Free Web NovelWhile the Men on the Go cast was patrolling the airport, the east side of Departures buzzed with idols bound for L.A.
“Nahyun! Nahyun!”
“Over here—here! Yes, here!”
“Please lower your hand!”
The impromptu photo session that began at the crosswalk finally ended as the Autumn Girls members approached the airline counter line.
“Whew, I thought I’d suffocate.”
“Did you get any good shots? Mine came out blurry—someone must've bumped me.”
“Hm, they’re all so-so...”
Photographers sifted through their cards for publishable images.
“This departure rush is almost over. Once the Autumn Girls fans clear out, it’ll calm down.”
“There’s one more group: NYX.”
“Ah, we should catch them too.”
NYX, the TJ Entertainment girl group that followed NewBlack into the Hitmakers showcase, had been rising in popularity. Luckily they arrived soon after, and the reporters began packing up.
“Ah...”
“What’s wrong?”
“I got a ton of useless shots.”
“Let me see.”
They’d meant to shoot Andrew of Daydream, the K-Pop concert MC, but in every frame Andrew was relegated to the edges—while a third figure stood square in the center: a red-bereted special unit operator, face obscured. Everyone laughed.
“No wonder you missed him.”
“Yeah, he really drew the eye.”
“I swear my lens tracked him like he was the star of the show.”
It wasn’t just them—the fans waiting by Gate 3 had all turned to stare. The journalists, originally convinced it was some anniversary documentary, patted each other sympathetically.
“Oh dear, none of these are usable.”
“Still, you never know. Maybe he’s really a celebrity? A special unit–experience show?”
“I wish...”
As they slung on their camera bags, someone exclaimed while browsing on their phone.
“What’s this scoop?”
“Did you see that tip on SNS? They say the Men on the Go cast was patrolling the airport with actual guests!”
“When? Where?”
The reporters fumbled their zippers in excitement.
“They must’ve left when the Autumn Girls departed.”
“Oh...”
“But look at these shots...”
“Show me.”
They stared at the app in disbelief: images of the Men on the Go cast, decked out in special-unit gear, marching through the terminal. There were even shots of Min Tae-won and Han-jo lowering their masks and waving.
“That’s Han-jo from Street Boys, right? Wait—so this time the guests were...”
“Guests! Them!”
“NewBlack! Oh no, we missed them live!”
As they muttered in mid-air, something struck them all at once. They turned to the one who’d been brooding—he peered up excitedly.
“Hey—is that Woo-ju from NewBlack?”
“Hang on... lemme check.”
“Me too!”
Fans who were drifting off also stopped to stare.
“NewBlack’s Woo-ju?”
“Woo-ju? He passed by?”
“No way, the one hiding like a criminal was him?”
With camera and fandom united in a giant hide-and-seek, someone shouted,
“There—found him!”
Thirty minutes later, alongside articles on the idols flying to L.A., news pieces appeared about Men on the Go:
Fans cracked up at the running gags:
Even fan-run social feeds exploded with “spot the Woo-ju” images—an all-black figure staring into every frame, like a hidden-picture puzzle:
Meanwhile at Lemon Entertainment HQ, the PR team was in meltdown.
“Wait—Woo-ju was patrolling the airport?”
“With the special unit? That’s new to us.”
“Please direct entertainment inquiries to the producers—they asked us to keep it secret.”
They’d known Woo-ju went for training, but never imagined he’d trend in idol departure photos.
“What is he up to?”
“Woo-ju, where are you?”
“True PR genius, our boy.”
As the “Find Woo-ju” craze grew, attention naturally fell back on Men on the Go. Viewers wondered: what crazy segment comes next?
The production team rejoiced.
“Ratings! Ratings!”
“Ha ha ha!”
PD Do Jun-gi and crew high-fived over their “successful promotion.”
Back in the practice room, NewBlack’s members stared at the screenshots.
“Uh... Hyung?”
“Why are you there?”
On the bus, the Men on the Go cast buzzed.
“Look at this—huge news!”
“Wow, the headlines!”
“Ha ha! Check these out!”
After the patrol, PD handed out a tablet to show the outside buzz.
“So many pics!”
“90% are of Woo-ju.”
“Nice one, Woo-ju.”
They cringed at the dozens of photos of the black-clad mystery figure. Even the other cast got plenty of shots.
“Why is my gut so prominent?”
“My gut?”
“Jo So-hyung—ha!”
