PD Shimjun didn’t hand out scripts to Kkoribyul or High Cycle.
He just asked them to go along with the general flow of conversation.
‘Man, I’m really on edge.’
Han Jihoo pressed his trembling lips together tightly.
The tension was intense, thanks to all the gossip surrounding this program.
Maybe it wasn’t quite as nerve-wracking as announcing the final members, but filming a solo variety show with High Cycle, the top of the industry, was even more pressure than he’d expected.
[Seriously, are they out of their minds?]
[What’s with Kkoribyul? Why are our kids filming with some nobodies? Did they get paid off or something?]
[Are the kids just too nice? Are they running a charity? ㅠㅠ]
The production team first released an article to promote the show, stating that High Cycle and Kkoribyul had started filming a variety show together.
Maybe because of the title, ‘Help Your Juniors and Seniors Get Along!’, the reaction from the High Cycle fandom was even more intense than expected.
Fans had been desperately waiting for a reality show featuring only High Cycle.
Suddenly hearing that their idols would be filming with a rookie group was enough to make anyone angry.
That’s why Han Jihoo felt a burning sense of duty—he absolutely had to make this program a success.
If the ratings were lower than expected, all the blame would surely fall on Kkoribyul.
The fandoms would probably clash, too. No matter how things played out, it was unlikely any of it would end positively for Kkoribyul.
‘But giving up this chance doesn’t make sense, either.’
If he only focused on the possible negative outcomes, he’d never get anywhere—just like being too scared of maggots to even make kimchi.
‘Get it together, Han Jihoo. This broadcast is a huge opportunity.’
He tried to steel his heart, but the nerves wouldn’t go away.
After all, getting to film a show together with High Cycle, whom he admired, was a rare opportunity.
“It really is heartwarming to see the two groups standing together like this.”
Once Han Jihoo and Kim Taejin had made some small talk, PD Shimjun stepped forward.
Han Jihoo swallowed nervously.
In Shimjun’s hand was a sheet of paper listing what they’d be filming next.
‘If only I had X-ray vision.’
As if he’d picked up on Han Jihoo’s thoughts, Roy quietly asked Earth for a favor.
‘Can you see what’s written on that paper?’
{Just a moment!}
It was good to keep things natural, but if they were going to struggle anyway, a little mental preparation would help a lot.
{Hmm… There’s a lot written on here.}
‘Just the important parts, please.’
***
While Roy was spying on PD Shimjun’s paper through Earth, Shimjun swept his pleased gaze across the lineup.
“I’m sure you’re all curious about what’s coming next, right?”
“Yes!”
“Yessir!”
At Shimjun’s question, Song Doyoon from Kkoribyul and Yoo Jaeri from High Cycle answered loudly.
“The real missions will begin tomorrow. But before that, we need to split into teams, so we’ll play a team assignment game now.”
“Splitting into teams means we’ll be mixing up the groups?”
Irian shot his right hand up with a question.
“That’s right. Since our program’s motto is to promote friendship between senior and junior Hunter Idol groups, we’ll be mixing up the members.”
At Shimjun’s answer, Irian glanced slyly toward the direction where the spirits were.
The camera filming him followed his gaze.
“Beep.” (Looks like that guy wants to be on a team with the Contractor.)
His stare was obvious enough that even Ber could pick up on it.
“We’ve prepared a game to split up the teams.”
Puh-oong— Pu-ong—
Suddenly, a sound boomed from behind, making the members whip their heads around.
Jets of water shot up from the sea’s surface.
They could see a few monsters that had been caught in the blast floating to the surface.
“As you can see, we’ve set up some devices for the game in the ocean.”
Lee Hajun and Kim Chan’s faces went pale.
Even after reaching level 300, the ocean was still a source of fear for them.
The government and the Association minimized civilian damage from monsters by planting Barrier Stones around the coastline.
Even so, the ocean was practically the monsters’ domain.
The Association and various guilds regularly cleaned up the ocean, but new Dungeons appeared and spawned monsters faster than they could be wiped out.
It was a problem not just for the Republic of Korea, but all over the world.
“When you enter the water, you’ll find fist-sized balls glowing with fluorescent light. Just find one each and bring it back.”
Roy glanced up at the sky, which was slowly turning red with dusk.
In just a little while, it would be pitch black.
The ocean would be even darker, of course. And it was crawling with monsters.
‘If you weren’t all over level 300, you wouldn’t even be able to attempt this mission.’
Shimjun knew that, which was probably why he dared to prepare this kind of challenge.
“G-Go into the ocean…?”
Roy patted Lee Hajun, who was standing beside him, to comfort him.
It looked like if he poked his eyes, he’d burst into tears.
“There’s no time limit! And don’t worry, we’ve anchored the balls so they won’t drift away from the beach!”
The seawater kept moving.
It might look like gentle waves on the surface, but the current below could be much faster.
