translation by mourningmoor
The trees in the jungle acted as umbrellas, preventing raindrops from falling inside the forest. Instead, the sound of rain hitting the leaves created a loud, chaotic noise.
The humid and eerie atmosphere was wearing the group down.
On top of that, they had exhausted their energy pulling Kim Junmo out of the swamp and carrying Lee Hanwoo on their backs. It was no wonder everyone was tired.
“Should we take a break? It’s not sustainable to keep going like this.”
“Yeah, let’s rest. We should also check on the chief’s ankle condition.”
At my suggestion, the assistant director immediately nodded in agreement.
Kim Junmo also didn’t have the strength to walk properly anymore.
“Alright. Let’s take a break.”
Lee Hanwoo also agreed.
In the jungle, we first sat Lee Hanwoo down on a fallen tree trunk.
At that moment, Roa scurried over.
“Hyungnim. When I hit the tree, water came pouring down.”
Roa, who had been carrying a pot on his head, handed it to Kim Junmo, filled with water.
“Wash yourself a bit.”
Kim Junmo, covered head to toe in mud, obediently followed Roa’s words and washed himself.
Hanjoon and I gathered some relatively dry wood and struck a firestick.
“The wood’s too damp, it won’t catch fire. Wet wood is useless…”
Lee Hanwoo, who had been trying to stop us, trailed off mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open.
As if it were dry wood, the fire caught surprisingly easily.
“It works, huh?”
I grinned and began rummaging through my bag, pulling out various items.
Then, Siu, who had been sitting close to me, lent a hand.
“Everyone left without eating anything this morning. If we run out of energy, we won’t be able to make it back. Let’s eat something.”
“I’ve got some too. The chocolate chip cookies Siu hyung made.”
Jaewon dug through his backpack and pulled out the cookies.
“I’ve got cassava.”
This time, Hanjoon opened his backpack.
Then, Roa raised his hand eagerly.
“Then I’ll go get some coconuts.”
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Kim Junmo, now cleaned up, sat down next to Lee Hanwoo, and the water in Roa’s pot began to boil. Soon, coffee and cocoa were made, providing some comfort to everyone’s tired bodies.
Next, Roa used the coconuts he had gathered to make a cassava dish.
Watching this scene, Lee Hanwoo whispered to the assistant director.
“You’re filming this, right?”
“We’ve got more than enough footage.”
Just as we were soothing our hungry stomachs and feeling a bit relieved, Kim Junmo hung his head and spoke up.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, guys.”
I had already sensed Kim Junmo’s feelings through my magical intuition.
At first, I was worried that, like Aki or Jung Yoobin, his emotions might be unreadable, but that wasn’t the case.
The nasty words he used as a defense mechanism, born from his complexes, were actually eating away at him. It seemed he had realized this too. Of course, my magic played a crucial role in this process. Earlier this morning, when Kim Junmo was causing a scene, I had cast a very subtle spell on him. In our world, this spell is called the “Mirror of the Heart.” It’s a mental magic that allows one to see their own state from a third-person perspective.
In the end, Kim Junmo became as docile as a lamb, repeatedly apologizing and quietly reflecting on his actions.
It was a somewhat happy ending.
After resting sufficiently, we made our way out of the forest.
No one was worried about getting lost.
In fact, I didn’t even need to use my magic.
Our clever maknae had left marks on the trees from the moment we entered the forest, making it easy to retrace our steps.
By now, the rain had stopped.
The sun peeked through the clouds, shining brightly on us.
Chief PD Choi, along with three local guides, had been searching for us, and when we finally reunited, tears were shed.
The cast members, including Kim Hyunsoo, who had evacuated to a safe zone, were equally emotional.
It was as touching as a family reunion after a long separation.
On the other hand, the faces of those who had ventured into the jungle were bright.
Even Lee Hanwoo, who had injured his ankle, was smiling brightly.
It had been fun, after all.
Well, it seemed like a successful jungle appearance.
And that night, we were able to sleep in modern tents instead of treehouses.
The next morning, just before leaving the jungle, Kim Junmo came to find me.
He took me to a spot away from the cameras, looked around cautiously, and then spoke.
“You know I’m under Mega Entertainment, right?”
I knew. Mega Entertainment is one of the four major agencies, alongside HS, Bishop, and The Music.
When I nodded, Kim Junmo lowered his voice and whispered.
“T.I.ONE is making a comeback.”
T.I.ONE, a fourth-year idol group under Mega Entertainment, has built a strong international presence and continues to enjoy high popularity domestically.
I’ve heard they’re being touted as the group to follow in ARCHE’s footsteps, steadily climbing the ladder of success. So what? What changes if T.I.ONE makes a comeback?
“They don’t like you very much.”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“So?”
“They’re annoyed that people are going crazy over something they think is nothing. They keep comparing you guys to T.I.ONE.”
I thought he had reflected on his actions, but here he goes again, crossing the line with his “petty jealousy.”
When I furrowed my brow, Kim Junmo flinched and waved his hands.
“I’m not bad-mouthing you. I’m just letting you know.”
I subtly activated my magical intuition.
He wasn’t lying.
“I’m in the same circle as T.I.ONE’s Taei. He said it feels like you guys are trying to benchmark him by positioning yourselves as a composing idol group.”
