Chapter 80

The reason for the rise in viewership ratings for [2 Days & 1 Night] this week was curiosity about a person named Lee Ha-eun.

People were curious about what kind of appearance someone who only showed their acting as a character in a script would display in a real variety show like [2 Days & 1 Night].

– Beep.

“What? Why did you suddenly turn on the TV?”

“Lee Ha-eun is appearing as a guest on [2 Days & 1 Night] this week. Didn’t you know?”

“Are you talking about the actor from ‘Moonlight Split by Clouds’ that aired yesterday? Or the singer who debuted this time?”

“Um, Mom. They’re the same person.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Even people who usually didn’t watch [2 Days & 1 Night] began to gather in front of the TV to watch the show.

So, as soon as the PD of [2 Days & 1 Night] signaled the start of the mission, the enthusiastic cast members dashed with all their might towards the nearby traditional market.

“…Please package just one bag of chrysanthemum bread….”

When the scene of him ordering the chrysanthemum bread with a flushed face aired, all viewers reacted.

“Oh my, is he embarrassed because of the chrysanthemum bread? He’s cute.”

“Wait, didn’t you say he looked scary when watching ‘Moonlight Split by Clouds’ yesterday?”

“Drama and variety shows are different.”

This was true not just for those gathered in the living room watching [2 Days & 1 Night] together, but also in online communities where there had been ongoing discussions about Ha-eun for quite some time regarding his unique persona.

– But he was running around so energetically, let’s have a drink.

– His red face is seriously cute.

– The embarrassment is genuine and delightful…

– An honest opinion) I thought the bread was chrysanthemum bread after watching the broadcast.

“Oh, you too?”

Every appearance of Ha-eun so far had been completely unpredictable.

What he would say next or what actions he would take remained equally hard to guess.

Thus, public opinion about Ha-eun, suddenly turning positively vibrant, began to form.

And within that uproarious public opinion was his unique character.

Is that why?

“Why… can’t I win?”

“Right? I thought the ratings would skyrocket in an instant.”

I thought [2 Days & 1 Night] would return to single digits in due time, but its ratings maintained double digits.

Entertainment articles covering [2 Days & 1 Night] continued to thrive.

Somehow, not only Ha-eun but also the episode of [2 Days & 1 Night] he appeared on was becoming a hot topic.

In response, the production team of [2 Days & 1 Night] began to monitor reactions to this week’s aired episode, albeit in bewilderment.

It was later that scenes of cast members transitioning by bus after finishing the opening mission began to air.

The conversations that began mostly consisted of various trivial episodes related to Yu Sung-jae’s filming of [Moonlight Split by Clouds].

However, Chang Sung-ho, who was trying to ensure Ha-eun got some broadcast time even as he remained silent, asked,

“Did a lot of actors apply for the Yeom Wol audition?”

“Hmm… about 40 people, I think.”

“Were all those people older than you?”

“Oh, yes. I can’t really say I saw anyone younger than me.”

Even when questions from Chang Sung-ho about the Yeom Wol audition were presented.

– ???: Those old ladies can’t compete with me (slight rephrasing).

– All the high schoolers were lined up in order against about 40 people… that’s outrageous.

– Age definitely is a weapon, yeah.

Rumors about Ha-eun continued to circulate, rolling around endlessly.

Most of the rumors were far from the truth, which was the issue.

However, after the cast members of [2 Days & 1 Night] arrived at their accommodation, and more precisely, from the moment when Ha-eun’s powerful smashes in a ping-pong match with an outdoor sleeping penalty started yielding points only for the opposing team…

– Whoosh!

– Whoosh!

“Lee Ha-eun & Yu Sung-jae team scored again!!”

“Ah! This isn’t baseball, Ha-eun!!”

“…I’m sorry.”

Types of rumors that weren’t too far from the truth began to circulate.

– What on earth is that?

– He’s hitting the ball, but it seems he’s hitting it all away…

– Why is the angle of the racket down, but the trajectory of the ball is straight?

– Why does he swing the racket like he’s swatting flies? 😂

He was definitely giving it his all.

Ha-eun hit every single ping-pong ball coming his way with all his might.

That swift reaction speed was also undeniable.

Yet, due to the ping-pong balls that continued to fly far away and go out of bounds, instead of scoring, they ended up constantly giving points to the opposing team, ultimately being eliminated from the ping-pong match.

Thus, Ha-eun and Yu Sung-jae were finally selected as the subjects of today’s outdoor sleeping penalty.

However, the fixed members of [2 Days & 1 Night], who thought that it wasn’t quite right to penalize all the guests, gave them a final chance.

And so, with a serious expression, Ha-eun and Yu Sung-jae faced each other back-to-back.

The moment their hands were raised in the air according to the countdown for rock-paper-scissors began…

[Will continue in 1 minute.]

– ?

– What is this???

– Whether now or before, the ad timings are really horrible.

