Chapter 171: Surviving on a Deserted Island (1)

“Congratulations on the Rookie Award.”

That was what I kept hearing lately, whether at the company or just running into someone on the street.

It was the kind of news that still made me feel proud no matter how many times I heard it…

But hearing it from him left a bit of a bitter aftertaste.

“…Why?”

“Because I feel like you’re up to something.”

Do Seojun PD’s office. The same clean sofa and modern interior meeting room from last time caught my eye.

I sat down awkwardly, glancing around at my surroundings.

I had come after hearing the news from Manager Lee Jaeyoon.

He said there was a new schedule.

It was an outdoor variety show from SBC that had been recently revamped, and they were offering me a guest appearance for episode one of season 2.

Even if it was just a one-time guest spot, it had been a while since I did an outside variety show, so I had no intention of turning it down.

The problem was…

That Do Seojun had gotten involved in the middle of it.

It hadn’t even been a month.

The incident where the members had schemed together to feed me a caterpillar cake for my birthday.

In other words, not someone I could trust.

“It wasn’t a caterpillar cake—it was a perfectly normal cake.”

He tried to defend himself, insisting on correcting the ‘misunderstanding.’

I furrowed my brows and countered his confidence.

“To my eyes, it looked like a caterpillar. A giant one, at that.”

“…That’s because you’re kind of scared—no, never mind.”

“Exactly. You’ve tricked me more than once already.”

Anyway, I was now eyeing the proposal Do Seojun had handed me with deep suspicion.

Smooth-talking, sugar-coated words were flowing non-stop from his mouth.

“A PD I know said they really enjoyed your self-content. Especially I Am Alone and Dusty Campus.”

“Oh… really?”

“So they said to ask if you’d be interested. Doubles is already reacting positively.”

What was this familiar sense of déjà vu?

Even the pitch was the exact same as last time, which only made me more suspicious.

Coincidentally, I had just returned from hearing the suggestion the Director passed along to meet him.

The Director…

It wasn’t even Manager Lee Jaeyoon—it was the Director, so it seemed a bit too big-scale just to prank me.

Seeing my doubtful gaze, Do Seojun gave a dry chuckle and said,

“Aren’t you being a bit too suspicious?”

“Ssshh…”

I closed the file I had finished reading and ran a hand along my chin.

The program in question was Surviving on a Deserted Island, which had gained international popularity during season 1.

Of all things, the format brought back memories from just a month ago.

Hmm.

“If it were me, I would’ve switched up the concept instead.”

“I’m telling you—it’s real.”

I had been a loyal viewer who genuinely enjoyed Surviving on a Deserted Island season 1,

But coming out like this in the current situation—how was I supposed to trust anything he said?

On top of that, there had been no follow-up news after season 1.

I tend to keep a pretty close eye on entertainment articles, and there hadn’t been anything about a new season of Surviving on a Deserted Island.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

No matter how I thought about it, falling for this would make me an idiot.

Fool me once, sure—but twice?

“Don’t lie.”

And yet—

“…You’re serious?”

It was real.

As soon as I got back to the dorm, I lined up with the members and went over the proposal together.

They didn’t believe me when I explained it out loud, so I ended up showing them the full packet I brought.

Cha Seongbin asked cautiously, eyes full of doubt.

“…Is it real?”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

“How is this real?”

That was my question, too.

“You’re not pulling another one with your hyungs… right?”

“No way. It’s not even your birthday.”

Cha Seongbin replied defensively, clearly feeling wronged. Seo Ian rolled his eyes as he asked me,

“Wait, your birthday wasn’t on the lunar calendar, was it? Today’s the solar one?”

“…Last time was the solar calendar.”

So yeah.

My birthday had already passed.

Ha Junseo, wearing a pensive expression, thought for a while and then spoke.

“But seriously, we’re not in on it.”

I had just come back after checking with the Director directly—apparently, PD Lee Haejun from SBC contacted them separately.

It was a name that had no real connection to me, so it did seem like a genuine casting offer…

Cha Seongbin, still incredulous, added,

“Dude, it’s your fault for letting Do Seojun mess with you. Now when you do get cast, people think it’s a prank.”

“You were the one who messed with me.”

“…Was it me?”

These guys.

“You should’ve known when to stop~.”

I stared at them, dumbfounded, as Seo Ian—smiling next to Cha Seongbin—asked curiously,

“So, are you gonna do it?”

“Not sure.”

I tapped the document with my fingers, still thinking.

Programs like Surviving on a Deserted Island tended to be the kind where cast members had to suffer, so they weren’t the most popular.

In terms of popularity, it was closer to a C-tier show. Still, I noticed the schedule had been shortened compared to season 1.

Filming for two nights and three days in Korea was actually pretty manageable.

And since it had solid ratings and buzz, Doubles’ stance was that I should go for it if I was up for it.

“At least they didn’t mention anything about eating caterpillars this time.”

“Oh, thank god.”

…Should I be thankful for that?

“Who else is appearing?”

Among the fixed cast members were SBC announcer Kang Minseop and comedian-turned-entertainer Yoo Chaekyung, along with Mr. Lee Beomjin, who had been one of the main figures in season 1.

