SCT-Novel Chapter 356
Chapter 356
Chapter 356
Returning from the facility tour, I entered the barn where Mr. Kim, the president, was rolling up his coat sleeves and putting on his work gloves.
“Could you help me clear this area?” he asked.
“Sure!”
“We need to clean up before winter comes. The little ones tend to slip on this mess,” he explained, sweeping away the hay and various debris scattered across the floor.
We had to tidy up quickly; families were coming for a ranch experience soon.
Together with the reporter, we planned to cover the event and highlight the day’s best moments.
“The children’s laughter is the heart of a joyful ranch experience, isn’t it? La-la-la-la!”
The script for the recording was set in stone.
It reminded me of how lifestyle programs introduce restaurants, starting with a shot of customers lined up outside.
Then, with overly dramatic expressions, the patrons would exclaim, “Wow, this is to die for!” as they gave a thumbs up.
Monday’s segment with reporter Min Hyojin was no different, following a set pattern: “Visit an unfamiliar place – Learn about eco-friendly farming – Help out at the experience corner.”
We were cleaning the barn diligently, preparing for the last part of the show.
“Don’t come any closer! I told you to stay away!”
Turning my head, I saw Rihyuk with his palms out, glaring at a cow.
It was a pitiful sight.
The cow seemed amused, merely staring back blankly.
Sighing in defeat, Rihyuk gave up his futile intimidation.
Just as he reached under the fence with his gloved hand to remove some debris, the cow attempted to lick him with its pink tongue.
“Yikes!”
Rihyuk recoiled as if every hair on his body stood on end, wiping the sweat from his brow.
He looked unnecessarily heroic, like a warrior gasping for breath after a duel with the final boss.
“Ah, that thing! I need to remove it!” he complained, hopping from foot to foot.
He wanted to remove the debris but was terrified of being licked by the cow.
Jiho approached and asked, “What’s he doing?”
“Rihyuk just lost to a cow,” I replied.
Silence.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to be edited out alongside such a bad joke.”
“Hey!”
“Ho~”
With a wink, the youngest member grabbed a sack and ran off.
When I looked back at Rihyuk, he seemed to have made up his mind, bracing himself for something worse than being licked by the cow.
“Sir.”
“...”
“Could you help me with this?”
He was asking for my assistance.
“Are you that scared of being licked by the cow?”
“Of course not! I’m not scared of being licked at all! I just hate not knowing when it will happen,” he retorted.
“Rihyuk, you’re such a good sport.”
“Just hurry up and remove it, please.”
As I approached, the cow backed away with a snort, as if to say, “I’m not interested in you.”
Somehow, that boosted my confidence.
Jiho’s eyes widened, and he shouted to Mr. Kim, who was pushing a sack, “Boss! Look! Is it because he’s born in the year of the Rooster?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh my! The cow is treating him like it’s just another chicken!”
Even reporter Min Hyojin joined in, and the three of them started making jokes about zodiac compatibility with cows.
Our child, who hated blood type and zodiac personality theories more than anything, shivered uncontrollably.
“Stay strong,” I told him as the sound of cleaning continued.
At first, everyone was laughing, but as the work dragged on, we all began to focus.
Scrub, scrub.
As we scrubbed the floor with brushes, Min Hyojin broke the silence.
“It’s too quiet with just cleaning. Shall we sing a work song or something? We do have a singer right here, after all.”
“Great! Great!”
“Boss! Do you have a favorite song?”
Mr. Kim, the boss, shook his head.
“I don’t really listen to music much.”
“Why not start now? We’re known as the human jukebox.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ve been practicing trot music a lot since I’m visiting my hometown. Tell me your song request!”
The boss scrubbed the brush vigorously, humming in approval.
“But can I request a song from someone else?”
“...Ah.”
Everyone laughed heartily at the sight of the youngest employee, slightly sulking while squatting and scrubbing the floor.
Bijoo asked,
“Then, who would you like to request a song from?”
“The young man growing leeks. I have a thing for deep voices.”
“Alright.”
Junghyun waved his mop in the air.
