translation by mourningmoor
The brightness of the glow-in-the-dark bulb was truly the best.
Rather than shining in just one direction like a flashlight, it softly illuminated the surroundings, making the dark jungle feel cozy.
“Wow, even the raindrops don’t fall here.”
At Hanjoon’s words, Lee Hanwoo nodded.
“That just means the trees are really dense. Look, see? The raindrops are sliding down the tree trunks instead of falling straight down. That also means the ground is muddy, and there are a lot of swamps. You have to watch where you step.”
He reminded me once again to be careful as I walked ahead.
I nodded slightly with a smile and walked slowly, following the signals only visible to me. On both sides of me, Roa and Jaewon stood close, while behind me, Hanjoon and Siu followed right behind.
Seeing this, Lee Hanwoo chuckled.
“Hey, you guys look just like a combined robot like that. Do you normally move around as one lump?”
“We combine, then separate, then combine again in no time.”
I answered like a joke, and not just Lee Hanwoo but also the assistant director and the VJ burst out laughing.
Yeah, in scary and tense moments like this, you have to ease the mood by laughing.
“Aren’t you guys scared?”
Lee Hanwoo asked, watching us bravely pushing through the jungle.
Jaewon answered with a bright smile.
“Chanie hyung-ah is our team’s lucky charm. As long as we stick close like this, even if a snake comes out, it’s no problem.”
“Lucky charm?”
“Yes! This hyung may look like this, but he’s been struck by lig—”
Hanjoon quickly covered Jaewon’s lips with his hand.
“Ichan is definitely a symbol of good luck. He survived both the lighting accident and the fire accident without a scratch.”
“Oh yeah, I read that article. Didn’t Ichan even put out the fire himself?”
“I was just lucky.”
I answered indifferently, and Lee Hanwoo nodded.
“Well, if you’re that lucky, you’re worth keeping as a lucky charm.”
Even Lee Hanwoo’s voice had relaxed by now.
“Of course! Our leader is great at finding paths and catching snakes. He’s the best.”
With Jaewon’s playful words, the tension returned once again.
The jungle grew deeper, and the light became dimmer.
It felt like we were completely disconnected from the world, and even beyond the walkie-talkie, there was silence.
“Wow, why is this so eerie?”
At Hanjoon’s comment, Siu gulped nervously.
The assistant director and VJs also remained silent.
Then, in the stillness of the jungle, a chilling sound echoed.
Uuugh, huuk, uwoooh, aaaaagh.
The group stopped walking at the same time, quietly listening to the eerie noises. Then, Jaewon broke the silence.
“This… sounds like Kim Junmo sunbae’s voice. I bet Hanjoon hyung’s limited-edition game pack on it.”
“Hey. Why are you betting my game pack?”
“That’s how sure I am. I’m telling you, it’s 100% Kim Junmo sunbae.”
Lee Hanwoo, nodding, quickened his pace.
At least, it seemed like they found Kim Junmo.
* * *
Kim Junmo regretted it.
No matter how cornered he was, he shouldn’t have recklessly followed them into the jungle. It was a thoughtless decision. No—if he had already decided to follow, he should have been more careful. But in the end, the same thing repeated itself.
“Damn it.”
Lately, his activities had been sparse. It was because he had fallen into a slump.
After appearing on a variety show and experiencing something akin to being ostracized, he became afraid of the camera.
Since then, he had appeared on a few similar formatted shows, but for similar reasons, he was once again ostracized.
The CEO of his agency, Mega Entertainment, told him that he was the problem. That if he didn’t fix it, he wouldn’t survive in this industry.
He seemed to have heard a similar story from his previous agency’s CEO as well.
“What did I do so wrong?”
Damn it. Kim Junmo shouted loudly and cried his heart out.
It felt like this was the last moment of his life.
In a fit of anger, he ran out of the camp, not thinking of anything as he sprinted away.
He was furious at Kim Hyunsoo, who, despite being from the same agency, took the side of some no-name idol instead of his. He was angry at Kim Seokhwa, who exposed his small mistakes and humiliated him. And he was angry at Lee Hanwoo, who scolded him even though he knew nothing.
He was anxious about getting lost, but at the same time, he thought it would be great if he did, so that the cast of King of the Jungle would blame themselves.
So he ran without looking back. And in the end, he got lost.
Once he realized he was lost, fear started creeping in.
He tried retracing his steps back, but it seemed he had taken a wrong direction from the start.
That’s when he realized something was completely wrong.
His feet had started sinking into the mud.
He struggled to escape, but the more he moved, the deeper he sank.
This must be that infamous swamp. The jungle swamp where even elephants couldn’t escape.
Before he knew it, the mud had reached the middle of his thighs.
Even if he was ignorant, he could tell his situation was hopeless.
No one would come looking for him, and even if they did, they wouldn’t find him. No one would think he had come this deep into the jungle.
Regret flooded in, and despair followed right behind.
So he had been crying his heart out for a while now. That was all he could do. Cry and regret.
“Damn it, fucking hell.”
And apologize to the unseen existence.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, so please… save me.”
He felt sorry for Kang Ichan and the L.I.T members as well.
