Chapter 77

Team leader Jung Dae-hyun.

Thus far, having traveled to countless remote locations while filming this deserted island survival show, he was a seasoned variety show star.

However, to him, who possessed not only incredible physical prowess but also an even more remarkable ability to adapt, this filming was no different from the usual.

So, it was all the more unexpected.

‘This is going to be harder than I thought to get enough footage.’

The two actors had come to promote their movie.

In cases like these, the promotion often took precedence over the variety show itself.

To begin with,

‘Joo Sooyeon is still a teenage high school girl.’

Naturally, there were more things she couldn’t do than what she could.

On this mundane deserted island, a young actress like her would definitely require extra care.

Honestly, he was puzzled as to why they had brought this non-main character to the promotion in the first place.

‘But, we’ll try our best to liven up the broadcast.’

He was a pro.

Anyhow, promotion for the promotion’s sake.

For the variety show, it was just variety.

He intended to make the most of either side, after all. There was a sense of pride as *Deserted Island Survival* was a popular variety show at KMB, no matter what.

However,

“Seoyeon-ssi, the fish went that way!”

At Park Ha-yun’s shout, Seoyeon raised her wooden spear.

It was a spear that Seoyeon had been carrying around all day.

‘No, if you jab like that carelessly…’

Just as Jung Dae-hyun contemplated this,

Puck!!

The spear pierced through the wriggling fish’s body.

Though her motion was clumsy, the speed made up for it.

“Oh, got it.”

“Jackpot!!”

Naturally, the rest of the exploration team cheered. They had not expected Seoyeon to catch the fish on her first try.

While people applauded at Seoyeon’s triumphant laugh as she held up the fish on her spear,

‘Wait…’

The actors Park Hee-joon and Jung Woo simply gave her a look of indifference, as if to say, “That’s it, huh?”

And that’s when it started.

Climbing mountains, catching bugs.

Seeing her actively moving around like that, Jung Dae-hyun could only marvel.

‘Could it be she’s into fitness or something?’

Otherwise, it was hard to explain.

“We will now ride the raft. The one rowing will be me and…”

Park Hee-joon, and Park Jung-woo.

Before giving the last spot to a usual fixed member, he asked,

“Seoyeon-ssi, do you want to try?”

“Yes.”

Anyway, she was enthusiastically doing everything.

Leaving the realm of variety shows aside, how else could this be described…

‘It’s almost like she’s really having fun.’

Just as Jung Dae-hyun thought this, Seoyeon was indeed in quite a high spirit. Since her middle school field trip, this might have been the happiest Seoyeon had been.

As mentioned before, Seoyeon’s emotions were often muted, so once she got excited, it wasn’t easy for her to calm down.

In other words, due to her vulnerability to pleasure, she tended to lose herself easily. If only someone like Jiyeon had been there, maybe she would have stopped Seoyeon, even if it meant slapping her.

‘So, she does have this side.’

Jung Woo only observed Seoyeon, who was gleefully rowing, with a look of curiosity.

Though he thought she was a composed person, it seemed she was subtly competitive.

And especially, it was clear that she liked receiving praise.

“Seoyeon-ssi looked quite prickly when we first met.”

“Unlike typical teenagers these days, she works very hard at everything.”

In any case, Seoyeon’s proactive attitude left a very positive impression on the cast.

Naturally, with the young actress putting in so much effort, it wasn’t hard for them to like her. Therefore, they clapped hard every time she did something, and thus, a positive feedback loop began.

And,

“Wow, rowing doesn’t seem tough for you at all?”

“Seoyeon-ssi, your stamina is extraordinary. Really.”

The staff watching couldn’t help but marvel.

Not just the boat, but a raft. Though the water current wasn’t strong, it was still quite a challenge for a woman to row.

“And somehow, doesn’t she make a great picture?”

“Tsk, still, you can’t just show her off recklessly. If you push it too hard, you might get beaten up by Park actor’s fans.”

As another boat approached and PD Shin said these words, it was, of course, not a raft, but a proper motorboat.

‘Anyway.’

To PD Shin, it was unexpected. He never imagined that Seoyeon would have such an innate outdoor survival physique.

Jung Dae-hyun might not have known, but the cameraman shooting Seoyeon right now could not stop filming her. Her actions were simply too unusual.

‘This, I thought it was just for publicity.’

Not bad at all.

Especially, Joo Seoyeon as an actress, known to the public as Princess Yeonhwa.

