Chapter 1190: Extremes (1)

Antarctica.

An unknown land.

This frozen continent, a place nearly impossible for human footsteps to reach, was our destination this time.

“Originally, we were going to travel all the way to the pole. The concept was, since we were already going, why not plant our flag at the very end of Antarctica…?”

With his Zhang Fei-like face and thick, bushy beard, Producer Gu Jaeyoung stroked his chin.

“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to make it all the way to the pole, boys.”

“Yes. That’s really… unfortunate…”

“Getting from King Sejong Station, where we’ll be filming, to the pole is complicated, and more importantly, you have your actual careers to think about.”

The co-director beside him, Producer Oh Taejun, shook his head with a stern expression.

“Just imagine one of you getting injured or developing health problems while filming in Antarctica. The Grammys, the Academy Awards, everything would go down the drain that very day. And that’s without even mentioning preparations for your next album.”

“Good grief. That would be a disaster.”

“Then you’d spend the rest of your lives being hunted by the fans who bought four million copies of your album.”

Even the writers joined in with jokes.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung clapped his hands, looking deeply disappointed.

“So we’ll mainly be filming at King Sejong Station and in the surrounding area. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Antarctica isn’t the most important part anyway. The people there are.”

The country’s top variety-show producer looked at us.

“You know what I mean without me having to explain, right?”

“The core of any variety show is its people.”

“You really do understand me without a word. No wonder you came in first and second for Entertainer of the Year.”

At his praise, the guys stared at me.

Hmph!

Are you happy you came first?

I smiled and answered with my eyes.

If you’re jealous, you underlings should devote yourselves to self-improvement.

…!

While all sorts of insults flew at me through their gazes, Producer Gu continued.

“As you already know, Antarctica is just an element that makes the special stand out. Do you think people will watch our program because they’re genuinely curious about Antarctica? Anyone curious about Antarctica can turn on National Geographic and find plenty.”

He was right.

Anyone interested in Antarctica’s ecosystem or environment could watch a documentary on television. Even a quick search on MyTube would bring up dozens of videos about it.

“What people will be curious about isn’t ‘NewBlack goes to Antarctica.’ It’ll be ‘What does NewBlack do in Antarctica?’”

As he spoke, Producer Gu pointed at the table.

It was the variety-show special that the Newniverse production team and we had planned for NBS’s 2019 Lunar New Year programming.

The synopsis went roughly like this.

[Overview]

As the phrase “Let’s share a meal sometime” suggests, food has the power to close the distance between people.

But what about physical distance?

17,240 kilometers.

The distance between King Sejong Station in Antarctica and Seoul.

Can food carry the warmth of home even to people living so far away?

To celebrate Lunar New Year, NewBlack visits as special chefs.

That was the basic premise.

We would meet the researchers stationed at King Sejong Station for Lunar New Year and prepare a special meal for them.

It was an ideal special where we could put the cooking skills we had gained during Goblin Restaurant to use.

Writer Yang Mihyun, the head writer for this program, clicked her pen.

“I think the synopsis turned out well. Places with majestic natural environments like Antarctica are usually called graveyards for variety-show producers.”

“Because there’s nothing at the filming location?”

“Exactly. Because there’s nothing there.”

It was something we had felt ourselves in Alaska.

We had managed to create footage through survival activities and volunteer work, but the moment we first arrived, the sheer emptiness had left us at a loss.

“Wow! The scenery is incredible!”

“It’s seriously amazing!”

“But, guys… what exactly are we supposed to film here…?”

With this kind of setting, the program could easily turn into a documentary that showed nothing but scenery.

Five minutes was enough to satisfy the eyes.

To hold viewers’ attention, you needed a story.

People might keep watching a gripping drama after finishing dinner, but no one stood in the electronics section of a department store for an hour watching a television display of a beautiful waterfall.

That was why we, having gained enlightenment in Alaska, and the veteran Newniverse production team had settled on this format.

“How are preparations going?”

“Smoothly.”

The production staff replied.

“Communication with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Polar Research Institute has been going well. Coordination with the local staff has gone smoothly too. Overseas locations usually come with endless complications, but the moment we mentioned your name, everything became incredibly easy.”

“?”

