Jurim stared down at the middle-aged man kneeling before him as if he were looking at a bug.
Shiver—
A sudden chill ran up Hwang PD’s spine, and he blinked in confusion.
“Daddyyy!”
Just then, Guru shot her hand up.
“Gwuu got scouwted!”
She puffed her nose with exaggerated snorts.
At that, Hwang PD replied in a tone noticeably more relaxed.
“Y-Yes, we’d like to cast Miss On Guru in our next variety show. Of course, with full consent from her guardian—”
“You’re gonna do another show?”
You already did one last time.
At Jurim’s unenthusiastic voice, Guru fidgeted with both hands.
“Dat bad?”
“No, I’m not saying you can’t...”
Jurim trailed off.
He was recalling the time she’d appeared on that “One-Day Guildmastuh” shoot. It had caused no end of trouble since she’d shown up without a word of warning.
“Then Gwuu can go to da countwyy?”
“Country?”
When Guru lit up, Hwang PD quickly seized the opening and lifted his head, jumping in.
“Yes, yes! It’s nothing strange, just a countryside observational variety. A healing concept where families can relax together.”
“Ah.”
Hwang PD had risen in popularity with a global observational program, and Jurim had seen him on TV from time to time.
Usually it featured celebrities working hard in mundane settings overseas...
As Jurim remembered entertainers rolling kimbap and cooking meals, Guru clambered onto his lap like a climbing squirrel.
Jurim gently tucked her hair behind her ear and played with her soft little hand.
“You wanna go to the country?”
“Yesh!”
Still clinging to his leg, Guru bounced excitedly and began reciting the things Hwang PD had used to tempt her.
“Gwuu wanna see da mooo-cowws. Wanna see da froggies toooo. Wanna see how many staws dere awe in da countwy night sky...”
Matching her rhythm, Hwang PD rushed forward with photos showing how beautiful the filming location was.
But Jurim only glanced at them without much interest, while Guru blinked up at him.
“Dat bad?”
“...Hmm.”
Judging by his expression, Dad was seriously torn on whether to let her go or not.
Guru anxiously waited for his answer to drop.
Sure, the variety show sounded fun, but more importantly—she had to go to that “country” place.
Gwuu gotta go to da countwy if Gwuu not gonna become Gwuut...
Guru stole a glance at Kazuki.
Dad said Sabbuu was sick. He hadn’t told her exactly what was wrong, but if they had the Elixir, it could probably heal him.
But for that, the acorn had to grow...
It won’t gwow!
She’d given it sunlight, tilled the soil, even added fertilizer, but the Elixir hadn’t grown past 34%.
She was debating whether she’d need to plant it in her head again when Hwang PD had come along, even sleeping rough to reach her.
All to take Guru to the countryside!
That’s when Guru had a moment of clarity, like a bell ringing in her head.
The last time the Elixir had sprouted—was at Yeonhamsa.
In other words, a quiet countryside location full of magic!
Magic tends to pool in places where people don’t go. And where magic pools, strange phenomena often follow.
Because of that, rural areas had become less and less popular, not just for farming but even for casual travel.
The government had poured in support to manage the risks, but changing the perception that rural places were dangerous wasn’t easy.
According to Hwang PD, this variety show aimed to...
“I want to capture the hidden corners of Korea—those completely forgotten countryside places...!”
As Jurim’s gaze sharpened, Hwang PD grew more impassioned.
“As you saw earlier, there are so many beautiful places in Korea. The problem is, ever since the Cataclysm, no one pays attention to these remote areas anymore.”
Before the Cataclysm, it was common to dream about farming in the countryside. Camping supplies used to fly off the shelves.
But now, interest in rural areas had completely died.
“These days, kids won’t even visit their grandparents in the country. They think it’s dangerous. Before the Cataclysm, every holiday season had crazy traffic jams—it’s still vivid in my mind... I interviewed some local officials. They said even with massive effort, it’s near impossible to bring people back to the countryside. It’s not like things were easy before, but now it’s a whole different level. And look, a village without people is bound to die.”
Hwang PD’s voice grew low as he recalled the villages he’d visited.
“I’m not some revolutionary, but I hope this show can get viewers to think of rural towns again. To do that, we’ll need buzz, unfortunately. But you know how it goes—if a place becomes popular on a show, it catches on. Fame breeds more fame, and people draw more people. Right?”
He explained how the countries featured in “To the World Mart” had seen huge tourism booms.
His voice was filled with genuine passion and attachment to his show.
“For observational formats, casting is crucial, more than editing. That’s why I don’t want to just use Amakusa Hunter as a one-off gag guest... You feel me? Here’s my vision: drop the most unlikely celebrity into the heart of the countryside. Just imagine it—this absurdly handsome guy, covered in tattoos, looking like a gangster, struggling through farm life.”
“Huh?”
Kazuki blinked, pointing at himself, and Jurim chuckled while Guru nodded deeply in agreement.
