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2 Nights 3 Days.

Once dubbed the national variety show, it captured the interest and love of countless people with its real variety format.

Even now, well past its heyday, it remained a competitive program.

The friendly atmosphere forged between famous celebrities and local villagers in a scenic countryside was something no other program could imitate.

“Reality is key.”

A natural appearance without any scripted situations or artificial direction.

In Ha-eun’s opinion, the decisive reason for the popularity of the show <2 Nights 3 Days> was this reality.

Therefore, Ha-eun, appearing as a guest, decided to present herself as she truly was.

In other words, she aimed to show the side of “Actress Lee Ha-eun,” not just a character from the script.

Instead of introducing the character “Young-wol” from <The Moonlight that Cuts Through the Clouds>, she wanted to reveal who “Actress Lee Ha-eun” truly was.

Having stayed in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, Ha-eun’s name and face were somewhat known, but her genuine self outside of acting had never really been revealed.

Most importantly, she needed to appear in a way that viewers beyond the screen would feel “likable.”

“…Let’s do our best.”

It was undeniable that the reputations of actors who had been passive or uncooperative in variety shows like <2 Nights 3 Days> had suffered.

Thus, she aimed to showcase an active attitude, striving to give her best at every moment.

Adding to that, Ha-eun was still an 18-year-old high school student.

Having a relatively younger actress trying hard in everything would naturally add to her appeal.

After all, an actor’s image directly reflected the image of the work they appeared in.

If through this <2 Nights 3 Days> shoot, “Lee Ha-eun” could garner a positive image, then <The Moonlight that Cuts Through the Clouds> would also gain a good reputation.

As soon as the PD for <2 Nights 3 Days> gave the starting signal, she bolted off, arriving first at the traditional market.

If she scored well in this first-come mission, she could avoid punishments like a water dunking.

“Chrysanthemum bread is still bread… I’d better check the bakery first.”

The issue was that she had never set foot in a traditional market before.

She had also never tasted the chrysanthemum bread she needed to get.

In fact, today was the first time she learned that chrysanthemum bread even existed.

Due to her concerns about it possibly being unhealthy — she couldn’t deny that it tasted excellent — she had completely ignored street food until now.

This preconceived notion led Ha-eun to think of chrysanthemum bread as a “local specialty made with chrysanthemum flowers.”

Thanks to that, she tirelessly scoured the bakeries in the traditional market, trying to find any menu mentioning chrysanthemum bread.

“…Why can’t I find it?”

Ultimately, she couldn’t spot any chrysanthemum bread in any of the bakeries she visited.

All that effort to arrive first at the traditional market turned meaningless.

To make matters worse, the market-goers recognized her.

“I won’t take your money, so come here and try this! It’s super delicious!”

“Sir, you can’t just give me things like this. I’m sorry, but I can only accept your goodwill—”

“Come on, when an adult offers it, you accept it with thanks! Now open wide!”

Before she knew it, she was surrounded by delicious-looking side dishes resembling seasoned vegetables.

– gulp

“Good! You eat so heartily!”

“Excuse me, could I take a picture with you? My son likes you a lot!”

Without being able to find the chrysanthemum bread, she ended up stuck in an unexpected photo session.

Having to turn down food offered by fans treating her with pure kindness felt a bit rude.

It was only when Ha-eun was growing increasingly brief on time that she first inquired about the chrysanthemum bread while at a pig’s trotter specialty shop.

Until then, she had attempted to find it solely by herself, but she feared that if she kept this up, she’d be delayed for the later shooting.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can find a bakery that sells chrysanthemum bread?”

“Huh? There aren’t any bakeries selling chrysanthemum bread in our market!”

“Really?”

“You have to go to a street vendor to get chrysanthemum bread! Why are you asking about bakeries?”

‘…They sell bread at street vendors too?’

The owner of the pig’s trotter shop pointed with his wrinkled fingers off in the distance just then.

“Look, that guy in the red hat is baking chrysanthemum bread right now.”

“Uh, sir, that’s just 풀빵 (pulbbang)…?”

“Pulbbang is chrysanthemum bread! Didn’t you know?”

She really hadn’t known.

