The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 2211

[Side Story] 23. Welcome to Baegun Island, Stranger

“Thank you all for coming. I’m Na Hye-ju, the director in charge of the program ‘Wise Island Life’.”

Na Hye-ju, the PD [Production Director], swallowed hard, looking around at the cast members gathered in the Korean restaurant room.

The 99.98% reason why the director and CP [Chief Producer] patted her on the shoulder was because of them.

Thanks to them, she felt the weight on her shoulders, but she once again recognized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘Get a grip.’

Na Hye-ju PD made eye contact with writer Do Min-hee and nodded.

“As I mentioned in advance, I’m here to give you more information about the filming. Before that, could I ask each of you to introduce yourselves?”

They had already greeted each other, but the camera was rolling from now on.

This preliminary meeting, where the cast members checked each other’s faces and introduced themselves, could be considered the first day of filming.

At her words, the cast member sitting on the far right opened his mouth.

“I’ll go first. Hello, I’m actor Kwon Jae-ik. I decided to appear on the show to buy a gift for my nephew, and looking at the cast, I’ll just blend in appropriately.”

Movie actor and drama actor Kwon Jae-ik.

He played the main character in ‘We From Today’. He wasn’t quite as talkative as he was at the drama’s production presentation, but he was moderately easygoing.

His joke, reminiscent of the main character in ‘We From Today’, immediately softened the atmosphere.

Some of the production staff were impressed, calling him a great actor.

The only person who knew that his words were 100% sincere was his manager.

Next, Lee So-ra, the female lead in ‘We From Today,’ whom everyone tacitly acknowledged, placed a hand on her chest and greeted. It was an elegant movement reminiscent of an awards ceremony, but Kwon Jae-ik slightly frowned.

The two had been cheerfully teasing each other before the filming.

‘You’ve aged a lot since I last saw you.’

‘I don’t think you’re one to talk. Did you not get paid enough?’

The production staff diligently captured their exchange, which they took as a friendly greeting.

Then, there was Lee Jung-min, the trending actor who played the most shocking twist character in ‘We From Today’. He greeted everyone with a smile that would be a surefire pass at a formal meeting with parents.

“I’m actor Lee Jung-min. Please take care of me.”

Kyaaak!

Lee So-ra said she was disappointed at the dolphin-like scream that came from somewhere, but she was also looking at Lee Jung-min with a motherly smile.

Finally, there was one person left.

Everyone’s eyes turned to a young boy.

The youngest member, the only one in his twenties in this group where the average age was in the mid-thirties.

However, the boy, whose true identity was formidable, greeted everyone with a face that wasn’t intimidated by the experienced and strong-willed actors.

Wow-!

Exclamations followed.

It seemed like an unbelievable combination had been created.

The production staff couldn’t believe that these people had gathered together again.

It was disbelief in a good way.

They were all types who didn’t appear much on variety shows, and more than anything, they automatically had that drama filter from back then without needing to add any filters.

It was like an after story of that drama.

It felt like the students were all grown up and meeting again.

Of course, Halo hadn’t appeared in that drama, but because of his age, he felt like he had been in it. He was originally one of the characters in the ‘We From Today’ drama, but he hadn’t come to school because he was doing music.

Um, um. That made sense.

Na Hye-ju PD greeted them once again, saying that she was the one who should be grateful, and handed out files.

“First of all, as you all know, our program is a documentary program where we go to an island called ‘Baegun Island’ and live there for two weeks.”

And pre-production was confirmed.

One of the reasons was that the opening and ending were already set for the program, but the most important consideration was safety.

Usually, actor fans don’t flock to variety show outdoor filming locations—especially in the provinces—to an uncontrollable extent. This is usually because actor fandoms aren’t as large as idol fandoms, and their average age range and characteristics are different.

However, there was always an exception.

There were cases where stars with a high percentage of fans in their teens and twenties had idol-like fandoms. In the case of such stars, fans flocked to the filming locations, and they received a lot of inquiries.

We had such a star in our cast, so pre-production was essential. We also requested a delay in the release of content on YouTube.

Of course, since Baegun Island doesn’t have regular ship service, the probability of people flocking there at once isn’t high.

Nevertheless, the PD considered the safety of the cast and crew and the lives of the villagers.

The writer told them step by step about the filming that would take place on the island.

There was only one thing left to add.

“As you all know, please keep everything strictly confidential.”

Word had spread widely that Halo had come to the broadcasting station, but it hadn’t yet been reported to the public what kind of program he was doing.

In that situation, if an article came out saying that Halo was doing various programs and that only the top stars from ‘We From Today’ were appearing on them?

A truly terrible situation would unfold.

There was an embargo on ‘Wise Island Life’.

This was something that not only the broadcasting station but also all the cast members had to be careful about.

The PR person in charge of ‘(Tentative Title) Wise Island Life’ smiled with a tired face.

Because of the rumors that had spread in the industry, the entire broadcasting station’s PR team had heard about it at least once. They were getting poked and prodded from all directions, with people saying that Halo was coming out. Is it your program?

