Chapter 76: Chronos History (20)

Chapter 76: Chronos History (20)

“Whoa, it’s hot. Hyung, this is too hot.”

“Can we stay in the car?”

We found ourselves at a campground near Seoul, surrounded by the relentless summer heat. Despite the blistering heat, we adorned ourselves in sleek black attire and survival vests. Time really flew by, and it was now another shooting day for Chronos History.

“Wow, hyung. It has been ages since I heard cicadas crying.”

“Yeah, they are singing their hearts out here already.” We were trying to beat the heat by clutching our melting ice creams.

“Who’s the guest that we are waiting for so early?”

“I thought it was High Tension, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. If it was High Tension, we should have arrived together.”

There we were, drenched in sweat, and the event hadn’t even started. While arriving early was a sign of respect for our guests, waiting for an hour was excessive. In our mind, the guests had to be High Tension. Even though they were busy after their debut, they should have arrived on time.

“They are definitely late.”

“Yeah. We are thirty minutes early, and it has been an hour. They are thirty minutes late.” Goh Yoo-Joon clenched his jaw in frustration. “Whether it’s High Tension or Street Center, I won’t let them off the hook.”

“Hyung, do you want my ice cream? My teeth are shivering,” asked Park Yoon-Chan.

“...Yoon-Chan, are you an angel?” Goh Yoo-Joon grabbed the ice cream and took a bite.

‘Taking the younger one’s ice cream? Pathetic.’

I shook my head in disappointment and suddenly turned to look at the manager.

“Is the guest actually from Pick We Up?” I wondered.

“I am not sure. Why?” Joo-Han asked. Hence, I gestured toward the manager and said, "Normally, manager hyung is really sensitive about lateness or plans going wrong. He's quite temperamental, so it's surprising to see him waiting so calmly now."

“That's true. If the guests were from Pick We Up, the manager hyung would have been in a frenzy with phone calls by now." Joo-Han and I were just speculating about the guest when...

“The guests have arrived! Let's start shooting!" declared the production team. The guests had clearly arrived but were nowhere to be seen. This had to be a surprise reveal.

‘How important could this guest be?'

I chewed on my ice cream stick, threw it in the trash, and made my way to the designated location. All of us stood in formation and clapped the slate to signal the start of the show.

Joo-Han then started the introduction. “Welcome back to Chronos History."

“Ah- it's hot!"

“So hot!"

“We've been standing outside for an hour, everyone." We immediately started to air our grievances to the camera. Typically, the ones complaining were Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung.

“Alright, quiet down! Director, where are we?"

- This is Tinta Campground near Seoul. Have you ever tried survival games?

“No, I haven't."

“Has anyone tried it?"

Lee Jin-Sung raised his hand. “I did once on a school trip. I think it was in my middle school? We used paintball guns, so when I got hit, it turned the struck area really red."

“Wow."

- You might have guessed from the vests, but today you'll be playing a survival game here.

“Ooh, survival!"

“I've always wanted to try it. This is great." As we were chatting away, a staff member with a sketchbook caught my eye. I then glanced at the sketchbook and asked, “But are we doing this with just five people? Don’t we need more?”

“That's a good point. It's odd to split into teams with just five people."

“If it's two against three, it'll end too quickly."

- You guys are right. That's why we've invited guests this time. Today, it's a battle between Chronos and the guest team.

“Guests? It must be High Tension!"

“If not High Tension, then Street Center." Goh Yoo-Joon rummaged in his pocket and pulled out five hundred won, holding it over his head.

He said, “I bet my five hundred won."

“Huh? Why do you have five hundred won in your pocket?" I couldn't help but laugh at such a low-quality joke. Watching us guessing about the guests, Director Lee Won-Jae showed his typical sly smile and shook his head.

- Shall we introduce the guests? Guests, please come out.

Of course, it would be the cast of Pick We Up. We were certain of this because which other kind-hearted group would appear on a minor broadcast channel—on a show of a group that hadn't even debuted yet—other than the cast of Pick We Up?

