Chapter 154
—
Soaked to the bone after falling into the water at the last moment, On Raon pulled out one ball after another from his pocket, showing what materials he had brought, and completed all the interviews before shivering and going to change his clothes.
“…Really, it’s amazing.”
Gyun Seong-ha, who had been lost in thought among the members who were taking a breath after finishing the preliminary round of the second qualifiers, spoke quietly.
“What is?”
Kang Ji-woo, who felt relieved after confirming there were no injuries despite the stumble at the end, responded. His voice was gentle, the tone he usually used when he wanted to listen to his younger siblings.
“Just… if it were me, I would have been too embarrassed to do anything in that situation.”
He was referring to how On Raon had not just let the fall be a mere mishap but had turned it into another opportunity with quick thinking. It was something they could only mention in a small voice since On Raon was not present.
Despite being the most active among those present in the first qualifiers, Gyun Seong-ha felt somewhat down, and the older members exchanged glances as if they had promised. They were familiar with Gyun Seong-ha behaving this way. He was a sibling who required a lot of attention in a different way than their youngest, but because he always tried his best, he wasn’t annoying despite being a bit troublesome.
“So what?”
“On Raon is just unique. If it were you, after falling into the water, what more could you think besides ‘Oh, I fell’?”
“In my opinion, he’s just fearless.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, Ban Yo-han, and Kang Ji-woo each spoke in turn with a light tone.
“No, last time he pretended not to be scared, but he was afraid of the roller coaster.”
“That’s right.”
“Then he must be acting that way because of his confidence in his looks.”
“That’s it.”
They all nodded at Kang Ji-woo’s added remark, agreeing…
“But I think you guys would have done something similar. Even Seong-ha.”
At Seo Moon-gyeol’s quiet comment, the members fell silent. It was easy to imagine how they each might have acted in such a situation.
They might not have been as shameless as On Raon, but they wouldn’t have just stayed still looking like drowned rats either.
“Anyway, Seong-ha, you didn’t stop in the middle like Raon but went all the way.”
“Right. You have the ability to do that.”
“Seong-ha, be confident. It’s thanks to you that we got through that tough first qualifier.”
With his brothers’ supportive words, Gyun Seong-ha felt it was just unnecessary fuss, yet he occasionally expressed his inner thoughts.
Once Gyun Seong-ha seemed somewhat better, Kang Ji-woo quietly asked Ban Yo-han.
“Didn’t Raon get a solo beverage commercial offer?”
“Yes. There were more, like cosmetics or cafes… But he turned them all down.”
Last summer, after being eliminated from Pick Heart, On Raon received love calls from the advertising industry thanks to his exceptional visuals and impressive personal story. He declined all offers, as he wasn’t interested in a fleeting moment of fame. While he wasn’t bothered by it, those around him regretted it even more, even now.
“…”
A moment of silence.
“Let’s just work harder and pray every night to become famous quickly.”
At Ban Yo-han’s words, Kang Ji-woo nodded but then frowned.
“Why suddenly bring up prayer?”
“From what I see, becoming famous isn’t just about effort. You need luck too. A bit of divine intervention.”
“But you don’t have a religion.”
“That’s not important.”
“Do you think it will work with such shallow faith?”
“Of course, it’s just a saying. Why nitpick?”
Their budding argument was cut short when they saw On Raon walking out from inside, looking slightly drained from the race earlier.
* * *
The filming proceeded smoothly after that.
There were occasional attempts by the broadcast station to create romantic links between the young men and women, but we and Cherry Stin actively emphasized that we were siblings, not susceptible to romantic feelings, to navigate through the trials.
Then, the production team subtly suggested trying it among the members instead of family settings.
And we defended ourselves with the convoluted logic that members are like family, and the family of a family is also family, hence it wasn’t possible.
‘You guys dare challenge us?’
…was not a line we wanted to hear from the broadcasting staff.
We subtly hinted that our setup was purely for entertainment purposes. Although it was somewhat deceptive, it seemed to work well given the atmosphere on set, where we and Cherry Stin would burst into laughter frequently.
We likely wouldn’t need to worry about any retaliation from the station.
Anyway, the time was approaching for Kang Ji-woo to showcase his culinary skills to the world.
Ugh, it made me upset seeing there was no meat among the ingredients.
“Sorry I couldn’t bring the meat…”
The image of the pork we left behind still haunted me.
We should have brought that at all costs, even if we had to abandon other things.
Although the other ingredients were well-prepared, with Kang Ji-woo praising them profusely, the absence of meat was a significant regret.
“No! You did well!”
Kang Ji-woo hugged me, saying he knew dozens of ways to make delicious food without meat. Whether that was true or not, I didn’t know.
Still, since the heating indoors was poor, and my body hadn’t fully warmed up after falling into the water earlier, it felt a bit better to be embraced like this. Normally, I didn’t welcome Kang Ji-woo’s frequent physical affection, but now was different.
Kang Ji-woo’s body temperature, slightly warmer than average, felt pleasantly warm.
