Chapter: 107
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“Fishing variety show?”
Liam, a member of the rookie boy group Thunderst, thought he must have misheard.
Fishing, really?
It goes without saying that Liam, just over twenty, had never actually tried fishing in his life.
“Isn’t that totally an uncle thing…?”
“Are you really going to be picky about this?”
“……”
Liam was part of Sunshine Planning, one of the three management companies that mostly focused on the idol business, but they hadn’t made any significant achievements yet.
At least Thunderst was managing to gather a decent fan base, but…
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but it feels a bit behind, Ho-seung.”
“Please just call me Liam.”
“Why not? Kim Ho-seung sounds nice and rolls off the tongue easily!”
Of course, he didn’t dislike his name, Kim Ho-seung.
It just didn’t quite suit a boy group vibe, did it?
“Anyway, this is a variety show that older guys would like, and there’s no time to be picky. We need to gather fans!”
“……Yes.”
He had to admit that was true.
As the team leader pointed out, among the Thunderst members, Kim Ho-seung was notably less popular.
Just an average, nondescript face.
Decent enough dance moves and singing.
And he didn’t have a particularly entertaining persona, either. So, there wasn’t anything about him that would catch viewers’ eyes in a variety show.
To be honest, sometimes he felt like this whole idol thing wasn’t for him.
“But if you go on Star Fisher, you can make connections with veteran actors and gain a new image.”
“Well, that would be nice.”
“Ah! Right! I heard the guest joining us is a woman.”
“A woman? Is she an actress or an idol?”
“I’m not sure.”
“How do you know nothing?”
“Ahem! But whoever it is, it’s a good opportunity to improve your image, right? If you help out while learning to fish… It’ll be great for your vibe!”
Since both of them were beginners at fishing, it wouldn’t matter much.
After all, fishing required quite a bit of stamina.
‘Looks like she might really be in a hurry to improve her image too.’
It was surprising enough that a female celebrity was participating in a fishing variety show.
Usually, female celebrities were quite hesitant about outdoor variety shows.
After all, they could get tired out easily, and their skin was just begging to be burned in the sun.
So, Liam was determined to use this opportunity to polish his image.
If he could show himself in a good light while assisting a female celebrity, he could definitely make a good impression on viewers.
With those thoughts, he headed to the filming location.
“Hello!”
“……”
Standing there was an actress he had seen on-screen not too long ago.
The one making waves recently with roles in The Chaser and Dream Future.
Joo Su-yeon.
She was standing there, loaded with various gear, directly facing him.
*
Lee Sang-soo was feeling a bit uneasy.
Star Fisher was the only variety program where he could truly unwind.
Even though it was a show, he would be fishing with Song Gwang-min, someone he knew, and enjoy some relaxation alongside the new guests.
So, when they said a young actress was coming as a guest, he was secretly uncomfortable.
‘Does she even know anything about fishing?’
Truthfully, he didn’t expect her to know much.
If she didn’t know, it was fine; they could teach her.
But it was questionable whether she would truly take it seriously.
As acting was part of her career, she could simply fake it and pretend to enjoy herself.
Lee Sang-soo, being an actor himself, could easily see through any act.
He had always been good at reading people’s emotions.
‘Especially if she’s been successful lately, it’s clear she might turn out to be a bit arrogant.’
He didn’t mean to put down Joo Su-yeon as an actress.
After all, it’s just human nature.
She had already starred in big hits, taken a break, and then returned to score two more successes.
She was bound to feel a bit cocky, especially at her age.
Yet…
“Hello, I’m Joo Su-yeon.”
Her polite bow and greeting were surprisingly neat and graceful.
Though her expression seemed cool at first glance, it surprisingly radiated warmth and enthusiasm.
It was almost as if she was genuinely excited about the experience to come.
“…I’m Lee Sang-soo. Did you say this is your first time fishing?”
“Yes.”