Encouraged by their reactions, Hwang PD smiled broadly.
“Doesn’t it already sound fun? Before the Cataclysm, people used to call country vacations ‘chon-cations.’ I want to bring that back. Let’s show the charm of urbanites fumbling their way through farm life. And let’s not forget—our Guru’s a princess of the world’s top guild!”
At the word “princess,” Guru whipped her head up, and Hwang PD smiled warmly.
“If it’s Amakusa Hunter and the Hyeonak Princess going on a chon-cation, we’ve got both buzz and concept nailed, right?”
A brief silence fell.
Having said his piece, Hwang PD moistened his dry lips.
Would this work? Could mere words sway On Jurim’s heart?
He remembered the man who had come down from the tower.
Once a blade-sharp warrior, now he seemed like a lounging predator. Almost like a benevolent king.
Probably because of Guru.
Just as Hwang PD reached that conclusion—
Guru gave him a solemn nod.
Hwang PD looked baffled, not understanding what it meant, but those words—those passionate words—had touched Guru’s heart.
Gwuu... da pwinceth...!
The word “princess” really stuck with her.
It was the first time someone had earnestly called her that.
Let’s help Mister PD. Let’s go to the country and grow da Ewiksuh!
But for that, Guru had one job. As Serhi would say, she had to “land the last hit.”
Guru, still sitting on Jurim’s lap, hugged his neck tightly.
“Dat bad? Dis not okay?”
She peppered him with kisses on the cheek, and though Jurim turned his face away, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Watching the affectionate father-daughter moment, Kazuki and Hwang PD smiled fondly.
“If it’s an observational show, we’d need to stay in the country for a while...”
“Yes, about a week, maybe...?”
Hwang PD lowballed the estimate as much as possible.
Jurim sighed and muttered softly.
“You’ll be okay without Dad around?”
Ack! Guru shot her head up.
So that was why he was hesitating! Because they’d have to be apart for so long!
But Guru found the answer right away.
“Yupyup. Cuz—”
She smiled and pointed her finger at Jurim.
“Daddy gonna come toooo.”
A few title drafts were tossed around, but /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ in the end, the variety show’s name was finalized as “Awkwardly Chon-cation!”
The cast included: On Jurim, Amakusa Kazuki, Iromi, Seo Woojoo, and On Guru.
It was a golden lineup, the result of pulling every possible string, and the director was none other than Hwang Uncheol PD—the pioneer of observational variety.
Thanks to such a stacked lineup, the network provided full support.
After a few meetings between the cast and production team, they arrived at the entrance of a small village in Gokseong, Jeollanam-do.
“Unniii~!”
Guru came running across the paddy levee with a sprig of foxtail grass in hand and jumped into Iromi’s arms.
The observational camera followed closely behind.
The lens captured Iromi in loose work pants and a slouchy shirt.
She wrapped Guru tightly in her arms and let go. Guru, dressed similarly in baggy pants and a granny vest, looked perfectly the part.
“Have you been to the countryside a lot, Guru?”
Shake shake.
“No? Unni lived in the countryside until I was your age.”
Because of her very urban looks, people often assumed she was from Seoul, but she was actually born near Namhae—a true countryside native.
“So just trust Unni, okay?”
Iromi spoke proudly as she opened the gate to a secluded countryside home.
Creeeak—
The screech of the rusty hinge rang out, and in the yard, Kazuki could be seen busily stoking the fire in a traditional furnace.
“I’ll help!”
“No, no, this is hard for girls. It’s okay~”
It was Guru’s first time seeing an actual outdoor furnace, and she watched in fascination. Then she turned and tapped Jurim’s thigh—he was lying sideways on a wooden platform, eyes closed.
“Daddy’s a boy.”
Jurim didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t seem to be asleep though?
“Daddyyyy, what do we dooo?”
“Daddy, you sweepin’?”
“Not asleep.”
“Gonna sweep?”
“Yupyup? Daddyyy~”
Jurim slowly opened his eyes, picked up a boiled corn cob from the basket, and shoved it into Guru’s mouth.
“Guhp!”
Munch munch. Guru chewed the corn, then looked down at Jurim—who had gone right back to closing his eyes—and was horrified.
How could someone be this lazy?
It was the rawest form of laziness, completely unfiltered by any awareness of the cameras.
Guru glanced around nervously with her big eyes, but kind Kazuki just smiled warmly and said—
“It’s fine~ Gwu-chan should stay safe right dere~”
—while gently tending to the fire.
Was this... really okay for Hyeonak?
The haters were probably laughing, saying, “We knew On Jurim was like this,” but Jurim didn’t seem to care at all and proudly displayed his peak laziness.
Meanwhile, the production crew filming it secretly welcomed Jurim’s behavior.
In a family-themed observational show, the moment the roles of hardworking, overly kind mom and lazy, useless dad were set—it was television gold.

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