translation by mourningmoor
Still, this... to express such a pathetic inferiority complex like this, he really was out of line in many ways.
Eventually, Kim Junmo didn’t hesitate to throw out a comment that was clearly going to get him edited out completely. Because of Kim Junmo, not only the cast members but also the staff were starting to get frustrated.
And then, an incident finally happened.
* * *
On the morning of the fourth day, I woke up early from the sound of water dripping on my face. It was raining.
“Hyungnim. It’s raining a lot, isn’t it?”
It seemed like Roa had also woken up because of the rain.
Roa, with his disheveled face, sat up and woke Jaewon. Water was pouring through the roof and dripping inside.
At this rate, the roof was going to collapse; it was only a matter of time.
“I’ll go check the situation. Pack up a bit. We might have to move the camp.”
“Okay.”
I put on my waterproof anorak hoodie and went outside.
The campfire had already gone out, and the sky was entirely gray.
Heavy raindrops were falling on the dark, rolling sea, creating a noise.
“The weather’s not looking good.”
It really wasn’t. It wasn’t just the usual rainy season; the atmosphere felt like a storm was about to hit.
At that moment, a loud noise came, and the roof of Kim Isaac’s team’s house collapsed.
“Hey, what the hell? What did you do that for?”
It was Kim Seokhwa’s voice.
“It couldn’t withstand the weight of the water, with all this rain.”
Kim Junmo had caused more trouble.
It seemed that water had seeped in through the leaf roof, and his clothes got a bit wet. He kicked the pillar holding up the roof in frustration.
As a result, the whole house collapsed, and Kim Isaac and Kim Hyunsoo, who hadn’t woken up yet, were shocked.
The team members, still exposed to the rain, turned to Kim Junmo and said something.
“This isn’t the first time. Don’t you think about anyone but yourself?”
Kim Isaac, who had been holding it in, spoke up.
“You’re twenty-four, but you’re really immature, aren’t you? Look at L.I.T.. They’re much younger than you, but they act more mature.”
“Wow. This is too much.”
Finally, Kim Junmo snapped.
“You’re comparing me to them? Didn’t I used to be an idol? Idols are trained this way. They say we’re brainless. They act like parrots, repeating what they’re trained to do.”
Since yesterday, he had been throwing a tantrum, and now he was putting down the whole idol industry.
And there were active idols in this jungle team, besides us.
“Hey, you bastard.”
It was none other than 2nd generation idol Kim Seokhwa.
“You were an idol too, right? I guess you were trained like that. Then act like you were trained. Don’t embarrass the idols.”
Kim Seokhwa, who was usually full of playful energy, spoke in a cold tone, his words emotional.
“Whining like a child, venting, and causing trouble for everyone.”
Every word was true.
“You, as an idol, have just insulted all the idols out there who are sweating and training hard for their dreams. Do you understand?”
Kim Junmo’s face turned pale and stiff.
Right now, he looked just like a jealous child seeking attention, throwing a tantrum.
But instead of attention, criticism came his way, and he didn’t know how to handle it, so he acted even more defiant. That’s how it was.
“I’m not an idol, okay? I quit being one because I hated that brainless, fake behavior.”
These kinds of people, when cornered, always find someone weaker to shield them.
For Kim Junmo, that weak target seemed to be our team.
“Look at L.I.T. How fake are they? These young kids, they just try to please the leader and act all political, trying to get in good with the chief.”
At that moment, the door to the main tent opened, and Lee Hanwoo appeared.
“What are you talking about?”
Lee Hanwoo’s voice was laced with anger.
Soon, PD Choi and other staff members came outside too. It seemed they couldn’t stay inside with all the loud arguing happening so early in the morning.
Our members also came outside.
The word "fake" hit me like an unexpected attack, and it was really grating to hear.
Hanjoon was about to say something, but he swallowed his words. Instead, Lee Hanwoo spoke up.
“Criticism has to come from someone who knows what they’re doing, or it won’t have any impact. You’ve just been throwing insults since yesterday. What have you even done?”
That’s right. From yesterday, he had been nitpicking at everyone, and now he was openly insulting us.
It's a good thing we left our manager on the main island. If Gyuhyung was here, we would have filed a complaint with Mega Entertainment.
Since our manager wasn’t here, Lee Hanwoo was stepping in for us.
“Apologize to the kids right now.”
“What?”
Kim Junmo frowned at Lee Hanwoo’s words.
He scoffed, as if asking what kind of nonsense that was.
“Apologize for what you said.”
“Chief!”
Kim Junmo looked really upset, almost like he was about to cry.
“Apologize? What did I even do wrong?”
That’s when Kim Hyunsoo stepped in.