She had no idea that chrysanthemum bread was simply a walnut cake filled with red bean paste, not containing any chrysanthemum flowers.

Eventually, she faced the puzzled eyes of the pig’s trotter shop owner.

What she felt was the numbing sensation of being hit on the back of her head.

What came to mind was her foolish self who had only searched for bakeries without even glancing at those street vendors.

So, flustered and with her ears flushed red, she turned around.

She walked awkwardly towards the street vendor the pig’s trotter shop owner had pointed out, the man with the red hat.

“…Could I please get one bag of chrysanthemum bread…?”

With a voice that barely came out, she ordered 2000 won worth of chrysanthemum bread.

Of course, all of this was captured on camera by Ha-eun’s designated VJ.

Finally, returning with the paper-wrapped chrysanthemum bread to the opening location, she found that her fellow cast members who had already returned were waiting for her.

“Oh, she’s coming!”

Not long after, the worried voice of Yoo Seong-jae and the playful tone of Jang Seong-ho started to fill the area.

“Were you lost, Ha-eun?”

“I thought you were going to make chrysanthemum bread yourself!”

“…I’m sorry for being late…”

In the end, Ha-eun ended up with 0 points.

Such a dismal score felt unworthy for someone who had dashed ahead to arrive first at the traditional market.

It was frustrating, but she couldn’t afford to complain.

After all, everything was wholly her fault.

Every time she recalled moments when she had wandered around the bakery while passing by the numerous chrysanthemum bread street vendors, she couldn’t help but tightly shut her eyes.

Maybe that’s why, on the bus heading to the next filming location, she remained silent.

As a result, a talk was formed around Yoo Seong-jae.

Fortunately, since Yoo Seong-jae had some degree of camaraderie with the <2 Nights 3 Days> members, there was no interruption in their discussion.

Ha-eun continued to observe the conversation between Yoo Seong-jae and the other members in silence, her mind fixated on just one thought.

“…I have to get first place in the next mission.”

For the sake of forming a more favorable image for herself.

Moreover, to maintain the charisma of Young-wol, the lead character in <The Moonlight that Cuts Through the Clouds>.

No more mistakes would be tolerated.

Soon, the vast watermelon field visible beyond the bus window was scanned with a passionate gaze, all for the next mission.

The mission to be carried out in the watermelon field would be nothing but harvesting watermelons.

Thus, all shethought about was to harvest as many watermelons as possible to make up for her earlier mistake in the first mission.

“Okay, we should arrive at the restaurant in about 10 minutes. Just hold on a bit, even if you’re hungry~.”

However, after arriving at the watermelon field, the bus did not stop but continued to drive past it.

She cast a slightly bewildered look as the watermelon field gradually disappeared into the distance.

In the end, the place she arrived at was a famous bulgogi restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner.

At the table where various dishes had been already set up, the mission was not discussed until they started their meal.

Up until a moment ago, Ha-eun had been burning with enthusiasm for the mission, but now all she could do was answer the various questions asked during the meal.

“How many actors applied for the Young-wol audition?”

“Hmm… I think it was around 40 people.”

“Were all those people older than you, Ha-eun?”

“Uh, yes. I don’t think I saw anyone younger than me.”

After continuing to discuss matters related to <The Moonlight that Cuts Through the Clouds>, the meal came to an end.

Once back outside, after getting on the bus again and turning back towards the watermelon field they had just passed, she completely believed a watermelon harvesting mission would be starting.

Maybe that’s why.

“Guys, setting up the ping pong table will take a little while, so please sit and relax for now.”

Ha-eun was once again taken aback as the production team began preparing for a ping pong match instead of the watermelon harvesting mission.

One sport she had never tried in her 18 years of life was ping pong.

Of course, she intended to give it her best shot again, but she didn’t expect that a beginner like Ha-eun would win against someone.

Yet, she also couldn’t show any signs of confusion or embarrassment because—

“Alright, let’s play rock-paper-scissors! The same hand wins to form a team! If you don’t play, you lose rock-paper-scissors!”

Under MC Jang Seong-ho’s lead, the teams for the ping pong game were quickly decided by rock-paper-scissors.

