Park Jung-woo thought to himself,
“How did things end up like this?”

The scorching sun blazed overhead, and people stood around staring at him in bewilderment. Their expressions seemed to say:

"Why is he here?"

Jung-woo felt the same way.

"Why am I here?"

It all started just a few days ago. He vaguely remembered talking about Survival on a Deserted Island with Producer Shin, who was a close friend of his father. He couldn't quite recall what he had said, but somehow his participation was swiftly decided.

And the reason for that was clear:

“Wow, it seems like your performance in A Glimpse into the Past left quite an impression, and approval came through in no time!”

Producer Shin had laughed heartily as he received the approval almost instantly. Jung-woo couldn't understand why his agency didn’t intervene.

"Since you don’t have anything else until your next drama shoot, go have some fun."

Hwang Jin-hwan, the CEO of On Garam Actors, Jung-woo's agency, had said this as he sent him off cheerfully, almost as if he were telling him to go play.

“Nowadays, Survival on a Deserted Island isn’t too tough. They say the filming isn't as intense anymore.”

He had even patted Jung-woo on the shoulder reassuringly. The real reason for this push, however, was something else.

Jung-woo rarely participated in variety shows. He focused exclusively on acting and modeling, never appearing on other types of shows.

“An actor has to be mindful of image consumption.”

This strict principle was drilled into him by his father. While he wanted to tell his father that times had changed, even the agency’s CEO couldn’t easily contradict a seasoned actor of his father's stature.

“Just don’t create any scandals.”

“…”

Jung-woo knew exactly what that meant. After A Glimpse into the Past aired, everyone he met would ask him something along the lines of, "You’re not involved with Princess Yeonhwa, are you?"

“CEO, she’s still in high school. There are three more years until she becomes an adult. Three years.”

“She’s only three years younger than you. What’s the big deal?”

He’d say that, adding:

“Three years will fly by.”

Despite these comments, the CEO knew that Jung-woo was the last person to get involved in a scandal. He was meticulous in managing his image. Thus, without much time to refuse, Jung-woo found himself on the show.

“Wow, they said there was a secret guest!”

Jung Dae-hyun, the main MC of Survival on a Deserted Island, greeted him with a bright smile.

The scorching sun, the sandy beach, the distant dense forest—everything about this place was the exact opposite of what Jung-woo liked.

Indeed, Jung-woo had arrived on an uninhabited island somewhere abroad.

“An uninhabited island!”

Seoyeon was well aware of Survival on a Deserted Island. Of course, it wasn’t a show she enjoyed watching in her past life. It wasn’t really a show suitable for "studying."

Nonetheless, as Ju Seoyeon, she found it quite interesting. After all, she had never been abroad or been left in the wild like this.

“I remember Survival on a Deserted Island being quite a talked-about show.”

It couldn’t be called a super popular variety show, but it had a very solid fan base and consistently good ratings.

There were many claims that the show was tough, but it wasn’t known for being unsafe or overly harsh on the participants. There had been no major incidents, which made it a relatively safe choice.

Due to the extended filming period, only Seoyeon and Park Hee-jun, whose movie filming had finished, were able to participate.

“Greetings! I’m Jung Dae-hyun, the leader of this uninhabited island expedition!”

A man, easily over 190 cm tall, greeted everyone with a bow. Jung Dae-hyun, who referred to himself as the expedition leader, was a comedian with a background in athletics, naturally making him the main MC of Survival on a Deserted Island. Despite his imposing figure, his friendly demeanor helped ease the tension.

“And over here, we have the two actors from the soon-to-be-released movie The Chaser.”

The introduction was seamless, followed by a brief promotion of The Chaser starting at the airport. It wasn’t a full promotion, just a teaser.

Seoyeon remained silent, leaving most of the talking to Park Hee-jun.

“I’m just a convenience store part-timer…”

It wasn’t that Seoyeon didn’t want to speak, but given her role as a convenience store worker, she was cautious about what to say.

“That’s enough introductions. Since we only have two guests this time, that was quick, right?”

Survival on a Deserted Island had three regular members, including Jung Dae-hyun. The guests, usually a few, joined them to work together.

This time, the guests were the two actors promoting The Chaser: Ju Seoyeon and Park Hee-jun.

“...Will this be okay?”

Jung Dae-hyun didn’t seem concerned, but Na Tae-shik, one of the regular members, couldn’t help but worry. He wasn’t too concerned about Park Hee-jun. He was a man who had served in special forces in the military, standing over 180 cm tall, with a muscular build.

“Let’s go.”

And so, Seoyeon’s first overseas shoot began.

And so, they arrived at an uninhabited island a bit off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The island was large enough to have its own ecosystem.

Seoyeon stood with her mouth slightly agape, taking in the silence. This sudden overseas shoot, and being in such a place, filled her with excitement.

“And now, I have something to announce.”

At that moment, Jung Dae-hyun stepped forward and spoke. The group, who had just started unpacking, turned their attention to him.

“In fact, we have one more guest today!”

“One more guest?”

The others glanced at Seoyeon and Park Hee-jun. Were they expecting someone else from The Chaser?

“This person is very familiar to Seoyeon.”

“...To me?”

Someone familiar to Seoyeon?

