Chapter 73:
Awi stopped running when he reached a dead end.
They had been sprinting for a while and were panting heavily.
“Are they following us?”
“I don’t think so. Geez…”
Kim Joo-young and Park Seo-dam collapsed on the ground. Ian smiled bitterly as he saw the broadcast camera installed in the corner of the alley.
It was not a coincidence that Jin had disappeared.
They should have suspected something when the production team let them out so easily.
“What kind of winter survival special is this?”
“I really hate this kind of thing.”
Kim Joo-young was almost sobbing.
He was especially weak to horror.
Once, they had done a hidden camera prank with horror themes at their dorm, and Kim Joo-young had cried out of fear.
“Do you guys remember the way we came?”
“Look at the map.”
The members looked at the map that Park Seo-dam was holding and tried to trace back their path. They turned to Kim Joo-young.
“If we go back the way we came, we should be fine, right?”
“Can you handle it, Joo-young?”
“I’ll try. I don’t want to cause trouble because of me.”
Kim Joo-young dusted off his pants and got up.
He stuck close to Lee Ju-hyuk’s back.
Jo Tae-woong, who was the least scared, volunteered to be at the rear.
“We don’t know what will pop out, so don’t run away by yourself even if you get startled. It will be harder if we get separated.”
“Seo-dam, give me the map.”
“Here you go.”
The map that Park Seo-dam had been holding was crumpled from gripping it too hard.
Lee Ju-hyuk and Ian took the lead. They walked slowly, sticking together.
“Do we turn right here?”
Suddenly, there was a clatter from a trash can next to them, and something popped out.
It was a mannequin with long hair and a white dress.
“Wow, ahh!”
“What is this!”
The members fell to the ground at the horror trap set up by the production team.
They were shaking all over from the shock and did not get up for a while.
“Ah, please don’t do this to us!”
Jo Tae-woong pushed away the mannequin that had covered him.
Ian got up and helped the other members.
“We can’t do this. Let’s run for it. Whatever pops out, just run.”
“That sounds good, but do you know the way?”
“There were only two forks in the road before. How about we leave it to luck?”
The dim street lights made the atmosphere even scarier.
“It would be best if we got to the destination on the first try, but if we took the wrong turn, we have to come back quickly and go the other way. If we keep going this slow, we won’t make it in time for dinner.”
“We have to eat.”
Ian mentioned tomorrow’s meal and the members suddenly became serious.
They looked at each other with determined eyes.
They had been working out every day at the company gym, so they were confident in their stamina.
“Don’t worry. We can’t die here. Let’s all survive and go back together.”
“Isn’t that a death flag?”
“Ah, hyung! Don’t say ominous things!”
Park Jin-hyuk, Kim Hyun, and Park Seo-dam spoke loudly to lighten up the mood.
It was because Kim Joo-young’s face was pale.
They couldn’t joke around with him as usual.
“Then let’s go. Don’t stop running no matter what pops out.”
Jo Tae-woong jumped forward as he spoke, and the other members followed him one by one.
“Turn right there!”
Ian shouted. As they entered the right alley, there was a bang and a flour bomb exploded from the side.
“Ahh!”
“What is this!”
The members screamed but did not stop running. Jo Tae-woong, who had gotten most of the flour on him, looked back.
“Are you all okay?!”
“Just run! Over there! Straight ahead!”
As they reached an intersection, actors dressed like zombies popped out from both sides.
They grabbed at the members’ clothes, but they all shook them off and ran.
“Ack!”
Only Kim Joo-young tried to sit down on the spot with a scream.
At that moment, Ian yelled.
“Kim Joo-young! Beef!”
That was the magic word that moved him.
Kim Joo-young stumbled forward with his right foot. Ian supported him and pushed his back.
“Hurry up!”
Ian ignored the zombie actors who grabbed his sleeves and ran quickly.
Normally zombies would chase them slowly, but these zombies ran fast to catch up with Awi members.
“Ahh! What kind of zombies run that fast?!”
“There!”
Jo Tae-woong shouted. Luckily, they had chosen the right path.
At the end of the alley, there was a round platform set up in an empty lot, and bright lights shone on it.
“Arrived…!”
The members climbed onto the platform one by one.
The last ones were Kim Joo-young and Ian.
The timer next to the platform stopped, and Lee Jong-soo PD shouted.
“Yes! You all made it.”
“Huh… We survived.”
The members breathed heavily and lay down on the ground, dirty or not.
“PD-nim… How could you do this to us…”
Park Jin-hyuk complained weakly. He had worshipped Lee Jong-soo so much!
“It’s no fun if it’s too calm, right?”
Lee Jong-soo smiled smugly.
He had expected a great picture from the screams of Awi that he heard from afar.
[I enjoyed your body gag.]
Jin appeared with a popcorn bucket in his hand. He was laughing heartily as if he was very satisfied. Ian glared at him.
‘You bastard…’
[But it will look good on camera, right? Think of it as a successful comedy.]
Ian got up from his spot.
“So did we make it in time?”
“Unfortunately…”
The PD trailed off. Kim Joo-young sprang up and looked at him earnestly.
There was moisture in his eyes, and it seemed like tears would roll down if he tapped them.
“Did we make it in time? We did, right?”
