Chapter 107

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 25, 2025

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“Fishing variety show?”

Liam, a member of the boy group Thunderdust who debuted just a year ago, thought he had misheard.

Fishing?

Of course, the twenty-something Liam had never even tried fishing.

“That’s totally something for uncles…”

“Is this the time for you to be picky about popularity?”

Sunshine Planning, one of the third-tier management agencies, mainly pushed their idol business but hadn’t made much significant achievements. At least, Thunderdust had been able to secure a fair amount of fan base.

“It’s a bit hard to say this, but aren’t we lagging behind a bit, Ho-seung?”

“Please call me Liam.”

“Wait, why? Kim Ho-seung sounds good and is easy to pronounce.”

Of course, Liam didn’t dislike the name Kim Ho-seung, it’s just that it didn’t seem to fit the image of a boy group.

“Anyway, this is not the time to discriminate against the kind of variety shows uncles enjoy. We need to attract fans.”

That was true. As the team leader said, among the members of Thunderdust, Kim Ho-seung was particularly unpopular. He had a plain face, and he was decent at dancing and singing.

Moreover, he lacked sharp wit, so whenever he appeared on variety shows, he attracted little attention. Honestly, Liam wondered if this industry was really right for him.

“But if I join *Star Fisher*, I’ll get to form connections with veteran actors and hopefully build a new image.”

“That’s good.”

“Ah, by the way, I heard there’s a female guest joining as well.”

“Female? Is she an actor or an idol?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“What? You don’t know anything, do you?”

“Ahem, but whoever it is, it’s a great opportunity to improve one’s image. You’ll teach her fishing, and who knows, this could be great for your image.”

Apparently, she’s a newcomer to fishing too. Fishing does require a lot of physical strength.

‘Seems like she’s in a similar situation to me.’

The fact that a female entertainer is joining a fishing show surprised Liam. Female celebrities usually avoided such outdoor shows since it was tiring, and the skin was prone to getting sunburnt.

However, Liam intended to use this opportunity to improve his image. If he helped a female celebrity well, no matter who it was, he could leave a good impression on the viewers.

With this intention, he headed towards the shooting location.

“Hello.”

A familiar actress stood there, someone he had seen recently in the movie *The Chaser* and *Dream Future*, the actress currently gaining popularity.

Joo Soo-yeon.

She stood in front of him, carrying all kinds of equipment.

***

Lee Sang-soo felt slightly uncomfortable. For him, *Star Fisher* was the only healing variety show.

Though it was for broadcasting, he had built friendships with actors like Song Gwang-min and enjoyed fishing alongside new guests.

But when he heard that a young actress was coming as a guest, it made him slightly uneasy.

“Does she know anything about fishing?”

Frankly, he didn’t expect her to. If she didn’t, all he had to do was teach her.

Still, he doubted if she was genuinely inclined to learn. She might pretend to enjoy it for appearances.

As an actor, Lee Sang-soo was good at reading people’s emotions. He could see through the act.

Moreover, hearing she had recently starred in hit films, it wasn’t surprising she might come across as arrogant.

It wasn’t that Sang-soo had it out for Joo Soo-yeon. People naturally become complacent after success.

After achieving fame early in her career as a child actor, and then returning with two consecutive hits in her teenage years, becoming arrogant seemed inevitable.

Thinking that way, he felt:

“Hello, I’m Joo Soo-yeon.”

She bowed, and her demeanor was composed and dignified, although her features exuded a slightly cool impression, her aura was unusually warm.

It was as though she was genuinely looking forward to what was to come. He clearly felt that excitement.

“I’m Lee Sang-soo. I heard this is your first time fishing, Soo-yeon.”

“Yes.”

She had brought everything, fishing rods prepared for the broadcast, as well as spare equipment and fishing gear.

“I’m Song Gwang-min. Nice to meet you.”

The tall Song Gwang-min offered his hand, shook hands with Soo-yeon, and silently assessed her.

‘Sure enough, the hands of someone who’s never done tough work.’

There was no hint of callus. The skin was soft and smooth.

Holding a fishing rod and resisting the currents of the sea would definitely be difficult for her. She was petite and seemed too fragile for the task. If a large fish were pulled into her rod, she might be dragged into the sea herself.

“Let me introduce ourselves! I’m Liam from Thunderdust!”

“Ahh, well then, nice to meet you.”

“Please feel free to speak casually!”

Despite his energetic greeting, both Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min relaxed as it was easier to deal with the male guest.

PD Jung Seung-hyun captured their first meeting on camera before declaring that preparations were complete.

“Today, we will be deep-sea jigging fishing off the coast of Wando.”

They’d head out to sea on a boat, pair up into teams, and compete, which was the basic plot of *Star Fisher*.

