NOVEL NEXT Chapter 358
Chapter 358. Coming Soon! (6)
<◀◀10 minutes earlier>
As soon as the second turn began, Joo Eunchan, once again, darted straight to the room with the puzzle. Naturally, he dragged along Dan Haru, who didn’t seem to care either way.
The interview with Dan Haru in the purple set followed.
– “Ah….”
Dan Haru scratched his chin awkwardly, unsure how to answer the question.
– “Hyung really wanted to finish the puzzle, but he doesn’t like being alone.”
– “I didn’t really get the rules anyway… and I didn’t want to just leave him there.”
– “It seemed like the other hyungs wanted it more, so I didn’t really care.”
Hearing the youngest’s mature response, *Destis* couldn’t help but gush over how proud they were.
– *Dan Haru as an older brother… Dan Haru as an older brother… I can’t believe it!*
– *Joo Eunchan, congrats on raising the perfect butler as your maknae. I’m so jealous.*
└ *Considering their age, it feels like they grew up together.*
– *But when Haru is alone, Eunchan always knows exactly where he is, lol. Those two are just soulmates.*
– *A man who would give up gold for his hyungs… and hates seeing them lonely… That’s our maknae? Unbelievable.*
└ *But in the end, he won, right? The hyungs were left in the dust, right?*
└ *It’s a regular occurrence in Kairos, so it’s fine, lol.*
└ *All the hyungs are just overgrown babies anyway, so it’s fine 2.*
└ *Kairos really knows how to raise their maknaes, huh?*
Meanwhile, Seo Taehyun, who was watching from the meeting room, teared up.
“When did our Haru grow up like this…?”
“Are you his guardian now?”
Lee Doha, noticing Taehyun getting emotional with wrinkles forming under his chin, handed him a tissue without a word.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the TV. On the screen, Joo Eunchan and Dan Haru were still working hard on the puzzle. Starting from the edges, the puzzle slowly began to take shape.
As the full picture emerged, the two finished the remaining pieces with ease. The completed image turned out to be a group photo of Kairos taken before their debut. Beaming with pride, Eunchan grinned from ear to ear.
While waiting for the glue to dry to keep the pieces from scattering, Dan Haru found an empty frame that suspiciously matched the puzzle’s size perfectly.
A few minutes later, once the puzzle had set, they carefully placed it into the frame and hung it on what looked like a pre-installed frame holder on the wall.
Bbbbbbbiiiii―.
Just then, a beep rang out….
The wall opened!
A hidden space behind the frame was revealed, activated by the sensor…!
‘How much money did Joo Eunseok throw into this?’
They must have gotten serious backing for this youth-targeted project. Building such an advanced set—was the production budget really that big?
Not that I was bitter about not winning, but it reminded me of PD Kwon, who only ever drank instant coffee to save production costs. It seemed that a producer’s generosity was directly proportional to the budget at hand.
Inside the hidden space was a half-torn piece of paper.
It was a virtual casting board with the names and faces of all the members…!
* * *
– “The first partner match has been made.”
– “You can no longer board the *White Hospital Ceiling* world capsule.”
– “The final partner matching is starting.”
<▲ The leader, devastated to realize his 30+ minutes of deduction were outdone by a single puzzle ▲>
Though the gold prize had slipped away, what really mattered was avoiding the penalty.
The screen switched to show the remaining five members, each trying different methods to find their partner. With one team already confirmed, the process became more straightforward.
Lucky enough to figure out his world by elimination, Yugeon approached Seo Taehyun, who was rolling around dejectedly in a corner of the set. Having failed every mission or received irrelevant hints, Taehyun was on the verge of giving up.
While Yugeon dragged the only normal (and responsible) member of Kairos, calling him a hopeless case, the other members continued to search for any remaining clues.
The production team, not wanting to repeat the same footage multiple times, quickly showed everyone’s activities in split-screen.
– “The capsule has been opened.”
– “You may now make your final partner selection.”
Three minutes before the end of matching.
The final capsule time began. As the youngest members sat snacking and watching their hyungs make their decisions, two figures came sprinting from the distance.
Covered head to toe in feathers, Jung Siwoo and Lee Doha rushed toward the *Four Kings of Terror* capsule.
The two, seemingly confident in their roles, exchanged their identities.
Holding their breath, convinced they were correct, they waited for the result. The lights on the capsule flickered rapidly.
<(Green light)>
Grinning, the two high-fived, celebrating their success. A short clip showed Doha confirming his virtual casting board earlier.
Now, only three people were left.
The comments from *Destis* were filled with curiosity over who among me, Yugeon, and Taehyun would end up going to Hallasan. I watched the footage quietly, recalling the events of that day.
– “Matching ends in 2 minutes.”
– “Please board the capsule immediately.”
As the broadcast announced the final moments, another figure came running from afar, panting heavily.
I was sprinting after Seo Taehyun and Lee Yugeon, waving a flashlight, trying to get their attention.
Though I was fast at running, they still managed to reach the *Takes Off Glasses* capsule slightly ahead of me.
The camera zoomed in on my exasperated expression as I sighed in frustration, like a villain whose plan had been foiled.
– “Matching time has ended.”
– “You two on the capsule, are you sure you want to proceed with this final selection?”
– “Confirmed.”
The lights on Yugeon and Taehyun’s capsule flickered rapidly.
And then—.
– “The results are in.”
The final result of this chaotic partner race was about to be revealed.
* * *
A few days later, at Gimpo Airport.
Due to the production team’s request to shout *”Destis, I love you
“* while watching the sunset, the loser of this round found himself boarding a plane to Jeju Island.
“Hah, unbelievable.”
Of course, that loser was me. What a pain.
“On such a beautiful day, with such nice weather, I’m not going yachting, fishing, or parasailing… but hiking Hallasan….”
Kwon Wook-hyung, who had been driving, handed me my bag from the passenger seat and said:
“Since none of the managers are coming with you this time, listen to the PDs and be careful, okay?”
“…Are you seriously not coming? For real?”
“Well, it’s a penalty, isn’t it? What else can I do? Shouldn’t have gotten caught.”
I wanted to snap at him for being annoying, but I couldn’t argue with the truth.
Instead, I turned my death glare toward the culprit of this entire mess, channeling all my resentment.
“This is all because you ignored me and ran off!”
“…I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?”
The person who followed me out of the van muttered sheepishly.
“Do you think I expected it to end up like this?”
“If you’d just listened to me, Seo Taehyun would be here right now instead of us!”
“Well, if you’d acted more reliable, maybe I would’ve listened!”
“What did you just say, you little—?!”
The last person who had boarded the capsule with me for the Jeju Island punishment was none other than Lee Yugeon.