translation by mourningmoor
The room assignments also turned out to be quite amusing.
The fairly large and nice rooms went to Cha Juhyuk and Yoo Heechul.
The two single rooms went to Park Haeju, the only female cast member, and Jung Myungwon, who apparently has terrible sleeping habits.
As a result, the remaining three of us ended up using the storage room in the attic as our lodging.
So, that meant I was sharing a room with Kim Hyunsoo and Yoo Noah.
The pointed ceiling of the gable roof and the three windows cut into it.
Under the windows, three single beds were placed.
And, of course, cameras were installed everywhere.
“It’s nice to be sharing a room with the two of you, isn’t it?”
I said, but Kim Hyunsoo’s face, turned away from the camera, had cooled down.
Someone with such clear standards for life that they only associate with people of their “level” would naturally be dissatisfied with using a storage room as lodging.
But I accepted it quite willingly.
At least it was a more decent place than the L.I.T dormitory last time.
Yoo Noah also didn’t seem to have any particular complaints.
After all, that guy is the Demon King. Anywhere in the world would be better than Shadows Swamp.
Each of us was assigned a shabby wardrobe along with the beds. After quickly unpacking, I immediately looked for a camera blind spot.
It was a precautionary move.
In case I needed to draw a magic circle or throw a punch at Yoo Noah, I wanted to avoid the cameras.
It seemed Yoo Noah was doing the same.
He had been behaving very similarly to me since earlier.
This would be a good time to peek into his thoughts using “Heart’s Resonance,” but if I’m not careful, he might read my thoughts too, so I had to be cautious.
Then, a message came in.
2000-Year-Old Trash
Hoobaenim
When I turned my head, Yoo Noah, standing in the camera blind spot, smiled at me. Then, he typed a message on his phone.
Soon, my phone buzzed with a notification.
2000-Year-Old Trash
Don’t use “Heart’s Resonance” recklessly here. Save your magic power.
Why?
2000-Year-Old Trash:
It’s not just people with good intentions who are drawn to your sparkle, hoobaenim.
I looked up at Yoo Noah.
Then, Yoo Noah, still smiling, sent another message.
2000-Year-Old Trash:
Curious? If you’re curious, it’s 500 won :)
That guy, isn’t he supposed to be 2000 years old? What’s with the outdated jokes?
Go away.
* * *
The next morning.
When Yoo Noah and I showed up wearing the same patterned but differently colored Hawaiian shirts, Writer Jeong Haeseong’s mouth stretched ear to ear in a grin.
But soon, she pouted her lips.
Because Kim Hyunsoo, who came in right after us, was wearing the same outfit.
“What’s with you three? Did you coordinate your uniforms?”
Cha Juhyuk, who was sitting in the hall drinking coffee, craned his neck to look at us. Kim Hyunsoo smiled brightly and answered.
“Yes, Ichan-ssi gave them to us as gifts. He said he bought them at the store yesterday.”
Though the pattern of the clothes was somewhat tacky, they looked exceptional on someone as handsome as Kim Hyunsoo. Then, Jung Myungwon immediately chimed in.
“What’s this, what’s this? Only you three have uniforms.”
Then, he groaned while looking at Cha Juhyuk.
“Sunbaenim. Only the hall team is sparkling. Aren’t we too dull?”
“Is that so?”
At the mention of being dull, Cha Juhyuk alternated looking at his clothes and ours. He had a rather awkward expression. I knew this would happen.
“I brought some for you too, sunbaenim.”
When I held out the plastic bag in my hand, Jung Myungwon quickly ran over and peeked inside.
“Wow. This guy’s got class.”
“I hope you like them…”
Jung Myungwon smiled brightly, took the plastic bag, and handed it to Cha Juhyuk.
“I like it. It’s a gift, so of course I like it. You like it too, right, sunbaenim?”
“Of course. Ichan-ssi gave it to us. He’s the leader of L.I.T, after all. Hahaha.”
Cha Juhyuk, who had already wiped the awkward expression off his face, held the clothes up to his body. He even smiled brightly, clearly pleased.
“I can give this to my daughter later. Thanks, Ichan-ssi.”
And so, all the cast members ended up wearing matching uniforms.
Everyone looked satisfied, except for Writer Jeong Haeseong, who was frowning.
Of course. She wanted to capture Yoo Noah and me wearing matching outfits and having fun on camera.
The fancam footage from the awards ceremony had gained a lot of popularity, so she probably wanted to ride that wave.
But I had no intention of playing along with such childish desires.
That’s why, when Yoo Noah bought clothes yesterday, I also bought clothes for the other cast members.
