It was, quite literally, a daily event where you exchanged something with your best friend.When accepted, you would receive both a “swap reward” and a set of Friendship Coins — in-app currency that could be used in the “Friendly Market” section of the home menu. Over the course of two weeks, those coins could be saved and spent on gifts that would be delivered into your best friend’s arms on the final day of filming.The market’s stock was curated based on the cast’s pre-recorded surveys, interviews, and the production team’s research — items tailored to each person’s tastes and interests. It sounded like an easy win-win: accept every event, earn rewards, make your friend happy.Except for that ominous final warning line.⚠ Warning: Your best friend might [  ] you...Seo-eul’s finger froze right before he could press “YES.”He’d already seen what that red, blinking warning could lead to on the broadcast.The empty bracket was filled randomly by the system — words drawn from a preset list by digital lottery. If you were lucky, nothing happened. But if you weren’t… your best friend could end up downgraded to a minimum-wage café worker just because you wanted a drink mission.Once the swap was made, the other person had to complete the task no matter what. The suffering and bickering that followed were the show’s highlight moments.For reference, a professional athlete in the previous season had saved up 100 coins and bought his friend a limited-edition board game, a collector’s item long sold out. His friend, who had spent two weeks cursing him while completing missions, had ended up hugging the box and crying on the final day.You bastard, thank you so much…That tearful, rage-soaked “thank you” had become a meme still circulating online. It was the perfect design: sell out your best friend to buy them a gift. Guilty but inevitable, everyone still pressed “YES.”Of course, there had been abuse of the system too. One comedian had spent two weeks gleefully accepting every event, promising a “spectacular surprise gift,” only to present a single novelty sock in the end.That season had concluded in shouting and near-fisticuffs.Remembering that chaos, Seo-eul stared hard at his screen again. Sa-heon was abroad right now, and the show hadn’t officially begun yet, so it should’ve been harmless to tap through. Still, something felt off.“Oh wow, Seo-eul, you’re really careful about these things, huh?”Jeon Jae-yeon PD smiled brightly, her teasing tone soft but somehow more pressuring than a direct push. Seo-eul hesitated, then finally tapped “YES.”It was nothing serious — or so he told himself, trying to clear his head — until a loud chime sounded and the warning’s bracket started spinning like a slot machine.“…”He flinched slightly. What the— He forced his face calm again and leaned closer, heart thumping as the spinning slowed.So the random missions were now chosen automatically through the app.The sound stretched out and finally stopped. Glitter flashed across the screen.⚠ Warning: Your best friend might [become a reliable ally]...…?What was that supposed to mean?He blinked, unsure how to interpret it. The PD and writers said nothing, just watched. Maybe it was a placeholder example? Seo-eul tilted his head — and then, knock knock, someone rapped on the door.The food already? That was fast. Impressive service for a Chinese restaurant.He turned toward the door with idle curiosity—then froze. His eyes went wide. Someone who absolutely shouldn’t have been here was walking in.“What the hell are you doing here…?”Dragging his suitcase inside as if this were perfectly normal, Sa-heon met his gaze. Seo-eul’s mind instantly flipped through his friend’s schedule. Even at the earliest, his return flight wasn’t for another two days. He was supposed to be overseas right now. How—?Three days ago, Sa-heon had left with a sour face and that same suitcase, saying he’d be back Friday. Seo-eul’s mouth fell open as Sa-heon stopped in front of him and smiled faintly.“Me? I’m Lee Seo-eul’s best friend.”He said it playfully, like Isn’t it obvious?, but Seo-eul didn’t react. Seeing that, Sa-heon chuckled and lightly tapped a finger under his chin, murmuring, “Careful, you’ll catch flies. And we haven’t even eaten yet.”But Seo-eul’s thoughts were racing elsewhere.“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to come in two days?”“I flew back to be your ally.”“Did your schedule get canceled? Or did you ditch it?”“Wrong.”“Then…”“I just lied to Lee Seo-eul and left early.”Seo-eul’s lips /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ snapped shut. You lied?Tracing back the last few days, realization dawned — and when he glanced around, the production crew’s barely-contained grins gave them away.Jeon Jae-yeon PD even threw both hands in the air.“Surprise!”…So it had always been a three-day trip.Seo-eul exhaled a short, helpless breath. He’d simply assumed it was another international schedule — that was his mistake. Now, with cameras rolling, he was frozen in front of a full-on surprise reveal.One thing was certain, though: his reaction had been terribly boring.“Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you wouldn’t fall for it. Thank you, Seo-eul! Hahaha! No wonder Sa-heon was so confident — it’s a best-friend pre-meeting, of course both should come!”“Well, he really was busy… and, um, our filming schedule’s tight…”Seo-eul trailed off, realizing there was no way to explain himself without sounding foolish.He had been completely duped, fair and square.Jeon Jae-yeon PD, sharp as ever, sensed his discomfort and smoothly pulled the head writer into the conversation. Between the two of them, the air filled with cheerful chatter. Ten years of variety-show experience at work — their banter was effortless.Seo-eul, with nearly zero variety experience, could only marvel like a rookie chick watching veterans. Maybe this was karma for ignoring every unscripted program all these years.He kept nodding along as they gushed about the “surprise setup” and the heartwarming “casting behind story.” When the talk finally drifted elsewhere, he allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief.How do they even come up with those reactions…The writers, now hugging each other in delight, looked otherworldly. Maybe he should have studied more seasons beforehand.He gave Sa-heon’s arm a light tap. The staff’s attention had moved on, so it was safe.“What. Happy to see me early?”“…No.”Liar. He’d teamed up with them to trick him and still had the nerve to act smug. Seo-eul ignored him and snatched Sa-heon’s phone off the table — something had caught his eye.Without hesitation, he unlocked it with Face ID like it was his own. Sa-heon didn’t even try to stop him; instead, he smiled faintly, idly flicking at the button on Seo-eul’s cardigan sleeve.“Why ‘no’? You mad?”“……”“Come on, I came straight from the airport. You’re not even going to look at me?”“……”“Twelve-hour flight, you know.”“I know.”“There wasn’t even anything fun there.”Yeah, no kidding. Nothing fun.Ignoring him, Seo-eul scrolled through the top of Sa-heon’s chat list — messages with his manager, Heo Gun-soo.No wonder things felt off. Those traitors had been in contact all morning.[What time do you arrive?][???][Wait, aren’t you in Milan right now??][You said you’d land the day after tomorrow][Did you come back to Korea??][2 o’clock?][For the pre-meeting?][ETA 1:30 lol][Seo-eul said he booked dessert for us][Ok][Hehehe][You’re in a good mood today, huh? You’re actually replying lol][Can I screenshot this?][Private only, no public posts][Hyung][Hyung??][T_T][Traffic’s bad around lunch hour][Shut up and just come][Got it^^!]So that’s why Gun-soo had been in such a hurry today. Seo-eul pressed the power button, his expression flattening. He’s the one who told me not to get too close to him, and now he’s conspiring behind my back?Feeling a little left out, Seo-eul sighed quietly and leaned toward Sa-heon. The camera angle probably couldn’t catch their words, but still — he had to say something.“Say it nicely.”“Nicely.”“……”Unbelievable.

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