NOVEL WEB Chapter 357
Chapter 357. Coming Soon! (5)
– “The capsule has been opened.”
– “You may freely board the capsule and verify your partner matching for the next 3 minutes.”
– “However, if the verification fails and a red light is triggered, boarding will be restricted for 1 minute.”
– “The next capsule opening will be 3 minutes before the end of the turn.”
Here stood two men in front of the capsule, in an atmosphere that was supposed to be solemn (but felt awkward).
– …….
– ……..
– “Uh, you go first, hyung….”
– “Hmm, should I?”
Correction.
It was two men, where one was clearly feeling awkward while the other was unbothered.
‘If it’s this noticeable even after editing, what must the unedited version be like?’
Watching the two men, Lee Yugeon and Jung Siwoo, on the screen, I unknowingly raised an eyebrow and rested my chin on my hand.
‘They aren’t normally *this* awkward around each other, right? Or is it just more obvious when it’s on broadcast?’
Still, I felt a bit relieved knowing that if it were me and Doha acting this way, the internet would be flooded with rumors of discord. But since it was these two, the situation would likely go unnoticed.
Just look at the comments right now….
– “If Yugeon and Siwoo are partners, Yugeon might just faint, lol.”
– “This feels like one of those ‘let’s become friends’ shows disguised as partner matching, right?”
– “Yugeon still gets shy around Siwoo, even though they’re two years into their debut.”
└ “There are even leaders in their second year of debut who still get shy around certain members, so….”
For some reason, the *Destis* (Kairos fandom) seemed to have turned the “awkward” dynamic between Jung Siwoo and Lee Yugeon into a sort of content. It felt like the fandoms of both idols had found a comfortable compromise ever since the time when their fans clashed during the *Miro Maze* competition, where the two saw each other as rivals.
‘But why is it that two guys who aren’t close can become content, while whenever Doha and I are together, there are constant rumors of discord?’
The unfairness of it all suddenly boiled up inside me, but I didn’t voice it.
Someone beat me to it.
“Hyung, are you still not getting along with Yugeon?”
“Cough…!”
Doha, who had already polished off a whole box of chicken by himself, dropped this bombshell. Sitting beside him, Seo Taehyun, who was munching on a side salad, choked and hurriedly swallowed everything in his mouth. But Jung Siwoo, the target of the question, remained calm, casually spearing a chicken drumstick with his fork as he answered.
“Not really?”
“……”
“We were never that close to begin with.”
“Pffft….”
Taehyun’s eyes darted toward me, silently asking for help after being hit by Siwoo’s blunt statement. But even with that pitiful rabbit-like gaze, there was nothing I could do for him. These extreme *T* types were likely oblivious to the fact that such cold-hearted dialogue could deliver a critical blow to extreme *F* types like Taehyun.
However, if I, with my 51% *F* tendency, let their conversation continue without intervening, Taehyun would undoubtedly lose sleep over it. So, for the sake of our dear *INFP* Taehyun, I spoke up and redirected the conversation toward Siwoo.
“But you don’t actually have any ill feelings toward Yugeon, right? Whatever happened during *Miro Maze* is all in the past now.”
“Well… if I’m being precise, it’s more like Yugeon’s uncomfortable with me, so I don’t go out of my way to approach him. No point in holding a grudge. We’re going to be members together for a long time.”
This more considerate response seemed to ease Taehyun’s worries a bit. He awkwardly added in a protective tone, as if he were Yugeon’s guardian.
“Yugeon’s just bad at expressing himself…. He probably still finds you a bit intimidating, but I don’t think he’s deliberately trying to keep his distance.”
At that, the rest of us simultaneously thought, *’He’s definitely uncomfortable.’* Though we instinctively understood each other’s thoughts, none of us dared to say it out loud, especially in front of our overly empathetic Taehyun.
It looked like Doha was about to make a thoughtless comment, but I quickly grabbed his arm and shot him a look. If he said it, Taehyun would be up all night Googling *Kairos Discord Rumors* again.
In the end, it was the man at the center of the supposed “conflict,” Jung Siwoo, who wrapped up the situation. Siwoo was on-screen with Yugeon, both now seated on the *Four Kings of Terror* capsule, waiting for the verification.
“Yeah, well. We’ll just get closer slowly. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Siwoo smiled, nodding his head. Taehyun breathed a sigh of relief at his words. Our attention returned to Yugeon and Siwoo on the screen.
Seated on a capsule barely big enough for two adult men, they waited for the result after completing their identity check.
Finally, the capsule’s monitor lit up.
– “Oh…?”
– “Is that a yellow light?”
It was the yellow light, indicating that either the partner or the capsule was incorrect.
* * *
For the partner match with Yugeon, Jung Siwoo had made the following guess about his own identity and role:
– “My name is Doha. As for my role….”
– “…My role is ranked 0.”
A rather unexpected choice of both name and role, given the clues so far.
And the moment this guess was confirmed correct, the producers immediately inserted a thrilling sound effect and a flashback, cutting to an interview with Jung Siwoo.
“Well… from everything we’ve seen so far, it didn’t seem like I was the male lead. If I were, my synchronization with the male lead’s lines during the world verification should have been 100%.”
“I almost went with ‘second male lead’ at first, but then I remembered something Hajin said once. Sometimes, in this kind of story, the female lead’s first love can also be the senior the male lead admires.”
