The Cooking Team and the Ballad Fanatics

The grocery team was divided into two groups at the production crew’s recommendation. They seemed to believe that splitting into smaller units would reduce individual wanderings and make control easier. While their judgment was sound, it ultimately led to a decision that slowly churned Choi Seung-beom’s stomach.

This was because the teams, decided by a lighthearted game, had ended up in this chaotic state.

“Let’s go buy swimsuits!”

“Let’s go!”

“Don’t run.”

Was that really how peers shopped together? It looked more like escorting two preschoolers. The usually reliable figure’s back somehow appeared rather pathetic.

However, the problem was that this group didn’t seem to be doing much better.

“Ah.”

“Oops.”

Between Yoon Jihyuk and Son Yoonjae, a minor friction arose. It wasn’t that they had fought. Rather, both had so naturally assumed pushing the cart was their task that their paths converged, leading to a small collision.

“I’ll push it, senior.”

“No, I will…”

Both were smiling, yet something felt so utterly mismatched between them.

Son Yoonjae ultimately claimed the cart. There was no reason to insist when facing someone who was so earnestly pleading to do it themselves. If one were to transcribe their sporadic conversations, it would seem necessary to draw a bead of cold sweat after every sentence.

Despite the awkwardness, their movements were remarkably efficient. They located the items assigned to their group with uncanny precision, placing them into the cart. Their concise, streamlined actions were almost astonishing.

“Six people eating snacks would go through this much, right?”

Both were accustomed to living with several adult men, so their estimations of quantity were similarly large.

“Yes. Oh, for the potato chips, it might be better to get the savory flavor instead of that one.”

The cart quickly became piled high. As they briefly settled into a rest area, both pulled out their phones simultaneously. They even opened their notepad apps at the exact same moment, their eyes busily scanning to ensure nothing was missed.

It was like a perfect decalcomania, an uncanny mirroring.

“All we need is milk, then we’re done. Let’s contact the other group on our way and meet up.”

“…Yes!”

Son Yoonjae replied. This wasn’t even a major task, yet they were cross-checking everything. There was no other way to describe them than as naturally born general affairs managers.

Was this strange, stifling sensation finally coming to an end? After a brief respite, they headed to the dairy section, their route smooth as they precisely navigated the store. They moved decisively, focused solely on their objective—until Son Yoonjae halted abruptly before a sample stand.

“This is delicious. Yohan, you should try some too.”

A sweet, savory aroma wafted from the tteokgalbi skewered on a green toothpick. I instinctively opened my mouth, ready to take a bite.

Just then, Yoon Jihyuk abruptly intervened, snatching and devouring the tteokgalbi Son Yoonjae was holding. Son Yoonjae, startled, took a step back.

“Don’t give him processed meat.”

“Huh?”

‘Oh, right. He told me not to eat it.’

“It doesn’t agree with my constitution, so I’m avoiding it.”

“Still, eating just a little of this shouldn’t cause any problems, should it?”

“You never know.”

Fearing an overly worried response, I spoke evasively, while Son Yoonjae’s eyes widened in surprise as he apologized. He mumbled something to himself, lost in his thoughts.

“Indeed. I shouldn’t just recommend anything. Even if it’s not about their constitution, they could be vegetarian…”

‘Still the same. Where will his thoughts even go?’

“Should we buy just one bag? The members might enjoy it.”

“Perhaps.”

Yoon Jihyuk, for his part, didn’t argue with my suggestion and was surprisingly compliant.

Son Yoonjae regained his slightly dazed composure only as they finished paying and loaded the groceries into the transport vehicle. His cheerful demeanor fully returned when the other three also completed their grocery run and rejoined them.

It was now harder *not* to know. Son Yoonjae felt uncomfortable around Yoon Jihyuk.

Why?

****

An opportunity to resolve this mystery immediately presented itself.

“So, these three will be the cooking team?”

This was because Choi Seung-beom, Lee Seon, and Yoon Jihyuk had been assigned to prepare dinner.

Given that this combination meant no worries about the outcome, the cleanup team could relax while dinner was being prepared. Han Doyoung had gone upstairs to the second floor, enjoying an intense solo live performance on the karaoke machine. His only audience, however, was the camera.

The moment I was alone with Son Yoonjae, I immediately asked.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, with Yoon Jihyuk.”

I kept my voice as low as possible, and Son Yoonjae offered an awkward laugh.

“It’s less about being uncomfortable, and more that… I feel like he dislikes me.”

‘…Is that so?’

A momentary confusion settled over me. The Son Yoonjae I knew was a gentle, amiable person, occasionally lacking in tact but generally sensitive to others’ emotions. He wasn’t the type to automatically interpret someone’s attitude as malicious, so if Son Yoonjae felt that way, it was usually true.

