Free Web NovelWhen I told the guys the news about the opening shoot location, they all reacted the same way.
“Hyung, we’re going overseas to record? Whoaaa...”
“To the airport?”
“Is it just me, or is that weird? Suddenly the airport.”
While the youngest was envious, the other two looked uneasy. Viju asked,
“They told us to bring our passports?”
“Yeah.”
“But they didn’t say where we’re going?”
“Not at all. The only item on the prep list was ‘be sure to bring your passport.’”
“Huh...?”
Ri-hyeok, who had been furiously searching on his tablet, took off his glasses.
“Isn’t this an overseas deployment? Last year ‘Men on the Go’ did a special in Indonesia, rebuilding after the flood.”
“Oh, right. They had that special.”
“What special was that?” Junghyun asked, curious, and Ri-hyeok showed him the screen:
A “Men on the Go” overseas deployment special—building houses with locals on an island devastated by a tsunami.
Viju frowned.
“What if they send us somewhere dangerous?”
“Me too. I don’t want you going anywhere risky.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Ri-hyeok said confidently when we turned back to him.
“I just checked the list of countries they’ve deployed to. If it’s dangerous they’d require vaccinations—takes a month for immunity. There was no mention of that.”
“Right. None at all.”
“Then it’s probably not dangerous.”
The others cheered for our “pirarucu.” But as they speculated about what military-related work we might do overseas, something suddenly occurred to me.
“Ah...!”
Everyone turned to look.
“What’s wrong, hyung?”
“I completely forgot. We’re not going to the military this time. PD-nim said we’re trying something new.”
I’d been so focused on passports that I’d blanked on what we’d heard at the pre-meeting. Ri-hyeok narrowed his eyes.
“How long have you known?”
“Since the pre-meeting...?”
“You mean before we threw darts?”
“Yeah. Obviously before that.”
Suddenly no one spoke. As I tried to puzzle out “if not the military, then what?”, the room grew quiet. When I looked up, their expressions were ominous.
“What’s wrong with you guys?”
“Nothing...” ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Ri-hyeok shivered.
“So you’ve been teasing us about the army the whole time, knowing you weren’t going?”
“Uh...”
I hadn’t even thought of that—I’d been in meltdown mode over the idea of flying. Jiho shot me a glare.
“Wow. So you said, ‘Do you want to go to the army?’ while torturing us. And you hid the fact you’re not going...”
“I’m disappointed too, hyung.”
Once they learned the truth, the kids unleashed a barrage: Shameless! How could you? Were you laughing at us when we shivered? I was scolded for a long time. Really? Is this scolding level five-worthy?
“Hey, guys.”
“What is it?”
“Why?”
I forced an apologetic smile at their disapproving stares.
“Sorry.”
“Does an apology fix everything?”
“I’ll buy dinner. Want to go to that beef place up the street?”
A moment of silence, then their faces softened.
“All right. That’s all we needed.”
“...Well, I still feel weird, but okay.”
“Your words healed me, hyung.”
Thanks to the quick apology and dinner promise, I managed to placate the faction. Only Junghyun looked a little down—“You’re not going to the army...?”—but the others brightened right away.
“But this is so much better!” Viju exclaimed, eyes wide.
“I haven’t slept well lately, worrying you’d go back to the army.”
“Same here. I dreaded more army stories after you got back.”
Even though they didn’t say it, they’d been anxious about “Men on the Go.” I wish our Seupulees could hear this. I’m not going to the army this time. The people most upset after we were confirmed for “Men on the Go” were the Seupulees. Before, they laughed at the wreath messages, but once our appearance was set, everything flipped: What if you get hurt? Comments asking about the PD and director’s safety on night shoots, wondering like it’s some dangerous Olympics. I really need to be safe.
I nodded and looked at the kids again.
“But still—if it’s not the army, where are we going?”
They all fell into thought.
“Doctors Without Borders? They do so much good.”
“Maybe an overseas volunteer group? Or environmental protection—like tying yourself to oil rigs in a documentary I saw.”
