Despite everyone’s nerves, the weekend passed without incident. With the third partner selection scheduled for next week, the production team announced that this weekend would feature the second game mission.
Because of concerns for Catdog and Kang Chi-yu’s safety, the cast had been tense, and when they heard the news, they all looked openly dissatisfied. But as soon as the Production Director explained that, just like the first mission, the winning team would receive prize money and a full month of paid vacation, their attitudes flipped instantly. Suddenly, they were brimming with enthusiasm.
For Ability Users, who already made plenty of money, the cash reward meant little. What truly tempted them was the promise of an entire month off.
“You’ll be filming five rounds in total.”
The Production Director went on to explain that originally, the plan had been to record two rounds during the second mission, and then three more after the third partner swap. But since Hyun Tae-oh and Kang Chi-yu were a couple, leaving one team unchanged, they decided to record everything during this mission instead.
“Alright, let’s start the first game. This one’s just for fun—a light icebreaker with your second partner. There are no points involved, so enjoy it. The format is a five-syllable Q&A. As the title suggests, every question and every answer has to be exactly five syllables.” **
The first turn went to Hyun Tae-oh and Kang Chi-yu. Because he was paired with Chi-yu, Tae-oh looked positively delighted. It was the complete opposite of how he’d been when he played with Lee Jun-hyung the previous week.
They decided Tae-oh would ask the questions and Chi-yu would answer.
“What’s your mood now?”
“Feels kind of joyful.”
Chi-yu slowly bent his fingers one by one as he counted out the syllables. Tae-oh grinned goofily, clearly finding it adorable, and the camera crew scrambled to capture every moment.
“Do you love your lover?”
“Of course I do.”
“How much do you?”
“I love so much.”
“What do you like?”
“Honestly, all things.”
“Who was your first love?”
“That’d be my lover.”
“Really, your lover?”
“Really, my lover.”
“Are you happy now?”
“Extremely happy.”
“Because of your lover?”
“Because of my lover.”
“Should I buy a gift?”
“A gift, suddenly?”
“I want to give one.”
“I’ve got a couple ring.”
“Something else then.”
“Don’t really need it.”
“If not a gift, then?”
“If not a gift, what?”
“I’ll give you a kiss.”
“We’re in a game.”
“Still okay, a kiss?”
“We’re recording here.”
“Can we just get married?”
“Will you stop already?”
Tae-oh shamelessly laced his questions with personal desire under the pretense of the game. Flustered, Chi-yu occasionally shot him sharp glares.
The next pair was Min Yu-hyun and Yoon Do-jae. Yu-hyun asked, Do-jae answered.
Since their personalities didn’t mesh well, their five-syllable Q&A started off flat and indifferent.
“What’s your hobby?”
“Exercising, I guess.”
“Do you sleep a lot?”
“Around six hours.”
“What’s your nature?”
“Not really sure.”
“Are you frustrating too?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No more questions.”
“Just ask anything.”
When Yu-hyun shrugged, saying he had nothing left to ask, Do-jae told him to throw out whatever came to mind and finish it quickly. So Yu-hyun began spouting random questions.
“When was first kiss?”
Do-jae froze in surprise.
“Can I skip that?”
“Who was first love?”
“Skipping that too.”
“When will you marry?”
“When I want to.”
“Aren’t you popular?”
“Don’t really know.”
“What’s your nickname?”
“Central Bureau FM.”
“Your biggest flaw?”
“Absolutely rigid.”
“At least you know.”
“I’ve heard enough.”
“Favorite color?”
“Don’t really have one.”
“Drunk habits then?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“What do you have?”
“Anything but nothing.”
Though it had started half-hearted, by the end, their exchange carried a hint of humor.
The crew’s intention with this segment was to use the restrictive word count to reveal unexpected details about the contestants that viewers might not know. But like Tae-oh and Chi-yu’s exchange, little of substance actually came out.
The last pair was Lee Jun-hyung and Beom Do-il. Do-il asked, Jun-hyung answered. Since they were old friends, their game felt relaxed and natural.
“What’s your ideal type?”
“Don’t really have one.”
“Who was first love?”
“The one I Imprinted.”
The mention of Jeong Moo-young in such a casual answer made Do-il falter. Jun-hyung gave him a small, reassuring smile, and though Do-il’s face stiffened at first, he managed to smile back.
“Can I ask more?”
It was clearly about Moo-young. Jun-hyung nodded.
“Ask me anything.”
“Do you still love him?”
“What do you think?”
“Can’t you forget?”
“Don’t you think so?”
“Answer me properly.”
Do-il pressed harder. If not now, he might never get the chance again. He needed a real answer—especially as he weighed whether or not to Pair with Min Yu-hyun.
Understanding, Jun-hyung finally answered clearly.
“Yeah, I can’t forget.”
Do-il had already known, but hearing it aloud still hurt. Of course it hurt.
“…When will you forget?”
“Well, someday maybe?”
“Do you plan to?”
At the question of whether he intended to let go of Moo-young, Jun-hyung hesitated. In truth, he was slowly moving on. But if he admitted that, it might give Do-il false hope. So he lied.
“Not anytime now.”
“What about someone else?”
When asked if he’d ever consider someone new, Jun-hyung shook his head immediately.
“Not at all.”
