Entering Broadcast Television
Appearing on broadcast television. It was something I'd written on the bucket list I'd made with my viewers, but I couldn't just jump at the chance. At the very least, I needed to know what kind of program was reaching out.
If they came back with conditions I couldn't accept, or if appearing on the show would damage my image, I'd have to refuse. There were plenty of reasons to weigh carefully before making a decision.
Why? Didn't people used to say that back in the day? Broadcast stations will do anything as long as the ratings come in.
As long as the ratings were good, the safety of the cast didn't matter. The whole fuss about "devil's editing" and "manipulated probabilities" wasn't for nothing.
That's why I was sitting in a café right now, with Kim Jaejun by my side.
This was a meeting with the PD in charge to discuss the appearance. After Sia had received the email and we'd exchanged various messages, we'd decided it was best to meet in person for the important stuff.
It was similar to when I'd personally gone out to find an editor.
I could've listened to a full explanation of the program online and learned what I'd need to do, but meeting face-to-face felt more reliable.
Sia, who'd said it was a decent variety show, agreed with my reasoning. She'd even insisted on bringing Kim Jaejun along, probably worried about me going alone.
That was why I'd ended up at the café on a Saturday evening, when couples were swarming everywhere. Though I wasn't sure how much help he'd actually be, considering I'd dragged him along.
"Jaejun-ssi, don't... don't be so nervous."
"Nervous? I'm not nervous at all, boss."
I shook my head and pointed at the drink he was holding.
"Who blows on an iced Americano?"
"Ah."
Kim Jaejun finally realized his mistake and scratched his head.
His drink wasn't hot—it was cold coffee with ice cubes floating in it. And he'd just been blowing on it.
In other words, he was pretty nervous. It was completely out of character for him, but I could understand it. This wasn't something a regular internet streamer's editor would typically deal with.
I'd been shaking pretty badly when I first heard the news, and even just a little while ago, but seeing Jaejun so nervous beside me actually made me calmer.
Truthfully, their job scope was just editing—that was it. I'd hired them both specifically for editing, after all.
I'd told them repeatedly they didn't need to handle these small tasks themselves. But since I was always helping out, it was convenient in every way.
The café was packed with people. It had only opened near my place recently, but maybe because the interior was pretty, or the prices were good, lots of people flocked there.
I'd chosen a place near my house for a simple reason: they'd offered to come to me. The excessive kindness was a bit burdensome, but there was no reason to refuse their convenience.
While I teased Jaejun for blowing on his iced Americano and all his other quirks, the person we were waiting for finally arrived.
"Hello. I'm Park Suhyeok…!"
"Hello."
A man with somewhat intense eyes looked at me and extended his hand. He was the main PD with the authority to choose cast members, I think. There was a faint sense of madness about him.
The man who'd introduced himself as Park Suhyeok glanced at Jaejun beside me afterward.
Jaejun, already nervous, had introduced himself as "KayakTube" instead of his own name—a minor anecdote that didn't cause any real problems.
I soon found out why he'd seemed a bit unhinged. As soon as he brought his drink from the counter and started talking, he began rummaging through his bag.
He pulled out a small doll. A cute keychain figure you'd hang on a bag.
PD Park Suhyeok took out such a cute doll from his bag and handed it to me with a serious expression.
"...What is this?"
"A gift. I heard you liked it."
"Me?"
As I listened, I noticed the doll's appearance. It felt like I'd seen it somewhere before.
I examined the doll while trying to recall, and Suhyeok cleared his throat softly and continued.
"It's the doll you won during the cute accessories World Cup… You wanted to buy it, but it sold out back then, so you couldn't."
"Ah, right. That's the doll from that time."
It was the doll I'd won during the World Cup content I'd done with my viewers. It had been months ago, and I'd forgotten about it. I never expected the PD I was meeting to bring this.
"You brought this for me?"
I hadn't expected to receive a gift before the meeting. This wasn't a common occurrence, I thought. It wasn't a bribe to get me to appear, just a small gift. Could he be a fan of mine?
He turned his head slightly, as if embarrassed. I didn't want to see a middle-aged man getting shy, but there it was.
Regardless, Suhyeok hesitated for a moment before looking me straight in the eyes and speaking.
"I'm a fan. It's a real honor to meet you in person."
"Thank you."
Of course, it was good that he was my fan. It wasn't just that the PD in charge was a fan—it was good that he was a fan at all. Fans were precious, no matter what.
"If you know this doll, you must've been a fan for a long time. When did you start watching my broadcasts?"
"Ah, I watched the World Cup video on Vtube, not live. I only started watching the live broadcasts yesterday."
"Yesterday?"
I thought I'd misheard and asked again.
He'd said he was a fan and even brought a gift. Had he been watching only Vtube before and just started watching live yesterday?
"I became a fan when I saw your video while selecting cast members. So I still have a lot of videos I haven't watched. I plan to catch up on the live broadcasts whenever I can and finish watching the Vtube videos too."
"I see…"
He hadn't invited me because he was a fan.
He hadn't invited me because he was a fan—he'd become a fan because he'd invited me. The cause and effect felt twisted, like the order was reversed.
It was a bit unusual, but whatever. It was just strange that fans could be gained this way.
"As I mentioned on the phone, it won't be too difficult. The show itself will be hosted by regular panelists…"
As if forgetting he'd been hesitating as a fan, he immediately showed his professional side when the conversation turned to the broadcast.
With a serious expression, devoid of any humor, he explained the overall program flow, what parts to be careful about, and when breaks would be.
"It's truly just a talk show. You only need to speak within the range of being sincere."
"So there's no scripting?"
From my perspective, having heard from acquaintances that all broadcasts are manipulated and scripted, this was both novel and reassuring. I wasn't good at acting, after all. And since I'd been told my lies would be obvious to viewers, even following a script would be difficult.
"In the past, they'd sometimes deliberately have conversations on provocative topics… But since I've been PD, that hasn't happened."
"I see."
"Our show has a calm, healing vibe, so there won't be any sensitive questions. You just need to give a short self-introduction about what kind of broadcaster you are, and after that, you can freely join in when the others are talking."
Hearing this, it didn't seem much different from joint broadcasts with other streamers. The only differences were that I'd have to go to the broadcast station and the filming style and scale.
"The regular panelists are all comedians who've done variety shows before… The guests who'll appear with you include idols, actors, and various others. You'll be the only internet broadcaster."
It was the first time a streamer like me was appearing on Midnight Talk. Since Vtubers weren't uncommon on other variety shows, I didn't need to feel too burdened.
"And I've been a PD for about 10 years now. In my opinion, Kayak-nim, you don't need to worry at all. You'll be fine even if you just sit there quietly."
No, you're putting pressure on me right now. You said you were my fan—do you have some twisted fan mentality toward me?
"Don't you get cut from variety shows if you just sit quietly?"
"Just act like you do in your regular broadcasts, and that's enough. No need to worry."
And that's how the meeting ended. We'd covered all the business aspects we needed to during the meeting.
The conclusion was to decide on appearing. The PD seemed like a decent person, and it wouldn't be bad to try appearing on a broadcast once.
So we decided to go to the broadcast station for filming as soon as next week.
I felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation, my heart fluttering.
Could I really do this well?