“Different species sizes divide the grades; the side catching the largest species wins.”

Interestingly, catching more fish wouldn’t score any extra points since non-target species would be released.

“Then let’s go.”

With PD Jung Seung-hyun’s words, everyone moved to the fishing boat.

“Miss Soo-yeon, have you ever been deep-sea fishing?”

“No, this is the first time I’m on a fishing boat.”

“My goodness, this could be tough.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Lee Sang-soo smiled but was secretly concerned. Fishing boats often stay at sea for extended periods and seasickness could be a problem.

‘Is she really alright?’

Despite these doubts, PD Jung Seung-hyun didn’t seem overly concerned. After all, he’d heard numerous rumors about Soo-yeon.

“Her finger punctured through steel.”

“Caught multiple fish using a wooden spear on a deserted island.”

“Started a fire by rubbing two twigs together.”

“Talk of her immense strength is around…”

“Nobody’s seen her look tired during filming.”

…While it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t, the common theme was her good stamina and excellent coordination.

“She’ll pick this up in no time,” thought Jung PD.

“Since everyone here is new to fishing, let me show you. Here’s how you handle the fishing rod…”

Song Gwang-min stepped in to teach Liam and Soo-yeon how to use the fishing rod.

“Like this?”

“Wow, good form. Young kids these days are good at this.”

Liam’s first attempt with the fishing rod sent the line extending into the sea, dropping in with a splash.

“Your finger could’ve let go of the line a bit earlier.”

“Should I do it again?”

“Nah, that was fine.”

As the program moved into full swing, the two veteran actors began to use casual language with Liam and Soo-yeon to avoid making the show seem too stiff.

“Soo-yeon, come on, don’t be scared, you can do this!”

“Yes!”

Soo-yeon was energized.

Fishing was something she’d always wanted to try, honestly. It seemed fun to others, but seeing the joy on the faces of people who caught fish, she wanted to feel that thrill.

She wanted to truly experience that exhilaration.

She firmly grasped the fishing rod and whipped it powerfully.

Suddenly, a sound of “Piuyung” echoed, followed by an enormous *whoosh* as the metal jig flew out, bending the fishing rod sharply.

“Ooh…!”

Lee Sang-soo, fishing nearby, had never seen a metal jig fly straight like that. Instead of a curved trajectory, it soared straight into the sea, almost like it was shot.

If it had hit someone, the person might’ve been pierced through.

“Uh, you didn’t need to swing that hard.”

“Yes.”

Though Soo-yeon’s voice was calm, a sense of excitement was evident.

“Release the line, release the line.”

It seemed Soo-yeon had thoroughly prepared. After throwing out the bait, she calmly tightened the reel, keeping the line taut.

Fishing began.

The two actors, initially paying attention to Liam, now kept glancing at Soo-yeon. She held the fishing rod perfectly straight, clearly practiced.

Her jigging motion was excellent too. It required considerable stamina to continue for a long duration, yet she didn’t sweat a drop.

“Do you have a hat, Soo-yeon? Would you like mine?”

“No, I’m fine.”

She shrugged, adding,

“The sun can’t harm me.”

Her pale skin had never been burnt by the sun before. Invincible skin. But out of manners, she had applied sunscreen.

“Eh, really?”

Regardless, while Liam struggled, it felt surreal watching Soo-yeon keep up.

“How is this not exhausting? Is this realistic?”

Soo-yeon was enthusiastically swinging her fishing rod without stopping. It initially seemed manageable, but this could tire out anyone’s arms.

Generally, someone would rarely swing continuously like this, but as Soo-yeon kept going, Liam felt pressured to act similarly.

“If I just casually leave the rod and watch, it might seem like she’s working hard while I’m just slackering off.”

“Both of these kids have great stamina.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Conversely, Lee Sang-soo and Song Gwang-min laughed as if they were enjoying themselves. Lee Sang-soo and Soo-yeon formed one team while Song Gwang-min paired up with Liam.

Even though they knew Soo-yeon was doing things not exactly “normal”, they let it be because it was entertaining.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Soo-yeon got a bite.

“Oh, you’ve got one! How does it feel?”

“Can I reel in like this?”

Soo-yeon’s calm response made Lee Sang-soo assume it was a small fish.

“Gently reel it in, if it feels too heavy, I can help.”

“I’m fine!”

Soo-yeon carefully pulled on the rod, reeling steadily. She seemed to be putting a lot of effort based on how her tongue poked out slightly.

“Is it a sea bream? Or maybe a flatfish?”

Even if it was just the sea bream, it could secure their win. Ideally, it would be over 50 cm.

Just as they watched, the fish hooked caught their eye.