Chapter 86: Debut (9)

"Hyun-Woo, did you hear? Ji-Hyuk is out," said Yoo Il-Seok.

“Really?" I feigned surprise, concealing the fact that it was my doing.

“They're fast. I bet it was Jang Seok or Goh Seong-Cheol."

As Yoo Il-Seok and I walked together, I assessed his hoodie, realizing that taking it would require a physical struggle. If I tried to snatch it now, it would cause a commotion and attract others.

“So, Hyun-Woo, don't betray others like Woo-Seok did. You shouldn't learn such things at a young age."

“Ha-ha, sure!" I played along with it and swiftly moved away from him.

Joo-Han was already out, so I couldn’t team up with him. Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung, known for their aggressive solo play, would definitely try to snatch my item on sight, so I needed to find Park Yoon-Chan. As I was pondering—.

“Whoa!" In the hallway, I was suddenly attacked by Jang Seok, who was hiding in an ambush.

“Hyung, wait! Please, Hyung! It's not right!"

Being caught by Jang Seok, the ace of

Flying Man

, meant almost certain elimination. Hence, I threw myself to the floor, desperately protecting my scarf. Thankfully, it was tied around my waist, making it difficult for Jang Seok to snatch it easily.

“Hyung, if you take this, my pants will come off."

Hearing this, Jang Seok flashed a chilling smile. "The fans will love it. It's fine, Hyun-Woo."

“No, it's not! Please, Hyung!" I ended up begging on my knees, causing the crew to burst into laughter.

“Can you let me go just this once, Senior?"

Jang Seok squatted in front of me, looking like a loan shark who'd had his fill of beating and was now granting mercy. “Hyun-Woo, let's talk."

"Yes."

“Where were you heading to?"

“I was looking for someone like Senior Yoo Il-Seok to eliminate."

“Yoo Il-Seok Hyung?" Jang Seok stood up, glancing at Yoo Il-Seok who was engaged in conversation with Dada in the lobby. Then, he squatted again in front of me. “Let's make a deal, Hyun-Woo."

“Yes?"

“Help me eliminate Yoo Il-Seok Hyung and Goh Seong-Cheol, and then we part ways cleanly. How about that?"

I nodded without hesitation. "Agreed. I'll follow your lead."

“Smart guy. How old are you?"

“Nineteen."

“Call me Hyung."

“Yes, Hyung."

It seemed like Jang Seok spared me because I was a guest. I followed him while keeping an eye on Yoo Il-Seok. We also took out a High Tension member along the way.

“Hyun-Woo, when you see him alone, lure him into this room. But pretend that you're alone. Can you do that?"

“Yes, I'll try."

We hid in an empty room, waiting for Yoo Il-Seok to be alone. Unlike most guests who were cautious, Yoo Il-Seok was actively roaming, rarely alone.

He usually conversed with passersby, gathering footage without taking each other's items. After all, the presence of common foes like Jang Seok and Goh Seong-Cheol meant that alliances were essential until both of them were eliminated.

“I got taken out by Hyun-Woo earlier," said Lee Ye-Hee.

“Hyun-Woo took your item?" inquired Yoo Il-Seok.

“Yes, so I'll snatch his if I see him."

“Ah, I saw Hyun-Woo earlier. Wow, we need to be careful. Anyway, Ye-Hee, stay alert and scream if you see Jang Seok, okay?"

“Sure, got it."

Finally, Yoo Il-Seok was alone.

“Hyun-Woo, go!" whispered Jang Seok.

I then dashed out of the room toward Yoo Il-Seok. “Senior!"

Pretending to have just spotted Yoo Il-Seok, I gasped for breath in front of him. He then looked at me warily. “What are you doing, Hyun-Woo?"

“Me? Just looking for teammates."

“I heard you took out Ye-Hee and Ji-Hyuk. You really are as cunning as Yoo-Joon said."

“What? No, ha-ha!" I casually walked alongside Yoo Il-Seok, who pretended to be wary of me.

“Anyway, listen. We need to stick together. Before Jang Seok and Goh Seong-Cheol are out, we're allies in this game of tag," said Yoo Il-Seok.

“Got it."

“Well, where are we going now?"

Pretending to be clueless, I shook my head and replied, “I am just following you, Senior."

“What? I thought I was following you though?"

“Haha."

As we continued our comical dumb and dumber-like banter, Jang Seok signaled me. Seeing it, I nodded and casually brought up a topic. “But, Senior. While you pretend to be wary of me, you are actually following me closely.”

There was a pause in Yoo Il-Seok’s move. He stopped, sensing something odd in my words, and looked at me with a bewildered expression. I just grinned and slowly approached him, grabbing him tightly from the back.

“Whoa! Hyun-Woo! What are you doing!? We agreed not to do this!”

“I am so sorry, Senior. I need to survive too.”

“Wait...! Just a moment! I will tell you where Woo-Seok is! Ah, I will tell you!”

At that moment, Jang Seok jumped out of his hiding spot and violently pulled off Yoo Il-Seok's hoodie. Suddenly left in a white t-shirt, Yoo Il-Seok looked at us with a pathetic and empty expression before being escorted by the muscular men. “I'll get you all when I come back!"

