194: Chapter 192 First day with braces. Today we're eating ribs, but damn it, I can't eat a single bit of the cartilage.

But that wasn't even the most crucial part.

The most crucial part was that the side of this bus, from top to bottom, was covered in huge, high-definition photo stickers of the twelve of them filming in Myeong-dong today, wearing their "Star Saints" magnificent (?) battle robes and striking various chuunibyou poses! Beside each photo, their "Star Envoy" titles and a short, cringe-inducing character introduction were written in exaggerated artistic fonts!

For example, next to Kwon Eunbi’s photo, it said: "Lionheart Sovereign · Eunbi: The king who commands the battlefield with a roar (?)"

Next to Jang Wonyoung’s photo: "Star Spring Guide · Wonyoung: The pure (?) Aquarius who guides the spring of hope!"

Next to Choi Yena’s photo: "Pisces Sausage Saint · Yena: The light of hope that heals the mortal world with deliciousness (?)"

...And so on.

The entire bus was like a mobile, oversized, public execution "IZ*ONE Star Envoy Shame Exhibition Board"!

"Wha... What is this?!!" An Yujin poked her head out from behind Lee Chaeyeon and wailed, "Why did they put those photos up! And they're so huge!"

"My 'Sausage Saint'..." Choi Yena covered her face, her voice muffled, whether crying or laughing was unknown.

"Public execution..." Jang Wonyoung murmured, feeling that her shame level for the day had reached its peak in front of this bus.

However, what shocked them was far more than just this.

Just as they were staring at the bus in a daze, an even more surreal scene appeared!

The bus doors were wide open, and a staff member wearing a production team vest was standing at the entrance, holding a list, seemingly... checking tickets for boarding?

And the "passengers" boarding were—

The dolls they had just "defeated" in the "Gold" attribute area!

Yes, that's right!

Although the giant, "stalled" Mechanical Kitty Cat didn't appear (probably took up too much space), the staff in Hello Kitty, Golden Retriever, and Grey Wolf mascot costumes, along with several dull-colored "Zang Zang Bao" mascot staff, and even a few "Soft Babies" (jelly-like props) that had returned to their original state and were hopping along, were forming a crooked, slightly comical line, boarding the bus covered in IZ*ONE's shameful photos one by one under the staff's guidance!

The dolls moved clumsily, bumping into each other as they boarded and making various onomatopoeic sounds like "Meow," "Woof," "Awoo," and "Guji." The scene was chaotic and hilarious.

"Is this... some kind of massive cosplay scene?!!!" even Miyawaki Sakura couldn't help but complain; the sight before her had completely exceeded the scope of her understanding.

Why were the "Star Demons Claws" taking the same bus as them? Where were they going? What exactly was the special episode about?

Just as their brains were overloaded and unable to process the information, a "minor commotion" occurred in the boarding line.

A slightly bloated "Zang Zang Bao" doll (possibly a part of the previously dismantled Composite Giant) seemed to get stuck while trying to climb the bus steps. After several failed attempts, it blocked the entrance.

The "Golden Retriever" doll behind it seemed to get a bit impatient, still holding its plastic meat-bone "weapon." It looked left and right, and then performed an action that made all the IZ*ONE members' eyes widen instantly and their cheeks flush red—

It actually used that bone toy to poke the round, "stained" butt (of the mascot costume) of the "Zang Zang Bao" doll in front, trying to "nudge" it up a bit!

The "Zang Zang Bao" doll stumbled from the poke (the staff inside was probably startled), let out a muffled "Wulu" sound, and got stuck even tighter.

Seeing this, the "Golden Retriever" doll seemed even more anxious and poked it several more times in a row, with movements... that were hard to describe.

All of IZ*ONE: "!!!!!"

"Wait a minute—!!!" Yabuki Nako screamed, covering her eyes. "What is that Golden Retriever doing!!"

"Don't look! Don't look!" Honda Hitomi also quickly turned around.

"Hey!!! This is too...!" An Yujin and Choi Yena were already hugging each other, unable to watch.

Even Kang Hye-won's mouth hung open in a daze.

Jang Wonyoung felt like her brain's CPU had completely burned out, unable to comprehend this surreal image.

Finally, the "ticket collector" staff at the door couldn't take it anymore and reached out to help pull, allowing the "Zang Zang Bao" to barely squeeze onto the bus. Only then did the Golden Retriever doll follow behind with a swagger (or so it thought).

The absurd "boarding farce" temporarily came to an end.

The twelve girls of IZ*ONE, wearing silly cartoon hoodies, stood in the evening breeze, looking at the bus covered in their own shameful photos and filled with the doll "enemies" they had just been in a "life-and-death struggle" (?) with, falling into a collective silence for over ten seconds.

This special episode... hadn't even started yet, and it had already made them feel an unprecedented mental shock that surpassed all the shame of the day.

Producer Jiang Zhi Yu, where on earth... are you taking us? And what are you planning to do???