Chapter 294: Chapter 294

Famous celebrities living in rural mountain villages or seaside fishing towns— was one of those “return-to-nature” variety shows.

It was a healing entertainment show that became hugely popular for showing celebrities harvesting crops with their own hands or fishing directly from the water.

The main highlight, just like its title , was the process of preparing and eating a single meal together.

From gathering the ingredients to prepping and cooking them, the cast did everything themselves—that was the heart of the program.

Maybe that’s why was considered a bit tough for guests like Da-yeon.

After all, things like gutting fish by hand weren’t exactly something you could master in a day.

‘I figured there’d be an adjustment period...’

Even PD Hwang Jeong-ho, the producer of , thought it was a fairly difficult shoot.

Da-yeon had tried her best to follow the senior actors’ advice without complaint from the very first day, which actually made her one of the more exemplary cast members.

That was also why he agreed when she asked if her best friend Ha-eun could be brought on as another guest.

Ha-eun, too, would probably need some time to adjust to the show’s format—but Da-yeon would only be able to continue filming if Ha-eun was with her.

The chemistry between the two would definitely be worth watching.

Still, somewhere in the back of his mind, he had lingering concerns—because there was always the possibility that he might have to look after Ha-eun too.

If even Ha-eun, who came to support Da-yeon, started struggling with the shoot, it would inevitably affect the production—big or small.

‘...I was worried the atmosphere on set might just end up falling apart.’

But in hindsight, he couldn’t have been more wrong.

It took only fifteen minutes into the shoot to prove that PD Hwang Jeong-ho’s assumptions about Ha-eun—thinking she was just a rising star—were completely off.

“This one’s all limp. Is it no good?”

“J-just toss it in the icebox for now. You can clean it later when we get back.”

“You’re not grossed out? You’re grabbing a trout with your bare hands....”

Fifteen minutes into fishing, she had already caught a trout—and not with a net, but barehanded—whap!

It was around 70cm long, weighing roughly four kilograms.

Big enough to more than feed all four cast members, including Ha-eun.

Maybe because she had worked with one of the regular members, Seo Jin-tae, back on Veterans, there wasn’t any noticeable awkwardness between them.

As for the other regular cast member, actor Park Beom-jun—this was their first meeting, but he had heard enough about Ha-eun that they hit it off quickly.

“What brings you here, Ha-eun?”

“Oh, well... Da-yeon called me. She said she missed me so much she cried and begged.”

“?! Wh-when did I ever!”

In the end, Ha-eun blended right into the rhythm of .

Thanks to her playful nudging, even the usually quiet Da-yeon started getting more vocal.

Maybe that’s why she was currently soaring in popularity.

Just having Ha-eun join the shoot made the atmosphere more lively, even if only little by little.

Plus, she herself was completely enthusiastic about the filming.

“So, now we have to light the fire... but we’re out of firewood. Looks like we’ll need to chop some.”

“Oh, I’ll do it, sunbae-nim. I just use this axe, right?”

“Huh? If you mess that up, you could seriously injure your wrist—”

“H-ha, she split it on the first try.... ...Ha-eun, you’ve got a knack for this.”

‘N-normally, someone like Da-yeon would be the typical reaction. This girl’s just... fearless....’

Anyway, just like that, the camera caught Ha-eun showing off a near-possessed level of firewood-chopping skill—like she was channeling a pro lumberjack.

And next to her, crouched down, was Da-yeon, covering the eyes of imaginary baby puppies, telling them not to look at something so scary—that scene was captured too.

Later, they filmed Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun on the wooden porch, preparing spicy trout stew.

Both were well-known for their cooking skills, so it didn’t take long before the whole set was filled with delicious smells.

“Do you like spicy stew, Ha-eun? We’ve got other fish too, not just the trout you caught. Let me know if you’d rather have grilled fish.”

“Oh, I eat everything.”

“What do you mean everything. You don’t eat pineapple pizza.”