It seemed the rest of the cast would be filled with guests.

“Ah, that’s quite a lineup.”

I skimmed the proposal with my eyes and continued speaking.

“And the guests are…”

Swoosh—

As I scanned down the list of episode one guests, a familiar name caught my eye.

“Ah.”

I had forgotten—Han Gabin was on it.

“That… Han Gabin?”

Said he wanted to grab a meal sometime, but I guess it’ll be on a deserted island.

[Trot singer Nam Young: “Don’t lend my father money” — embroiled in 50 million won fraud scandal]

-50 million won??? Wow, that’s a lot to scam. What’s going on, Nam Young?

└What else? He’ll have to pay it back.

└Just when it seemed like the trot program was a hit and he was finally on the rise, another debt scandal blows up;;

└It’s not the celebrity’s fault… lol… except for having the wrong family.

└I heard even Nam Young’s younger sibling was leeching off him. If the whole family’s like that, he needs to cut ties.

└So he’s cutting them off ㅠㅠ

-Didn’t he already pay off 70 million won in debt before? Is this a new article?

└Imagine telling people not to lend your father money… things must’ve really hit the limit.

└But seriously, if someone’s scamming under your name, you have to fix it. There were multiple victims, apparently.

└Staying silent like that is a bit much lol.

“Haa…”

Han Gabin scrolled down the recent article and let out a deep sigh.

It was somewhat comforting to know I wasn’t the only one like this, but at the same time, it made me laugh in disbelief.

At least that guy had succeeded.

BK was in a slightly different position.

After four grueling years as an idol, it hadn’t been long since I finally started recouping investments and getting paid.

The group had been hitting high career points back to back, so it was hard to say how much money I’d make in the future, but as of now, I wasn’t in the position to throw around 30 million won from my own pocket.

Still, I couldn’t just sit on my hands.

Even just glancing at the comments showed how the public opinion was shaping up.

-If your dad caused the problem lol you’re a celebrity, so pay it off lol or at least keep your family in check.

-Yeah~ the most useless thing in the world is worrying about a celebrity lol mind your own business~

-Honestly, pretending you’re not rich when you are is just funny. Just admit you don’t want to pay.

First and foremost, it would definitely hurt my image, and there were surely plenty of people with this bitter perspective.

So this would really be the last time.

I planned to somehow cover this one.

30 million won in debt.

Better to scrape together every last penny I had than end up in the headlines with a banner over my head.

And just then, a schedule offer came in.

‘Gabin, I heard there’s a schedule for you. Do you want to take it?’

‘He’s not in a good state lately. Hey, it’s not even promo season—why not take a break?’

Taekyung, one of the members, seemed concerned and spoke up first, but Han Gabin wasn’t in a position to turn anything down.

‘I’ll do it no matter what.’

There was no choice.

“This fancam is insane…”

University Dusty, Yujin, was sprawled across the living room sofa, rewatching the video.

It was a fancam from the 2017 Seoul K-pop Awards ceremony. She’d watched it over ten times already and still hadn’t gotten tired of it.

Every day it felt new, always thrilling.

That’s what came to mind whenever she saw Stardust’s faces.

She was one of those typical Dusties who truly took pride in her members’ visuals.

Dusty Yujin, hand pressed to her forehead, murmured in awe.

“Crazy. Ha Junseo hit his peak here…”

In the fancam, Ha Junseo wore a sleek black suit and gave a soft smile toward his personal camera.

“So freaking handsome…”

In terms of visuals alone, Ha Junseo matched her ideal type the most.

The kind of face that would pass any in-law meeting. Just looking at that clean, pure face made you smile naturally.

He’d probably do well as an actor someday.

He seemed to still be in the observation stage at Doubles, but in a few years, he’d likely start taking roles in web dramas or small parts, slowly building up.

With that face and his expressive acting, no wonder the fancams were so enjoyable.

After watching Ha Junseo’s fancam to the end, Dusty Yujin scrolled further down.

Right below it was another saved video. The fancam she had watched most after Ha Junseo’s.

“Aaah… Seohan…”

She focused mainly on face cams, usually watching fancams just to admire the visuals.

But with Do Seohan’s fancam, she couldn’t help but seek out the full-stage cams too.

Now she truly understood what it meant to say you watched fancams because the dancing was fun.

These days, idol dance standards had risen across the board, so she thought they were all about the same level—but that had been her mistake.

The idol she liked before had been more of a vocal position, but a main dancer’s fancam…

Definitely had its own flavor.

“Dance break… wow…”

With those long limbs, it was almost baffling how well he expressed the lines of each move.

Especially the dance break in the opening of this award show—it was truly art.

She unconsciously replayed the highlight choreography, which emphasized the detailed use of fingertips, eight times in a row.

“Please… just one more fancam.”

Wishing for the next promotion already felt a bit shameless.

But with all the year-end award shows, there’d be plenty of stages, right?

“Doubles, please work!”

With bubbling excitement, she turned off the YouTube screen.

Just then—

Dding—

Dusty Yujin’s JjaekJjaek alert went off.

River @river1948_aa2

Hey, Do Seohan got cast in an outdoor variety show.

“Huh?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep