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After the chaotic Shaolin Foot Volleyball ended.

The production team erased the lines of the court they had drawn and retrieved the net.

“Need any help?”

“No, just relax. That actually helps us more.”

“…”

Was that a polite way of telling me to stay out of their way, or did they genuinely mean that resting would help us perform better during filming? Hard to tell.

Hearing this ambiguous mix of attack and consideration, the cast headed to the Monster Restaurant where everyone was resting.

Winter and Yuna were dancing to a medley of point choreography with music playing in the background.

The male team was reacting with a mix of awe and admiration.

“Wow, Winter feels like a completely different person when she dances. Her movements are on another level.”

“Right? I tried filming some challenges like that, but I couldn’t capture that vibe at all…”

“Hey, oppas, we’ve been dancing for over ten years. You can’t just catch up in an instant, that’s cheating.”

“How long were you trainees?”

Han Seo-jin, who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time but wasn’t familiar with the idol scene, asked.

“Winter trained for 6 years, I did 7. Our leader unnie trained for over 10 years… and our youngest debuted after just a year.”

“Wow… that’s a huge difference. You guys struggled for years to debut, but the youngest did it in just one year. Didn’t that make you feel a bit robbed?”

The conversation suddenly took a turn into idol documentary territory.

The mood felt a bit heavy, so I thought about changing the topic, but I was also curious, so I stayed quiet.

“At first, yeah. I was shocked when she was assigned to our debut team. They said they were creating the best girl group in terms of visuals and performance, and then a one-year trainee joined… I was like, what? Is she a parachute? The CEO’s daughter? A relative?”

Winter was either speaking through her own filter or just being brutally honest.

“Winter, aren’t you being a bit too honest?”

“What’s the big deal? I’ve talked to the youngest about it, and everyone thought the same at first.”

“That’s true, but… you know the cameras are rolling, right?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? I didn’t forget. Why are you so worried?”

Winter and Yuna were still bickering, but it didn’t feel like they were seeing each other as rivals anymore.

It seemed like Winter was genuinely worried about how her image might be affected.

Their relationship seemed to have progressed after the uninhabited island experience.

“But… after seeing the youngest’s skills, I had to admit it. She’s so good. Could I have done that at her age? It’s a talent gap. It took me years to get to this level, but she did it in months. I was jealous at first, but now I’m just glad she’s on our team. I can’t even imagine SOL without her.”

“That’s good to hear. You handled it maturely, and that’s why SOL is doing so well now.”

SOL, short for Seasons of Love, is a four-member girl group that swept the fourth generation.

I always thought they were just kids, but they must have gone through a lot of struggles and hard work to get where they are.

Winter suddenly turned to Yuna, grabbed her hand, and continued.

“Actually, it’s thanks to Yuna. If I were alone, I might have run away. Yuna became my rival, competed with me, and kept throwing these comments at me—whether they were insults or encouragement, I couldn’t tell—but it made me determined. If she can do it, so can I!”

“…”

“Even though you say it’s thanks to Yuna… I think your strong mentality made it possible. Not everyone can do that.”

Was it the vibe from her long career in the industry?

Han Seo-jin’s words seemed perfectly tailored to what Winter wanted to hear.

But it didn’t feel fake—it felt sincere, and that made it excellent conversational skill.

In the process, instead of saying things like “Back in my day,” she empathized entirely with Winter’s perspective.

The Han Seo-jin I saw at our first meeting seemed very calculated and always wore a mask, but now, a warm and caring Han Seo-jin stood before me.

“Is that her true self…? She must have made a lot of women cry.”

Tears started welling up in Yuna’s eyes as she listened to Winter’s story.

“Hey… don’t cry before the company dinner. Only drunk people are allowed to cry!”

“If you cry while drinking, I’ll leave you in the yard.”

“Wow… you treat Winter and me so differently.”

“If I treated you the same as Winter, wouldn’t that be weird? If you call me ‘hyung,’ I’ll treat you the same.”

