Chapter 329: Stay Strong (2)

"So when I first heard about being cast for One Hours, I was over the moon."

Setting the right tone at the beginning of the Game of Truth was crucial, even though we weren't technically playing it just yet. Opening up on a positive note made it super tough for anyone to follow up with negativity.

"It’s a game that has brought me a lot of comfort. I’ve always wished it would remain loved for a longer time." I glanced around at the members of Newbie Crew. "It was all so daunting at the start, but thanks to everyone’s effort, we have gotten this far."

On Jeong-Woo chimed in, his fingers absentmindedly playing with his soju glass. "Yeah, you always raved about it. Your deep attachment shows."

I nodded. "But that's not all. You guys have been seriously hustling to beat this, meeting up even on your days off to practice. I’ve seen all that."

There were playful scoffs and embarrassed chuckles responding to my comment from all directions. "Ah, that was nothing."

"I really love this game, and I hope our hard work pays off in a big way."

I, the youngest, was overflowing with gratitude toward my elders. So, how could anyone even think of criticizing me right here in the heat of the moment?

"Exactly. I also want to finally finish this raid and get the reward I’ve been slogging away for. Speaking of which, our CEO—"

On Jeong-Woo smoothly transitioned the conversation to Lee Mi-Hyang, the CEO of One Hours. He seemed to think it was unseemly to jump straight to the question I had intended for Seong-Jin, who was obviously brimming with complaints. "How has it been for you, playing with us these past few weeks? It must be kind of frustrating playing with us newbies instead of the pros, huh? Haha."

"No... not really." Despite On Jeong-Woo's lighthearted tone, CEO Lee Mi-Hyang responded with earnest seriousness. Everyone just gave a superficial nod to my previous remarks, but Lee Mi-Hyang seemed genuinely moved. "...Umm, it’s just...."

She paused, her eyes dropping to her glass. She pondered deeply before finally finding her words. "Your perseverance alone means the world to me. Honestly, even though people might say this game is past its prime or a flop, I believe it has so much potential. I might be biased because this is our game."

As I flipped the sizzling meat on the grill, I caught Seong-Jin’s disgruntled expression out of the corner of my eye. He was clearly not happy with the cheerful vibe.

Of course, Seong-Jin’s time to express his grievances would come. However, he was not one to bite his tongue just because the mood was light. He was a keen observer, especially when he wasn’t playing the game, and he’d try to tone down his words.

"As new games emerge and the big titles change hands, we've had to make many changes. But, at the end of the day, it remains a game for dedicated players. Seeing you all enjoy it really reminds me how fun our game still is."

The person who had poured her heart into the game was tirelessly working to revive it. Though the CEO's monologue was becoming as lengthy as a never-ending school assembly speech by the principal, the sincerity behind her words was palpable.

A trace of melancholy finally tinged the expressions of the cast. "Although it's now known as a niche game, getting back together and playing after all this time, failing repeatedly, and even arguing at times really took me back to the old days."

The CEO’s long-winded speech concluded on a hopeful note, "We can do it."

"Absolutely. We've put in too much effort not to succeed."

"We are going to complete our goal! We’ve made so much progress already!"

"Getting together to practice has definitely paid off!"

The team members were in sync and buoyed up the CEO's enthusiasm.

Ji-Hyuk glanced at Seong-Jin. "Seong-Jin, anything you’d like to add?"

All eyes turned to Seong-Jin, a rookie comedian known for his frequent gripes. If there were complaints within the team, more often than not, they involved him too.

"Ah, I..."

"It’s those darn mistakes, right? This cursed hand!" Actor Min-Jae, often on the receiving end of Seong-Jin’s critiques due to his blunders earlier, playfully slapped his hand.

I couldn't see his expression during the game, but Min-Jae initially kept apologizing when Seong-Jin got angry. However, he eventually started to ignore him.

It was unlikely that Min-Jae wasn't hurt emotionally, and he must have felt bad. He would have endured it for the sake of maintaining his image. Even now, that was the case. Min-Jae blamed himself, trying to smooth things over.

Because the CEO and I were expressing gratitude and hope, and Min-Jae was apologizing, the atmosphere made it really hard for Seong-Jin to get angry. He clamped his mouth shut for a moment, then finally spoke up. "First of all, I’m really sorry for being so sensitive today. It's just that restarting over and over again got to me without me realizing."

