“Black goat.”

Looking at the fierce, terrifying goat, Kim Jung-hyun genuinely admired it.

“Wow, it’s really cool. Those horns are huge.”

Haesheon, who’d felt intimidated by the goat a moment ago, snorted when he saw Kim Jung-hyun’s eyes shining.

Then he looked at the A-team members, who were frozen in panic.

“Is our mission related to that goat?”

“No, that’s like a bonus mission....”

Han Sora said, relieved, “They said if we can get it to eat, they’ll give us extra ingredients as a bonus. The PD said it was fine, too. So we tried....”

“That thing is indescribably savage.”

A-team actor Lee Kang-jin answered for her, sweat beading on his sideburns.

“It’s so wild it growls just if you get close.”

“...Goats growl?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I... Ah, why am I even looking at it.”

The black goat standing on the wall was staring at Lee Kang-jin.

It wasn’t just a glare—it was a look full of emotion.

Haesheon frowned in suspicion.

“Did you really only give it food?”

“I told you. I tried talking to it to feed it something, but it suddenly got angry and flipped its food bowl with a bang! So I said a few things....”

“A few things?”

“When I spoke a bit harshly....”

He trailed off. No need to ask what happened next—the reaction was obvious.

With words of encouragement, the A-team departed.

In the quiet that followed, the two rappers caught snippets of their conversation.

“Too bad. If they’d succeeded, they’d have gotten a proper dessert ingredient.”

“Teacher Woo Jae-yong just texted.”

“What does he say?”

“That with two strapping men, you couldn’t feed one black goat?”

“Did you send him a photo of the goat?”

“Hold on. Yes, I just sent it... Oh, he replied.”

“What now?”

“He says, next time warn him before sending photos like that. He’s on heart meds these days.”

“.......”

The two rappers exchanged glances as they listened.

Watching the goat leap down from the wall again, they looked at each other.

“Shall we give it a try?”

“Yeah, hyung.”

“Then let’s go in and greet it first.”

As they followed Haesheon forward, Kim Jung-hyun swept his tongue over his teeth.

Something felt odd.

He didn’t like calling him “hyung.”

Maybe it was the huge age gap—but it just felt unnatural.

He couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, so he nodded with a smile.

I’ll let it go.

He didn’t want to think about it.

“Hello!”

“Oh my, you startled me.”

With the reggae-dreadlocked rapper’s arrival, the grandmother’s eyes went wide.

The white-haired grandfather, waving a fan, clicked his tongue.

“Why so surprised? We saw you earlier in front of the community center.”

“I was looking at those handsome young men, so I didn’t notice. Oh my, another one’s here—the most handsome of the lot.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Jung-hyun bobbed his head.

“I hear that a lot from the elders.”

When he joked that he fit their taste, the elderly couple laughed heartily.

The wife scrutinized Kim Jung-hyun, and the husband clicked his tongue.

“Goodness, that young man’s face is something else.”

“Quiet, old man. You were staring at her when she walked by.”

“...I should keep my mouth shut.”

As always in his hometown, Kim Jung-hyun chatted warmly with the elders, then glanced at Haesheon.

He made a slightly awkward expression.

He wasn’t sure why.

But before parting, Woo-joo hyung had shown him a note on his phone away from the cameras.

When we came in the car, I noticed you, Haesheon sunbaenim, being the crew boss and a senior in the industry, drift out of the conversation and look upset. When that happens—when ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ your words dry up and your expression goes blank—make sure to pull you right back into the talk.

So Kim Jung-hyun asked,

—Like when Jiho pouts?

—Smart one, Jung-hyun.

With a pleased smile, Kim Jung-hyun put that advice into practice, reaching toward Haesheon and saying,

“We came to do the mission together, hyungnim.”

“You two are brothers?”

“No. This friend’s my fan, so we became sworn brothers.”

Haesheon, suddenly animated, jumped into the conversation. Watching him, Kim Jung-hyun thought again: Woo-joo hyung was the best “hyung.”

After briefly greeting the couple, they moved on to the mission—getting doenjang (fermented soybean paste).

The stack of firewood in the yard was their next target.

“We have to chop that wood?”

“Yes, just fifty pieces, then we’re done.”

“...Fifty?”

Haesheon flinched, looking worried for Kim Jung-hyun.

Specifically worried about his slender frame.

