novelThe Last Course - Luina Beach
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It was late in the evening again. The villagers were sleeping, and so were the cast members. As usual, I couldn't sleep so I came out to look at the night sky.
"It's nice."
I laid down on the ground, and stared up at the sky. It really was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It was even better than the ones I saw during my past life.
"What's that?"
Amongst the many stars, I suddenly saw a flash of light streak across the sky.
"Oh, a shooting star."
A shooting star, also known as a meteorite or a comet. A piece that has fallen from an asteroid. It's a phenomenon during which dust and other particles that have wandered through the solar system is attracted towards the atmosphere by Earth's gravity and begins to burn due to friction. There are countless meteors falling towards Earth throughout the day, burning visibly anywhere from a millisecond to tens of seconds.
"But what's up with that one?"
There was something strange about that shooting star. Rather than disappearing, it continued to get brighter and brighter. Then all of a sudden, I saw the shooting star fall somewhere in the distance and not long after, there was a loud explosion.
Boom!
Soon enough, there was a large flash.
"Whoa."
If I could hear the crash...
"Good lord..."
For a moment, I started to pray. I looked up at the sky, but it was peaceful, giving no indication of what just happened.
Just then, I heard footsteps. They sounded like it came from a female. Was it Hye-jeong? Yes, it was.
"Hey."
"Yeah?" I said, tapping the spot next to me. Hye-jeong sat down readily.
"What now?"
This girl is always bothering me. Every single night, without fail. Was she doing it on purpose? Or maybe that fortune-telling Mr. Lee put her up to it.
"What? You don't want me to be here?"
"No."
I almost said 'Yeah', but then changed my mind.
"Exactly. Why would you hate it? I'm being so nice to you."
"...."
Nice? A little less annoying maybe, but I wouldn't go that far.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"You were pretty cool earlier."
"?"
"When you climbed that tree, I was proud of you."
"Cool."
So instead of feeling jealous, she was proud. I guess Hye-jeong and I really are on the same team.
"What are we doing tomorrow?" I asked.
"We're going to the beach."
"The beach?"
"Yeah. There's one about two hours away from here."
"Oh really? Who told you that?"
"The lobster head producer."
"Ah."
So lobster head told her? Then, it must be accurate, but his face. It really is very sharp and pointed. Almost like a lobster. It's almost impressive.
"But I hear you and lobster head signed a contract, " Hye-jeong said.
How did she know?
"Yeah. A show called 'Two Nights'."
"What do you do on the show?"
"Eh, this and that. We get to eat unlimited amounts of food. Maybe it's a mukbang."
It has to be. Didn't he say we get to eat unlimited amounts of food? I planned to just eat for those two days.
"Then should I do it as well?"
"Go ahead, " I said without thinking. Hye-jeong nodded.
"Then I'm going to do it too, " she said.
"You can go ahead and tell lobster head."
"Okay."
"But why do you want to do it?"
I asked because I wanted to know. She already has a packed schedule, especially now since I saw that she got cast in a drama. So why is she signing up for lobster head's show?
"I just want to do it with you."
"Really?"
Oh boy, she's attracted to me, too. I really should stop.
Just then, Hye-jeong's manager appeared. He looked this way and that way, looking for her and immediately ran over once he spotted us.
"Hye-jeong!"
"Yeah? Why are you screaming in the middle of the night?" Hye-jeong asked, sounding quite irritated. As expected of her.
"I...I...just...got...off...the phone...with...Mr. Lee..." the manager managed to say, panting between each syllable.
"Yeah, and?"
"Well, you...hang on...."
The manager took a deep breath to gather himself.
Then he finally said, "He says that you signed a contract to be on a show by the lobster head producer. For his show 'Two Nights'."
"What?" Hye-jeong said, her eyes widening in surprise. I did as well. How did he know that?
"How did he know..."
"Mr. Lee told me he saw it happening. Is it true?"
"Yeah, but I haven't signed anything yet..."
"Oh good. He says don't do it."
"Why not?"
"He says just don't. You'll be overshadowed by Sian, and you'll get hit by her as well."
At that, Hye-jeong stared at me. I simply shrugged in response.
"Yeah right."
"I'm serious. Anyways, even if you sign, we're going to block it just so you know."
Then, the manager left.
"That's so weird. How did he know?" I asked Hye-jeong. Maybe he really can see the future.
"I told you. He can predict the future. But were you really going to hit me?"
"Why would I?"
Guess I'm caught. I wanted to hit her if the chance came. Damn you, Gapchan Lee.
The two of us remained there, staring at the sky as we both felt amazed by Mr. Lee's ability to predict the future. But hey, at least the sky was pretty.
***
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!
I opened my eyes at the sound of the rooster crowing. I'm seriously going to break that phone. It makes me think of fried chicken every morning and the thought of it is driving me insane.
"Everyone, gather around please!" I could hear lobster head shouting from outside. Even his voice sounded lobster-like.
