Chapter 21

The program "Infinite Challenge" has now become a relatively popular show in the variety show industry. Although it is still far from the status it would achieve in the future, its influence on the industry is already beginning to show. It was only after a three-hour mental pep talk from his agent, Kim Soo-yeon, that Yoon Hyun decided to truly fulfill his responsibilities. The first notice he received from "Infinite Challenge" was that he needed to clear at least two full days of his schedule. This was because his first recording for "Infinite Challenge" was an overseas trip.

So, with no choice, Yoon Hyun hurriedly finished two days of filming for "Cafe Prince 1" and then took leave from the director, screenwriter, and his co-star, Yoon Eun-hye, before setting out on his first "Infinite Challenge" journey.

"Hello, I'm PD Kim Tae-ho of 'Infinite Challenge.' This is PD Kim Tae-hee, who will be your dedicated PD for the show," Kim Tae-ho, the chief PD, introduced the lady standing beside him to Yoon Hyun.

"Hello, Kim Tae-hee... xi," Yoon Hyun felt a bit awkward, as it was strange to associate this girl with his own Tae-hee sister.

"Hello, Yoon Hyun xi, please take care of me," PD Kim Tae-hee greeted Yoon Hyun politely.

"We're here today to film a scene of you receiving the task and preparing to set off," Kim Tae-ho indicated the camera to Yoon Hyun.

Yoon Hyun was taken aback, realizing the camera had been on the whole time, and could only put on what he thought was a somewhat cool expression and waved at the camera.

Then Yoon Hyun's phone rang.

Yoon Hyun answered the call.

"Yoon Hyun xi, please arrive at Incheon International Airport at 8:00 AM tomorrow for the filming of 'Infinite Challenge.'"

"Okay," Yoon Hyun replied calmly, then immediately put on an impatient look and shouted at Kim Tae-ho behind the camera, "I can hear you even without putting the phone to my ear. Is it fun to waste phone bills like this?"

Everyone on the set burst into laughter.

Kim Tae-ho also showed appreciation for Yoon Hyun's sense of entertainment.

Yoon Hyun thought to himself, "What, have I never seen a pig run before?" In his previous life, a major pastime for a shut-in was watching variety shows from all over the world... and he had learned a lot. Moreover, when it came to making comments, the difference between these entertainment industry professionals and the shut-ins who frequented forums was incomparable!

Then the filming crew said goodbye to Yoon Hyun and left his house.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Yoon Hyun looked at his agent, Kim Soo-yeon, who had bowed to the "Infinite Challenge" staff and returned to the house, feeling a bit speechless.

"I have to be at Incheon at 8:00 AM tomorrow! I need to leave at 6:00 AM! Just thinking about it makes me tired! Since you have so many rooms, can I just stay here?" Kim Soo-yeon acted as if she was already at home.

"Isn't it inappropriate for a man and a woman to stay in the same room?" Yoon Hyun looked at her with a bit of disgust.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not afraid," Kim Soo-yeon shot Yoon Hyun an indifferent glance.

This was Kim Soo-yeon's first visit to Yoon Hyun's house. When she saw that the artist she managed was living in a luxurious mansion in Gangnam, she was completely stunned. Her only thought now was how to stay at Yoon Hyun's place safely and reasonably. After all, compared to her home in Namyang, this place was much more convenient!

Yoon Hyun looked at the clearly deranged Kim Soo-yeon and shook his head speechlessly, "At least you should bring some clothes, right? We're going to the Philippines this time. Although it's only for two days, it's a tropical climate, and you'll sweat a lot. Don't you worry about smelling bad?"

"About that..." Kim Soo-yeon was momentarily speechless. Since Yoon Hyun had known her birthday in early September, he had been teasing her about her Virgo traits. And she indeed had some obsessive-compulsive tendencies...

"Let's do this..." Seeing Kim Soo-yeon's pitiful look and considering that she would have to travel from Namyang early in the morning, Yoon Hyun said, "Let's go, I'll drive you back to get some clothes. You can stay at my place tonight."

"What... why are you suddenly so proactive?" Kim Soo-yeon looked at Yoon Hyun with suspicion.

