Second Try Idol

Chapter 84: Debut (7)

“Ah, what is this now?" Yoo Il-Seok grumbled, stepping out of the car with a mix of confusion and annoyance. The mysterious title “The Return of Tag MT Memories” suddenly clicked in my mind as I gazed up at a sky-piercing pillar, my face etched with dread.

“Bungee... jump..."

A towering bungee jumping platform loomed ominously before us.

“Whoa, bungee jumping. That's totally unexpected."

“Ah, I'm not cut out for this."

“Is everyone required to jump?"

Murmurs of unease bubbled among the High Tension members as their eyes glued to the daunting structure.

“Seriously, they should have given us a heads-up! Director Han!"

Straight out of the car, Lee Ye-Hee directly lunged at Director Han Bu-Joon, her grip tight on his collar. However, his smirk was infuriatingly cunning, similar to that of his friend, Director Lee Won-Jae.

“Ha! Everybody, just take a breath. Let's huddle up and listen to what he's got planned."

“Director Han, if you force me to jump, you’re going to regret it!"

Voices of protest rose from the Flying Man’s regular cast, each with their own bluster, but I stood still, my gaze fixed on the tower in a vacant stare.

‘Why me... Why this challenge...’

I bit my lips. Goh Yoo-Joon then tapped my arm, snapping me back to reality. “Hey, you alright? They're not going to make everyone jump."

“...Yeah," I muttered, desperately hoping that would be the case. Heights were my greatest fear, especially when it meant jumping alone.

- Alright!

Director Han Bu-Joon quietened the crowd and started to explain.

- Don't worry, we're not making everyone jump.

He handed us a slip of paper for a draw.

- We will randomly select one person from each team for it. The rest of the team will be waiting below, miming a word. If the jumper guesses it right, the whole team gets a revival ticket.

As soon as he finished his explanation, Lee Ye-Hee collapsed dramatically on the ground. “At least, let us decide who's going to make the jump!"

“Oh, Director Han Bu-Joon, you can't be serious!"

- Okay, each team, please send a representative to pick your jumper.

The collective outcry seemed to dissolve into thin air, unheard. The only silver lining was that just one out of four in each team had to jump.

“Ah, this is annoying."

Yoo Il-Seok hesitated before reluctantly moving forward to draw a name. I watched with my heart pounding as he fished out a paper slip.

‘I'm usually lucky, right?’

But then... ‘Did I catch a glimpse of an 'S' on that slip? Am I seeing things?’

Having stepped back to check the name in private, Yoo Il-Seok suddenly smiled. “We're safe, Woo-Seok. It’s not us."

“It's not me? Really? Yay!" shouted Woo-Seok.

“Ah... hold on." I couldn't hide my anxiety as I approached Yoo Il-Seok to verify the name.

“Ah..."

“Look at Hyun-Woo, he can't even fake it!"

There it was, my name on the paper. After that, Goh Yoo-Joon's worried eyes met mine.

Blissfully unaware of my plight, Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok celebrated their narrow escape. “Phew, that’s a relief!"

Fortunately, Jin-Sung, who was equally scared of heights, seemed to have been spared. He knelt in relief.

I directed my gaze to the sky, witnessing a clear, untroubled blue—no clouds in sight to offer hope for a weather-induced cancellation.

“You doing okay, Hyun-Woo?"

“If I had been chosen, I would've done it."

Their teasing was relentless.

I managed a forced, unconvincing smile and nodded. “Nothing we can do about it, right?"

“You are scared of this stuff, huh?" noted Yoo Il-Seok.

Goh Yoo-Joon chimed in as he wrapped his hand around my shoulder. “Yeah, he's terrified of heights."

“Not everyone's thrilled about it, I see."

- Have all the teams decided on their jumper?

“Yes!"

- Then, the selected jumpers, please proceed to the platform!

Reluctantly, the chosen ones shot resentful glances at Director Han Bu-Joon before trudging toward their fate. It was a good opportunity, so no one could give up on it.

I was reluctantly dragging my feet forward, at least trying to endure the ordeal at the platform. Then, a forceful hand grabbed my shoulder. “Suh Hyun-Woo, stop. You don’t have to do this."

I spun around and was startled to find Goh Yoo-Joon seizing the lottery paper from my hand. He then asked Yoo Il-Seok. “Can I go in his place?"

“Taking his spot?"

“Yes. He's not just scared but really terrified. I'll do it... I'm okay with stuff like this."

“Ah..." Touched, I looked at Goh Yoo-Joon, my eyes brimming with gratitude. He reassured me with a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“If you are good at it, then you should go. Okay, let's have Yoo-Joon go."

After Goh Yoo-Joon passionately conveyed my intense fear, Director Han and the other team members agreed to let us swap jumpers.

“Thank you. I'll do my best to act out the prompt."

“Sure thing." Goh Yoo-Joon climbed up to the jump platform.

"Hyun-Woo must have a bad case of acrophobia. We had no idea... Sorry about that."

“No, it's okay, seniors. I'm just glad Yoo-Joon is good at these things."

