SWAP 35

At Ye Juyeol’s sudden, unpredictable action, everyone around him shrieked, “Whoa, whoa!” No matter how hot of a rising star the other person was, anyone would naturally try to avoid a 185cm giant rushing towards them.

But there was one person who failed to escape in time.

It was Producer Jeon Jaeyeon, who had come in late and was caught off guard while taking off his shoes.

He lifted his head a step too late due to the commotion, and before he could dodge, his body was lifted clean off the ground by Ye Juyeol’s hands. Yes, literally, clean off the ground.

“What the, aaaaaah! Ye Juyeeeeol!”

As a matter of course, a scream erupted. Although he had a lean build, Producer Jeon was a full-grown adult male, yet Ye Juyeol effortlessly lifted him up with sheer arm strength, even spinning around once in place as if giving him a ride on a merry-go-round.

Seoul was naturally horrified, and even Saheon, who hadn’t paid much attention whether someone was lying on the floor or not, threw him a look as if he were staring at a rabid dog. Yun Hyeok wore an expression that said he was rather fed up with it. He couldn’t even begin to grasp what was happening, but only Ye Juyeol, who was twirling the main PD in mid-air, was smiling brightly.

“Wow, Producer-niiim! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Hey, you again…! Put me down, now!”

“Huh?”

At those words, Producer Jeon’s two feet, which had been dangling in the air, immediately landed on the floor.

As if he had never lifted a person clean off the ground, Ye Juyeol placed him gently back in his spot and stood there blankly. Producer Jeon, with a dumbfounded expression, shook his dizzy head once and said.

“Hey, you… why do you always spin people around the moment we meet…? Are you getting revenge right now?”

He asked, knowing it wasn’t true, and Ye Juyeol tilted his head and smiled brightly again. In fact, this was not the first time he had spun Producer Jeon Jaeyeon in the air. This, too, was a story from a previous program, so Juyeol glossed over it and acted cute, as if asking how he couldn’t know.

“It’s because I’m happy to see you! It’s the first time we’ve seen each other since the pre-meeting. You weren’t on our side this morning, so I couldn’t even see your face.”

“My, my…. But why are you protesting against someone you’re happy to see? Who told you to just lie down on the floor?”

“I learned this from you, Producer-nim.”

“……”

That was true, so he had nothing to say. As he deliberately avoided Juyeol’s gaze, his eyes met Seoul’s, who was watching from afar with a blank expression. Yes. You must be very surprised, Mr. Seoul. Me too…. As Producer Jeon was sending this letter in his mind, something was suddenly thrust in front of his face. It was the move-in guide.

“Hello, Producer-nim.”

“Seriously, Mr. Yun Hyeok, why are you doing this too…?”

“I don’t want to eat only ramen.”

“Good grief. We’re not that petty. Anyone would think the credit limit is something like 50,000 won….”

“Then how much is it?”

“That,”

Producer Jeon, who had unconsciously started to open his mouth, shut it tightly as if to say, no way, and glared.

“…Hey, of course it’s a secret. Didn’t you read the guide? The credit limit will not be disclosed.”

“Give us a hint, then! Or at least tell us what the penalty is…!”

“Ah~ Is this your first day on a variety show? You’ll never get it for free~”

“Fine. Let’s make a bet, then.”

After all that, it ended with a bet. It was the picture he had anticipated from the moment Ye Juyeol had started taunting the camera, so it wasn’t surprising. Just as Yun Hyeok and Ye Juyeol had guessed, the production team desperately wanted to capture the sight of Seo Saheon and Lee Seoul fretting over money.

“If we’re going to do this, let’s set the terms properly. If we tell you the limit, what will you offer on your side?”

“Is there something you want?”

“Well… how about a wish ticket? The cast grants one of the production team’s wishes. How about it?”

“Aren’t you not supposed to make blank-check deals even with your parents?”

“Hey, hey, what do you take us for? Do you really think we’d ask for something weird? I’m Producer Jeon Jaeyeon, you know?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“……”

The man’s face darkened rapidly. He thought he was doing them a favor, but this was the image he had? As if he had nothing more to say, Producer Jeon made a move to leave, and Ye Juyeol rushed over with a tearful face.

Ahhh. Of course it’s a joke! Is our Producer Jeon the type of person to ask for something weird? I trust our main PD. Let’s do it, do it! At those words, he managed to swallow a wicked smile, cleared his throat with a hem hem, and pointed somewhere.

“That’s all well and good, but do Mr. Saheon and Mr. Seoul agree to this? Those two have just been watching since a while ago.”

Pinpointed like that, Seoul flinched and thought for a moment before grabbing Saheon’s wrist. To be honest, it didn’t really matter to Seoul if they spent less money, but that wasn’t the important thing right now. With nervous steps, Seoul approached Producer Jeon with Saheon and quietly expressed his intention to participate.

“…I’ll do it. You’ll do it too, right?”

I thought he’d just stay quiet.

Saheon, looking surprised at Seoul’s sudden show of motivation, nodded his head.

He felt similarly to Seoul, so he didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic. It was only for two weeks, after all. He might eat less than usual compared to his big-eater appetite, but well, if he thought of it as a weight-loss period, it wouldn’t be that difficult.

