Chapter 45
[Sixth Sense has been formed.]
[Beware as there could be temporary pain.]
Mysterious sentences rang inside my head.
Shaaaa!
Then, I felt a pain so intense that I thought my head was becoming completely blank. I couldn’t believe that the system just told me that there could be temporary pain. It should’ve warned me that severely intense pain was going to assault me and numb my head. If I had to make a comparison, it felt as if my body was getting pricked by thin needles from head to toe without any gaps in between. My whole body seemed to convulse.
Yet, the strange thing was that though the pain was mind-numbing, it was endurable. It wasn’t to the point that I had to scream and roll on the floor. It was as if the system gave me a level of pain it knew didn’t surpass my limits, and I could endure it by clenching my arms tightly.
Still, it seemed others could also clearly tell that I was in pain. The people who came to assess the situation didn’t look at Young-Ho but me. My group members looked especially worried. It seemed they thought I got a serious injury after trying to catch Young-Ho. The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
“Are you okay, Tae-Yoon?”
“Bong Tae-Yoon? Hey!”
“What should we do!”
“Call 911!”
I thought the situation was going to become bigger than necessary when suddenly—shaaa—the pain completely disappeared. The pain I felt became completely replaced with a refreshing and cool sensation.
“Huh?”
“Tae-Yoon?”
“A-Are you all right?”
They seemed to be astonished that someone who had appeared to be in excruciating pain suddenly looked peaceful.
“Mr. Tae-Yoon! Are you all right? Do you have any problems?” Before I knew it, all the producers and writers were rushing toward me. Even though it was Young-Ho who had almost gotten hurt, I was getting more attention than him. I thought my priority should be to calm all of them down.
“...I’m fine,” I said in the calmest voice I could manage. Yet, it wasn’t easy to erase so many people’s worries.
“Are you really fine?”
“Are you sure you aren’t injured...?”
“I think we should take you to the hospital.”
Even Young-Ho, who was lying on the mattress, got up and said cautiously, “Um, Mr. Tae-Yoon, I think you should really go to the hospital. If you were injured while trying to help me...I will reimburse you somehow...” Young-Ho sounded very apologetic, like he thought he was the cause of everything, and I knew his mental state would become worse if he kept blaming himself.
Thus, I told him firmly, “No, it’s fine. Don’t be so sorry. It was just an accident.” I thought I should get up and stretch a bit to show everyone I was okay. I lightly got to my feet and repeatedly jumped up and down.
“I’m really fine, but since Mr. Young-Ho appears quite shocked by what happened, I think it will be a good idea to pause the shooting for a bit.”
My group members and the broadcasting crew looked at me bewilderedly, like they were looking at some kind of alien. The director especially looked at me with half worry and half surprise. I probably would’ve responded like them if I also saw a guy writhing in pain suddenly get up the next moment and jump up and down. I was about to tell everyone firmly that I was fine when Yeon-Hoon asked me in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
“Are you really okay? You can be honest.”
My other group members also looked serious as they told me, “Yeah. It could become dangerous later if you keep it hidden right now.”
“Bong Tae-Yoon, tell us honestly.”
All my group members looked very serious. I could understand their concern. If I was in the same position as them and one of my group members went through the same situation as me, I would’ve also responded similarly.
“Yes. I’m fine. I’m sorry for making you guys worried, but I guess I can’t be sure. I will keep checking over my body’s condition while resting and tell you guys if it gets bad,” I told them and looked to the main producing director. I was clearly expressing my desire to have a break before continuing shooting. One would have to be completely bonkers to resume shooting in this situation, and the director nodded.
Then, he said, “Let’s have a lunch break and gather at this place again at 3 p.m. For those who need to go to the hospital, please tell us before going.”
Since it was 12 p.m. right now, we were given 3 hours of break. It was an unusually long break time for a broadcasting site that was known for its rigorously packed schedule.
“Yes, well, I...” As soon as he cautiously went outside the toilet compartment, the person in front of him snatched the phone away from his hands. It was so sudden that Gyong-Jun couldn’t react, and because he didn’t lock his phone, the screen he was looking at was exposed just like that. The producer in front of him skimmed through his phone and found the video Gyong-Jun had filmed.
“Ha, seriously. You really took it,” the producer said. “Didn’t you sign a confidentiality agreement when starting this job? It should’ve clearly said that upon breach of contract, you would need to repay for the possible damage that the program would have to suffer.”
Gyong-Jun’s face turned pale.
“Ha. It could’ve been really serious if writer Kim didn’t warn me.”
All sorts of thoughts passed through Gyong-Jun's head then. He wondered if he should grab back his phone and make a run for it. Or should he just pretend to be innocent? What would happen if he was really sued?
“Follow me,” the producer said.
But as these thoughts continued to whirl inside his head, one thing seemed clear: he had definitely committed a crime.
‘I’m fucked,’ he thought.
***
After eating lunch, I sat in the waiting room with my group members. Only One who used the same room as us hadn’t returned yet.
“Everyone is probably still at the hospital, right?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“I hope Mr. Young-Ho’s injuries aren’t that serious,” my group members said and stared at Only One’s spot. Only One didn’t come even during the time when it was almost time for the shooting to resume again. They only came five minutes before the shooting directly to the studio instead of the waiting room.
I thought they would send Young-Ho back to the dorm, but they brought him with them, and he still didn’t have a cast on his ankles. I wondered what if another accident happened, but then I realized that it was an inevitable choice that they had to make for the show.
‘It would create more fuss if he gets out right now,’ I thought. If Young-Ho disappeared with no warning in the middle, there would be all sorts of posts asking about him. Then, I scanned our surroundings and saw that the yellow-haired man I had seen before noon was nowhere at sight. Perhaps, the broadcasting crew thoroughly took care of that matter.
“Okay then! Let’s start our noon shooting!” the producing director announced.
“Did everyone enjoy their lunch?” Kim Young-Jin climbed up to the stage again and naturally said his lines. “Then, let’s continue to keep fighting and play the next round of games!” It seemed he was trying to raise the mood again. “Since the Sirens took the win for the fourth game, it’s guaranteed the Sirens would be the winners. But though ranks are meaningless now, let’s continue to do our best for the fifth game.”
Since we won the fourth game, jumping over vaults, we won most of the games prepared for today and were the final winners. Thus, I was sure that we would become the models for the PepCola commercial. Yet, the program continued the fifth game because there were additional prizes involved in this one.
“The fifth game is a treasure hunt!”
From what I recall, there were several prizes available in this treasure hunt. Though there were many subpar prizes, there were some neat ones mixed in, too. I remembered the best one being tickets to Jeju.
“Since there will be additional giveaways given to those who find the most treasures, please give it your all to find as many treasures as you can.”
“Giveaways?”
“Wow!”
“They are giving away a lot of gifts today.”
My group members’ spirits lifted after hearing about the giveaway.
“Okay, then! There are treasures hidden outside this studio, so please go outside and find them! Your time limit is one hour!” Then, at Kim Young-Jin’s signal, all the cast pumped themselves up and dashed outside of the studio.
“Let’s go!”
“Ohhh!”
My group members also appeared to desire the prizes and ran outside the studio.
“Let’s try to get something!”
“Yeah!”
I followed my group members from behind at a more leisurely pace when a familiar voice pulled me back.
“Mr. Tae-Yoon.”
“Could we talk for a bit? If the time is all right.”
I turned around and saw Kang Hyun-Sung looking at me. His face appeared calmer than usual.