Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Onscreen, Cheongryeo smiled and began weaving his tale.

[“Have you heard the creepy story involving an idol going around? I heard it recently.”]

[“A creepy story?”]

- Here we go.

- Finally LOL

- Is Park Moondae going to throw his coffee this time?

Fans were not disappointed. Moondae froze as soon as he heard the beginning of the story.

- Is Moondae scared of stories about ghosts, too? LOL

- He’s all stiff, but he’s pretending like everything’s fine. That’s so cute

- I’m not even a fan but it’s so fun to watch him freeze up haha

└ The Park Moondae community board welcomes you with open arms

Though in reality, he was actually nervous because of the implications of the story, on the show he just seemed scared of the tale itself.

[“He now haunts recording booths and inserts his voice into tracks belonging to idols who seem likely to succeed. He hasn’t gotten over the fact that he could also have been successful, you see. ‘I could have done that, too…’ he wails.”]

The ghost’s dialogue had been edited onscreen in red letters, enhancing the creepy mood.

[※The cabin is silent.※]

A chilly atmosphere seemed to settle between them.

- Huh?

- Hey, Park Moondae’s actually pretty immersed in his role now

- Finally, it feels less like an actual skit haha

- Nice one, Cheongryeo

[“Haha. No need to worry. I made that all up, actually. It’s just a new variation of the old studio legend.”]

[“Hmm. I see.”]

[“But you do know that the legend is real, right?”]

- Haha so it was just a generic creepy tale

- But one with a twist—based on a real story, right?

- Cheongryeo seldom makes jokes like that... It’s fun to see a new side of him. I guess hanging out with a younger idol brings it out in him

- I love this balance between humor and realism LOL

The show unfolded seamlessly from that point, maintaining a good mood.

[“The heater seems broken.”]

[“I think... the door to the back room is locked.”]

As the scenario unfolded more and more, it became obvious just how isolated they were. Mood growing a little more serious, Cheongryeo and Park Moondae sat facing each other in the living room, discussing more personal topics.

[“Uh, Cheongryeo. Would you mind giving me some advice?”]

The hottest new idol on the block spoke about the process through which his team had been formed, and his concerns about their teamwork.

[“I’ve never spoken about things like this on a show. I’m not sure how useful you found my answer.”]

The conversation was rather pleasant overall as Cheongryeo explained that it was his first time giving advice like this, but still trying to give the best answer he could.

The truth behind the conversation aside, the situation painted onscreen showed two strangers confiding in each other under extraordinary circumstances. The scene carried an emotional element aimed at stirring viewers’ emotions—a tactic often employed in peak-time variety shows.

- T_T It’s a bit cheesy, but I like it

- I guess idols have hard lives and they start at a really young age

- I hope all our K-pop idols have strength and hang in there T_T. Excluding the ones we see controversies about, of course

- Cheongryeo must have gotten hungry after all that talking. He’s eating the snacks haha

- All I really remembered of Moondae was his first evaluation on Idol Inc. I’m surprised he has such a pleasant way of speaking

The episode seemed to be coming to an end on a heartwarming note, but there was an abrupt shift in tone, a cliffhanger appearing.

[※-On the next episode of Meet and Greet-※]

[“The radio seems to be working…”]

[(Static) “Breaking news. A suspect in a violent murder case has just escaped a prison located near Mount Jowon…”]

- Whoa baby

- Sh*ts getting real

- Are they supposed to figure out how to escape the cabin together? Or defend it?

Everyone knew how the show worked and that things weren’t likely to get too serious—the next episode was bound to end on a humorous note. They enjoyed themselves as they tried to guess what was to come.

However, the next week came around and most viewers were left shocked.

- What in the world?

- LMAO!!

- This was not what I was expecting after the last episode

The show seemed to be unfolding just as viewers had expected at first. At the beginning of the episode, Cheongryeo and Park Moondae relaxed as they waited for the police to arrive.

Realizing, however, that their phones had run out of battery, they started searching around the cabin for something they could use to wave through the window to indicate they needed help.

Instead of a flashlight or a flare, they found a radio instead.

[“Should we try and turn it on? It seems to be working.”]

[(Static)]

They heard the news that a suspect in a murder case had just escaped prison. They both froze upon hearing the shocking news and at that precise moment, someone began banging at the door. There was someone outside.

A flat voice called out to them.

[“Police! Please open the door!”]

They didn’t respond. Given the timing, it seemed pretty obvious that they were meant to believe this was the murder suspect trying to pass himself off as a police officer.

[※The two exchange glances.※]

- Whoa, this is more intense than I expected it to be

- T_T guys, you’re both smart enough to know you shouldn’t open that door

- Go back to business meeting mode, like last week!

Thankfully, they approached the door carefully but didn’t open it. Park Moondae spoke first.

[“Please state your name, title, and branch.”]

The man outside the door said nothing for several long moments. Then, the banging resumed even more violently.

[※(Bang, bang, bang, bang)※]

[“Open the damn door!”]

- Oh gosh, that’s scary

- This is almost like a real movie, huh?

- It’s never gotten this serious on the show before, has it?

The viewers were a little shocked. What happened next only confused them even more.

[※Crunch!※]

The door had begun to crack.

[※????※]

Huge question marks were splashed across the screen.

[※They make a run for it.※]

Before the door could splinter apart entirely, the two of them hurriedly backed away from it.

- Oh my gosh

- It’s getting more real than I expected

- I thought this show was supposed to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek. This feels like a horror movie

The comments were beginning to move beyond mere confusion and growing more anxious or disappointed, but not for long. The two idols began to try and open the window in order to flee.

[“This way!”]

