"Fishing variety show?"

    Liam, a member of the boy group Thunderst, which had just celebrated its first year since debuting, thought he had misheard. Fishing? Of course, being just over twenty years old, Liam had never tried fishing before.

    "That''s totally something for old men..."

    "Are you in a position to be picky about your opportunities?"

    "...."

    Sunshine Planning was one of the top three management companies, but despite focusing on the idol business, it hadn’t seen significant success. Thunderst had managed to secure a modest fan base, but...

    "To put it bluntly, you’re falling behind, Hoseung."

    "Please call me Liam."

    "Why? Kim Hoseung is a good name, easy to pronounce, and sounds nice."

    It wasn''t that he disliked the name Kim Hoseung. It just didn''t seem to fit well with a boy group.

    "Anyway, this isn''t the time to be picky about whether it''s a show for older men or not. You need to build a fan base."

    "...You''re right."

    His team leader''s words were spot on. Among the members of Thunderst, Kim Hoseung was particularly unpopular. He had an average, plain-looking face, his dancing and singing were just okay.

    He wasn''t especially witty, so even when he appeared on variety shows, he didn’t manage to stand out. Lately, he’d even started wondering if this job was really right for him.

    "Still, if you appear on Star Angler, you could build relationships with veteran actors and develop a new image."

    "That would be nice."

    "Oh, and there’s talk that one of the other guests will be a woman."

    "A woman? Is she an actress or an idol?"

    "I don’t know."

    "Is there anything you do know?"

    "Ahem, but wouldn’t it be a great opportunity to build your image? You could help her out while learning to fish, right? That should make for a good image."@@@@

    Apparently, the woman was new to fishing too, or so he’d heard. Fishing, after all, requires a lot of physical endurance.

    ''It seems like she might be in a tight spot too.''

    Moreover, it was rare for a woman to appear on a fishing variety show. Female celebrities often avoided outdoor variety shows like this because they were physically demanding and risked sun damage to their skin.

    So, Liam thought this was a good chance to enhance his image. If he could show himself helping out the female celebrity, whoever she was, it could leave a positive impression on the viewers.

    With that thought in mind, he headed to the filming location.

    "Hello."

    "...."

    Standing there was an actress he’d recently seen in movies. The actress currently gaining popularity for her roles in The Chaser and Dream Future.

    Ju Seoyeon.

    She was standing there, holding a ton of equipment, looking directly at him.

    Lee Sangsoo honestly felt a bit uneasy. Star Angler was the only variety show where he could truly relax.

    Although it was a broadcast, it was a show where he could go fishing with his friend, Song Gwangmin, and new guests.

    So when he heard that a young actress would be joining as a guest this time, he felt uncomfortable.

    ''Does she even know anything about fishing?''

    In truth, he didn''t expect her to know. If she didn''t, he could just teach her.

    But he wondered if she would actually try to learn. She might listen, out of respect for her much older seniors, but she could also just pretend to enjoy it.

    As an actor, Lee Sangsoo could easily see through such pretenses. He had always been good at reading other people''s emotions.

    ''Especially if she''s recently had back-to-back hits, it’s not hard to imagine how she might behave.''

    He wasn’t trying to criticize Ju Seoyeon as an actress. It''s just human nature.

    After hitting it big as a child actor, disappearing, and then returning to score two consecutive hits, it was natural to become a bit arrogant. Especially when she was still a teenager.

    But then...

    "Hello, I’m Ju Seoyeon."

    She bowed deeply, greeting them with a very refined and graceful demeanor. Although her features were somewhat sharp, she exuded a strangely warm atmosphere.

    It was as if she was genuinely looking forward to the upcoming experience. That emotion was clearly conveyed.

    "...I''m Lee Sangsoo. Seoyeon, is this your first time fishing?"

    "Yes."

    As she spoke, it was clear she had brought a lot of things. While the fishing rods had been provided by the show, she had brought plenty of other gear.

    Backup equipment and fishing supplies.

    "I’m Song Gwangmin. Nice to meet you."