Su-yeon seemed to have brought all sorts of things along.
Since the production team had provided the fishing rods, she had mainly packed the essentials—extra gear, bait, and other fishing necessities.
“I’m Song Gwang-min. Nice to meet you!”
Song Gwang-min, with his robust physique, extended his hand for a handshake, and immediately pulled back with a click of his tongue.
‘Of course, she has soft hands that have never known hard work.’
Had she ever exercised?
Her skin was soft and smooth, without a callus in sight.
Holding a fishing rod and enduring the ocean waves felt like asking for trouble.
She was petite, and her body slim.
If a big fish snagged the line, she would be dragged right into the sea.
“Let me introduce myself! I’m Liam from Thunderst! Nice to meet you!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Feel free to talk casually with us!!”
Liam’s enthusiastic shout broke the ice, and smiles crept onto Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min’s faces.
At least the guys felt more comfortable with each other.
As the initial meeting was being filmed by PD Jeong Seung-hyun, he assessed that everything seemed ready and began to speak.
“Today, we will be fishing for jigging here in Wando.”
They would go on a boat and engage in jigging fishing.
Then, teams would compete against each other. That was the basic plot of Star Fisher.
“We’ll categorize the fish by species. The team that catches the largest fish wins!”
And capturing the most fish wouldn’t earn them any points, since they planned to release them all after catching.
“Let’s set off then.”
With PD Jeong Seung-hyun’s prompting, everyone moved towards the boat for deep-sea fishing.
“Su-yeon, have you ever been fishing before?”
“No, it’s my first time on a fishing boat.”
“Oh dear, this might be tough.”
“I’m fine.”
Lee Sang-soo smiled as he said that, but honestly, he was quite concerned.
Fishing boats had to stay out at sea for a long time, after all.
There was a good chance she might get seasick.
‘Is she really okay?’
He couldn’t shake that question but could tell that PD Jeong Seung-hyun wasn’t worried at all.
After all, he had heard a lot already about her.
“I heard she once pierced her finger while fishing.”
“She caught dozens of fish with a spear on a deserted island.”
“I heard she even started a fire with branches.”
“I heard she’s incredibly strong…”
“And nobody has seen her looking tired on set yet.”
…Honestly, it was hard to tell what might be exaggerated and what wasn’t.
Anyway, the common thread in the gossip was that she was physically fit.
Said to have excellent motor skills.
So, the assumption that she would pick up fishing quickly made some sense.
“Let’s assume everyone’s new to fishing, and here’s how to use the rod…”
Song Gwang-min took the lead, teaching Su-yeon and Liam how to handle the fishing rod.
“Is this how it’s done?”
“Wow, great form! Of course, the younger generation knows how to do it right.”
As Liam swung the fishing rod, the line unfurled beautifully as the bait was thrown into the sea.
“If only you could have released your index finger from the line a tad quicker.”
“Should we try again?”
“No worries, you did well.”
As the broadcast officially kicked off, the two veteran actors dropped the formalities.
Keeping things too formal could really make the show boring.
“Su-yeon, don’t be scared, just give it a go. You got this?”
“Yes!”
Su-yeon was filled with enthusiasm.
Fishing!
Honestly, it had been something she wanted to try since her past life.
From a viewer’s perspective, one might wonder what was so intriguing, but seeing the faces of people who had successfully caught fish filled her with a desire to experience that thrill herself.
‘That thrill!’
That exhilarating feeling.
Su-yeon wanted to feel it for real.
So, with all her eagerness, she firmly gripped the fishing rod.
With a powerful swing, she hurled it.
In that moment, there was a sharp whoosh sound.
Then, a tremendous splashing sound erupted as the fishing rod exclaimed like it was in distress and the bait—a fish-shaped metal jig—went flying into the distance.
“O…”
Lee Sang-soo had never seen such a straight shot from a metal jig while fishing in his entire life.
