"What a view."
That was Ha-eunâs first thought as she finally arrived at the opening location for 2 Days & 3 Nights.
When you think about it, the very premise of 2 Days & 3 Nights is a travel program designed to uncover Koreaâs hidden tourist gems. Naturally, the scenery around the opening location was bound to be stunning.
But whether this appearance was for the sake of promoting Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds or not didnât matter. The mere fact that she had come to such a beautiful place for a âtripâ was enough to make Ha-eunâs heart flutter just a little.
"The air is so fresh."
The breathtaking natural landscape before her was a world Ha-eun had never experienced before. A world she could never have imagined during the days she was confined to a narrow hospital room.
Just looking at it felt wonderful.
The mere fact that she could look at it was enough to make her happy.
After spending some time taking in the scenery, Ha-eun finally noticed another guest, Yoo Seong-jae. Unlike Ha-eun, who had no prior connections with the regular cast of 2 Days & 3 Nights, Seong-jae was different.
"Seong-jae, youâre going in the water today, no matter what."
"Come on, hyung. Iâm an actor, you know? Someone like me lives off their image."
"You can live just fine off a ruined image too~."@@novelbin@@
Yoo Seong-jae, who already had some rapport with the showâs MC, Jang Seong-ho, and the other members, was boisterous and lively even before the opening began. The atmosphere around them was warm and friendly.
Still, one way or another, every single person over there would be spending the next two days and three nights with Ha-eun.
-Step.-
Before the filming officially began, Ha-eun decided to step forward and introduce herself. Not long after, she made eye contact with Jang Seong-ho, the eldest cast member, and gave him a polite bow.
"Hello. Iâm actress Lee Ha-eun."
"Ah, nice to meet you. Iâm Jang Seong-ho."
He had a kind and approachable face. But in stark contrast, his muscular physique immediately stood out.
The arm he extended for a handshake was just as burlyâlike a glimpse of his days as a major league pitcher 20 years ago.
When Ha-eun lightly shook his hand, it felt like shaking hands with a bear.
But then, Jang Seong-ho asked her a rather unexpected question.
"So, Ha-eun, have you done any sports?"
The odd question made Ha-eun blink in surprise for a moment before she regained her composure and nodded.
"I thought so. The moment I shook your hand, I could tell. What kind of sports? Swimming? Track?"
"Oh, just a bit of jogging and jump rope, things like that..."
"Really? That doesnât seem like enough to build this kind of physique, though?"
His tone was curious. Ha-eun hesitated before explaining that it might be because of the swordsmanship lessons she had been taking for her acting role.
Technically, she wasnât lying. Before attending Kim Gyu-taeâs action school, she had never trained in any specific sport.
With her goal of introducing herself accomplished, Ha-eun turned her attention back to the picturesque scenery, letting it fill her eyes like a painting.
About ten minutes later, preparations for the opening began. After being fitted with a microphone by her writer, Ha-eun found herself left alone with Yoo Seong-jae, waiting for their turn to appear.
"Howâs your condition, Ha-eun?"
"I think Iâm okay. What about you, Seong-jae?"
"Honestly? Not great. Seong-ho hyung is the kind of guy who actually does what he says, so Iâm pretty sure Iâll end up in the water later."
"...Oh no."
They continued chatting about random, mundane things until the opening of 2 Days & 3 Nights officially began. The regular cast members, now gathered in front of the camera, started ramping up the energy, turning the set into a lively, chaotic scene.
"Hmm... Watching this on TV and seeing it live are really two different things."
"Diving in person will probably feel different from watching it on TV too."
"Ha, even you, Ha-eun?"
"Well, just do well in the mini-games, and you wonât have to dive."
She was completely sincere. Ha-eun had no intention of deliberately failing and taking a penalty just to create drama.
She was determined to avoid any situation where she ended up looking like a drowned rat. And she absolutely wouldnât give Ju Jung-yoon an excuse to show up with a spare set of clothes and secretly snap pictures of her while struggling to stifle her laughter.
"So, good luck to you too, Your Highness."
"...Thanks, I guess."
Moments before the guest introductions, Ha-eun heard the cue from the staff. Together with Yoo Seong-jae, she stepped forward to appear in front of the cameras.
"Todayâs guests! Please welcome actor Yoo Seong-jae and actress Lee Ha-eun!"
A booming voice filled with energy echoed across the set. After a brief introduction, the crew played a short teaser for Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds.
Following the clip, the regular cast members took turns sharing their impressions and bombarding Seong-jae and Ha-eun with questions.
"Wait, didnât Nam-soo hyung learn kendo?"
"Kendo? Yeah, I trained for about five years."
"Five years? Thatâs enough to know everything! All right, get the competitor ready!"
Nam-soo, one of the regular cast members, was being nudged closer to Ha-eun, creating a mood that practically demanded a swordsmanship duel.
It was all in good fun, of course. There was no way theyâd actually have a sword fight in the middle of the opening. Ha-eun planned to play along lightly and leave it at that.
Butâ
"We came prepared for this."
As if they had anticipated this scenario, the production team handed foam swords to both Ha-eun and Nam-soo. Nam-soo, visibly flustered, protested.
"Why did you prepare this so seriously?!"
"Since when do we ever do things half-heartedly? If youâre scared, just admit it~."
Finally, Ha-eun and Nam-soo stood face to face, foam swords raised in preparation for their duel.