I.e., an image of someone poised and elegant.

Also,

‘It’s a bit odd, but they seem rather concerned about Joo Seoyeon’s image.’

Whether it’s Nooa Entertainment or Seoyeon’s manager, it seemed like they were indeed cautious about her image.

Image.

But Princess Yeonhwa was an image that couldn’t be tarnished.

It felt like they were considering the possibility of some negative image arising.

“Seoyeon, through this show, publicity is one thing, but focus on creating as positive an image as possible. You understand, right?”

“Yes.”

Since Seoyeon’s manager had come along, Shin PD overheard their conversation by chance.

‘A positive image?’

She’s Princess Yeonhwa—doesn’t that already suggest a bright image?

‘Could it be due to *The Chaser*?’

Shin PD, being a seasoned professional in the industry, naturally picked up on clues quickly.

‘There’s something there.’

He figured he might discreetly inquire about it later.

Thinking along those lines,

“Director Min. Please make sure Seoyeon-ssi appears on camera more often.”

“What? Not actor Park Hee-joon?”

Among the guests, it was natural for the lead, Park Hee-joon, to get more screen time.

However, PD Shin nodded.

“Yes. At least a fifty-fifty split.”

“Hmm, understood.”

Anyway, Seoyeon was a fun person to watch, so filming her wouldn’t hurt.

‘I hope her stamina lasts.’

As PD Shin watched Seoyeon rowing energetically, he thought this.

“Ah, the oar broke.”

“Huh?”

Seoyeon looked at the broken oar in her hand.

Then, the raft drifted further away.

As a result, it would take quite a long time to return.

***

Typically, what the participants of *Deserted Island Survival* find most grueling is sleep.

First off, the climate is different.

It’s humid, and bugs fly around, so mostly people don’t get much sleep.

Seoyeon, aware of this fact, spoke to Jung Woo with a worried tone.

“I’ve never slept outdoors before, so I’m a bit nervous.”

“Bugs can be a problem, sure. But you should sleep even if you have to force it…”

As Jung Woo was saying this, he suddenly turned his head.

Seoyeon’s head was already tilted to the side.

“…Kul.”

“…”

Isn’t that supposed to be difficult to sleep?

Anyway, having rested well, Seoyeon was literally flying around *Deserted Island Survival*. Initially, the cast only applauded politely, but by now, they were starting to feel something was off.

‘Why isn’t she tired?’

Two nights and three days.

It was definitely a short schedule, but with the first outdoor filming, being drained was unavoidable.

Still, Seoyeon hunted.

Rode a raft. Climbed trees.

She ran around tirelessly all the while.

There was even a time when the cameraman got too exhausted to keep up.

‘If this airs, won’t she seem suspiciously amazing?’

Even PD Shin thought casually about it.

It was no ordinary feat. Even Park Hee-joon, who had a special operations background, wasn’t ordinary. Someone who could survive alone on a deserted island.

But he came from special operations, whereas Seoyeon was an ordinary high school girl.

An ordinary high school girl and a special operations soldier being on equal footing?

‘What kind of movie is *The Chaser*, anyway?’

That was generally what people thinking about Seoyeon were wondering. But if all she was doing was acting well, that wasn’t completely true either.

“You shouldn’t cook.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t.”

Jung Woo spoke as he ate the coconut cuisine Seoyeon prepared.

It seemed she had created it by looking at the crayfish caught on the deserted island.

‘Is this seasoning correct?’

Park Jung-woo did end up eating it all. Seoyeon wasn’t a good cook. It wasn’t that she was dramatically bad at it, though.

‘This level of careless seasoning has limits.’

It was similar to how a lone guy living in a boarding house would make a random meal. “Just put this amount of salt, do it like this, and the dish should turn out alright,” that kind of approach.

“From now on, I’ll handle all cooking.”

Eventually, Jung Woo rolled up his sleeves. Whatever else, cooking shouldn’t be done carelessly.

“Seoyeon-ssi, leave it. Actor Park did star in a drama where he played a genius chef…”

Back then, he spent a lot of time obsessed with cooking.

Hearing PD Shin’s words, Seoyeon nodded as she watched Jung Woo skillfully handle the knife.

‘Actors aren’t the only ones who immerse themselves into roles.’

Park Jung-woo didn’t use method acting like Seoyeon did. He was more studious, focusing intensely on researching his roles.

Technically, he was already at an accomplished level.

Therefore, his acting was always smart and professional.