It wasn’t like he had any malicious intent. He had just been jealous of the kids who did so well at being ‘idols’—something he himself couldn’t do.
“If you just save me, I’ll apologize.”
If only he had apologized when Lee Hanwoo told him earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. No—if he hadn’t picked a fight with L.I.T in the first place, things would have been better.
Even if they were far his juniors, if he had acknowledged their talent like Kim Seokhwa and adjusted accordingly, things might have turned out fine.
They say that before dying, people reflect on their lives and repent. It was true.
If he had known he would die so meaninglessly, he would have worked himself to the bone after debuting as an idol. He would have been careful with his words, controlled his emotions, and lived as he was trained to.
“Fucking idiot.”
Even the sobs weren’t coming out properly anymore. He thought even that was a waste.
“Yeah. Wasting my last energy on crying is a shame. Let’s try until the end. And if I survive, I’ll apologize first.”
That was his resolve. So he mustered all his strength once more to escape the swamp.
That’s when it happened.
“Let’s not do that.”
Startled, he turned around.
The voice belonged to Kang Ichan, who was wearing a cream-colored hooded anorak.
With both hands shoved deep into the pockets of his anorak, Kang Ichan was looking at him with an expressionless face.
“Apologizing is good and all, but if you struggle like that, you’ll just sink deeper into the swamp.”
Kang Ichan glanced around the swamp, roughly assessing Kim Junmo’s situation.
There was an aura about him—one that made it feel like he could actually do something to help.
“I also want to save you and get an apology, so don’t struggle.”
Then, he lightly jumped onto a tree trunk lying across the swamp.
“Hey! What if you fall in—”
“Why would I fall? I won’t fall.”
Moving lightly across the floating debris of the swamp, Kang Ichan approached without making a single ripple.
“You have to step on broad surfaces like this to cross a swamp.”
Now right in front of him, Kang Ichan squatted down and looked down at him. Tears welled up in Kim Junmo’s eyes at that moment.
Kang Ichan seemed to smile at him slightly. Then he lifted his gaze and called out to his teammate.
“Roa.”
“Yes.”
“Read it.”
“To escape a swamp, you first have to lie on your back. And then move your body like this… as if doing backstroke.”
Got it?
Kang Ichan mouthed the words while adding further explanation.
“We’re going to throw two ropes. One goes around your thighs, and one goes under your armpits. Then, you need to lie back.”
He then raised his hand high.
“Maknae. Throw it like we practiced.”
“Okay, leave it to me.”
It all happened in an instant.
A thick, knotted rope flew toward him, and Ichan swiftly secured it around his body. After double-checking that the knots were tight, Ichan gave a command.
“Lie back.”
“Can I… trust you?”
His voice trembled on its own.
“Do you have another choice?”
Kim Junmo shook his head. Right now, there was no other way. The ones who had come to save him were these guys, and at this moment, they were his only saviors.
“Then lie back.”
Clenching his lips tightly and squeezing his eyes shut, Kim Junmo let himself fall backward.
Kang Ichan then took off his anorak, rolled it up, and wedged it between the rope and Kim Junmo’s body.
“The rope might hurt. But endure it. We need to save you first.”
At Ichan’s signal, Roa, who had secured the ropes over a tree branch, pulled with all his strength. The branch seemed to act as a lever.
A strong force suddenly pulled at the rope, sending sharp pain through his legs and chest. But Kim Junmo gritted his teeth and endured without screaming.
Ichan reached into the swamp, clearing mud around his legs to make space.
Jaewon joined in pulling the rope as well.
The pain was unbearable, but Kim Junmo shed tears of relief.
His legs were coming out of the swamp.
Hallelujah.
* * *
Hearing Kim Junmo’s voice, Lee Hanwoo rushed forward but missed his step and twisted his ankle. However, there was no time to hesitate.
Judging by the sound of crying, there was no doubt that he was in danger.
No matter how much he disliked the guy, he had to save him no matter what.
A show that put its cast in danger wouldn’t be able to survive.
He tried to endure the pain and get up, but it was impossible.
Ichan approached and checked his ankle.
“It’s swollen. You can’t walk.”
Then, he turned around and called Hanjoon.
“Hyung, can you carry the chief?”
“I carried PD-nim too, so no problem.”
“Then carry him and come slowly. I’ll go check on Kim Junmo sunbae.”
Ichan adjusted his backpack and started walking.
Then, Roa took something out of his pocket.
“We can’t afford to lose our way even more, so I’ll unravel a thread while we go.”
“Thread?”
Lee Hanwoo was dumbfounded, not understanding what he meant, but these guys weren’t. Siu nodded and received something from Roa.
It was a spool of red thread.
Roa tied the red thread around his wrist and followed after Ichan with Jaewon.
A VJ hurriedly trailed behind them.
“Let’s go.”
By the time he came to his senses, he was already on Hanjoon’s back.
Embarrassing and apologetic.
Even the assistant director, who had been at a loss in this kind of situation for the first time, obediently followed the kids.
And as they slowly followed the red thread—
They found the kids pulling Kim Junmo out of the swamp.