translation by mourningmoor
A sudden wave of regret hit me.
If I had known this would happen, I would have learned the dark magic "Time Reversion Spell."
I almost wanted to turn back time and go back to before I had to talk to Kim Chanyeong.
[Ichan-ah. Can we talk for a moment?]
[If it's about the broadcast resumption, let's just do it here. We're all victims, so if you want to apologize, do it to everyone.]
The managers requested for the filming to be stopped and the broadcast to be canceled, but it seems TVH made it clear that it was impossible. Pressure was put on Director Choi and HS to resolve the issue, and the method Kim Chanyeong chose to resolve it was to talk to me.
[I'm sorry. I apologize on behalf of the company. Help me so this doesn't escalate. If the broadcast stops here, it won't be good for your company either.]
[Are you threatening me?]
[No. I'm telling you the truth. The broadcasting station will hold HS responsible, and they'll put various pressures on the other companies as well. Even the people from the Gapyeong Specialty Center will end up suffering.]
So, please just turn a blind eye just this once.
This was the gist of the apology.
[We don't need to go as far as stopping the broadcast. Then HS will only be responsible. If the broadcast is halted... too many people will get hurt. In return, MuteSeven will be excluded from the live broadcast. Everyone will lay low, and the editing will be kept to a minimum.]
In the end, it's the same. Sacrificing the small for the greater good.
It means that, in order to protect the entire HS, they will remove MuteSeven from the equation.
[Please give me a moment. I'll discuss this with everyone.]
The result of the discussion was the broadcast resuming.
Everyone gave their reasons, but in the end, it came down to the fact that a rookie group, who had just debuted, had no chance of going up against TVH.
That was the truth.
As for me, I had won the bet with Kim Wooyoung and earned a wish, so I was fine with that.
So, I accepted the outcome.
However, what lay before me now was an even more terrifying result brought about by that outcome.
"Alright, now let's divide the roles."
Since I was pale with fear, the youngest member got even more excited and started chattering.
"One person to wear the squirrel and pine nut costumes, one person to talk in front of the camera, and two people to eat the food, right?"
Then, Hanjoon raised his hand high.
"I'll eat."
Yeah, eating is probably the better option.
"Me too."
Quickly raising my hand, I plopped down right on the laid-out mat with the food spread out.
"What are you talking about? We should do rock-paper-scissors."
Ha, I really took a wrong turn here.
From the start, I should have focused on leader-centered, seniority-based training. Instead, I got caught up in trying to be a "democratic leader" and preached the so-called "respect for opinions" nonsense.
"Come on. Squirrel, pine nuts, seller, and the eater. Let's decide in that order, okay?"
Let's see.
I had been wearing that earring since early morning, and around 1 PM, I gave it to that guy. So, that earring had been on my body for at least eight hours.
Then the magic is valid for eight hours, so I can use it however I want until 9 PM.
‘Sound magic’ compatible spell... was it "telepathy," right?
"Alright. Let's do it."
As I got up from my seat, the youngest kid started bouncing around with excitement.
Then, he threw some curses—though not really curses—my way.
"I hope Ichannie hyung gets the pine nut costume."
The pine nut costume? You should be the one to get it.
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, the overly confident Jaewon shouted excitedly.
"If you don't throw it, you lose! Rock, paper, scissors... Aaaaargh."
And just like that, all the problems were solved easily.
* * *
6:00, one minute to go.
The former Stella and new Filament members gathered at Park Juhee's house, connecting to NewTube on the big television screen as they waited for the time to come.
Currently, 998 people have entered the live stream. They still hadn't hit 1000.
"Mina unnie, Yoojung, you two join in too. Then it'll be exactly 1000 people."
"You're right. Let's get 1000 people to make our kids feel good."
As the two of them entered the live stream by pulling out their phones, the count quickly rose to 1017.
"Ooh, it's gone up a few more."
Then it reached 1211.
"Why am I so nervous over something like this?"
On the TVH live broadcast channel, the logo song was playing on an endless loop.
And finally, the number 10 appeared large on the screen.
"Countdown. 10, 9, 8..."
<Weekly Music Q>’s Journalist Kang Mina began the countdown.
Soon, 0 appeared, and the screen switched.
"Wait, what is this?"
A large squirrel was fiddling with the camera.
—Is this right? Is it all in frame now?
"Isn't that Roa?"
The kid in the large squirrel costume was Roa.
Maybe because they still had chubby baby cheeks, the squirrel mask he was wearing pressed down on his cheeks, making him look just like a hamster.
"So cute!"
Mina, with her hands clasped together, let out a breathless sigh.
"Shh, let's start. Unnie."
Finally, L.I.T's first live broadcast began.
Every time a member entered the screen, the real-time chat window exploded with messages.
The one wearing the squirrel costume is Roa, and who is the one wearing the half-done garlic costume?
Half-done garlic ㅠㅠ ㅋㅋㅋ F*ck, is that not Jaewon? The voice sounds like Jaewon.
Half-done garlic Jaewon.
Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I didn’t realize because I was watching with the sound off for the dinner gathering, sorry Jaewon ㅠㅠ Now I see it’s the goddess garlic.
It’s not garlic, it’s pine nuts ㅋㅋㅋ
Why are only Jaewon and Roa wearing those costumes? Is it to exclude the members? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ One’s in pine nuts and the other’s a squirrel, ㅋㅋㅋ; if that’s the case, let’s put Hanjoon in a group costume too.
But then Jaewon would be excluded.
So, isn't Hanjoon part of L.I.T.? Not sticking to the concept—looks like a subtle way to show the trashy side of the company...
Hanjoon is human, right? He’s a seller; let’s hold back on comments like that, lightbulb.
