Family Outing with Taeyeon (1)

Gasong Village, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.

Monday – 10:00 AM.

The sun was already warm over the quiet, rustic charm of Gasong Village when Yoo Jaeseok arrived, the first cast member to appear on set.

He dressed casually and sipping on a convenience store coffee, he took in the scenic landscape of rice paddies and low mountains that stretched around the village.

Not long after, Kim Sooro pulled in, stepping out of his car with a lazy grin.

The two men greeted each other like old friends, sharing jokes and soaking in the peaceful atmosphere as they waited for the rest of the cast to arrive—gently warming up the energy of the show.

"Hyung, can you believe we're actually working in a place this quiet?" Jaeseok chuckled.

"Let's enjoy it while it lasts," Sooro replied. "You know it's going to turn chaotic the moment Hyori arrives."

Right on cue, a silver-white van pulled into view.

The moment it stopped, both men recognized the signature style even before the door opened—Lee Hyori stepped out, tank top clinging to her figure, sunglasses covering half her face, and that unmistakable confident aura radiating off her like the summer heat.

"Here comes trouble," Jaeseok muttered with a grin as they both moved forward to greet her.

As Hyori exchanged a few playful jabs with the two men, another van rolled up behind hers. The door flew open and out jumped Big Bang's Daesung, his trademark energy spilling out with him.

"Ya, Daesung-ah!" Sooro called out with a wave.

Seconds later, Park Yejin stepped out gracefully, her calm presence balancing Daesung's hyperactivity.

Now, only Yoon Jongshin and Lee Chunhee were missing from the regular "Family Outing" lineup.

Everyone was just beginning to relax, chatting near the shade of a large tree, when a sleek black van slowly rolled up the dirt road toward the filming area.

Jaeseok glanced over, distracted, and said offhandedly, "That must be Jongshin hyung."

But Sooro squinted at the vehicle, frowning slightly. "That's... not his usual car."

Before Jaeseok could respond, Sooro stepped forward, instinctively moving to open the door for the mystery guest.

But the door swung open before he could touch it.

And the moment he saw who was inside, Kim Sooro practically shouted, "W-Wow! Wow!!"

The others turned, startled by the outburst. Daesung, curious as ever, craned his neck to see, then yelped and hid behind Park Yejin like a startled puppy.

"A woman! It's a woman!!" he squealed, flustered.

Out stepped Kim Taeyeon, wearing a wide straw hat, a striped long-sleeved tee, and a pair of adorable denim overalls.

She looked more like a countryside fairy than a global idol, and yet the effect was instant.

Jaeseok blinked, then burst out: "Omo! Taeyeon is here?!"

Suddenly, the male cast members lost all sense of pride.

They began jumping around, hugging each other like excited schoolboys at a fan meeting, practically wagging their tails as they beelined toward Taeyeon, gushing over her presence.

Lee Hyori watched them, utterly unamused. She tried pulling a few of them back by the collar, only to be ignored completely as the men descended into a frenzy of praise and wide-eyed wonder.

With a dramatic sigh, she walked over to Park Yejin. The two women exchanged a glance that said it all.

"They're so hopeless," Hyori muttered.

"Just stick to the script," Yejin whispered back with a smile. "We're supposed to act jealous, remember?"

"Right, right. The 'neglected noona' act," Hyori rolled her eyes and took a breath, mentally preparing to play the role of the feisty, jaded senior.

Meanwhile, Taeyeon stood there blinking, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden explosion of affection from her sunbaes.

Then she remembered—someone was missing.

She turned toward the black van and called out, "Ya! Hurry up and get out already!"

No response.

Taeyeon frowned and stormed over to the van, sliding the door open.

"YA! Don't just keep sleeping! Everyone's here, the camera's rolling, and all the sunbaes are waiting! Get your butt out of the car!"

Still groggy, Jihoon groaned from inside. He was slouched across the seat, his cap pulled low over his eyes, trying to ignore reality.

Taeyeon grabbed his wrist and pulled hard.

"You agreed to this! Don't back out now!"

That's right—Jihoon was reluctantly part of this madness.

Dragged out of bed at 3AM by Taeyeon—a bright-eyed rookie idol who, until now, had only landed variety gigs airing in dead time slots—Jihoon found himself reluctantly swept into her whirlwind of enthusiasm.

