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Ryu CheongWoo asked with an ambiguous expression.

-...Shooting a bow... riding a horse...?

-Yes!

-Wow~

-It sounds great!

-...The show invited us because we have CheongWoo?

At Bae Sejin's question, the manager shook his head.

-No. This is... similar to the Idol Olympics that have already ended, since it is also done by the KBC channel, it has a very similar format. I think a lot of idols will appear on this new show.

-Ah~

That means that if we don't participate, it will be a hindrance to appearing on other music shows. I understand.

NT: KBC is a reference to the television channels MBC and KBS, who, together with SBS, broadcast the ISAC (Idol Star Athletics Championships), a kind of Olympic Games for popular idols, they also invite less famous or unknown groups thanks to under-the-table deals among small agency CEOs. These television channels are powerful, if you reject their offers, then they can play against the agency and group, sabotaging their presentations.

-Oh, but our vacation is over. Do we have to do it now?

-I guess that channel has their own reasons why they were invited.

-Well~

Most of my classmates were convinced, but CheongWoo still had a strange expression on his face.

-Hyung, do you have a problem?

-Eh? Hmm... I'm a little worried.

Oh, maybe it's because of the sequels he has.

Even if he wasn't in pain, I think the situation itself might be uncomfortable for him. There is always a risk of injury when hosting a variety show that invites idols to do heavy physical work.

But this time, the manager's expression was strangely frozen.

-Hmm... About that...

-...?

-Cheongwoo... was banned from participating.

-....!!

-The channel wants the game to work, they want you to demonstrate it.

-Ha!

The members were amazed at the incredible judgment of common sense. It was clear that they thought that the broadcast channel wanted to share a secret with them.

However, Cheongwoo's expression did not improve.

-I think it's better if we don't... Hyung, can't we decline this offer?

-...Hmm, if we reject it, it will be very difficult for them to appear later on KBC. Why don't you want to do it?

Cheongwoo denied shaking his head.

-It's too dangerous. It's hard to ride a horse, but it's even more dangerous to shoot a bow while riding. How much time do they give us to train?

-...They said they would learn it right there...

-...

-...Give me a few minutes.

After we got in the car, the manager seemed to have a rather long phone conversation with the TV company in the parking lot, but then came back with a bright face.

-Don't worry, guys. Everything is ready.

-Oooh...

-Since it is KBC, a public television station, you will not be forced to do dangerous things. So you can do it!

Seeing him defend the channel, it seems that he heard in detail about what we will do, but since he did not explain more to us, they surely want to record our reactions when we find out.

"Maybe they'll invite the national equestrian team."

Don't tell me that the chapter will have a damn hot scene where the current national team meets the idol who retired from the national archery team due to the aftermath of his accident.

Since I already know the kind of scripts that Tnet produces for their shows, KBC is likely to do the same.

-I was informed that you will be doing other kinds of sports as well, so CheongWoo can participate too!

-Hmm, I see...

He still looked uncomfortable, but in the end, he agreed.

And the day we went to film, we saw something incredible.

* * *

The filming location was Daegwallyeong.

NT: It is a mountain pass located in Gangwon province.

The most interesting thing is that he was wearing an outfit that he had never imagined wearing.

-Hwarang?

-That's right. The concept of this program is a competition between the Hwarang of Silla.

-Wow...

NT: Hwarang, also called "Flower Warriors", were an elite group of young warriors, sons of noble families in the Silla kingdom. They were famous for their talent in art, culture, and combat, as well as being beautiful men.

I didn't know they would use the history of our ancestors to set themselves apart from the Idol Olympics.

Thanks to this, in Seoul they dressed us in uniforms, made up and arranged long wigs in the style of Hwarang before taking us to Daegwallyeong.

-Don't lean your heads anywhere, or you'll ruin your hairstyles!

I thought it would break my neck.

And when we got to the set, there was a pink carousel that was spinning.

-...??

-This is...?

-Those are the horses they will ride!

-...!!

The camera diligently focused on our faces to record the blank expressions we wore.

Then they distributed the bows to us. They were colorful because they were actually toys.

Wearing historical Hwarang attire while holding toy bows was... the pinnacle of imbalance.

-...

-...Won't this make our ancestors angry?

Yes, I think so.

