The seawater parted, and Roy’s body instantly emerged onto the shore. His entire body remained perfectly dry, as if he hadn’t gone into the water at all.
“The last one out, no matter who looks, is clearly Doyoon.”
PD Shimjun, who was standing leisurely as if watching a sports match, clapped his hands, making a loud noise.
“Isn’t this way too unfair? Next time, please have Roy hyung participate in the mission without help from the spirits!”
Song Doyoon, who came in last by a hair, raised his voice in protest.
“That won’t work. Roy’s Hunter job is Spirit Summoner, after all. If we do that, Doyoon, you’d have to completely ban all use of poison, are you okay with that?”
Thinking it over, Song Doyoon realized that wasn’t right either, so he said nothing more.
“All right, everyone, would you please open the balls you’re holding?”
At PD Shimjun’s words, Roy opened his ball. With a click, the color hidden inside was revealed.
“If you look inside, each of you will see a different color. There are red, blue, and yellow.”
“Beep.” (The Contractor gets red. That’s Ber’s color!)
Three colors. Among them, the color Roy picked was red. Ber, pleased with that, gently shook the feather on his forehead.
“Each color forms a team: Red Team, Blue Team, and Yellow Team. Now, would each team stand by their flag?”
Colorful flags had been planted in the sand on the beach. Roy walked toward the spot with the red flag.
“So the three of us ended up on the same team.”
The first to welcome Roy was Kim Jaewoo. Smiling with his teardrop mole highlighted, he patted Lee Doha on the shoulder. Lee Doha, the other teammate, looked as if he didn’t care either way.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this. I’m teamed up with Roy hyung and Doha.”
Next, the members from High Cycle who had also drawn red walked over arm-in-arm.
“Wow. At this rate, aren’t we basically the Avengers?”
“Say it further away, you’re hurting my ears.”
It was Yoo Jaeri and Han Honghyun, who were the same age. Yoo Jaeri was all smiles like someone in a great mood, while Han Honghyun slightly furrowed his brow, seeming annoyed by Yoo Jaeri’s clinginess.
But the moment they saw the Kkoribyul members, a smile appeared on Han Honghyun’s lips as he extended his right hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Honghyun.”
“I’m Hwang Roy.”
Everyone already knew each other’s names, so it was more like exchanging greetings now that they were teammates. Roy shook Han Honghyun’s hand.
“I’m Lee Doha, sunbae-nim.”
“I’m Kim Jaewoo.”
Following Roy, Lee Doha and Kim Jaewoo also shook hands with Han Honghyun.
“So heartwarming. I wish tomorrow would come sooner so we could do the mission together.”
Though everyone showed a degree of fatigue, Yoo Jaeri alone looked full of energy. She didn’t seem to have a single worry about the filming.
She truly radiated the relaxed air of someone on holiday.
“Have all the team members introduced themselves? Then, please select your team leader!”
Just like with Roy’s group, greetings were being exchanged everywhere.
At PD Shimjun’s instruction, Roy looked around at his assembled team.
‘Anyone but me.’
Roy once again had no desire at all to be team leader. He’d had enough of playing the leader on the Continent of As.
“Anyone want to be team leader?”
Yoo Jaeri asked for opinions. Lee Doha, who didn’t like being in the forefront, also stayed silent, just like Roy.
“I think it’d be great if one of the High Cycle sunbaes could lead the team.”
Kim Jaewoo politely gestured toward Yoo Jaeri and Han Honghyun. Han Honghyun shrugged and stepped back.
“I’m not really suited to leading people, so I’ll pass.”
“What? Then does that mean I’m the team leader?”
Suddenly made team leader, Yoo Jaeri’s eyes widened. But she didn’t seem reluctant.
If anything, she already lively face grew even more enthusiastic and fired up.
“Por–.” (Ber, I think you’d get along. He’s incredibly loud.)
Aqua, sitting on Roy’s shoulder, had been observing Yoo Jaeri and delivered her verdict.
Her powerful voice seemed to send vibrations through the air every time she spoke.
“Beeeeep?” (Really? I like her! Her voice is loud!)
Ber, far from being bothered by Aqua’s words, zipped straight over to Yoo Jaeri.
“Huh? Ber, do you like me being team leader too?”
Yoo Jaeri looked dumbfounded, not expecting Ber to come right up to her.
Han Honghyun, who was standing nearby, edged closer to Yoo Jaeri.
“Hello.”
She even waved her right hand at Ber, as if she too was a fan.
“Have all the teams chosen their leader? If so, team leaders, please come to the front!”
Just then, PD Shimjun called the leaders.
“Should I go?”
“Beep.” (Sounds good.)
Yoo Jaeri, with Ber perched on her shoulder, strode confidently to the front.
“Looks like Ber really likes Jaeri sunbae-nim.”
Roy himself felt nothing in particular, but Kim Jaewoo looked faintly disappointed.
He was so well-known among Kkoribyul members for loving spirits that he’d even earned the nickname ‘Spirit Fool.’
As Kim Jaewoo looked as if he’d lost his energy, Solum quietly approached.
“Umm–.” (Don’t be sad, human. Ber is just light on his feet.)
Whether trying to comfort him or not, Solum leapt lightly onto Kim Jaewoo’s shoulder.
“S, Solum…….”
Kim Jaewoo gazed at Solum with teary eyes, becoming a fool whenever it came to spirits.
Roy gave his back a supportive thump to bring him back to his senses.
“Everyone, please pay attention! Now, the team leaders will draw for tomorrow’s wake-up times.”
‘Wake-up times? Did that mean not everyone would be getting up at the same time?’
