Falling for the Omega Idol

Chapter 253: JEJU ACTIVITY (II)

AFTER getting the information they needed, Haneul’s team headed deeper into the market to find Jina Tteokjip. The grandmother had told them it was on the rice cake alley, so they followed the row of food stalls until they reached a narrow passage lined with shops selling all kinds of rice cakes. They walked past a few before spotting a small shop at the end with an old wooden sign hanging above the entrance. The place looked worn compared to the newer stalls around it, but there was already a short line of customers waiting.

On their way to the rice cake shop, Haneul drank the juice the grandmother had given him. He’d still felt bad accepting it for free, but what else could he do? If he’d kept insisting on paying, they would have gone back and forth, wasting time. So he’d just smiled and taken it. But he made up for it by buying orange juice for the rest of his team, including the annoying Jeon Hyunsik. He also bought some for the staff members following them. With that many drinks, the grandmother had no choice but to accept his payment. Good thing he’d brought money with him.

Finally, here they were.

"Should we get in line?" Suho asked worriedly. Which made sense, since waiting in line would only eat up more of their time.

"We should," Eunwoo said, already moving to the back of the line. "We’re only here to ask something, but it wouldn’t be right to cut in front of paying customers."

Haneul agreed. If they cut the line, people might twist it into them being rude or inconsiderate. He didn’t want to give anyone that kind of ammunition.

So they all walked to the back of the line. The person in front of them, a young woman who had been glancing their way since they arrived, turned around. She stared at them for a few seconds, then her eyes went wide.

"Oh my god! You guys are from Boys Odyssey!" she said, her voice rising with excitement.

Eunwoo gave her a warm, amiable smile. "Yes."

"Can I take a picture with you?" she asked, her eyes bright. "My friends are going to lose it when they find out."

Eunwoo glanced at the staff nearby, unsure if taking a picture was allowed. One of them seemed to read his hesitation, because he gave a small nod and spoke up.

"It’s fine to take pictures," the staff said, then turned to the girl. "But please don’t post anything until after this episode airs."

"Of course!" the girl said, nodding so hard it looked like her head might bounce off.

She excitedly pulled out her phone and held it up at arm’s length, angling it to fit all five of them in the frame. The four of them leaned in slightly as she pressed the shutter button a few times. She checked the screen, grinned widely, and thanked them repeatedly before turning back to face the front of the line.

After the first girl, several more people tried to take pictures with them. At some point, the two staff members, along with the driver, stepped in to gently keep others from getting too close, explaining that the group needed to finish their task. Most people understood and stepped back, though a few still waved from a distance or called out their names.

And then, it was finally their turn to enter the shop. The inside was small and narrow, with glass display cases lining the front counter. The cases were stacked with rows of colorful rice cakes, some green with mugwort, others speckled with red beans. A few customers were still inside, picking out their orders. They glanced at them as they walked in, and a few seemed to have recognized who they were. Their eyes widened slightly, and they quietly pulled out their phones to take pictures from where they stood.

Behind the counter stood two women, both busy packing rice cakes into boxes. The older one had short gray hair and wore a plastic apron over her clothes. The younger one, maybe her daughter or a worker, dashed between the display cases, helping customers. Eunwoo stepped toward the older woman, who looked up first, her hands still wrapping a bundle of rice cakes. She paused when she saw the camera behind them.

"Good morning, auntie. We’re contestants from the show Boys Odyssey," Eunwoo said. "Did anyone from the show leave something here for us to pick up? A clue or an envelope, maybe?"

The older woman’s mouth formed an O shape. "Aigoo, yes, someone left an envelope here. But they told me, before I give it to you, you have to do something first."

"What do we have to do, auntie?" Suho asked.

"You have to dance for us," the older woman said with a toothy grin. "If the people here clap for you, then I’ll hand over the envelope."

The four of them exchanged glances after hearing that. They only had two songs they could dance to together without looking like a mess. One was [Over the Edge], and the other was the show’s theme song, [Sailing to the Stars].

"Let’s do the theme song," Haneul said before anyone else could speak. He really didn’t want to dance [Over the Edge] right now. "It’ll be a nice change of pace."

Eunwoo nodded. "Good idea. We can sing together to have some music to follow."

Jeon Hyunsik looked like he was about to protest, but when Suho quickly agreed, he pressed his lips shut. Thank goodness for that, Haneul thought.

With limited space inside the shop, they adjusted their positions so they could still move through the dance without bumping into each other.

"We’ll just do the chorus," Eunwoo said. "Ready? One... two... three!"

We’re sailing to the stars,

Guided by the light, we’ll rise.

Through every storm, we’ll chart our way,

On this ship of dreams, we’ll stay.

Their steps perfectly synchronized, they danced smoothly through the chorus of [Sailing to the Stars], singing along and filling the small shop with the familiar melody. They smiled at customers, nodding to the beat as if inviting them to join in.

When they finished, the small crowd inside the shop burst into loud applause.