“So, I figured that might be me. Yugeon’s already ranked 2, and I had a hunch that the male lead would be ranked 1. So, I just guessed I was ranked 0, and it turned out I was right.”
Jung Siwoo shrugged, looking surprised even at himself. The camera zoomed in on his smirk as he realized he had gained an advantage by correctly predicting his role, despite the yellow light.
“Oh, that?”
Thrown off by the interviewer’s follow-up question, Siwoo replied even more nonchalantly.
“I just guessed.”
“I mean, after eliminating Hajin, Yugeon, and Eunchan, Doha seemed like the only name that fit someone ranked 0.”
– *Is this some miracle process of elimination?*
– *No, that’s more like an image game.*
– *But why??? Why ‘Doha’? ‘Ranked 0 Dan Haru’ totally fits that vibe from back then.*
└ *Usually, pretty names with rare surnames like that belong to the male lead.*
└ *Ah. Fair point, understood.*
– *First love of the female lead and the male lead’s role model, ranked 0 Doha? Just from the name, it sounds like there’s so much depth to his story.*
└ *He’s probably the super cool character who dies saving the male lead, leaving a legacy of loyalty.*
└ *And then he becomes a trauma button for the male lead and the biggest obstacle in the romance with the female lead.*
└ *Why are you all flexing your web novel expertise so subtly? It’s hilarious….*
As the identities of Jung Siwoo and Lee Yugeon were revealed, things started to move even faster.
Having gotten a sense of how things worked after the first turn, the members began searching the set for clues with renewed focus. Various “items,” which the production team had previously mentioned, also started to appear.
– “What’s this? A necklace?”
<※ (Requires vivid acting as forgotten memories resurface) ※>
– “Ah, ahhhh…! What is this? What are these memories!? I have no idea!”
From the essential silver pendant necklace that was a staple of old-school web novels—
– “Hey, Doha! Come here.”
– “Why?”
– “This toy hammer’s actually a wooden stick. If you get hit, you’ll have temporary amnesia and can use the capsule without penalties.”
—to the dreaded wooden stick (toy hammer) that always appeared when the male lead was a delinquent or the school bully.
With all these items and hint missions, Kairos’s chaotic world of web novels was slowly taking shape.
– “Okay, let’s summarize what we know so far.”
Doha stood in front
of the whiteboard again, this time with Hajin, organizing everything they had figured out so far into a neat chart.
Hajin, gazing at the chart, spoke up first.
– “So, Taehyun’s the only one left with nothing revealed?”
– “Yeah. Even after sharing all the hints he got, none of them seem to relate to him.”
– “Really?”
– “He seems to have given up at this point.”
Hajin made a sympathetic face as he thought about Taehyun, who, ironically, was further from the truth than even Yugeon. Then, with a faint smile, he spoke up again.
– “Well, I guess he’s going to Jeju Island alone. Go, Cherry, you can do it.”
As Hajin joked, his *T* side showing briefly, there was no time to dwell on it. The two quickly dove back into their analysis, using all the information they had.
– “It seems like Yugeon, playing the role of Joo Eunchan, isn’t part of the *White Hospital Ceiling* world. He and Siwoo boarded that capsule, and it triggered the red light.”
– “Really? Then is this the *Takes Off Glasses* world?”
– “Probably? He’s gone to verify it now.”
– “What about you, Hajin? Who do you think you’re playing?”
– “Honestly, I feel like I might have switched roles with Taehyun. I think… Yugeon, who’s playing the male lead, switched with me, Taehyun switched with me, and Taehyun switched with Dan Haru…. Ugh, my head hurts.”
Overwhelmed by all the information and puzzles, Hajin reached for a chocolate snack that the production team had provided and popped it into his mouth.
Knowing full well that this was the product placement of the episode, he made sure to display the wrapper and snack name clearly in front of the camera as he placed it on the table.
– “If I wasn’t pure gold, I wouldn’t be working this hard on puzzles….”
– “Honestly, I just want to solve the puzzle now for the fun of it.”
The scene briefly cut to the two “brains” of Kairos—Hajin and Doha—seriously discussing the puzzles in front of the whiteboard.
♫♪♫♩♬♬―
Then, suddenly.
Even though there was still some time left in the turn, an unexpected announcement echoed throughout the set. Hajin and Doha, both chewing on their third chocolate snack, turned their attention to the broadcast with surprise.
– “Attention, please.”
– “The first successful partner match has been made!”
– “The prize will go to the first successful pair.”
– “Now all that’s left is the trip to Jeju as the penalty…. Keep pushing, everyone! You’ve got this!”
There it was, the news that the first team had succeeded in matching!
As soon as they heard it, Hajin and Doha dropped their markers and ran toward the capsule area. Of course, they didn’t forget to pocket their precious chocolate snacks along the way.
– “Who do you think it is, lol?”
– “Probably Yugeon or Siwoo. They were basically guaranteed success if they just found their partners.”
– “I’m betting on the seniors, Taehyun and Hajin. Taehyun probably switched names with Hajin and ended up as Yugeon’s partner, lol.”
As speculation ran wild, the camera zoomed in on Hajin’s surprised face as he finally reached the capsule area and saw the identities of the winning pair.
It was the two who, until just a moment ago, had shown no interest in the brain games—puzzle enthusiast Joo Eunchan and moody teenager Dan Haru.