Therefore, even if we beat them fair and square, their fans would probably shrug it off as ‘Oh, cute losses as usual.' There would be no hard feelings.

Our mission was simple. We only had to take out the opponents and seize their bases. I was a little anxious about Sae-Yeon's tactics as he often played shooting games with me. However, there was no room for worries as victory was in sight.

- Okay, let’s start then. Is everyone ready?

“Yes!"

- Good, then.

Whooeee—uuueeet!

When the whistle signaling the start of the game echoed through the air, my teammates immediately huddled around me. I commanded, “Joo-Han hyung and Yoon-Chan, keep an eye on things from the back. If anyone tries to sneak into our base, take them out. And if we are in a tight spot, come give us a hand.”

“Got it.”

“Jin-Sung, hide behind those obstacles in the middle and watch for an opportunity to slip into their camp. If you can take over a stronghold, do it."

“Okay. Man, I'm feeling the pressure."

“Is it normal for a game to be this intense?" Joo-Han let out a nervous chuckle, lifting his gun.

Honestly, I felt a little silly giving these instructions, but we were in it to win those custom microphones, so I put my embarrassment aside and continued, “Yoo-Joon and I will take the lead. If we get taken out, we're counting on you guys."

“Alright, we got this."

“Let's bring home the win." With those final words, we got back to our positions.

Yoo-Joon stuck close to me, planning our strategy. “Just cover me from behind, and only move in if I get into trouble."

“Are you going for a breakthrough?" I asked.

Yoo-Joon nodded and replied, “I'm gonna sprint straight to their base and knock them out."

“Planning to go down in a blaze of glory? It's no good if you get hit on the way. We should stick together."

Hearing that, Yoo-Joon let out a scoff. “Getting hit? I'll dodge everything. Trust me."

“Considering your gaming style..."

“What about it? Have you seen me play?"

“Yeah," I remembered seeing him on his laptop yesterday, getting pummeled while manically shooting around. Sure, Yoo-Joon was great at getting kills, but he also had a knack for getting hit.

He eventually nodded, agreeing with my point. We then crouched behind an obstacle, keeping a watchful eye on Team Allure. “Use the barriers wisely to avoid getting hit."

“Okay."

The survival game’s field was ridiculously large, making it tough to spot the opponents. But if Yoo-Joon made a bold dash into their territory, it would help us figure out their positions.

“It feels like we've stepped into a real game. Exciting." Yoo-Joon scouted the area from behind the barrier and then made his move. “I'm going in."

“Alright, I'll head the opposite way."

He sprinted toward the enemy's side.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As expected, a flurry of confused gunshots rang out. “Wow, these sounds are so realistic."

I moved in the opposite direction, trying to pinpoint the locations of our opponents. With Yoo-Joon breaking through, they were likely focused on one area, leaving the other side open for me to take over.

- Da-Win, you're out. Head to respawn.

- Tucan, you're out. Head to respawn.

Yoo-Joon was making waves. I ran to the opposite side, aiming at an Allure member who was attacking Yoo-Joon.

- Tae-Il, you're out. Head to respawn.

“Argh! Where? Who got me?" Tae-Il grumbled in frustration as he retreated back to his base.

- Yoo-Joon, you're out. Head to respawn.

Yoo-Joon, who had held his ground until now, was finally taken out. I then signaled Lee Jin-Sung, who had been maintaining a distance, and he nodded and moved forward cautiously. Park Yoon-Chan promptly filled the vacant spot left by Jin-Sung.

“There's no penalty for getting out multiple times, right?"

“Right."

“Then I'm just going to go for it." Seeing Allure members reloading their guns, Jin-Sung and I sprinted over at the same time.

Gunshots erupted. This survival game was not just for the custom microphones but also a spot on Flying Man.

‘What if Allure's fans get ticked off at us for this?’

So what if they did? Whether we were good at the game or not, we were burning with determination. Seniority didn’t matter at this moment.