She had spammed his phone, pounded on his front door, and practically dragged him into the van just to accompany her to the salon… and now, to the shoot.

He had promised the wolves of SM that he'd play along with their little PR strategy—an innocent guest appearance to help ease the public controversy.

But he hadn't expected it to be this early. Or this loud.

As he finally stepped out of the van, disheveled but still disarmingly calm, the cast turned toward him like curious animals spotting an unexpected visitor.

Yoo Jaeseok's jaw dropped.

Lee Hyori squinted, confused.

Even Park Yejin paused mid-step.

"…Is that Jihoon?" Sooro asked, squinting.

Daesung gasped. "THE Jihoon?!"

All eyes were now on the mysterious man from behind the scenes. The rising figure in the film world who had never once appeared on variety TV.

And now... he was here. On their variety show Family Outing.

As soon as Kim Taeyeon's voice rang out from the van, followed by Sooro's surprised exclamations and Daesung's bashful squeal, both Yoo Jaeseok and Lee Hyori turned toward the nanny car with matching looks of curiosity.

Jaeseok squinted and muttered, "Another SNSD member?" clearly mishearing what was said.

Still caught in the idea that another idol was about to step out, he immediately sprang into his usual variety show antics—shaking the arms of the other male cast members and jumping around in mock excitement, as if they'd just won the entertainment jackpot.

But when the door of the van slid open and Jihoon, half-awake and rubbing his eyes, stepped out into the sunlight, the entire energy of the set shifted.

Lee Hyori froze for a beat before yelling, "YA! DAEBAK! Jihoon?! What are you doing here?!"

At her voice, Jaeseok stopped his celebratory hopping mid-bounce. His eyes widened in disbelief, and when he fully registered Jihoon's face, he gasped, "Omo! Jihoon is here!"

With zero hesitation, he rushed forward and threw an arm around Jihoon's shoulders like a proud older brother showing off a prize.

Than he turn around facing the camera with the brightest grin he could muster, Jaeseok began his signature introduction monologue.

"YA! This guy here—my brother, Jihoon! The superstar of the Korean film industry!"

"You know the movie Your Name? He made that!"

"You like Hyori's hit new song? He wrote it!"

"You cry when you hear Taeyeon's 'If'? That's him too!"

"He's never been on a variety show before, but look—his first time is on my show."

"Can you believe it? That's how close we are!"

It was classic Jaeseok—big energy, louder voice, and overflowing praise. His way of easing guests into the spotlight, drawing laughs and breaking tension without fail. And it worked—usually.

But Jihoon, who had known Jaeseok for over a year and was well aware of his tricks, wasn't about to let him off easy.

As Jaeseok rambled on, Jihoon calmly shrugged the man's arm off his shoulders, gave a respectful bow to the other cast members one by one.

Then turned to Lee Hyori with an innocent expression and asked, "Hyori noona… who's that uncle with glasses over there? The one that kind of looks like a grasshopper?"

The silence was brief—but the laughter was explosive.

Lee Hyori doubled over, cackling, while the rest of the cast burst into howls.

Even the camera crew behind the lens couldn't hold it in.

Someone nearly dropped their mic from laughing too hard.

The term "grasshopper," a well-known nickname for Jaeseok, had never landed so perfectly.

It was pure gold.

The show's PD stood off to the side, eyes practically sparkling.

Because with just this one scene in, they already had a viral-worthy moment.

Ratings were flashing in his head like dollar signs.

Meanwhile, Jaeseok, still frozen in the pose of proud big brother, stood with his jaw hanging slightly open as the laughter erupted around him.

The cameraman assigned to him quickly captured his reaction, wasting no time zooming in on his stunned, abandoned expression—perfectly contrasting Jihoon's deadpan delivery.

Kim Taeyeon and the rest of the cast were clutching their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.

Taeyeon nearly doubled over. Even Park Yejin, usually more reserved, had to turn away to hide her giggles.

And Jaeseok? He just stood there, mock-offended and dramatically betrayed.

"YA!! You punk!" he shouted, finally breaking character with a playful shove at Jihoon. "This is how you repay my love?!"

But the damage—and the comedy—was already done.

Jihoon grinned. He hadn't planned on stealing the show this early.

But sometimes, the best moments were the unscripted ones.

[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, JiangXiu, OS_PARCEIROS, Daoist098135 and Daoistadj for bestowing the power stone!]