’t stick to acting only what you can manage.
You must be able to provide variations.
This is a vital skill for an actor.
‘The competition for the role of Song So-ha will be fierce…’
‘But Joo Ha-rin’s role should be a bit more relaxed, right?’
As those thoughts crossed their minds, the second day came to a close.
*
“Everyone worked hard. Welcome back to Korea.”
Two nights and three days.
A period that could feel long or short.
‘Once it airs, it should certainly boost in popularity.’
Shin PD thought.
Honestly, when he first suggested they promote a movie on [Deserted Island Survival], he thought it was a ridiculous idea.
But now, that was different.
The first day could be glanced over but the second and third days…
The moments Seo-yeon displayed during the missions were remarkably impressive.
‘Particularly.’
Seo-yeon’s pristine white skin was remarkable.
Even after two days and three nights in the blazing sun, her clear, fair skin didn’t have a hint of tan!
‘Did she mention she’s doing a cosmetic ad?’
Even Bang Ha-yoon seemed fascinated by Seo-yeon’s complexion, asking what skincare product she used.
She didn’t reveal the brand on air, just gave a smile instead.
‘This will definitely make waves once it hits the broadcast.’
She was undoubtedly bound to be the center of attention.
Moreover, there was one more thing.
The camera was still focused on Park Jung-woo and Seo-yeon.
Having seen the myriad of entanglements, they kept watching until the very end.
Filming, after all, wasn’t over yet.
“Are we heading back right away?”
“Yes. I’ve got work to do.”
“Work?”
Jung-woo found it odd.
What kind of work does she always have?
As if curious, Jung-woo asked, and Seo-yeon offered a rare cheerful smile.
“Yes, it’s my birthday today.”
“…”
At Seo-yeon’s words, Jung-woo could only freeze.