GIJS

Chapter 160 As if Struck by a Sword

"Huh, I pointed out that your actions were slow just once."

"...Huh?"

"Didn't I tell you to clean up the dining area?"

Under the weight of the Master's disapproval, the shoulders of the Teibo members flinched. Despite his aggrieved expression, Pi Houkam looked at the production team and Veloce in turn, but no help was forthcoming.

Are they really making us do this?

Pi Houkam's brief moment of frustration was of no use to the Master. It was never going to be.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"..."

"Every time I have to repeat this, the number of marks on your backside will increase by the same number of strokes."

"...!"

It was clearly an excessive demand. He was reluctant to obey the Master's orders.

"...Alright, I understand..."

The Master's voice carried a strange authority. Even though it was filtered through translation, the nuance came through.

As Pi Houkam headed to the clearing area with the trays of the seven scholars, he realized that something was fundamentally wrong.

Initially, he thought they were just soft. Even if they had become nobles, he believed they wouldn't dare take any action out of their pretense of being nice.

Instead, they would have extended a gesture of reconciliation. Most idols Pi Houkam had dealt with had been that way.

But the scholar was different. His gestures, gaze, and expression were all detached, as if dealing with property rather than people. The reflexive movement of his body was humiliating. Yet, no one on the set stepped in to help Teibo.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

"Be quiet."

"Pi Houkam, this isn't what you said!"

"I'm confused too..."

When a small commotion broke out at the clearing area, the Master cleared his throat loudly and admonished them.

"Hmph."

"!"

"Do you dare cause a disturbance in the presence of your betters?"

At this reprimand, the Teibo members flinched again. They didn't want to cower, but there was no other option.

They had clearly underestimated 7IN and the scholar.

While the scholar was docile among his peers, his true nature was that of a high-ranking noble who had grown up treating people as subordinates.

Of course, the scholar wasn't harsh with all slaves. He was often very kind to those who worked hard, like the slaves of Moonwon Yu's household, where the scholar was a beacon of hope.

However, the scholar knew there were hierarchies and conflicts even among slaves.

There were those who mistreated and bullied others, causing unnecessary suffering.

To such people, the scholar was merciless. Most of them, who were strong against the weak and weak against the strong, could only cower before the scholar, the son of a powerful figure.

Until they stopped making the same mistakes, the scholar continued to grind them down.

The scholar knew well how to manage people, as his uncle, Yu Hyungwon, was a master in this regard. The techniques passed down from the authoritarian noble were more than sufficient to break the spirits of the Teibo members.

In public places like the dining hall, auditorium, practice room, and main hall, the scholar would stare intently at the Teibo members without saying a word.

As if demanding something, his gaze seemed to promise punishment if they didn't come to him immediately.

Reluctantly, Pi Houkam would bring whatever was requested. Understanding the scholar's intentions was Pi Houkam's task.

"It means to bring the tablet. Isn't it practice time soon?"

"Ah, I see..."

"Such a lack of awareness, tsk tsk..."

Sometimes it was a practice tablet PC.

"Here's the tablet..."

"Why did you bring this?"

"Y-you had your hand out."

"Just finished practice, and you want me to do it again?"

"It's not that..."

"You must want to really push your master to the limit, don't you?"

"No, that's not it..."

"It means to bring a brush and inkstone. It's evening, so it's time to write. You don't even know the daily routine of a scholar."

And sometimes it was a brush and inkstone for calligraphy.

"Here's the tablet, and also the brush and inkstone!"

"What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Huh?"

"Can't you see my fingers are trembling?"

"Ah, I see..."

"It was just last week that winter began. It's so cold that your hands are trembling, and you didn't bring a hot pack?"

"..."

"Learn to be more perceptive."

During their time as slaves, the Teibo members, especially Pi Houkam, were thoroughly exploited by the scholar. Their sense of injustice felt overwhelming, but the rules offered no protection.

Even when looking at the scholar with eyes full of grievance, only the same response came back.

"So you should have avoided accumulating bad karma."

"..."

"Good deeds bring good returns. Didn't your ancestors say that?"

"..."

"Likewise, evil deeds bring evil returns."

There was nothing to say. Teibo was the first to exploit the rules to enslave others.

What was even more frustrating was that the Teibo members were slowly adapting to their life as slaves.

Today too, Pi Houkam carefully handed over the brush and inkstone to the scholar, who finally smiled.

"You got it right today."

"!"

"I'll give you one of my chocolates. It's very sweet and delicious."

Pi Houkam was about to bow deeply in gratitude. He was happy to have met his master's expectations.

He had tried to resist before. Although he couldn't incite a rebellion through methods outside the competition, there were various mini-games in [Dynasty>.

Omok, Baduk, and Janggi were among them. From simple Omok to the intense strategy of Baduk and Janggi, Teibo members were confident in these games.

However, they couldn't win a single match against the scholar. Especially not in Baduk.

Two of the Teibo members had amateur-level skills, but they couldn't avoid defeat by resignation (a loss before counting).