“How about the Antarctic research station? Scientists contribute a lot there, too.”
They were sending me somewhere notorious for being dangerous or extreme. We ate in silence, trying to guess our destination, but no one knew. I really had no clue. What on earth are we doing this time?
“Well, at least it’s not the army.” I tried to sound cheerful and we all laughed.
On the first floor of the dormitory building, we said our goodbyes at the car in front of the flower bed.
“I’m off...”
“We’ll be waiting for you.”
In uniform, Junghyun and I waved; they waved back, sad.
“Guys...!”
“Hyung...!”
They charged back, hugging me and Junghyun tight as we tried to get in the car. The managers laughed.
“We’ll miss you so much.”
“We will too.”
“All right, we’re off...!”
“Have a safe trip...!”
As onlookers stared, Ri-hyeok ducked his head while Viju handed me an old MP3 player.
“What’s this?”
“I put in songs to calm your nerves on the way to the airport.”
“Thanks.”
They really seemed worried I was flying somewhere. The other two also looked concerned.
“People might think you’re going to the army, lol.”
“....”
“I’ll have fun with the shoot and be back.”
I smiled at the Meerkat-like stares of my siblings. Once in the car, Junghyun and I leaned out the window and waved. As the car sped away, our figures shrinking,
“Guys!”
“We’ll be... whoa?”
Swoosh! Junghyun’s beret flew off and tumbled to the ground.
“....”
Our eyes met, and Jiho started laughing.
“Hyung Won-seok.”
“Huh?”
“Please stop the car for a sec...”
Won-seok pulled over. Ri-hyeok heaved a sigh, picked up the beret, then ran back to hand it to Junghyun, and we waved until we were dots in the distance.
After the farewells, I reclined in the seat and checked my supplies.
“What’s that, hyung?”
“A talisman.”
Junghyun looked intrigued at the paper charm in my hand. According to Mrs. Deok-soon, it was a powerful talisman written by a monk. I doubted its efficacy, but... well, faith matters.
I also popped in the earbuds from Viju’s MP3. The old screen lit up and automatically opened a folder labeled “Uju hyung army.” I was about to close my eyes and listen when: freёwebnovel.com
♪ “Leaving home on a train~”
I yanked them out in terror. Explaining to the managers, they burst out laughing—apparently Viju fell for a fake blog post about “songs army veterans love.”
After they laughed for ages, Mingi-hyung put on a morning radio. We tucked away the MP3 and I grabbed my phone to search:
Most wondered if this special could reverse the show’s downward trend. The crew certainly seemed determined. Even during the pre-meeting and mid-shoot, you could feel how much effort they were putting in. That’s why I prepared thoroughly, matching faces with caution notes and picturing scenarios in my head.
“I’ve always noticed...” Junghyun rummaged in his snack bag and said,
“Hyung, you always give your all.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah, you study while eating, you study while not eating.”
His rhyming made me laugh.
“I need to do well—it’s our work, after all.”
“Right.” Junghyun then spoke resolutely,
“This time I’ll work so hard I’ll feel like my bones are slipping.”
“Wow, our Kim Junghyun.”
“We’re alone today, and I’m not that funny.”
What are you talking about? You’re the funniest.
“If we have to carry the others...”
“It’s the share, Junghyun. The share.”
“Right. So I have to be even better. I made that resolve at breakfast.”
“Don’t worry—you’re enough as you are.” They said he’d already earned an S-rank in basic training, so I figured he’d be fine. As he fretted, I said:
“Let me show you this. These are the caution notes on today’s guests.”
“Okay, great.”
“One of them was involved in a betting golf scandal, so let’s avoid golf talk.”
As I explained and he nodded, the distant panorama of Yeongjongdo islands began to appear.
Incheon Airport, 3rd-floor departures. We got off at platform 10 and the crew fell in behind us.
“It’s chilly this morning—thanks for doing this, director.”
I asked the smiling cameraman,
“Do the crew have your passports?”
“...?”
He hesitated, then nodded. I smiled slyly. As the crosswalk signal changed, I waved goodbye to the managers. They waved back, wishing us well.