“Think you can handle it?” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Huh?”

“You look too weak. I heard idols can’t even eat properly.”

“That’s true—I’ve lost weight lately and feel a bit frail.”

“How much do you weigh?”

“Sixty-seven kilos.”

“...That’s fifteen kilos less than me.”

Smiling at his concerned sunbaenim, Kim Jung-hyun picked up the axe handle embedded in a log.

With one hand.

“......”

Haesheon stared, his expression unreadable. Remembering Woo-joo’s advice, Kim Jung-hyun turned to the couple.

“This gentleman here is really strong.”

“Oh?”

Despite the praise, the senior remained inscrutable. Kim Jung-hyun complimented him again.

“I expect you’ll do even better than me. I’m on the weaker side.”

Klang! The log split effortlessly in two. Handing the axe to Haesheon, Kim Jung-hyun watched him take it with both hands.

Still that odd expression.

Kim Jung-hyun said to the couple,

“My hyung is super strong, so he’ll be much better than I am....”

Thwack! The wood flew like a nail struck incorrectly, landing on the ground. The couple chuckled.

“Well, strength you’ve got.”

“But you need technique for that sort of thing.”

Seeing Haesheon’s embarrassed face, Kim Jung-hyun again praised him.

“See, too strong for the wrong reason....”

“Hey, Jung-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Stop teasing me....”

Seeing his sunbaenim’s sullen face, Kim Jung-hyun tilted his head. He’d followed Woo-joo hyung’s advice—why the reaction?

Haesheon asked, taking the axe back.

“You say you’ve done this a lot?”

“I grew up in the countryside.”

His father had made him do chores since he was small because he was frail.

Haesheon’s face went mysteriously blank again, so Kim Jung-hyun continued,

“Not as much as you, of course....”

“Hey!”

The firewood-chopping mission was over in no time—Kim Jung-hyun succeeded in an instant.

They’d heard the previous team struggled for ages, so the couple praised them warmly.

Kim Jung-hyun never failed to credit Haesheon with the success, and the VJ laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach—though its meaning was unclear.

By the end, Haesheon was laughing too, and Kim Jung-hyun felt certain Woo-joo hyung’s advice was spot on.

As they left, Kim Bijoo whispered,

—If you’re unsure, just do what Woo-joo hyung does.

His peer’s words proved wise, and Kim Jung-hyun felt proud he’d followed them faithfully.

Haesheon said,

“So, about this black goat....”

Pointing to the black goat Daegil, idly lying on its chain by the doghouse, the elder asked,

“Daegil? Why?”

“They said there was a mission with it for the earlier team.”

“Oh, that.”

The couple exchanged awkward smiles.

“We had more sweet potatoes than we could eat, so we were going to share some. And Daegil hasn’t been eating much lately....”

“My friend’s dog once did that—was it because she was pregnant?”

“He’s a boy.”

“Use nicer words, old man. You’re embarrassing these young men.”

“He’s got testicles.”

Suppressing laughter, the two rappers approached their mission:

Feed Daegil the black goat!

They brought a bowl piled with cabbage and approached.

But the goat eyed them warily, and at the sight of the food it started a puking-like motion. Haesheon hesitated.

“It looks really big up close.”

“It eats well, you know. When it was young it was so frail we fed it bellflower root.”

The grandfather laughed, and the grandmother reproached him.

“All you feed it is fiery roots like bellflower, so it turned out like this.”

“Food isn’t everything. It learned from watching you.”

“It resembles the old man more than anyone. If it were human, it’d already be in a loaf of bread.”

As the couple bantered, Haesheon stepped forward with the bowl. Suddenly the goat leapt up and charged.

“Ah, my heart!”

Clang! The taut chain trembled loudly. Haesheon lowered the bowl cautiously into combat stance.

“How do we do this?”

“Good question.”

“Jung-hyun.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

“This is our job. Not someone else’s.”

“Oh, right.”

Unfazed, Kim Jung-hyun made Haesheon laugh.

After thinking a moment, Haesheon said,

“Let’s try approaching more friendly.”

“Friendly?”

“This.”

He carefully placed a hand on the goat’s thigh and bent low, smiling.

“Hello, Daegil.”

The goat froze, staring back with steady eye contact. Haesheon smiled.

“It looks like it’s working.”

“...Sunbaenim.”

“Hmm?”

