Cheat day

Sugar Man (2)

Monday.

It’s the filming day for “Baekban Follow.”

Seeing PD Park Sang-cheol smiling brightly, it seems today’s shoot won’t be easy.

“Everyone has been working hard lately, doing good things.”

“Why are you speaking so formally again?!”

As Park Sang-cheol began his opening remarks, Baek Woo-jin shouted loudly.

He must be on edge, as there’s a mountain of work to do this week.

“Why do you keep complaining about me being polite? It’s just bad manners.”

“Every time he does something sneaky, he gets all formal,” Cha Ji-chan chimed in, teasing Baek Woo-jin.

It’s not entirely wrong.

“That’s true. Why do you make people uneasy right after the shoot starts?”

Cha Ji-chan asked Park Sang-cheol.

“When have I ever made you uneasy?”

“Your expression right now looks like you’re super excited.”

PD Park Sang-cheol’s lips twitched.

“Stop that.”

I added my two cents.

“Come on, we should at least go on a healing trip once in a while.”

“Today is really a healing trip.”

When we all turned to him with disbelief, PD Park Sang-cheol gestured to someone.

A staff member, receiving the signal, made a call, and soon a Staria Lounge limousine slowly approached us.

“What’s this?”

“Isn’t this the kind of car celebrities ride in?”

“This limousine was specially prepared for you all, who have been working hard. Today, you can relax on your way to the travel destination.”

“Wow! Look at the seats!”

Before PD Park Sang-cheol could finish his sentence, Baek Woo-jin shouted.

The inside of the vehicle indeed felt spacious.

It wasn’t the kind of sedan limousine you’d see in movies, but the comfortable seats and ample space were quite luxurious.

There was even mood lighting on the ceiling.

“It has an air purifier and a display too. Is this an ad?”

“Just trying to show off through PPL?” I asked, and Baek Woo-jin chimed in.

“No. I really rented it for you all to take a proper rest since you’ve been working hard lately.”

Though Park Sang-cheol said otherwise, I wasn’t fooled.

“I need to be able to trust you. The car is nice.”

Ju Ji-seung said as he stroked the luxurious leather seats.

“We don’t even have to drive? I’m going to sleep?”

“I have a movie I want to watch.”

Baek Woo-jin seemed really tired and was likely going to sleep, while Cha Ji-chan planned to use the travel time to finally watch a movie he had been wanting to see.

“Yes. Please enjoy to your heart’s content today.”

I was thinking about taking a nap too.

“Got it!”

Baek Woo-jin shouted.

“Are we just going to the restaurant in the side alley like this?”

“Hahaha. Are we just enjoying the limousine for one minute?”

“That’s right. Wow, Sang-cheol is really cruel.”

“Everyone, do you really not trust me that much?”

Park Sang-cheol laughed at my comment.

“Don’t worry and just rest. I’ll let you know when we arrive.”

“How can we not be suspicious? You’re not even telling us where we’re going.”

“Gongju.”

“Gongju?”

It was a place I had never been to.

“It has a nice view. I went there last year for the Baekje Cultural Festival, and it was great.”

It seemed like Ju Ji-seung had been there before.

“Is the festival happening now?”

“I think it was in the fall last year.”

“It’s not during a festival, but you can rest in a place with good air and water.”

We all accepted PD Park Sang-cheol’s words and got into the limousine.

“Wow, this is nice.”

The seats supported my back perfectly, making it comfortable. I leaned back in my chair and put on a sleep mask.

“Are you really going to sleep? Don’t complain later if there’s nothing to salvage.”

“I won’t.”

“I won’t. Driver, please drive safely.”

PD Park Sang-cheol instructed the driver before drifting away.

“Thank you.”

“Driver, would you like some coffee?”

After greeting the driver, we all fell asleep as soon as the vehicle started moving.

***

“We have arrived.”

After about 2 hours and 30 minutes, we arrived at a parking lot in the mountains.

Still feeling groggy from sleep, I faintly heard a saxophone playing in the distance.

“Where are we?”

Ju Ji-seung asked as he got out of the car.

“I don’t know.”

“What’s that?”

Cha Ji-chan pointed to an abandoned building across the parking lot.

A concrete structure with only its framework left looked desolate.

“No way. Why did we come to a place like this?”

“Aren’t we doing some kind of abandoned house experience?”

“Huh? It says Gyeryongsan?”

Baek Woo-jin pointed to a banner.

It seemed like it was called Gapsa in Gyeryongsan.

“This is a place called Gapsa. Gyeryongsan was designated as the third national park in South Korea. It’s loved by many hikers for its stunning scenery in spring and fall, and we’re scheduled to climb it today.”

PD Park Sang-cheol explained the filming location for today.

“Ugh.”

“I knew it would be like this.”

“What do you mean hiking?”