Kim Hyunsoo blocked Kim Junmo’s way, looking embarrassed, and spoke to Lee Hanwoo.
“I’m sorry, Chief. I’ll apologize for him.”
Then, he turned to our side.
“Ichan-ah, I’m sorry. Okay?”
As a senior from the same company and the one who brought Kim Junmo to the jungle, Kim Hyunsoo apologized sincerely.
Kim Junmo couldn’t believe it and shouted, feeling shocked.
“Hyung! Why are you apologizing? I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“You’re the one in the wrong.”
His voice was firm.
“This is a nuisance. Think about your position.”
The biggest difference and common point between Kim Jeongsoo and Kim Hyunsoo seemed to be this.
“You came here by tagging along, didn’t you?”
Kim Jeongsoo and Kim Hyunsoo approach people in different ways. They spend their emotions in different ways too.
“If you act like this, what does that make me?”
Kim Jeongsoo likes to find good points in others and share, while Kim Hyunsoo is quick to find flaws and defend himself. And both of them aren’t shy about showing that. They are honest about their feelings.
Because of that, Kim Jeongsoo is easily hurt, while Kim Hyunsoo easily hurts others.
Right now, Kim Hyunsoo was passionately hurting Kim Junmo.
“You brought someone who doesn’t even deserve to be here and now you’re insulting the other cast members?”
Kim Hyunsoo’s words made Kim Junmo go pale, his whole body trembling.
I could see that, despite all the insults Kim Junmo had thrown at us, Kim Hyunsoo’s harsh words really hurt him.
His eyes reddened, and he suddenly turned and ran into the forest, without looking back.
“No, Kim Junmo, where are you going?”
Kim Junmo shoved away the assistant director who tried to stop him and disappeared into the forest.
At that moment, the local guide, who had been busy on the phone inside the tent, came out with a serious face. He then declared an emergency situation.
“The typhoon suddenly changed direction, and it looks like we’ll be affected here.”
A staff member who translated the guide’s words looked worried.
The waves were expected to get higher, so we couldn’t stay near the coast anymore.
“Do we have a plan? We need to avoid it. Let’s head for the hill right away.”
When the director gave the order, everyone scrambled to pack their things.
Since we had packed ahead of time, we waited idly for the other cast members. That’s when Jaewon spoke up.
“By the way, do you think Kim Junmo hyung will know to head for the hill?”
Jaewon’s words made PD Choi’s eyes widen. It seemed he had forgotten about Kim Junmo by then.
“Right. What do we do?”
“What do we do? We need to find him.”
Lee Hanwoo answered.
“Give the VJs and assistant director to him. He’s ready, so I’ll take him and we’ll leave first. On the way, we’ll look for Kim Junmo too.”
“Are you sure?”
That’s how the vanguard team set off first.
We never imagined we might get lost or that someone might fall behind.
* * *
I had to find Kim Junmo’s footprints before the rain became heavier.
The ground was soft, so luckily, the footprints were visible.
I said we should hurry, as the footprints would likely be erased if it rained more.
We quickly tracked Kim Junmo by the faint traces of his footprints.
Ihanwoo led the way, followed by Roa and Jaewon.
Roa had a pot flipped on his head, and the maknae wore a hat made of leaves, replacing a real one.
Behind them, Hanjoon and Siu followed, and I was bringing up the rear with the assistant director.
At this point, the walkie-talkies were still working.
With a static sound, I could occasionally hear Ihanwoo talking to PD Choi on the walkie-talkie.
“Did you finish packing up the camp? Alright, we’ll meet there.”
—Where are you now? Should I send a guide?
“We’re a bit off the path while following Junmo’s footprints, but it’s not to the point we need a guide. I can see the location for the second camp from here.”
—Got it. Be careful around the swampy area and head this way. Understood?
“Okay. See you later.”
That was the last communication.
Kim Junmo’s footprints led to a forest so dense that no light could pass through. At the entrance to the forest, Lee Hanwoo hesitated for a moment.
Up until now, the woods we had hunted in and gathered fruit from were not real forests. If I had to describe it, they were more like neighborhood orchards that people could easily reach.
But the path ahead, starting now, was more like a “jungle,” fitting the program’s title.
Before stepping into the forest, Lee Hanwoo swallowed dryly.
“Should we go in?”
His voice trembled slightly.
A jungle so thick that not even rainwater could penetrate. Anyone could be scared. But we had to go in. My tracking magic also told me that Junmo was inside.
“Let’s go.”
I sighed quietly and stepped forward, standing at the back.
“Since it’s dark, everyone get your flashlights ready.”
The members nodded at my words and rummaged through their bags, pulling out our glowing lightstick.
“These have the best visibility.”