Chapter 1117: Welcome to Alaska (3)

The trip continued smoothly.

"Hyungs! Let's take a commemorative photo here!"

"Sure!"

"One, two, three—NewBlack! Beautiful!"

Watching NewBlack happily taking photos together, the production staff silently shed tears of blood.

Why does this keep turning into such a wholesome youth trip...?

We want something other than healing for once.

Every time they tried to capture us struggling, NewBlack somehow ended up enjoying another picture-perfect vacation.

The cameraman chewed thoughtfully on a piece of gum.

"If you ask me, there's only one fundamental reason we've failed this season."

He pointed toward one smiling, impossibly handsome man.

Everyone nodded.

Sun Wooju...!

Just because he wasn't officially the leader didn't mean he'd stopped being one.

He knew every member's strengths and weaknesses so thoroughly that he could steer them with a sentence or two, never needing to take charge openly.

Someone muttered,

"I honestly think Wooju was born in the wrong era. If he'd lived centuries ago, he would've gathered people together and built an empire."

"He'd probably be a chapter in our history textbooks."

For a moment, everyone pictured the self-proclaimed King Gwanjong galloping across endless grasslands on horseback.

"Hehehe!"

"Hahahaha!"

Behind him thundered a troop of oversized bread-shaped followers.

"...Then again," someone said, "isn't he already running a kingdom? I heard over ten million people watched his livestream."

"I guess it already counts as one."

The staff watched the members enjoying themselves before reaching a conclusion.

"Next season..."

"We should separate Wooju from the others."

"Agreed."

They silently vowed that next season, they would finally achieve victory.

Then someone frowned.

"Come to think of it..."

"What?"

"Everything's working perfectly."

"Biju's navigating."

"Junghyun's planning."

"Ri Hyuk's making decisions."

"Jiho's managing the budget."

"Right..."

"So why is Wooju..."

"...still like that?"

Everyone's gaze drifted toward NewBlack.

More specifically—

Toward what they were wearing.

Standing before a glacier in puffy red parkas, bright green pants, and every imaginable color combination...

They looked like Christmas elves.

Granted, only the colors resembled Christmas.

If there were such a thing as an Association of Christmas Elves, they'd probably sue over those outfits.

The production staff quietly looked away, pretending they weren't with us.

Seriously...

He's good at everything else.

So why are his clothes always like this...?

It remained one of life's greatest mysteries.

After spending time in Anchorage, we traveled farther north to see the glaciers.

"Wooooow..."

We sat in inflatable boats drifting across a lake filled with floating ice.

Our guide smiled warmly.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes! I've never seen glaciers this close before!"

Enormous chunks of ice floated all around us.

Every time the boat drifted near one, waves of freezing air rolled off it, as though someone had opened the door to a giant industrial freezer.

The guide grinned.

"Would you like to hear something terrifying?"

"Yes!"

"What you're looking at..."

He gestured toward the glacier.

"...is only about one-tenth of its total size."

"...!"

"That means beneath the water is a mass of ice roughly nine times larger than what you can actually see."

The visible ice was already enormous.

Imagining something many times larger lurking beneath the dark blue water sent a chill down my spine.

Biju and Ri Hyuk quietly edged closer to me.

"Now then..."

"Shall we continue?"

As he rowed, the guide warned us,

"The water here is extremely cold. Be careful not to fall in. Under the wrong circumstances, the cold can even trigger cardiac arrest."

The moment we stepped back onto land, we unanimously reached a conclusion.

"Let's admire glaciers from a distance."

"Agreed."

"They're definitely prettiest from afar."

"I completely agree."

And so we continued touring Alaska's icy landscapes.

The guide explained,

"Every year, Alaska's glaciers continue shrinking. The rate of melting is increasing too. This region is one of the places most heavily affected by global warming."

We visited one breathtaking location after another, quietly taking in the scenery.

Hardly anyone else was around.

Our phones barely had any signal.

Apart from the gentle sound of glacial streams trickling over rocks, only our soft conversations disturbed the silence.