[You’ve got it all figured out, sunbaenim. You’re rich, after all.]
[If it were just for you, junior, I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t feel like buying for others…]
[Then I’ll buy them. You just buy your own, sunbaenim.]
[Then buy mine too, junior. In return, I’ll finish the story I was telling you earlier.]
And so, after gifting Hawaiian shirts to everyone, I became the epitome of a considerate young man, rising as a beloved icon.
“Alright, let’s eat breakfast quickly and get ready for the opening.”
Opening preparations.
What Writer Jeong Haeseong meant by “opening preparations” was attracting guests.
A month and a half ago, during a pre-interview, she gave me homework.
[We’ll be running a pension on Ganghwa Island, and your role there will be as a part-timer. You’ll be doing things like serving, handling payments, and cleaning, but the most important thing is attracting guests.]
[Attracting guests?]
[Yes, so bring your guitar when you come. We’ll have a busking performance before the opening. I’ll send you a list of songs and sheet music. No matter how busy you are, you have to practice and come. Got it?]
No wonder it was included in the tracklist.
It seemed Yoo Noah would be joining me for the busking.
* * *
My prediction wasn’t wrong.
Yoo Noah and I, wearing matching Hawaiian shirts, headed to Kailua Beach for busking.
Not only the filming crew but also Writer Jeong Haeseong and even PD Yeon Hojin followed us. Only a few VJs were left at the hotel.
Perhaps because of that, all the other cast members, except for the kitchen team who had to prepare ingredients, came out to the beach.
It seemed more favorable for editing to listen to busking on the beach rather than staying at the hotel to assist in the kitchen.
Everyone had noticed that Writer Jeong Haeseong, the real power behind this program, was completely fixated on Yoo Noah and me.
While the filming crew set up, we also prepared.
“Did you get the sheet music in advance, sunbaenim?”
Since the VJ was closely filming us, I addressed the Demon King politely.
“I did.”
“Then you should’ve contacted me earlier. We could’ve practiced together.”
You’re always quick to contact me, but not in situations like this?
I gritted my teeth slightly.
Then, Yoo Noah smiled softly.
“Where’s the thrill in that? It’s more fun when you don’t know.”
Yeah, have fun by yourself.
“I thought I’d be performing alone, so I rearranged the sheet music a bit. Should I play it as is?”
I was testing Yoo Noah.
I have a deep appreciation for the arts and the Media Acquisition ability, so I quickly adapted to this world’s music, but the Demon King was different.
Born in the Swamp of Shadows, his home was a den teeming with monsters. Even though he wielded absolute power, the Demon King was far removed from the arts.
How was this Demon King living as the leader of ARCHE? How was he imitating Yoo Noah’s singing and dancing? I was curious.
If he was imitating Yoo Noah’s life through immense effort, it would be impossible for him to play the rearranged song.
He would need time to practice.
But what do you know? Yoo Noah glanced at the sheet music and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Sounds good. Let’s go with your arrangement.”
I didn’t have high expectations.
Since there was only one copy of the rearranged sheet music, I placed it on the music stand at a distance. If the song wasn’t familiar, mistakes could happen if the sheet music wasn’t clearly visible.
Moreover, we had to perform an impromptu duet without any prior practice.
So, with a “whatever” attitude, I started the busking.
“You take the lead, hoobaenim. I’ll harmonize.”
I nodded and began playing first.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
After tapping the guitar four times to signal the start, I smoothly moved my fingers. Then, Yoo Noah’s guitar playing naturally blended in.
The two acoustic guitars harmonized, creating a beautiful melody.
Soon, my voice rang out clearly through the microphone.
And Yoo Noah’s voice created a sweet harmony.
Before starting, we quickly checked the parts and notes we’d sing.
That’s how our first performance began, and the harmony was perfect.
Before I knew it, the first song ended.
Applause and cheers erupted from all around.
“OMG, Noah!”
“Noah!”
Some people even recognized Yoo Noah.
Shouts and the sound of camera shutters clicking followed.
Occasionally, Korean words mixed in.
“Daebak.”
The person who whistled and shouted was Kim Hyunsoo.
Yeah, it was cool. I admit it.
It was an impressive performance, enough to give me goosebumps.
That made me even more curious.
Was this the Demon King’s ability, or Yoo Noah’s?
Either way, it was a slightly dangerous ability.
Because it made me feel like the Demon King, Yoo Noah, was somewhat human.
And so, five songs were performed in a row.
Our busking performance was a huge success, and Writer Jeong Haeseong was extremely satisfied.
Thanks to that, we got even busier.
Because guests were lining up at <Hotel Ohana>.
Damn it. We’re screwed.