Chapter 9: The Injeolmi Menace

#9

Fortunately, the other cast members’ quick wit allowed them to swiftly transition to a different topic. Se-an and Sanghyeok seized the opportunity, joining the conversation with enthusiasm. Hari, feeling a wave of relief, finally exhaled.

‘Hmm.’

Hari, who had been watching the other cast members with weary eyes, flinched and turned his head at the sound of a voice beside him. Ihyeon, who had helped him up, was still standing there instead of returning to his seat.

He was staring intently at Hari. Hari had known Ihyeon was still nearby, but he hadn’t realized he was being watched, causing him to hunch his shoulders and break into a cold sweat.

Even at a glance, Ihyeon’s face revealed nothing. Hari was never particularly adept at reading such expressions to begin with. He had no idea what Ihyeon’s gaze implied.

All he could do was tense up and try to discern Ihyeon’s intentions. Whether Ihyeon knew of Hari’s scrutiny or not, his hand soon moved slowly.

“Hari, just a moment.”

Speaking in a low voice, Ihyeon brought his hand closer to Hari’s face. As Ihyeon’s hand approached his nose, Hari instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. His eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably.

‘Would he be upset if I flinched away now?’

Hari swallowed the unexecuted option internally. With his eyes tightly closed, he waited for Ihyeon’s hand to touch him. When he felt no contact on his skin, he cautiously opened his eyes.

His plan was to subtly assess the situation without appearing to have opened his eyes. Of course, that plan failed immediately. In his lack of cunning, Hari didn’t squint; he simply opened his eyes as usual.

Ihyeon’s hand was resting on Hari’s hair. Hari’s eyes widened as he shifted his gaze from Ihyeon’s wrist to his arm, then to his face. Ihyeon, who had reached out to Hari’s hair, slowly withdrew his hand when their eyes met.

Hari, relieved, secretly let out the breath he had been holding.

Even so, there was no way he could conceal such a loud gasp. It was a sound that Ihyeon, standing so close, would undoubtedly hear. Hari’s opened eyes and held breath—all of it had been exposed to Ihyeon. He was utterly clumsy.

Ihyeon looked down at Hari and let out a soft chuckle.

“This.”

“……”

“It was stuck.”

Hari accepted the shriveled blade of grass Ihyeon offered. The leaf passed from between Ihyeon’s firm fingers into Hari’s palm. Hari clutched the blade, his mouth agape before he swallowed hard. His gaze darted around frantically.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Ihyeon’s eyes curved into a smile. Hari gripped the blade of grass even tighter.

While most people focused on the other cast members’ conversation, Hari and Ihyeon exchanged quiet words. Unfortunately, however, there were still eyes intently watching them.

“Grrr.”

Though, not human eyes.

“I’m sorry….”

“…It’s not your fault, Hari.”

At the wary growl, Ihyeon cast his gaze downwards with a troubled expression. Hari followed Ihyeon’s lead and looked down. Silky, golden fur rippled.

The well-groomed fur shimmered splendidly, oblivious to Hari’s burning anxiety. It was a stark contrast to Hari’s complexion, which grew darker with each passing moment.

The large ‘injeolmi’ regarded Ihyeon with intense suspicion. The massive troublemaker, with ears perked and tail held high, gnawed and tugged at the hem of Ihyeon’s coat. It was a clear command for him to move away from Hari.

The other cast members, who had been trying to salvage the situation, once again turned their attention to Hari and Ihyeon.

“The dog… is pulling.”

“His coat.”

“Ihyeon’s coat….”

“That’s sponsored….”

The cast members murmured amongst themselves, observing the scene. From among the staff, someone’s exasperated scream, laced with a sigh, leaked into the audio: ‘Sponsored! That… oh, no…!’

The sound was audible even to the cast, making Hari stroke the large injeolmi’s back with a troubled expression. ‘It’s cute, but please, let go,’ he thought with a tearful face. When Ihyeon showed no signs of moving, the big injeolmi seemed to give up, squeezing between them and plopping down on Hari’s shoe. Of course, this only drew more attention.

To make matters worse, the three small injeolmis also resumed jumping toward Hari.

“Why are they like this…?”

The cast members, having filmed at this farm multiple times, were familiar with the retrievers. Yet, they laughed heartily, claiming they had never seen such behavior. The ad-lib, wondering if Hari was now to be crowned the ‘Injeolmi Man’ after being the ‘Cane Destroyer,’ was an added bonus.

