Chapter 106: Song of the Himalayas part 5

Thanks to Timo's thoughtfulness, Chae-eun, refreshed from a good night's sleep in a room with a comfortable bed, stepped out into the morning sunshine with a slightly brighter expression. In the yard, the staff, having finished their preparations for departure, were gathered, and Yeongseok was sitting on a platform in the yard, conversing in English with Timo. Since Geon had not yet appeared, Chae-eun approached Yeongseok and listened to their conversation.

"Chief Timo, what happens if we go to a house where a wedding is taking place?"

"That house belongs to a Kshatriya family in our village, so it's quite large. It's a two-story house where the women bake bread on the first floor, and the men trim goat meat on the second floor."

"Oh, really? That sounds picturesque."

"Kay can sing for the workers if she wants."

"Ah, that's okay. Since the program's concept involves hardship, it might be better to help with the goat meat."

"Alright, then let's go together, and I'll introduce you."

"Thank you, Chief."

Having noticed that the conversation had ended, Chae-eun asked Yeongseok what they would be doing. After hearing Yeongseok's response, Chae-eun, with a playful expression, rushed towards Geon, who was just coming out to the yard.

"Geon! Looks like you'll be trimming goat meat, haha."

Geon placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head in disbelief.

"Ah, I get dizzy at the sight of blood. This is going to be tough. Will I be able to handle it?"

Shortly after, following Timo, the two arrived at a house smaller than Timo's but still quite large. It being a festive occasion, many people were busily working, and musicians played music to help the workers enjoy their tasks. Seeing the lively music seemed to alleviate Geon's worries, as his expression brightened, and Yeongseok mischievously said,

"Geon, look, a live goat is being taken upstairs. Looks like it's about to be caught."

Geon, following Yeongseok's direction, saw a black goat being led by a rope and wore a troubled expression. Chae-eun, sitting among the women kneading dough on the first floor, waved at Geon.

"Geon~ Earn a lot of money~"

As Geon's expression grew more distressed, Yeongseok's brightened. After ascending to the second floor, Geon, unable to bear watching the goat being slaughtered, averted his eyes. Moments later, after the goat had been slaughtered and its skin and innards were being processed, Geon, with gloves covered in blood, rubbed them on Yeongseok's face, laughing, while Yeongseok, taken aback, fled in a panic. The amusing scene was captured on camera. After working past four in the afternoon, the two, receiving 5,000 rupees as their wages, stepped outside with bright expressions, where Timo was waiting.

"Chief, thanks to you, we earned a lot, haha."

Timo smiled and bowed slightly.

"I feel sorry for making you do such hard work."

"Not at all, not at all. I'm very grateful. Thanks to you, it seems we can comfortably take the bus to Bamboo."

Timo pointed in one direction and said,

"The bus stop is this way. Let me show you."

Upon reaching the place Timo mentioned where the bus would stop, they found only a sign with "BUS" written on it standing alone by the roadside. Seeing people waiting for the bus seated on a stone wall, Geon shook Timo's hand in gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Chief."

Chae-eun joined in, clasping her hands in thanks, and Timo, after receiving their thanks, said,

"Kay is always welcome here. Come visit again. Remember to take the red bus. The blue bus goes somewhere else."

"Yes, Chief. We'll definitely come back."

While they were saying goodbye to Timo, a dilapidated red bus, stirring up a cloud of dust, appeared in the distance. Yeongseok announced,

"The bus is here. Camera crew, prepare to board!"

A young man in his twenties, apparently a crew member, alighted from the bus, collected money, and allowed boarding. The bus, being in the afternoon, had only three local passengers aside from them, allowing for a somewhat spacious seating arrangement. However, their comfort was short-lived. The bus floor had a hole through which dust came up, and the unpaved road made the ride so bumpy that they had to hold onto the seat handles in front of them tightly. Additionally, the bus used a narrow road along a cliff, making the descent constantly nerve-wracking. After much hardship, they arrived at Bamboo and disembarked from the

 bus, Chae-eun weakly letting her arms droop and said,

"Would have been more comfortable to walk...sigh"

Geon, who got off the bus first, patted Chae-eun's back, saying,

"Hey, if we had walked, we wouldn't have arrived until after sunset even if we left in the morning. It's great we arrived while it's still daylight. Let's go, sister. But this place seems a bit smaller than Dewureli, doesn't it?"