Still, the shoot went off safely, just as KBC had promised.

It was a weird triple joke to have a group of idols dressed in fancy Hwarang suits ride sparkly pink carousel horses while shooting toy arrows at stuffed animals.

"Why the hell did they make us come all the way to Daegwallyeong to record this?"

We could have done it at any theme park.

Keun SeJin, who was looking at the scenery around us, smiled looking at all the way we traveled to get here and stretched.

-It's weird that fans haven't followed us. It must be hard to come this far.

-Aah.

Come to think of it, we haven't done any photo shoots as it didn't fit into our schedules, but there were always people following us to take photos of us to sell.

-MoonDae MoonDae, it would be nice to take some photos to upload so the loviewers know where we came from.

-Let's do that.

Hmm. It was a good suggestion.

-Oh~ Is it me, or are you more lively than ever? You must have really liked wearing Hwarang's uniform, MoonDae~ It makes you feel great, doesn't it?

This is already a bit annoying.

-M-me too...

-Are you going to take photos?

-I want my hair to show!

As we took some photos, including the children who interrupted us, I could feel the eyes of those around us. They were other idol groups.

"It feels just like when we line up to say goodbye to music shows."

It was a good idea to build relationships with other idols in this far open field we were in, there would be no fuss since there weren't any fans to see us sitting down.

However, these guys didn't seem to be interested in members of other groups. Not even Keun SeJin.

Among all the idols who are participating in this competition, I doubt that any group is on the same level as TeSTAR, so there was a clear separation. Although we greet them politely, we may never see them again.

"I guess we're in another range."

I'm not in a position to talk to others, but sometimes I'm a bastard who finds conversation annoying.

Well, thanks to that trait of mine, it was comfortable not talking to anyone.

At the end of our relaxed waiting time...

-The next team~ It's famous for being the result of nationwide actions! They are TeSTAR Hwarang!

I don't know if it's okay to use an extremely capitalist phrase from a cable channel on a public television channel, but anyway, it's finally our turn to be called.

CheongWoo, who was excluded due to the fairness of the game, and Bae Sejin, who voluntarily quit as the team was to be made up of only 5 members, remained on standby. They will both participate in the next game/event.

-Play well, but be careful.

-...Yes.

When I saw the merry-go-round, I wondered why I should be careful, until I quickly remembered CheongWoo's accident story.

-Let's go~

And we got on the carousel.

The merry-go-round started to turn after the explanation that we had to wear our seatbelt and in case we had any problem we could give a signal to stop it.

Tarangtangtangtarararang jaruru tangtararang~

A cute music box tune played and the carousel began to spin, with the horses going up and down. It felt very weird.

At this point, one more condition was added.

-Okay, TeSTAR Hwarang! What will you have to do to be able to shoot an arrow?

-To give an exam!

-Yes, you have to answer the questions correctly!

Obviously we couldn't shoot unlimitedly, but if we answered the question correctly, we would have 10 seconds to shoot.

Then, the group that managed to hit 5 shots in the shortest time possible, will win.

-Just as the Hwarang warriors have literary and martial arts, you must provide the correct answers and hit the targets at the right time.

-Do we have to guess the moment to shoot? Or shoot at the right moment...?

-Hahaha! Ask us!

At SeJin's words, the MC raised his hand and shouted.

-Now, the first question is to guess the name of an illustrious character! One of the most famous Hwarang warriors was the general who led the Three Kingdoms of Silla. What is the name of this general who defeated the army led by Gyebaek at the Battle of Hwangsanbeol?

-...??

Suddenly, we were asked a question that had a level of difficulty.

Not that it's particularly difficult, but he just asked the previous group to say the name of the place where we are now.

"Do they want to make us look bad because we come from a cable channel program?"

But I don't think the KBC staff are idiots. This was luck.

The only problem is that Cha YooJin raised his hand to reply first.

-What kind of sulfur bee...?

-I know the answer! It was General Kim YuShin!

-Ah, Park MoonDae Hwarang~ Correct answer!

Fortunately, I interrupted YooJin's answer where he misunderstood the question and wanted to answer something about a sulfur bee.

"We saved ourselves."'

I sighed and picked up the bow.

-So, you have 10 seconds. Get started!