Yoon Hyun was speechless and said, "Isn't it because you look pitiful... Okay, wait a moment."

Then he made a phone call.

"Hello, Ji-hyun, what are you up to? What are your plans for tonight? It's like this, I have an early shoot tomorrow morning, and my agent wants to stay at my place for the night. It's a bit awkward for a man and a woman... So I thought of you... Ji-hyun Nuna, can you help me out? Otherwise, Kim Soo-yeon xi will have to travel from Namyang early tomorrow... Or should I let her call you?... No, because I think Bora might not agree... Okay, thank you!" Yoon Hyun hung up the phone and said to Kim Soo-yeon, "Ji-hyun is coming to stay with you. Thank her later."

Then he drove his car, taking Kim Soo-yeon to her place.

It took Yoon Hyun nearly 40 minutes to drive from Gangnam to Namyang, and he felt a bit sympathetic for her having to take a long bus ride to the company every morning.

Kim Soo-yeon got out of the car and went upstairs. In just 15 minutes, she appeared at the entrance with a large suitcase.

"Hey, it's just one night and two days in the Philippines, do you really need all that?" Yoon Hyun complained.

"Just in case," Kim Soo-yeon replied vaguely.

Although he was a bit annoyed by Kim Soo-yeon's initiative, Yoon Hyun was still generous enough to help her load her luggage into the car and drive back to Gangnam.

However, when Lee Ji-hyun got into the car and saw Kim Soo-yeon's large suitcase, her look at Yoon Hyun changed completely.

Despite Kim Soo-yeon's repeated explanations, Lee Ji-hyun insisted on going back to the dorm to bring along all of Bora.

The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.

"What's going on?" Bora, who had been dragged into the car in a daze, clearly hadn't figured out the situation yet.

"It's like this, my agent is staying at my place for the night and brought a lot of stuff. Ji-hyun Nuna saw it and thought there was something going on between us, so she insisted on bringing you along..."

Bora was speechless.

Suddenly, a room that was originally for one person became crowded with three people, making Yoon Hyun's home lively.

Especially in the guest bedroom, where three girls had to share a double bed, the situation was particularly awkward.

Bora almost wanted to run away. But under Lee Ji-hyun's pressure, she had no choice but to go along with it, feeling like she was being dragged into something.

In reality, the night passed quietly. Although Bora and Lee Ji-hyun kept criticizing Yoon Hyun's behavior, they didn't really make things difficult for him. They all slept peacefully, and Yoon Hyun and Kim Soo-yeon even shared a bed.

As for whether they whispered secrets or not, that was something Yoon Hyun couldn't know...

The next morning, Yoon Hyun got up before 5:00 AM, ran a lap around the neighborhood as usual, and then went home to make a simple breakfast. It was almost 6:00 AM when Kim Soo-yeon, wearing tight pajamas and looking exhausted, finally came out of the bedroom.

Yoon Hyun swore he had never noticed how good his assistant's figure was.

But his shut-in nature made him too shy to look, and he just took his breakfast and went back to his room.

About ten minutes later, Yoon Hyun finished his breakfast and came out of his room. Kim Soo-yeon was already ready, but the redness on her face indicated she had just gone through a serious mental struggle.

Bora and Lee Ji-hyun were still sleeping, so Yoon Hyun left a note on the dining table and went out with Kim Soo-yeon, getting into the waiting chauffeur-driven car and heading to Incheon Airport.

Thanks to good luck, the car arrived at Incheon Airport just after 7:00 AM.

After contacting the program's PD, Yoon Hyun found the crew that had already gathered.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work!" Yoon Hyun bowed to the crew members who were already prepared.

"Yoon Hyun xi, you're here early!" PD Kim Tae-ho greeted Yoon Hyun happily.

"You're even earlier. Thank you for your hard work," Yoon Hyun replied politely.

"Actually... you can go rest over there," Kim Tae-ho, seeing Yoon Hyun's politeness, seemed a bit moved, "The others might take a while to arrive."