Lifting her head at Geon's words, Chae-eun saw houses closely packed together on a downhill slope in the middle of the mountains. The village was a bit smaller, but there were hotels and restaurants for trekkers. Chae-eun asked Geon,

"Do we still have money left? Can we afford to eat?"

Geon took out the remaining money from his pocket and counted it.

"Well, we don't know the cost of living here, so let's ask around."

Geon entered what appeared to be a lodge for trekkers. A lady at the counter, wearing an orange traditional dress, greeted them warmly. When Geon explained their situation in English and inquired about the price of food, the owner, with limited English, showed them the menu. Seeing the menu, Geon's face lit up.

"Sister! We can settle a meal for 200 rupees!"

Hearing Geon's voice from outside, Chae-eun rushed in excitedly.

"Really? The prices are incredibly cheap. Didn't we receive too much for our work earlier?"

Geon, holding the money and tilting his head, then asked the owner,

"How much for the hotel? Two rooms."

After gesturing to inquire about the price of hotel rooms, the owner said it would be 2,000 rupees. Geon raised his hands, exclaiming,

"Hooray! We can even afford to sleep here tonight! Sister, it's 2,000 rupees for two rooms!"

Chae-eun and Geon high-fived, delighted, while Yeongseok, crossing his arms, looked on and asked the AD in a sulking tone,

"AD, wasn't the wage supposed to be 2,500 rupees? Isn't that too much, what they received?"

"Simba, could you come here for a moment?" called the AD, and Simba, who had been smoking outside, came in. The AD pushed Simba's back towards Yeongseok and asked, "How much do you usually earn in a day working at weddings like this?"

After a moment of thought, Simba held up a finger. "About 1,000 rupees?" Yeongseok, scratching his head roughly, said, "Damn, so Chief Timo gave us more!"

Thanks to Chief Timo, Geon and Chae-eun ended the day with a smile, having enjoyed a comfortable night's sleep and warm, delicious food, though not at a fancy hotel. Yeongseok resolved to make sure they would endure hardships the next day. However, he was completely unaware that motorcycles departing from Dewureli, passing through Bamboo, were spreading Timo's message to other cities.

The next morning, Geon, waking up a bit earlier than usual perhaps because of the lesser hardships the day before, went out for a walk in front of the lodge after washing his face. Stretching and welcoming the cool morning air of the highlands, Geon noticed several monks in Tibetan high monk robes in the distance. As Geon lowered his hands from stretching and brought them together in greeting, the lead monk respectfully joined his palms and bowed.

The monk approached Geon and started speaking in English. "Are you Kay?" Surprised that the monk recognized him, Geon widened his eyes and asked, "Yes, but why?"

The monk, glancing at the other monks, said, "This person is Devashida. Treat him with respect." Six monks around bowed respectfully towards Geon, who responded with a puzzled greeting. The head monk said, "I am Pravin, practicing here in the central temple of Bamboo. We would like to invite you to our temple, what do you say?"

Pointing to himself with a forefinger, Geon asked, "Me? Why?" "Oh, please don't misunderstand. Chief Timo asked us to invite you," said Pravin. Hearing Timo's name from Pravin, Geon, dropping his guard, pointed towards the lodge with his thumb and said, "Ah, I see. But I have companions with me, I can't go alone."

"It's okay. We invite all your companions. Would that be alright?" Pravin nodded, indicating there was no problem. Geon, after thinking for a moment, spoke to the camera director, who was about to smoke a cigarette, "Ah, Director! It's good timing. These monks from the temple here want to invite us. Is it okay if we go?"