Only Hari found their conversation unrelatable. He certainly didn’t want such nicknames. What was the difference between ‘broadcast accident’ plus ‘broadcast accident’? Hari stared blankly at the four troublemakers.

‘What should I do? Seriously….’

‘Is the broadcast even going well? Shouldn’t we cut for a moment until these dogs are sent back…?’ Just as Hari was thinking this, he heard the sound of an engine starting from a car parked in the distance. The car gradually approached them.

The middle-aged man who had been shouting from afar earlier emerged from the car, which had stopped with impressive parking skill. He was apparently the owner of the troublemakers.

“You rascals!”

Immediately upon exiting, the uncle, who was accustomed to scolding the dogs, strode over and expertly grabbed the large injeolmi by its body. The farm owner appeared like a hero, gathering the injeolmis one by one and putting them into the car.

Of course, there were attempts to escape along the way, but the owner skillfully recaptured the dogs. The big injeolmi whimpered as it was caught, and the three small injeolmis were caught all at once, yelping even more loudly.

Seeing the owner’s exhausted expression, it was clear just how much trouble the puppies caused. “I’m sick of you, you brats. Can’t you just stay still, just for one day?”

Despite the uncle’s weary voice, the dogs provocatively stuck out their tongues with cheerful innocence. The uncle got into his car, shouted an apology, gave a thumbs-up through the window, and drove away without a backward glance.

Hari sent fervent gratitude toward the receding car, if only with his eyes.

“…Such things happen.”

Yoo Janghoon let out a rather hollow sigh, as if he had momentarily forgotten they were filming.

Thanks to the sudden disappearance of the unexpected guests and their car, Hari was able to approach the rest of the opening with a relaxed mind. As time had been delayed by the unforeseen visitors, the proceedings moved quickly.

The momentarily interrupted opening concluded smoothly, as always, with Yoo Janghoon’s polished hosting. It had truly been a long opening.

Once the opening finished, preparations for the next shoot began in a hurry. The cast members, dressed in less active attire, moved quickly to change. The Daon members, having worn activity-appropriate clothing from the start, had more leeway.

However, Ihyeon, stylishly dressed in a coat and even dress shoes, was in a different situation. The person who should have been the first to leave was, for some reason, standing idly in the middle of the set, holding something.

Amidst the staff organizing filming equipment, Ihyeon, who had remained standing there, spotted Hari and approached him as if he had been waiting.

“Ah, Hari.”

Hari felt a flicker of doubt as Ihyeon called out and approached him.

‘Does he have enough time?’

Hari looked at Ihyeon, who was still impeccably dressed, then dismissed his concern, realizing it wasn’t for a junior like himself to worry about. Ihyeon appeared to be a perfectly capable person to anyone, so he would surely manage such things himself.

‘…More than that, it was right to worry about myself rather than him.’ Hari’s heart began to pound as Ihyeon drew closer.

No one had said anything, but he himself felt that the opening had been filled with sudden incidents rather than smooth progress. Hari had so many things weighing on his mind that he was a little afraid of what Ihyeon might say.

“Could you give me your hand for a moment?”

Ihyeon, having come close, abruptly extended his hand and spoke. Hari, though puzzled by Ihyeon’s sudden request for his hand, obediently placed his hand on Ihyeon’s palm. Perhaps because his hand was red and cold from the chilly weather, his fingertips tingled the moment warmth touched them.

Ihyeon took Hari’s wrist, flipped his palm upwards, and then placed something on Hari’s open hand.

“…A hot pack?”

Hari looked down at the object he had been given. Following this, Ihyeon offered Hari a shopping bag he had been carrying on his arm.

“I brought it from the car. Keep it and use it.”

“Ah… it’s fine. I feel bad….”

Hari clutched the hot pack tightly, feeling unnecessarily awkward. The packaging was as meticulously done as a gift, making it seem unlikely that it was just something Ihyeon kept in his car.

“Thank you….”

With a nod indicating he should take it quickly, Hari hesitated but accepted it. He had taken it because he was told to, but somehow, the feeling was strange.

‘Perhaps a fan club sent it as ‘support’ for everyone filming together. I remember hearing that such ‘support’ sometimes comes to the set.’ Thinking that, the burdensome feeling seemed to ease a little.

Seeing Hari’s hesitation, Ihyeon opened his mouth with an amused tone.

“Just take it, please. I’m truly a fan of yours, Hari.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s still winter, and it’s a mountain, so it’s going to get very cold. Hmm?”