Falling for the Omega Idol

Chapter 254: JEJU ACTIVITY (III)

AFTER they finished dancing, the older woman handed them an envelope while showering them with compliments. Eunwoo thanked her as he took it. The rest of the team also thanked the other customers for letting them perform. The customers waved it off, saying it was nothing, and that they enjoyed the performance. As the team said their goodbyes and headed out of the shop, the staff members stayed behind to speak with the people inside, politely asking them not to post anything online until after the episode aired.

Once they were outside the shop, the team gathered around Eunwoo as he opened the envelope. They had expected another riddle, but instead, there was a postcard inside.

The front of the postcard showed a wide crater carved into the mountain, its rocky edges sloping down toward a flat, grassy basin at the bottom. The sky above was clear and blue, with a few thin clouds drifting near the rim. There were no buildings or people in the shot, just the crater and the thick green brush lining its walls.

Eunwoo flipped the postcard over, probably hoping to find some kind of direction written on the back. But it was completely blank.

"Wait, what are we supposed to do with this?" Suho asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"It’s obviously our next destination," Jeon Hyunsik said. His voice was calm enough, but there was a faint bite underneath, like he was holding back from sounding outright sarcastic.

Suho didn’t seem to catch the edge in Jeon Hyunsik’s voice. He just nodded like he understood. But both Eunwoo and Haneul noticed. They exchanged a quick glance and silently agreed not to react. They still had to get through this activity with Jeon Hyunsik. If they set him off now, the rest of the day would be unbearable. He was already insufferable enough. If they showed any pushback, he’d definitely take it as a personal attack and make everything ten times worse. So they kept their faces neutral and didn’t show any prominent reaction.

"Let’s ask someone if they know where this place is," Haneul said quickly, steering the conversation forward before the mood could sour any further.

"Good idea," Eunwoo said, walking up to a nearby local passing by. The man was middle-aged, wearing a worn baseball cap and a gray hoodie zipped up to his chin. He had a small backpack slung over one shoulder and was holding a takeout coffee cup in one hand. "Excuse me, would you happen to know where this place is?" Eunwoo asked, holding up the postcard.

The man seemed startled by the sudden approach, but he still looked at the postcard. "That looks like Baengnokdam," he said, squinting at the image. "The crater lake at the top of Hallasan Mountain. But you’d have to hike up to see it."

"Thank you so much," Eunwoo said, giving the man a small bow.

The man just nodded and walked off. The four of them then headed over to the driver. Now that they had a destination, it was time to get moving.

***

The minivan came to a stop in a gravel parking lot near the base of Hallasan Mountain. A large wooden sign at the edge of the lot marked the trailhead for the path leading up to the crater lake. There were a few other cars parked nearby, and a small ticket booth sat off to the side, though no one was currently in line. The air was cooler up here in comparison, but it was still hot and humid.

Just like before, the two staff members, the driver, and the cameraman got out of the van and followed behind them as they stepped out.

Suho tilted his head back and stared at the mountain looming in front of them. "Do we... do we actually have to hike up there?"

Haneul nearly laughed at the look of pure dread on Suho’s face. He understood the feeling, though. He didn’t want to hike either, especially not in this heat.

"We should ask around first," Eunwoo said, glancing toward the trailhead.

He didn’t show it on his face, but he wasn’t eager to climb a mountain just for a clue either. It didn’t seem like something the production team would add to a timed activity. If their team was the only one stuck hiking up and down a mountain, that wouldn’t be fair at all. Unless every team had to do something just as tiring. Then it would be even.

He really wished that’s not the case.

"We should split up and ask around," Jeon Hyunsik suggested. "It’ll save time."

Haneul shot Jeon Hyunsik a sideways glance. This might have been the first time the guy had offered a genuinely logical suggestion. It made him suspicious. Was he planning something? Haneul shook his head. When had he become this paranoid? Maybe Jeon Hyunsik had finally realized he needed to act normal in front of the cameras.

Eunwoo glanced at the cameraman. There was only one camera, so he wasn’t sure if splitting up would even work. The cameraman seemed to understand the question, because he gave an okay sign and then pointed toward the two staff members and the driver. Eunwoo followed his gesture and was slightly surprised when he saw all three of them pulling out small cameras of their own.

His eyebrow lifted. Was this why they’d brought the extra staff and the driver? So they could still film even if the group split up? Either way, now that they could go off on their own, asking around would be much easier.

"Okay, let’s do that," Eunwoo said. "Haneul, you go toward the rest area on the left. Suho, head to the information center on the right. Hyunsik, ask around the trail entrance up ahead. I’ll check near the parking lot and the ticket booth. We meet back here in ten minutes."

Everyone nodded and agreed. Then they split up, each heading in their assigned direction.

Haneul jogged toward the rest area on the left. One of the staff members followed close behind, a small camera pointed at his back.