The camera director removed the cigarette from his mouth, hid it behind his back, and joined his palms towards the monks, then said, "That's... not for me to decide. I'll ask the CP. Just a moment." Shortly after the director went inside, Yeongseok came out running. Upon seeing the monks, he immediately joined his palms and then asked Geon, "What's this about? Why are the temple monks inviting us? Did you cause some trouble again?"

Geon, with a playful smile, elbowed Yeongseok and said, "Hey, when have I ever caused trouble? It's at Chief Timo's request." "Ah, is that so? Then let's go. It's usually difficult to get filming permission in temples, so this is great. Just wait a bit, okay? How did you communicate? Did you understand English?" "Yes, it seems only Pravin here speaks it."

Yeongseok turned awkwardly and offered a half-hearted bow to Pravin, who returned it with a respectful bow. Then Yeongseok rushed back inside, yelling and hurrying the crew to get ready. Being professionals, it took the staff less than five minutes to prepare, and they set off for the temple with Chae-eun, the last to join.

As Pravin led Geon and the group up to the temple, a red building, the largest in the village, appeared in the center of the town. Entering the temple, which gave off the feel of a medieval noble's castle with its surrounding closely packed houses, Geon and Chae-eun marveled at the size of the temple and its ancient sculptures. Pravin, pointing at the stairs, said, "Let's greet the abbot."

Geon, holding Chae-eun's hand, ascended the stairs and stood in front of the door, which Pravin opened to lead them inside. Inside was another courtyard with a moderately sized prayer hall in the center. Standing in front of the prayer hall, Pravin raised his voice slightly and announced, "Great monk, I have brought Kay."

Hearing Pravin speak in English, Geon assumed he could communicate with the monks inside. Soon after, a cough was heard, and Pravin opened the door. Inside the prayer hall, with a large Buddha statue, a very elderly monk in monk's robes respectfully joined his palms. As Geon and Chae-eun awkwardly returned the gesture, the old monk said to Geon, "A humble Lama of Tibetan Buddhism greets the messenger of Brahma, one of Hinduism's trinity gods."

Yeongseok directed the drone camera operator to start filming from above the temple. The entire majestic and beautiful Himalayan mountain range was illuminated, and the tranquil bamboo village was zoomed in on. A huge temple with white and red colors harmonizing in the center of the village came into view, and the drone quickly captured footage from the main entrance, up the stairs, to the large hall where the head monk was located, then focused on the head monk and Geon sitting on cushions facing each other. Chae-eun was sitting awkwardly on a cushion one step behind Geon.

The head monk slightly lifted his robe, joined his palms, and said, "Welcome to the Lama's temple."

Overwhelmed by his aura, Geon bowed deeply and said, "I'm Kay. This is Chae-eun."

After taking a brief look at Chae-eun and smiling, the head monk said, "Welcome to the temple of the Lama. It must have been difficult for you as a Deva of Hinduism."

Geon waved his hands dismissively and replied, "Not at all. Thank you for inviting me. But, I'm not a Deva of Hinduism. I don't even know what a Deva is."

The head monk, Haileke, smiled kindly and said, "Even the Dalai Lama does not have self-awareness until rebirth. Just as Buddha granted awakening to the Dalai Lama, you too will eventually become aware."

Geon sighed and said, "So, I'm not a Deva."

Haileke nodded slightly and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. Timo invited you here, and he would be furious if he knew. I'll keep it brief."

As Geon straightened up and listened attentively, Haileke stood up, spread his hands, and said, "A great crisis will soon come upon this land. Can you help?"

Looking up at Haileke with an awkward stance, Geon asked, "Crisis? What kind of..."

"I cannot say for certain. Buddha's teachings often come in the form of koans."

Geon turned to look at Yeongseok filming outside the hall. Seeing Yeongseok nod slowly, Geon said to Haileke, "I don't know what the crisis is, but I'll help wherever I can."

