translation by mourningmoor
From the moment the production team, including PD Jeon, who is in charge of our self-produced content, joined this tour, I had anticipated this. We filmed self-produced content in Paris, and it was the same in LA.
In the end, they brought us to the amusement park for filming.
“Let me explain the rules.”
PD Jeon’s voice was filled with excitement.
He seemed thrilled at the thought of filming us suffering on that terrifying roller coaster. What a sadistic pervert.
“You’ll all ride five attractions.”
Including the vertical drop roller coaster, we had to ride five challenging attractions in order and complete missions at each.
“First, take a selfie. Second, guess the character in the photo attached to the ride. Third, eat ice cream. Fourth, solve a puzzle. Fifth, draw a picture.”
It’s a team competition. The winning team gets a fancy dinner, while the losing team gets a mediocre meal. Additionally, the losing team will have to wear penalty costumes when returning to Korea.
Penalty costumes? We definitely need to avoid any embarrassing penalties.
“We’ll decide the teams by drawing lots. Inside five envelopes are team names and today’s concepts, so choose carefully.”
Somehow, our self-produced content seems to be getting more childish.
Earlier, I noticed they had prepared black capes with bat logos and blue capes with an “S” logo for today’s concept.
Some globally famous characters or something.
Anyway, it seems we’ll have to walk around with these capes draped over our shoulders.
Whatever we get, the concept doesn’t matter much. The real issue is the team members.
To win, it’s better to team up with members who enjoy riding attractions. That would be Jaewon and Siu…
As I carefully scanned the room before choosing an envelope, I locked eyes with Roa.
Damn it.
《Hyung-nim. Can’t I be on your team? I’m scared to death.》
I had activated my mental connection to check what Siu had picked, but Roa’s thoughts reached me first.
My plan was to team up with Siu, quickly clear the missions, and push the penalty onto Jaewon. But now it feels like it’s all falling apart.
As everyone picked their envelopes and checked inside, I activated my mental connection again.
Siu and I were on the blue team. Roa, Hanjoon, and Jaewon were on the black team.
Even though the teams were decided as I wanted, Roa kept bothering me.
I was trying to make it easy, but damn it.
“Kim Jaewon.”
“Yep.”
He seemed pleased with the draw, even breaking into a breakdance. I approached him and subtly held out my envelope.
“Want to switch?”
His mind said ‘No,’ but his answer was:
“Sure.”
I took advantage of his tendency to agree to anything without thinking. As soon as he answered, I swapped the envelopes.
Then PD Jeon gave the cue.
“Now, open the envelopes and show your cards.”
And so, the teams were decided.
Jaewon, who had been happy with the black card, now had the blue card and looked sullen, but soon brightened up again.
He was confident of victory, knowing he was teamed up with Siu.
“Wow. I’m with Siu hyung.”
Jaewon jumped around excitedly and smiled brightly at us.
“Yes! We’re going to win.”
That kid.
“Thanks, Ichan hyung.”
He always makes sure the penalty falls on the youngest.
The same kid who, despite coming in last in Paris, nominated me, who came in first, to share the penalty with him.
“Thanks? We’ll see about that.”
I gave him a cold smile and accepted the cape and sunglasses handed out by the staff.
Draped in a black cape with a bat logo and wearing bat-shaped sunglasses, I gathered Hanjoon and Roa.
“Let’s not make each other take the penalty.”
Hanjoon made a face.
“You mean let’s win, right?”
“Of course.”
“Beat them? Look at them. They’d even cook ramen while riding a roller coaster if you told them to.”
It wasn’t a wrong assessment. But it’s not impossible to beat them.
They have plenty of weaknesses too.
“It’s true they’re fearless, but they’re not invincible.”
Even though the two fearless kids teamed up, they’re full of holes.
“First of all, Yoon Siu is terrible at drawing, so the drawing mission is a no-go.”
Roa’s eyes widened, and he nodded quickly.
“Plus, Jaewon has terrible observation skills.”
That kid tends to overlook anything not related to his main job—singing and dancing.
“There’s a high chance he won’t recognize who’s in the photo.”
Hanjoon clapped in agreement.
“Right. That kid once didn’t recognize his homeroom teacher at a concert venue and caused a scene.”
“Exactly. Jaewon has a mild case of face blindness. He also struggles to connect faces with names.”
Jaewon is a walking liability in many ways.
“And he might get too excited and miss the photo.”
“True. That’s the biggest risk.”
The youngest, already excited and overconfident before the game even started, was the most likely to make a mistake.
“Let’s plan carefully. They might be strong in the selfie and eating missions, but we have the advantage in the others.”
Of course, the condition is that we have to stay calm on the rides.
Yes, that’s the biggest obstacle.
I looked at Roa and laid out the basic strategy.
“Just don’t close your eyes.”