‘We don’t know anything. Wow, Halo came to the broadcasting station? That’s really amazing, why did he come? Hahaha. No, but he can come to the broadcasting station. Do you think the broadcasting station is some kind of top-secret nuclear fusion facility? You can come in too.’

Their acting skills were only improving day by day.

“Then, I’ll see you on the day of filming.”

The camera turned off with a click.

#

The weather had become such that you didn’t need to wear a scarf every day.

Today, white clouds floated over Baegun Island, and the sea reflected in the sun sparkled.

On the small beach covered with platinum-colored sand, seagulls cried, and in the quiet harbor where ships floated, a small child sat swinging her legs.

“Winter, what are you doing here?”

The child turned her shaggy head and discovered a village elder.

It was the captain who occasionally went to the mainland to bring people back.

Since the captain was here, he wouldn’t be coming today.

The child, deeply disappointed, opened her mouth.

“Aren’t you studying?”

“I am.”

Then the child hummed a song.

The captain scoffed and picked up the child.

“Are they teaching you to play while looking at the sea at school these days?”

“I’m not playing! I’m doing homework.”

“Homework? Who gave you homework?”

“…”

Winter hesitated, about to say it was the teacher.

Come to think of it, the teacher said she wasn’t going to do it anymore.

She said she would see her next time she came, but she didn’t say when she would come.

Since time in the city seemed to flow differently from the island, it would probably be a long time before she came.

Na PD said that there would be good news soon and that she would bring Winter’s teacher, but Winter—.

“Honestly.”

“Huh?”

She wasn’t really looking forward to it.

She just wanted that person to come.

Winter thought she was a bad child.

Seeing her gloomy face, the captain stroked her head, asking if she was feeling down.

“They said they’re coming from the broadcasting station soon, so why don’t you tie your hair up nicely?”

“I have to do my homework.”

“Yeah, who gave you the homework?”

“…I’m going to do my homework. Go away!”

“Where are you going when this is outside? Girl, you’re so feisty.”

She seemed to be chirping like a little chick because she was so small.

The captain said she didn’t resemble her beautiful mother at all, and added.

“Go inside quickly before you catch a cold. The guests are coming tomorrow.”

“…?”

“The guests you’ve been waiting for are coming tomorrow. Isn’t the homework they gave you? You’ll only catch a cold if you wait here.”

“…They’re not coming anyway.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring them safely.”

Winter glared at the captain.

The captain didn’t know Winter’s heart, but he knew that she liked her mother, but she felt that her mother was too good for him.

Soon, Winter looked at the sea again and thought.

I hope that person is on that ship tomorrow.

#

“Ugh.”

Everyone’s eyes are on one person.

One uncle looking at him with disdain.

One kind younger sibling taking care of him with medicine.

And one cute youngest sibling who is cute even when he is still.

It was a biased distinction, but it was true.

“You’re really something.”

Kwon Jae-ik grumbled and gave him medicine, and Lee Jung-min poured water for him.

“Thank you, Jung-min. And Halo too.”

“…I’m the one who gave you the medicine, but why are you only thanking them? What about me?”

“Hmph.”

Lee So-ra, who had even greeted Halo who was standing still, took the medicine, leaving out only one person. He felt like he was going to die.

“When will we arrive?”

“We’re almost there.”

The captain glanced at them.

There was a bit of fog today, so the island wasn’t very visible.

One person was about to die, and the production staff was having a hard time.

He was a little embarrassed because it had been a long time since he had seen people getting seasick, as only regular visitors came to the island.

“Are the three of you okay?”

“I enjoy sea fishing.”

Kwon Jae-ik answered calmly.

Lee Jung-min smiled faintly and said that he had experience as an extra.

The remaining person, Halo, was standing alone at the bow of the ship.

He hadn’t even taken off his guitar.

He even helped the cameraman next to him when he was shaking.

“Halo, don’t you need to go inside?”

The cameraman asked with a worried face.

“I think it’s okay since we’re almost there.”

“Yes? Ah, you said you’ve been here once. But how do you know? I can’t see anything.”

The camera filmed the sea covered in fog.

“The waves are the same as when I came before.”

“Pardon?”

What does that have to do with anything?

The black-haired boy closed his eyes and felt the sea breeze.

The salty wind was sticky yet cool.

It occasionally blew strongly enough to try to take off his cap.

The humming engine sound and the sound of the waves were heard regularly.

“It should be around here.”

“Oh, I see the island!”

The shout of some assistant director covered Halo’s voice.

At the assistant director’s shout, the cameraman pointed the camera at the fog again and discovered a silhouette.

It was as if there was a boundary between the island and the land.

At the same time as feeling like they had escaped from the fog, they heard the cries of seagulls.

And.

“Wow-”

Baegun Island, with its beautiful white clouds.

The white harbor and the colorful shacks spread out behind it.

Everyone exclaimed without realizing it at the leisurely scenery.

If it was a place like this, they could live here for two months, let alone move here.

