Chapter 81

Hey! Ta! Teora! (3)

The meal preparation, led by Jeton, was completed in no time. It was entirely thanks to Jeton's skills. Plus, the other members only cooperated to a minimal extent.

On the table were dishes that went well with a home-cooked meal. There was doenjang jjigae, a Korean soul food, grilled mackerel, perfectly rolled egg, spam, kimchi, and cucumber pickles that seemed to have been brought from their accommodation.

‘Weren’t we supposed to come here to have fun and shoot? The preparations were already unusual…’

I should have noticed when the live mackerel appeared. I suspected that the cucumber pickles were made by themselves. There's a good chance that it's true.

Jeton, who had prepared breakfast so easily, started the meal with the Teora members. Every time a spoonful of doenjang jjigae was taken, exclamations of delight burst out. Parkha put the spoon in her mouth and shivered, then seemed ready to drink the soup she had served in her bowl.

That's not a reaction that can be acted out. I'm curious how delicious it must be to elicit such a response.

Ajajak?

The sound of Olan chewing the cucumber pickles echoed. His mouth was filled with saliva.

‘Investment…?’

Even though the word 'investment' came out of Olan's mouth, which still looked very young, it didn't seem awkward. It was hard to rationalize that Olan could act so skillfully, and it kept nagging at me.

“…Olan?”

A suspicion that this might be his original personality began to show its presence.

As an entertainer, there is inevitably a difference between their personality in front of the camera and behind it. Image management is the key to success in a profession where one must present well to the public.

There are often cases where an entertainer's true character is revealed after an incident or scandal. However, it is rare for someone to intentionally display two completely different personalities. At least, not for the sake of image management.

I might be overreacting, but I was often called a 'perception king' among friends. Based on experience, the possibility that this was not a mere assumption was significantly high.

To be honest, I became interested in Teora because I was captivated by Olan's face. Since the affection started with his appearance, his personality was a secondary issue.

But in the world of idol groups, even if someone has done nothing wrong, they can still be targeted and bullied. I couldn't be sure that Olan wouldn't become a target.

“Worrying in advance won’t do any good….”

On the screen, Chorok was refilling her bowl with rice at a terrifying speed.

Unlike the other members, who were given rice bowls, she was given a bowl of udon, which was a sign that something was off. During her third refill, the members were chatting and eating leisurely.

It seemed they were trying to match their pace to Chorok's, who was eating much faster than the average Korean.

“Teora’s atmosphere is great~.”

The consideration shown in every action made it impossible for them to have a bad relationship. Such thoughtfulness would naturally create a human connection.

I watched the Teora members, especially Chorok, with a fascinated gaze. The way she chewed and swallowed without spilling a single grain of rice made my mouth water. She had a talent for food broadcasts.

After finishing their meal, the Teora members enjoyed a light dessert. Seohun and Parkha chose ice cream, while the others opted for coffee and enjoyed a relaxed free time.

How each member used their free time varied according to their individual characteristics.

Jeton, saying he needed to take a nap when he had time, went to his room after a brief digestion period. Chorok and Seohun settled in the living room to watch a movie after a long time.

Ham Won picked up the guitar he had brought and sat on a bench outside the cabin to play. Even a person with no musical ear could tell it was a high-level performance.

Parkha, who was hovering around Ham Won, asked what song it was, and he replied that it was an impromptu composition. Parkha, wide-eyed, thought it was a newly composed song and clapped loudly. Ham Won, only raising an eyebrow, continued to play without much enthusiasm.

“…Is he an unconscious genius?”

There are people who, despite being seen as geniuses by others, consider themselves far from it. People whose standards are set at the top of the sky.

I didn’t think he would lack awareness of his good looks. He must have heard endless praise for his appearance since he was young. No matter how clueless someone is, they would eventually realize their good looks.

The more I learned about Ham Won, the more I found him unique, but I didn’t think he had reached that level.

‘Unless he lived in a remote area.’

Olan was in his room, reading a book and concentrating. As the camera moved closer to the book, Olan half-covered the open page, showing the title.

‘…Economic concepts? Our kid?’

The mismatched words caused a momentary brain freeze. It was hard to find a reason for a child who hadn’t even reached adulthood to need to read this book.