They teased one another good-naturedly.
“This promotion’s on fire.”
“Right? Now people have to watch.”
“We’ve been dying to promote—this is perfect.”
Though they tried to hide their identities, they secretly wanted recognition. In a crush, shouting “That’s our celebrity” could backfire; the goal was to showcase the special-unit experience, not spark outrage. Yet they hoped for discovery—and thanks to the show’s popularity, many recognized the cast.
Their chests swelled.
“Ahem—kids.”
“This is us.”
“No matter how hidden, idols show through. How do they always spot us?”
They laughed together. I looked out the window, wondering how our fans back home reacted. Ji-ho was probably Googling “Where to buy that uniform,” Ri-hyuk inspecting rifle safety catches, and Viju...
“Hyung, what’s up?”
“Do you think Viju saved our pics? Or made GIFs?”
“He could, but probably not.”
“...?”
I gave up deciphering.
“I’m jealous.”
Han-jo said,
“At this point, our members must be scrambling ideas to roast me.”
“They tease because they love you.”
“Right?”
“And it’s fun to rag on you...”
I smiled at his mock glare. After cooling off, the bus set off again. They’d reunite with the special unit in the evening; meanwhile, they toured the airport to spotlight the heroes who keep it safe:
– Airport Police handling criminal incidents.
– Airport Security staff.
– External patrol units and EOD teams.
– Customs intercepting smuggled contraband.
– 119 paramedics standing by for emergencies.
Each stop and interview revealed hidden facets of the airport. Even I felt awestruck.
“Wow...”
“So many secret areas.”
“I only knew the main terminal.”
They marveled at the backstage world of airport operations—some agencies too secure to film, but still astonishing. Jung-hyun and I whispered:
“Amazing.”
“Feels like an underground adventure.”
“When we get back, let’s brag: ‘We saw the areas no one else gets.’”
“I’ll tell Viju.”
As we bonded, PD Do Jun-gi said,
“Now for our final spot. It’s farther away—we’ll need the bus.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“Where now?”
They grumbled, but Jun-gi just smiled.
“Remember I said bring your passport?”
“Oh, right.”
“You’ll need it where we’re going.”
“What is it?”
They whispered speculations—Sea Rescue unit?—but the bus turned into an airport gate and passed a checkpoint. Beyond lay an unexpected site.
“Oh!”
The ramp: where planes line up outside the terminal. Even the cast, used to flying, gaped as the terminal receded. They rode through hero-movie–style tunnels and past rows of tugs. Lee Pil-seung exclaimed,
“I heard from PD that you need ID to enter here.”
“Ah, so that’s why passports.”
“They could’ve said ID.”
“Then we couldn’t trick everyone.”
“A cunning plan, Jun-gi.”
“But where are we going?”
Before he could finish, the bus slowed. Ahead loomed the enormous control tower.
“Wow, it’s huge...”
“I thought it’d be small.”
They disembarked as Jun-gi warned,
“This is a high-security facility—filming is limited. We’ll stay outside and observe.”
“Yes!”
“Shall we?”
After another ID check, they toured the control tower. Inside the glass-walled operations room, controllers monitored complex equipment. Cameras captured the cast’s awe from across the room. Afterwards they climbed to the public observation deck.
“Wow...”
From 35 stories up, the entire airport spread before them like a scale model under a clear sky. Tiny planes looked like toys; the terminal seemed a miniaturized village. Those who’d once felt intimidated by the hulking aircraft felt oddly comforted.
I pressed my face to the glass, feeling the cool air behind me and the distant heat beyond. It was peaceful—flight patterns weaving through an endless blue void.
Jung-hyun glanced at me, eyes following mine.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
I smiled.
“Planes look so small from here.”
“They do.”
“I didn’t realize until now—kind of cute.”
Like a town of quirky little airplanes: chubby, mischievous, enormous passenger jets all coexisting. As we chatted quietly, PD Do Jun-gi asked,
“How is it, everyone?”
“This was on my wish list when planning the special. I’m so glad we got permission.”
Amid smiling faces, I nodded gratefully. For the first time since the recording began, I truly thanked PD Do Jun-gi.
That evening’s joint anti-terror drill concluded successfully.
“Clear!”
“Clear!”
“Control, entry point secured.”
Three days of hard training paid off. The scenario: a suicide bomb threat. The special unit subdued the terrorists while we carried blast bags and provided covering fire. EOD disarmed the device, and the exercise ended.
