"What a view."

That was Ha-eun’s first thought as she finally arrived at the opening location for 2 Days & 3 Nights.

When you think about it, the very premise of 2 Days & 3 Nights is a travel program designed to uncover Korea’s hidden tourist gems. Naturally, the scenery around the opening location was bound to be stunning.

But whether this appearance was for the sake of promoting Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds or not didn’t matter. The mere fact that she had come to such a beautiful place for a “trip” was enough to make Ha-eun’s heart flutter just a little.

"The air is so fresh."

The breathtaking natural landscape before her was a world Ha-eun had never experienced before. A world she could never have imagined during the days she was confined to a narrow hospital room.

Just looking at it felt wonderful.
The mere fact that she could look at it was enough to make her happy.

After spending some time taking in the scenery, Ha-eun finally noticed another guest, Yoo Seong-jae. Unlike Ha-eun, who had no prior connections with the regular cast of 2 Days & 3 Nights, Seong-jae was different.

"Seong-jae, you’re going in the water today, no matter what."
"Come on, hyung. I’m an actor, you know? Someone like me lives off their image."
"You can live just fine off a ruined image too~."

Yoo Seong-jae, who already had some rapport with the show’s MC, Jang Seong-ho, and the other members, was boisterous and lively even before the opening began. The atmosphere around them was warm and friendly.

Still, one way or another, every single person over there would be spending the next two days and three nights with Ha-eun.

-Step.-

Before the filming officially began, Ha-eun decided to step forward and introduce herself. Not long after, she made eye contact with Jang Seong-ho, the eldest cast member, and gave him a polite bow.

"Hello. I’m actress Lee Ha-eun."
"Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Jang Seong-ho."

He had a kind and approachable face. But in stark contrast, his muscular physique immediately stood out.

The arm he extended for a handshake was just as burly—like a glimpse of his days as a major league pitcher 20 years ago.

When Ha-eun lightly shook his hand, it felt like shaking hands with a bear.

But then, Jang Seong-ho asked her a rather unexpected question.

"So, Ha-eun, have you done any sports?"

The odd question made Ha-eun blink in surprise for a moment before she regained her composure and nodded.

"I thought so. The moment I shook your hand, I could tell. What kind of sports? Swimming? Track?"
"Oh, just a bit of jogging and jump rope, things like that..."
"Really? That doesn’t seem like enough to build this kind of physique, though?"

His tone was curious. Ha-eun hesitated before explaining that it might be because of the swordsmanship lessons she had been taking for her acting role.

Technically, she wasn’t lying. Before attending Kim Gyu-tae’s action school, she had never trained in any specific sport.

With her goal of introducing herself accomplished, Ha-eun turned her attention back to the picturesque scenery, letting it fill her eyes like a painting.

About ten minutes later, preparations for the opening began. After being fitted with a microphone by her writer, Ha-eun found herself left alone with Yoo Seong-jae, waiting for their turn to appear.

"How’s your condition, Ha-eun?"
"I think I’m okay. What about you, Seong-jae?"
"Honestly? Not great. Seong-ho hyung is the kind of guy who actually does what he says, so I’m pretty sure I’ll end up in the water later."
"...Oh no."

They continued chatting about random, mundane things until the opening of 2 Days & 3 Nights officially began. The regular cast members, now gathered in front of the camera, started ramping up the energy, turning the set into a lively, chaotic scene.

"Hmm... Watching this on TV and seeing it live are really two different things."
"Diving in person will probably feel different from watching it on TV too."
"Ha, even you, Ha-eun?"
"Well, just do well in the mini-games, and you won’t have to dive."

She was completely sincere. Ha-eun had no intention of deliberately failing and taking a penalty just to create drama.

She was determined to avoid any situation where she ended up looking like a drowned rat. And she absolutely wouldn’t give Ju Jung-yoon an excuse to show up with a spare set of clothes and secretly snap pictures of her while struggling to stifle her laughter.

"So, good luck to you too, Your Highness."
"...Thanks, I guess."

Moments before the guest introductions, Ha-eun heard the cue from the staff. Together with Yoo Seong-jae, she stepped forward to appear in front of the cameras.

"Today’s guests! Please welcome actor Yoo Seong-jae and actress Lee Ha-eun!"

A booming voice filled with energy echoed across the set. After a brief introduction, the crew played a short teaser for Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds.

Following the clip, the regular cast members took turns sharing their impressions and bombarding Seong-jae and Ha-eun with questions.

"Wait, didn’t Nam-soo hyung learn kendo?"
"Kendo? Yeah, I trained for about five years."
"Five years? That’s enough to know everything! All right, get the competitor ready!"

Nam-soo, one of the regular cast members, was being nudged closer to Ha-eun, creating a mood that practically demanded a swordsmanship duel.

It was all in good fun, of course. There was no way they’d actually have a sword fight in the middle of the opening. Ha-eun planned to play along lightly and leave it at that.

But—

"We came prepared for this."

As if they had anticipated this scenario, the production team handed foam swords to both Ha-eun and Nam-soo. Nam-soo, visibly flustered, protested.

"Why did you prepare this so seriously?!"
"Since when do we ever do things half-heartedly? If you’re scared, just admit it~."

Finally, Ha-eun and Nam-soo stood face to face, foam swords raised in preparation for their duel.