Haileke looked down at Geon and pointed with one hand towards a statue of Buddha, "You may not be Buddhist, but can you swear in front of Buddha?"

Geon turned to look at the gold statue of Buddha Haileke was pointing at. Unlike the Korean Buddha statues he saw as a child at temples, this one had four of its eight hands spread in a mudra, while the other four held a baby girl. After a moment of contemplation, Geon said, "I have no religion, but I can swear to myself. If there is anything I can do, I will do my best within those bounds."

Haileke smiled kindly and joined his palms, "That will suffice. I apologize for not being able to meet you in person and bringing you to such a humble place. Now, feel free to look around the temple before you depart."

Despite his kind smile, Haileke issued a dismissal and turned his cushion towards the Buddha statue to start chanting scriptures. Chae-eun quietly got up and signaled Geon to leave. Finally, they left the hall, where Pravin was waiting outside to show them around the temple. After finishing the tour and sweeping the yard with a broom handed to them by a monk, Pravin said to the departing group, "Thank you for visiting today. May peace be with you on your journey."

Geon and Chae-eun returned to Mochi, with Chae-eun sitting on a bench in front of Mochi, puffing her cheeks in displeasure.

"What was that all about? That big monk called us for such a short conversation? He could have come himself, tsk."

Yeongseok put down the camera and told the assistant director, "Edit out what Chae-eun just said when you transfer the tape. Religion is a sensitive issue for Chae-eun, so try not to make such comments. There are still many Buddhists in Korea."

Chae-eun said with a dissatisfied expression, "I don't have a religion either, though my mom is Christian. It's not about religion; it's about why people are summoned and sent away. It wasn't even that important of a story."

Geon sat next to Chae-eun, laughing, "It was an important story, sister. They asked if we would help if a crisis hits Nepal."

"I know, I heard it on the way out. But what kind of vague nonsense is that? He's not an octopus predicting World Cup winners, is he prophesying or what?"

"Haha, it's a bit different but..."

"What crisis

? We're going back to Korea in a few days anyway."

Eventually, Yeongseok intervened, "Let's end this discussion. We need to film, so let's move on to the next village."

As the camera operators started filming again, Yeongseok said, "We'll start recording. You two have been through a lot in the song of the Himalayas. Today's mission will take us to Jhinu danda. It's a village at an altitude of 1,780 meters, so we've already descended more than halfway. 'Jhinu' means 'small' in Nepali, and 'danda' means 'hill.' It's a small village, but it has the highest quality rochi in the Himalayas. There's also an outdoor hot spring."

Chae-eun exclaimed with delight, "A hot spring? Wow, that's great!"

Yeongseok looked awkward as he spoke.

"As per the original plan, you all should be appearing dirty and unwashed by now... but here you are, looking healthier than you did back in Korea, thanks to staying well-fed and rested in a hotel room."

Chae-eun tugged at her clothes as if questioning what was said.

"What do you mean by that? Do you know how many days I've been wearing these clothes? They smell!"

Suddenly, Geon asked as if he just remembered.

"But, Director, didn't we not receive our reward for completing the bamboo mission yesterday?"

Yeongseok sighed and bowed his head.

"Do you really need to collect your rewards when you already have plenty of money?"

Geon laughed and said.

"The money we have is rightfully earned from our work, and the mission reward is a different matter. Do you want to make an apology broadcast to the viewers? Hehe."

As if he had no choice, Yeongseok said.

"The original mission reward was supposed to be a kettle and ramen... which you clearly don't need."

Chae-eun rushed in excitedly.

"Is that supposed to be a survival kit? Give me clothes, my clothes!"

Yeongseok sighed and said.

"Since the helicopter already took the luggage, I can't give you clothes, but how about the production team buys each of you a set of traditional Nepalese clothing?"

Chae-eun raised her hand, smiling.

"That sounds great! But one more thing! Buy us underwear too!"

