Chapter 282

Chapter 282

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In the video, a replay of the counselor’s gentle interview alone with Chungwoo was shown.

[Counselor: You’re very independent and in control. It’s impressive that you manage to also be an accepting leader.]

This was the same scene that had been shown before. But this time, there were a few additions.

[Counselor: But what if you weren’t the leader, Ryu Chungwoo?]

[Counselor: I wonder how you would act in a situation that allows you to be a little more true to yourself—that is, independent.]

The scene shifted.

[After the interview]

[Chungwoo gets a mysterious letter]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Hmm? What’s this?]

[Ryu Chungwoo: …? Zombies?]

The moment that it came out that Chungwoo had known about the zombies even before the group interview, the real-time chat was once again filled with ecstatic screaming.

His role was that of a representative of the organization that had introduced the zombie virus to the lab. His goal was to ensure everyone was a zombie by the end, or to blow up the lab.

[Counselor: When you’re forced to oppose your group members, instead of being their leader, I wonder how differently you’ll act?]

With this playing as voice-over, Chungwoo’s devious actions that hadn’t been obvious before were slowly revealed. He had stopped moving and pulled the members to the back of the passageway on purpose so that the members would have to face the zombie head-on. When he entered the dark room, he moved around alone, removing the hints that would reveal there was a spy among them.

[Ryu Chungwoo: (Waves his hand at the camera once)]

He approached the mannequin that served as a corpse and removed a written note from the hand that wasn’t holding the gun. The fans wailed. The memo read, There is a traitor among the guests.

[Ryu Chungwoo: I was worried I wouldn’t do a good job, but it was surprisingly fun.]

Chungwoo wasted the battery on the laser gun on purpose and started a discussion about whether to shoot the zombies at all in order to waste time. In the end, Moondae ran off as if he’d had an epiphany about something.

[Ryu Chungwoo: I’ll go with Moondae. I have a gun.]

[Kim Raebin: Sounds good!]

Chungwoo rushed down the corridor, to a backing track of the sounds of a collapsing building, and caught up to Moondae incredibly quickly.

[Ryu Chungwoo: Park Moondae!]

The montage played out, leading the viewers back to the present moment. Chungwoo was pointing his gun at his bandmate, and Moondae was frozen stiff.

- OH MY GOD

- Does this mean Ryu Chungwoo wins?

- My god I never imagined. Chungwoo’s so good at this haha

- Goodness, I love this villainous Chungwoo

- Somebody help Moondae

The viewers were screaming from their seats. They would find themselves doing the same thing again just moments later.

[Park Moondae: Good thing it works on humans, too.]

The moment Moondae pulled a gun on Chungwoo as well, the lag caused the chat to stall for a moment.

“What the f*ck!”

The graduate student screamed, too. She was watching on the subway, just like last time, and people glanced at her for a moment, but she didn’t even notice.

More interview scenes played.

[Park Moondae: I looked at the gun in the mannequin’s hand… There was just one shot left.]

[Park Moondae: So I picked it up, thinking I’d give it to Chungwoo just in case he needed it… I guess I did end up giving it to him, though not in the way I expected.]

Holy sh*t. Not only had he deduced the pass was in the lab coat, but he’d even held onto a gun!

Moondae should do more variety shows like this! The live chat was saying essentially the same thing in the form of short messages interspersed with screams.

The two continued to speak while holding each other at gunpoint, and Chungwoo explained the situation.

[Ryu Chungwoo: Moondae, but you know, I’ll be able to keep you from using that card simply by keeping you at gunpoint.]

“Oof!”

It seemed Chungwoo was going to win, despite all of Moondae’s efforts, but the stalemate was soon broken. The members who should have been at the back door suddenly poured out of the vent.

- My god

- This is spectacular

- This group is just so much fun

- LOL is this scripted??

[Cha Eugene: I was right! They’re really here!]

The members who’d been left standing at the back door had been urged on by Eugene to follow them, aided by Lee Sejin’s agreement, and Bae Sejin’s deductions. Raebin, who’d been the only one to insist they should stay at the back door just in case, looked on with a devastated expression on his face.

[Kim Raebin: I had no idea that would happen…]

Raebin looked betrayed and distressed in the interview, and frankly, seeing his reaction was both hilarious and cute. Back at the confrontation, Chungwoo put down his gun when he found himself outnumbered.

[Ryu Chungwoo: This isn’t working out. I surrender.]

[Cha Eugene: Yeah!]

The production team’s editing was perfect, showing how the situation kept on changing with interesting twists, before things finally worked out. Chungwoo’s surrender was cathartic rather than disappointing as a result.

- They’re finally getting out!

- You guys are amazing T_T

- I feel like I’m the one who’s escaping

[Park Moondae: If Chungwoo had been nastier, I think he would have won. I don’t think he was capable of that, though.]