Regardless of the situation, Nam-soo, being a regular cast member, had no choice but to let the guest, Ha-eun, get the better of him. If, by chance, he went all out against her—even with a foam sword—he’d face the wrath of the viewers.

Above all, for the sake of creating a funnier and more entertaining scene, it was necessary for Nam-soo to be the one on the receiving end. Thus, he approached Ha-eun with his guard completely down, leaving himself wide open.

And then, just a few seconds later—

-Shiver.-

‘...Wait. Why does her gaze feel so intense?’

Nam-soo froze in his tracks, suddenly overwhelmed by the sharp, almost menacing aura emanating from Ha-eun.

Unfortunately for him, Ha-eun’s foam sword was already hurtling toward him. By the time he realized and hastily tried to raise his own sword—

-Thwack!-

"Ugh!"

A dull thud landed on Nam-soo’s waist, sending a sharp ache through him. Even though it was just a soft foam sword, the impact was surprisingly heavy.

"Ah, um... I’m so sorry!" Ha-eun exclaimed in panic.

"No, no, it’s fine. Nam-soo’s just putting on a show," Jang Seong-ho reassured, brushing it off casually.

In truth, even Seong-ho could tell it looked a bit painful. But in order to keep 2 Days & 3 Nights’s characteristic cheerful atmosphere intact, he pretended not to notice.

With that, the slightly chaotic opening scene finally wrapped up, and the cast moved on to the next segment. A box of lots was placed before them to determine their next mission.

"Now, each of you will draw a slip. Written on it will be a type of food you’ll need to buy from the traditional market over there," the production team explained.

Adding to the instructions, Jang Seong-ho suggested that today’s guests, Yoo Seong-jae and Ha-eun, draw their lots first.

After exchanging hesitant glances, both Ha-eun and Seong-jae picked their lots.

Once the rest of the cast followed suit, they all opened their slips simultaneously at Seong-ho’s signal.

‘...Is this even a type of bread?’

Ha-eun’s slip read “Chrysanthemum Bread”.

The exact location of the shop wasn’t written on it, and the same applied to the other cast members’ slips. Seong-ho, taking charge, asked the production team for clarification.

"So, we can buy it from any store?"
"Yes. As long as it’s within the traditional market, any store is fine."
"Just to be sure—does this go by first-come, first-served?"
"Yes, that’s correct. The first to return with their item will receive the highest points. So... everyone, go!"

"?! Wait, you’re telling us to go without any warning?!" Seong-ho exclaimed, his tone tinged with disbelief. But before he could even finish his sentence, someone bolted toward the traditional market at full speed.

"Who was that?!"

The figure was the smallest-framed member of the group, yet they were moving so quickly that even the seasoned 2 Days & 3 Nights VJ, who had seen it all, could barely keep up.

It was Ha-eun.
And her expression was deadly serious.

The previously timid and slightly awkward demeanor she’d shown around the high-energy cast was now completely gone.

***

[ "It seems… I won’t be able to do the featuring. I’m sorry, I need to stay with my guardian." ]
"No, no, family comes first. Don’t worry about us—just take good care of your mother."

And with that, the call abruptly ended. Until the very last moment, Lee Geon-yeol maintained a calm tone, but as soon as the line disconnected, his face darkened considerably.

The finals of the hip-hop survival show SIT ON THE MONEY, where Double Lee was participating as a producer, were fast approaching. The sudden withdrawal of the female singer who had promised to feature in the final performance was a major setback.

All the other female singers who had connections with Double Lee were already tied up with their own schedules. They could try asking around, but how many would be willing to appear on such a grand stage as SIT ON THE MONEY’s live finale on such short notice?

To make matters worse, they had no time to secure another featuring artist. Even if they managed to find someone tomorrow, the recording for the final song would still be cutting it extremely close.

"…Let’s just remove the featuring part from the final performance."
"It’ll definitely feel like something’s missing."
"We’ll have to extend my and Ji-hoon’s parts a bit. There’s no other way."

In the end, they decided to proceed with the finals without a featuring artist. The finalist rapper, Hwang Ji-hoon, didn’t argue against the decision—he knew there was no other choice.

But that didn’t mean he believed the performance would be the best it could be. After all, the final song had been created with the assumption that a female singer would be featured.

The overall atmosphere of the track.
The vocal tone and the intention behind the lyrics.

And lastly, the performance they had envisioned to make the finale worthy of the title. So much had to be abandoned because the promised singer had to withdraw for unavoidable reasons.

For Hwang Ji-hoon, who had lived his life as an unknown rapper until now, the SIT ON THE MONEY finals were nothing short of a dream stage. He didn’t want to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through his fingers.

The song he wanted to share.
The performance he wanted to show.

He believed that to truly aim for victory, there could be no compromises or regrets with either of these two elements. Whatever the other contestants might think, at least this was what Hwang Ji-hoon firmly believed.

For a long time, he racked his brain, desperate to find a solution—a small glimmer of hope amidst the seemingly insurmountable challenges of the finals. A lifeline that could save him from walking onto the stage burdened by unfinished ambitions.

It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that Hwang Ji-hoon found something resembling a lifeline.

However, whether or not he could grasp that lifeline remained uncertain.

Finally, after staying silent for so long, he cautiously opened his mouth.

"Hey, hyungs."
"Hmm? What’s up?"
"Well, uh… I was wondering… What do you think about asking Pinocchio?"

He mentioned the name of a certain singer who had debuted by featuring on Double Lee’s 10th album.