Chapter 804: Fishing is Life (9)

“Alright, alright! Let’s make a toast! Cheers!”

“Thank you all for your hard work fishing today!”

“Woooooo!”

Applause and cheers.

The clinking of glasses rang out from all over, and the savory smell of grilled fish filled the air.

On the dinner table set up in the courtyard of the Phuket resort, there was truly a feast from land and sea.

Tuna sashimi glistening with rich oil.

Fried marlin.

Spicy fish stew personally made by Teacher Baek Sanggyo.

A spice-heavy Thai-style marlin dish.

And.

Even marlin barbecue, today’s highlight.

“Wow.”

“This is seriously good?”

Everyone chewed on the enormous chunks of fish piled on their plates, letting out exclamations of admiration.

Mm.

To be honest, it wasn’t all that special.

Just tasted like ordinary grilled tuna, but maybe because we had worked so hard all day, it went down easily.

Oh Hyunsook, her face flushed slightly from alcohol, laughed brightly.

“We’re even getting to eat marlin barbecue thanks to our dear.”

“I’ll enjoy it, Wooju!”

“Wooju, we’ll enjoy it too!”

I waved and smiled at the staff and cast members thanking me.

The barbecue Captain San was grilling was the three-meter marlin I had caught earlier today.

It was so massive that even with the crew eating alongside us, there was still plenty left.

“How much was this worth again?”

At Kang Manho’s question, Junhyun answered while chewing.

“The captain said it would be at least several million won. It’s not just long, it’s insanely heavy.”

“Wow...”

That’s right.

“The greatest fisherman who caught a marlin worth several million won.”

I flashed a V sign toward the camera.

“That would be me.”

“Hahaha!” I threw my head back and laughed.

“Wow. Our Wooju got real full of himself in just one day?”

“If you catch a marlin, you’re allowed.”

“Honestly, I 인정 that.”

Even while making annoyed faces, they nodded in agreement.

They had no choice.

In today’s trolling session, I was the only person who caught a marlin.

Chu Giseok had caught one small tuna after Junhyun.

Kang Manho asked, “So Wooju holds the top record?”

“Probably.”

“Honestly, shouldn’t we exclude the length of that spear? Including the spear makes it way too long.”

“Hey, Manho. Even without that, Wooju’s marlin is the biggest.”

That was also true.

Even without the spear length, my marlin was over two meters.

It was perfectly sized for this Phuket special’s winning goal: “the longest fish.”

So Junhyun and I smiled and waited for the PD.

“Did everyone enjoy the meal?”

“Oh man.”

Teacher Baek Sanggyo rubbed his stomach.

“I feel like I’m going to die from bursting. Why is there so much food?”

“I think I finally understand why villages used to throw festivals when someone caught a huge fish.”

“Ugh. I’m so full I’m getting sleepy.”

As everyone expressed their fullness, Junhyun and I patted our bellies too.

PD Lee Junhee smiled.

“It’s finally time for the final tally you’ve all been waiting for!”

“Wooooooo!”

“Ahhh...”

It was as if a wall had gone up between us and the fixed cast members—joy and despair crossing.

As the longest fish each person had caught was listed, passing Junhyun’s 1.8-meter shark...

“And now for the overall top record.”

Junhyun and I slowly stood up to prepare for the ceremony, and Oh Hyunsook burst into laughter beside us.

“Two meters and ninety-five centimeters! The winner of this Phuket special is Wooju, who caught a marlin nearly three meters long!”

“Junhyun! Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

“Thank you! Thank you, Phuket sea!”

“Pu to the ket yo!”

With Nine playing from my phone, we danced wildly, making the staff laugh.

Instead of shouting the chorus of Nine, we yelled “Two meter nine!” and spun around together.

Captain San, who had revealed himself as a Souffle, clapped with a deeply satisfied smile.

“Then as promised, there should be a reward, right?”

An assistant director approached holding a trophy.

The writers cheered and draped a flower garland over me, scattering petals as I accepted it.

It was a crucian carp-shaped trophy.

[Honey, I’m going Fishing: Winner]

I kissed the carp trophy and bowed politely to the applauding crowd.

“Wooju, could you share a few words?”

“Ah, yes!”

Standing with Junhyun, I looked at the camera.

“First of all, I am sincerely honored to receive such a big award among such outstanding fishing seniors.”

“Suddenly this feels like the Mango Awards?”

“That’s the face of someone accepting a grand prize.”