– Isn’t there an ad block on KBC?

“No way?”

Due to the atrocious timing of the mid-commercials, people watching [2 Days & 1 Night] erupted in complaints.

Following that, ads aired non-stop from beginning to end without breaks.

Still, the ratings for [2 Days & 1 Night] showed no signs of dropping.

No, rather, it was slowly but surely climbing.

Eventually, after the broadcast resumed, it was revealed that Ha-eun was the loser of the rock-paper-scissors from before.

Soon, the scene of Ha-eun, truly heading towards the cabin’s tent and gently drifting into sleep, began to be captured on the [2 Days & 1 Night] broadcast screen once again.

The reason being:

– Why isn’t he moving at all?

– He seems to be breathing…

– Is the tent that comfortable? He doesn’t even seem to toss and turn.

For some reason, he was comfortably sleeping with no sign of discomfort even in an outdoor tent, unlike other guests who had appeared on [2 Days & 1 Night] before, leading the community to buzz once again.

However, when Ha-eun woke up at the early hour of 6:30 AM…

More precisely, when

“Ha-eun, do you usually wake up this early?”

“I have to go to school. I need to get up early to get ready so I’m not late.”

The brief interview between Ha-eun and the VJ in charge of him began, and for a moment, the community, which had never settled down until now, lost its noisy momentum.

“Wait, that’s strange. My son never wakes up no matter how much I try to wake him…”

“I, I’ve never not woken up!”

Whether it was this way or that, the main viewership of [2 Days & 1 Night] is people in their 40s and 50s.

In other words, it means those with sons or daughters about the same age as Ha-eun constitute the main audience of [2 Days & 1 Night].

The problem was that because of the live finale of [SIT ON THE MONEY] aired yesterday, younger viewers around Ha-eun’s age were also watching [2 Days & 1 Night].

Which meant, every time Ha-eun’s daily habits or school grades came through the TV speakers…

“How’s studying? Isn’t it tough to balance it with acting?”

“It’s not entirely easy, but studying is just as fun as acting.”

“Oh, such a statement is usually made by good students. It seems Ha-eun studies well.”

“I’m not that good. I just do enough not to get scolded by my parents.”

“Wow, he seems to study well. It must not be easy due to the busy schedule.”

“…Why are you looking at me while saying that?”

“No, just. Why doesn’t our son study despite having no schedule—”

“#!$#@%@$@$##%!!”

For Ha-eun, unexpected victims were unintentionally being born.

Thanks to that, for a brief moment, Ha-eun’s image swayed from likable to unlikable.

Finally, about ten minutes later, the highlight mission of this airing, the watermelon harvesting mission, began.

By good luck, when Ha-eun was chosen with the lowest harvest quantity of one cart, he headed to the watermelon field with the other cast members.

– Sweep.

– Thud.

After he began to easily gather watermelons scattered across the field and transfer them to the cart…

– Doesn’t each watermelon weigh about 7~8 kg? Why is he lifting them so lightly?

– Guess I can see the reason why he ordered 40 people for the Yeom Wol audition, huh? 😂

– Why are today’s high school girls so scary…

– I wonder what Ha-eun’s deadlift count is.

The commotion in the community, which had quieted for a moment, regained its original momentum.

Thus, Ha-eun’s cart filled to the brim with huge watermelons.

After he personally pulled the cart, confirming with the PD of [2 Days & 1 Night] that he had successfully completed the mission…

– Thud.

“Let me help you.”

“Huh? Oh, no. I can do it alone.”

“I think Yu Sung-jae is completely exhausted right now. So, just let him help you.”

The moment when Ha-eun began to help Yu Sung-jae, who still had a long way to go to fill his share of the harvest, was when the VJ’s camera angle capturing them incidentally became a “drama-like” angle.

[KBC ‘Moonlight Split by Clouds’ Lee Ha-eun and Yu Sung-jae radiate pink vibes even in ‘2 Days & 1 Night’]

[The bittersweetness between Prince Lee Hyun and Yeom Wol blooms in the watermelon field]

[‘2 Days & 1 Night’ guests’ cozy watermelon field date]

Thanks to entertainment reporters who didn’t miss this, sensationally titled articles began to be uploaded in droves.

Various communities live-streaming [2 Days & 1 Night] were filled with all sorts of speculations and assumptions, crossing the boundaries of imagination and fantasy.

And Ha-eun, sitting with Sung Yoon on the living room sofa as they watched [2 Days & 1 Night], finally heard the moment of

“Um, Ha-eun.”

“?”

“This is just in case. Just in case… but, it’s not about Yu Sung-jae, right?”

He had to hear a statement that was no more than a fleeting suspicion.

Especially from his father.

“…If you say something strange like that one more time, I will really get angry.”

“Hm. They say strong denials indicate strong affirmations…”

“I will get angry.”

“Ah, I’m sorry~.”

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