Usually, jigs followed a rounded trajectory, but this one was shot straight down into the water.
No, it practically zoomed away.
If it had hit someone, it would have left a mark!
‘…What was that?’
Liam, who thought he did alright for a first-timer, rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Was fishing typically like this?
The noise when he swung the rod was startling, and the metal jig flew like a bullet.
Was fishing just about shooting fish to catch them?
“Hm, you don’t need to swing it that hard.”
“Okay.”
Although her voice was steady, there was a hint of excitement in it.
“Loosen the line, ease up!”
Clearly, Su-yeon must have studied how to fish.
After tossing the bait, she skillfully kept the line taut.
Thus began the fishing session.
At first, the two esteemed actors had been focused on Liam, but now they mainly directed their attention toward Su-yeon.
And rightly so, as Su-yeon’s form was impressively upright while using the fishing rod.
She must have practiced beforehand.
The way she smoothly jiggled the bait was proving effective!
Unless she was incredibly fit, there was no way she could keep that up without breaking a sweat.
“Su-yeon, didn’t you bring a hat? Want to borrow mine?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Su-yeon shrugged her shoulders.
“The sun can’t hurt me.”
This porcelain skin had never been tanned by the sun.
Impeccable, radiant skin.
Although she applied sunscreen out of courtesy, honestly, that wasn’t even necessary.
“Oh, really?”
Whatever that meant, if she was alright, then it was fine.
On the other hand, the one struggling in the heat was Liam.
‘Isn’t she tired? Is that even possible?’
Su-yeon was zestfully swinging the fishing rod without pause.
One would think it was manageable at first, but if one kept it up, their arms might actually fall off!
Usually, few would go about fishing like this.
But since Su-yeon was on this path, Liam felt compelled to keep an eye on her.
If he just took a break and watched, wouldn’t it look like he was slacking off while she was working so hard?
“Both of you have good stamina!”
“Wow, we can’t keep up like that.”
Meanwhile, Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min laughed contentedly.
As a matter of fact, Lee Sang-soo and Su-yeon were on the same team.
Meanwhile, Song Gwang-min teamed up with Liam.
Of course, they acknowledged that Su-yeon was exceptional, but they decided to enjoy the moment all the same.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Su-yeon felt a tug on her line.
“Oh, it’s here! What does it feel like?”
“Should I just reel it in like this?”
To Su-yeon’s calm query, Lee Sang-soo thought she must have snagged a small fish.
“Keep calm while reeling it in. If it’s too heavy, should I help you?”
“I’m fine!”
Su-yeon steadily pulled on the rod while reeling in the line, her face now reflecting determination.
If one observed closely, it was clear she was giving it her all.
‘Is it a snapper? Or a flounder?’
If it were a snapper, that would certainly guarantee victory.
Hoping for it to be at least 50 centimeters, while…
Just then, Su-yeon’s hooked fish broke the surface.
“Oh! …Oh?”
At first, it seemed reasonably big.
But as he looked closer, everything felt strangely off.
Was the fish, perhaps, larger than it appeared?
In terms of size, it appeared to be quite substantial.
“W-wait a moment!”
PD Jeong Seung-hyun sprang to his feet in shock.
“Su-yeon! If it’s dangerous, release the line!”
Seeing the startled reaction of the PD, Liam quickly turned his gaze.
Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min also rushed over to Su-yeon’s side.
What’s going on?
As Liam dashed over in a flurry, he exclaimed, “……Huh?”
A massive fish was pulling on Su-yeon’s line, dragging her inexorably behind it.
Its size was on par with Liam’s own height.
“No, wait! What on earth?!”
“Quick! Help Su-yeon, help!”
But Su-yeon merely shook her head with a smile.
“I’m okay! I’m stronger!”
“No, being strong isn’t the point!!”
The fish was a dodom, measuring 1.7 meters long.
It was an ultra-rare species, caught only a few times each year in Wando.
—
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