NOVEL WEB Chapter 355
Chapter 355. Coming Soon! (3)
Kang Hajin’s expression subtly changed as he checked the message card.
Raising his scarred right eyebrow slightly and squinting one eye, Hajin remained silent for a long time, seemingly trying to interpret the message, before finally speaking.
While laughing as if amused, both of them were clearly trying to assess the situation quickly. Their tense expressions were captured in real-time, and the comment section went wild.
– So it’s a missing person case? Their first love doesn’t remember their name or identity?
– Thought it was just some random web novel mashup about friendship, but it turns out it’s a group amnesia thriller about finding their identities?
– The mind games between these two masterminds are insanely sexy. Please, I’m begging for a slow-burn detective story in this series. Please, Studio Soti!
└ That’s it exactly.
└ Pleeeeeease.
└ Starting a petition for this now.
– So that’s why they always referred to the characters by nicknames in the captions? Except for spoken dialogue, everything was just nicknames.
└ Omg.
└ Omg omg omg.
└ Seriously though, lolololololol.
Amidst the countless speculations and astonishment, it seemed the two had realized that hiding information from each other would no longer be beneficial. Sharing what they knew would be the best course of action.
Since five minutes was shorter than expected, Hajin spoke first, slightly hurried.
Nodding, Jung Siwoo shared the hint he received from Doha while folding his arms.
Listening seriously to Jung Siwoo, Kang Hajin pulled out another hint card from his pocket without hesitation.
<‘Jung Siwoo’s role is related to ‘first love.’>
The two continued analyzing the world by flipping over the mission cards and even drawing lines with pens to map out their theories. Kang Hajin’s remarkable skill in pinpointing key roles linked to the three capsule worlds and Jung Siwoo’s ability to balance the bigger picture while predicting today’s rules showcased their impressive reasoning skills.
Zzzziiiiiii―!
– What’s that?
– Whoa, that startled me.
– What’s with the sudden noise?
Just as Hajin was about to say something more, static noise suddenly blared across the entire broadcast.
The screen split, showing the other pairs conversing in different rooms.
– Attention, everyone.
The familiar voice from the opening broadcast filled each room.
– Now, the final partner matching to recover your identities will begin.
– This partner matching will take place over three turns, with each turn lasting 20 minutes.
– During this time, you may search for clues about your identity and partner or board a capsule with the person you believe is your partner.
– However, the number of attempts to board a capsule and the times they open are limited, so choose wisely.
The production team, anticipating that audio alone wouldn’t be enough to convey the rules, provided a summary of the round’s rules on the small monitors in each room.
The tense expressions of the members left in each room were shown in close-up.
The monitor then began a countdown.
<5>
<4>
<3>
<2>
<1>
Simultaneously, the doors to each room automatically opened.
The moment the doors swung open, without any hesitation, the members bolted outside, signaling the official start of part two.
* * *
From that point on, the content of the variety show unfolded even more rapidly. As usual, with so much happening, the pacing picked up as the unnecessary segments were swiftly cut, and the most significant scenes were densely packed in.
-Tae-hyun: What now? Can’t we just check by boarding a capsule? Let’s just do it. (Confused)
-Yu-geon: (Frustrated)
-Yu-geon: Stop messing around and come down, quickly.
-Tae-hyun: Why, what’s up…?
One of the funniest moments was Tae-hyun, who hadn’t received any hints, recklessly rummaging around like a world-breaking character.
Normally, Tae-hyun would have quickly grasped the situation and generated content. But now, completely clueless, he wandered around spouting nonsense, unintentionally causing chaos.
-Siwoo: Hajin, want to try boarding the capsule with me? Even if we’re wrong, it’s good to confirm it.
-Hajin: Deal. Let’s try the capsule by the hospital ceiling. If anything comes up, it’s a bonus.
Siwoo and Hajin, who seemed to have the most information, moved decisively. As soon as the gates opened, they ran to the capsule and checked their partner-matching results.
<(No result)>
Just as expected, their matching result was no reaction.
In a brief interview inserted afterward, the two confirmed their theory that Kang Hajin’s name wasn’t ‘Kang Hajin’ in this world.
Next up was Doha, who had collected the most hints from the mini-games among the members.
Doha seemed to think it was crucial to interpret these cryptic hints first. He entered a room with a whiteboard and started making a large chart. He wrote the names of the three capsules across the top and the names of the members along the side, filling in the spaces with the roles typically found in dramas and web novels.
….
The scene of Doha meticulously writing down possibilities played out to the background music typically used in famous quiz variety shows. Then, the scene abruptly shifted to―.
– Huh
?
– What’s this?
– LOL what?
– The chicks, lololololol.
With a sudden shift in atmosphere, a cute BGM started playing, zooming in on another room.
Unlike the others, who were seriously racking their brains, a pair buried under adorable toys were highlighted.
…The youngest duo, who looked like they were solving puzzles more suited for kindergarten than a mystery, with their neatly dressed school uniforms resembling kindergarten outfits due to their enthusiasm.
With a close-up of Eunchan gleefully solving the puzzle, his interview followed.
Looking a bit embarrassed, Joo Eunchan thought for a moment before answering.
<↑↑Prioritized solving puzzles over partner matching↑↑>
– Oh, Eunchan, lololololololol.
– Aigoo, lololololololol.
– Our kitten got too absorbed in his puzzle…
– Didn’t Joo Eunchan spend six hours untangling like 30 necklace chains once?
└ Where’d that rumor come from?
└ Coordinator’s Insta Story.
– Haru could have gone out, but lololol.
└ Normally, Eunchan does what Haru finds fun, and Haru does what Eunchan enjoys. They have a mutual support system.
└ Haru’s not really competitive unless it involves physical stuff, lololol. He probably enjoyed peacefully solving the puzzle with Eunchan.
Though they were smaller within their group, compared to average high schoolers, the sight of the two large boys sprawled on the floor, working on a puzzle, was portrayed in an adorably cute way.
Through the window of their room, the camera occasionally caught glimpses of the older members, running around frantically and shouting as they searched for clues or aggressively sabotaged each other. It was a stark contrast between the two groups, separated only by a door.
With 10 minutes left in the first turn.
While wandering around the set, Tae-hyun came across an unfamiliar room and muttered to himself.
“…No, Tae-hyun, don’t go in, please…”
Watching himself on the meeting room TV, Tae-hyun grabbed his head in frustration. The other members, upon recognizing the room’s interior, fell into an awkward silence.
“Ah, no…”
Sending a desperate telepathic message to his past self, Tae-hyun winced as his plea went unheard.
On the screen, Tae-hyun now stood in the center of the room, reading the notice that hung there.
With Tae-hyun’s narration, the camera zoomed in on the notice.
“No, Tae-hyun, stop! Don’t read anymore!”
“Noooo! Let’s stop watching this, please…!”
“Why? It’s just getting good. Should we start recording this, Siwoo hyung?”
“I’m already filming. Doha, could you screenshot this?”
“Should I capture it with my tablet for higher resolution?”
“Are you two seriously brothers!??!”
…Thus began the infamous, self-inflicted dark history of *Kairos*!