Chapter - 43화 (43/150)
In the front yard where they'd gathered after hearing the broadcast, Iiyeon was there, having just come into Chunmonggak. Dansol deliberately avoided facing him and stood on the opposite side from where Iiyeon was standing.
Beside Dansol stood Jisu, Taeohh, and, solidly at his side, Daesu and Minhyeok. After a little while, Minseong and Dohyeon once again came out of the trailer side by side.
"They really use that thirty minutes neatly...."
As Taeohh muttered quietly while looking at them, Dansol—who didn't understand why Taeohh was saying that—looked at him with curious eyes. Then Taeohh muttered in a voice that only Dansol could hear.
"That thing where they get thirty minutes a day to talk comfortably—those two went in twice today. They went in after lunch, then again after dinner. They're using it real efficiently."
"Oh...."
Dansol was surprised to learn Minseong's type was Dohyeon, but since he thought of him not as a romantic interest but more like a childhood idol, he was only briefly startled. Naturally, he didn't feel anything like regret beyond that.
More than that, his eyes went to the various equipment lined up in front of them.
"What is all this...."
Dohyeon muttered with a frown.
—Everyone's here. Did you have a good evening? Some of you may have spent a romantic evening with someone you like, while others may not have.
—Don't worry too much. You still have chances left.
—Today, we've prepared a voting-rights acquisition game for eliminating your competitors.
"Waaah!"
"Ughhh!"
Right then, a wig plopped down by Taeohh's feet. Startled by Taeohh's shriek, Dansol screamed too.
—Today's game is a horror experience. Inside the haunted house you can see by the shore, we've hidden a pouch containing eight voting rights. The rules for this game—which gives you a single chance to completely eliminate a competitor—are simple.
—Draw one capsule containing your partner's name, and one capsule containing the equipment you'll bring inside and your order, then depart.
—There is only one prepared pouch, and its location changes every time.
Below the cliff was a fairly convincing haunted-house set, as if no one knew when it had been built. Having already proven himself a coward once at a haunted house, Dansol swallowed hard.
—Joo Dansol?
"Yes⁈"
Already terrified, Dansol even jumped at the sound of his own name being called.
—Coincidentally, Joo Dansol, you have gone on a date every round.
"Y-yes...."
—You seem to be quite lucky. In that sense, would you draw a capsule first?
It wasn't like he'd wanted to, but under the pretext of being the one who'd benefited from the most dates, Dansol ended up drawing first.
With trembling hands, Dansol reached into the capsule box. Deep down, he wanted to go in with Daesu. From what he'd seen at the haunted house that day, Daesu didn't seem afraid.
"Waaah!"
As Dansol put his hand into the box and was choosing a capsule, he felt something squishy—along with someone else's hand grabbing his. Without realizing it, Dansol collapsed to the ground.
"Sola! Are you okay?"
As Jisu helped the teary Dansol up and approached the box, the youngest assistant director—who had followed Dansol's date all afternoon—came crawling out from under the box in a hunched posture.
—Oh dear, were you startled? It's still too early to be surprised. There are more surprising devices hidden in the abandoned house we prepared.
—Joo Dansol, could you open the capsule in your hand?
"Ugh... yes...."
Even in the middle of that, it seemed he'd kept hold of it—Dansol had a red capsule in his hand. Contrary to his hope of getting someone reliable, the paper inside, damp with sweat, had Ma Taeohh's name on it.
"Taeohh..."
When Dansol called Taeohh's name while trembling, Taeohh already looked like he was about to cry.
Like someone being dragged to a slaughterhouse, Taeohh drew the capsule with the equipment and number.
"An oil lamp... number four..."
An oil lamp that would go out with the slightest breeze, and they were last. Dansol felt like he might faint before the game even began. Taeohh looked the same—reunited, the idol alliance trembled like a lamp before the wind.
Meanwhile, Jisu came out and drew his capsules. After opening it and checking the name, Jisu lifted one eyebrow, then closed it again and tried to draw a new capsule as if it were his first time.
—Han Jisu! Once you draw a capsule, you can't take it back!