But what about Yoon Jihyuk? Although I had known him for a much shorter time, I didn’t believe I misunderstood him. He wasn’t the type to dislike a stranger without reason, either.

I pondered for a moment before drawing a conclusion.

“He does tend to put up a wall, doesn’t he?”

Observing him closely, there was a noticeable difference in how Yoon Jihyuk treated the members versus outsiders. Both approaches were gentle, which was why the distinction wasn’t always obvious.

It was natural for someone like Son Yoonjae to pick up on that.

“It’s fine, so don’t worry too much. He’s not treating me badly… I’m sure we’ll get more comfortable as we spend more time together.”

Even if it was for a short period, one might expect a person to change after gaining such recognition, yet Son Yoonjae still interpreted others positively, his expression unblemished.

If things turned out as he said, it would be a relief.

“Well, if you say so.”

The problem was, I had a rather bad feeling about it.

****

Perhaps unable to bear the awkward atmosphere that lingered after our conversation, Son Yoonjae abruptly stood up and suggested joining Han Doyoung upstairs. Having nothing else to do alone, I quietly agreed.

Upon entering the room set up as a karaoke lounge, Han Doyoung merely glanced at us with an indifferent look, as if unconcerned whether we joined or not, and continued his song.

However, as soon as his current song ended, he canceled all his reserved songs. He declared that reservations had to be made in turns, calling it ‘business ethics.’ I seriously doubted if he even knew the meaning of the phrase.

“I’m good.”

Given the atmosphere, the filming would likely continue late, and expending energy on karaoke seemed ill-advised. The two acknowledged this and began reserving songs alternately.

Approximately twenty minutes later, I regretted my choice.

These two… were hardcore ballad fanatics.

Alright, I knew Son Yoonjae was like that, so that was fine. But what was with Han Doyoung? He looked like he wouldn’t touch anything but dance or hip-hop, yet every song he picked was a soulful ballad.

“Ha…”

While it sounded pleasant, the sensation of having emotion forcibly injected into me was dizzying.

My mind went completely blank watching them exchange looks of ‘You really know how to enjoy karaoke, don’t you?’ with each song transition. It was a combination I never would have imagined.

Fortunately, dinner was prepared before I could be completely marinated in their saccharine sorrow.

“Ah! We’ve been singing for so long, no wonder you couldn’t hear us!”

Lee Seon, who had made the effort to come up to the second floor, pouted and grumbled. Han Doyoung snorted, while Son Yoonjae awkwardly averted his gaze. Realizing belatedly that Son Yoonjae was among those he’d just lectured, Lee Seon waved his hands, attempting to salvage the situation.

“Oh, no, senior! I wasn’t talking about you! The karaoke machine is there to be used, so we should use it!”

He looked truly desperate.

It seemed their ‘singing for a long time’ wasn’t an exaggeration; stepping out into the yard, we found the dining setup already neatly complete. Even the bonfire, which had been mentioned in the plan, was prepared in one corner.

Choi Seung-beom, wearing white gloves and holding tongs, wore a somewhat resigned expression.

“It feels like there’s not much difference between a deserted island and a pension.”

“Prepare and eat meals, and the day is gone.”

‘…It would be best to take him off meal duty starting tomorrow.’

He might say that, but the current situation was incomparable to back then. There was no need to worry about tomorrow’s food, and they had an abundance of meat to grill.

Watching the guys shove food into their mouths with an intensity that suggested they’d demolish the pension if they missed even one meal, a hollow laugh escaped me. It was quite a feat that despite eating so ravenously, they didn’t appear crude.

Come to think of it, I used to eat that much too. As I idly poked at the moderately portioned food on my plate, a strange feeling washed over me.

In any case, dinner fortunately concluded without anyone literally eating the table, and Lee Seon was able to roast marshmallows over the bonfire once the grill was cleared, just as he wished.

“…Are you happy?”

Lee Seon was grinning from ear to ear, as if a roasted sugar lump was the greatest joy imaginable.

“Mm-hmm!”

Meanwhile, on one side, a torch was being created.

“Ooh.”

At the end of the metal skewer Han Doyoung was holding was a charred lump, unmistakably a marshmallow at some point. Watching him swing it without even flinching at the spreading flames, it seemed he had burned it on purpose.

Thanks to this, a rare sight unfolded: Choi Seung-beom smacking Han Doyoung on the back of his head.

“What are you going to do if a real fire starts? Stop playing with fire.”

He spoke wisely. Han Doyoung had his skewer confiscated and was sentenced to a day without marshmallows.

With roasted snacks, fruits, and drinks laid out before them, an atmosphere finally conducive to proper conversation settled in. This was also likely where the main scenes for the program would be captured.

It was Lee Seon who initiated the conversation.

“Senior, are you not doing group activities anymore?”

With innocent yet somewhat cruel words.