After David had spoken at length without receiving any response, he finally felt embarrassed and fell silent.
He had said what he was supposed to say; the rest was not his responsibility anyway. After all, he was merely the program's host—nothing more.
Then a young voice rang out—steady and soft, yet carrying an undeniable strength and composure.
"It's fine. I'll continue filming the program as stated in the contract. Please relay my words to the director. Thank you."
David let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, this kid knew what was best for himself.
The faces of Mel and the rest of the band members displayed a mix of emotions, their thoughts carefully concealed behind neutral expressions.
Of course, Arin could see everything around him, but he closed his eyes and acted as though he noticed nothing. He was still mentally and physically exhausted. What he had been through so far was no small matter—anyone who suddenly found themselves in another man's body, in another world, would be under immense psychological strain. And now that he finally had time to calm down, thoughts and speculations refused to leave him alone.
Suddenly, the image of that mother wolf surfaced in his mind.
Arin opened his mouth and asked quietly, though audibly,
"What about the wolves?"
Harry clicked his tongue aloud, but having learned from past mistakes, he didn't scold Arin out loud this time—he didn't even answer him.
Instead, Mel, the man with gray hair and watery blue eyes, replied in a gentle voice.
"Don't worry. They're fine. After you lost consciousness, the she-wolf took her cubs and fled deeper into the forest."
Arin murmured, "That's good… I'm glad they're safe."
Arin wasn't a kind person in the traditional sense, nor was he an angel. Still, it was clear that he had a weakness when it came to family bonds.
The reason he had saved the wolf—despite the risk of exposing himself—was because he had been moved by the fierce defense of her cubs.
Besides, wolves were known for their loyalty, and it felt tragic for a creature of such beauty to die at the hands of a filthy human.
When silence once again settled over the room, David didn't feel embarrassed this time. Instead, he clapped his hands to grab everyone's attention and said enthusiastically,
"Now then, dear guests! Since you've finally arrived at the villa, it's time for the adventure to begin!"
Jill rolled his shining green eyes exaggeratedly.
This leader didn't look pleased at all about filming such a stupid reality show.
Even the other members showed no excitement whatsoever about what David called an "adventure."
Arin noticed all of this. Despite feeling slightly tired, he was completely fine. Even the doctor had said there was nothing wrong with him, and that the wound on his hand would heal in a few days with proper care.
Although Arin could be reckless at times, he wasn't the kind of person who would allow himself to be seriously injured. Self-preservation was instinctive for him.
"I wanted to explain the program's rules and contents," David said, "but since the cameras in this room were previously turned off, how about we head to the living room instead?"
"Tch. This damned program," Harry snapped. "Don't you people care about human lives at all? Arin woke up less than an hour ago, and here you are pushing him to work without a single thought for his health."
Harry had never felt anything positive toward David from the start, which was why his words came out rather harshly.
Of course, even if he did feel otherwise, Harry was the type with a sharp tongue and a soft heart.
Arin stood up naturally, as if he weren't the sick person everyone was talking about, and said calmly,
"It's fine. I'm okay."
Harry clicked his tongue again but said nothing under the gazes of Albert, Jill, Mel, and Nathan.
Somehow, he felt like he was the villain in this story.
Fine, fine. I'll shut up, he thought. Who cares whether this brat lives or dies anyway?
After the members tidied themselves up and regained some energy, they all headed down to the ground floor, where the living room was located.
Although cameras were positioned in every corner, they didn't seem bothered by them.
They all sat down together on the sofas, and somehow, Arin ended up seated between Jill and Mel.
"Welcome, everyone. I'm David, and from today until the end of this month, I'll be taking care of you. Of course, I'll be looking after your favorite band. Let's give a warm welcome to the band—Ciark."
Despite being a boxer, David was remarkably good at handling an audience.
Well, boxing and acting weren't all that different. More than half of the matches—the wins and losses—were nothing more than carefully scripted scenarios from beginning to end.
[Whoa, finally! I can see the live broadcast again. I almost cried when it went down for several hours. If that happens again, I'm going straight to the director's account to complain.]
[Forget the broadcast interruption—I nearly died of worry over my precious baby. Why does he look so pale? Sweetheart, look at me, I'm right here.]
[Lol, the one upstairs doesn't even know her beloved son's name.]
[Honestly, I don't know either. He's a new member of the band who hasn't been officially revealed yet. No wonder even longtime fans like us didn't recognize him. But I saw his fighting skills before—unbelievable. I hope his stage performance is just as good.]
[We'll probably find out soon. I remember this program has competitive segments where the members have to perform on stage.]
[Look, look! Why does it seem like the two handsome princes are knights protecting their king?]
[Ahhh, that's exactly what it looks like—oh my God, I'm melting. Did you notice how the rest of the band looks at Arin with so much love and concern and—ugh—my filthy brain is imagining the king-and-his-knights drama. That kind of drama. Hehehe.]
"Now, let's listen to the members introduce themselves," David said, "and then we'll begin the first game of the day."