In any case, Saheon’s purpose lay elsewhere, so he wasn’t very interested in this chaotic situation. He quickly tuned it out and started fiddling with Seoul’s hair, and Producer Jeon, who had been watching this approvingly, clapped his hands loudly, Clap!, as if to change the mood. He couldn’t miss such a good opportunity.

“Alright. Then I’ll take it that everyone agrees… We’ll suggest the event. Would you like to do paper cups or Gonggi pebbles?”

After a moment of thought, Yun Hyeok glanced at Seoul and asked.

“What would you like to do?”

“Hmm. I don’t know what we’ll be doing anyway, so either is fine. You?”

“Then should we just do paper cups? I have a feeling they’ll ask us to do something really weird with the Gonggi pebbles.”

“Okay. What about you, Mr. Juyeol?”

He expected an immediate answer, but it was quiet next to him. Feeling that something was off, Seoul turned his head and his eyes met Ye Juyeol’s, who was making a strange expression. Wondering what was wrong, he stared at him, and a slightly dazed voice came back.

“Uh, uh… I don’t mind either….”

“Excellent. Paper cups it is, right? Everyone, please gather here.”

The guidance was as kind as if he were leading a group of kindergartners.

A subtle war of nerves unfolded between the production staff and the cast, who had now gathered around the living room table. When they had installed the cameras, no one had expected such a situation to develop. They had just wanted to film an observation variety show, but now, a scary thing was happening where even the people who were supposed to be filming were being observed under the camera.

This situation of everyone huddled together felt bewildering. Producer Jeon Jaeyeon, trying his best to pull himself together, placed three paper cups and one Gonggi pebble on the table.

“Alright. All you have to do now is guess which of these three paper cups contains the Gonggi pebble~! Each person gets exactly one chance! However, if even one person guesses correctly, we will immediately reveal the corporate card’s credit limit.”

“Aha. So you’re going to play a shell game?”

“It’ll be fun, right?”

It was an unexpected event for the bet, but would they really not get a single one right? As no one raised any particular objections, a male staff member with a buzz cut approached the table. Dressed in a poorly-fitting suit jacket, he bowed his head once and then immediately opened his mouth.

“I look forward to working with you. First, who would like to take on the challenge?”

It was a line that sounded like it belonged in a high-end casino.

Towards the staff member who had already fully immersed himself in the role, Yun Hyeok raised his hand high.

“I’ll go first. I did some boxing when I was young.”

It was a believable background.

A glimmer of hope arose that they might succeed on the very first try and end the game right away. The man nodded and covered the Gonggi pebble on the table with a paper cup. And in the next moment, the paper cups began to rotate at an incredible speed.

“……”

“……”

“Huh?”

Is this what they call an optical illusion?

At the spectacle of the paper cups not just moving around the table but practically dancing, not only the cast but even the production staff gaped in awe.

What is this.

They had proposed a shell game, and then brought in a real pro from somewhere.

Even Yun Hyeok, who was confident in his kinetic vision, found his gaze growing dizzy after the cups had spun three times. He tried to focus as much as possible, tracing the character for ‘heaven’ in his mind, but his confidence was shattered as the Gonggi pebble he thought was under cup 1 rolled out from cup 3.

By the time the shuffling was all over, Yun Hyeok even felt a sense of dizziness.

“The shuffle is complete. Please select a number. It is one, two, and three, from the left.”

Despite his identity as a shell game hustler being revealed to the world, the man was shameless. Even the gesture of him pointing to the tops of the paper cups in turn with a nonchalant face was somehow annoying.

And Ye Juyeol was not one to let this slide. He had been watching for the right moment to flip the table from the instant the cups started moving, and now, as if he had been waiting for it, he protested vehemently to Producer Jeon Jaeyeon.

“Time! This is a scam! Are you telling us to guess or not!”

“I’m not sure what you mean….”

“Is this really a situation where you can feign ignorance? Sir, which land did you come from…! Didn’t you hire a casino dealer?”

It was a skill that one could believe a hundred times over, even if it were true.

Despite Juyeol’s valid outcry, Producer Jeon replied shamelessly without a single waver.

“Haha, there seems to be a misunderstanding between us. Mr. Juyeol~ This person is our adorable youngest VJ. Here, here. He even has a name tag. Look!”

Sure enough, when he lifted the suit jacket, a staff name tag hidden underneath peeked out. After confirming the name written as ‘VJ Park Unsu,’ Juyeol’s fingers trembled as he claimed to feel the aura of a casino even from the name.

They had confirmed that he was an official staff member, but it was an unfair game by anyone’s standards.

After a few rounds of squabbling, Yun Hyeok chose paper cup number 3.

The inside was, of course, empty.

“I have a question.”

It was then.

As Seoul, who had been quietly watching the situation, tentatively raised his hand, the gazes of Ye Juyeol and Producer Jeon, who had been fighting like dogs, fell on him simultaneously. The others also looked at him with faces that seemed to ask, what’s the question, but Seoul’s gaze was fixed on only one person.

Towards Park Unsu, who was staring right back at him from directly in front, Seoul answered in spite of himself.

“Me?”

“Yes. This is a game, not a magic trick, right?”