Chapter: 77
The exploration team leader Jeong Dae-hyun.
A seasoned entertainer who’s traversed countless wildernesses while filming Survival Without People.
Possessing not just exceptional physical abilities but an impressive adaptability, this shoot was no different than the others for him.
So, it was all the more challenging.
‘Man, getting enough footage might be tougher than expected.’
Two actors were here for film promotion.
In such cases, promotion often took precedence over entertainment value.
Wildly adventurous, right?
‘Joo Su-yeon is still just a teenage high schooler.’
Naturally, there were many more things she couldn’t do than could.
In a regular deserted island setting, the young actress had lots to keep her mind occupied.
To be honest, I was left scratching my head at why they’d send a secondary character for promotion anyway.
‘Still, I have to try my best to liven things up.’
He was a pro.
Promotion is promotion. Entertainment is entertainment.
Either way, he planned to make the most of it.
After all, Survival Without People had a solid reputation as KMB’s popular variety show.
But then…
“Seoyeon, the fish went that way!” Bang Ha-yoon called out.
Seoyeon grabbed the wooden spear.
The same wooden spear she’d been lugging around.
‘No, if she jabs like that…’
As Jeong Dae-hyun thought that, suddenly…
Thud!!
The spear pierced right through the wriggling fish.
Her form may have been awkward, but speed covered for it.
“Wow, caught it!”
“Awesome!!”
Naturally, the expedition team members erupted in cheers.
No one expected Seoyeon to catch one on her first try.
She lifted the fish impaled on her spear, beaming with pride as everyone applauded.
‘Huh?’
The reactions from Park Hee-jun and Jung-woo were merely “that’s interesting” gazes.
And that was just the beginning.
Climbing mountains, catching bugs.
Seeing her actively running around, Jeong Dae-hyun couldn’t help but click his tongue.
‘Did she do some training or something?’
It was an unexpected level of understanding.
“From now on, we’re going to ride a raft. The paddlers will be myself…”
Park Hee-jun and Park Jung-woo.
They were going to pass the last paddle to a member they usually matched up with.
“…Seoyeon, do you want to give it a shot?”
“Yes!”
She was all about jumping in on anything.
Beyond the variety show, one might wonder…
‘She seems pretty excited.’
And as Jeong Dae-hyun thought, Seoyeon looked downright thrilled.
This was probably the happiest he had seen her since their school retreat back in middle school.
As mentioned before, Seoyeon tended to be a bit emotionally dull, so when she was in a good mood, it felt like she wouldn’t be cooling down anytime soon.
Let’s say she was especially susceptible to enjoyment.
Had Lee Ji-yeon been there, she would’ve whacked her to get her to chill.
‘Didn’t expect this side of her.’
Jung-woo watched Seoyeon paddling excitedly, intrigued.
What he thought was a calm personality also had a competitive edge.
Especially when she enjoyed receiving compliments, that was apparent.
‘When I first met Seoyeon, she looked rather prickly.’
‘But she’s working hard, more than most teens.’
Seoyeon’s enthusiasm surely appeared positive to everyone involved.
The fact that the young actress was willing to work hard made her endearing to all.
Thus, every little thing she did garnered enthusiastic applause, kicking off an endless positivity spiral.
And then…
“Wow, paddling looks tough, huh?”
“Seoyeon, your stamina is impressive, seriously.”
The observing staff couldn’t help but be amazed.
Not just any old boat, but a raft.
Though the current wasn’t too strong, it’s still quite demanding for a woman to paddle.
“And doesn’t this look great?”
“Whoa, but we shouldn’t share this recklessly. If we do, we’ll be taken down by Park’s fans.”
Shin PD, on another boat, chimed in with that.
Of course, theirs was a proper motorboat, unlike the raft.
‘Anyways.’
For Shin PD, this was unexpected.
Who’d have thought Seoyeon was genetically predisposed to the wild?
Jeong Dae-hyun might not know, but the cameraman filming Seoyeon seemed utterly mesmerized by her.
She didn’t just engage in standard wild antics.
‘What started as a mere promotional opportunity turned out surprisingly well.’
Especially with Joo Seoyeon being recognized as Princess Yeonhwa by the public.
That poised, haughty image was persistent.
‘It’s strangely alert to portray Joo Seoyeon in this manner…’
Nova Entertainment and Seoyeon’s manager were echoing similar sentiments.
Image.
Yet Princess Yeonhwa’s image was far from bad.
It felt like they were considering avoiding any negative impressions.
“Seoyeon, it’s important to promote a bright image in this variety show. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Seoyeon’s manager trailed her closely, catching that chat all too easily.
‘A bright image?’
Princess Yeonhwa alone should have sufficed to convey brightness.
‘Could it be about The Chaser?’
Shin PD, having spent years in the industry, was quick to pick up on things.
‘There’s definitely something going on here.’
I’ll need to casually ask later.
That thought crossed his mind.
“Min director, please show Seoyeon in the camera more often.”
“Huh? What about Park Hee-jun?”
If it were about capturing someone more often, naturally, it should be the leading man, Park Hee-jun.
But Shin PD nodded, nonetheless.
“Right. At least a fifty-fifty split on camera time.”
“Okay, understood.”
After all, Seoyeon was visually engaging, no regrets in filming.
‘Let’s hope this energy lasts.’
Shin PD thought, watching Seoyeon gleefully paddle.
“Oh no, the paddle broke!”
“Huh?”
Seoyeon lifted the broken oar.
And the raft slowly drifted off further away.
Hence, their return was bound to take much longer than anticipated.
*
Usually, what participants of Survival Without People struggled with the most was sleep.
First off, the climate was different.
It was stuffy, with insects buzzing about, resulting in many sleepless nights.
Seoyeon was well aware, so she said to Jung-woo with a worried tone,
“I’m anxious about sleeping outdoors for the first time.”
“The bugs are a concern for sure. But you can manage sleep…”
As Jung-woo rambled on, he suddenly turned his head.
Seoyeon had tilted her head sideways.
“…Zzz.”
“……”
I thought you said you couldn’t sleep.
Anyway, Seoyeon ended up enjoying a good sleep and, quite literally, flew through Survival Without People.
Initially, other cast members merely clapped, but by then they began to feel something was off.
‘Why isn’t she tiring out?’
Two nights and three days.
Though a short duration, one would generally be exhausted on a first outdoor shoot.
But Seoyeon kept darting about.
At times, even the cameraman couldn’t keep up in the chase.
‘What if this gives rise to suspicion when the show airs?’
Shin PD pondered that absentmindedly.
Park Hee-jun, with his special forces background, was no push-over either.
If you tossed him on a deserted island, he’d be able to survive solo.
But he was a former special forces agent.
And Seoyeon was just an ordinary high school girl.
How on earth are they even comparable?
‘What must The Chaser be like then?’
Those watching Seoyeon had a shared inner monologue.
But of course, not everything was peachy.
“Don’t you dare cook.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t.”
While munching on the coconut dish Seoyeon prepared, Jung-woo stated.
From what he could gather, she had tried to form something resembling a dish with the lobsters they caught on the deserted island.
‘Was the seasoning right?’
At least Park Jung-woo finished the whole thing.
Seoyeon wasn’t a terrible cook either.
But it wasn’t like she was concocting Michelin-starred masterpieces.
‘Just putting in a pinch of this and that isn’t enough.’
Much like a guy living off takeout would muddle through making a meal.
An incredibly casual attitude accompanied her cooking!
“All the cooking is on me.”
Ultimately, Jung-woo rolled up his sleeves ready to take charge.
There are many things he could ignore, but half-hearted cooking was a line crossed.
“Seoyeon, you let her be. Park once played a genius chef in a drama…”
At the time, he was heavily engrossed in cooking.
With Shin PD’s comments, Seoyeon nodded, watching the slicing skills of her determined Jung-woo.
‘It seems I’m not the only one serious about my role.’
Park Jung-woo didn’t employ the same method acting to deeply immerse in his roles like Seoyeon did.
He was a high achiever, prioritizing research and interpretation of his characters.
Technically, he was already polished.
Thus, Jung-woo’s performances were always sleek and professional.
Cooking was likely part of that repertoire.