Swish, swish.
The mop flung water droplets in all directions with such force, it was like helicopter blades.
“Hey! Hey!”
“Who told you to splash mop water!”
Junghyun laughed warmly, setting down the mop, and asked the boss,
“What song would you like to hear?”
“Not for me.”
The boss pointed towards the cows, who were gazing at the humans.
“A song suitable for them.”
“For the cows?”
“The British did a study, you know. They say if you play classical music or any music to cows, they produce more milk.”
“The British sure do a lot of research.”
As we chuckled, Junghyun, scratching the back of his head, looked at the cows.
“Not sure what song cows would like, so I’ll just rap as I usually do.”
“Oooooh! Junghyun’s rap!”
The reporter announced to the camera,
“Ladies and gentlemen! For the first time in my hometown, an idol will rap for cows!”
“Wowwww!”
We clapped and cheered, and then Junghyun turned to me.
“Bro, give me a beatbox.”
“Okay.”
The younger ones clapped like seals, and I stood up.
Junghyun gestured for a signal when ready, then took a deep breath.
“What are you doing?”
“I think the audience needs to focus first.”
“...?”
While the camera director was capturing Junghyun’s solo shot, our rapper kept inhaling sharply.
The cows were leisurely doing their thing, while the humans watched, puzzled.
“Hup, hup.”
Junghyun sucked in the air like a genie from a lamp.
Next to him, Jiho commented, “He’s really enjoying that air,” making the reporter burst into laughter.
Bijoo blinked and said,
“Isn’t that something kids used to do in elementary school?”
“...What?”
“You know, pretending to burp as a joke.”
“...Junghyun!”
Just as I was about to scold him, Junghyun spread his arms wide.
“One-legged bicycle!”
“Alright! Shall we go meet the cows?”
The children followed us closely, looking up in awe and exclaiming, “Wowww!”
They were too adorable.
Perhaps because of the children, the parents also asked us to take photos with them after the program ended.
“Could we take a photo later?”
“Of course, with the kids...”
“No, with us.”
The parents cautiously asked for solo shots, taking turns to speak up, which made us all laugh.
After completing the barn tour with the visiting families, we spent time cooking with milk, cheese, butter, and other ingredients at the restaurant built inside the ranch.
“Wowww...”
“When you sprinkle the cheese, do it like this, broadly and evenly.”
As Bizu demonstrated how to make pizza, the children gasped in amazement, and the parents took out their phones to take notes.
Reporter Min Hyo-jin cheered in front of the camera.
“Wowww! Can you see this finished pizza? It looks really delicious.”
“Wowww!”
“Shall we see everyone’s reactions as they taste?” I suggested, watching as the family sliced up the pizza Bijou had made. They took bites, their eyes lighting up with delight, thumbs raised in approval.
One of the mothers widened her eyes, her mouth forming the unmistakable shape of genuine enjoyment. It was as if a cooking manga’s background music should start playing at any moment.
The children were in awe.
“Wow, this doesn’t taste anything like what Mom made just now!”
“Su-yeon, be quiet.”
“It’s delicious! It tastes like something you’d order!”
Bijou smiled happily at the children’s sincere compliments, encouraging them to eat more. That’s when Min, the reporter, turned to us.
“How about the members of New Black try some and share your impressions?”
“Of course!”
I then picked up a slice of Bijou’s pizza. To help promote the ranch, I bit into a cheese-laden piece, stretching it dramatically.
“Mmm~”
As I savored the flavor, my siblings scattered around, pretending to look for something that wasn’t there. The reporter tilted his head in confusion.
“Did you see that?”
“...?”
“The flavor is so good, five could be eating and four could disappear without notice.”
The owner and the reporter clapped their hands in satisfaction, thoroughly pleased.
As we wrapped up the experience, we drank milk for dessert and participated in an event with the reporter.
“Alright, children! New Black and my hometown are hosting the first Milk Flavor Expression Contest!”
“Taste the milk and the person who best describes the flavor will win a prize. You’ll get cheese made right here on this ranch.”