“When you tell people abroad that you’re a Korean television program, a lot of them react like, ‘So what do you want me to do about it?’ But once we said NewBlack, everyone became friendly. Things started moving at lightning speed.”

“Ah.”

Apparently, our fame had made it much easier to secure cooperation overseas.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung said,

“There’s still one major obstacle left, though.”

“An obstacle?”

“The flights.”

“Ah…”

We nodded.

This time, instead of using a private charter as usual, we and the production staff planned to fly commercial.

The number of people permitted to enter Antarctica was limited, so our traveling party was relatively small.

Ri Hyuk’s remarks had played a particularly large role in that decision.

“Normally, it makes sense. We have a huge staff, we move in a large group whenever we travel, and we have tons of equipment to transport, including concert gear. But this time, it feels a little different.”

There was also the problem of inefficiency with such a small group.

“And I don’t think it would be a good look to fly to Antarctica, a place so closely tied to carbon-emissions issues, on a private charter when we don’t need one.”

That was another reason.

So we would be flying commercial with a small production crew and a security detail.

The problem was the location.

Incheon Airport.

Before we had begun using private charters, it had been the site of chaos every time we departed or returned to Korea.

“It’ll be… fine, right?”

“W-Well. I don’t know either.”

Producer Gu scratched his head.

“We’ve prepared for every possibility, so shouldn’t it be okay?”

“I… guess so?”

We laughed awkwardly.

At first, it felt novel and exciting.

“Wow. It’s been forever since we came to Incheon Airport.”

“When was the last time we were here? Was it 2017? I think it was around then…”

“I think the last time was before the Pyeongchang Olympics.”

What made it even more interesting was that we were not visiting the usual terminal, but the new second terminal.

Looking at Terminal 2 in the distance, I said,

“This is my first time at Terminal 2.”

“Right?”

Our destination was not Terminal 1, which we had always used, but Terminal 2.

The airlines we would be flying with were based there. The terminal had opened early the previous year ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

For a brief moment, I was excited to see a spacious, open airport instead of the cramped business center at Gimpo Airport that we normally used.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

“Waaaaah!”

Then we heard something like a war cry and flinched.

As we drew closer, the source of the sound came into view.

“Th-That… what is…”

Our manager Jongwan, who was behind the wheel, lost the ability to speak, while Wonseok hyung in the passenger seat rubbed his eyes.

It was the crowd gathered both inside and outside Terminal 2.

The place was packed beyond description.

“…”

Even Junghyun, who rarely showed surprise, rubbed his eyes and opened his mouth.

Thank goodness the van’s windows were heavily tinted.

Otherwise, photos of our slightly terrified faces might have filled every entertainment-news page.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah? What is it, Jiho?”

“Don’t you have some kind of technique for turning invisible at times like this?”

“Sorry. I can do it alone, but using it on all of us would be difficult.”

We waited inside the van while having that conversation.

Voices from the security guards’ radios filled the vehicle.

“Careful!”

“Ugh… Team Leader, they’re pushing too hard over here! I think someone just hit me with a body blow!”

“Hold on! Endure it with a smile!”

It seemed to take forever just to clear a path for us.

Incheon Airport’s entire security force appeared to have been mobilized to form a line, making me feel strangely guilty.

“I think we’ve caused trouble without meaning to.”

“Y-Yeah.”

As I nodded at Ri Hyuk’s words, Jongwan turned around.

“They say everything’s ready.”

“Okay.”

A security guard waiting near the crosswalk approached our vehicle and opened the door.

Every time one of us stepped out, thunderous cheers and screams filled Incheon Airport.

Even I, who was used to camera flashes, was momentarily blinded by the barrage coming at us like machine-gun fire.

“Biju! Biju, look this way!”

“Wooju!”

“How do you feel about going to Antarctica today?! Are you excited?!”

I had no idea whether I was excited.

Everything was too chaotic to think.

The security guards and airport personnel struggled to maintain the line and occasionally restrained people who tried to rush toward us.

Whoosh—

A phone flew toward Biju like a rock.

Junghyun and I reached out at the same time and caught it.

The startled security guards rushed over, shouting, “Get them!”

“Biju, are you okay?”

“Yes. I didn’t even realize something was flying at me.”

