Not an Extra, but the Main Character
South Korea was facing a massive problem.
People simply weren't watching TV anymore.
Some might scoff and say, "What's the big deal about not watching TV?" — but this was a crisis on par with a zombie apocalypse suddenly erupting in the heart of Seoul. It was a matter that would determine the very future of the nation.
At least, that's how comedian Kim Gyu-cheol saw it. His livelihood hung in the balance, so naturally he was far more sensitive to the situation than anyone else.
Truth be told, things had been spiraling this way for quite some time. It felt like he was always playing catch-up. Ever since COVID-19 swept through South Korea, events had unfolded faster than anyone could keep up.
OTT services that boomed alongside the pandemic, terrestrial programs that lost their appeal for one reason or another, and Vtube channels that offered more freedom and variety than traditional TV — the causes were many, but the causes themselves didn't matter much.
You couldn't prevent a crisis you didn't understand. Change came fast, and those who couldn't adapt would simply be left behind.
Several variety shows that had been occupying slots on the schedule disappeared. Regular panelists kept getting swapped out, and comedian colleagues he'd known for years started opening their own Vtube channels.
If you looked at it strictly, this was just another periodic upheaval in the entertainment industry — a battle for, if you will.
But to Gyu-cheol, it felt worse than ever before. Perhaps it was because the competition wasn't limited to fellow entertainers anymore. He felt like a tumbleweed, unable to find his footing, drifting aimlessly in every direction.
Amid all that chaos, landing a regular panelist spot on Midnight Talk was pure luck. A PD he'd known from before — Park Su-hyeok — had simply asked, "You want to try this?" and Gyu-cheol had said yes. That was the whole story.
It wasn't difficult. When a guest appeared, you asked a few questions, introduced them, and had a conversation. For a comedian with Gyu-cheol's natural gift for banter, this kind of variety show was something he could do with his eyes closed.
But he had his sights set higher. The positions lost to those who couldn't adapt, the declining prestige of terrestrial broadcasting —
Gyu-cheol wanted to use Midnight Talk to build his name and appear on more programs.
Whether it was his own efforts or simply luck in meeting staff and panelists who shared his ambition, Midnight Talk continued to grow.
Even though it aired during a time slot that wasn't ideal for viewership, ratings remained steady. That meant they had secured a loyal audience.
Of course, the show was heavily influenced by the guest lineup each week. The more recognizable or buzz-worthy the guest, the more viewers tuned in and stayed through the entire broadcast.
That was why Gyu-cheol studied this week's guests with particular care.
'An idol, an actor, a musical performer… and "Bosingak Camilla Girl"?'
Checking the guest lineup in advance and brainstorming interesting talking points was one of Gyu-cheol's main tasks. But this week, among the usual assortment of guests, there was one unusual figure.
It was a streamer named Kayak.
'She does live streams and runs a Vtube channel… and has a lot of subscribers.'
When he looked her up, she turned out to be a woman of extraordinary appearance. Not just her looks — her credentials were equally impressive, including praise from pro gamer Lee Jun-hyeok. And her subscriber count exceeded that of the comedy channels run by his own colleagues.
But those supplementary details weren't important to Gyu-cheol. What mattered was whether she was the right kind of person for Midnight Talk. In blunt terms: did she have the spark for television?
'She doesn't seem like she's particularly good with words…'
He figured it would be better to focus his questions on the idol Seulbi or the actor who was about to appear in a new drama.
Those two had likely appeared on programs like this before, so they'd probably give better answers than this Vtuber Kayak.
It wasn't easy to draw out television charisma from someone making their terrestrial TV debut. Just adapting to the atmosphere on set and finding the courage to speak was already a struggle for ordinary people.
With dozens of staff members and cameras gathered around, there was an inherent sense of intimidation. Gyu-cheol himself had been flustered during his first broadcast appearance. He'd barely managed to show half of what he'd prepared, if that.
So Gyu-cheol decided to focus his conversations on the other guests rather than Kayak.
But he changed his plan almost immediately after the broadcast began.
Something was going wrong.
By the time Kayak realized it, the broadcast had already been underway for quite a while.
"Kayak, do you have anything you'd like to say?"
"Huh?"
The man who had introduced himself as Gyu-cheol looked at her and asked.
Did she have something to say? Just moments ago, the male guest who worked at a theater company had just finished his segment. He'd done some promotion for his troupe and given a brief preview of their upcoming performance.
