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The total filming period for <2 Nights and 3 Days> is, as the name implies, 2 nights and 3 days.

During the 3 days that the cast and crew stay at the filming location, the cameras keep rolling.

The moments when the cast, who are sleeping in different accommodations, wake up are also filmed.

This is due to the ‘waking mission,’ one of the main entertaining elements of <2 Nights and 3 Days>.

Generally, the waking time is set around 8 AM.

If the cast wakes up too early, their condition might not be great.

Forcing the cast, who are sound asleep, to wake up and carrying out the waking mission too early would likely cause more harm than good.

No matter how seasoned the cast of <2 Nights and 3 Days> may be, they are still human.

It was necessary to make sure they could sufficiently recover from the fatigue accumulated from the previous day’s filming.

Since this is not a one-day shoot like other entertainment programs, but a continuous shoot over 3 days, the cast needed to be in good condition to produce higher quality footage.

Therefore, as soon as it hit 6:30 in the morning, Haeun, who rustled outside the tent, was enough to catch everyone’s attention.

“…Huh? Isn’t that Haeun?”

“It’s not even 7 AM yet. Why is she already up?”

This was enough to slightly startle the staff, who were just beginning to prepare for the waking mission.

No one among the guests who had appeared on <2 Nights and 3 Days> had ever woken up at such an early hour.

Naturally, when filming entertainment from early in the morning until late at night, even veteran entertainers would wear out.

Despite that, for some reason, Haeun did not look tired.

No, one might say she looked a bit refreshed.

“Hey, Haeun. Aren’t you tired? Is it okay not to sleep more?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Clear eyes.

A voice that wasn’t even the slightest bit groggy.

And most notably, her beautiful skin showed not a hint of dullness.

‘They say youth is a cheat.’

This made the staff, facing Haeun, conclude that her condition was absolutely normal.

It was the staff assigned to Haeun that became a bit flustered after that.

“Eunseong, grab the camera. Haeun is awake.”

“Oh? Already?”

“Yep, already.”

Thus, Eunseong, the VJ assigned to Haeun, had to start carrying the camera from a very early 6:40 AM.

Additionally, it was also his role to interview the first cast member who had woken up about their feelings.

“Do you usually wake up this early, Haeun?”

Walking over to Haeun, who was stretching alone in the middle of the filming site, he spoke in a friendly tone.

And at that moment, there was one thing he had momentarily forgotten.

“I have to go to school. I need to wake up early to get ready so I’m not late.”

‘Oh, right.’

Unlike the other adult cast members, Haeun was still an 18-year-old high school student.

There had to be a reason she woke up early.

However, the fact that she voluntarily woke up at such an early hour to get ready for school could also be a story in itself.

So, he continued the interview with questions about Haeun’s daily life.

After all, the daily lives of entertainers like Haeun are one thing that viewers of <2 Nights and 3 Days> are curious about.

Above all, since Haeun was the first high school student guest, it was even more intriguing.

“How’s studying? Isn’t it tough to juggle acting and studying?”

“It’s not completely easy, but studying is just as fun as acting.”

“Oh, those are the kinds of things people who are good at studying usually say. You must do well in school, too, huh?”

“Well, not that well. I think I just do enough not to get in trouble with my parents.”

Haeun worked hard to portray the character of ‘high school student actress.’

The high school life of a current actress was something only Haeun could share.

She wasn’t shy at all, which made for easy conversation.

As Haeun shared her personal stories, there were no awkward pauses or interruptions.

I guess that’s just how entertainers are.

“How do your teachers treat you?”

“They treat me really well. Sometimes they mention the works I’ve been in and say they enjoyed them.”

“Then, could you leave a video message for your teachers?”

“Um… I’m always thankful. Ah, I’d be more grateful if you keep watching <The Moonlight Split by the Clouds> when it airs.”

Her words were easy to understand.

And she knew how to say them in a pleasant way.