The kids standing in a line on screen looked uneasy, like they had lost their way in an unfamiliar place. They kept glancing at each other and nervously looking at somewhere outside the frame.
Why are there only four of them? Where's Ichan?
As soon as the comment went up, the leader of L.I.T, Ichan, appeared on screen.
Instantly, the kids’ expressions relaxed.
SIU OPPA FRONT PLZ (already english in raw)
Already got some international fans.
As soon as Ichan showed up, the kids’ expressions changed, haha.
That’s how much of a presence he has, haha. Ichan, you look beautiful today. Looks like it’s your day again.
Kang Ichan ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
The kids, lined up in official order, glanced at Ichan, and then he opened his mouth.
―Two, three, Hello, we are L.I.T.
The kids made a finger shape in the form of a gun and placed it on their left chest, smiling brightly as they greeted. Then, Ichan began his line.
―Wow, already 2618 people have joined.
Kim Jaewon, what the heck, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. It’s a pine cone ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Everyone, wear costumes!
Ichan, narrowing his eyes while looking at the live chat, then turned back to the camera.
―That's not a pine cone, it's a pine nut. The special product we're selling today is the pine nut from Gapyeong.
With a serious face, Ichan gestured to the kids, and Hanjoon and Siu climbed onto the bench to sit down. Then, without saying a word, they began eating the pine nut noodles.
Oh ㅋㅋㅋㅋ, the mukbang starts now. Hanjoon's eating so deliciously.
That's not a pine cone, it's a pine nut! ㅋㅋㅋ, that's itㅋㅋㅋ. Jaewon isn't getting treated like a human ㅋㅋ.
It seems Ichan read that too.
―Hmm. Well, pine nuts aren’t human, so it’s correct to say "those are pine nuts."
Ichan, more focused on reacting to the live chat than selling the products, was a terrible show host. However, this behavior turned out to be the best fan service for Filament.
―Before we started, we tried the pine nuts. Mmm...
Ichan narrowed his eyes as he stared into the air, nodding his head.
―It was delicious.
Then, he glanced at the squirrel, or rather, Roa, as if seeking his agreement.
―Yes. It was delicious.
Roa, holding a box of pine nuts, stretched out his palm toward the screen as if offering a handshake.
―Uh, that's not it...
Then he extended his palm again.
The look of confusion was evident on his face.
As he watched him quietly, Ichan added a comment.
―This isn't the 'ppa' from 'Muk-jji-ppa'; it's a thumbs-up.
T.N.: "The 'ppa' is from 'Muk-jji-ppa', a variation of rock-paper-scissors commonly played in Korea. It refers to one of the syllables in the game’s name.
Then, the real-time chat exploded with excitement.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Ahh,ㅋㅋㅋㅋ what are we going to do,ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Roa can't bend his fingers
Who dressed our baby like that, 8―8
What's up with the costumes?ㅋㅋ Why is it only the youngest members?ㅋㅋ
You guys, sing a song! I love Promise so much, I listen to it over 100 times a day
God Ichan-nim, Jatjaewon's face is so red—it seems like he's feeling hot.
T.N.: 잣(jat) means pine nut.
The ever-serious Ichan bit his lower lip as he read the chat.
His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes moved quickly.
―Hmm... The squirrel and pine nut costumes were worn because they lost at rock-paper-scissors. You said you listen to Promise a hundred times a day? Oh, I don’t listen to it that much... You’ll turn into a zombie like that. Your ears... will break.
At that, Jaewon, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.
And it wasn't just Jaewon.
Hanjoon, who had been eating noodles without saying a word, started coughing and spluttering.
But Ichan didn’t stop answering.
―And the reason why this pine nut is red...
Ichan's hand briefly pointed at the pine nut, no, at Jaewon.
―It’s because it’s ripened.
―Ah, hyung. What do you mean it's ripened? What pine nut ripens?
―It has to ripen to be eaten.
―Right, it has to ripen. If it's not ripened, it's bitter.
When Roa added her comment to Ichan’s words, this time, Siu started coughing as well.
Ah, crazy, Ikjidong was bornㅋ ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
T.N.: 익지동 (Ikjidong) is a playful nickname combining Jaewon's name and the concept of a ripened pine nut.
The unripe pine nuts are so bitterㅋㅋ Roa seems to think whatever Ichan says is always rightㅠㅠ♡ Oh, so cute
Our baby is the best when he’s with hyung
No wayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They can't even have a casual mukbangㅋㅋ So, are we selling or eating, just one of the two haha
The sales didn’t explode, but Siu didㅋㅋㅋㄷㅋㄱㅋㅋㄱ
The pine nuts… exploded, and that’s how such a great face appeared?
Should I... go buy pine nuts?
I don't think they'll come out from the supermarket pine nuts, it has to be from the mountains
Okay, I’ll buy it
Now, let’s actually sell some stuff ㅋ ㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠ
It was then that Ichan, as if realizing something, opened his lips wide and lifted the set of pine nuts on the table.
―Ah― I forgot to mention the price. It’s 45,000 won per box.
At that moment, Jaewon jumped in with a comment, as if he had been waiting for this.
―It’s usually sold for 60,000 won in stores, but you can get it at a discounted price here.
As if hypnotized by those words, Mina started tapping on her phone.
“Wow, geez, guys. You’re so adorable that I ended up buying twenty boxes.”
“I’ll take ten boxes.”
“I’m still a student, so five boxes for me.”
Editor Kang Mina bought twenty boxes, NewTuber Juhee bought ten boxes, and student Yoojung bought five boxes.
After completing their purchases, the three of them felt a sense of satisfaction as they looked at the words <SOLD OUT> displayed on the screen.