Even Kim Jaewoo, who’d been in a daze over Solum, turned sharply to PD Shimjun at this bombshell announcement.
“The wake-up times are 5 a.m., 7 a.m., and 10 a.m.”
At PD Shimjun’s words, Roy’s face instantly stiffened.
They had to draw 10 a.m., no matter what. Roy planned to sneak out to the dragon egg’s location after everyone went to sleep tonight.
If he wanted to get even a little rest, they had to get 10 a.m. If they drew 5 a.m., he might not get even half an hour of sleep.
“This is bad. Yoo Jaeri’s luck with draws is really terrible.”
Han Honghyun, hearing the word ‘draw,’ showed an expression of dismay. Roy even briefly considered asking Lisse for help to rig the draw.
‘Still… there’s no way…’
Even so, it was a one-in-three chance. Even if Yoo Jaeri had bad luck, maybe the other team leaders would have even worse luck.
‘Blue Team has Kei sunbae as leader, and Yellow Team has Kim Taejin sunbae.’
All the team leaders were High Cycle members. It was only natural.
No Kkoribyul member would want a top senior in the industry as their subordinate.
‘Ten o’clock, ten o’clock…!’
The draw was simple: pick one of several folded slips of paper. Three slips, identical in shape, sat in a cluster on PD Shimjun’s palm.
“Ah, we really can’t get 5 a.m. ……”
Going first, Yoo Jaeri mumbled in a weak voice. She knew better than anyone how bad his luck was. As Kei and Kim Taejin took their slips, PD Shimjun spoke in an upbeat tone.
“All three of you have picked. Let’s check the results! The 5 a.m. team will have a special experience!”
A special experience. Whatever that was, it sounded like pure trouble just from the words.
Roy stared intently at Yoo Jaeri’s hands as he began to open the slip.
Focusing his vision, even from quite a distance, the number written on the slip came into clear view.
“Por…….” (Oh dear…)
Aqua sighed.
“Damn.”
The number written on the slip Yoo Jaeri, Red Team’s leader, picked was ‘5.’
Han Honghyun’s warning about Yoo Jaeri’s bad luck was true.
“No way…! PD-nim, can we please do it one more time? Please?”
Looking down at the slip, where ‘5 a.m.’ was written plain as day, Yoo Jaeri cried out.
She ran up to PD Shimjun, making a pleading face, but Shimjun only smiled serenely, reminding Roy of the Buddha statue known as Baekje’s Smile.
“No can do. A draw is a draw.”
The team that got the much-desired 10 a.m. slot—what everyone, including Roy, had wanted—was the Yellow Team, led by Kim Taejin. Lee Hajun threw both arms up and cheered.
Kim Taejin walked to his teammates like a conquering general, while Yoo Jaeri shuffled along gloomily, as if a defeated soldier.
“Beep.” (Cheer up, human.)
Ber fluttered his wings and gently tapped Yoo Jaeri’s cheek. Even with Ber’s encouragement, Yoo Jaeri’s slumped shoulders showed no sign of rising.
Han Honghyun, who was especially bad at waking up early, was glaring so coldly that it was practically freezing.
“But it’s not like I said I wanted to be team leader, right? The team picked me. Honghong, you also refused to be leader and stepped back.”
The more she thought about it, the more unfair it felt. Yoo Jaeri even called Han Honghyun by his nickname as he aired his grievances.
“……Yeah. What can we do now. Sorry, juniors. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve volunteered as team leader.”
He’d thought that all a leader needed to do was step up and be active. Who could have guessed they’d have to draw as soon as they picked Yoo Jaeri, whose luck was so bad?
“Fresh morning air is good for you.”
To break the tense mood, Kim Jaewoo tried to highlight the positives of early rising.
“……That’s right. I’m curious about the special experience too.”
Feeling sorry for Yoo Jaeri, who looked so sheepish, Lee Doha also chimed in supportively. Still, the talk of a ‘special mission’ only dampened the mood further.
“The mood here is like a funeral. I promise, the special experience will be fun.”
PD Shimjun approached Red Team. The cameras zoomed in for close-ups of their faces.
Roy reflexively forced a smile.
{Hero, I think you don’t need separate acting lessons for managing your expression anymore.}
Roy’s current acting grade was C.
A middling level. Grade aside, Roy himself had gotten better at managing his expressions on camera, just from more exposure.
“Teams will also be staying in different accommodations. Please follow me.”
Other crew members were already with the Yellow and Blue teams. Since Red Team drew the 5 a.m. slot, PD Shimjun had come himself.
“Are the lodgings the same for all three teams?”
“Oh, of course. You all deserve a comfortable night’s sleep.”
PD Shimjun nodded brightly as if it were the most obvious thing. But nobody present seemed to take his words at face value.
After all, in past shows PD Shimjun filmed, there were plenty of sleeping arrangement missions.
Lacking credibility, Red Team followed PD Shimjun with suspicious eyes.
The lodging was closer than expected. The problem was…
“This… is our lodging?”
Yoo Jaeri’s voice trembled in disbelief. No matter where she looked, all she saw was endless sandy beach.
There was nothing even resembling a building—just a pile of luggage sitting forlornly on the sand. Every Red Team member’s face darkened.
While they were all top-class Hunters, so sleeping outdoors wasn’t dangerous for their health, they still strongly wanted a comfortable place to sleep. With such busy schedules, they needed real rest when they could get it.
“No way. I’m not that cruel.”
Even with the group’s mistrustful gazes on him, PD Shimjun remained calm and relaxed.
Roy genuinely grew curious about Shimjun’s true identity.
‘With nerves that steady, maybe he’s actually hiding his Hunter grade.’