Holding back laughter at the comedians’ interjections, I continued.

“There were some slightly embarrassing moments, but viewers must have realized by now. That I, Sun Wooju, am not bad at fishing—my luck was just a little off.”

“Wooju, it’s already too late!”

“...By the time this broadcast ends, you will remember me not as the Half Man, but as the man chosen by the Dragon King.”

I earnestly attempted to manipulate the viewers’ memories, but judging from the on-site reaction, it was not working at all.

After cheerfully continuing my remarks,

“I came here intending to catch fish, but I think in the end I’m leaving with good connections and good memories. Personally, I learned a lot through this fishing experience. I want to thank the seniors and production team who gave me such great memories.”

“Thank you very much!”

Our polite closing drew cheers.

A warm ending.

“And we’re really looking forward to the fishing-version music video of our new song that you promised as a reward!”

“We’ll be looking forward to it!”

PD Lee Junhee and the production team nodded confidently.

“Alright! Let’s take a commemorative photo and shout our final chant!”

After clearing the tables, staff, cast, and Thai crew gathered together.

A warm, affectionate atmosphere filled the air.

Teacher Baek Sanggyo raised his hand.

“I just thought of something after hearing what Wooju said. Should we make a new chant?”

“A new chant?”

“Fishing is life. We catch love, not fish. How’s that?”

After Kang Manho complained it was too long, the fishing chant was decided.

“Alright! Let’s shout it! One, two!”

“We catch love! Honey, Fishing!”

“Woooooo!”

Applause. Cheers.

Waving at the drone rising into the sky with a buzzing sound, all filming for Honey, Fishing finally ended.

The filming lights went out one by one.

“Great work!”

“Good job, guys.”

Over the past four days, we wrapped up by hugging and taking commemorative photos with people we had grown attached to.

We gifted signed merchandise to Captain San.

Exchanged phone numbers with the fixed cast, promising to stay in touch.

“Junhyun. You really worked hard.”

“You too, hyung.”

We slapped palms in a high five.

“Oof.”

“Sore?”

“Yeah.”

Fighting the marlin for about forty minutes must have strained me.

“When we get back to the room, put some patches on me.”

“I don’t think patches will be enough. I told you I learned rehab recently because of Biju, hyung.”

“Yeah. You did.”

“Judging by your muscles, I think you need a massage.”

“I’m fine—Aaaah!”

Junhyun put his hand on my shoulder and kneaded it. It hurt like crazy.

My eyes welled up and I glared at him.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Your shoulders are just tight.”

“Ugh. It hurts.”

“I’ll massage you properly in the room, so soak in warm water first, hyung.”

I said okay and stretched.

Then I noticed something strange.

“Wooooow.”

Something I hadn’t looked at at all over the past few days because I’d been so busy thinking about fishing and variety.

The night sky.

A clear night sky like the ones we sometimes saw on tours in places with good air or in the southern hemisphere.

A sky so full of stars it felt like they were about to fall on me.

“Guys. Look at the stars.”

I unconsciously raised my hand to reach for the younger members.

But where Ri Hyuk, Biju, or Jiho’s shoulders would normally have been, my hand passed through empty air.

Junhyun and I looked at each other and smiled.

“I miss the guys.”

“Me too.”

We saw them every day through video calls, but I missed them in person.

Maybe because we’d been overseas quite a while.

Jiho’s giggles, Ri Hyuk’s grumbling, Biju’s gentle voice briefly felt distant.

“Right.”

I pulled out my phone and went to the portal.

“Did it go well?”

“That thing? The casting?”

Nodding, I typed NBS into the search bar.

There wasn’t much news.

“Still nothing.”

“They’re probably busy preparing.”

I put my phone away.

Did it go well?

While we were filming variety in Thailand, the members back in Korea had something else to do.

Ranked number one among Koreans’ favorite programs.

Record-breaking ratings.

Grand Prize winner in the TV category at the Korea Arts Awards.

Those were the titles describing TBC’s hit variety show Around the World with a Dice.

“Those were the old days.”

In a quiet meeting room.

A large man sitting alone stroked his beard and stared at the wall.

Countless commemorative photos, plaques of appreciation, and ratings articles were pinned there.

It had truly been a glorious era.

But not much time remained.

About a month ago.

At a dinner with the head of the variety department and the vice president.

“It’s time for you to move up properly this time. If you’re a CP now, you should oversee all programs.”

“It’s time for change.”