[Park Moondae: I mean that in a good way, of course.]

As the members ran toward the back door, a gentle comment from Moondae’s interview played over top as a warm, finishing touch to the episode.

- Legendary stuff

- I don’t get it. How can this be group-produced content?

- A thrilling narrative with a twist, comedy, and emotional reward? What in the world?

- This could have been a full-on show

- TeSTAR has such trust for each other… The only villains are the production team

[Lee Sejin: Now, now! You! Spy! Walk faster!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Haha. All right.]

Chungwoo, who was walking with the members, smiled casually. It was during this race for the exit that the expert’s commentary began.

[What did we learn about TeSTAR during this process?]

There was a brief explanation of the Roleplay Categorization System, which the lab had come up with themselves. Then an evaluation of each member followed, starting with Chungwoo, who had served as the catalyst behind the episode’s big twist.

[Counselor: As expected, he remains calm and open to challenges, even when acting against the team. It all looked very natural.]

[Counselor: But he has very high moral standards and prefers not to rely on trickery.]

The camera zoomed in on Chungwoo’s face while he was running, and over the top of the footage, audio from his interview played. It was from the scene where he’d gone after Moondae. There was another twist revealed here that the viewers hadn’t foreseen.

[Ryu Chungwoo: I chased Moondae here… not because I wanted to stop him, really.]

[Ryu Chungwoo: I just went after him because I thought it could be dangerous, what with the smoke from the walls and all.]

Chungwoo had actually meant well by his actions. It had also been in part due to how Moondae had reacted, of course, but the production team had already cut that part cleanly out.

As soon as the filming had ended, Moondae had politely informed them that he was very uncomfortable with sensory deprivation, particularly with the introduction of fire. The production team had balked, apologized, and assured him that they would be careful when editing.

That aside, however, the way it was edited was still very heartwarming.

[Ryu Chungwoo / Humanitarian Explorer]

[An independent, human-friendly person with an unyielding drive to pioneer his own future]

Chungwoo’s type appeared next to his face on the screen. It was a type of classification that was easy to understand, just like Moondae had wanted. The other members also got their own evaluations.

[Kim Raebin / Ethical Healer]

[Cha Eugene / Destructive Explorer]

[Bae Sejin / Ethical Fighter]

[Lee Sejin / Rational Strategist]

[Seon Ahyeon / Humanitarian Fighter]

There wasn’t a single overlap between the members. It wasn’t clear if this was a coincidence, or if the lab had manipulated the results slightly for greater effect, but it was impressive either way.

Hmm. That’s four times four… sixteen types. The graduate student nodded to herself and listened with great interest.

She wasn’t sure if the theory behind it was all that solid, but the explanations that matched each member’s behavior were fun to listen to, though she did have a feeling that some of the people at her lab would foam at the mouth upon hearing them. And perhaps because he’d played such a large part in the show, Moondae, whom she’d been waiting for, was shown last.

[Counselor: This escape shows us that Park Moondae is not just a perfectionist. He also has a strong drive to take risks and attempt challenges.]

Moondae was shown taking the gun, rushing out of the bathroom before anyone else to check if zombies were coming, and, in the end, running at top speed toward the initial room.

[Counselor: I think he would benefit from trying not to push himself too far, but he’s a very smart and confident person.]

Moondae arrived at the back door and produced the ID card, smiling, and his type appeared next to his face.

[Park Moondae / Destructive Strategist]

[Passionately efficient and eager—the brainy type who sees the forest instead of the trees]

Amazing! He looked very cute thanks to his pink hair, but her favorite idol was also a pretty awesome guy.

I feel my fatigue melting away… She stared at the screen, her eyes glittering.

[Wow!]

The video, which had paused to show his personality type, began to play again. The back door opened, and TeSTAR spilled out. It was evening, the sun had set, and TeSTAR looked very as they shouted things like “We did it!” and “No way!”

[Bae Sejin: I don’t think I’ll forget this.]

[Cha Eugene: This was amazing! Let’s do this again!]

[Lee Sejin: This was a lot of fun.]

It was for me, too! The graduate student smiled and looked on proudly. This was a great ending!

The video seemed to be about to wrap up when the screen shifted once more.

[TeSTAR: Whoa!]

The members were now cozily seated indoors and clapping their hands.

“…?”

[Lee Sejin: Did you enjoy the episodes, viewers?]

[Seon Ahyeon: We just finished watching the first episode!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: And now here we are to hear the final conclusion.]

Chungwoo grinned.

Eugene butted in.

[Cha Eugene: The roommate designations!]

“Oh right! That’s what this was all about!”

She’d nearly forgotten. It seemed the additional footage was added to explain their new roommates. She focused again.

