SWAP 27

There was nothing he could say to that.

Usually, he would have stopped at a decent level of charring, but because he was in such a good mood today, he had ended up overcooking them.

It looked even more awkward because the yolk in the center was the only thing that had survived. Yun Hyeok, whose eyes had turned as cold as ice, let out a sigh, noting that he had somehow managed not to pop them.

If he was going to be like this, he shouldn’t have gone around saying he learned how to cook.

It wasn’t polite to complain when being treated to a meal, but because of everything he had endured, he had to say something. Juyeol had called him so many times after class to drone on about what he made today and this and that, so Yun Hyeok really thought he had improved a bit.

“I knew it since the time you were ‘cooking’ people or whatever.”

Improved, my foot; today was worse than usual.

Yun Hyeok, hesitating because he didn’t have the confidence to eat even the burnt parts, made a decision.

Let’s just scoop out the yolks.

He felt like if he ate the whites… no, the “blacks,” he would be diagnosed with lung cancer immediately. Since he didn’t even smoke, nothing could be more unfair than that.

Afraid he might pop the yolks with a fork, he stood up to get a spoon, but suddenly felt something was strange. Usually, the guy would have babbled on about how that was a spoiler or why he was nagging when he worked so hard to make it, yet he was excessively quiet.

Yun Hyeok, recalling this a beat late, whipped around.

Standing at the table, Ye Juyeol was looking down at the fried eggs with his lips pressed tightly together.

To others, it might look like he was just dejected because the cooking failed, but Yun Hyeok knew. That was a signal. He could be certain because he knew that specific, subtle expression Juyeol made before doing something completely insane.

However, by the time he realized, it was already too late.

Ye Juyeol had snatched up the plate and dumped the coal-like fried eggs into his mouth all at once.

It was such an unrealistic sight that Yun Hyeok froze for a moment before screaming a beat later—though, like a professional idol, he quickly swallowed the curse words.

“You crazy bastard, why are you eating that! Hey! Spit it out…!”

Still, the words “crazy bastard” couldn’t help but come out.

Yun Hyeok, throwing himself forward to snatch the plate away, shoved it under Ye Juyeol’s chin and shook him by the collar. Every time this guy, who was usually gentle to the point of being dim-witted, did something this hair-pulling, a fire rose up inside him.

This blockhead, seriously. Spit it out, spit it out!

He shook him vigorously, not caring whether the T-shirt stretched or not, but it was no use. Ye Juyeol, blinking his large eyes even while staggering, only mumbled nonsense instead of the coal he was told to spit out.

“I’m not gonna die.”

“You will die! Won’t you spit it out right now?”

“Mmm…”

Seeing the sight of the fry, half of which was sticking out, being sucked in a bit more, Yun Hyeok finally dropped his voice to a chilling tone.

“If you swallow that, I’m not running raids with you.”

“….!”

“One.”

Two… before he could even get there, the tightly shut lips parted urgently.

Spitting the blackened fry—pweh—into the plate Yun Hyeok was holding, Ye Juyeol reported with clear, wide eyes.

“I spat it out.”

“…”

“Let’s run together. If it’s not you, no one will do it with me.”

That’s because you’re damn terrible at it.

Yun Hyeok, gulping down the truth that was about to jump out of his mouth, shut his eyes tight and then opened them.

He had already strictly warned Juyeol not to even linger near public parties in case he got publicly shamed. Of course, as Ye Juyeol said, it was also true that even if he did linger, there wasn’t a single person who would run with him. He had already been banned by several users due to his shocking “poop controls.”

In short, unless Yun Hyeok carried him, he couldn’t run raids at all.

Since this had been a long-standing issue since their school days, well, it wasn’t anything new.

“Hyeok-ahhh.”

Seeing Yun Hyeok not responding, Ye Juyeol knit his eyebrows and began to start his engine with a tearful face. Deciding he had to gag him before he started whining, Yun Hyeok answered perfunctorily with an “uh-huh” and looked down at the plate he was holding. Having been held in the mouth without being chewed, the fry remained intact in shape, looking as if only the yolk was missing. No, was it that he couldn’t chew it…? In the midst of that, it was absurd that he had neatly swallowed only the perfectly fine yolk.

“…But why did you suddenly put this in your mouth?”

At those words, Ye Juyeol tilted his head with a “Huh?” and replied brightly.

“Because it looked like you weren’t going to eat it. I already emptied out all the food waste this morning. It’s a hassle to go back out, so I was just going to eat it to get rid of it.”

“Ha…”

He had stood up to get a spoon, but it must have looked like a declaration of refusal to eat. While part of it was true, even so, why eat it to get rid of… no. If he thought about it any further, he was the only one who would get tired.

Gulping down his irritation with practiced ease, he set the plate down in the sink and rolled up his sleeves. Since this was inedible anyway, his plan was to finish the dishes roughly first, then take the food waste out.