“Around the World with a Dice should reshuffle members and return as Season 2. And you can’t stay on the field forever.”

It was essentially a notice: end the show and step back.

It was harsh, but in some ways understandable.

The ratings were not what they used to be.

There were many factors.

Trends had shifted toward observation-style variety, and the program itself had run too long.

They had already squeezed out all possible chemistry from the existing cast.

These days viewers even joked they could predict the cast’s lines in advance.

And if they changed the characters, hardcore fans immediately complained.

“...We’ve reached our limit.”

It was a time when it was difficult to offer anything new.

Any PD experiences such moments.

The twilight of a program.

He could feel it too.

“In some ways, it’s a blessing.”

They had even held a proper farewell party recently.

Considering most programs disappear without a sound, leaving while people still applauded was fortunate.

But.

“....”

His heart was not at ease.

Gu Jaeyoung sighed and looked at his phone.

While searching for Around the World with a Dice, an article caught his eye.

NewBlack Wooju, Junhyun spotted in Thailand... “He caught a massive marlin.”

NewBlack, who had departed to film a fishing variety, seemed to have accomplished something.

A smile spread across Gu Jaeyoung’s face.

“As expected.”

He had felt it back when Wooju wrestled Daegil in the rural special.

A truly variety-optimized national idol.

“So this is Honey, Fishing.”

A variety enthusiast since college, he watched clips with a warm smile.

“I’m jealous. They’re at their best.”

He could feel that distinctive energy of a program just starting to succeed.

Fresh variety talent.

A united atmosphere.

Missing those early vibes, he licked his lips and sighed deeply.

Everyone envied his promotion.

A well-being life, commuting comfortably.

But his expression would not ease.

The cancellation contained the will of the top brass.

With ratings declining, they had finally made their move.

Of course, the form was nice.

Promotion to oversee everything.

But the executives knew he loved being on the field.

“...They’re basically telling me to leave.”

Gu Jaeyoung sighed.

“There are plenty of places I could go.”

Cable networks, new OTT platforms—offers were endless.

But none truly appealed to him.

“Everyone’s offering good conditions.”

Huge salaries. Even houses and cars.

But.

“I want to do something fun.”

Something truly fun, variety-wise.

He was deep in thought when his phone buzzed.

Another cable network?

He glanced at the caller ID—and his eyes widened.

“....”

His heart began to race.

At that same time.

In the company studio, the three remaining members looked at each other and nodded.

“Phew.”

Ri Hyuk wiped his forehead.

“PPT ready.”

“I’m ready with cuteness.”

“I’ve prepared my soft voice.”

Biju and Jiho giggled.

“So are you calling?” Biju asked.

“No.”

Ri Hyuk stepped back, waving his hands.

Biju stared at the phone.

‘I have to do well.’

While the leader and rapper were filming in Thailand, they had a task.

Recruiting a variety PD.

“Ugh, I’m nervous.”

The PD they were contacting had immense reputation.

Rumors said networks were offering tens of billions.

Would he even listen?

It had been the leader’s proposal.

Instead of dividing between self-produced content and TV appearances—

What if they turned part of their own content into a TV variety show on NBS?

Since the TV side was hard for them alone, bringing in a new outside figure was welcomed.

So while the others were overseas, the remaining three decided to recruit someone fitting.

From countless lists, their number one was Gu Jaeyoung.

Rumor said he was going freelance.

If this worked.

It would be huge.

NewBlack TV’s massive fanbase combined with a top-tier variety PD.

“Let’s really do our best.”

If they got in touch, they would persuade him somehow.

From flaunting the company’s resources to Ri Hyuk’s ten-hour PPT.

“Calling now.”

Biju lifted the phone.

The two younger members pressed their ears close.

“Hello.”

“He picked up!”

Ri Hyuk mouthed urgently, “Speak properly!”

As chaos brewed, Biju calmly began.

“Hello, PD. How have you been?”

“Hi. I’ve been well.”

As he carefully brought up the NBS proposal—

“I’ll do it.”

“...What?”

“Let’s sign.”

The three blinked.

‘...Huh?’

Was it supposed to be this easy?

Ri Hyuk carefully asked.

“PD.”

“Mm?”

“You know the saying about visiting three times? For strategy... weren’t you supposed to reject us first to raise your value?”

“...Was I supposed to?”

Ri Hyuk closed his eyes tightly.

The other two bit their lips, trying not to burst out laughing.