[Park Moondae: They’re going to tell us who will move into which room.]

[Director: Yes, everyone!]

The director’s voice came from behind the camera, and the staff and the members could be heard laughing.

[Director: Do you remember the personality types you were given?]

[TeSTAR: Yes!]

TeSTAR had apparently just been given this information, since they were holding pieces of paper in their hands. They showed it to the camera, their personality type and an accompanying explanation printed clearly.

[Director: The Communications and Relations Lab has paired up those of you that will complement each other best!]

[Yes, that means we are the ones who hired the lab to use their personality analysis on you guys!]

“Wow!”

The graduate student watched, her heart racing. So that was why the personality types had been given to them after going through all that!

So how did they decide who’s going with who?

[Lee Sejin: I’m good with anybody! I wish they’d tell us already!]

[Director: Now then, here comes the reveal!]

Bae Sejin, who wanted a room to himself, was shown, followed by a calm Lee Sejin. The director unveiled a whiteboard.

[Bae Sejin, Cha Eugene]

[Ryu Chungwoo, Park Moondae]

[Seon Ahyeon, Kim Raebin]

[Lee Sejin]

It was a neat reveal.

“…?”

Both the members and the viewers were left puzzled.

[Kim Raebin: I have no complaints, but I thought we were going to be paired with someone similar to us?]

[Bae Sejin: I know, right?]

None of the types seemed to match.

[Director: I didn’t say they would be similar! They’re supposed to complement one another!]

[!!!!]

[Director: Think about it. You have to be different to be complementary!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: My god.]

The members murmured between themselves for a bit as they realized they’d been tricked again, but they soon accepted reality and greeted their new roommates. They were doing their best to hold in their laughter. There was a single person who wasn’t smiling, however.

[Lee Sejin: Uh, sir? What about me?]

[Director: As for you… We gave you a room by yourself so you can experience being independent!]

[Lee Sejin: Augh!]

The gregarious Lee Sejin’s plaintive cry made for a funny scene. The graduate student laughed, but she couldn’t help but focus on something else.

I’m glad! He gets to room with the leader! She was thinking about Moondae’s new roommate.

[※Ryu Chungwoo, Park Moondae※]

Not bad. She thought that they would probably get along just fine. This wasn’t true of everyone, however.

- Oh LOL. Things are about to get spicy

- I bet they’ll switch as soon as they get inside

Some people were saying mean-spirited things about the new arrangements, but such talk wasn’t the consensus. The fandom had united against a common enemy—the new season of Idol Inc.—and this newfound harmony had not worn off yet. The general reaction to the episode was positive, just as the graduate student’s had been.

[The shocking TeSTAR zombie escape (spoilers ahead)]

TeSTAR’s break between albums thus continued without the group experiencing any drop in popularity. And like it or not, regardless of the assumptions some people had made, they had already accepted their new roommates.

***

[Big Sejin: I’m so bored, Moondae. It’s so sad that I’m all alone in my own room T_T]

Hilarious. Big Sejin was very pleased that the show had portrayed him the way he wanted and netted him a room all by himself.

He’s so full of sh*t.

[Then go out into the living room.]

I tried to quickly respond to him and lock my phone, but he was faster.

My phone vibrated.

[Big Sejin: Nope. You should come over to my room. That’s the correct answer]

I’m busy, you bastard.

[I’m going to exercise]

I shrugged and turned off the phone screen. I wasn’t lying—I really intended to go out.

My body needs more work. The variety show we’d put out was doing well, so we’d now have to focus on preparing for our comeback.

And for now… there is nothing that’s really worrying me. The lab’s personality types had been embroiled in a small copyright incident, but that had nothing to do with us. It was fine.

It’s apparently very similar to a board game’s classification system. But that wasn’t what was bothering me recently. It was something else entirely.

“Going out to exercise?”

It was my new roommate.

“Uh, yeah,” I said, nodding to Chungwoo.

I didn’t find him as unpleasant to be around as before, but if someone were to ask if I was completely comfortable…

I can’t say that’s the case. There had been a suggestion that we ignore the results of the variety show, but we’d shot that down real quick.

That could prove dangerous. If people found out, rumors that there was dissent in our group would go around. Feeling a little weird was better than that. I wasn’t uncomfortable around him anymore, so I would get used to him soon.

I decided to be a little more friendly to my roommate by giving an explanation I wouldn’t usually provide.

“I’ve been trying to find a good place to exercise, since there’s not really anything suitable here.”

There would be too many people around for a walk outside, and the gyms were probably crowded, too.

Maybe I’ll just head to the agency. I was about to fall into thought again when Chungwoo said,

“Oh, then let’s go together. I was about to go exercise, too.”

“…?”

He smiled and got up from his desk.

“There’s a place that I go a lot.”

I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.