At that moment, Parkha, who entered the room, asked what he was reading, resolving my curiosity.

Olan, once again opening the book, took out a pen and notebook from his bag.

“…What is Olan….”

The image of Olan I had before watching this reality show was completely shattered.

Parkha, unable to respond, mumbled and quietly left the room. Olan, meticulously taking notes, read the book as if it were a textbook.

“Is it really like an old soul has entered him…?”

Olan, who exuded a mature aura, seemed to be isolating himself from the world while deeply considering his members. It’s not easy to study for someone else’s sake. It was an action that a parent who loves their child might do.

Of course, there’s nothing bad about having ‘economic concepts.’ Rather, it might be a necessary element for an idol who earns money from a young age.

Unless the income far exceeds the expenses and is managed by a professional, there’s a risk of losing a large sum of money to fraud.

‘Is this newly rising idol trying to instill economic concepts in his members?’

I couldn’t help but admire him. If this is a setup, it’s so overdone that it would be criticized.

Now I was certain. The Olan in this reality show was ‘real.’

* * *

After spending their individual time, the members gathered in the living room for a late lunch, which Jeton had prepared. Despite the brief digestion period, the members who had overeaten were now more relaxed.

Chorok also said she didn’t know. This part seemed to be a game set up by the production team. They probably intended to reveal the punishment after determining the winners and losers, but the content of the punishment was already announced to the viewers through subtitles.

【The losing team will ★dress up as women★ and walk around the company】

The members who lose will be embarrassed, but given their good looks, they would all look good in women’s clothing. It might be difficult for the production team to get the humiliating photos they wanted.

Among them, Seohun, with his larger build, would stand out. However, with makeup, it would be hard to distinguish between men and women just by looking at their faces. It was almost certain.

Still, it was good that they weren’t asked to go outside. It seemed the production team wanted to keep the photos for themselves, but I let it slide. The fans would see them soon enough.

The scissors team included Ham Won and Olan, the rock team included Parkha and Jeton, and the paper team included Chorok and Seohun. There was no order of play.

Despite this, I couldn’t help but hope that the scissors team, which included my favorite, would come in last.

Both of them are quite pretty, so with wigs and light makeup, they would probably look even prettier than most women.

Treasure hunting is a light game often played during picnics or field trips. The rules are very simple, with no first-come, first-served or time limits, but the Teora members were fired up with competitiveness.

They were formulating strategies and even trying to hinder other teams. They probably anticipated that the punishment would be severe.

A constant stream of TMI was pouring out. Parkha had the best eyesight among the Teora members, Seohun had the best dynamic vision, and Olan had the best color sense. The members boasted of these useless pieces of information as they scattered around the cabin.

The notes were hidden only within the wooden fence surrounding the cabin, but the fence enclosed a vast yard. It would take a while to find the notes in such a large area.

Perhaps worried that the viewers would get bored, the show quickly showed the Teora members engaged in the treasure hunt. Even as the fast-forward progressed, the members displayed their individual personalities.

Seohun climbed a tree to check from above, Chorok strolled around with her hands behind her back, as if re-collecting the notes she had hidden.

Parkha scanned the area and, when she found a narrow corner, stuck her head in.

Jeton found a note near the cabin door and then took her time on the bench.

Ham Won wandered around as if it was his first time playing treasure hunt, and Olan had to go close and check to satisfy his curiosity.

【Checking the notes…】

The results were absurd.

The sum of the numbers on the notes collected by Parkha and Jeton was infinity. One of the notes had ∞ written on it.

It was revealed why Jeton only found one note and then took her time. There was no point in wasting time when it was impossible to beat infinity.

The second-place team was Seohun and Chorok, with a total of 332. The last-place team, Ham Won and Olan, had a total of -102.

“Negative?”

Ham Won found a note with -500 written on it, hesitated, and then included it in the total.

They accepted the punishment without complaint. I felt a bit better that Olan, whom I wanted to see punished, was included, even though I felt sorry for the two of them.

“Will they remain calm even after the punishment is revealed?”

It was time to reveal the punishment. Chorok, who received a small paper envelope, opened it and read the content inside.

Olan and Ham Won’s faces crumpled simultaneously, like thin sheets of paper.