Eventually, Seong-Jin decided to go with the mood’s flow.

Sang-Hyun, who had also been a frequent target of Seong-Jin’s irritation, chimed in supportively. "It happens. We all got a bit frustrated. It's inevitable when you are so immersed in the game."

"I’m the one who got annoyed, and I will be more careful in the future. But I hope you all can try to avoid repeating the same mistakes too."

Despite his diplomatic tone, the look he shot Min-Jae clearly said, ‘I am talking about you.’

If Seong-Jin had snapped then, who knows what kind of chaos would have erupted? It might have turned into a full-blown diss and tension fest, not unlike the rap battles on Rap Star, whether the cameras were rolling or not.

Despite Seong-Jin's icy stares that clearly targeted Min-Jae, Min-Jae just laughed it off with a nod. He apologized to the others and carefully avoided Seong-Jin’s intense gaze. "I will give it my all next time. I’m really sorry for messing up so much today."

When you only meet during shoots, what’s the point in letting emotions flare up, leading to pointless arguments? Everyone seemed to agree, superficially smoothing over any tension and steering the conversation toward a lighter note to keep the vibes friendly.

"Hyun-Woo, thanks for always supporting us. Help yourself to more food." It seemed like Lee Mi-Hyang was the only one who truly opened up during this team dinner.

"Thank you. I will pour you another drink."

"Yes, but Hyun-Woo, you are of legal age, right? Just making sure before I offer you alcohol."

"I turned eighteen this year."

Lee Mi-Hyang seemed to want a chat particularly with me today. She probably wanted to take extra care of someone who cherished the game she created, especially more than the other cast members did. "Hyun-Woo, do you still play One Hours?"

"Ah, just occasionally. I've been too busy to play regularly, but it’s still quite fun when I do get the chance."

Lee Mi-Hyang was clearly thrilled by my half-serious, half-courteous reply. She enthusiastically promised to send a gift to my actual gaming account.

"Enjoy the meal, everyone. We are wrapping up the shoot here!"

As the filming concluded and the cameras were packed away, Min-Jae and Sang-Hyun finally had a chance for an honest chat with Seong-Jin.

Time slipped by, and after we polished off all the pre-ordered meat, the dinner finally wound down.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

***

On the ride back to the dorm, Tae-Seong glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Are you feeling tired?"

"This shoot was kind of a drain, mentally speaking." I sank deeper into the seat, slightly shaking my head. The shoot had only lasted about seven hours, which was short for a variety show.

However, the mental toll had been substantial. Just dealing with the game was stressful enough, let alone managing all the different personalities of my team members.

"Here, have this." Tae-Seong suddenly handed me a peach drink.

"How did you know I liked this?"

"Yoo-Joon mentioned a few days back that you prefer sugar over caffeine when you’re tired."

It was a typical Goh Yoo-Joon thing to say as he was always eager to show off how well he knew the team. I accepted the drink and turned on my phone. "...Uh."

What’s this? As soon as it turned on, a flood of missed calls scrolled across the screen. Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon had been calling back and forth, leaving dozens of messages.

"What's all this about?" The team knew I'd head back after shooting. They'd usually leave a text if I didn’t pick up, assuming I was still busy. But this many calls?

"..."

What was this uneasy feeling? When the members behaved out of the ordinary, it usually meant trouble.

"Did something happen...?" I muttered, scrolling through the new messages. There were notes from Ji-Hyuk, whom I’d just been filming with. And right below, there was a message from Goh Yoo-Joon.

- I’m sorry

What on earth? I hurriedly opened the messenger app to reply when Tae-Seong spoke up in response to my muttering. "Something’s definitely up. I didn’t want to disturb you during the shoot."

"What happened?" A barrage of missed calls. A cryptic message from Goh Yoo-Joon. "Is this about Goh Yoo-Joon?"

"Yes. I wanted to explain calmly once we were back, but since you seem to have caught on, here's the situation—"

A chill ran through me. Tae-Seong once again met my eyes through the rearview mirror. "Yoo-Joon's dad posted something quite provocative online, and Su-Hwan had to rush to the company because of it."