Because Kang Ji-woo was signaling to the other members with his eyes and hands, we soon found ourselves in a group hug with no particular reason.
Other idols and broadcasting staff around us looked at us like we were some fascinating animals.
We really were drawing all the attention today.
After today, I wouldn’t be surprised if other idols called us ‘attention-seeking idols.’
The funny thing was, although Kang Ji-woo liked to initiate physical affection, he didn’t enjoy it as much when others did the same to him. His hypocrisy was impressive.
Eventually, feeling suffocated, I slipped out and said,
“Still, it would have been tastier with meat.”
Kang Ji-woo couldn’t argue against that.
Ugh, my stomach churned seeing there was no meat among the ingredients.
“Sorry I couldn’t bring the meat…”
I couldn’t forget the sight of the pork we left behind. We should have brought that at all costs, even if we had to abandon other things. Although Kang Ji-woo had packed the other ingredients so well that he couldn’t stop praising them, missing the meat at the last moment was truly regrettable.
“No! You did well!”
Kang Ji-woo hugged me, saying he knew dozens of ways to make delicious food without meat. Whether that was true or just a bluff, I didn’t know.
Still, since the indoor heating was poor and my body hadn’t fully warmed up after falling into the water earlier, it felt a bit better being embraced like this. Normally, I didn’t welcome Kang Ji-woo’s frequent physical affection, but now was different. Kang Ji-woo’s body temperature, slightly warmer than average, felt pleasantly warm.
Because Kang Ji-woo was signaling to the other members with his eyes and hands, we soon found ourselves in a group hug with no particular reason. Other idols and broadcasting staff around us looked at us like we were some fascinating animals. We really were drawing all the attention today. After today, I wouldn’t be surprised if other idols called us ‘attention-seeking idols.’
The funny thing was, although Kang Ji-woo liked to initiate physical affection, he didn’t enjoy it as much when others did the same to him. His hypocrisy was impressive. Eventually, feeling suffocated, I slipped out and said,
“Still, it would have been tastier with meat.”
Kang Ji-woo couldn’t argue against that.
Meat was always right.
—
It was late at night when the second half of the second qualifiers finally started. At this rate, we wouldn’t return to the dorm until dawn. I couldn’t overuse my grace skills, so I didn’t use them, and as my eyes began to close, a staff member called out to the participants.
“Those cooking, please move to the tent!”
“See you later.”
“Don’t feel pressured and do well.”
“Isn’t that a bit contradictory? You’re giving me pressure now.”
“Then feel pressured and do well!”
“Got it.”
Kang Ji-woo and Lee Da-in, who had been carefully discussing the list of ingredients Ji Young-seo and I brought earlier, disappeared into the tent with determined expressions.
Inside the tent, cooking equipment was set up. Fortunately, we could see the situation inside the tent through a large screen showing various groups at the same time. It was a bit stifling, though. Couldn’t they just remove the tent?
To advance to the finals, we needed to have our food judged and rank among the top four teams. The judging would be done by professional chefs.
– Now, we will start the second half of the second qualifiers.
As Han Ki-joon, who looked much more tired compared to earlier in the day, announced the start, the idols, wearing aprons for show, began to move in unison. Some teams started by preheating pans immediately, while others struggled with the limited ingredients. It seemed every team had at least one person who knew how to cook.
Kang Ji-woo and Lee Da-in, without exchanging a word, began chopping vegetables skillfully and pouring water into pots. As time passed, and their dishes took shape, Han Ki-joon made a fuss, praising Kang Ji-woo and Lee Da-in for their professional skills. Among all the teams, those two stood out the most.
– Kang Ji-woo’s parents run a restaurant, and he once dreamed of becoming a chef.
As Han Ki-joon explained Kang Ji-woo’s background, Kang Ji-woo performed a flashy fire show. With his actor-like looks, Kang Ji-woo looked like he was in a scene from a cooking drama about burning youth. The cheers from the fans, though noticeably less energetic compared to earlier, still showed their support. They must be tired, having seen our faces all day, probably wanting to go home as much as I did.
Yoo Hana entered the tent and conducted brief interviews with the cooking participants, while the judges commented on the dishes occasionally.
“How many dishes are they making at once?”
“Seems like two each.”
“Wow, is that even possible?”
Although Lee Da-in was busy, Kang Ji-woo was truly nonstop, like a cooking machine. The judges were impressed by his flawless and swift movements.
– Judge Lee Yoo-hyun, what do you think of Kang Ji-woo’s skills?
– I like his knife skills. I would like to take him as my apprentice.
– High praise! I thought Orca was a group that didn’t know shame, but they all have hidden talents.
We earned a new nickname, ‘Shameless Idols,’ thanks to Han Ki-joon. What a jerk.
– Please start wrapping up.
Time flew by.
– Yes! That’s it!
– Step away from the cooking stations.
– Any further cooking will result in disqualification.
As soon as the bell rang, Kang Ji-woo stepped back, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and looked directly at the camera on the right, smiling kindly, as if he hadn’t just been glaring at the food with fiery eyes moments ago.
Is this what they call a ‘meet-the-parents’ face?