If the balls had been left to drift, they might not finish the mission today.
“We’ll begin right now!”
As soon as Shimjun finished speaking, the members charged toward the sea.
Only Lee Hajun and Kim Chan were dragging their feet, trying to delay getting into the water as long as possible.
“You two, come here.”
Roy quietly called Kim Chan and Lee Hajun over.
The other members were jumping into the sea without any hesitation, so he only needed to take care of these two.
“I know I shouldn’t say this, but… I’m really scared of going into the ocean.”
Lee Hajun whispered to Roy, glancing at the staff.
Hunter Idols were supposed to be Hunters and Idols at the same time.
In other words, their Hunter skills had to be impressive too.
If a Hunter was scared of just going into the water near the beach—not even the deep sea—it was a definite minus.
“Aqua, please.”
“Por!” (The ocean is basically my home!)
No matter how many monsters ruled the sea, to Aqua, who governed all water, it was just a cozy cradle.
“Porrr!” (I’ll help you.)
Aqua placed her tiny hand on Lee Hajun’s cheek.
A transparent curtain of water layered around him like armor.
“Huh…? Aqua, did you do this?”
“Por!” (This is nothing.)
Aqua crossed her hands on her waist and shrugged her shoulders; if there’d been a wall nearby, she would’ve wanted to punch it, she looked so cute.
“Aqua, help me too.”
“Porrr.” (I was just about to.)
At Kim Chan’s request, Aqua now placed her hand on Kim Chan’s cheek.
“If you go in like this, you’ll be able to breathe underwater. You won’t get wet, either.”
Roy had experienced Aqua’s abilities several times already.
“Thanks, Aqua. Seriously.”
He cautiously extended his index finger to Aqua.
She grabbed Lee Hajun’s index finger with both hands and wiggled it up and down.
“I’ll give you some jelly later. The kind you like, Aqua.”
Since they spent so much time together, Kim Chan was pretty familiar with Aqua’s tastes.
Aqua ate anything, but she especially loved jelly with a sweet and sour flavor.
“Porng.” (It’s not like I helped for a reward, but if you insist…)
Aqua’s tail swayed happily.
“Aqua, let’s go in now.”
Roy signaled Aqua with his eyes.
She zipped over to Roy’s face and wagged her tail energetically.
‘Honestly, I could find the ball without even going in.’
Not just possible—downright easy. But since PD Shimjun said to dive in and find the ball personally, he’d follow the rules.
‘Everyone’s doing pretty well.’
The Kkoribyul members who’d gone in first were swimming freely like fish, searching for the balls.
Just like Shimjun said, the balls glowed bright enough to spot even in the dim ocean.
Swaaash—
‘The problem is that the monsters are drawn in, too.’
Multiple cameras followed the Kkoribyul and High Cycle members as they searched for the balls underwater.
Just now, Lee Doha casually swept away a fish-type monster charging at him.
Blood from the monster made the ocean even murkier.
‘There it is. Hey, can you grab that one?’
Aqua shot Roy a look as if to say, ‘Why even ask?’, then immediately moved down to the bottom.
She could easily use water to pull the ball up, but being underwater felt so comfortable—just like home—she wanted to swim herself.
‘Song Doyoon’s struggling more than I thought. Should I help?’
Thanks to Aqua’s help, Kim Chan and Lee Hajun were surprisingly calm as they dealt with monsters and headed for the balls.
But Song Doyoon, being a Doksoolsa, seemed to have trouble using his powers underwater.
If he released poison, it could hurt his allies as well.
Tap, tap.
“OO!”
Roy, having gotten his ball, approached Song Doyoon and tapped him on the shoulder.
Song Doyoon turned, cheeks puffed out like he wanted to say something, noticing how calm Roy looked compared to himself, who was holding his breath.
‘Aqua. Help this guy too.’
Roy signaled to Aqua. A barely visible wall of water formed around Song Doyoon’s face.
“Puh-ha~. Come on, Roy hyung. If you had this kind of ability, you should’ve helped me sooner.”
Maybe because they were underwater, his voice sounded a bit muffled.
But Song Doyoon didn’t mind, and brushed back his wet hair.
Thanks to Aqua’s water barrier around his face, he could now act as if he was on land, even underwater.
Though, his body was still submerged.
“Better late than never. Go grab your ball. Almost everyone’s out already.”
Roy gestured around. High Cycle’s members had already all brought their balls back, leaving only Roy, Song Doyoon, and Min Junyoung underwater.
Right then, Min Junyoung snatched up his ball and surfaced.
“Then I’m going up first!”
Maybe worried about being last, Song Doyoon grinned mischievously, grabbed his ball, and swam up ahead.
‘Sometimes I can’t tell if this guy’s smart or just a fool.’
Aqua was the King of Water Spirits. If Roy wanted, he could’ve found the ball faster than anyone.
“Aqua, let’s go.”
“Por!” (As you command!)