SWAP 14

CEO Yeom’s warning that he would be busy for a while, so he should take a good look at his face, was true. From the day after he decided to appear on the variety show together, Saheon had become busy beyond belief and was currently handling a deadly schedule.

Since even Seoul, who lived with him, could barely see his face, he worried whether Saheon was resting properly. He was a guy born with natural physical strength, so he would surely manage his condition well on his own, but Seoul couldn’t help but feel concerned.

If Saheon heard this, he would be flabbergasted, asking who was worrying about whom.

…Or not? These days, he might actually play up the pain, whining that he felt like he was going to die. Imagining Saheon folding his large frame and spitting out weak words that didn’t suit him made Seoul feel like a laugh might burst out of him. Seoul managed his expression by biting the inside of his mouth for a moment.

Still, it was a relief. In the past, the very situation of leaving Seoul behind to go out of the house alone would have been tossed into the trash can. When his symptoms were severe, Saheon was someone who didn’t hesitate to do even nonsensical things. Compared to back then, he felt inwardly relieved that Saheon had improved so much.

It seemed like he was sleeping properly again, and it would be nice if the schedule would just loosen up a bit. Swallowing a sigh, Seoul spoke. Normally, they should have appeared as a pair today as well, but currently, Seo Saheon was staying in Milan.

“I know. I haven’t been able to see his face lately either.”

“Well, since we’ve invited such successful people, it can’t be helped. I’m so happy to be able to work with you like this…. To be honest, you two were the number one casting priority in my heart every season. Since you both originally don’t do variety shows, I was in a state of halfway giving up… Haah, I guess if you live long enough, a day like this actually comes.”

At the actions of PD Jeon Jaeyeon, who placed a hand on his chest and made a solemn gesture as if truly moved, Seoul laughed awkwardly and whispered in a low voice.

“Aren’t you praising me too much? I’m really nervous.”

“Does a veteran of 20 years since debut still get nervous?”

“Of course…. I even had a nightmare yesterday.”

As if to prove it wasn’t a lie, Seoul lifted his head, revealing a crumbly face from lack of sleep. When the sharp corners of his eyes drooped slightly downward, it created a surprisingly frail impression. At that, the writers, who had been immersed in eating tarts, thought with one mind and one heart. I know what you’re talking about, but Mr. Seoul, in your current state, no matter what you do, you’ll only end up shooting a pictorial….

They could only wear faint smiles, thinking that the viewers watching this scene would surely feel the same. PD Jeon Jaeyeon chuckled, saying it was natural to be nervous since it was his first variety show, and then asked if it was serious enough to have a nightmare.

“But I am curious about what it was about. May I ask?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much. Just that in the middle of filming, they suddenly confiscated the cameras… When I asked what they were doing, they said they decided to cancel the program because the guest was too boring… and told me to just go home….”

“No way….”

“So I woke up while I was walking home.”

As expected of a pipe dream, the content jumped all over the place. What was with ending the filming without notice, and what kind of program gets canceled just because a guest is boring? However, the problem was Seoul’s appearance as he averted his gaze, looking truly troubled while telling the story. He had an exhausted face, like someone who had really walked on the road for hours.

It is always funniest when one is caught off guard in an unexpected situation.

Seeing Lee Seoul, who had held the title of “National Actor” his entire life and shown only perfect moves, suddenly digging a hole of self-deprecation, the production team couldn’t help but burst into genuine laughter. The staff hurried to bow their heads. It is bad manners to laugh in someone’s face when the person involved is looking so bitter.

Amidst the overflow of forced coughing sounds, PD Jeon Jaeyeon, who managed to control his twitching lips, replied warmly.

“Kuhum, hmm. No, that production team has no intuition. But why did you walk all the way home, Mr. Seoul? Where did your manager go?”

“He said he resigned because of me. He said he could tolerate an actor who can’t act, but he couldn’t tolerate an actor who is bad at variety shows…? He said he’d just open a loach soup restaurant. I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean….”

“Oh boy….”

It was the limit. Instead of bursting out into a loud laugh, PD Jeon Jaeyeon chose to quickly slam his head onto the table. When PD Jeon Jaeyeon performed this sudden eccentric behavior, Seoul, who was lost in thought, blinked his eyes. Looking around, he realized the atmosphere was one where everyone was holding back laughter, so Seoul belatedly grasped the situation and scratched his cheek with a hum.