“I saw in a nature documentary that staring directly at an animal is a challenge.”

“.......”

“It means ‘wanna fight?’”

“...So I’ve blown it now?”

Kim Jung-hyun looked to the couple, who nodded.

“Yes. You’ve blown it.”

“Then what do I do?”

Haesheon, still crouched awkwardly, asked, eyes locked on the goat.

“Just give up and go.”

“How do we go?”

“Just turn your body... oh no.”

Daegil suddenly kicked out and charged. The chain strained once more but held.

“Ha ha....”

As the two rappers and the VJ breathed relief, Daegil took another step—then the metal stake anchoring the chain popped free.

The goat and the humans locked eyes.

“......”

Then the death run began.

“At that time, divorce was unthinkable, and I felt my world darkening every night, wondering how to go on. If my son hadn’t been a toddler.”

“Oh dear... that must’ve been hard.”

As Grandmother Im Soon-hyun dabbed her eyes with a tissue, Maxi did the same, her eyes glistening.

Then, looking at me with moist eyes, she said,

“Want one too?”

“No, I’m okay.”

I asked the grandmother massaging my shoulder,

“Grandma, doesn’t this feel so refreshing?”

“Yes, oh my. So refreshing. How did you learn to massage so well?”

“I practiced every day so I could do it for my grandmother.”

“How thoughtful.”

Grandmother Im Soon-hyun nodded. Talking about her children prompted advice.

“But make sure to look after your parents, too.”

“Yes, I will.”

Maxi opened her lips as if to say something, but I shook my head with a smile.

“Shall I press here? My grandma says it’s so good when you massage this spot....”

“Oh my, that’s wonderful.”

“So Grandma, what happened next in your life?”

“Oh, that’s...”

Grandmother Im Soon-hyun began recounting her life’s journey, unburdening stories she’d had nowhere to share until now.

How hard she had lived alone, how wonderful the second husband was, tales of happiness and of her first husband’s passing.

The VJ sipped plum tea, the camera fixed. Maxi listened, eyes moist.

Our Pomeranian, Doosik, belly-up on Maxi’s leopard-print pants, dozed. His soft belly rose and fell with each breath.

Meanwhile, another mini cam on a tripod captured someone bustling in the living room—our main vocalist.

Dressed in black, his hurried steps reminded me of a crow. Each time he wiped dust with a wet wipe, Ri-hyuk’s cheek twitched.

...Does he like cleaning?

He’d sung about wanting a robot vacuum. Unlike his chore-loving brother, our youngest adored cleanliness—making his bed neatly, squeezing toothpaste from the end inward.

He’d always snapped at messes, even cleaning the green room backstage.

“Take a break and come help.”

Grandma called to Ri-hyuk, embarrassed.

“It’s awkward sitting here alone. Don’t waste your strength—go help.”

“I’m fine.”

Ri-hyuk shook his head.

“I’m comfortable alone.”

“Oh dear... it’ll be hard alone.”

Maxi didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow.

Neither did I. I wanted to help, but the nagging was too much.

No matter how well I wiped, she’d say I didn’t do it right, then redo it with a wet wipe and glare.

The moment we declared we’d do it alone, Maxi and I sat cross-legged on the floor again.

As our conversation resumed...

Woof! Woof!

Doosik the Pomeranian leapt awake and started barking outside.

“...What’s that?”

The VJ murmured, lifting the camera, as dogs barked from every nearby house.

Like an air-raid siren. Grandmother Im Soon-hyun clicked her tongue.

“Daegil must've broken loose.”

Daegil?

Were there dangerous people around?

“I should’ve roasted him long ago.”

“Oh dear... you shouldn’t say that about a person, Grandma.”

“What do you mean? It’s a goat.”

“...A goat?”

“When you see him, you’ll know. Big, black.”

We ventured into the yard, bewildered. Peering through the gate, we witnessed a strange sight.

The VJ in a yellow T-shirt raced past us at dizzying speed, leaving an afterimage, howling like a race car.

Another scream drew near.

“Aaaah...!”

Haesheon and Jung-hyun.

“......?”

And behind them, a black goat with a heavy stone tied to its leash gave chase.

What had I just seen? Rubbing my eyes, the goat still pursued the people.

“.......”

The VJ, Maxi, and I glanced at each other, then shared warm smiles and nodded.

Quietly, we closed the gate.