The term ‘artistic variety’ originally referred to overall artistic ability, but now it is used as an abbreviation for .
Thus, ‘variety show’ has become so ingrained in the daily lives of modern people that it has changed the original meaning of the word.
Who hasn’t experienced a warm moment when they come home tired from enduring the harshness of society, turn on the TV, and chuckle at a joke from a variety show?
However, the world of variety shows is cruel.
Unlike ‘dramas’ that are planned to end after 12 or 24 episodes, in the merciless world of variety shows, there’s no such thing. They start immediately.
When the ratings drop, that’s when.
Of course, if you look closely, it’s the ‘J Empire rule’ that started in 1874 with the Naval Academy’s competitive games and was (not in a good way) introduced to Korea,
But a custom remembered warmly as a harmonious memory passing through generations in many people’s hearts is something that cannot be easily changed or stopped, and this is the powerful force that culture holds.
Of course, for the literature class students who were easily defeated in the first round of tug-of-war and sprawled on the ground, it was nothing but a painfully unbearable event.
Moon In-seop was no exception. Like most of the Literary and Creative Writing students, he was physically weak due to a lack of exercise. The exception might be the group of nerdy boys obsessed with soccer.
But no matter how much they liked soccer, in the Literary and Creative Writing Department, they couldn’t beat the ‘real’ physical education students, and Baekhak Arts Middle School was a hellish place that gathered only the true elites of physical prowess.
Dance students, sweating in front of mirrors for hours practicing Korean dance, modern dance, ballet, and break dance, had stamina that the Literary students couldn’t hope to match.
Similarly, students from the Music and Art Departments, typically carrying bags larger than their own torsos, were in another league compared to the Literary students who only carried a small pencil case.
The only department they might have stood a chance against was the Theatre and Film Department, but even there, a hidden principle was at work.
The Theatre and Film Department tended to attract students who were relatively good-looking, and for some unknown reason, good-looking students tended to be good at sports too.
“Whoa! We’re going down!”
“Hang in there! Hang in there! Lie down! Lie down!”
Ultimately, the second round of tug-of-war between the Literary and Creative Writing and the Theatre and Film Departments ended sadly, with the Literary students lacking both in looks and physical strength.
Beaten and battered, the Literary students collapsed unceremoniously on the field.
Amidst the groans echoing from various places, the still-energetic students began blaming each other.
“Hey! Kim Ye-bin! I told you just to lie down as soon as the tug-of-war started! We would have won if you just lay down!”
“It’s like in ‘Squid Game’! If you lie down right when the tug-of-war starts, you just win! Haven’t you watched it?!”
Soon, a heated debate sparked by ‘Yo guys, this bastard says he watched Squid Game’ helped the Literary students quickly recover from their defeat.
However, Moon In-seop couldn’t blend into the noisy atmosphere of the Literary students and trudged back to their booth alone.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have friends, but his mental age was too high, making it difficult for him to mingle with middle schoolers.
If you could turn back time, wouldn’t it be difficult to blend in casually among peers? A person’s mind also has an age, and the younger one is, the greater the difference becomes. Thus, it wasn’t particularly strange or unusual that he had difficulty socializing with peers. It wasn’t because he lacked social skills or had trouble making friends. It was really because his mental age didn’t match, leading him to self-isolate, not because he didn’t have friends. He could swear on the honor of the New Light Spring Orphanage that it was true.
As Moon In-seop walked alone back to the Literary and Creative Writing booth, he encountered Gu Yu-na, who was oddly dressed.
Gu Yu-na, who had skipped tug-of-war to prepare for ‘Theatre,’ was intensely practicing her acting in a brown outfit, expressionless and dressed as a tree, her face just peeking out of a log-like costume.
“…Is practice going okay?”
Even when asked about her wellbeing, Gu Yu-na just stared blankly, refusing to speak carelessly, seemingly deeply immersed in her role.
Given that method actors need consideration before filming, Moon In-seop quietly sat down next to Gu Yu-na, who was wearing the tree costume.
Around that time, the Literary students, having recovered from the defeat on the field, started returning to the booth one by one.
“Ah- that was tough.”
“Min-ju, do you have any Pocari Sweat left?” (TL: Pocari Sweat is a sports drink name )
“Guys! The relay race is in an hour, so get ready!”
“Hey, class president. If you got elected, shouldn’t you at least hand out burgers at the sports festival! Do you want to be impeached?”
“These days, even burgers are considered bribes and are banned.”
“Just don’t get caught.”
“Guys. The teacher isn’t sleeping.”
The Literary students, escaping the scorching sun, dragged plastic chairs to the booth and gathered in small groups to chatter away.
But surprisingly, no one asked Gu Yu-na why she was wearing the log costume or why she didn’t participate in the tug-of-war; in the world of martial arts, the overly curious do not survive long.
Thus, it wasn’t bullying. Gu Yu-na had truly overwhelmed everyone in the Literary and Creative Writing Department.
The fact that no one questioned her sudden appearance in a log costume implied that everyone knew there must be a reason behind everything Gu Yu-na did.
Those who knew of Gu Yu-na’s wisdom guessed there was a reason behind her actions and kept quiet, and even those lacking wisdom were too afraid of her to stand in her way.
Since time immemorial, if no one can obstruct one’s actions, they are called the ‘pinnacle’.
Therefore, it could be said that Gu Yu-na had truly reached the throne of supremacy.
However, those who stand alone at the top are always destined to be lonely.
When her friends didn’t ask about the log costume, Gu Yu-na’s expression subtly turned gloomy.
So, knowing that Gu Yu-na had joined the drama club through Kim Byul and would be performing on stage as a ‘tree,’ Moon In-seop asked her a question for her sake.
“So, how come you ended up wearing that costume?”
Gu Yu-na, initially discouraged, regained some spirit.
Just as Gu Yu-na, flapping her branch-like arms, was about to start explaining,
Suddenly, Min Hyo-chan burst into the Literary and Creative Writing booth.
Having run for a while, Min Hyo-chan’s pink hair was drenched in sweat.
Wearing a spinach-colored tracksuit, Min Hyo-chan urgently yelled,
“What is it, Min sunbae…?”
In such a hurry, Min Hyo-chan grabbed Moon In-seop’s wrist and started running.
Gu Yu-na tried to get up and grab him, but her branch-like arms could only flap desperately.
Meanwhile, as Min Hyo-chan frantically dragged Moon In-seop away to somewhere, he had a crumpled piece of paper in his grip.
The content written on the paper was as follows:
(TL: hubae means Junior opposite of sunbae)
Just after the tug-of-war, Moon In-seop, already exhausted, protested weakly,
“What the heck is it!”
“Ah, just run, damn it!”
The two boys, one with black hair and the other with pink, crossed the sports field .
It was around this time that a vehicle from Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting entered the gates of Baekhak Arts Middle School.
It was a day in autumn.