2 Days & 3 Nights.
A real variety program once dubbed the nation’s favorite, capturing the love and attention of countless viewers.

Even now, after its peak, the show retained enough charm to remain competitive. No other program could replicate the friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere created by famous celebrities mingling with rural locals in scenic countryside settings.

“Reality is key.”

It was the natural, unscripted charm of the show—free from artificial setups or contrived scenarios—that Ha-eun believed made 2 Days & 3 Nights so beloved.

For this reason, Ha-eun decided to present herself exactly as she was on the show—not as a scripted character, but as actress Lee Ha-eun.

Rather than introducing her character Yeongwol from Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds, she wanted to showcase what kind of person Lee Ha-eun was. Despite spending over a decade in the entertainment industry, her name and face were only somewhat familiar to the public, and her off-camera persona was virtually unknown.

Most importantly, she needed to leave a favorable impression on viewers watching from home.

“...Let’s give it our all.”

Actors who appeared on variety shows like 2 Days & 3 Nights with a lackluster or uncooperative attitude often faced a decline in their public image. Determined to avoid this fate, Ha-eun resolved to show her most enthusiastic and dedicated side.

At 18 years old, Ha-eun was still a high school student. A young actor who tried hard at everything would naturally earn bonus points from the audience.

After all, an actor’s image directly impacted the perception of the projects they worked on. Ha-eun believed that if she could create a positive impression of herself through 2 Days & 3 Nights, it would also reflect well on Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds.

That was why, the moment the producer signaled the start of the mission, Ha-eun sprinted to the traditional market and became the first to arrive. If she performed well in this first-come, first-served mission, she could avoid penalties like diving into cold water.

“Chrysanthemum bread is bread, so... I should probably start with a bakery.”

The problem was that Ha-eun had never been to a traditional market before. She also had never tasted chrysanthemum bread.

In fact, this was the first day she had learned such a thing even existed. Having avoided street food for health reasons—despite admitting its reputation for being delicious—she had never paid it any attention.

This preconception led Ha-eun to assume that chrysanthemum bread was some kind of regional specialty made with actual chrysanthemum flowers. As a result, she wandered from bakery to bakery in the market, diligently searching for a menu item labeled “chrysanthemum bread.”

“...Why can’t I find it?”

Despite visiting multiple bakeries, she couldn’t find the chrysanthemum bread anywhere. Her early arrival at the market now seemed pointless.

To make matters worse, local vendors who recognized Ha-eun began to gather around her.

“I won’t charge you, so try this! It’s really delicious.”
“Oh, no, I can’t just take it for free! I really appreciate it, but—”
“Tsk, when an elder offers, you just say thank you and take it. Now, open your mouth.”

She found herself being pulled aside to taste various side dishes, such as seasoned vegetables.

-Gulp.-

“There you go. You eat so well.”
“Could I get a picture with you? My son is a huge fan of yours.”

Unable to refuse their kindness and enthusiasm, Ha-eun ended up eating snacks and posing for photos instead of finding the chrysanthemum bread.

Eventually, feeling the pressure of time, Ha-eun decided to ask a question at a pork trotter shop. She had been determined to find it on her own but now realized that any further delay could disrupt the filming schedule.

“Excuse me, do you know which bakery sells chrysanthemum bread?”
“Huh? There’s no bakery in this market that sells chrysanthemum bread.”
“What?!”
“If you want chrysanthemum bread, you need to look for a street vendor. Why’re you asking about bakeries?”
“...Street vendors sell bread?”

The shopkeeper’s wrinkled finger pointed to a vendor in the distance.

“See that man with the red cap over there? What he’s grilling is chrysanthemum bread.”
“But... isn’t that just bungeoppang?”
“Bungeoppang is chrysanthemum bread. Didn’t you know?”

She hadn’t known.

She hadn’t realized that chrysanthemum bread wasn’t made with chrysanthemums but was simply a sweet bean-filled pastry, similar to walnut cakes.

The shopkeeper gave her a puzzled look, and Ha-eun felt as if she’d been struck on the back of the head. She couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of herself wandering from bakery to bakery, ignoring the numerous street vendors around her.

Blushing furiously, Ha-eun turned and shuffled toward the vendor the shopkeeper had pointed out.

“...One bag of chrysanthemum bread, please.”

Her voice barely above a whisper, she ordered 2,000 won worth of chrysanthemum bread. Naturally, her VJ captured every moment of her awkward interaction on camera.

When Ha-eun returned to the opening location, dragging her feet, the other cast members greeted her warmly.

“Oh, there she is!”

The cast welcomed her with a mix of concern and teasing.

“We thought you got lost, Ha-eun.”
“I was starting to think you were making chrysanthemum bread from scratch!”
“...Sorry for being late.”

In the end, Ha-eun earned zero points for the mission—a dismal score for someone who had arrived at the market first.

It was frustrating, but she had no one to blame but herself.

Each time she recalled how she ignored the street vendors and wandered around bakeries, she found herself squeezing her eyes shut in regret.

On the bus ride to the next filming location, Ha-eun stayed unusually quiet.

Most of the conversations revolved around Yoo Seong-jae, who had some level of rapport with the 2 Days & 3 Nights cast. Watching their lively chatter, Ha-eun made a silent vow:

“...I have to win first place in the next mission.”

Not only to improve her image but also to uphold the charisma of Yeongwol, the lead character of Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds.

No more mistakes could be allowed.

Peering out the bus window, Ha-eun spotted a vast watermelon field in the distance. Her eyes gleamed with determination, already strategizing for the next mission.