That answer made it painfully clear to Do-il: Jun-hyung had no intention of accepting him.
He didn’t see him as anything more than a friend.
“Are we close friends?”
“Closest of all.”
“Friends for life?”
“Friends for life.”
Do-il smiled, eyes damp. Seeing it, Jun-hyung instantly knew Do-il would go to Yu-hyun.
So even though it wasn’t his role, he spoke first, cutting him off.
“You have to be happy.”
The words carried true sincerity. Do-il nodded and smiled like a child.
***
After the first game ended, they took a short break.
Watching Jun-hyung and Do-il’s exchange, Min Yu-hyun realized they’d chosen to remain just friends. The moment filming stopped, he began searching for Do-il, who had slipped away.
In the living room, the others played with Catdog, enjoying their rest.
Yu-hyun finally found Do-il standing alone at the edge of the rooftop, staring off into the distance. He walked up beside him.
“What are you doing out here, sulking by yourself?”
Casually, he stood next to him, gazing out at the same sky. Do-il glanced at him briefly, then looked away again.
“Just… wanted some air.”
“Trying to sort your feelings?”
“Maybe.”
“…”
“But hyung—why’d you do that earlier?”
Suddenly, Do-il turned to him with that question.
“What do you mean?” Yu-hyun asked blankly.
Do-il explained about the cold look he’d given earlier.
Yu-hyun thought for a moment, then remembered: that morning, he’d seen Do-il standing unusually close to Jun-hyung, and it had soured his mood. He gave a dry laugh.
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Of course. You wear your mood on your face.”
“Guess so.”
“Were you upset with me?”
“I’ve had plenty to be upset about with you.”
“What? Why? Like what?”
“For starters, not Pairng with me…”
“I will.”
Do-il cut him off firmly. Yu-hyun’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’ll really Pair with me?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it. Win-win, right?”
Do-il flashed a mischievous grin.
“Win-win”—those were Yu-hyun’s words, spoken last night after kissing him while drunk. He’d said it didn’t matter whether Do-il liked him or not, they could become fixed cast members of PairBorn Season 2 if they stuck together—it would be mutually beneficial.
Of course, beneath that reasoning was Yu-hyun’s genuine feelings for Do-il. But Do-il didn’t know that. He only thought Yu-hyun was hungry for Season 2 airtime.
Still, it was good for both of them. So Do-il decided to take the chance and win-win together.
***
“I mean, why are you suddenly talking about marriage?”
Chi-yu was exasperated. Even during the break, Tae-oh kept pestering him about getting married, all because of what he’d said in the first game.
“If it feels too fast, we can just register first.”
He said it with a straight face, as if it made perfect sense. It was infuriating.
“What do you mean, register first?”
“Then should we just Imprint instead?”
“Ah, seriously.”
When Chi-yu glared at him in real annoyance, Tae-oh quickly shifted his target to Catdog.
“Hey, Catdog, beg your master to marry me, huh? Time to earn your keep, brat.”
[Kuiiing–]
Catdog snapped its head away, deliberately ignoring Tae-oh as if it understood. Everyone burst out laughing, including the camera crew.
Before long, Beom Do-il and Min Yu-hyun returned to the living room, and the Production Director announced the end of the break.
Once the cameras were ready, he explained the second game.
“For this round, we’ve brought back another classic from old variety shows, just like last time. Again, you’ll assign a questioner and an answerer. The answerer will wear headphones blasting loud music, while the questioner shouts the word given by the staff. The answerer can’t hear, so they’ll have to read lips. This time, points are on the line, so give it your all.”
Now the real competition began—for prize money and vacation.
The first turn went to Min Yu-hyun and Yoon Do-jae. Again, Yu-hyun asked, Do-jae answered.
The moment Do-jae put on the headset, the music blared so loud the others could hear it too. He narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on Yu-hyun’s lips.
Behind him, a staff member held up an LED sign. Yu-hyun read it out.
“World Peace Committee!”
“…My… name card… compressed?”
Do-jae frowned. Yu-hyun shook his head furiously and shouted again.
“WORLD! PEACE! COM-MIT-TEE!”
“World… name… compressed? What the hell does that mean?”
“Argh! WPC! WPC!”
“WPC? WPC?”
Yu-hyun’s face turned bright red.
“WORLD!”
“Word?”
“No, no! WORLD!”
“World?”
“YES YES YES!”
“WORLD!”
“PEACE!”
“Peas?”
“No, PEACE!”
Yu-hyun thrashed his head and shouted while Do-jae muttered to himself, then suddenly exclaimed:
“WORLD PEACE COMMITTEE!!”
“YES!!”
Yu-hyun clapped, nodding hard. The staff flipped the LED sign to the next word.
“Esper Academy! Our old school! School!”
“School?”
“YES YES YES!”
Yu-hyun nodded wildly.
“Esper Academy!”
“CORRECT!!”
They rushed to the next one.
But suddenly, Yu-hyun’s face stiffened. Do-jae blinked, confused, as Yu-hyun muttered under his breath:
“…How the hell does this bastard even know pistachio bagels? He barely even eats bread.”
Worked up by the question itself, he completely forgot they were filming and kept swearing under his breath.
**Translator Note: the questions and answers from the original text is supposed to be five syllables each, but the translation won’t be following the syllable rule.Â