T.I.ONE’s Taei? I’ve never heard of him. I’ve watched a few of T.I.ONE’s performances, but I don’t remember the members’ names.
But what’s his deal? Who’s benchmarking him?
“Taei said he’s going to crush you flat one day. He’s annoyed by all the comparisons.”
If anyone’s annoyed by the constant comparisons, it’s us.
We’ve gotten this far purely on our skills, without any marketing.
But T.I.ONE is a group born from the full support of a major agency and a well-crafted marketing plan.
Plus, there’s a gap of over two years in experience.
So why compare? Why?
“When they make their comeback, they’re probably going to come after you, so be prepared.”
The ones mainly comparing us to T.I.ONE, who started from a completely different line, are T.I.ONE’s fan club. That’s why their fan club and our Filament often clash.
“Taei’s been saying stuff like, ‘I’m the number one musical genius in this area.’ You know, that kind of thing.”
But it’s not just the fan club; even their members think that way. This is something we need to address at least once.
“So if they reach out to you, avoid them. It’s just going to be a headache if you get involved. Got it?”
Kim Junmo was doing his best to share the information he had.
It was an expression of goodwill, his best effort to repay a debt of gratitude.
I patted Kim Junmo on the shoulder and gave him a small smile.
“Are you close?”
“Huh?”
“Are you close with T.I.ONE’s Taei?”
“No, not really. We just attend the same events. That guy’s annoying. He’s really arrogant.”
Since I was still using my magical intuition, I unintentionally learned a lot about this Taei guy.
Especially how he’s been talking about us.
“Is that so? Well, that’s good.”
If they were close, I might have felt a bit bad.
Because I just decided I’m going to crush that guy.
* * *
After finishing the jungle schedule, we arrived at Incheon Airport and were immediately taken to the hospital. It seemed the seafood we ate before leaving had gone bad.
More than half of the cast members came down with food poisoning and had to be hospitalized.
From our team, only Roa and I survived, while the other three couldn’t avoid being hospitalized.
Roa and I only had to undergo simple blood tests before returning to the company.
In the 6th-floor CEO’s office, PD Pyo turned pale as he listened to our harrowing experience.
“I’m sorry. I won’t schedule anything like this again.”
“Why? It was kind of fun.”
The problem was that the vacation PD Pyo had generously given us was now useless. With three members hospitalized, more than half of the vacation time was wasted.
So I made a suggestion.
“Let’s postpone the vacation until after our next activity.”
Boldly postponing the vacation, I ambitiously shared my aspirations.
“Instead, there’s a program I want to join.”
“A program you want to join?”
“Yes. ‘Survival, Music Genius.’ I want to go on that.”
I’ve heard that the participants have already been mostly decided.
It’s not something you can just join because you want to.
“Please look into it for me.”
* * *
<Survival, Music Genius,> a survival program produced by TVH.
It’s a show where singer-songwriters compete in survival-style battles, and it’s now in its second season.
Out of a total of 64 participants, the top three are selected, encompassing everything from arranging, composing, lyric writing, adaptation, vocal ability, and instrumental performance. Only true musical geniuses can survive.
The final winner receives a prize of 100 million won and a sponsored car, so it’s no wonder applicants flock to it.
However, PD Ki Yoongu, who created “Survival, Music Genius,” wasn’t satisfied with just this.
Although season 2 was planned based on the high ratings and popularity of season 1, he felt it was lacking by 2%.
That 2% was buzz.
Despite having several times more participants than season 1, there was no one who could elevate the show’s buzz.
They could find talented musical geniuses, but without proven star power, it wouldn’t be a lasting success.
This is why season 1 was called a half-success.
This time, too, the majority of participants were indie artists from the underground scene.
They’re talented, no doubt. But they lack that 2% of public appeal and star power.
So PD Ki had his eye on a few artists who had already proven their public appeal and star power. For example, ARCHE’s Yoo Noah, T.I.ONE’s Taei, Sniper’s Seokwoo, and LIT’s Kang Ichan.
Out of these, only Taei and Seokwoo had agreed to participate.
Unfortunately, ARCHE has a packed overseas schedule, and LIT went on a long vacation right after filming “King of the Jungle.”
That’s what I thought, so I had given up, but then I received a call from Jeong Haeseong, a writer at TVH.
―PD Ki. About that survival thing, have you finalized the participants?
“Yes. All 64 spots are filled.”
―Can you add one more?
It was hard enough to fill 64 spots.
Good singer-songwriters are rare.
And format-wise, starting with 64 participants is the most balanced. In the first round, where half are eliminated, the number of participants is exactly 32.
Even if it’s someone recommended by Writer Jeong Haeseong, I didn’t want to disrupt the format just to accommodate them.
“Why? Who do you want to add?”
I asked who it was because Writer Jeong Haeseong, known as a casting genius, had an eye for talent. But the name that came out of his mouth was unexpected.
―Yeah. A singer I’m fond of. Kang Ichan, the leader of L.I.T.
The one who had already declined.
“I heard he went to the jungle? He went to the jungle and then went on vacation right after.”
―He’s back, and he’s canceled his vacation.
Writer Jeong Haeseong’s voice on the other end of the line sounded like divine intervention.
―So? Will you take him?