—Control room: “Thank you to all participants.”
—“And special thanks to the Men on the Go cast.” frёeωebɳovel.com
We gasped into the radios, then cheered.
“It’s over!”
“Great job!”
Sergeant Go and the special unit wiped sweat and embraced the cast. Lined up with Tactical Team 1 under the dusky sky, we formed the same opening formation before the cameras. Pil-seung clapped,
“Finally, the Men on the Go Police Special Unit special has come—”
“—to an end!”
“Whaaa!”
They hugged in celebration as Sergeant Go chuckled, then Pil-seung took the mic to share impressions. Tousling his sweaty hair, he handed it to me:
“Woo-ju, how was it?”
“I feel like I’ve learned so much.”
“At first, seeing that ‘Special Unit’ sign, I thought, ‘Oh no!’”
“Once you got here, wasn’t it fun?” teased Sergeant Go. I pretended not to hear.
“It was tougher than I imagined, and I tested my limits. But thanks to the special unit’s help, I feel upgraded.”
“Woo-ju...”
“Um, sorry—I’m too scared of the sergeant to speak.”
Team 1 yanked Sergeant Go away as everyone laughed. I continued,
“I sincerely thank everyone who made this experience possible—”
The cast broke the moment with, “You’re not sincere!”
“No way!”
“There’s only one way to prove it: Woo-ju, would you recommend this to others?”
I beamed.
“Of course.”
“Who? Who would you recommend?”
They nudged me expectantly. I grinned, recalling my pre-approved note:
“One of my juniors in the military debuted as an idol—Kevin from APLB. He’s so adventurous I’d love for him to try this.”
I never go down alone.
“Wow, a water-ghost like you...”
“He says it smiling.”
As the cast piled on quips, I faced the camera and recorded a video message to future Eun-seong:
“Kevin—Eun-seong—if you see this, you have to be on the show. Promise me.”
“Promise!”
“You go to the military twice—Army again!”
“Army again!”
They all laughed and called, “Come on!” I couldn’t help laughing too. Then Han-jo piped up, “We’ve got a great friend named Namu on our team,” and everyone laughed again. After Jung-hyun’s short remarks, the guests struck the slate for the ending.
The three of us tapped our hands together like scissors, and PD Do Jun-gi called out,
“Thank you for three nights and four days!”
“Great job!”
“Remember—if you skip the pork belly dinner, next time it’s the Marines!”
“Ha ha! Marines? Jun-gi!”
With the recording done, warmth filled the air. We walked off toward the managers we’d missed—Mingi hyung and Wonseok hyung—laughing.
“Mingi hyung! Wonseok hyung!”
“We’re here, yo.”
They laughed, tousling our sweaty faces and handing us snacks.
Why am I tearing up? Just four days, but it felt so long. I missed Grandma Kim Deok-soon and my siblings so much.
“Are my kids doing okay?”
“Oh...”
As Wonseok hyung stammered, three faces peeked over his broad shoulders like Russian nesting dolls.
“Tada!”
“We’re here to greet you.”
“Ta-da!”
Jung-hyun and I blinked, then charged our siblings.
“Guys!”
“Hyung!”
“I missed you!”
“Me too!”
Like long-lost family, we hugged and cried while the staff giggled. Then we formed a penguin huddle and wept together until...
“Phew, the smell of sweat...”
“Get away from me!”
We caught Ri-hyuk trying to escape, pulled him in, and bounced around again.
“Han-jo! Come join us!”
“Can I join too?”
Han-jo, waiting for his pickup, scampered over and dove into our circle. After a minute of joy, PD Do Jun-gi invited our members to the barbecue.
“Come on—Woo-ju earned you a feast of beef.”
The cast cheered.
“Jun-gi, yes! Beef.”
“Beef then Marines, or pork then Army?”
“If you don’t eat, we’re fine.”
Viju said he was jealous of this unity. As the cast left, we headed to a barbecue place on Yeongjong Island. Finally, the long four-day shoot was over—liberation at last. As I rubbed my tired shoulders and chatted with my siblings, a phone pinged.
[Sergeant Go invites Sun Woo-ju to “Tactical Team 1 Chat”]
[Notice: Today we invite Woo-ju // Weekend rock-climbing meetup]
I looked up to see Team 1 officers giving me thumbs-up through the window.
What is this feeling—over when it’s not over?