“That’s not food though?”

“Pfft—Ha-eun, you’re funny~.”

Soon, the richly aromatic spicy trout stew was done, along with some simple vegetable side dishes.

It was Ha-eun’s first time tasting food made by Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun, and she didn’t hold back on the reactions or compliments—there wasn’t a single moment of dead air.

“Sunbae-nim, this is really delicious... Did you ever take cooking lessons?”

“It’s all in the hands. When I used to live alone a long time ago, I got into the habit. And now that I’m married, I still do it the same. Guess my body just remembers.”

And so, as the noisy mealtime continued,

Only when the meal was mostly over did someone finally ask what Da-yeon and Ha-eun had been up to lately.

For guests like Da-yeon and Ha-eun, this was what you’d call “self-promotion time.”

Guests on typically used this segment to casually promote any new shows or songs they were involved in.

It was also the main reason why Da-yeon had accepted the casting offer in the first place—she’d planned to promote Parasite Family during this time.

Since Ha-eun was also starring in Parasite Family, they did manage to bring it up.

“Me and Lee Ha-eun are the dual leads.”

“Now that I think about it, isn’t Jin Yoo-seok also in Parasite Family? I think I heard something about that.”

“Ah, yes. Jin Yoo-seok sunbae-nim is in it too.”

‘Still a long way to go before it’s released, though.’

Once Da-yeon’s plug for Parasite Family wrapped up, it was Ha-eun’s turn.

And since she had something to promote as well, she began talking, one step at a time.

“Oh? You’ve got a new song coming out?”

“Yes. We just finished shooting the music video the other day.”

“Now that I think about it, didn’t you sing the OST for God and the Goblin too? What’s the new song called?”

‘By the time this airs, the song will already be out. Should be fine to say it...’

So, in front of Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun, the name of Ha-eun’s new song was revealed for the first time.

And after that, she even gave a brief introduction to The Chairman’s Youngest Son, which would start filming soon.

“...I’ll do the dishes. You said you’re tired.”

“...But that makes me look so bad in comparison. I should at least do the dishes or I won’t get any screen time.”

The two started discussing who would handle the post-meal chores like dishwashing.

It felt wrong to make their respected seniors, Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun, wash dishes after all.

“...Da-yeon, you don’t even know how to wash dishes. I wiped down grills during God and the Goblin.”

“...And you dented a few of them, didn’t you?”

“...I don’t do that anymore.”

So in the end, the experienced one—Ha-eun—was assigned dish duty.

Since Da-yeon was suddenly left with nothing to do, she volunteered to boil some potatoes for dessert.

Just standing around doing nothing might leave a bad impression of her.

“Here, potatoes. Eat ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) them while you do the dishes.”

“Your house doesn’t do this? This is the rule—you have to do this when giving someone boiled potatoes.”

“...What even is that?”

“Wait, you’ve never heard of When the Camellia Blooms? Da-yeon, did you skip your Korean lit classes or... you really didn’t study, huh.”

“...Just eat! Why are you so annoying!”

At the same time—thmp.

Da-yeon shoved a boiled potato straight into Ha-eun’s mouth, silencing her.

From then on, no matter how much she tried to say something, all you could hear from Ha-eun were muffled blubs and puffs.

By the time she had finished all the dishes with her mouth still stuffed with boiled potato,

Ha-eun looked up and found herself gazing at the beautiful night sky of the countryside. The rıghtful source is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱

“Oh... aiya. Ee-ah ee-euh-eh....”

“What are you even saying.”

“Oh. Stars. They're really pretty. That's what I said.”

“Look up over the mountainside. Right up there in the sky.”

Then the beautiful night sky came into view for Da-yeon as well.

At the same time, Ha-eun lifted her phone and snapped a photo of the night sky beyond.

And then, she sent it to the Illusionary Realm group chat.