After about three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, she ended up on the same team as another guest, Yoo Seong-jae.

In other words, if Ha-eun wanted to win this ping pong match, she would have to rely on Yoo Seong-jae’s skill.

“Seong-jae, are you good at ping pong?”

She looked at Yoo Seong-jae with slightly hopeful eyes, but—

“I can barely serve. Do you play ping pong, Ha-eun?”

“…Honestly, I don’t even know how to hold a racket.”

“Looks like we’re in trouble.”

Thus, it was clear she would likely earn the lowest score in this ping pong game as well.

Nevertheless, the match that had finally begun felt inevitable.

The experienced members of <2 Nights 3 Days> showed no mercy to the two novice guests.

To make things worse, all the regular cast members were skilled at ping pong.

So, in the end, Ha-eun and Yoo Seong-jae were eliminated from the very first match with a score of 3 to 11, an overwhelming difference.

To be fair, it was fun.

Yoo Seong-jae managed to successfully serve, and the footage of Ha-eun desperately hitting the returning balls was captured on camera several times.

Just one detail—that the ping pong balls Ha-eun hit often flew far away instead of landing on the table—marred the otherwise perfect scene.

“Ugh!! This isn’t baseball, Ha-eun!!”

“…Sorry.”

Ha-eun’s smashing was akin to a homerun from a batter.

And Yoo Seong-jae felt despair watching such smashing from Ha-eun.

It was more than enough to evoke laughter from the viewers.

The images of the two guests would likely be framed closer to affection rather than disdain.

However, the result meant both guests were the targets for today’s punishment.

So, as it stood, they had no choice but to brace themselves for whatever punishment awaited them.

“Still, since they are guests, having both of them take the punishment seems a bit off.”

“We’ll play rock-paper-scissors, and the winner is exempt from the punishment! If you don’t play, you lose rock-paper-scissors!”

Almost simultaneously, Ha-eun and Yoo Seong-jae’s hands shot forward to make one last effort to avoid the punishment.

And the result of their desperate rock-paper-scissors was:

“Wow, Seong-jae, you’re really bad at this.”

“Come on, a real man should lose here! Oh no~~.”

“Aren’t guys supposed to play with fists?!”

“That’s one thing, and this is another~.”

Ha-eun lost as she threw scissors against Yoo Seong-jae’s fist.

Though she tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanor, her trembling eyelids betrayed her.

Fortunately, today’s punishment was outdoor sleeping instead of a water dunk.

“So, when will the water dunk be…?”

“Hmm… It’ll probably be after the watermelon harvesting tomorrow.”

‘…The watermelon harvesting is tomorrow, huh.’

Only after hearing those minor details about the long-awaited watermelon harvesting mission did Ha-eun feel truly relieved.

“Hey, Ha-eun, are you really okay?”

“A punishment is a punishment… so there’s nothing I can do. It would be weird to ask for leniency now.”

Ha-eun began to head towards the shelter in the middle of the watermelon field for outdoor sleeping.

Not long after, reaching the shelter, Ha-eun was presented with a neatly set yellow one-person tent.

And four infrared cameras installed on the support beams of the shelter.

Maybe to prevent bugs, there was no lighting set up.

Perhaps because of that…

“…The stars are really visible.”

An incredibly beautiful type of night sky filled Ha-eun’s eyes.

As she rummaged through her pockets, Ha-eun finally pulled out her cellphone.

–click

She kept changing angles to capture the beautiful night sky.

Finally, choosing the best photo, she sent it to the chat room of her group, the Fantasy Realm.

She wanted to share the stunning scenery of sparkling stars with her fellow members as well.

Soon, the responses from the Fantasy Realm members began to appear one after another.

Most reacted by wanting to travel to scenic places like Ha-eun, but some responses came in like:

“Lee Ha-eun, you may be the youngest, but you really feel like an elder at these moments!”

“Elder?”

“Because, usually, older folks share these scenic photo updates.”

Some unintended banter from one of the Fantasy Realm members, Lia, made Ha-eun feel a bit like an old soul.

“…That’s a bit harsh.”

Ha-eun felt a little hurt.