“Cooking is a part of that.”

‘Even with his constant nitpicking…’

Still, his earnestness towards acting was admirable. Looking at it now,

‘Ah.’

Seoyeon suddenly remembered something about him.

‘Dream Future.’

Because the male lead in the role of “Dream Future” was Park Jung-woo.

“What’s with you, why are you staring like that?”

At that moment, Jung Woo, who had just prepared a meal in a plastic plate acquired during their expedition, came over.

“Pre…decessor.”

“Why?”

“When’s the Dream Future audition?”

At the mention of Dream Future, Jung Woo’s eyebrows furrowed.

How did he know about that?

‘Maybe she’s connected with someone from the production team?’

This was also one of the TV drama series that KMB was carefully watching. While it didn’t involve much investment, it was certainly a challenging project.

“One month from now. But aren’t you already filming a movie?”

“I’ve wrapped my portion.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re here for the promotion.”

After saying that, Jung Woo paused briefly and took a sidelong glance at Seoyeon. His expression was always rather stoic, so it was hard to tell what he meant by asking her.

“Why, are you also auditioning?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Hearing that from Seoyeon, Jung Woo lost his words for a moment. After all, Park Jung-woo was the male lead of Dream Future.

Dream Future featured various young actors, and there were different couple pairings within the storyline.

However, the most prominent among them was Park Jung-woo’s role as “Kim Si-hwan” and the pairing with the character “Song So-ha.”

“Could she possibly be after the Song So-ha role?”

Park Jung-woo swallowed dry unknowingly. They had acted together during Princess Yeonhwabut back then, she was much younger.

Acting romantic scenes with a grown-up Seoyeon was something Park Jung-woo hadn’t even considered.

“By the way, one month later. I wonder what the competition level will be for the Joo Ha-rin role?”

Of course, Seoyeon’s target was not Song So-ha, who had the main romance role with Park Jung-woo.

Her focus was instead on the Joo Ha-rin role, a character who had neither too much nor too little weight in the storyline.

A quietly endearing and cute character that had gained surprising popularity despite its limited screen time.

This was a character completely opposite to the Cha Sooah role she currently had in *The Chaser.*

While Cha Sooah was a character who couldn’t feel emotions properly, Joo Ha-rin was the complete opposite.

By character design, she felt emotions much more intensely than others, a highly sensitive character who was lively and adorable.

Honestly, Seoyeon herself doubted her ability.

A character very different from Cha Sooah, which matched her own feelings as well.

‘But.’

It was a role Seoyeon really wanted to try.

Initially, it was to protect the 4 billion won she earned from the advertising, but as an actor—this was a path one ought to go through.

One couldn’t always stick to one kind of character.

She couldn’t act only within her comfort zone.

To introduce variation was essential.

This was a crucial skill for actors.

‘The competition for the Song So-ha role will be fierce.’

‘The Joo Ha-rin role might have less pressure.’

As the two’s thoughts intertwined, their second day came to an end.

***

“Everyone, thank you so much. Finally, we’re back in Korea.”

Two nights and three days.

Long or short, depending on how you look at it.

‘This will become quite popular once it airs.’

PD Shin thought.

Honestly, when he initially suggested using *Deserted Island Survival* for movie promotion, he thought it seemed like a risky move.

But not anymore.

Even if the first day could be overlooked, the performances seen in the second and third day missions were particularly striking.

‘Especially.’

Seoyeon’s spotless white skin was showcased.

Even after two nights and three days under the harsh sunlight, her flawless pale skin had not tanned in the slightest!

‘She said she shot a cosmetics ad, didn’t she?’

Even Byun Ha-yoon seemed to notice Seoyeon’s skin curiosity and asked what kind of product she used. Although the brand wasn’t mentioned for broadcast, it resulted in a smile.

‘When this airs, it’ll definitely be a game-changer.’

It was clear that they’d become a topic of conversation.

As an additional note,

The camera continued to focus on Park Jung-woo and Seoyeon.

Since there were plenty of moments connecting them throughout, they were being closely followed right up to the end. The filming wasn’t over yet.

“Are we heading back right away?”

“Yes, I have some work to do.”

“Work?”

Jung Woo felt puzzled.

Why does she always have something to do?

Curious, Jung Woo asked, and Seoyeon rarely broke into a genuinely happy smile.

“Yes, because today’s my birthday.”

“…”

Upon hearing that, Jung Woo could do nothing but be momentarily stunned.

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