“Owww…”

“Hyung, did the phone hit your hand?”

“No, that part’s fine. What hurts is where my hand collided with Junghyun’s.”

It was difficult to continue the conversation over the shouting crowd.

The head of security said,

“We should move quickly. We can’t afford to delay.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This way, please.”

As time passed, we could hear more and more people gathering.

“Is that NewBlack?”

“Holy crap! It’s NewBlack! Hurry!”

“What?! Mom! Mom, look over here!”

We practically ran all the way to the departure hall like people escaping in a disaster movie.

But even after passing through, our suffering was not over.

“?”

“??”

It reminded me of a scene from a zombie film.

The moment the characters said, “Did we finally lose them?” a horde of zombies would come staggering after them.

Who are all those people…?

There are familiar faces among them.

A group of obsessive fans continued following us from beyond the security guards.

We heard them swearing and shouting crude things behind us to make us look at them, but we ignored them and kept walking.

Years of experience had taught us that ignoring them was the best response.

“When did… their numbers get that large?”

“Seriously.”

I shook my head at Ri Hyuk’s words and whispered,

“You think they’re on the same flight?”

“Probably.”

“It’s going to be a long trip.”

Thank goodness we had arranged for staff and security personnel to occupy the seats surrounding ours.

I looked around.

“Producer?”

“Uh…?”

“Producer, are you all right?”

“Huh? Oh…”

The seven members of the Newniverse production team traveling with us, including Producer Gu Jaeyoung, all looked dazed.

Producer Gu said,

“You know how tall I am, right?”

“Yes.”

He was a large man, a full head taller than Ri Hyuk.

“Whether during sports or anywhere else, that was the first time in my life I’ve ever been shoved around by other people.”

“Welcome to the world of small people, Producer. I get shoved around all the time.”

Only we chuckled at Ri Hyuk’s joke.

The production staff still looked as though their souls had left their bodies.

The director of photography asked,

“Are you boys all right?”

“This happens to us fairly often… though we’ve never experienced it on a scale like today.”

I had no idea what thought process had led everyone here, but it was probably something along the lines of, NewBlack is leaving the country. When else will we ever get to see them?

We smiled.

“We have to adjust. We can’t accept only the good parts of becoming famous.”

“What about the ones following us right now? They’re seriously creepy.”

“Those are a little different. But it’s better not to look at them even from the corner of your eye.”

In North America and elsewhere, we had already accepted that the larger and more famous we became, the more things we would have to give up.

“Still, Hailey told me we haven’t reached the level of being truly famous yet.”

“R-Really?”

“She said you have to receive bomb threats at your concerts and death threats before you can call yourself genuinely famous.”

“…”

Producer Gu Jaeyoung said,

“Let’s consider every possible alternative method of transportation for the return trip.”

“Y-Yeah. We should.”

After the chaos at the airport, no one could disagree.

It was an extremely long flight.

Before leaving, I had expected Antarctica itself to be difficult.

I had not imagined that the journey there would be difficult too.

“Uh, hyungs, my ears feel blocked.”

“Mine too.”

From Incheon Airport to Madrid, Spain.

From Madrid to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Then from Santiago to Punta Arenas Airport at the southernmost tip of Chile, known as the gateway to Antarctica.

“Uggggh…”

“Ugh…”

By the time we reached Punta Arenas, the production staff, the security guards, and all of us were nearly dead on our feet.

Junghyun said,

“At least the people following us all dropped off along the way.”

“That’s one good thing.”

The obsessive fans had been unable to follow us beyond Madrid.

I had heard they usually obtained information about our seats through airlines, but perhaps it was difficult for them to acquire that information from foreign carriers.

“Ah…”

On the drive from Punta Arenas Airport to the hotel, I sprawled across the vehicle seat.

Biju looked at me with concern.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just didn’t expect it to be this exhausting.”

Ordinary flights already drained a great deal of my mental energy, and this time I had spent dozens of hours flying while dealing with one incident after another.

There had been several moments when tears nearly welled in my eyes, but…

“Wait.”

I covered my eyes with both hands.

After calmly regaining my emotional stability—

“Overcome~”

The guys burst out laughing helplessly as I imitated a scene from a television drama.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung, who was riding on the bus with us, fiddled with his handheld camera.