I expressed my gratitude to Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok, who were considerate enough to worry about me, and then turned my attention to Joo-Han, who was already gearing up for his jump.

“Three, two, one, bungee!"

“Let's make a fortune, Chronos!" Joo-Han leaped. Typical of him, he never really tried to hide his materialistic side. Not a “Love you, Chronos” or “Long live Chronos”, but a “Let's make a fortune?” Well, it was quite a unique and likable trait.

“What the... I've never seen a rookie group leader jump shouting about making money," Dada said in disbelief.

“Chronos is really unique. I like it. It's totally my taste," Yoo Il-Seok exclaimed, clapping and patting my back enthusiastically. Well... okay, it was kind of nice to receive praise.

Below the jumping platform, Jin-Sung was standing on his hands frantically. I couldn't tell what his group’s term was, but his desperate attempt was obvious.

- Now, Yoo Il-Seok's team! Here's your word.

[Shrimp]

“What? How do you expect us to act ‘shrimp’?" Yoo Il-Seok grabbed Director Han's collar again.

- Alright, Yoo Il-Seok's team! Please move to the position and get ready!

Director Han's nonchalant response suggested that he was used to having his collar grabbed.

We moved to a spot where Goh Yoo-Joon could see us clearly from the jumping platform.

“What should we do? How do we do this, Hyun-Woo?"

“Maybe like this?" I suggested, jumping on the spot and curling my body to mimic the bent form of a shrimp after deliciously grilled.

“Ha! Do it again!"

“Like this.” I jumped and curled again, trying to imitate the shape of a cooked shrimp. Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok found it amusing, asking me to repeat it several times while laughing. Eventually, they decided to go with my suggestion.

Finally, it was Goh Yoo-Joon's turn on the platform.

“Oh..." Just watching him stand there already made my body tremble with fear.

“Three, two, one, bungee!"

"Let's hit it big with 'Parade!’"

“Whoa! Let’s hit the jackpot with ‘Parade!’"

“Dang.”

“Jump, jump, jump, one, two, three!"

I jumped on Yoo Il-Seok's cue, curling up like a shrimp.

“Again? One more time! Jump!"

I leaped once more, curling my body.

After several attempts, I felt more like a mackerel than a shrimp. I was worried that I might be expressing it poorly. And when Goh Yoo-Joon dangled and shouted, his guess was...

“Mackerel!"

...As expected.

- Failed!

“Ugh...” We sighed in disappointment as Goh Yoo-Joon came down.

“Did we fail?"

“You did great, Yoo-Joon. That was a stylish jump."

“What was the answer?"

I replied, "Shrimp."

“Shrimp? It looked more like a flapping mackerel to me."

“Don't you know what this looks like? Shrimp!"

As Woo-Seok saw us talking, he caught Joo-Han who was passing by. “Are their conversations always this nonsensical, Joo-Han?"

Joo-Han nonchalantly responded, “Yes? Yes, haha." He awkwardly nodded and then vanished into his team's crowd.

“Chronos is really filled with funny guys," Yoo Il-Seok noted.

“Come hang out with us more often. It's really fun."

“Oh, we'd love to be invited any time."

Meanwhile, High Tension, who hadn't made much of an impact in the karaoke, was now getting ready for their bungee jump. They were doing much better now.

“Three, two, one, bungee!"

“Hurray for High Tension! I... I can't do this. Ahhh!"

High Tension's youngest member, Goh Jun-Woo, started to cry for real on the platform. Seeing him, someone about my age, crying so desperately, I couldn't help but feel a mix of pity and a desire to cheer him on.

“You got this!”

The other teams also encouraged him, patiently waiting until he was ready.

“Jun-Woo, it's okay not to jump! If you're scared, come down!" Ji-Hyuk shouted.

However, after crying his heart out, the youngest member bravely stood on the platform again. He had this character that sparked a protective instinct, so he was definitely the type to receive a lot of love from fans for his cuteness.

Finally, he jumped with his eyes tightly shut. “High Tension, I love you! Ahh!"

It seemed like he couldn't see his team because he closed his eyes, but he really wanted to shout for High Tension, so he endured the ordeal.

In the end, no team won the revival ticket in the bungee jumping challenge.

- Great job, everyone. Now, we will move to the last location. The final game for the revival ticket will take place on the bus during our journey. Please move to the bus prepared over there.

'Sigh, so tired...'

We had been here for half a day, and the main content hadn't even started yet. Filming a variety show was very exhausting, and this became a newfound realization for me as I boarded the bus.

“I'm not just saying this because you two groups are popular, but I really enjoyed today."

“Right? Are rookie groups now trained for variety shows or something?"

“Usually, it's not easy to keep the show entertaining with guests as we get careful with them. No kidding, you guys should definitely come back again. You're amazing. Impressive."

To me, Yoo Il-Seok, the national MC who had many engaging stories, seemed even more remarkable. Despite our energy slowly waning, he continued to spark lively conversation, maintaining the vibrant atmosphere.

After the MC God, Yoo Il-Seok, took his seat, the bus started moving.

Director Han immediately announced the next game.

- The last game for the revival ticket is 'Instant Response.'