-Uuuuh??

And the merry-go-round accelerated. The horse, which used to move like a turtle, suddenly began to run wild as if it were a full-power fitness machine in a gym.

I had seen it while we were waiting for our turn and thought that would make it more fun.

-This is faster than I thought!

-Hahaha! Now~ Shoot!

And oddly enough, YooJin shot a stuffed animal, hitting it immediately.

-I hit one!

I sighed and took aim at a stuffed animal with my toy bow. Obviously I was wrong. Dammit.

-Oh, that was fun!

-I loved it!

SeJin and YooJin got off the merry-go-round with a smile and waved their hands to the camera.

Surprisingly, we finished the game in 2 minutes and 7 seconds, setting a new record.

The most amazing thing was that YooJin answered the second question correctly.

-Let's continue with the second question. The term "WWW", commonly seen in the address bar, is...

-World Wide Web!!

-...? That's right!

Unexpectedly, we were saved again.

By the way, at that time, I was able to successfully shoot the doll. It was important to master that skill.

-Well done. They did a great job.

-Good job~

-It wasn't very difficult!

-We're pretty good~

Bae Sejin asked us quietly.

-...Did you find it funny?

I shrugged. I meant to imply that it was supposed to be. Sejin understood silently.

-I-I think we did ve-very well this time.

-Yes. Let's do it properly from now on.

-Good~

After doing it once, everyone was excited and immersed in the game. In this gap, I have an ominous feeling that if we do everything right and continue to win, we might get some subtle controversy for our actions.

"I have to be aware of the reactions of the public."

In the next game, Ryu CheongWoo laughed and showed off a crazy trick of hitting all five opponents by himself in the first 10 seconds.

I think the possibility of the national archery team appearing on this show is beginning to fade.

* * *

And as time went on, where we had different competitions, from sheep shearing, which is unknown why it was included, to large-scale hunting, it came to the last game.

-The next game is~ A paintball battle!

-Oh~

It makes sense for it to be the last game. Paintball consists of groups, equipped with bows and arrows carrying paintballs, shooting at each other. The group with the most surviving members wins.

This time, both CheongWoo and Sejin had to participate as the teams had to be made up of 7 people. CheongWoo didn't miss out on the game demo this time because knowing the field we would be playing on played an important role.

"It is convenient that we keep a distance."

I saw the other teams and there were many places where they crossed paths and attacked.

-How about if we stand still and CheongWoo hyung just shoots everyone else? I think that way we can win~

-I want to shoot too!

-...I count on you.

Rarely did Bae Sejin speak to CheongWoo with such a firm expression. CheongWoo responded puzzled at this attitude.

-Let's have fun, guys, we can be eliminated.

-We are weak!

-But I want to win!

-Fi-fighting!

With Seon AhHyun cheering him on like this, CheongWoo finally lost the urge to take the game in stride.

-Haha alright. We will win!

-Yes!!

The camera diligently filmed the scene.

"Hmm, if we really win like this, we won't have a very good image."

TeSTAR had the best performance among the groups that appeared on this show, so I wasn't sure if it would be better to avoid winning the last game.

"It wouldn't hurt to get second place."

If we stray further from the area we were in, we would appear to other people as a group desperate to win and taking away opportunities from other idol groups.

And if we lose abruptly, we will be criticized for not trying, so the best thing would be to dive madly into the game and fail at a certain point.

So I nodded and clenched my fists as if impressed by our leader's words.

"Let's roll."

I won't provide any real help, I'll just pretend I'm working hard.

If I roll on the ground wearing this suit, at some point I'll have to give up despite showing hard work.

And five minutes later, I really rolled on the ground according to this decision.

-Are you alright, MoonDae-ya?!

-...Yes.

This is because everyone was eliminated, Ryu CheongWoo and I were the only ones left alive in the game.

This situation occurred because the other five children were more immersed in shooting the paintball arrows anywhere, regardless of whether they hit their targets or not.

Suddenly, I became an idiot who luckily survived.

As CheongWoo rolled from left to right to instruct our comrades to avoid the shots and he saved the ones he could...

I did it to save myself and so no shot could hit me.

"Wow..."

It's about time we were eliminated, boy.

However, Ryu CheongWoo was more immersed in the game than expected.