"Ah, what is this..."

"Hehe, Baduk is also part of a scholar's qualities. You need to practice more. Now, as promised, take your punishment."

Smack, smack, smack—!!

Every repeated futile challenge resulted in circular bruises on the foreheads of the Teibo members.

"Damn it, I can't live like this!"

Unable to endure the humiliation, Pi Houkam tried to avoid the scholar's gaze and escape, but it was in vain. Wherever they went, the large Taewoong and Inhyuk pursued them.

"Huff—."

"Let's go, the scholar is calling."

The scholar had already prepared measures for any escapes by the slaves. He appointed the strong Taewoong and Inhyuk as trackers to search every corner of the Dynasty Castle.

The trackers proved to be incredibly reliable. Judging that fleeing was useless, the Teibo members stopped trying to escape after a certain period.

While filming all of this, PD Kim Seok-hoon hummed a cheerful tune.

"As if struck by a sword, as if wounded by tears—."

"PD, you seem very excited."

"Of course, I am. I don't know if I'm filming a survival show or a tracking show~"

Seeing PD Kim Seok-hoon humming a familiar drama OST, the production team voiced their concerns.

"But PD, is this really okay?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"It seems like the Chillin members are tormenting Teibo too much..."

"Really? I don't think so. Real slaves would have it tougher."

"That's talking about real slaves. Aren't they idols? If this kind of footage airs and public opinion turns negative..."

"No, no. You still don't understand the public."

"Pardon?"

"People, once they decide who's good and who's bad, don't change their minds easily. As soon as Teibo tried to make the Chillin members their slaves, they were labeled as villains. It's not just that. First, they rigged the internal voting to make Chillin slaves. Then they gave ridiculous prompts like 'pao cai,' trying to make them suffer."

"Well..."

"That series of events already divided good from evil. So now, the actions of Chillin are seen not as evil but as justice."

"Is that really the case?"

"Absolutely. The public isn't the same as before. The era when only good characters were desired is over. Now, people want characters who fight back when they're wronged."

"I'm still worried about potential backlash."

"That's for Chillin to handle."

"Pardon?"

"Hey, do we really need to worry about that? We only need to focus on the show's success."

"Are you going to write another statement of responsibility?"

"If needed, sure. I've done it all—writing statements of responsibility and changing jobs, writing statements and moving on... it's the quickest route to success."

The staff shook their heads at PD Kim Seok-hoon's madness, but he had no intention of backing down.

"Alright, let's have more conflict and more opposition. A scenario where justice prevails would be the best."

As the preparation for the third round began, the scholar's treatment of Teibo was fully captured by the [Dynasty> cameras.

Before the third round began, episode 3 of [Dynasty> was released on Webflix. Episode 3 showed the seven teams submitting their prompts and competing based on those prompts.

At the beginning of episode 3, viewers' reactions were predictably full of anger.

Even though the show aimed to provoke, the choice of "pao cai" as the challenge was seen as particularly malicious, causing significant outrage among Korean fans.

[Looks like TEIBO really has no sense of decency] [Even if they're idols, there should be some respect and culture among themㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [But honestly, even when Chinese participants are on Korean survival shows, they tend to have that look—bulging eyes, outdated fashion, and a fierce, competitive glare = 99% chance they're Chinese] [Lmao I know exactly what you mean] [But seriously, this is so infuriating] [What's up with pao cai? What even is pao cai;;;] [Why is there international conflict in an idol survival show?] [I hope the CHILLIN members aren't too hurt] [This isn't just hurt; it's so frustrating it might shake their mental stateㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [They'd better prepare well for the competition] [But seriously, who writes a song with pao cai in the lyricsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [It's not like it's Norazo or something, what's with the pao cai?] [At least show some manners]

Everyone was worried about 7IN's second mission. However, as soon as the title of their competition song, "Our Power Difference," was revealed, the mood completely shifted from anger and worry to laughter.

[Lolllllllllllll] [They're really geniuses at wordplayㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋlook at the lyrics] [You can tell they really put effort into the lyrics] [TEIBO members' reactions are hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋso much fun] [CHILLIN members aren't holding back] [Who called our kids soft and squishyㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Today it's just seven spicy dishes] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋChinese members can't even breathe, getting beaten so badly] [Chinese viewers! Let us know your reactions!] [Lollol] [Look at the audienceㅋㅋㅋㅋso funny] [The reason why Japan is shocked, America is cheering, and China is on edge during 7IN's performance.avi] [Should just rename Dynasty to Nationalism] [Oh, this really recharges my national pride these days, even though I'm not a CHILLIN fan, it makes me happy] [That's part of becoming a fan, denying it won't change anything] [Even so, our kids look good in their white outfitsㅠㅠㅠhow can anyone not become a fan after seeing this?]

Korean fans experienced extreme catharsis watching episode 3, filled with educational content.

However, episode 4 promised even more entertaining content, carefully prepared by PD Kim Seok-hoon and Gunja.