Inside Gate 10 stood seven men in uniform.
“Oh! You’re here!”
“NewBlack is here!”
Junghyun and I bowed, smiling.
“Hello, seniors! NewBlack Uju here!”
“Junghyun!”
We waved to Han-jo, who’d arrived first; he expressed his delight with his whole body—guest life must’ve been tough alone.
“Come stand here with us.”
“Okay.” His enthusiastic welcome made me laugh. The regular cast of “Men on the Go” formed two lines flanking us. I looked around: even at this hour, the airport was bustling with travelers, businesspeople, students, athletes, foreigners—everyone rushing by. Some even stopped.
“Hey, what’s this, filming?”
“TV shoot! Oh—’Men on the Go!’”
“Is that ‘Men on the Go’?”
Some recognized Junghyun and me.
“Look, that’s NewBlack—so handsome.”
“Is that guy a member too? He looks calm.”
Han-jo, ever the lost soul without the group, smiled sadly. The regular cast waved to the crowd.
“Hello there!”
“First time seeing celebrities?”
They bantered with passersby until Ho-beom interrupted,
“This is embarrassing. We’re here to see the idols, right?”
Ho-beom’s sharp gaze and lean muscles suit his “A-rank soldier” persona on the show—like Ri-hyeok the athlete. The cast pretended not to hear, old instincts kicking in.
“Friends, shall we wave too?”
“Sure!”
“Don’t be strict like Ho-beom. Let’s ride their popularity!”
It flowed like a sketch. As seasoned entertainers, they had their roles: offense, defense, comic relief. We quickly got into rhythm.
“Thank you. Our members are big fans of ‘Men on the Go.’ The dolphin navy special was a hit.”
Han-jo handled their reactions.
“We actually prepared a few short bits for you guys,” I promoted NewBlack and Street Boys’ albums.
“Give us a beat,” Junghyun called for his special skill.
Though unplanned, we intuitively covered intros. Then Pil-seung, the chubby guy with glasses, closed with:
“These guys are overflowing with charm.”
“Thanks.”
“As guests, can we expect you to shine today?”
“Yes! We’ll do our best!”
Pil-seung, our warm eldest brother figure, turned to PD Do Jun-gi through the cameras.
“PD-nim, where are we going this time? You said it’s not the army, but passports—so we came prepared.”
Do PD smiled.
“You’ll know when you get there.”
The cast leapt up,
“Why won’t you tell us? It’s not some weird overseas deployment, right?”
“Yeah. Where are we going?”
“Are ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) we even going abroad?”
As distrustful glances flew at Do PD, he just grinned, as if daring us to guess. While we debated whether we were going overseas, Pil-seung asked me,
“Uju, where do you think we’re headed?”
“I don’t know...but maybe the opening scene at the airport matters. We might come back here to do something.”
“That’s possible.”
“Going elsewhere would mean special training there, then returning here.”
We eliminated options quickly.
“Excluding military bases, if it’s airport security, it’s inside here: customs, police.”
“Right. I once went to the police station at the airport for lost and found.”
“Looks like we’re almost there.”
Outside, the bus slowed. We continued to speak on camera,
“I think it’s not about public outreach but something needed in a special situation...”
Then a thought flashed through my mind—and theirs too.
“I think I know.”
“Could it be?”
“No way...”
We all smiled nervously, denying reality. “It can’t be that.” “No, not there.” “Haha, no way.”
But just then, we passed a hangar and a sign saying “Coast Guard.”
“...”
And a little further on, buildings came into view.
“Ah...”
“Please no.”
“Do PD, where are you? Should we hit that bus in front? Crash it now...!”
We heard the sound of everyone’s morale shattering in real time. The vehicle stopped in front of an entrance.
A wide parade ground. Surrounding buildings. Models of training obstacles and temporary structures.
“...”
“...”
We all stared wordlessly at the largest building. A plain brick structure, its sign gleaming in the morning sun:
“INCHEON POLICE SPECIAL TASK FORCE.”