[“Right!”]

Since the green screen on the window had been disturbed the computer graphics began to glitch. The captions seemed equally confusing.

[“Th-they tore down the green screen?”]

[“They’ll do anything to escape.”]

They were employing perfect teamwork, one of them holding the window frame steady while the other attempted to unlock it. The viewers began to laugh, put at ease.

- Both of them are overacting LOL

- They were so businesslike last week!

- Guys, is breaking the fourth wall on the show the way to go?

└ Yeah, this time it’s a literal wall, too

└ LMAO

After they rushed out of the cabin, cameramen began to run after them, attempting to catch up to them. Some low-quality visual effects were used to try and hide the cameras and other equipment.

[“Looks like the snow has melted away.”]

[“The weather’s warmed up, hasn’t it? I think... we can take off our jackets.”]

[“It’s still a bit cold for that, don’t you think?”]

- LOL look at these guys, so cheeky...

- The snow melted because the weather warmed up? LOL!!

- I was wondering what those random piles of snow were meant to be. They’re computer graphics meant to hide the staff and equipment! Haha

- Look, Moondae tried to take off his jacket, but Cheongryeo stopped him haha

└ I guess he couldn’t allow it because it would ruin the immersion

└ His standards are high!

Contrary to the rapid-fire comment sections, the two continued to converse casually onscreen.

[“Let’s move further down the mountain before that man finds us and chases us.”]

[“Good idea. I’ll see you around.”]

[“You’re not coming with me?”]

[“It’s best we split up. There’s a better chance of one of us surviving, at least that way. What do you say?”]

[“Hmm. You’re right. Well, I’ll see you around.”]

[“Yes. Goodbye, Cheongryeo.”]

- ROFL

- Good call, but he’s so calm!

- Cool as winter, eh? Haha!

- Why does this conversation seem so natural?

- Since I’m not an idol fan, all I knew about these two was that they’d responded with the exact same answers in a psychology test. I didn’t think they’d be this similar though...

└ LOL

As the viewers laughed, Cheongryeo and Park Moondae said their goodbyes politely and parted ways. The camera momentarily followed Cheongryeo as he headed down the mountain, then spun around, chasing after Park Moondae instead.

The younger idol stared after Cheongryeo’s receding form, then turned and headed back toward the entrance of the cabin he’d just escaped.

- ???

- What?

- Moondae, what are you doing?

He stood in the doorway and shrugged off his long jacket, revealing the clothing he’d been wearing beneath. It was a brown prison uniform.

Park Moondae began to mutter monotonously.

[“You got lucky, Cheongryeo.”]

The fans went wild as they realized what this meant.

- ?????

- Holy cow, what?

- Oh my god

- That’s a prison uniform

- I’m losing my sh*t right now

- So Moondae’s the escaped felon? No waaaay

Park Moondae whistled as he went inside, and gasps could be heard in the background track, an audio queue meant to indicate that people should be shocked by the twist. Then the scene changed to show Cheongryeo, walking down the slope.

- Run away!

- Cheongryeo, you need to run!

- This has suddenly turned into a thriller movie. What’s the matter with you, MBS? T_T

Cheongryeo, who’d been walking slowly, soon stopped altogether. He muttered something under his breath.

[“I didn’t manage to make it down this time either…”]

- ??

- What’s he talking about?

Cheongryeo sighed and resumed his walk. The trunk of a large tree obscured the camera’s view of him for a moment and he disappeared.

The camera panned to a poster attached to the tree.

[Looking for a missing person.]

[Went missing after an avalanche during a snowstorm.]

A large photo of Cheongryeo filled most of the paper.

- No!

- So he’s a ghost?

- Oh my god, that wasn’t what I was expecting

- LMAO are you serious

A tense track began to play.

[※But if we ever meet again...※]

With those captions, the episode came to an end.

- Whoa

- What did I just watch?

The story had been a little all over the place and people were left more shocked than scared.

- I want to say I wasn’t expecting that twist at all, but that doesn’t seem to do it justice

- Why did MBS think to do this with these two? They’re terrible at acting

- Hang on, what if they were just pretending to be bad at acting?

└ Huh? What do you mean?

└ If one was a ghost and the other a felon, then neither of them was actually lost. That’s why they were so calm when they met last week haha

└ No way

People were stunned by this theory, which actually did a good job of filling in the gaps in the story. Once it sunk in, everyone became amused. In hindsight, it was a funny detail.

- That last part was the cherry on top

- LOL to think this was how the story unfolded in the end

- The production team had it all planned out from the start, huh?

- LOL I love stuff like this. I’m going to watch last week’s episode again.

Though the story hadn’t been even a little realistic, it had amused the fans and left them riveted so they were willing to forgive its shortcomings.

Given the size of the fandoms behind both idols, it was easy to encourage a positive public response.

- Today’s Meet and Greet was fun! I’d love to see more of Cheongryeo on variety shows in the future! Good luck to TeSTAR’s Moondae as well!

- Park Moondae did an amazing job even though this was his first time appearing alone on a variety show. He and Cheongryeo made a great team! Loved it!

- Both Cheongryeo and Park Moondae were excellent choices. Hopefully, we’ll get to see them on the show again (default smile emoji)

Because comments were now disabled on news articles about celebrities, the viewer forums enjoyed a sudden boom. Even ordinary viewers who didn’t know Cheongryeo or Park Moondae loved the shocking and hilarious twist, and the fans were able to kick back without much to worry about.

A few days later, viewers were gifted another treat.

[“I’m TeSTAR Moondae (puppy emoji) and this is W Live!”]

It was Park Moondae’s first solo W Live stream.