“Hyeok-ssi. Did you get any sleep? I couldn’t sleep a wink because I was so looking forward to it. It’s awkward having cameras installed, and I’m so excited to stay with other people for the next two weeks… The PD said we could look forward to the opposing pair. Who do you think it is?”

Watching Yun Hyeok’s back, Ye Juyeol began to strike up a conversation in a familiar manner. Although he couldn’t give details, the face of PD Jeon Jaeyeon, who said it was certain this season would be a massive hit, was still vivid. Thanks to that, Ye Juyeol, who had been typing things like “celebrity best friends” into search bars all night long, gave a small yawn and hovered near the sink.

“Who knows… if Sochan and Jinkyun come out, that would be pretty funny too.”

“No way. I even had a meal with Jinkyun recently? He didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t say anything either.”

“That’s true!”

“So we don’t know. Who knows? Maybe even Mr. Lee Seoul will show up.”

If they were to count the best friends who hadn’t appeared yet, weren’t those two the most likely?

He knew Lee Seoul didn’t even appear on common interview programs, let alone variety shows, so he tossed the comment out as a joke, but no answer came back.

Feeling puzzled, he glanced back and saw the sight of Ye Juyeol tearing at his hair with both hands. His brown hair fluttering in the air looked exactly like dog fur.

“No way… then I really won’t be able to film.”

What do you mean you won’t be able to?

It was the timing just as he was about to click his tongue and add a comment.

At the sudden loud notification sound that rang out, Yun Hyeok and Ye Juyeol’s gazes met. Turning their heads, they saw both of their phones on the table glowing at the same time.

Gasping for breath, Ye Juyeol let go of his disheveled hair and sat down at the table with a clatter. With a whispering voice saying “Look at this,” Yun Hyeok also placed the washed plate on the drying rack and approached.

A single push message was floating on the screen.

(NEW!) ※Best Friend☆Swap★

Urgent Notice

☞☞ Access Right Now

The phrasing was no different from an illegal loan advertisement, but Yun Hyeok had no particular reaction. He had weathered too many storms as an idol to be shaken by a single line like this.

Unlike the stoic Yun Hyeok, Ye Juyeol, whose eyes sparkled with interest, clicked the notification before he could be stopped.

The app activated, and a pop-up window appeared in an instant.

Urgent Notice

♨ Opening Celebration First-Come, First-Served Event ♨

To the pairs who move into the Friendly House first

∑∑☞ 10 Coins will be paid out immediately.

If you want the address, click right now!

So this is the concept you’re going for…

As expected, it was beyond suspicious and felt like a scam, but he could clearly see the “vibe” the production crew was pursuing this season.

Just as he was nodding that it was indeed interesting, Ye Juyeol, excited again, pressed the click button as if charging forward. Hey, think about it a bit before you press it. He pointed it out coldly, but it didn’t seem like the responding Ye Juyeol was really listening. His finger tapped the screen as if repeatedly hitting a skip button.

The screen changed rapidly.

Yun Hyeok, who was reading the text upside down from the opposite side, had just read “Emergency Event” along with “You, who have started your first filming…” when the page turned.

As the page turned, a warning sound rang out.

Would you like to swap Yun Hyeok for the [Friendly House Address]?

Reward: First-come, first-served event in progress

⚠ Caution: Your best friend might have to [ ]…

In that moment, the two of them realized.

That this was a game of loyalty where one of them had to be sacrificed.

Since both Yun Hyeok and Ye Juyeol were so well-versed in these kinds of missions, they immediately noticed that this wasn’t an individual quest like a “Best Friend of the Day.” Since the alarms rang simultaneously, the one who was swapped first had a high probability of becoming the sacrifice for obtaining the address.

The moment they understood that, they reached for the phone without either going first—one to throw the other’s phone away, and the other to swap the other person.

Of course, the winner was Ye Juyeol, who had been holding the phone to skip quickly from earlier.

Watching the slot columns begin to spin crazily, Yun Hyeok despaired while Ye Juyeol pumped his fist.

“Yes-su!”

“Hey, this is a scam. Do it again.”

“Mm-hmm, you have a lot to say, don’t you? That’s not very loser-like of you~”

“Ha…”

“Hmm. Still, don’t worry! I told you I had a good feeling today, didn’t I? I told you earlier, I got a double yolk. Maybe the option will be a Mission Pass or something better…”

Well, thinking about it, he was right. Hadn’t he also pulled the “Guardian Who Swallows Chaos” this morning? Reminding himself that it was a day with a strangely good start, Yun Hyeok watched the slot that began to slow down with a tiny bit of hope. And…

⚠ Caution: Your best friend might [have to perform a girl group medley at 2x speed]…

At the nightmare-like sentence clearly rising on the screen, he had no choice but to grab Ye Juyeol by the collar once more.