“You can laugh. My manager heard it earlier and laughed, too.”

Recalling Geonsu shaking his shoulders while gripping the steering wheel, Seoul said that, and as if they had been waiting, the whole room became noisy. He thought for himself that it was a dazed story, but he felt bashful wondering if it was really that funny.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere relaxed rapidly.

Because PD Jeon Jaeyeon vowed several times that such a thing would never happen, Seoul, who had been nodding diligently, was finally able to open the menu after a long time. At the word to order as much as he wanted regardless of the price, Seoul chose crab meat fried rice and added one sweet and sour spicy shrimp. He figured someone would eat it when it came out.

Once the ordering was finished, the conversation began in earnest.

“The reason we gathered again like this today is to talk more about the program that we couldn’t finish last time. At that time, with the questionnaires and interviews, everything was hectic, right?”

It was exactly as he said. From the questionnaire pushed forward as soon as they introduced themselves to the individual interview that followed immediately. He couldn’t even properly remember what he had said. Even the questionnaire had multiple pages, so it felt like he had returned to being a high school student after a long time. When he nodded, PD Jeon Jaeyeon, who smiled kindly, touched the tablet screen placed next to him.

“The filming period is two weeks, and the cast members will live together 24 hours a day in the Friendly House we prepared. You don’t need to be too nervous because our variety show isn’t that strict. It’s an observational healing variety show, but with the ‘exchange’ system added to it.”

“I know, I’ve watched all the previous seasons during this time.”

“What. You watched all of that?”

During the past few weeks while Saheon was busy, Seoul had watched a variety show for the first time, rather than a drama or movie. He started watching with a learning mind because it bothered him that he had done the preliminary interview without knowing the details, but the result was disastrous. As if it were impossible not to know why they were confident it was a program with guaranteed ratings, the wit of the cast members that exploded every season was amazing. Instead of learning, only his sighs increased. Still, should he say it was beneficial since he got to know the basic framework of how things worked?

“I’m honored. Then the talk will be easier~ You know there’s one more best friend pair besides Mr. Seoul and Mr. Saheon, right?”

“Yes. You won’t tell me who it is, right?”

“You have to meet them as a surprise after moving in! That’s the charm of our Best Friend Swap, haha!”

Best Friend Swap was a format where a total of four cast members, two people each, became each other’s roommates for two weeks. Because the identities of the opposing pair were hidden until the day of filming, there were often cases where one would meet an acquaintance.

“However, in this season, the part where the production team intervenes has decreased more than before. Except for interviews, missions, or outdoor filming, the production team will probably almost never enter the house, and we plan to communicate only through installed cameras and a mobile app.”

It was a different move from previous seasons where the production team delivered mission papers, called, and proceeded directly. While listening intently and nodding, the photo of the house exterior, presumed to be the Friendly House, passed by, and a QR code appeared on the screen.

At the instruction to install it now, Seoul took out his phone, downloaded the app, and entered the main screen after inputting the code the writer called out.

Under the title ‘Best Friend ☓ Swap’ written in a cute font, several menus were displayed.

Today’s Best Friend (NEW!)

Friend Swap History

Friendly Market

? ? ?

? ? ?

“When the NEW mark appears, you can perform the ‘Today’s Best Friend’ event. A notification will ring when it is sent as an emergency, so please keep that in mind. Would you like to try pressing it?”

Following PD Jeon Jaeyeon’s explanation, Seoul clicked the menu button labeled Today’s Best Friend.

Ding!

With a cheerful sound effect, a familiar phrase appeared on the transitioned screen.

EVENT <<

You have come to the preliminary meeting alone.

You are afraid of your first variety show outing!

Do you need a reliable ally?

It is possible if you swap your best friend!

It was the exchange event, the main theme of this program. It was also the system that severely struck the back of the head of Seoul, who had guessed, after hearing the title ‘Best Friend Swap’ and the cast composition, that they would simply swap each other’s friends to perform various missions.

They literally really swapped.

What? My best friend.

When he touched the screen, a sparkling effect burst out, and a confirmation window and warning message were generated.

Would you like to swap Seo Saheon for [Reliable Ally]? Reward: 3 Coins

⚠ Caution: Your best friend might [ ]…