Yoon Hyun glanced at the camera, which was already on, and smiled, shaking his head, "No, I'm well-rested."

"Are you not nervous about your first time on 'Infinite Challenge'?" Kim Tae-ho asked.

"A little, but not enough to keep me awake," Yoon Hyun laughed, then, with a mischievous grin, he said to his agent, who was still yawning behind the camera, "Soo-yeon, why don't you go back to sleep?"

As soon as Yoon Hyun said that, at least two cameras started working: one focused on him, and the other on his agent. He couldn't help but admire the sensitivity of the cameramen. How could they be so quick to react?

Kim Soo-yeon, hearing Yoon Hyun mention her, didn't realize the cameras were on and waved her hand at Yoon Hyun, pointing to the cameraman in front of Kim Tae-ho, indicating that they were filming.

Yoon Hyun, pretending to be clueless, shook his head and pointed to an empty chair, "Go sit down. It's going to be a long day."

Kim Tae-ho couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Yoon Hyun xi, you're really gentle with girls!"

Yoon Hyun nodded, "You haven't seen how terrifying my agent can be when she's sleep-deprived."

Then they both laughed.

Naturally, the irritated Kim Soo-yeon shot Yoon Hyun a threatening look, "You'll regret this."

Yoon Hyun didn't have to wait long before the regular MCs arrived. The first to arrive was the main MC of "Infinite Challenge," also known as the National MC, Yoo Jae-suk.

"Senior Yoo Jae-suk, hello!" Yoon Hyun greeted Yoo Jae-suk with a 90-degree bow as soon as he saw him.

"Yoon Hyun xi, hello! Welcome to 'Infinite Challenge'!" Yoo Jae-suk smiled and said to Yoon Hyun.

As an MC who had worked in the variety show industry for over a decade and had risen to the position of National MC, Yoo Jae-suk's humble personality made him almost the only artist in the Korean entertainment industry without any detractors.

"This is my first time on this kind of variety show, so please take care of me," Yoon Hyun bowed again.

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Yoo Jae-suk," Yoo Jae-suk patted Yoon Hyun's shoulder affectionately. "This show is different from other variety shows. Be prepared for some hard work!"

"PD Kim Tae-ho is still here. Is it really okay to say that?" Yoon Hyun noticed the camera was still recording and played along.

"Ah, his reputation among the MCs is already completely ruined! Ruined!" Yoo Jae-suk waved his hands dramatically.

"So, 'Infinite Challenge' is a challenge from the PD to the MCs, right?" Yoon Hyun seemed to have grasped the essence of the show.

"Yoon Hyun, as a top student from Seoul University, you've really grasped the essence of 'Infinite Challenge' in just a few words," Yoo Jae-suk nodded in approval.

"Isn't it a challenge from the MCs to the PD?" PD Kim Tae-ho, who had been listening behind the camera, couldn't help but interject.

"When one person challenges another, isn't it the challenger who decides what to do, and the challenged one who agrees to do it?" Yoon Hyun said with a serious face.

"Yoon Hyun, if you had joined 'Infinite Challenge' earlier, it would have been great!" Yoo Jae-suk clapped his hands, praising Yoon Hyun's response.

While Yoo Jae-suk and Yoon Hyun were chatting, Jung Jun-ho and Jung Hae-in arrived almost simultaneously.

Yoon Hyun bowed to the duo, known to the audience as "Big Fatty" and "Little Fatty."

Before Yoon Hyun could chat with them, Lu Hong-zhe appeared, and Yoon Hyun bowed to him as well.

"Yoon Hyun xi, you're too polite. It's making me feel uncomfortable," Lu Hong-zhe, who was often bullied on "Infinite Challenge," said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Yoon Hyun, you don't need to be so formal! 'Infinite Challenge' is known for its lack of hierarchy. If you're too polite, you'll be bullied by the seniors, and don't cry about it later," Jung Jun-ho, who seemed to have a good impression of Yoon Hyun, said, engaging him in conversation.

"Is Senior Park Myung-soo that scary?" Yoon Hyun, despite watching a few episodes of "Infinite Challenge" the night before and recalling his previous life's memories of