“And a jewel ring you can drink from!”
The children gasped in excitement at the sight of the jewel rings on Jun-hyeon’s fingers.
After taking sips of milk, the children exclaimed their delight.
Then, our youngest member took a sip of milk and shivered, saying like the final line of a commercial.
“Moo~”
As the parents and the owner applauded, I said with a laugh,
“Sadly, it looks like we’ll have to take one of the rings.”
“This one’s ours~”
And at that moment,
The children began to cry.
“No, this isn’t right...”
As the recording descended into chaos, the production team looked on, dumbfounded.
At the Yeouido PBS Broadcasting Station.
The main PD, along with the assistant directors and writers of “Now, My Hometown,” gathered in the conference room with serious expressions.
“Let’s watch it one more time.”
“Okay.”
The footage of New Black’s recording played.
It was filled with moments that would make anyone laugh, but the production team was at a loss.
“No...”
Someone said.
“I wondered how we’d fill 40 minutes after editing, but this...”
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“I’d only heard about it from other PDs. They’ve turned a lifestyle information show into weekend entertainment...”
At first, the assistant director had timidly brought the rough cut without subtitles, causing a stir and confusion.
But after watching it, everyone understood why it was so hard to decide what to cut.
“It’s a shame to compress it to just 15 minutes,” one assistant director said earnestly.
“It’s like ordering pork and suddenly getting a platter of special beef cuts.”
“If we’re making comparisons, it’s like having to throw away half of perfectly cooked specialty cuts.”
“What a waste.”
Amidst the production team’s characteristic pastoral banter, the main PD spoke up.
“For now... let’s extend the New Black segment from 15 to 20 minutes.”
“Okay.”
He looked at the responsible PD with sympathetic eyes.
“You’ve worked hard. It must have been tough with just one camera.”
“Yes... The cameraman said these guys just can’t be captured with a single camera.”
“From now on, whoever is recording with New Black should use two to three cameras.”
After much thought, the main PD made a decision.
“Since our main audience is the elderly, let’s tone down the noise a bit.”
“Right. The audio was so loud that I worried it might startle the elderly.”
“As for the rest... I’ll discuss this with Lemon Entertainment. They have the know-how for such things. It seems more fitting for the behind-the-scenes rather than the main broadcast since it’s full of things young people would like.”
“Really, thanks to you, I’m trying all sorts of new things.”
The production team of my hometown show burst into laughter at the unprecedented appearance of the volume fairies.
Work had increased, but it was a curious and interesting change that had come after a while.
I wasn’t sure how this would draw people’s reactions, but I was certain it was a positive change.
That’s when the PD asked the assistant director.
“By the way, where did NewBlack go after the shooting? What’s he up to?”
“He said he was going to eat... Even during our farewell, he was singing with the reporter, making quite the scene, but then he suddenly started talking about food and looked so downcast, I didn’t get to ask.”
“Ah, he must be tired.”
The production crew chuckled softly, saying, “He must be tired after expending so much energy.”
However, contrary to the production team’s speculation, NewBlack wasn’t downcast for the reason they thought.
“...”
Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province.
From the morning news in Suwon to a recording at a ranch in Hwaseong, and now a popular food alley in Yongin.
We were the members scanning the list of famous local restaurants given to us by the Supple members.
“The original beef bulgogi house...”
Every time we tried to step into a restaurant, the eyes of dairy cows haunted me.
“That place is known for the best beef bulgogi in Yongin...”
The cows seemed to moo sadly in my head.
With the saddest faces in the world, we crossed off the list.
“That place is famous for its beef tartare. And that one for Hallasan ribs, it’s well-known too.”
“Or should we just have some seolleongtang?”
“The soup should be fine...”
Once again, the cows cried out mournfully.
“Ugh!”
“We shouldn’t have done the ranch experience!”
“Ugh, why do even the clouds look like cows!”
The clouds in the sky seemed to wear the distant smiles of dairy cows.
“Ughhh...!”
The managers held back their laughter at the sight of us, members, clutching our heads in agony in the food alley.