After contemplating, Yeongseok nodded, understanding that not being able to change underwear could be distressing for a woman. An excited Chae-eun grabbed Geon's hand, urging him to go shopping for clothes. The two quickly picked out clothes from one of the few clothing stores in the village, filming fun scenes such as a fashion show and parodying movie entrance scenes with the bamboo village as the backdrop, ensuring ample footage for the episode as they headed towards Jhinu Danda.

The journey to a lower elevation made the road less rough than the first bus ride. Despite a few big bumps, Chae-eun could tolerate it and disembarked at Jhinu Danda with a bright expression. The production team had covered the accommodation costs at Jhinu Danda's Mochi, a pre-booked consolation day gift for the crew at the end of their no-money journey, leaving them with no choice but to use it.

The open-air hot spring in Jhinu Danda was not like Japan's, being a vast valley instead. There were areas made to resemble baths around the valley, with bathing in the valley free and entering the baths for a fee. However, in the valley, only scooping water with a ladle for washing was allowed; immersing oneself was prohibited. Geon and Chae-eun, wearing clothes for the open-air hot spring, filmed scenes enjoying a bath, relaxing their tired bodies, including a scene where Geon's upper body was exposed.

Yeongseok paid extra attention to Geon's first upper body undressing scene. Contrary to worries, Geon, who exercised quite a bit in the military, had a lean but well-defined body. Chae-eun praised it as the type of muscles women love, making Geon blush as she playfully poked his body.

After an interview on the beautiful terrace of Jhinu Danda's Mochi at night, everyone gathered in the lobby to discuss the next day's schedule as the camera was being set up. Yeongseok announced.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Syauli Bazar. After reaching there, we'll proceed to Naya Pul the next day, concluding our expedition. Naya Pul is a big city, so we'll stay there for about 3 days before moving to Pokhara and flying back to Korea from Pokhara Airport."

Geon asked with a playful expression.

"What's the reward for tomorrow's mission?"

Chae-eun added playfully.

"Yeah, what is it for tomorrow? I hope it's not something we don't need again?"

Yeongseok shook his head as if in pain.

"From tomorrow, we're thinking of changing the survival kit. You still have some money left, right? I've calculated, and there seems no other way to make you suffer more. The production team will have a meeting about this. Oh!?"

While Yeongseok was speaking, the building of Mochi started to shake. The initially slight vibration gradually increased, prompting Yeongseok to grab the table and shout.

"Everyone, get under the furniture! Quick!"

Geon grabbed Chae-eun's hand and quickly dove under the table. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the ground shook slightly. The camera directors hid under furniture but continued filming. Only Yeongseok checked the surroundings outside until the vibration slowly subsided and then ran outside. Chae-eun, lying under the table in Geon's arms,

 asked with anxious eyes.

"What's happening suddenly... Is this an earthquake?"

Geon protected Chae-eun with his body and looked around.

"Yeah, it seems like it, but it doesn't seem to be a big one. Fortunately."

Geon and Chae-eun hid under the table for over 30 minutes. The AD shouted from outside.

"Stay in your positions until we get the all-clear signal!"

While telling others to wait, the AD himself rushed outside following Yeongseok. After another 30 minutes, Yeongseok and the AD returned to the lobby and said.

"It's safe to come out now."

As Geon and Chae-eun came out, Geon asked.

"Bro, what's going on? Is it okay now?"

Yeongseok, holding a satellite phone, waved his hand.

"Yeah, it seems the epicenter isn't nearby. Just a moment, let me make a call."

Everyone watched Yeongseok making a call on the satellite phone. After waiting for the signal for a while, Yeongseok said.

"Hey, it's me. There's no electricity here, but how's it in Kathmandu?"

"What?? A major earthquake? Where? 80km west of Kathmandu? Isn't that Gorkha?"

"Yes! Alright, call back every hour!"

After hanging up, Yeongseok said with a serious expression.

"There's been a major earthquake in Gorkha. Considering the effects reached this far, it seems like a big one."

Geon and Chae-eun looked at Yeongseok in shock.