I shook Hye-jeong awake.
"Hey! Hey, Hye-jeong. Wake up."
But no matter how much I shook her, she didn't wake up.
"Ugh. This girl."
I pinched her nose and covered her mouth for a second. Hye-jeong's eyes immediately opened.
"Wha-"
"We need to go outside. Lobster head is calling for us."
I took Hye-jeong's hand and brought her up to her feet, leading her outside. The rest of the cast members were already there, standing beside the main producer.
"Sian, Hye-jeong, hurry!" Byung-hoon called out to us excitedly. We speed walked over.
"Good, we're all here now, " the main producer then said.
"But why did you call us out for a meeting so early in the morning?"
If he says 'just because, ' I swear to God...
"Just because, " the producer replied. I immediately lifted my fist and let it fly forward in a spiral punch, only to pull it back at the last second and start scratching my own head.
"Whoa! For a second there, I thought you were actually going to hit me."
"Of course not, " I said, continuing to scratch my head.
"Your fist was spinning..."
"You probably just saw wrong, " I said with a smile. Everyone just stared at me skeptically, especially Sung-hwan. His face looked particularly suspicious.
"Well anyways, I'm just kidding."
'Learn better jokes next time...or I'll really punch you, ' I thought to myself.
Anyways, the producer kept talking.
"We're going to Luina Beach. It's very beautiful and there's plenty to eat there as well. You can fish as much as you want while showing off the beautiful scenery to our viewers."
Everyone's face brightened up considerably, but this is what 24-Hour Jungle is. For the first few days, they make you struggle. Then after that, they reward you by bringing you somewhere nice. Luina Beach. How beautiful is it? And did he say that there was food too? I was excited already.
"Then will that be our last course?" I asked. We got to eat heegak, alligator, eel, coconut, and warthog. So does that mean our meal at Luina Beach is our final one?
"Hmm...I don't know if course is the right word but...sure! The last course, " the producer said.
"Yes!"
"Whoo!"
"Nice!"
We all cheered.
"But the truth is...we almost debated whether we should take you. You guys didn't really have that much of a hard time over the past few days. It's almost disappointing, " the producer admitted.
True. 24-Hour Jungle is supposed to be more of a survival show. The kind of show where you're supposed to wonder if you'll even be able to eat at all...but we ate a lot. Just look at how chubby everyone's gotten. Even their skin looked fresh and renewed.
"Sian helped us out a lot, " Byung-hoon praised me readily. Everyone nodded in agreement. Yeah, even I can't help but admit it. I played a big part in getting food for us. The bird and the alligator, as well as the eels. No wonder we didn't starve.
"It's true. Sian did play a big role. We realized the challenges may be too easy and it might be time to make things harder for you guys. Anyway."
At the producer's words, Byung-hoon and Junho did not look happy. Then again, they were permanent cast members of the show. The ones who would have to deal with these harder challenges. It's not like I'll have to deal with them because I'll be done after this week.
"Also, we plan to make Sian a regular member of the show, " the producer said.
What kind of bullshit was that? I gulped. So I have to go through this hell every month? They're crazy. Just the plane ride alone is exhausting. I'm going to kill this guy.
"I'm all for you, " Byung-hoon suddenly said.
"Me too!" Junho said firmly. They both looked at me.
"You'll do it, right?"
"Nope. There are plenty of other people who are more fun to watch than I am, but I appreciate the thought, " I said gently.
The producer then spoke up.
"You're modest as well. You should sign the contract. We'll do our best to convince Mr. Park. You just have to be patient."
The producer and the rest of the staff began to nod. Then, they began to whisper about how I was definitely a top star now. The birth of a new Hallyu celebrity, stuff like that. Considering this show is famous in China as well, it's not that far-fetched of an idea.
"Lucky you, Sian, " Hye-jeong said, sounding half-jealous, half sad. Makes sense, since being a regular on the show will make my popularity skyrocket. It's a show where everyone looks like they're having fun. But you know...that just means it's that much harder...
"How about you join with..."
"Nah, " Hye-jeong said before I could even finish. Bitch.
"So...when do we leave?" Byung-hoon said.
"We'll leave in an hour. The beach is a two hour walk from here."
"Okay."
We all nodded.
Suddenly, the producer added, "Oh, but along the way, there's a shallow river. We have to cross it, so your shoes might get wet."
"Ugh."
Hye-jeong huffed, her face looking irritated. She doesn't like things that make her physically uncomfortable. Me neither for that matter.
"If it's shallow, it's safe, right?" Byung-hoon asked, sounding concerned.
"Of course, " the producer said. I doubt he'd have us cross it if it were dangerous.
"The water only comes up to your ankles so there's no need to worry."
Hearing that was quite reassuring. We packed up our things and after sharing our goodbyes with the Samaran villagers, we headed for the beach. I wonder how beautiful it really is. Also, what kind of food could be found there. The thought of it was already making me excited.
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