Roa’s eyes wrinkled with worry.
Then I looked at Hanjoon.
“You’re confident you won’t close your eyes, right?”
“I don’t like rides, but I’ll endure it. At least I’m not scared.”
Normally, he’d half-heartedly participate, but it seems he doesn’t want the penalty either. Well, after seeing me perform the penalty upon entering LA, it’s understandable.
I nodded and held out my hand to the two of them.
“Then, let’s do our best.”
Hanjoon, with a determined look, placed his hand on top of mine.
Roa, cautiously watching us, reached out his hand and said worriedly:
“Hyung-nim. I’m so scared I might close my eyes automatically.”
“Hmm, then…”
I had anticipated this issue. Of course, I had a solution.
“Let’s at least give you some mental comfort.”
I took off the piercing from my left ear and handed it to Roa.
“Think of it as a talisman.”
Since I’ve been wearing it for the past few days, the piercing should connect well with Roa. That way, I can control his fear.
As Roa took the piercing and put it on his ear, Hanjoon suddenly reached out his hand.
“Hey. Give me a talisman too.”
“……?”
“Give me one too. So I won’t close my eyes.”
They say you can’t even drink cold water in front of kids, but Hanjoon, acting like a child, demanded a talisman.
Well, if we’re going to win, let’s win perfectly.
“Then, I’ll lend you my ring. Make sure to do well in the game. If we lose even one, I’ll charge you a rental fee.”
Hanjoon snatched the ring from my hand and smirked.
“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely win.”
Roa’s eyes also sparkled with determination.
“I really don’t want to wear a squirrel or rabbit costume.”
Good. With this level of determination, victory is assured.
* * *
PD Jeon Soo-oh, who signed a one-year contract with Blade Entertainment to produce L.I.T’s content, is filming his twelfth self-produced content today.
At first, he thought of L.I.T as just another idol group.
They’re only in their second year, and the average age of the members is 19.6, which is quite young. They must have been trainees for several years before debut, so they likely have no real-world experience.
Naturally, he assumed they lacked basic social skills and that their ignorance stemmed from a lack of proper education.
But he was wrong.
These kids were different.
Before signing with Blade Entertainment, PD Jeon had worked with four idol groups. Based on that experience, he had judged L.I.T, but it seems he misjudged them.
Every time he sees them, he’s filled with the thought, “What are these kids?” It’s as if he’s never seen such passionate and funny kids before.
Today was no different. Once the teams were decided and the capes were on, their eyes changed.
"The first one is the X3 attraction. See that? The roller coaster that drops at a 90-degree angle?"
Taking a selfie there wouldn’t be easy.
Cameras were set up on the roller coaster to observe the members in real-time, and the entire staff couldn’t help but be amazed.
Even Roa, whose legs were shaking so much he could barely get on the roller coaster, managed to take a selfie while dropping at a 90-degree angle.
Even Jaewon and Siu took a selfie together, forming a heart.
Ichan and Hanjoon made a “V” with their fingers, and Roa made a flower shape with his hands.
Both teams scored 10 points, following the rule of not holding the safety bar at the 90-degree drop point.
The second mission, guessing the character in the photo, was also a success for both teams.
Even Jaewon, who had been fooling around, widened his eyes once the game started. When the blue team guessed the answer first, the black team panicked and quickly guessed correctly.
“Geez, why is everyone like this?”
One staff member shook his head.
It’s supposed to be fun when they’re scared, making mistakes, and screaming, but all five members were flawless.
“Was the penalty costume for entering the country too harsh?”
At this rate, it might end in a tie.
The third mission, eating ice cream, was also a success for both teams.
The fourth mission, solving a puzzle, was the same.
“Wow. At this rate, the production team might have to wear the penalty costumes when entering the country.”
At the youngest writer’s words, PD Jeon added:
“If it’s a tie after the fifth mission, PD Pyo and I will wear them.”
But PD Pyo, smiling, shook his head.
“No. The last mission is drawing, right? Then the answer is clear.”
Yes, the answer was clear.
After the fifth mission, the kids got off the ride and presented their team drawings.
The theme was a cat.
It was a high-difficulty mission where they had to take turns drawing on a spinning ride.
They had to show the drawing to a local and ask what it was. If they got the answer, the mission was a success.
When they showed the black team’s drawing, the answer came immediately.
{Pointy ears, whiskers, and a long, curved tail. This is a cat.}
{Then what about this?}
While the black team cheered for their success, the blue team presented their drawing.
The girl who looked at the drawing tilted her head.
{Hmm. Is it a centipede?}
With that one comment, the winner was decided.
“No!”
Jaewon screamed and approached the girl, explaining the drawing again. But the girl couldn’t recognize it as a cat, and the game ended.
As expected, Yoon Siu is still Yoon Siu.