Purple Lips

“Ahem…”

On the way back to our lodging, Lee Seon kept stopping, swallowing his laughter. It seemed even his earlier fit of tearful laughter hadn’t been enough. I, however, remained composed.

Dramatically brandishing my spoon, my chosen song was, of course, a trot.

Selecting anything trendy would have instantly killed the mood. If we were aiming for a ‘good’ performance, Choi Seung-beom should have been the one singing, not me. I needed something both familiar and lively for the elderly.

The reaction was incredibly enthusiastic, completely overwhelming not just the elderly, but also the members and the production crew.

Kwon Yohan’s voice was a unique, delicate soprano, almost ethereal. If he were to debut as a solo artist, the melancholic singing style, popular nowadays, where more than half the sound is breathy—almost a sigh—would have suited him perfectly.

Yet, when he twisted that voice into a rich, traditional melody, the result was utterly unbalanced.

Truthfully, even I, who was singing, hadn’t expected such a ‘ruined’ sound. I held back my laughter, knowing that my own amusement would lessen the comedic effect.

Thanks to this, we were able to perform our previous promotional song together in a great atmosphere. Although we were still wearing our baggy work pants, I wondered if the reaction would have been lukewarm had we not performed the trot first.

“I never knew Yohan was aiming for the main vocalist position.”

At Yoon Jihyuk’s playful remark, Lee Seon collapsed entirely.

“Ugh…”

“A picture of someone kneeling before overwhelming talent.”

Han Doyoung, not to be outdone, added his own nonsense.

We were each carrying a portion of the food the elderly had packed for us, grateful for our help with their work. Choi Seung-beom picked up an apple Lee Seon had dropped when he collapsed and put it into his own bag.

Only much later, after composing himself, did Lee Seon, seemingly in good spirits, address the production crew affably.

“We’re resting now, right?”

The reply came back ominously, after a slight pause.

“Yes, for now!”

****

At the production crew’s instruction to rest for a while, we washed our bodies, tired from labor, and peeled some fruit to eat. I was the one who picked up the paring knife.

Although I had contributed just now, I still felt my involvement in our deserted island life was sorely lacking.

“He even knows how to peel fruit…”

As if it were such a marvel, Yoon Jihyuk murmured, sounding genuinely surprised.

The amount seemed quite generous, but with five mouths, it vanished in an instant. Just as Han Doyoung popped the last apple slice into his mouth, a staff member entered the lodging.

“Now that you’ve rested a bit, shall we move?”

The guys who had been lounging on the floor slowly got up, their faces somewhat darkened.

The sky, which had been painted with the setting sun when we entered, was now dyed black. While there were lights and it wasn’t so late that distinguishing objects was difficult, it felt strange.

‘What could they possibly film here at this hour?’

“Alright, this time, it’s an opportunity for us to experience something Lee Seon wanted to do!”

“Huh? Here?”

Lee Seon, startled, asked again.

“We thought of something you could do even here. You wrote down [An extreme experience to remember], so we’ve prepared it for you!”

*Drumroll.* After making the sound effect with their mouth, the staff member loudly announced.

“It’s a horror experience!”

‘Right. This kind of thing was bound to come up at some point.’

We each soon received a hand-drawn map. The map marked five locations with red ‘X’s; the mission was to visit each one and collect a stamp.

“You know about the ‘suspension bridge effect,’ right? To help you grow closer while completing the mission together! We’ve formed teams based on who you designated as ‘awkward members’.”

‘Wasn’t the suspension bridge effect about attraction to the opposite s*x? Well, if you stretched it, the meaning somewhat fit, so I decided to let it slide.’

“Jihyuk and Doyoung, Seung-beom and Yohan will go together. Lee Seon, unfortunately, will proceed with the mission alone! If you wish, you can choose one of the staff members as your partner!”

Han Doyoung let out a snicker and muttered.

“Looks like he’s getting his karma now.”

Lee Seon wore a devastated expression.

“Why, why is it like that? Can’t we draw lots for teams?”

His protest fell on deaf ears.

“Be proud! You’re going alone because nobody picked you as an awkward partner.”

Yoon Jihyuk, who had been gazing at the guy with an expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry, nudged Han Doyoung with his elbow and asked.

“Doyoung, you picked me, didn’t you?”

“Ah, well. Yes.”

“Hmm.”

It was an unexpected outcome. There had been no hint of it whatsoever.

I had written down Choi Seung-beom. It wasn’t that there was a ‘less awkward’ or ‘more awkward’ person among HEX, but rather that such questionnaires were highly likely to be broadcast as they were.

Thus, Choi Seung-beom, with whom I had spoken the least and whose selection wouldn’t raise strange suspicions, was the most suitable choice.

“Hyung, who did you write down?”