‘Is there anyone like that?’

With her very limited circle of acquaintances, the number of people Seoyeon could consider familiar was very small.

“And that person is actor Park Jung-woo!!”

As if on cue, dramatic sound effects seemed to play in the background.

“Park Jung-woo?”

“Come on, you’re kidding. Why would Jung-woo be here?”

As the members voiced their surprise, a figure emerged from the bushes.

He was a well-dressed man with a tired face, looking like he had no idea why he was there.

“…”

Park Jung-woo.

The moment Seoyeon saw him, she was bewildered.

‘Why is he here?’

After all, even in her past life, Park Jung-woo had never once appeared on a variety show.

Despite the brief commotion caused by Park Jung-woo’s appearance, the filming proceeded in earnest. As the name Survival on a Deserted Island suggests, the show involved surviving for three days and two nights on an uninhabited island.

The only thing they were given at the start was a bottle of water. The water was unlimited, as dehydration could be a serious health issue.

“Huh.”

Seoyeon was slightly disappointed.

“…I read the survival manual cover to cover before coming.”

She shook the water bottle in her hand. She had been eager to try out some survival techniques, like making a water filter from a plastic bottle.

“Excuse me, how are we supposed to do anything without tools?”

Jung Dae-hyun voiced his disbelief to Producer Shin.

“There are tools, don’t worry. But we’ve hidden them on the island.”

Producer Shin chuckled as he explained, leaving Jung Dae-hyun looking a bit shocked.

‘So they don’t plan on making this easy.’

Of course, if they just handed out the tools, the show wouldn’t be entertaining. The environment wasn’t as harsh as a jungle, but it wasn’t easy either.

“Let’s split into an exploration team and a survival team.”

Jung Dae-hyun gathered the group and suggested they divide into teams. The exploration team would search for the tools, while the survival team would focus on finding food and setting up a shelter.

Those who were physically adept were placed in the exploration team. Those who didn’t seem as suited were assigned to the survival team.

Naturally, Seoyeon joined the survival team, along with Park Jung-woo and the only female regular member, Bang Ha-yoon.

‘Saved.’

Jung-woo sighed in relief, glad he wasn’t dragged into the exploration team.

“Let’s start by making a fire.”

At that moment, Seoyeon’s voice, full of determination, broke the silence. Jung-woo looked at her in disbelief.

“Why?”

“Starting with fire is just common sense.”

“But why?”

He was genuinely curious. How did she plan to make fire without tools?

“We need tools to start a fire, and the exploration team is out looking for them.”

Ignoring Jung-woo’s comment, Seoyeon picked up a log and some twigs.

‘Is she really planning to make a fire with that?’

Was she just being overly ambitious for the sake of the show? He wondered, but then noticed the serious look in Seoyeon’s eyes.

‘She’s serious.’

Seoyeon’s eagerness to prove herself made Jung-woo’s lips twitch slightly.

“…Fine, I’ll go gather other materials while you try to make the fire.”

“I want to do it.”

“…”

Starting a fire by rubbing sticks together isn’t easy. Even men struggle with it, and from Jung-woo’s perspective, Seoyeon didn’t seem capable of it.

‘Does he want to try making fire too?’

Seoyeon narrowed her eyes at Jung-woo, suspecting he wanted to take over her task.

“Let’s settle this with rock-paper-scissors.”

“Huh?”

“The winner gets to make the fire.”

“Wai—”

Before Jung-woo could protest, Seoyeon had already thrown out her hand for rock-paper-scissors. Reflexively, Jung-woo played along, choosing rock. Seoyeon, however, chose scissors.

“…”

“I win.”

Jung-woo sighed in relief. Despite being caught off guard, he thought he could use this to persuade her.

But then…

“Huh?”

Seoyeon pressed her scissors down on Jung-woo’s rock, producing an unsettling sound.

“Ow!!”

Jung-woo yelped and quickly pulled his hand away, while Seoyeon looked triumphant.

“Scissors are stronger, right?”

“No. Is…is it broken?”

Jung-woo looked at his hand, wondering if it was injured, but thankfully, it seemed fine.

“…Alright, fine. I’ll go do something else. You can work on the fire.”

“Okay.”

With that, Jung-woo turned away with a sigh. He figured she would give up after a few attempts.

‘But why is her grip strength so strong?’

Maybe that’s why she was so eager to make the fire. As he walked away, he recalled the time she had asked him how much he could lift.

‘…’

Maybe she wasn’t asking out of curiosity. He wondered if there was more to her question than he initially thought.

Meanwhile, Seoyeon, left alone, was seriously trying to start a fire by rubbing the log and twigs together.

The cameraman filming Seoyeon couldn’t help but find her unique.

‘She’s more interesting than I thought.’

As she earnestly tried to make a fire, the cameraman captured her efforts, unsure whether she was doing it for the show or genuinely wanted to succeed. Either way, it was entertaining.

‘Maybe she’ll struggle and eventually give up…’

Just as he was thinking that, Seoyeon vigorously rubbed the twigs together.

Snap!!

The wood in Seoyeon’s hands shattered as if it had gone through a grinder. Naturally, no fire was made.

“…”

Holding the splintered wood, Seoyeon’s eyes widened in disbelief.