Thanks to that, they got enough material.

Thus…

“Since the waking music will play at 8 AM, how about going to the waking mission location before waking up the others?”

He shifted Haeun’s attention towards the waking mission and wrapped up the interview.

The problem was that almost simultaneously, Haeun started sprinting towards the waking mission location she spotted in the distance.

As a result, Eunseong the VJ had to hurry and follow her, camera in hand.

While running, he deeply regretted mentioning the waking mission, which Haeun had temporarily forgotten.

The waking music resonated throughout the filming area right after Haeun and Eunseong arrived at the waking mission location.

[ Hooray hooray-hoo~ Good morning! ]

With that, Haeun, unable to resist the waking music, took on the elephant trunk position and began spinning in place.

Never in her 18 years of life had she done anything like this.

Still, with only the intent to score high, she spun around five times and then kicked the object three times.

“Hah, Haeun! Success!”

And so, she succeeded in the waking mission faster than anyone else and plopped down.

Afterward, she casually watched the other cast members running in from across the set.

*

“Haeun came in first for the waking mission, so let’s draw lots starting with her.”

“Ah, sure.”

This took place right after the morning waking mission and breakfast.

A drawing was held to determine the amount of watermelon the cast would harvest.

Once all the cast members had drawn their lots, on counts of one, two, three.

At Jang Seong Ho’s signal, everyone simultaneously opened their lots.

‘One cart… is that little?’

The amount written on the lot Haeun drew was one cart of watermelons.

However, as she had never harvested watermelons before, she had no idea just how much was in one cart.

For now, it was safe to say it was a small amount compared to the goals of the other cast members.

Yuseongjae, who had drawn the maximum of five carts, looked utterly despondent.

“Seongjae, you know we’re not going to take it easy on you, right?”

“Are you going to turn this around and say you want to see me break my wrist?”

“Oh, did you just read my mind?”

“…You shouldn’t talk.”

After shaking his head at Jang Seong Ho, Yuseongjae finally started heading towards the vast watermelon field.

The other cast members, wearing gardening gloves, followed him one by one into the watermelon field.

In any case, until Haeun actually experienced harvesting watermelons, it was impossible to gauge just how much one cart contained.

Thus, Haeun also donned rough working gloves and entered the watermelon field.

Immediately after, Jang Seong Ho shouted from afar not to overexert herself.

“Take care of your wrist! If it’s heavy, be sure to ask for help!”

Nodding to Jang Seong Ho, Haeun then finally reached out to the watermelons scattered around.

When she felt an unexpected weight, she wondered if it was an unripe watermelon.

“Um, writer? Are all the watermelons here ripe?”

She turned to the writer assigned to her to confirm the ripeness of the watermelons.

However, the answer that came back was that all the watermelons around Haeun were indeed ripe.

“The owner of the field said all of them are ripe.”

After receiving confirmation from the expert, there was no longer any room for questions.

Thereafter, she carried watermelon after watermelon until one cart was filled.

“Is this enough for one cart?”

“If you fill it more, it’ll spill out, Haeun. If you take it like this to the truck, you’ll complete the mission.”

In total, Haeun harvested 10 watermelons.

It did feel a bit too quick, but in any case, it was done, so it was done.

“Great job, Haeun. Mission complete.”

She once again secured first place in the morning waking mission.

However, she couldn’t leave the sprawling watermelon field.

The sight of Yuseongjae, who had only harvested two carts, looking completely worn out lingered in her mind.

Worry about Yuseongjae, who had to harvest a total of five carts, was the same for other cast members like Jang Seong Ho and Im Nam Soo.

In the end, after achieving their own target harvests, everyone started helping Yuseongjae.

“Um, PD? Is it against the rules to help others?”

“That’s up to Haeun. There won’t be any penalties for doing so.”

Like the other cast members, Haeun jumped in to help Yuseongjae.