The vast watermelon field seemed like the perfect setup for a watermelon harvesting mission.

Ha-eun was determined to redeem herself after her poor performance in the first mission by harvesting as many watermelons as possible.

But just as she was getting ready for the challenge—

“Alright, everyone, we’ll be arriving at the restaurant in about ten minutes. Try to hold off your hunger until then!”

The bus didn’t stop at the watermelon field. Instead, it passed right by, leaving Ha-eun staring at the retreating field with a bewildered expression.

Their actual destination was a famous bulgogi restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner. Until they sat at the pre-prepared table filled with various dishes, there was no mention of any mission.

Moments earlier, Ha-eun had been brimming with enthusiasm for the watermelon harvest mission. Now, all she could do was answer the occasional questions that came her way during the meal.

“How many actors auditioned for the role of Yeongwol?”
“Um… I think about 40.”
“And they were all older than you, right?”
“Oh, yes. I don’t think I saw anyone younger than me.”

The conversation continued to revolve around Moonlight Piercing Through the Clouds until the meal finally came to an end.

After leaving the restaurant, they boarded the bus again and headed back toward the watermelon field. Ha-eun was now certain the watermelon harvesting mission was about to begin.

Or so she thought.

“Everyone, it’ll take a while to set up the ping-pong table, so please have a seat and rest for a bit!”

The staff began preparing for a ping-pong game instead of a watermelon harvesting mission, leaving Ha-eun flustered once more.

In her 18 years of life, Ha-eun had never once played ping-pong. Although she was willing to try her best, she couldn’t imagine winning against anyone.

Still, she couldn’t afford to show any sign of hesitation or unease.

“Alright, let’s settle teams with rock-paper-scissors! Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!”

Under MC Jang Seong-ho’s direction, they immediately started playing rock-paper-scissors to form teams.

After three rounds, Ha-eun ended up on the same team as Yoo Seong-jae. This meant her chances in the ping-pong game relied entirely on Seong-jae’s skills.

“Seong-jae, are you good at ping-pong?”

Her hopeful gaze turned toward him.

“I can barely serve. What about you, Ha-eun?”
“…To be honest, I don’t even know how to hold the paddle.”
“We’re doomed.”

Their chances of scoring anything above last place seemed slim.

The ping-pong game began anyway, with no special accommodations for the two novice players. After all, 2 Days & 3 Nights prided itself on being a real variety show.

To make matters worse, all the show’s regular members were seasoned ping-pong players. Unsurprisingly, Seong-jae and Ha-eun lost their first game by a landslide, scoring only 3 points to their opponents’ 11.

To be fair, the game was fun to watch. Cameras repeatedly caught Seong-jae successfully serving and Ha-eun hitting the ball with all her might.

That is, until the ball she hit veered far off course and soared across the room.

“Aaah! This isn’t baseball, Ha-eun!”
“…I’m so sorry.”

Ha-eun’s powerful smash was more reminiscent of a home run from a fourth batter.

Seong-jae’s expression of despair in response to her wild hit was comedic gold, sure to bring laughter to the audience.

Even though they lost, their efforts would likely leave a positive impression, positioning them as endearing rather than unlikable.

However, as fate would have it, the day’s punishment fell on the two guests.

“Since they’re guests, it’d be a bit much to punish both. Let’s decide who gets spared with rock-paper-scissors! Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!”

In an instant, Seong-jae and Ha-eun thrust their hands forward in a desperate bid to avoid punishment. The result?

“Wow, Seong-jae, you’re so ruthless.”
“A real man should lose on purpose in times like this! Tsk, tsk.”
“But you said a real man always throws rock!”
“That’s one thing; this is another~.”

Ha-eun lost with scissors against Seong-jae’s rock.

She tried to maintain a poker face, but the faint trembling of her eyelids betrayed her disappointment.

Fortunately, the punishment turned out to be sleeping outdoors rather than diving into cold water.

“So… when’s the diving punishment?”
“Hmm… Probably tomorrow, after we harvest the watermelons.”
“…So the watermelon harvest is tomorrow.”

Ha-eun sighed in mild exasperation as she finally learned more about the mission she had eagerly awaited.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Ha-eun?”
“A punishment is a punishment. It’d be weird to back out now.”

With that, she headed toward the outdoor sleeping area—a small hut in the middle of the watermelon field.

When she arrived, she was greeted by a yellow one-person tent already set up, along with four infrared cameras mounted on the hut’s posts.

To avoid attracting bugs, there were no lights installed. However, this had an unexpected upside.

‘…The stars are so bright.’

The clear night sky, dotted with countless twinkling stars, was breathtaking.

Ha-eun took out her phone from her pocket.

-Click.-

She snapped several photos of the beautiful night sky from different angles. Selecting the best ones, she posted them to the group chat for Fantasy Haven.

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - (Attached: 10 photos of the night sky)
[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - The stars are so clear tonight.
[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - (Otter emoji marveling)

She wanted to share the dazzling scenery with her fellow Fantasy Haven members.

The responses began pouring in, most expressing envy and a desire to visit such a picturesque location themselves.

However—

[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - Ha-eun, you’re the youngest of us, but moments like this make you seem like an old soul.
[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - An old soul?
[Kim Eun-hye (Ria)] - You know, like how older folks always share scenic photos like this.

Ria’s unintentional jab left Ha-eun feeling slightly hurt.

[Lee Ha-eun (Diah)] - …That’s mean.

Ha-eun sulked a little.