"..."

I stopped walking.

Then took a deep breath.

The cold air pierced deep into my lungs.

My head suddenly felt clear.

"This is nice."

Even with the freezing wind blowing across the landscape...

My heart felt strangely peaceful.

It was as though I'd finally paused long enough to catch my breath after running nonstop.

Until I'd come to Alaska...

I hadn't even realized how exhausted I was.

Now I did.

Crunch.

Someone stepped onto the gravel beside me.

"I guess I was more tired than I realized too."

Junghyun rested one foot on a boulder, gazing toward Alaska's endless horizon.

"I think we picked exactly the right time to take a break. This year's schedule was honestly overwhelming."

"Sorry."

I smiled apologetically.

"I pushed us too hard."

"It's okay."

He scratched the back of his head.

"I wanted it too."

Then he looked at me.

"What about you?"

"If I felt exhausted..."

"...you must've been on the verge of collapsing."

"I was tired."

I laughed softly.

"But I don't think I even had time to collapse. We were just too busy."

"That's true."

Domestic albums.

Global releases.

Unit promotions.

Composing a movie soundtrack.

NBS variety shows.

We'd been so busy that recently I'd struggled to find inspiration even while writing music.

That was why I'd suddenly decided to prepare for the college entrance exam.

I hadn't been trying to study so much as force my mind to focus on something completely different.

Thankfully...

Filming this reality show finally felt like giving both my body and mind room to breathe.

Junghyun climbed onto a rock.

Balanced carefully.

Then flipped himself upside down into a one-armed handstand.

"Next year probably won't be this busy, right?"

"Probably not."

I nodded.

"I think we've already passed the most hectic period."

Normally...

Our fifth year should have been relatively comfortable.

The stage where you stopped climbing...

And simply enjoyed being on top.

But then domestic variety shows...

Combined with our explosive overseas success...

Somehow made this year even busier than the last.

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

"I like thick sweet potatoes."

He smiled.

"But I also like the long, skinny ones."

"They're chewy."

"They're delicious."

"...?"

Junghyun had apparently decided to begin lecturing on the philosophy of sweet potatoes.

"But that's not really the important part."

"The important thing..."

"...is that I like sweet potatoes."

"I suppose that's true."

"Working with you..."

"...with Biju..."

"...and with everyone else..."

"...feels like sweet potatoes."

He lowered himself from the handstand.

"Big ones are great."

"So are skinny ones."

"We don't have to achieve some unbelievable success every single time."

He dusted himself off.

"I just want the five of us to stay together for a long, long time."

"No exhausting schedules."

"No miserable days."

"I just want all of us to be happy."

"Yeah."

I smiled.

"Let's do that."

"So..."

He held out his hand.

"I hope this trip helps you relax too."

"Out of all five of us..."

"...you were the most exhausted."

He grinned.

"Let's just have fun."

I returned the high-five.

Our palms met lightly.

...His hands are warm.

Not warm like another person.

More like the body heat of a puppy.

Smiling to myself, I looked around.

"Where'd everyone else go?"

"They followed the guide."

"Where?"

"Over there."

"...Oh."

"I think I see them."

Looking carefully...

I could make them out.

Ri Hyuk was enthusiastically bombarding the guide with scientific questions.

The poor guide looked increasingly overwhelmed, as though he desperately wanted to answer,

"Uh... maybe check Wikipedia?"

Walking toward them, I asked,

"So what's next?"

"We've already visited Spencer Glacier and Matanuska Glacier."

Junghyun checked the itinerary.

"I think next is an old Gold Rush settlement."

"Oh."

"They preserved one of the original frontier towns."

Then he added,

"Our survival camp is nearby too."

"...Ah."

"Right."

I'd almost forgotten.

One of the highlights of this trip was a survival experience in the Alaskan wilderness.

Not genuine wilderness, of course.

The camp was run by professionals.

Its founder was famous as the host of a well-known survival television series.

"Should we start preparing?"

"Sounds good."

With that...