“Yes, you did. Mission accomplished!”
“Ah, PD-nim!”
Park Jin-hyuk was annoyed. Kim Joo-young lay down again.
“Wow… wow I really thought we failed because of me…”
“Kim Joo-young is crying!”The members, who had relaxed their tension, piled on top of Kim Joo-young, who was lying on the floor, like playing a hamburger game. The flour that stuck to their clothes scattered in the air.
“Ah, you’re heavy!”
Kim Joo-young, who had stopped crying, pushed away the members who had covered him.
The actors who were dressed as ghosts quietly approached and stood next to the stage.
“Waaah!”
The members were startled again when they saw the actors and fell backwards.
The actors, who had been making scary faces, were now smiling brightly.
“Please give a round of applause to the ghost actors who worked hard in this weather.”
“Thank you!”
Awi bowed and greeted the actors.
During the break time, an actor who was dressed as a zombie played a prank on Kim Joo-young.
Awi took pictures with them.
“Excuse me… can I take a selfie with you…?”
“Of course you can. But are you sure you’re okay with that makeup…?”
“It’s fine!”
Ian also took a picture with an actor who had long hair.
He was wearing a white robe with a long padding coat over it, but he looked quite cold.
“Weren’t you cold? Don’t you have to go inside quickly?”
“I’m about to go now.”
Awi waved goodbye to the actors who boarded the bus to leave.
Lee Jong-soo, the PD who was watching them, said.
“You can all go back to the pension now.”
“PD-nim… I’ll get back at you.”
Park Jin-hyuk gritted his teeth. They had been outside for a long time and their ears were red.
“Good job everyone!”
Awi left the production staff behind and walked back to the pension shakily.
He was still startled and his heart was pounding, but he was happy that he could eat a hearty meal tomorrow.
At that moment.
“Where are you going!”
The actors ran after Awi from behind, shouting.
“What?!”
“Aaah!”
“Weren’t you gone?!”
Awi was shocked and ran to the pension with all his strength.
He reached the front of the pension and looked for the entrance.
The door that had not opened before opened very easily.
Ian, who came in last and slammed the door shut, sat down leaning on the door.
“Wow, really… they don’t let us relax until the end.”
“Is Joo-young dead?”
Kim Joo-young was already lying on the floor. His body was trembling.
***
“Guys, you worked hard today.”
They had been scared so many times and they were afraid that the production staff would hit them with another surprise, so they decided to sleep together on the blankets laid out in the living room.
“But I’m glad we can eat beef tomorrow.”
“We suffered so much and couldn’t even eat properly… I’m losing my spirit.”
Kim Hyun and Park Jin-hyuk chuckled.
Park Seo-dam poked Kim Joo-young’s cheek, who was lying in the middle of the blanket.
“Are you okay, Joo-young hyung?”
“I have no strength in my body…”
Cho Tae-woong and Ian lay down on either side of Kim Joo-young and snickered.
“We’ll lie down next to you so you won’t be scared.”
“How are you going to survive in this harsh world if you’re such a coward?”
They looked at him with mocking eyes.
They would probably tease him about this for at least three months.
Kim Joo-young made a sour face.
“Hey, Seo-dam was not easy either, okay? I was as scared as you.”
“Seo-dam is the youngest, you know.”
Ian answered shamelessly.
Kim Joo-young clenched his fist.
If it weren’t for the camera, he would have punched him long ago.
“Guys, should I turn off the light?”
“Yes.”
Lee Joo-hyuk turned off the light and lay down on the edge.
“When do we have to wake up tomorrow?”
“I bet they’ll wake us up with a siren sound. One hundred percent.”
“Jong-soo’s intuition was not a joke today, so I believe him.”
The members, who had been chatting and laughing softly, closed their mouths one by one.
Kim Joo-young felt that today was unusually long and sighed deeply.
The members who were not sensitive to sleeping were already snoring.
“Are you all asleep?”
Kim Joo-young was still unable to sleep because his heart was thumping.
‘Damn it… why is that open?’
The sliding door that separated the pool and the living room was not closed, so he could see the outside clearly through the transparent vinyl wall.
“…Who’s that?”
“Huh?”
Lee Joo-hyuk, who was lying at the end, started to talk in his sleep.
Kim Joo-young felt goosebumps on his arm.
“Joo-hyuk hyung, are you asleep?”
“Who’s there?”
His sleep talking was scaring him.
Kim Joo-young lifted his head and looked at Lee Joo-hyuk.
Lee Joo-hyuk was lying facing the pool.
“Oh hyung… don’t scare me like that.”
“What are you doing there?”
“Oh shit…”
Kim Joo-young lay down again and closed his eyes tightly.
He wanted to go back to the dorm as soon as possible and eat beef and whatever.
***
After Awi’s reality show shooting was over, the editing room of ‘Who Are We? AWY!’ was busy with editing the broadcast.
“Let’s do this here… huh?”
On the paused screen, there were Awi grilling meat and Cho Tae-woong and Park Jin-hyuk pointing at one side.
“What’s that?”
The production staff played another video. It was the camera footage of the place they pointed at.
A black something that could not be identified came out from behind a tree and disappeared.
The production staff who examined it closely tilted their heads.
“Was there an actor like that?”
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