Kayak's self-introduction had been over a long time ago. So why was Gyu-cheol suddenly looking at her and asking this?
Her confusion didn't last long. The man's face was full of smiles, but his eyes kept darting around subtly, as if telling her to look around.
"Oh."
All the other guest panelists were seated.
Only now did she grasp the situation and quickly take her seat.
"Ehehehehe!"
"No, I've been watching you since the beginning — your reactions are great. Like when Yeojin was talking, and just now too. Every time someone speaks, you stand up and listen."
"I'm just being polite~"
The cast burst out laughing and applauded. Perhaps because all the attention was focused on her, Kayak's expressionless face began to flush at the ears. The staff watching from the sidelines started talking among themselves.
"That's the person the PD brought in, right?"
"I knew my instincts were right…"
"She's got a good character."
"Let's focus on Kayak for now — she seems to handle the camera well."
There were many types of beauties in the broadcasting world. Kayak, if you had to categorize her, was a cold, aloof beauty.
It was simply her natural appearance.
When she sat still with a blank expression, she looked cold. If she frowned even slightly, she looked angry. It was because her facial features were naturally striking.
But precisely because of that impression, her current clumsy demeanor stood out even more. Standing alone when everyone else was seated, or showing some small sign of being out of place —
It was a mistake commonly made by amateurs appearing on TV for the first time, but that very flaw was perceived as a charming point. It was like the phenomenon where a perfect person becomes more likable when they make a single mistake.
A gap, you could call it. She was already eye-catching with her looks, and now she was acting all clumsy and out of place. There was no way people's eyes wouldn't be drawn to her.
She was glamorous and pretty, but with a clumsy side. The conclusion: she was cute. She hadn't planned it, but this was the moment a character was being formed around Kayak.
Short Vtube clips or Shorts made from this footage would rack up views in an instant — scenes like this kept pouring out nonstop. The professional staff wouldn't miss this, not when they weren't just shooting a one-day broadcast.
"Alright, so Seulbi will demonstrate the key choreography, and everyone will come out and follow along."
"Kayak, you're too far in the corner — the camera won't catch you. Come here."
"One, two, my heart aches. Right. Shake it here once. Kayak, why are you dancing so half-heartedly?"
"I am dancing hard…"
"Why are you suddenly dancing well now that I told you to? You're secretly talented."
"Unnie, your dance lines are really good, aren't they?"
After that, Kayak continued to shine — knowingly and unknowingly — and gradually became the center of the program.
She slipped suddenly and did physical comedy, or she was the only one caught in a simple game they ran internally — it was as if the god of broadcasting had descended upon her.
Not only her own natural comedic timing, but even luck was working in her favor.
There had been no specific instruction from the PD in charge, but the quick-witted regular panelists wouldn't miss this. They weren't the kind to waste broadcast time — they too believed she was the star of today's show, and they continued the program centered around her.
"Great work, everyone!"
As a result, filming ended successfully. A warm, cheerful atmosphere circulated among the staff. They had intuitively realized that this episode was the best one they'd shot recently.
Meanwhile, Kayak looked like a rookie employee who had messed up her work. The broadcast had gone in a direction somewhat different from what she had intended — she'd been hoping to help promote the idol Seulbi.
But in the end, Seulbi had benefited as well.
Seulbi's face appeared in every shot centered on Kayak, and they'd even had time to introduce her group Midkiss's song in the middle.
Most decisively, the scene where Kayak followed along with the key choreography that Seulbi had introduced had turned out exceptionally well.
Kayak didn't know it, but during the staff's internal meeting, they had discussed using that segment as-is without any editing.
In other words, Seulbi, who had been teaching the dance beside Kayak, had secured a considerable amount of screen time as well.
That was why Seulbi, having finished filming, was beaming with joy. Based on her past experiences, she had an instinctive sense that she'd been on camera a lot.
'I want to go home.'
Kayak, who had endured an unexpectedly grueling time, looked strangely exhausted. From the start, she'd only appeared on terrestrial TV as a casual experience to pass the time, so the overwhelming amount of attention focused on her had been far too much.
She didn't show it, but mentally drained, she thought to herself: she'd have to think carefully before appearing on terrestrial TV programs again.
If PD Park Su-hyeok, who had been planning to recommend her for other programs after today's shoot, had known this, he would have been devastated.