“You’re getting plenty of scenery, right?”

“Yeah.”

The director of photography was filming the landscape of Punta Arenas.

The weather was windy under the influence of a low-pressure system, and a hazy yet distinctly foreign landscape passed outside the windows.

It was still summer in the Southern Hemisphere, but perhaps because we were so close to Antarctica, the weather was brutally cold.

“Wow! Penguins!”

“Really?”

“Waaaaaah!”

As we drove along a coastal road, we spotted penguins and seagulls gathered near a distant pier.

Junghyun stroked his chin.

“They’re Magellanic penguins.”

“Hyung! Hyung! Why are there penguins here when this isn’t Antarctica?”

“They’re often found around the Strait of Magellan. Penguins don’t live only in Antarctica. Wooju hyung looks like he lives only in the studio, but sometimes he lives in the practice rooms nearby too.”

“Ooh. So that’s how it works.”

The explanation seemed strange, but I decided to let it pass.

As we continued talking, Producer Gu checked the cameras installed inside the bus.

“Should we start filming, then?”

“Yes!”

“Good.”

At his signal, we beamed and shouted,

“Everyone! We’ve finally arrived in Punta Arenas, the gateway city to Antarctica!”

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

After each of us shared our feelings about the upcoming Antarctic shoot, Producer Gu explained the schedule.

“The weather conditions are currently poor. Due to the low-pressure system, flights to Antarctica have been canceled. We don’t even know whether we’ll be able to depart tomorrow.”

“Ah…”

“For now, we’ll wait at the hotel. We’re also scheduled to meet someone from the Korea Polar Research Institute who came out to greet us.”

Producer Gu smiled.

“One of the researchers came to meet you… and this person has a connection to all of you, so you’ll probably find it fascinating.”

“A connection?”

“Who is it, Producer?”

He merely grinned and refused to answer.

We arrived at the hotel lobby and waited for the person who had supposedly come from King Sejong Station to meet us.

Producer Gu looked at his script and asked,

“Do you remember the first time you and I met?”

“Of course.”

How could we forget?

Five years earlier.

Our performance at the Icheon Festival had led to a meeting with Living Together, the most popular variety show at the time.

I remembered how we had sat trembling in a café inside the TBC broadcasting station while waiting for Producer Gu Jaeyoung.

We had been unknown rookie idols no one at the station paid attention to, meeting a star producer who drew everyone’s gaze wherever he went.

It was the kind of memory no one could easily forget.

“Back then, you boys… no, you gentlemen said you were planning a dancing event in Myeongdong and were looking for a suitable mascot costume.”

“Ah, yes.”

“So I lent you one.”

We nodded.

The memory of dancing in a penguin costume in the middle of summer had now become nostalgic.

“Oh, by the way, do you know how many views that video has now?”

“No?”

“34.39 million.”

“Gasp…”

While we marveled at the view count of a street-event fancam rather than an actual stage performance, Writer Yang Mihyun held up a sketchbook.

A screenshot of a Facebook comment section had been printed on it.

One of the comments was familiar.

[I am a working Antarctic ecologist. A friend sent me the link, and I couldn’t help but admire it. This person clearly studied penguins very diligently. Penguins are animals that cannot shift their center of gravity evenly. When they move their right foot, they tilt their torso to the right, and when they move their left foot, they tilt it to the left, rotating their bodies as their balance sways. Despite having a completely different body structure, the performer reproduced it remarkably well. The actor must have… wait, an idol just came out. What? How did he do that?]

I was laughing at the old comment praising my penguin movements when my eyes widened.

“Could the person coming to meet us be…?”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s the person who left that comment five years ago.”

“Whoa…”

While we marveled at the strange connection, Producer Gu pointed in one direction.

We turned our heads.

Someone in a padded jacket had entered the lobby.

Round glasses.

An endearing face.

A scientist who somehow gave off the distinct impression of a penguin hurried toward us in tiny steps.

Waddle, waddle—

After shaking the rain from his hair as though brushing water from the feathers on his head, the scientist bowed politely.

“Hello. I am a polar ecologist.”

His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

“My name is Pang Gwiin.”

“Ghk…!”

I tried to hold back my laughter and ended up choking instead.