    The rather large-framed Song Gwangmin extended his hand for a handshake with Seoyeon. As he did, he secretly clicked his tongue.

    The sound the fishing rod made when Seoyeon swung it was chilling, and the way the metal jig flew was like a bullet. Is fishing about shooting fish with bait?

    "Um, you don’t have to swing it so forcefully."

    "Okay."

    Her voice was calm, but there was an oddly excited tone to it.

    "Loosen the line, loosen the line."

    In any case, it seemed Seoyeon had properly studied how to fish. After casting the bait, she calmly tightened the line.

    With the fishing underway, the two veteran actors, who had initially been focused on Liam, were now mainly watching Seoyeon.

    It was only natural. Seoyeon’s posture as she held the fishing rod was very straight. Clearly, she had practiced properly.

    Her consistent jerking of the bait, which involved shaking it to mimic a swimming fish, was also spot on. Without a certain level of stamina, it would be impossible to keep that up, yet she didn’t break a sweat.

    "Seoyeon, didn’t you bring a hat? Should I give you mine?"

    "No, I’m fine."

    Seoyeon shrugged and said,

    "The sun can’t do anything to me."

    Her white skin had never once been sunburned. Invincible skin. Though she had applied sunscreen out of courtesy, it wasn’t really necessary.

    "Oh, really?"

    He didn’t quite understand what she meant, but if she said she was fine, then she must be fine. On the other hand, the one really struggling was Liam.

    ''Isn’t this tiring for her? How is that even possible?''

    Seoyeon was having the time of her life, continuously shaking the fishing rod without stopping. Anyone who has tried fishing knows that while it might be fine at first, if you keep shaking the rod, your arms start to feel like they’re going to fall off.

    Normally, people don’t fish that way. But since Seoyeon was doing it non-stop, Liam felt pressured.

    If he just stood there holding the rod and watching, it would look like Seoyeon was working hard while he was slacking off.

    "Both of you have great stamina."

    "Yeah, we couldn’t keep up like that."

    Meanwhile, Lee Sangsoo and Song Gwangmin just laughed, seemingly enjoying themselves. For the record, Lee Sangsoo and Seoyeon were on the same team, while Song Gwangmin and Liam formed the other team.

    They had noticed that Seoyeon’s behavior was a bit out of the ordinary, but they decided to just go with it for fun.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, Seoyeon felt something tug on her line.

    "Oh, you''ve got something! How does it feel?"

    "Do I just reel it in now?"

    Hearing Seoyeon’s calm question, Lee Sangsoo assumed it must be a small fish.

    "Just reel it in slowly, and let me know if you need help."

    "I’m fine!"

    Seoyeon pulled the rod with a focused expression and started reeling in the line. Seeing her slightly biting her lip suggested she was exerting quite a bit of strength.

    ''Is it a red seabream? Or maybe a flatfish?''

    Even a red seabream would be enough to secure a win. He hoped it would be at least 50 centimeters.

    Just then, the fish hooked on Seoyeon’s line surfaced.

    "Oh! ...Oh?"

    At first, it seemed pretty big. But something about the perspective felt off.

    The fish was... kind of huge? Very huge, actually.

    "Wh-what?"

    PD Jung Seunghyun jumped up in shock.

    "Seoyeon! If it gets dangerous, let go of the line!"

    Reacting to PD Jung Seunghyun’s alarm, Liam turned his head. He saw Lee Sangsoo and Song Gwangmin moving closer to Seoyeon. What’s going on?

    Rushing over to her side, Liam finally saw it.

    "...What?"

    A massive fish was dangling from Seoyeon’s fishing line, being dragged along. The fish was almost as long as Liam himself.

    "No way! What is that?"

    "Quickly, help Seoyeon!!"

    But Seoyeon shook her head as if she was fine.

    "I’m fine, I’m stronger than it!"

    "No, it’s not about being strong!!"

    The fish was a 170-centimeter long sailfish. An ultra-rare species in Wando, with only a few dozen caught each year.