‘Though he always seems to nitpick…’
But the seriousness of his acting was truly admirable.
As she observed that, Seoyeon suddenly had a moment of realization.
‘Oh.’
Watching Jung-woo, she recalled,
‘Dream Future.’
That male lead of Dream Future was none other than Park Jung-woo.
“What’s up? Why are you staring like that?”
That’s when Jung-woo approached with a plastic plate of food harvested from the expedition.
“Senior.”
“What is it?”
“When is the Dream Future audition?”
Hearing Dream Future made Jung-woo furrow his brows.
How does she know about that?
‘Could she be buddies with someone on the production team?’
This was yet another drama KMB had its eye on.
While it didn’t involve heavy investment, it was still a challenging project.
“In a month. But you’re already shooting a movie, right?”
“I already filmed my parts.”
“Oh, right, that’s why you’re out promoting.”
Jung-woo started speaking but paused for a moment.
Then he sneaked another glance at Seoyeon.
Her expression was usually flat, making it hard to guess her intentions.
“Why, do you plan on joining?”
“Yes.”
“……”
With Seoyeon’s response, Jung-woo found himself at a loss for words.
Naturally, Park Jung-woo was slated for the main lead in Dream Future.
In Dream Future, several young actors were featured, each with a respective pairing.
But the main weight fell on the roles of Kim Si-hwan, played by Park Jung-woo and Song So-ha.
‘Could she possibly be going for the role of Song So-ha?’
Jung-woo gulped nervously.
They had performed together briefly during Princess Yeonhwa, but back then, she was still so young.
Imagining acting out a romance scene with a more matured Seoyeon… that thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
‘In a month then, I wonder what the competition for the role of Jo Ha-rin will look like.’
Of course, what Seoyeon craved wasn’t the role of Song So-ha, paired with Jung-woo.
Rather, she targeted the role of Jo Ha-rin, which was neither overemphasized nor underplayed.
A cute character that garnered popularity beyond its perceived importance.
In contrast to the character Chae Seo-ah Seoyeon plays in The Chaser, where the character struggles to feel emotions.
Jo Ha-rin, in opposition, was portrayed as someone who felt emotions more intensely than others.
A spirited, active, and cute character.
Honestly, Seoyeon felt a bit uncertain.
Portraying a character so different from Chae Seo-ah did reflect herself too.
‘But.’
Seoyeon absolutely wanted to try for that role.
Initially, her motive might have been to maintain the 4 billion she earned from commercials, but as an actress… this was a path she needed to walk.
One can’t always cling to one type of character.
Sticking to what one knows isn’t enough.
An actor must have range.
This was an essential skill for anyone in their profession.
‘The race for the role of Song So-ha will be intense…’
‘Jo Ha-rin might be a bit easier, right?’
As their thoughts intertwined, the second day came to an end.
*
“Thanks for all your hard work, everyone. We’re finally back in Korea.”
Two nights, three days.
An amount of time that could feel both long and short.
‘This should gain lots of popularity once aired.’
Shin PD considered this.
Honestly, when he first proposed doing movie promotion through Survival Without People, it seemed wacky.
But now, things had shifted.
The first day was one thing, but now it was the second and third days.
Seoyeon’s actions during the missions were notably impressive.
‘Especially.’
Seoyeon’s smooth, fair skin stood out.
She was out under the blistering sun for two nights and three days, yet her skin remained as clear as day!
‘I heard she had done a cosmetics advertisement.’
Even Bang Ha-yoon, astonished by her skin, asked what products she used.
Of course, she didn’t mention any brands for the show, merely laughed.
‘When this airs, the narrative will change.’
It was evident she’d be in the center of attention.
Plus, one more thing.
The camera remained focused on Jung-woo and Seoyeon.
It was a continuous thread of events, keeping an eye on them until the end.
Filming wasn’t over yet.
“Are we heading back right away?”
“Yes. I have some engagements to attend.”
“Engagements?”
Jung-woo pondered curiously.
What on earth could she be so busy with?
Looking at Seoyeon as though he was just dying to ask, she responded with an unusually cheerful smile.
“Yep, it’s my birthday today.”
“……”
Jung-woo could only stiffen at her words.
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