Second Try Idol

It baffled me. The game was incredibly simple—just scatter your water balloons and find a safe spot to avoid getting hit by the opposing team's balloons. It was so straightforward that even kindergartners could master it easily. So why did they overcomplicate it?

“Ah! I'm out of items!"

“You are over, man....Ah! Trapped!"

“Now it's a matter of time."

“Not exactly. I've still got my needle." Goh Yoo-Joon unleashed his needle item with a smirk.

This prompted Joon-Hwan to slam his head on the desk in anger. Then, he turned to Hee-Su. “I've lost."

“Ah! Can't believe you did this again! Let me try."

Goh Yoo-Joon changed his character and boasted, “Don't worry, I will end you swiftly as well. After all, I've been trained by the legendary Suh Hyun-Woo."

“Joon! Is Woo really that good?"

With pride, I chimed in, “Games demand commitment till the end."

We didn't have computers in the dorm that could handle such games, so we were not able to play MMORPGs. However, back in middle and high school, I used to sneak off to internet cafes to play such games. Well, time constraints kept me from joining guilds though.

What was that game's name again? One Hours... something? It had been ages since I last played it.

“Ah! Dead!"

Boom!

“I won! I kill Goh Yoo-Joon!"

“Hey, 'kill' is a bit harsh! It's just a game character."

“Come on. Don't sweat the small stuff."

Goh Yoo-Joon faced defeat while I was lost in thought. I then rose and walked over to the computer. “Step aside, loser. It's my turn now."

“Wow, so reassuring. Go on, my hero. The rest is up to you." Goh Yoo-Joon vacated his seat for me and gave my shoulders a quick rub.

“Wow..." Hee-Jeong's voice came from behind us. Our conversation, albeit a tad childish, must seem odd to her.

I brushed off Goh Yoo-Joon's hands and signed in with my username. Then my avatar greeted me, shining with premium and event items. I was ready.

“Wow, Suh Hyun-Woo's character is insane."

“Yoo-Joon's character isn't bad either."

In an arrogant tone, Goh Yoo-Joon asked, “Do you think we only play water balloon games here?"

“Shall we begin?" At Joon-Hwan's cue, I nodded, and the game kicked off.

The challenge started in a tight space. I swiftly broke blocks and scavenged for items, hoping for speed boots, extra water balloons, range-extending potions, and the mighty rainbow balloon. All I needed were those.

“Look at Suh Hyun-Woo's speed. No hesitation."

“There's skill even in this game..."

Hearing Joon-Hwan's murmur, Goh Yoo-Joon remarked, “Of course. Every field has its pros."

Indeed, I was a Crazy Arcade pro. I cleared the blocks around me and headed to Joon-Hwan's side to set up multiple water balloons. As I hid in the corner, I grabbed the items from the exploding balloons and repeated the process.

This pace might surprise newcomers or those out of practice. Seeing my prowess, Joon-Hwan was clearly flustered and made a few errors, like misplacing balloons.

“See that? That is Suh Hyun-Woo's aggressive playstyle. Playing with him will turn you into a pro."

“Yeah, can't argue with that."

I yielded the final potion to Joon-Hwan and got serious when his last block was gone.

The real thrill of Crazy Arcade started when the blocks were gone. Dodging and weaving, releasing balloons and avoiding the opponent's balloons… The game truly sped up with no blocks present.

“Uh."

“Ah! How did this happen!?"

Immediately after I placed my first balloon bomb, Joon-Hwan got caught and said, “You are so mean…"

I felt a bit guilty and waited for Joon-Hwan to use his needle. Thankfully, they gave out a lot of needles as a sign-in event. Otherwise, I would've just farmed to no end, and it would've been over.

“Look at how Suh Hyun-Woo is leisurely waiting for his opponent’s resurrection. Truly a veteran."

“That's exactly him. Like the so-called warrior gaming tribe of these days."

“Seeing him waiting for my resurrection hurts my pride. I will make Suh Hyun-Woo regret it." Joon-Hwan managed to catch on to my playstyle and started dodging water balloons swiftly after being resurrected.

“I've never seen this game played so ruthlessly before. What other games did Hyun-Woo play besides this?" asked Hee-Su.

To Hee-Su's question, Goh Yoo-Joon answered, “Um, not sure. There were racing games, shooting games, strategy games, and that RPG... what was it called... the one from early high school, something One Hour..."

Meanwhile, Joon-Hwan was trapped by a balloon again as we kept placing and throwing our water balloons, and then I won. With a shrug, Joon-Hwan got up. “I can't beat him. How do you beat someone who never gets hit by the balloons? No matter how many you lay, he dodges them all."

“Hyun-Woo would be great if he did game streaming."

I shrugged and stood up. “Hee-Jeong should play too. Why don’t you play against Hee-Su? I need some water."

I entertained the cocky thought that Hee-Jeong might not get a turn if I took on Hee-Su and Daniele, who was new to the water balloon game.