Kim Guk-min and Han Seo-jin instantly lightened the heavy mood.

“Looks like everything’s ready. Let’s head out to the yard. The production team must be waiting.”

“Looking at it, Winter, Seo-jin oppa, and Guk-min oppa all seem like kids, but Gyeoul feels like the adult.”

“…I really want to argue, but I can’t.”

“What’s on the menu? I hope it’s meat!”

The smell of pork belly was already filling the restaurant, so there’s no way they couldn’t smell it.

It was probably just a habit from being on camera.

“With this temperature, humidity, and lighting… it’s definitely pork belly.”

Han Seo-jin added a dramatic flair, as if delivering a drama line.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Even a cheesy line like that sounds cool coming from Han Seo-jin, which is even more annoying.

“Anyone could tell it’s pork belly from the smell.”

“Gyeoul, you have no sense of romance.”

“Romance that involves checking temperature and humidity… I can live without that.”

Grumbling, we headed out to the yard where the company dinner was set up.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

“I thought we’d just grill some meat and call it a day, but this is serious!”

On both sides, meat, sausages, mushrooms, and shrimp were being grilled, and in the middle of the table, a burner was set up, presumably for a stew.

“The seafood jjamppong stew is still being prepared. Let’s sit and start with the meat first.”

“This is awesome… starting off like this isn’t PD Choi’s style… Wait, PD Choi’s style? Does that mean some of us won’t get to eat?”

“Do you think I’d bring such esteemed guests here and make them play a luck-based game? Especially after receiving 2,000 coins. Don’t worry and just enjoy the dinner tonight.”

I thought I heard him mutter, “You’ll suffer starting tomorrow.”

I hoped it was just my imagination, but unfortunately, my ears were too sharp.

PD Choi’s sly smile seemed to confirm that I heard him correctly.

The broadcast subtitles probably said something like, “That’s right… laugh today” or “The cast, excited without knowing what’s coming.”

‘But… that’s tomorrow’s Jeong Gyeoul’s problem.’

Today’s Jeong Gyeoul is here to enjoy the company dinner.

“Let’s eat!”

***

Jeong Gyeoul looked the happiest she had all day.

Her eyes sparkled as she faced the meat, and it was impossible not to find her adorable.

Though the amount of food she had already eaten—about half a pig—wasn’t as cute.

“Is she really chewing and swallowing all that? She’s going to get indigestion.”

“I noticed it from our first meeting… she really eats a lot. How does all that fit in her small frame?”

“…I thought the rumors about her eating a lot were exaggerated, but I underestimated her.”

“Gyeoul could become a world star just by doing mukbangs.”

“Isn’t she already a cosmic superstar? No matter how successful she gets with mukbangs, she’ll never reach the level of an S-Class Hero.”

“Ah… right… I keep forgetting because she feels like the pretty youngest daughter next door.”

“…That’s a strangely detailed setting.”

As the cast filled their stomachs, the mood shifted to a drinking party.

‘…I want to drink too.’

It’s been years since I’ve had soju with meat.

I could only sip on my cola while comparing it to the others’ drinks.

‘Don’t Heroes have a law that allows minors to drink? It’s not like I’d get drunk anyway.’

I seriously thought about discussing this with Jeong Ho-min as I drowned my sorrows in meat.

About an hour later, the production team, having captured all the necessary scenes, joined the dinner with minimal cameras.

Sometimes it was Kim Guk-min and PD Choi’s dad jokes.

Sometimes it was Kim Cheol-soo and Jeong Gyeoul’s Hero stories.

Sometimes it was Winter and Yuna’s life struggles.

And when SOL’s song played from the playlist someone put on, Winter and Yuna suddenly got up and put on a mini performance.

Han Seo-jin’s impersonation parade also made an appearance.

Countless laughs and stories were shared as the first night at the Monster Restaurant passed by.

 

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