There was also a notion to center the filming for promoting <The Moonlight Split by the Clouds> on both Haeun and Yuseongjae.

For this reason, the staff of <2 Nights and 3 Days> were well aware of this fact.

Therefore…

“Please ask Nam Soo to shift slightly to the side. Make it so only Haeun and Seongjae are in frame.”

“Can you have Eunseong VJ widen the angle a bit? Haeun’s face isn’t showing well.”

“Oh, this shot looks good right now. We could use this angle for the trailer.”

Directives to adjust the filming for the sake of promoting <The Moonlight Split by the Clouds> were issued several times.

It took about 30 minutes for all the watermelon harvesting, including Yuseongjae’s five carts, to conclude.

However, contrary to Haeun’s expectations of immediately selecting someone for a penalty after finishing the watermelon harvesting,

Everyone started walking somewhere with Jang Seong Ho’s comment that there was someone important they had to meet first before selecting the penalty targets.

After walking for some time, they arrived at a small country house near the watermelon field.

To be precise, it was a small detached house where the owner of the watermelons they had just harvested lived.

“We’ve come, elder.”

Jang Seong Ho spoke in a much more dignified tone.

In response, they heard the sound of a limping old man and his cracked voice.

“Oh dear, I told you not to come. I’m sorry to even bother you with my watermelons…”

“Hey, you should accept our greetings first, elder. Everyone came here to help you.”

The old man had a wrinkled face.

Thick compression bandages were wrapped around his waist.

Most notably, he was barely propped up with a thin crutch.

This allowed Haeun to finally piece together the real reason why the cast of <2 Nights and 3 Days> had to harvest so many watermelons.

“With those fragile hands, how did you lift those heavy things? Was it not heavy for you, dear?”

“Ah… no. Not at all. Not heavy at all.”

The old man’s gaze was a mixture of apology and admiration for Haeun.

His wrinkled palm held both of Haeun’s hands.

His hazy voice was difficult to grasp unless one focused intensely.

Just being there with him created an unfamiliar sensation.

A strange feeling she had never experienced in her life.

Yet, she couldn’t let that strange sensation show on her face and forced a smile.

Being confused would only cause the elderly man in front of her to feel embarrassed.

“Thanks to you, I’ve had a great experience. Thank you.”

“Oh dear, it’s me who should be grateful.”

It was shortly after Jang Seong Ho, who had been silently watching Haeun and the old man’s conversation, opened his mouth.

“Elder. From your view, who do you think should jump into the cool valley water?”

“Huh? Why jump into the valley water?”

“Because the elder sweated a lot from harvesting the watermelons. You need to cool off in the valley water.”

“Ah, I see? Right, if you sweat, you should jump into the valley.”

Then came the final remark that only two people could be chosen.

The elder scrutinized the faces of the cast of <2 Nights and 3 Days> one by one before finally pointing out today’s penalty targets.

“Seong Ho, you and this child. It looks like you two worked the hardest today.”

Jang Seong Ho and Haeun.

In other words, the two people the old man recognized as having worked the hardest that day.

There was no malice in that old man’s choice.

He simply acknowledged the hard work of both Jang Seong Ho and Haeun when designating them to jump into the valley.

It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t at all flustered.

But again, she couldn’t let it show. Not at all.

Before long, they entered a group photo time.

At some point, Haeun found herself standing next to the elder and smiled at the camera’s signal from the PD.

As soon as they exited the elder’s house, Haeun pulled out her phone and dialed Jeong Yun, who was waiting in the parking lot near the filming site.

“…I’m jumping in, unni.”

[ Huh? Really? How did that happen? ]

“I worked hard harvesting watermelons.”

[ Huh? ]

She provided no further explanations.

Haeun herself found it impossible to explain the strange feeling she was experiencing.

Just because of the one fact that a gentle smile never left her face.

She couldn’t deny that this feeling was indeed a good one.

Having walked for quite a while, they finally arrived at a valley located behind the watermelon field.

