Chapter 50

50. A Day in a Fishing Village

Jung-young, Seung-hyun, and Si-woo stood by the open sea, hands in their pockets, and posed in the same way.

The production team took shots of the three from various angles.

A drone camera was flying above their heads.

"Alright! That's it~ Now let's get on the boat~"

After completing the video for the preview, the production team guided the three onto the boat.

Si-woo held Jung-young and Seung-hyun's hands and boarded the large boat.

Hyun-ju followed Si-woo, maintaining a position out of the camera's view.

"Wow~!"

Si-woo opened his mouth wide and shouted as he entered the boat.

Jung-young, with a very composed expression, asked maturely,

"Si-woo, is this your first time on a boat?"

Si-woo, who was about to answer, flinched at the camera suddenly coming close but then answered normally.

"…Yeah."

This is my first time in this life.

Si-woo didn't shout because he was amazed by the boat; it was because there was a snack stand inside.

"Look at that~"

Si-woo pointed at the displayed snacks, and Jung-young smiled warmly.

"Do you want some snacks? Shall I buy them for you?"

Si-woo felt a slight shiver run down his arm.

'…Wow, why are you acting like this? I can't get used to it.'

Jung-young also asked Seung-hyun,

"Do you want some too, Seung-hyun? Do you want to pick one?"

Jung-young's manager, from a distance, gave a thumbs up, indicating that he was doing a great job.

Jung-young, the top Hallyu male star, but a gentle and affectionate older brother to children, took the kids to the snack stand.

Jung-young whispered to Seung-hyun, making sure the camera didn't catch it,

"…Pick the banana kick for me. Banana kick. Ahem."

Seung-hyun, having received the order, ran to the stand with Si-woo and picked up the banana kick first.

Jung-young said,

"Seung-hyun, are you going to eat that? Don't you want some milk? How about strawberry milk?"

"…"

Seung-hyun, making eye contact with Jung-young, quietly opened the refrigerator and took out three strawberry milks.

"Here, have some too."

"Huh? Oh, I don't really like sweets, but… sure, let's eat together."

While Jung-young and Seung-hyun were in sync, Si-woo checked his mother's reaction and loudly called out to the snack stand owner,

"My~ Choo~!"

The production team would either mosaic the brand or mute it.

Si-woo confidently demanded the chewy candy, My Choo, which his mother usually didn't let him eat.

"Hehehe, this one?"

The snack stand owner held up a red bag and asked.

Si-woo politely held out his palms and said,

"Please~"

"Sure~ Go ahead and eat it~ I'll give it to you as a gift~"

"Thank you~"

The production team burst into laughter at the sight of Si-woo hugging the red candy bag and bowing deeply.

It felt like a good start.

If they just followed this kid around, they wouldn't have to worry about the footage.

The three, led by the production team, walked up to the house they were directed to on the island.

Since it was a hill, Jung-young carried Si-woo.

Seung-hyun, finding everything new and interesting, kept looking around.

Although he had been to rural areas for "The King's Road," this was his first time in a fishing village.

"Is it there?"

A small, pretty house with a blue roof appeared.

Jung-young opened the gate and went inside.

The production team had taken over one side of the yard.

Jung-young and Seung-hyun greeted the production team as they crossed the yard.

Two men were waiting for them.

"Hello, seniors!"

Jung-young and Seung-hyun bowed deeply, showing their respect.

Si-woo, who had just been put down, bowed deeply as he had practiced with his seniors.

"Hello~"

The two actors couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter at Si-woo's loud greeting.

"Oh my~! Really… If all three of you come, we'll be completely squids~ Hahaha!"

The action actor in his mid-40s, Kang Dong-hoon, with his massive build, made a joke.

Jung-hoon, who looked younger but was actually two years older, responded,

"You're the squid. I'm still alive. Don't tie us together in a set."

"Hey, you'll be 50 tomorrow, 50. What are you saying in front of Song Jun-young, you're all old now."

"Shut up. Let's get ready quickly."

Hyun-woo and Dong-hoon stood at attention and bowed to the three.

"Here! Go!"

"Why are you doing this, seniors! Haha! After the drama ended last year, I immediately returned to being a commoner."

The five of them exchanged their first greetings with a bit of banter.

Seung-hyun and Si-woo were scheduled to film in the fishing village with these two actors until dinner tonight, and Jung-young until lunch tomorrow.

Hyun-woo said,

"Wasn't it tiring to come here? Are you hungry? We've prepared lunch for you. Just sit down and eat. First… I'll give you a mission."

Hyun-woo, still looking handsome, smiled at Jung-young and Seung-hyun, who were nervous about appearing on the show, and gave them instructions.

"It's not difficult. Don't worry. While we prepare the food, you three… see that chicken coop? Can you go there and bring back five eggs? And Jung-young, can you fry them? That's it."

'Chicken coop?'

"Understood, senior."

Jung-young, the leader of the three, answered calmly without showing his surprise.

"Let's go, guys."

Jung-young led the way to the chicken coop.

Seung-hyun, holding Si-woo's hand, explained to him,

"Do you know chickens?"

"Yeah! Chicken!"

"That's right. We're going to see chickens. Have you seen chickens before?"

"I've seen them in the countryside~"

Seung-hyun's hand, which he was holding, was cold.

