Family Outing with Taeyeon (4)

As the cast made their way toward the stream, armed with fishing nets and buckets, the energy was lively and full of anticipation.

The task was simple: catch whitebait for the family dinner. But nothing on variety shows ever went exactly as planned.

At the slope leading down to the stream, Lee Chunhee and Kim Sooro offered their hands to Taeyeon, helping her descend the slick, muddy incline.

Laughing and sliding a little too eagerly, the three of them looked like overgrown kids at summer camp.

Despite their help, the slope was still treacherously slippery. One misstep later, and Taeyeon let out a surprised yelp as she landed squarely on her backside with a soft thud in the mud.

Just a few steps above, Yoo Jaeseok witnessed the whole scene and immediately burst into a mix of laughter and mock indignation.

"YA! Chunhee-ah! Haven't you been glued to Taeyeon since the start of filming?" he shouted, half-joking, half-scolding.

"Give the girl some space to breathe—she slipped because of you!"

Chunhee didn't even try to deny it. He just stood there with that signature goofy grin, scratching his head like he'd been caught red-handed—and didn't mind one bit.

Jaeseok then turned to look further up the slope. "Hyori-yah! Be careful! It's super slippery!"

Lee Hyori shot a glare over her shoulder. "And you're just gonna stand there yelling warnings instead of helping? What are you, a traffic cop?"

Before Jaeseok could respond, Jihoon chimed in from the side with a mischievous smirk. "Noona, Jaeseok-hyung's just looking out for your bones. You know recovery time's a lot slower for people like your age!"

That earned a loud laugh from Jaeseok, who held out his hand for a high-five. Jihoon slapped it with a satisfying smack, the two of them cackling like a pair of cartoon villains—not the evil kind, but the clueless, lovable kind.

Lee Hyori just stared at the two of them in disbelief, then turned back around, muttering under her breath. "Two idiots," she said, not even bothering to hide her smirk.

Eventually, the whole group arrived at the fishing site—and Jihoon immediately froze.

Standing on the bank, he looked down at the swirling water below. It wasn't a gentle stream like he'd imagined, but a full-blown torrent that roared like a mini whitewater rapid. "This isn't a stream," he muttered under his breath. "It's the Han River on a caffeine rush."

Still, one by one, the cast began wading in. Jaeseok and Daesung splashed each other like schoolboys, their exaggerated antics causing the crew to laugh behind the camera.

Jihoon, still safely on dry land, squinted at the current. His eyes widened as he spotted Yoon Jongshin in the middle of the water.

"Taeyeon-ah!" Jihoon called out dramatically. "Come back! The water's too deep for your tiny legs! Look at Jongshin-hyung—he's already up to his neck!"

The question hung in the air like a soap bubble. Jongshin, waist-deep and clearly unfazed by the current, simply raised an eyebrow in response. His silence said it all: Are you serious right now?

Back on the riverbank, Jihoon watched the interaction unfold, arms folded and a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"This is exactly why I said I'd stay behind and take care of the house," he muttered loud enough for the cameras to catch. "Indoor work doesn't betray you."

He leaned back with exaggerated contentment, as if proud to have avoided both labor and humiliation.

But the peace didn't last long.

The cast had started fanning out along the stream, dipping their heads to spot whitebait in the shallow, fast-moving water.

Among them, Chunhee seemed to be slowly but steadily guiding Taeyeon further down the river.

Yoo Jaeseok squinted at the distance growing between them and shouted, "YA! Chunhee! Why do you keep leading Taeyeon into the deep end? What are you planning, huh?"

Kim Sooro chimed in from nearby, frowning. "You're trying to make her fall, aren't you? Then swoop in like some kind of discount drama hero to save her!"

Lee Chunhee turned around, waving his hand like a calm monk. "No, no. I'm not that unsophisticated."

His confidence was admirable… right until he slipped on a hidden rock and nearly toppled face-first into the water.

From his throne of dryness on the bank, Jihoon didn't miss a beat. "Chunghee hyung didn't want Taeyeon to lose her balance so he could help her," he announced. "He wanted to pretend to fall so she would help him."

The entire cast burst into laughter. Even the cameramen behind the lenses were chuckling, momentarily shaking the footage.

Jaeseok wiped tears from his eyes. "YA! Jihoon-ah! If I didn't know this was your first time on a variety show, I would've sworn you were one of us. You've got perfect timing, man. Just become a regular already!"

Jihoon shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course, hyung. You think after years of listening to you ramble over barbecue dinners, I didn't pick up a few tricks?"

Then, with a theatrical sigh, he added, "Still… I could be lying on my warm bed right now instead of standing ankle-deep in fish water."

That comment, while light-hearted, served another purpose—it subtly established his off-screen bond with Jaeseok, easing any future criticism from netizens who might think Jihoon was being too casual with his senior.

"YA! You're gonna die of laziness one day!" Jaeseok barked at him, jabbing a finger like an exasperated dad.

Meanwhile, the others had started drifting toward Taeyeon, predictably clustering around the guest of the day.

Everyone knew proximity to the main guest meant more airtime—and nobody wanted to be forgotten in the edit room.

Taeyeon, now surrounded, called out sweetly, "Sooro sunbae, can you help us drive the fish over there?"

The moment his name left her lips, Sooro lit up like a kid handed candy. "Yes, ma'am!" he shouted, dancing in place like he'd just won a lottery.

In his enthusiasm, he splashed water directly onto Chunhee—an accidental but satisfying form of karma.

Minutes ticked by. Water sloshed. Hopes soared… and sank. Despite all the flailing and shouting, not a single fish had been caught.

Jihoon, now sitting cross-legged with a twig in his mouth like a sage, watched them with the amused detachment of someone watching toddlers chase pigeons.

Suddenly, Sooro clapped his hands. "Okay! Jaeseok, Daesung—you block the stream with a net. Taeyeon and I will drive the fish from the other end!"

"Roger that!" Jaeseok hollered, moving into place with Daesung.

"We're going!" Sooro cried out with bravado, but after a few steps, he froze, struck by another epiphany. "YA! Jaeseok-ah! Isn't Taeyeon just… stunning when she's herding fish?"

"Hahaha! Who cares if we catch any?" Jaeseok shouted back, now spinning in circles like a man possessed. "We have Taeyeon! That's enough!"

"As long as Taeyeon's in the frame, we win!" Sooro cackled.

The rest of the cast stood motionless, watching the two grown men spiral into comedic madness.

Jihoon squinted. "Hyung's losing it again," he muttered. "At this rate, we'll starve before we see a single fish."

Finally unable to take it anymore, Jihoon stood up and shouted, "Jaeseok hyung, Sooro hyung! Wouldn't it be much easier if you just herded the fish toward the corner?!"

The logic hit them like a bucket of ice water. In unison, the group snapped out of their comedy trance and started forming a semicircle, slowly guiding the fish toward the shallows.

Taeyeon, laser-focused on the task, suddenly glanced back and spotted Jihoon still perched comfortably on the bank.

"YA! Jihoon!" she called, waving her hand. "Come help us!"

Jihoon didn't even budge. He just rolled his eyes dramatically and muttered under his breath, "I already gave you the brain. Now you want the muscle too? With the sun still up? What gave you the right to dream so big…"

And with that, the reluctant genius leaned back again—dry, smug, and completely unapologetic.

Even the cameramen snorted behind their monitors. This wasn't the Jihoon the audience expected—a celebrated filmmaker or prodigy with a serious edge.

This was a variety gem in disguise.

And they were loving every second of it.

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