"Oh dear, I already mixed them up?"
At the sight of Jisu lying without even blinking, the broadcast voice—emotionless like an AI—seemed to pause for a moment.
—...Han Jisu will be paired with Ha Minseong.
"Why are you deciding that on your own⁈ Sure, provocative broadcasts are popular, but isn't this overstepping? If you keep doing this, I'll take legal action."
—It was all caught on the jib camera.
The broadcast answered Jisu's serious protest firmly.
"...Working hard, aren't you, jib camera director."
Forcing only the corners of his mouth into a smile, Jisu tossed a cute little hand heart toward the jib camera director, though he clearly didn't mean it.
Normally, Dansol and Taeohh would've made a bigger fuss than Jisu at that pairing, but both of them had already turned pale at the pitch-black future ahead of them, and they couldn't say a word.
Sure, it could've been a fun story: Jisu and Minseong, rumored to have been a couple in the past, meeting again in front of the cameras like fate, then going through a horror experience—perfect for bringing couples closer together. But in a situation where he had to go into that nest of ghosts, there was no way some other couple's romance would register. And if the person involved was Taeohh, even more so.
Then, in order, Dohyeon and Daesu drew phone flashlights and became a team, and Iiyeon and Minhyeok drew headlamps and became a team.
—The course will end when you pass through the haesong forest, stop by the abandoned house to pick up a locked capsule, and arrive at the cave below the coastal cliff. Inside the cave is a key, and inside it is a date ticket. Finally, the eight voting rights that can eliminate a competitor in one shot are hidden throughout the abandoned house and the forest.
Jisu, who had drawn a flashlight, teamed up with Minseong. Still in a bad mood, he didn't really listen to the friendly explanation coming through the guidance broadcast and only swung the flickering flashlight beam around.
"Hey, Han Jisu. Manage your expression. Are you... scared?"
Minseong asked in a low voice, as if picking a fight. Jisu gave a snort of laughter, then shone the flashlight straight into Minseong's eyes, mocking him with an indifferent sneer.
"Ah! Move it!"
Minseong flailed his long arms, trying to dodge this way and that, but Jisu—just as long-limbed—dodged it all and kept aiming the flashlight at Minseong's eyes.
They were a team rumored to have been lovers in the past, yet in that prank-not-prank, it was almost impressive how not a shred of affection could be seen.
"Hey, you—fuck!"
Irritated to the limit as he kept dodging the beam, Minseong finally snapped at the relentlessly chasing light. He shouted and roughly smacked Jisu's hand away.
A cracking sound rang out as the innocent flashlight broke. At the same time, the flickering light quickly died out completely. Everyone's gaze turned to the two of them—more precisely, to Minseong.
At the worst possible moment, the surroundings had gone quiet, making Minseong's curse stand out especially loud.
"Haha... we're just joking, just joking, right?"
As Minseong tried to smooth over the suddenly chilled atmosphere, Jisu smiled pleasantly and shrugged as if it had nothing to do with him. Looking at that slippery face, Minseong felt like fury was boiling inside him.
—Han Jisu, Ha Minseong, will you depart first?
"Yes."
"But the flashlight is broken?"
Jisu shook the flashlight that had shattered in the earlier commotion. He said it assuming they would fix it, or replace it, but people said the world—especially broadcast station bastards—wasn't as easygoing as you might think.
—Oh dear, what a shame. However, due to the carelessness of Ha Minseong and Han Jisu, the only flashlight has broken. Unfortunately, rules are rules. Perhaps it might still turn on, so why don't you take it with you and see?
Dansol couldn't believe his ears. As expected, broadcast station bastards never handed anything over easily. If anything, their voice sounded oddly pleased with this unintended situation. What terrifying people...
Taeohh and Dansol rechecked the wick and oil in the oil lamp. Maybe it was better than having something break. The oil lamp barely lit their feet, but what they could rely on right now wasn't each other—tragically, it was this weak, pitiful oil lamp.
"I'll be back."
As if he weren't scared at all, Jisu went ahead even without a flashlight. Minseong let out a sigh, then followed after him.
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