Chapter 54: The Hatching Hope

“Hyung, rest easy. We’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah.”

Kim Chan lightly brushed Roy’s hair as if stroking the top of his head, then turned to leave.

The others also said a few words to Roy before exiting the medical booth.

As the crowd of contestants that had gathered around other beds also left, only the pained groans of the injured echoed hollowly within the now-empty booth.

“…Ber, I’m sorry.”

Roy leaned his head against the pillow, murmuring almost inaudibly.

He didn’t want to say goodbye again.

Not this time.

[Warrior…]

Just as Earth tried to comfort Roy, he felt a trembling in his palm and lifted his bowed head.

The egg in Roy’s hands, now damp with tears, began to bulge in sharp protrusions across its glossy surface.

“…No way…”

Roy had seen this before.

The same thing had happened just before Ber hatched the first time.

The egg had started to spike up like this.

[Oh? Looks like Ber-nim is about to hatch already!]

Earth’s voice was just as excited as Roy’s heart.

With careful hands, Roy gently stroked the egg.

As if responding to Roy’s warmth, the egg trembled again.

The upper part began to protrude even more intensively.

“You’re doing great. Just a little more.”

The first time Ber hatched, he had burst out with energy.

But now, even one peck with his beak seemed to take all his strength.

[Looks like he’s still too weak…]

“Yeah.”

Roy kept gently rubbing the egg’s surface, but Ber still couldn’t break through the shell.

Still, just knowing that Ber would hatch soon made his once-stopped heart begin to beat again.

Roy wondered if warmth would help the hatching process, so he pulled a blanket over and wrapped the egg in it.

That was when a commotion sounded near the entrance of the medical booth—the contestants who had left earlier came rushing back inside.

“Roy hyung! Once the injured recover, we’re doing a live broadcast!”

The first to reach Roy was Kim Chan.

His chest rose and fell lightly as if he had run there.

His hair fluttered with each breath.

“Live broadcast?”

“Yeah. Originally, we were supposed to do it after the theme song mission stage, but I guess they moved it up.”

Apparently, the number of injured had exceeded the production team’s expectations.

Perhaps to appease the grumbling among contestants, the staff had played an appealing card.

***

After the first ranking announcement, lower-ranked contestants were desperate for screen time.

The less airtime they had, the stronger their thirst for the spotlight.

Some contestants had started talking more and acting overly dramatic just to catch the camera’s eye.

“What’s the theme?”

“They said it’s a secret.”

“…They sure love their secrets.”

The injured hadn’t been officially told yet, but contestants like Kim Chan who had friends among them were passing along the new information.

“They did say they’ll divide the airtime fairly so everyone gets shown.”

Since it was a live broadcast, there wouldn’t be any editing.

That meant unpredictable moments could happen on air.

“I doubt they’ll let us have a normal broadcast…”

Even for a reality program, most things were guided by scripts and scenarios—but this production team loved capturing raw, unscripted reactions on camera.

Kim Chan seemed nervous too.

The courage training mission, the doppelgänger mission—everything so far had been eerie and intense.

There was no predicting what kind of trap the staff might have laid for this one.

“All injured contestants, please begin moving to the filming location!”

The staff handed out healing potions generously.

Roy hadn’t suffered any physical injuries, so he’d just been resting in bed.

“Good luck with this mission too.”

Kim Jaewoo, who had been recovering in the bed next to Roy, lightly tapped Roy’s arm.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off the egg that Ber had turned into for quite some time.

“Let me know when Ber hatches, okay?”

“I will.”

Only after giving the egg one last lingering glance did Kim Jaewoo finally step away.

Once he left the medical booth, Kim Chan leaned close to Roy and whispered into his ear.

“You two seem pretty close now?”

“It’s more like we went through life-and-death together.”

The doppelgänger mission had been far more intense than any of the others.

When the doppelgänger had swung its sword, Roy had thought he would be seriously injured.

He still remembered the moment when Kyle stabbed a sword into his own heart.

His body had frozen with fear.

Even while his own upper body was slashed, Kim Jaewoo had been worried about Roy’s safety.

Despite his rough first impression, he’d been completely captivated by Ber—and that memory brought a faint smile to Roy’s lips.

“You’ve made a lot of friends, hyung…”

Kim Chan felt both relieved and oddly bitter that Roy was getting along well with the others.

After all, he had met Roy first, but sometimes Roy seemed closer to Lee Hajun.

And now even Kim Jaewoo—one of the more well-known contestants—was becoming friendly with him.

The thought left Kim Chan with mixed feelings.

“But I’m still closest to you. You’re the one I feel most comfortable with.”

Roy ruffled Kim Chan’s hair, tapping the top of his head lightly.

As Roy’s hand lingered, the corners of Kim Chan’s lips, which had drooped in a pout, began to tremble slightly.