It wasn't just because of the weather.

'…He must be nervous. What's so scary about chickens? Why are they so nervous?'

Si-woo, holding hands with Seung-hyun, jumped excitedly.

Jung-young, standing in front of the chicken coop, turned to his brothers and showed a reassuring smile.

"I'll get them. Just watch from here."

The camera captured every move Jung-young made.

Squatting down, Jung-young bravely opened the chicken coop door and moved inside.

30 seconds later.

Jung-young came out empty-handed.

"Wait… There are a lot of chickens. I didn't see them from outside, but there are many hiding inside."

Jung-young, mumbling to himself, gathered his courage and went back inside.

Second attempt.

"Back off! Just a moment! No! You're not trying to eat the eggs! I just want to look! Woah! Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Jung-young came out empty-handed again.

Seeing the staff laughing, Jung-young's manager quietly asked PD Lee Hyo-eun,

"PD, can you edit that out and just show him coming out with the eggs?"

PD Lee Hyo-eun, who had been smiling at Jung-young's usual perfection, said,

"I'll consider editing it later. Since this is the first thing you're doing here, it would be better to do it yourself for the show. Try a bit more. Once you know the trick, it's easy."

"Ah, okay. Then… shall we try that?"

While Jung-young, who had been attacked in the small space, was catching his breath, Seung-hyun stepped forward for his brother.

"Brother, let me try."

"Huh? You? The chickens… were a bit aggressive."

Seung-hyun stood in front of the chicken coop and looked at the eggs inside.

It wasn't a big deal.

Just go in, pick them up, and come out.

Determined, Seung-hyun bent down and stepped into the coop. Suddenly, a chicken flew at his head.

– Cluck cluck cluck-!

"Ahh-!"

What? What? Do chickens usually make such loud noises?

Is this for the show?

Seung-hyun, who had only been inside for three seconds, rushed out and collapsed in front of the chicken coop.

Seeing this, Jung-young jumped up and laughed.

"Hahaha! Look at that! Scary, right? Scary, right? I told you, the chickens…"

A moment of silence.

All the staff were staring blankly at the gentleman of Asia, Jung-young.

Seeing his manager's red face, Jung-young, like a malfunctioning robot, took a step, then another, and helped Seung-hyun up.

"Seung-hyun… are you okay? You must have been scared."

While Jung-young was giving a robotic performance to the camera, Si-woo, who had sighed deeply, stepped forward.

"Brothers~ Can I do it~?"

Seung-hyun, who had just stood up, brushed off the dirt on his clothes and stopped Si-woo.

"No. No. Chickens are really scary. My brother and I will come up with a strategy and do it together…"

"I've done this a lot~"

"Huh?"

"In the countryside~ with my grandfather~"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! Watch~ Chickens aren't scary~"

To rescue the two bumbling brothers on their first mission, Si-woo walked towards the chicken coop.

It felt like the day was getting dark just to get one egg fry.

Si-woo, walking steadily, opened the chicken coop door with his small hands and entered without hesitation.

Jung-young quickly ran over.

"Seung-hyun, you're small, so wait outside. I'll go in with Si-woo to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Okay, brother."

Squatting down, Jung-young waddled into the chicken coop after Si-woo.

Si-woo was facing the chickens.

The chickens looked at the intruder with wary eyes.

Two cameras installed in the chicken coop recorded all of Si-woo and Jung-young's actions.

Si-woo said,

"It's okay~ Wait~"

The chickens, as if they understood, took a step back.

At that moment, the chicken that had attacked Seung-hyun approached Si-woo, exuding an aura different from the other chickens.

'Look at this one?'

Is it the leader of the flock?

The chicken, which looked fierce even at a glance, rolled its eyes and squawked.

– Cluck cluck cluck-!

Jung-young, startled, wrapped his arm around Si-woo.

"Si-woo, it's dangerous! Let's go out! That one! It's the nastiest one here!"

Si-woo, with a relaxed smile, lowered Jung-young's arm that was holding him.

And then-

"Cluck cluck cluck~!"

He mimicked the chicken's call.

The chicken, tilting its head, raised its voice even more, as if it was about to attack.

– Cluck! Cluck cluck cluck! Cluck-!

Si-woo didn't back down.

"Cluck! Cluck cluck! Cluck-!"

– ……!

Si-woo's cute voice echoed in the chicken coop.

After a fierce and intense battle of wills, the chicken withdrew its aggressive gaze and flew back into the flock.

"What, what? Si-woo, did you just talk to the chicken? What did you say?"

Jung-young asked.

Si-woo, still making eye contact with the chickens, crab-walked towards the straw and answered in his mind.

'I explained to them that there are no roosters in their flock, so their eggs can only be used for food.'

Jung-young, confused but following Si-woo, crab-walked as well.

The staff, watching from outside, thought the scene was quite strange, seeing a 28-year-old mimicking a 4-year-old.

"The kid is really unique. Song Jun-young is… really funny, but the key is how much to edit."

PD Lee Hyo-eun said.

Si-woo, who had somehow managed to hold two eggs in his arms, was now confidently walking out of the chicken coop.

It was lightning fast.

Jung-young, who had received three eggs from Si-woo inside the coop, also came out, looking proud as if he had accomplished something.

Indeed… it was a strange scene.

Oh.