Regardless of the situation, Nam-soo, being a regular cast member, had no choice but to let the guest, Ha-eun, get the better of him. If, by chance, he went all out against herâeven with a foam swordâheâd face the wrath of the viewers.
Above all, for the sake of creating a funnier and more entertaining scene, it was necessary for Nam-soo to be the one on the receiving end. Thus, he approached Ha-eun with his guard completely down, leaving himself wide open.
And then, just a few seconds laterâ
-Shiver.-
â...Wait. Why does her gaze feel so intense?â
Nam-soo froze in his tracks, suddenly overwhelmed by the sharp, almost menacing aura emanating from Ha-eun.
Unfortunately for him, Ha-eunâs foam sword was already hurtling toward him. By the time he realized and hastily tried to raise his own swordâ
-Thwack!-
"Ugh!"
A dull thud landed on Nam-sooâs waist, sending a sharp ache through him. Even though it was just a soft foam sword, the impact was surprisingly heavy.
"Ah, um... Iâm so sorry!" Ha-eun exclaimed in panic.
"No, no, itâs fine. Nam-sooâs just putting on a show," Jang Seong-ho reassured, brushing it off casually.
In truth, even Seong-ho could tell it looked a bit painful. But in order to keep 2 Days & 3 Nightsâs characteristic cheerful atmosphere intact, he pretended not to notice.
With that, the slightly chaotic opening scene finally wrapped up, and the cast moved on to the next segment. A box of lots was placed before them to determine their next mission.
"Now, each of you will draw a slip. Written on it will be a type of food youâll need to buy from the traditional market over there," the production team explained.
Adding to the instructions, Jang Seong-ho suggested that todayâs guests, Yoo Seong-jae and Ha-eun, draw their lots first.
After exchanging hesitant glances, both Ha-eun and Seong-jae picked their lots.
Once the rest of the cast followed suit, they all opened their slips simultaneously at Seong-hoâs signal.
â...Is this even a type of bread?â
Ha-eunâs slip read âChrysanthemum Breadâ.
The exact location of the shop wasnât written on it, and the same applied to the other cast membersâ slips. Seong-ho, taking charge, asked the production team for clarification.
"So, we can buy it from any store?"
"Yes. As long as itâs within the traditional market, any store is fine."
"Just to be sureâdoes this go by first-come, first-served?"
"Yes, thatâs correct. The first to return with their item will receive the highest points. So... everyone, go!"
"?! Wait, youâre telling us to go without any warning?!" Seong-ho exclaimed, his tone tinged with disbelief. But before he could even finish his sentence, someone bolted toward the traditional market at full speed.
"Who was that?!"
The figure was the smallest-framed member of the group, yet they were moving so quickly that even the seasoned 2 Days & 3 Nights VJ, who had seen it all, could barely keep up.
It was Ha-eun.
And her expression was deadly serious.
The previously timid and slightly awkward demeanor sheâd shown around the high-energy cast was now completely gone.
***
[ "It seems⦠I wonât be able to do the featuring. Iâm sorry, I need to stay with my guardian." ]
"No, no, family comes first. Donât worry about usâjust take good care of your mother."
And with that, the call abruptly ended. Until the very last moment, Lee Geon-yeol maintained a calm tone, but as soon as the line disconnected, his face darkened considerably.
The finals of the hip-hop survival show SIT ON THE MONEY, where Double Lee was participating as a producer, were fast approaching. The sudden withdrawal of the female singer who had promised to feature in the final performance was a major setback.
All the other female singers who had connections with Double Lee were already tied up with their own schedules. They could try asking around, but how many would be willing to appear on such a grand stage as SIT ON THE MONEYâs live finale on such short notice?
To make matters worse, they had no time to secure another featuring artist. Even if they managed to find someone tomorrow, the recording for the final song would still be cutting it extremely close.
"â¦Letâs just remove the featuring part from the final performance."
"Itâll definitely feel like somethingâs missing."
"Weâll have to extend my and Ji-hoonâs parts a bit. Thereâs no other way."
In the end, they decided to proceed with the finals without a featuring artist. The finalist rapper, Hwang Ji-hoon, didnât argue against the decisionâhe knew there was no other choice.
But that didnât mean he believed the performance would be the best it could be. After all, the final song had been created with the assumption that a female singer would be featured.
The overall atmosphere of the track.
The vocal tone and the intention behind the lyrics.
And lastly, the performance they had envisioned to make the finale worthy of the title. So much had to be abandoned because the promised singer had to withdraw for unavoidable reasons.
For Hwang Ji-hoon, who had lived his life as an unknown rapper until now, the SIT ON THE MONEY finals were nothing short of a dream stage. He didnât want to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through his fingers.
The song he wanted to share.
The performance he wanted to show.
He believed that to truly aim for victory, there could be no compromises or regrets with either of these two elements. Whatever the other contestants might think, at least this was what Hwang Ji-hoon firmly believed.
For a long time, he racked his brain, desperate to find a solutionâa small glimmer of hope amidst the seemingly insurmountable challenges of the finals. A lifeline that could save him from walking onto the stage burdened by unfinished ambitions.
It wasnât until 30 minutes later that Hwang Ji-hoon found something resembling a lifeline.
However, whether or not he could grasp that lifeline remained uncertain.
Finally, after staying silent for so long, he cautiously opened his mouth.
"Hey, hyungs."
"Hmm? Whatâs up?"
"Well, uh⦠I was wondering⦠What do you think about asking Pinocchio?"
He mentioned the name of a certain singer who had debuted by featuring on Double Leeâs 10th album.