Choi Seung-beom replied a little sheepishly.

“You.”

‘Looks like we were unintentionally paired up.’

We split up, looking at our maps in our respective teams. At the mention of having to perform a penalty tomorrow if the mission wasn’t completed, some seemed to burn with fighting spirit.

On the way to our X-marked destination, several screams echoed. They were all Lee Seon’s voice.

‘What a powerful voice.’

“This is probably more terrifying for the residents here than for us, hearing screams in the middle of the night.”

“They must have informed them when they got filming permission.”

‘Is that so?’

Anyway, our team was definitely not going to produce any interesting scenes. I didn’t find this situation scary in the slightest.

I had no particular feelings for such things to begin with, and the presence of cameras following us made it even less so. ‘If I were completely alone in the dark, maybe it would be different.’

The first destination we reached was an empty house that appeared to have been unused for some time. ‘Is it really okay to just go in?’ I wondered, but figured if it wasn’t a pre-arranged location, the staff would stop us.

I immediately opened the old door.

*Thud.*

At the same moment, a dark object fell at my feet. I carelessly picked it up.

“A wig?”

It felt like a somewhat clichéd device. ‘Who would be scared by something like this?’

When I casually tossed it back to the floor, it slowly disappeared back inside. It looked like it had been thrown using something like a fishing rod.

“Hyung, I’ll check inside, could you keep an eye on the outside?”

As I said that and turned around, Choi Seung-beom stood rigidly like a statue.

“…Hyung?”

“…Huh? Oh. I’ll look.”

His voice was stiff and strained. ‘So there *were* people who got scared by this kind of thing…’

“Never mind. Let’s just search together.”

He really didn’t look the type. He was quite an amusing fellow.

****

After what felt like an hour-long journey, we gathered again in front of our lodging. Yoon Jihyuk’s face looked as if his soul had slightly departed, Han Doyoung was inexplicably full of irritation, and Lee Seon, having apparently cried, resembled a swollen dumpling.

“Doyoung… let’s try to control our temper.”

When Yoon Jihyuk said this subtly, Han Doyoung pretended not to hear and turned his head. ‘What on earth could have happened?’

After some discussion, the production crew announced the results.

“Our HEX members, your courage is truly extraordinary, isn’t it? Everyone succeeded in their mission. Applause!”

After we half-heartedly clapped as instructed, a staff member added.

“But Doyoung! No matter how startled you were, how could you subdue a ghost by force? And shaking the ghost to reveal the stamp location? That’s a clear foul!”

‘What *really* happened?’

“Therefore, as a penalty, the Jihyuk-Doyoung team will receive a punishment tomorrow!”

The crumpled dumpling finally seemed to cheer up, clapping and laughing.

“What’s the punishment? What is it?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow~”

And so, the second night of filming concluded.

It was the end of a day that seemed destined to conclude smoothly. I only noticed something was wrong after I had roughly prepared my sleeping spot.

Having learned from yesterday’s experience, I didn’t forget to take my medicine. Just as I was about to lie down my tired body, Yoon Jihyuk, who had been drying his wet hair with a towel, grabbed my shoulder.

“…What is it?”

“Look here.”

As I met his gaze directly, he held my chin. Then he stared intently at one spot.

My lips.

“Are you okay?”

I understood why Kwon Yohan found his family’s constant worries about him overdoing it so annoying. The first couple of times, I felt a vague sense of apology and embarrassment, but being asked about my well-being incessantly was starting to become tiresome.

Suppressing the urge to let out a deep sigh, I nodded.

“Yes. I just took my medicine.”

Yoon Jihyuk narrowed his eyes, observed me for a moment, and then spoke.

“Your lips are purple right now, Yohan.”

‘Huh?’

I instinctively touched my lips. Even though there was no way I could tell the color by doing so.

Come to think of it, my skin, which had been feverish just days ago, felt unusually cold today. As soon as I realized it, my stomach suddenly began to churn.

“They said the boat only comes twice a day…”

Yoon Jihyuk wore a serious expression, pressing firmly between his eyebrows. After a moment of deliberation, he came to a decision.

“I need to tell them now and leave on tomorrow’s early morning boat. I think you need to see a doctor.”

“Is something wrong?”

Han Doyoung, who had just come in from getting some fresh air, asked as he saw us sitting opposite each other.

“Uh, could you go outside and tell them that Yohan needs to stop filming today?”

“All the staff outside have packed up. There were a lot of cameras to retrieve today.”

“Then go to the staff’s lodging… No, I’ll go.”

The moment he finished speaking, Yoon Jihyuk released my hand and stood up. My vision immediately spun.

A thud sounded from behind me.

“Hey, Kwon Yohan!”

With someone’s voice as the last sound, my vision flickered out.