“Ah, I'm... I'm fine? You guys can keep playing."

“Jeong Hee-Jeong, why are you like this? You have never been this kind and naive before."

“Ah, please make Hee-Su shut up."

‘Yeah, you two really are siblings.’ Their bickering was quite entertaining.

“Hee-Jeong, come on. Don't be like that. Win against your brother." After Goh Yoo-Joon persuaded Hee-Jeong, she finally sat down and started the game with an awkward step. After watching our fast-paced round, their play seemed slow. However, Hee-Su and Hee-Jeong also broke blocks quickly and showed us fun gameplay.

“Wow, look at them using obstacles. Who puts water balloons inside tents?"

“That's the way it's done!"

“Right! That's how it's supposed to be played. Don't say that to Hee-Jeong, okay?"

While Hee-Jeong was quietly focusing on the game, Goh Yoo-Joon and I heavily criticized Hee-Su from behind and cheered for Hee-Jeong.

Hee-Jeong calmly but quickly placed water balloons, eventually trapping Hee-Su in a balloon prison.

“Ah, shoot. What do I do now?"

“Kick it! You can throw it if you kick it!"

“How do I kick?"

“Bump into it!" When Joon-Hwan said that, Hee-Su tried to kick one of the balloons that trapped him, but unfortunately, he was too late.

Then it was Daniele's turn. Daniele was... “Huh? What do I do? Su! Help!"

“Ah... Danie, dear..." He misplaced a water balloon from the start and trapped himself. He understood the rules but unfortunately couldn't keep up with them. After that, Goh Yoo-Joon played another game with Daniele, but a win was a win. I managed to complete the one-win mission with ease.

After we finished the game and chatted for a while, the camera was collected with the announcement that the shooting had ended. However, we continued to hang out until we received a call from the manager to wrap up.

“Let's meet up like this more often."

“Sure. If you guys have the time."

“You guys will keep in touch with us even after the shooting ends, right?" Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan asked.

Seeing them ask this made me feel like the end of the shooting was indeed near. It would indeed be difficult to meet up with them without setting aside time in the future.

“Of course," Goh Yoo-Joon answered.

I nodded and added, “Let's have a drink on the last day."

My suggestion brightened everyone's mood.

“Yeah!"

“I will come."

After that, we got in the car and headed to the practice room. On the way, our manager said, “You two, no drinking on the last day, but if you have to, just have one."

“Why?"

“Ah..." The manager sighed deeply, but he seemed to have no intention of explaining further. Anyway, a fun day had passed just like that.

***

A few days after Suh Hyun-Woo and Goh Yoo-Joon finished shooting Graduating…

“Then, we will include ‘Paid Advertisement’ logo and add a special notice and guidance for the first broadcast in the MC’s script.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and this is about the system we are adding to our major directorate. This part is an improvement on aspects that were often criticized, so I'd really appreciate it if you could explain it thoroughly."

“I will inform the editing team. We will contact you about the broadcast schedule once the casting is finalized."

“Great! How's the casting coming along?"

The game manager Lee Hoon's question was met with Director Kim Seok-Soo's uncertain expression. He replied, “Nothing much yet."

The new game variety show was planned by SES, with Kim Seok-Soo as the main director for the first time. His goal was to promote gaming, and he was determined to build a team with a strong lineup capable of generating excitement and interest.

“We've reached out to celebrities known for being good at games or having an interest in them, but it's hard to say how it will turn out," said Lee Hoon. After all, it was a program led by a novice main director, and the format might involve celebrities simply sitting and interacting with a computer. This setup might not be appealing enough to attract popular celebrities to participate.

“We will still do our best in casting," said Kim Seok-Soo.

Hearing this, Lee Hoon stood up and bowed. “Please take good care of it. Our One Hours’ fate hangs on this broadcast!"

“Oh, please don't say that. I'm truly putting my best effort into this. We've even called the famous idol, Chronos's Suh Hyun-Woo."

Of course, YMM’s response was lukewarm when approached for casting. One Hours was nearing its tenth anniversary, having initially gained popularity for its evolving graphics and storyline. However, it fell into the abyss suddenly due to the easing of the difficulty and excessive emphasis on in-game purchases.

A major patch was in the works to address the issues, with the game director overhauling the system and ramping up the difficulty of dungeons and raids. This broadcast was strategically planned to promote these significant improvements and regain player interest.

Showing these changes on a large scale was good, but... Kim Seok-Soo looked over the proposal again.

[Proposal: Celebrities clearing the revamped, most difficult raid content on a grand scale]

“Given the challenging format and the difficulty level, this could be emotionally taxing, which might make casting quite challenging."

1. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game is a genre of video games that combines elements of role-playing video games with the vast scale and social aspects of online multiplayer environments. Players create their own character, often choosing from various classes, races, and skills, and embark on quests, explore vast worlds, interact with other players, and engage in combat against computer-controlled foes or other players. ☜

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