We headed toward our next destination.

At an Alaskan Native cultural village...

Rachel Shaft nervously straightened her hair.

"Whew..."

Her breathing trembled.

And with good reason.

Today's visitors were very special.

NewBlack is coming!

The group she'd seen performing that unbelievable stage on Supernova Dodgeball.

The group so popular that even high school cheerleading teams across Alaska practiced the choreography to Overcook.

The news that global superstars with an international fanbase would be visiting the village had everyone buzzing with excitement.

Every time NewBlack goes somewhere...

Anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people follow.

Their popularity as musicians was impressive enough.

But what truly mattered...

Was their commercial influence.

NBA Chicago merchandise endorsed by NewBlack's Wooju and Cold Brown sells out!

Bubble gum blown by Wooju on Supernova Dodgeball records astonishing sales!

Exports of Korean dumplings surge after NewBlack livestream!

And whenever NewBlack visited a restaurant...

Souffle soon arrived in droves, treating it like a pilgrimage site.

Just look at Bobby Ross's restaurant, where Overcook had been born.

Sales had increased by eight hundred percent.

Even now...

Reservations were backed up endlessly.

If things go well today...

Maybe we'll benefit from the NewBlack effect too...

Having prepared everything perfectly, Rachel swallowed nervously.

They're here...!

A black vehicle rolled to a stop.

Her heart pounded.

I hope they're... nice?

She'd researched NewBlack extensively.

Still...

Research wasn't the same as meeting them.

Her heart beat faster.

Then—

Tap.

The members stepped out of the van.

"...Hm?"

They got out with military precision.

Then cautiously began looking around while approaching her.

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

As NewBlack carefully scanned the surroundings, Rachel looked around too.

"...Are you searching for something?"

"No."

Wooju smiled brightly.

"We're just staying alert."

"We're getting ready for survival training."

"I... see."

Rachel spread her arms.

"Anyway!"

"Welcome to our Native cultural village!"

"Woooo!"

As they followed her inside, she asked,

"So what brought you here?"

"We've got survival training coming up."

"At Alex Corbin's camp?"

"That's right."

She meant the survival camp founded by the famous explorer and host of a NetPlus survival show.

The member who looked the most intellectual smiled.

"So we wanted to learn from Alaska's Native people."

"We figured understanding how they survived this harsh environment might come in handy."

"Then you've definitely come to the right place!"

Rachel beamed.

"This is exactly where you should be."

She enthusiastically began the tour.

"Do you know what an igloo is?"

"Yes!"

"You know..."

"The little houses made of ice?"

Everyone nodded.

"They actually aren't houses."

"...?!"

Rachel began explaining traditional Native housing.

"Igloos were mainly temporary shelters used while fishing."

"They weren't permanent homes."

"Of course, the word igloo itself actually means 'house,' so..."

She explained how Native people really built their homes.

How they made clothing.

How they fished.

Then demonstrated traditional kayaking techniques.

The NewBlack members eagerly copied her.

"It looks easier than it really is."

"Rowing takes quite a lot of—"

Whoosh!

The members paddled forward powerfully.

Rachel blinked.

Why are they good at this?

Led by Junghyun and Wooju, everyone rowed with remarkable speed.

None of them looked like beginners.

"Have you done this before?"

"No."

Wooju smiled.

"Just for a music video."

You kayaked... for a music video?

She had absolutely no idea why singers would be good at paddling.

But strange things kept happening.

"Our ancestors used kayaks to catch enormous fish."

She smiled.

"What's the biggest fish any of you have ever caught?"

"Blue marlin."

"...Blue marlin?"

Wooju immediately showed her a photograph.

Three-meter-long marlin.

Wooju smiling proudly beside it like the old fisherman from The Old Man and the Sea.

Rachel fell speechless.

"Junghyun's caught sharks too."

"Want to see?"

"..."

There really was a shark.

Why have singers caught blue marlin... and sharks...?

After encountering one bizarre story after another...

Rachel finally reached a simple conclusion.

Perhaps that's just how K-pop works.