“Be quiet, and just go!"

After sending Yoo Il-Seok away, Jang Seok patted my shoulder, acknowledging a job well done. It seemed like I was really in the game now. From then on, I became Jang Seok's action leader and puppet, which not only secured my screen time but also paved my way toward victory. As the race progressed into its latter half, it led to the elimination of many contestants.

***

While I was with Jang Seok, the rest of the cast—including Lee Ye-Hee, Yoo Il-Seok, Dada, Joo-Han, Lee Jin-Sung, and some members of High Tension—were all eliminated after exhausting their revival tickets. It was strange how there was no news about Park Yoon-Chan, who, much like me and Jang Seok, had two revival tickets left.

It was time to deplete the revival tickets of the potential winners. Hence, I scanned Jang Seok, who trusted me completely. Honestly, facing him alone was too dangerous, but if we eliminated all other members, I would inevitably fall victim to him. Perhaps, it was time to reconsider and bring this alliance to an end.

I stared intently at Jang Seok's shoes. Of all things, his item was his shoes... Yes, shoes.

Noticing my intention, the cameraman started to smile with interest.

“How many revival tickets does Yoon-Chan have?" asked Jang Seok.

“Two, I think. He hasn't been out yet."

“He's surviving quite well."

“He's very clever, so he must've hidden well."

My gaze was fixated on Jang Seok's shoes as he squatted. How to steal these big shoes? It would be easier to snatch them if he was kneeling, but with both feet on the ground while squatting...

“Then we should find Yoon-Chan first. He's the only one with two revival tickets besides you and me," suggested Jang Seok.

I agreed. “Right. We should take Yoon-Chan out first and then go after Senior Goh Seong-Cheol. He is such a strong contender."

“Yep! Let’s go get Yoon-Chan and then Seong-Cheol."

‘Wait, can't I just make him kneel?’

As soon as I thought of it, I pushed Jang Seok hard.

“Aah! What are you doing!?"

As Goh Yoo-Joon said, my game style was

indeed

nasty. Agreed, agreed.

“I'm sorry, Hyung."

Jang Seok, who lost his balance and knelt, looked at me in disbelief and tried to stand. However, I didn't miss the opportunity and grabbed his shoes.

“Are you seriously betraying me like this?"

“If I don't, I will be eliminated soon!"

A short yet intense struggle ensued between Jang Seok, who tried to keep his shoes on, and me. At the same time, Jang Seok also tried to untie the scarf at my waist, but I was faster.

Sensing my scarf loosening, I swiftly twisted and managed to pull off his shoes. Meanwhile, my scarf also came loose in Jang Seok’s hand. In the end, the crew needed to decide on who got whose item first. After a moment of hesitation, the cameraman ultimately took my side.

- Jang Seok eliminated! Jang Seok is out!

“I raised a young beast. Just you wait!"

“I'm sorry, Hyung!"

I apologized to Jang Seok with all my might and slowly moved to another location. After eliminating Jang Seok, my actions became more active. The regulars of

Flying Man

were adept at betrayal and the game itself, which I initially found challenging. However, after playing it myself, I discovered that I had a natural talent for betrayal.

As I wandered around looking for people, it happened.

“So you are here!"

“Aack!"

Suddenly, someone attacked me from behind, pulling the tightly tied scarf at my waist. The scarf didn't come loose due to it being tied so tightly, so the pull caused me to collapse in pain.

“Ugh! Se, senior!"

“I've been looking for you!" exclaimed Goh Seong-Cheol. He surprised me and struggled to untie my scarf.

“Why did you tie it this tight?”

He caught me off guard, but that didn’t mean that he could take me out that easily. I quickly looked around for Goh Seong-Cheol’s item.

‘

Damn, why can’t I see it?’

Perhaps, he was wearing his item around his lower back, but I couldn’t check with him lying down.

Goh Seong-Cheol started to untie my scarf with a victorious smile, while I desperately blocked his hands.

“Hyun-Woo, choose wisely. Do you want to be eliminated here, or would you like to have a meal with me?”

“Huh?”

‘A meal out of nowhere?’

“You have been rejecting me since earlier, so now I am persistent with it.”

Ah, he was referring to my continuous rejections since the start of the shoot.

“...”

“I am hosting a gathering. If you agree to come, I will let you go for now.”

‘

Fuck you. I know what kind of gathering that is.’

I then defused the tense atmosphere and spoke with a softened tone. “Ah... Senior... that’s a bit burdensome for me...”

At the same time, I relaxed my body, which had been tense while lying down.

‘Take it then, take my item!’

“Ah, what is this? Is it something to reject to this extent?” Goh Seong-Cheol grumbled while untying my scarf.

“Seong-Cheol Hyung, did you do something wrong to Hyun-Woo? Ah, this is hilarious.”

Dada, who was watching from a distance, burst into hysterical laughter. At the same time, the announcement rang out.

- Suh Hyun-Woo eliminated. Suh Hyun-Woo is out!

I wanted to avoid elimination as much as possible, but it was a somewhat honorable defeat.