In front of the long-awaited highlight of the day, Haeun,

-Plop!

Simultaneously jumped towards the center of the valley alongside Jang Seong Ho, willingly diving into the water.

Honestly, it was colder than she had expected.

“How is it, Haeun? Jumping in feels a lot different than watching on TV, right?”

It was Yuseongjae’s voice, slightly laced with mischief.

In response, Haeun turned her head slightly instead of answering.

“Y-You said yesterday for sure that you would make me jump in, didn’t you?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Immediately, Yuseongjae said that he hoped Jang Seong Ho would also end up like a waterlogged rat.

Yuseongjae’s arms were immediately restrained by Jang Seong Ho and Im Nam Soo.

“T-This isn’t fair! I shouldn’t have to take a penalty!!”

“Watch your tongue, Seongjae~. Be good now~.”

And with that, splash!

Yuseongjae was thrown into the deepest part of the valley with a piercing scream as he barely popped up to the surface.

Afterward, he waited with his whole body covered by a thick towel for Jeong Yun to arrive.

However, that earlier strange sensation continued to stir within Haeun’s heart.

“Haeun, didn’t it feel good when the elder thanked you?”

“Yes.”

“And honestly, it didn’t feel too bad even when you got selected as a penalty target, right?”

“Yes. It didn’t feel bad at all.”

She kept nodding her head at Jang Seong Ho’s questions, which slipped in next to her.

“Helping others is inherently a feel-good experience. So, make sure to help those you can.”

A request from someone nicknamed ‘the Angel of Charity.’

Nodding again, Haeun promised to help those she could.

It was right after that Jeong Yun finally arrived.

As expected, she immediately pulled out her phone to take pictures of Haeun, who was drenched from head to toe.

“Wait! Are you trying to take a picture of me?”

“Ah, no…. Well…”

“It’s all good. They’ll be shown on air anyway.”

Due to Jang Seong Ho, who was still next to Haeun, she ultimately ended up with no pictures at all.

Just meeting his gaze overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t even think of pulling out her phone.

“H-Haeun, let’s go change our clothes…”

“Yes.”

After Haeun had completely dried off, she returned to the camera shortly after.

She then spent her time sharing various episodes related to <The Moonlight Split by the Clouds> with the other cast members.

It was now late at night.

Having already received the penalty of jumping in, they were not subjected to any outdoor sleeping penalties.

As soon as she lay down on the soft duvet, she fell asleep instantly.

Perhaps due to everything that had happened today, she slipped into a deep sleep, not even recalling her dreams.

*

“Okay, let’s slate—”

“Stop. When guests are present, the guest should slate.”

Finally, the suggestion from Jang Seong Ho that Haeun, as the guest, should slate reached her ears.

And thus, with a clap.

The sound signaling the end of the long filming spanning over 2 nights and 3 days echoed around.

“Thank you for your hard work~.”

“Great job, everyone~.”

A typical farewell greeting.

And the saving of contact information that was anything but typical.

“If you want to see me, feel free to contact me anytime~.”

How many people in South Korea actually have the contact information of a celebrity like Jang Seong Ho?

Haeun had been in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, but every time she received contact numbers from other celebrities like this, her sense of reality felt detached.

Anyway, now that the filming for <2 Nights and 3 Days> was finally over,

she wanted to get home as soon as possible to turn on her VTuber broadcast she couldn’t do for three long days.

The problem was…

“Well, Haeun, I kept deliberating whether to tell you or not…. But I think I have to say it.”

“?”

“We’ve received a casting request. Not for actress Lee Haeun, but for singer Pinocchio.”

The name she had not used for quite some time echoed in her ears.

After hearing more detailed circumstances from Jeong Yun, she simply couldn’t utter a single word.

“Haeun, you… that is, Pinocchio really wants your help.”

“…Let’s go meet those uncles first. I think it’s something that needs to be discussed in person.”