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] – (Night sky photos X5)

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] – Filming a variety show in the countryside with Da-yeon

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] – The air is so clear here that the stars are super visible

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] – (Awe-struck otter emoji)

It was because she wanted to show the twinkling stars to the Illusionary Realm members.

Just like during the 2 Days, 3 Nights shoot, she wanted to share the beautiful scenery from afar with her fellow members.

After that, the two went into their room together.

Thanks to Seo Jin-tae and Park Beom-jun having turned on the boiler ahead of time, the blanket underneath was warm and toasty.

“...Ugh──. So warm....”

“Lee Ha-eun, you sound like a grandma in a sauna.”

And just like that, for the first time since their trip to the Maldives, they lay side by side under the same blanket again.

Their conversation after that was nothing more, nothing less than the usual casual chatter.

“Do I get paid for appearing on One Meal Together too?”

“Um... not sure, really.”

“If not, then you should just give me a cut from your fee.”

“Uh.... ...hmm.... ...how much?”

“K-kidding. I don’t even know how much you’re getting paid.”

The conversation drifted through the final leg of Parasite Family filming, stories from Yeorye University,

And things like Da-yeon’s The Guy Next Door review video on Lee Ha-eun’s channel.

“There was a comment timestamping the part where you cry during the movie. It got over 500 likes.”

“...I appear as a favor and they go and freeze-frame me like that.”

“I didn’t do it. The viewers did.”

“But you’re the channel owner.”

“You’re the one who cried.”

“...Ugh. You little brat...”

The two's conversation started fading only as their eyelids grew heavier.

They fell asleep after talking about the next day's shoot for One Meal Together.

As the dark night sky slowly began to tint with the bluish hues of dawn—

–Cock-a-doodle-doo───!

“...Never thought I’d actually wake up to the sound of a rooster.”

As always, Ha-eun was up early—but for the first time, she’d been woken by a rooster.

Guess this was what they meant by rural charm.

Then she followed her usual morning routine.

A brief stretch, then a light walk around.

The only difference today was that Baekseol wasn’t with her.

Soon, Da-yeon managed to get up, and the two of them headed off for their first task of the day—“getting eggs”—from the chicken coop up the hill behind the house.

“I-Is that... isn’t that a... boar?”

Somehow, they ended up face-to-face with a wild boar lurking around the chicken coop.

Of all times, they had only their action cams and no VJ with them, so there was no one nearby who could help.

“Okay, Da-yeon. Um... first, calm down... Wild boars charge if you scream, so...”

Ha-eun figured that if they just acted like they hadn’t seen it and quietly went back to the house, there’d be no issue.

They could come back with the others to get the eggs later.

But as Ha-eun and Da-yeon slowly began backing away,

For some reason, the boar turned its head toward them—

Then started trudging straight in their direction.

“Wh-what do we do...?!”

Da-yeon, who was standing behind Ha-eun, instinctively grabbed both her shoulders, trembling.

Ha-eun’s response was to pick up a small rock.

She assumed a pitching stance,

Recalling the days she played catch with Seong-yoon as a kid, and tensed her arm with all her strength.

She hurled the rock with all her might—

And hit the boar square on the snout.

Almost simultaneously came the monstrous cry of the boar.

“Oh, it’s running away.”

Once she confirmed the boar had indeed fled far off into the distance, Ha-eun headed toward the chicken coop to collect the eggs.

Da-yeon tried to stop her but was at a complete loss for words.

“Tada. Five eggs. Should be enough, right?”

“...Is that really the point right now...?”

“Oh, that’s right. You get a 200,000 won reward if you capture a wild boar. Should’ve just knocked it out.”

Whether this was part of filming for One Meal Together,

Whether she was supposed to avoid foul language or not—none of it mattered to Da-yeon at the moment.

Later, after they returned to the lodging, Da-yeon personally showed the footage from Ha-eun’s action cam to PD Hwang Jeong-ho.

And as expected, he nearly fainted on the spot.