Accepting that explanation, she moved on to the final exhibit.

"Native homes were sometimes built like caves."

"Come inside."

"Wooow."

"Warmer than you'd expect, right?"

Standing inside the cave-like shelter, she pointed toward the entrance.

"Notice how there are two doors?"

"And how narrow the entrance is?"

"Why do you think that is?"

"Me!"

Jiho eagerly raised his hand.

"Larger floor space increases construction costs!"

"...No."

Junghyun answered next.

"To keep wild animals out?"

"Correct."

"The double entrance and narrow doorway make it difficult for predators like bears to get inside."

Junghyun nodded thoughtfully like a seasoned explorer.

Then slowly began inspecting the walls.

"...That's strange."

"If they expected wild animals..."

"There should also be an emergency escape route."

He searched the walls.

"..."

Then tapped one section.

"There it is."

Rachel froze.

...I was just about to explain that.

She'd been preparing to dramatically reveal the hidden exit herself.

Instead...

Junghyun had found it first.

Then Ri Hyuk spoke with all the authority of a team leader.

"Shall we conduct an emergency evacuation drill?"

"Sounds good."

"Go!"

Pat-pat-pat-pat!

The members immediately sprinted through the escape tunnel as though rehearsing an actual evacuation.

Rachel Shaft blinked.

...Are all superstars this strange?

The NewBlack she'd finally met...

Seemed to be missing not just one screw...

But several dozen.

Touring Alaska had been wonderful.

The weather wasn't unbearably cold.

Everyone we met was kind.

The producer asked,

"Anything else you'd particularly like to see?"

"No."

The first two days had been fantastic.

But after a while...

There were only so many glaciers and breathtaking landscapes a person could admire before becoming accustomed to them.

It was like going to the beach.

At first—

"Wow! The ocean!"

A few hours later...

It simply became the ocean.

"All right!"

The producer clapped.

"Time to head to the survival camp!"

"Okay!"

Our destination was Alex Corbin Survival Camp.

Founded by the famous Australian adventurer Alex Corbin...

It had turned survival training into a tourist attraction.

In other words...

A place where ordinary people could safely experience wilderness survival.

Because, naturally...

Throwing television celebrities into the actual Alaskan wilderness would have been completely insane.

"I've heard temperatures near the Arctic get unimaginably low."

The producer continued.

"If you panic trying to warm yourself up, slip and fall..."

"...your bones can shatter immediately."

"Just from the cold?"

"Exactly."

Which was why we'd be experiencing survival in a carefully controlled environment.

Officially...

This was preparation for our future trip to Antarctica.

Unofficially...

It was also because the production team needed more entertaining footage.

After all...

If the entire program consisted of us saying,

"Wow! Nature is beautiful!"

...they wouldn't have much of a variety show.

Hence...

Their final special segment.

"Is that it?"

Ahead stood several wooden buildings enclosed by sturdy fences designed to keep wildlife out.

As our vehicle approached...

Alex Corbin's Survival Camp slowly came into view.

Then—

"Looks like we're not the only guests."

"Seems that way."

The producer nodded.

"I heard another production is filming here today."

"Oh?"

Several Americans were setting up cameras.

Our van rolled past them.

"What are they filming?"

"Can you see the program name?"

"No."

"There isn't even a logo on the cameras."

"Maybe it's something for NetPlus?"

As we drove by...

Their crew looked toward us.

We nodded politely.

Then noticed...

They were staring at us in utter disbelief.

"...?"

"...??"

Not,

"It's NewBlack!"

More like—

"Why are they here?"

We found out why moments later.

As our vehicle rolled past...

Our eyes met the cast sitting around a campfire.

"...Huh?"

"Huh?!"

Someone wrapped in a blanket while drinking hot cocoa abruptly shot to his feet.

We froze too.

Blue eyes met ours.

Both sides stared in shock.

Gamza!

Gamza Evans... and the rest of his crew!

Moonlight and NewBlack stood there...

Staring at each other in complete disbelief.