171: Chapter 169 Hurry up and come.

Meanwhile, the commotion and crowd gathering caused by Choi Yena's "free sausage giveaway" forced the stage proceedings to slow down temporarily. The staff needed time to disperse the crowd gathered in front of the sausage stall to ensure the safety of the passage and the smooth progress of subsequent filming. The fourth group (Kim Chaewon, Jo Yuri) and the fifth group (Lee Chaeyeon, Honda Hitomi), who were originally scheduled to go on stage immediately, unexpectedly gained a breathing spell.

For the four members of the two groups in the waiting area, this was simply like rain after a long drought!

From the sense of suffocation and urgency of being about to be pushed onto the "execution ground of shame," a pause button had suddenly been pressed. Although it was only temporary, it was like a death sentence being commuted to a later date. Even living just a little longer was a great comfort and a chance to breathe.

Although the ending seemed unchangeable, being able to delay it for a while meant more time for preparation (or rather, more time for psychological construction), which was still good!

The members of the two groups breathed a sigh of relief in unison, and their tense nerves relaxed slightly. They huddled together, seizing this precious time to discuss the performance details again in low voices, trying to integrate that annoying "product placement" more naturally, or at least... to make themselves look less like forced advertising robots when they went on stage later.

Kim Chaewon and Jo Yuri continued to ponder how their vocal display could bring out the juice and soap; Lee Chaeyeon and Hitomi gestured dance moves, thinking about how to "reasonably" incorporate the sports drinks and energy bars provided by the sponsors.

The atmosphere was still tense, but compared to the previous despair of "being pushed to the execution ground in the next second," there was finally a bit of self-comfort that they "could still struggle a bit."

Their eyes would occasionally drift toward the bustling scene at the sausage stall, and... toward the monitoring area, where PD Kang and senior Im Yoona were sitting side by side, sharing sausages.

Well... PD Kang was eating quite heartily.

Senior Yoona... seemed a bit distracted?

Forget it, better worry about ourselves first!

The afternoon sun in Myeong-dong remained warm and bright. The aroma of sausages, the clamor of the audience, the girls' apprehensive yet hardworking hearts, the satisfied eating posture of a certain PD, and the ripples quietly rising in the heart of another national goddess—ripples she herself didn't fully understand yet...

All of this together constituted the Myeong-dong special episode of "Survival Records of the twelve star envoys in the Mortal World," a mid-show interlude full of surprises, absurdity, delicious food, and subtle emotions.

The commotion caused by the sausage stall gradually subsided, and the crowd, guided by the staff, turned part of their attention back to the stage. However, the lingering aroma of charred meat and the satisfied sighs in the air seemed to add a background noise of everyday life to the upcoming performances. The fourth group, who had received a short "reprieve"—Kim Chaewon (scorpio) and Jo Yuri (gemini)—were finally about to face their "execution" moment.

As highly recognized main vocals in the team, the two were originally quite confident about the "charm display." Singing was their best field; even on the street, singing a beautiful harmony a cappella or an infectious piece should be able to move the audience.

However, the ironclad rule of "cleverly integrating at least one sponsored product" was like a shackle firmly locking their creative wings. Simple singing was difficult to naturally bring out a product. Singing while holding the product? Too much like a TV shopping channel. Incorporating the product into the lyrics? Time was short, and they weren't professional lyricists; their ability and confidence in on-site creation were limited.

The two huddled together, brows furrowed, finding every plan they tried to be awkward.

"How about... we sing a more lively song and add a spoken introduction for the product in the middle?" Kim Chaewon suggested, but even she thought the idea was terrible.

"Or... beat the rhythm with that juice bottle while singing?" Jo Yuri picked up a bottle of sponsored Brand F mixed juice (brightly packaged) nearby and gestured, feeling it looked more like a kindergarten talent show.

"Sigh..." The two sighed simultaneously.

Just as they were at their wits' end and their anxiety was rising again, a savior (or rather, another "trap") arrived.

It was that same familiar staff member, holding a familiar slip of paper with flamboyant handwriting, walking quickly toward them.

"A special 'sponsorship' from PD Kang," the staff member said succinctly, handing over the note. "He said it's an 'advertising melody' tailored for you two main vocals. The lyrics are already written; just sing along. The melody is very simple; you'll learn it after hearing it twice."

Kim Chaewon and Jo Yuri looked at each other with mixed feelings. Another "cheat code" from PD Kang? With the precedent of Sakura and Nako, they were full of wariness toward this "cheat code." But... it was better than the awkward plans they had come up with themselves, right? At least they wouldn't have to take the blame for a "creative failure."

They took the paper and huddled together to read it.