“I’m closest with you too, hyung.”

“…You’re heavy.”

Kim Chan suddenly threw his arms around Roy’s shoulders, leaning in with all his weight.

Roy felt like he had just gained a big, clingy younger brother, and for a split second, he imagined what might happen if Kim Chan ever met his little sister.

‘That’ll be a disaster.’

His younger sister, Alisa, always got oddly jealous whenever Roy looked too close with someone else.

Even though she usually treated him like a piece of gum stuck to her shoe, the moment Roy started caring about someone else, she would come charging like a storm.

“Roy hyung! Over here!”

“We were all going to come in together, but the nurse said it was too chaotic and only let me in.”

Roy had been wondering why only Kim Chan came in alone.

He followed Kim Chan toward the area where Lee Hajun and the other teammates were gathered.

Just like Roy’s group, other contestants had also formed little clusters, chatting in small groups based on their friendships.

***

“Everyone! Please focus now!”

Once even the injured contestants had exited the medical booths, one of the production staff picked up a megaphone to gather everyone’s attention.

“The doppelgänger elimination mission has been completed safely without any forfeits!”

Some of the contestants bit their lips hard, overwhelmed with emotion.

As the announcement rang out, memories of what they had gone through during the mission flashed through their minds like a vivid panorama.

Roy clenched his teeth instinctively—not only had it been a grueling ordeal, but he had also nearly lost Ber.

“For this live broadcast, each participant will be given three minutes! Please come to the front and draw a number to determine your order!”

Behind the staff with the megaphone, other crew members wheeled in a transparent box full of small balls on a trolley.

“Each ball contains a number inside! Please come up one at a time to draw your ball!”

At those words, the contestants rushed forward to form a line, trying to get as close to the front as possible.

Those who had been nearby quickly lined up first, and the queue grew long in an instant.

“Seriously? The line’s already this long…?”

Roy’s group had been standing far off, so even though they hurried over, they ended up near the very back of the line.

“It’s all random anyway. Whether you pick first or last doesn’t really matter.”

Han Jihoo stretched out his body, swaying from side to side to loosen up.

Judging by the length of the line, he figured it would be a while before his turn came.

“Looks like there’s a wooden piece with a number inside the ball.”

Lee Hajun leaned over to observe the contestants who were already picking their balls.

The balls were opaque, so the numbers inside weren’t visible, but the participants shook them as if they could somehow guess the contents.

“Since it’s three minutes per person, going later might actually be better.”

Nobody knew how much the staff had promoted this live event, but since it was a surprise broadcast, viewer numbers were likely to pick up only after the middle point.

“Do you think we can guess based on weight?”

Lee Hajun mimed holding an imaginary ball, shaking his fist as if trying to feel it.

“I wish I had clairvoyance or something.”

Kim Chan sounded desperate for an ability he didn’t have.

As they chatted casually, the line that had seemed endless was already nearly at the front.

***

“Ugh, I’m nervous.”

Kim Chan was the first of their group to go.

He shook his hands to relieve some of the tension as he approached the staff member.

“Just stick your hand in and pull out one ball, please. The longer you take, the longer the next person has to wait, so try to be quick.”

“Got it.”

Before the staff had even finished speaking, Kim Chan had already reached into the box.

He picked up a few balls to test their weight, but since they all felt the same, he just went with the first one he had grabbed.

“Next!”

“Yes!”

The next turn went to Lee Hajun.

His cheeks puffed as he blew out his lips, trying to relax.

The youngest contestant’s quirky reaction drew a warm smile from the staff.

“Please let it be a number in the second half…”

Lee Hajun held up his ball to the sky like it was sacred.

After him, Roy stepped forward and thrust his hand into the box.

Unlike the other contestants who hesitated, Roy immediately pulled out the first ball his hand landed on.

“Hwang Roy doesn’t hesitate! Next!”

Roy gave a polite nod to the staff and stepped aside.

“I’m doomed…”

Lee Hajun slumped his shoulders and started tapping the floor with his toes.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me… you got number one?”

Roy teased lightly as he fidgeted with the wooden number inside his ball.

Lee Hajun suddenly looked up and pouted.

“…Yeah. I got number one.”

Even Roy was left speechless by the answer.

He stepped closer and stared intently at the ball in Hajun’s hand.

“It really is one.”

“What do we do with Hajun…”

The number on Kim Chan’s wooden token was 27—a pretty decent spot.

He shoved it into his pocket with a shrug.

“What about you, Roy hyung…?”

Now that he had given up all hope, Lee Hajun seemed curious about Roy’s number.

“Hang on.”

Roy opened his ball on the spot.

When the number was revealed, Lee Hajun’s eyes grew round as saucers.

“Roy hyung!”

As if he had found a fellow sufferer, Hajun flung his arms around Roy’s waist and bounced up and down excitedly.

“What number did you two get?”