:

“Wel.come.to.Baegun.Island.”

When they arrived at the harbor and got off, it was the village chief who had come to pick them up.

Writer Do Min-hee thought it was fortunate that she had told them in advance that they didn’t need to give a welcome greeting since they were going to film in a documentary style.

That’s because the village chief was completely different from when she first saw him. He was dressed up as some kind of Cheonghakdong teacher [traditional Confucian school attire] and was spouting T.M.I [Too Much Information] in stiff Seoul dialect.

Still, she didn’t see it negatively because the village chief was the most actively cooperating with the filming here.

“You can treat him comfortably, Chief.”

While Na Hye-ju PD came forward to greet him, the village chief, who had been wide-eyed looking at the actors, immediately became stiff again as soon as he became aware of the camera.

“Then I will introduce you to the village.”

Baegun Island, with its central mountain, had a village formed on the hillside, so going up was uphill.

“How much further do we have to go?”

“The empty house is on the hill, so you have to go up a little more.”

“Ah, ah.”

It would be tiring if the house was too high up.

I shouldn’t go out of the house as much as possible.

Until then, the novices, who hadn’t done much on programs other than their main jobs, didn’t think much.

They only thought of it as a healing program, with expectations for rural life and curiosity about the village, greeting people when they occasionally encountered them.

But healing in life is something you have to create yourself.

There is no such thing as healing that has existed from the beginning.

“Well, then, this is the house where you will be staying.”

The village chief smiled and introduced.

The people who had been impressed by the village chief’s house were about to go inside.

“Ah, not there.”

Kwon Jae-ik stopped, and the people who had been following him without thinking slowly turned their heads.

Next to the village chief’s house. There was a shack inside an old stone wall.

There were no cobwebs, but it was quite old and didn’t smell like people.

“This is it.”

The village chief smiled and said, not knowing the cast’s feelings.

“It’s still in good condition. It’s prepared enough for you to fully enjoy island life.”

Kwon Jae-ik approached and opened the kitchen.

His eyebrows twitched when he found a wood-burning stove instead of a gas stove.

“Na PD, this isn’t right.”

“You can enjoy island life, everyone.”

Lee So-ra had a stiff face.

“Jung-min, Halo, tell them now if you don’t like it either.”

“I’m okay, noona [term of endearment for older sister or female friend].”

Lee Jung-min smiled, saying that it was better than the house he lived in when he was young.

Rather, it was his manager who was worried behind him.

This was because Lee Jung-min was suffering from insomnia.

Lee So-ra, who muttered that she couldn’t sleep if she was uncomfortable, looked at Halo, her last hope. Surprisingly, the two younger siblings didn’t seem to mind at all.

“You can take a good rest while we install the cameras, and when the filming preparation is finished, everyone, fighting!”

It was the most cheerful voice she had ever heard.

It sounded like a scammer.

“Well, then, shall we decide what roles we should play?”

It was Kwon Jae-ik who broke the silence.

The rest of the people stared blankly.

This was the beginning of Kwon’s real estate [referring to his increasing stress and responsibilities, like managing property].

“We have to clean the house, and we have to eat, but where do we get the ingredients…”

Kwon Jae-ik, who had come to relax comfortably, clutched his head because there were too many things to do.

At that time, Lee So-ra tilted her head.

“Clean? Isn’t it clean?”

“Why is this clean?”

“I think it’s cleaner than my house.”

“…Aren’t you an actress?”

Kwon Jae-ik made a dumbfounded expression.

“But where do we get our food?”

“You have to get it yourself. You can go to the sea or the mountains, or you can farm, or you can listen to the requests of the villagers, right?”

Since they didn’t have anything, only the latter was possible.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in life.

The entire production team was looking forward to how happy these people would have a rural life.

Kwon Jae-ik excluded the actress who didn’t seem to be of any help for the time being,

He looked at Lee Jung-min, who was sure to have a strong sense of life.

Lee Jung-min smiled and asked the youngest.

“Halo, is there anything you want to do?”

There was a different kind of affection in it than with his close friends Lee So-ra and Kwon Jae-ik.

Wasn’t it half gratitude and half fan sentiment?

Lee Jung-min knew that Halo had become famous with his music, and he understood it, so he thought that was the reason.

“I-”

Halo tilted his head, then looked at the house once and said with a smile.

“Music?”

“That’s good.”

Lee Jung-min would say it was good no matter what.

“Are we going to have our Halo sing a song?”

“Wow, a bard, a bard!”

Even the production staff said it was good, so only Kwon Jae-ik was upset.

“What’s so good about it? What bard? These guys-. Is this a hidden camera? Are you doing a hidden camera now?”

He should have found out more when his manager told him to do variety shows.

Kwon Jae-ik’s stomach was churning because of his unhelpful peers and younger siblings.

He came to the healing program to make money by blending in, but he was about to get high blood pressure from the scammer production team and the hardships ahead.

Two weeks? What a joke.

He wouldn’t be able to last even two days.