Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Unexpected Variety Show Chaos
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First, we moved to a wider open space so we wouldn't block people's way. Then two young staff members approached with mics in hand.
"Let's get the mic on you first."
"Oh, sure! Yu-na, come here for a sec so we can put on your mic."
"Yeees!"
Yu-na, who had been excitedly poking her face into the camera, came toddling over.
Only after Yu-na had her mic on did filming finally begin.
"Wow! You're no joke in person. Standing next to you makes me feel like a total nobody."
Park Woo-chan, who had been sneaking glances at my face, bared all his prominent teeth and let out endless exclamations of awe.
And he was saying it right to the camera.
I appreciated the compliments on my looks, but...
'Is he not going to get things started?'
It looked like I'd have to step up.
"Um, so what should I do now?"
"Oh! Right! I forgot to explain! Five people tackle five questions in a speed quiz..."
Here's what Park Woo-chan said.
You see the problem, act it out with your body for the next person, who guesses and passes it on.
A simple game even Yu-na could do.
'Only three chances.'
The success reward was a hint about the spy's identity...
Wait, hold on.
"Five people? Doesn't that mean we need more? With my daughter, that's only three."
At my question, Park Woo-chan's eyes went wide. He clearly hadn't thought of that.
"What was I thinking? I totally spaced on the important stuff. Ahaha!"
He brushed it off with an awkward laugh, glancing around before heading toward the onlookers.
Watching him, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
'What the heck is he doing?'
Yu-na was trailing right behind Park Woo-chan, holding up her little hands like tiger paws.
And hopping up and down.
She clearly wanted to rip off the name tag on his back.
Jeong Eun-ji had joined the variety show Let's Play While Running two years ago and had been steadily working as the second PD.
She was shocked when Park Woo-chan showed up with an unexpected guest.
'Monster rookie actor Lee Jun-seo.'
She'd only heard rumors until now...
But in person, he was ridiculously handsome.
And that warm smile.
The way his eyes crinkled every time he looked at his daughter was incredibly charming.
"Is that face... completely bare, no makeup? What an unreal level of good looks..."
As she muttered under her breath, the junior writer next to her cautiously spoke up.
"...Shouldn't we start the game now, PD? We have enough people."
Snapping to attention, Jeong Eun-ji faced forward and carefully explained the game rules again.
"...Got it, everyone?"
Confirming nods all around, Jeong Eun-ji spoke once more.
"Time limit is 10 minutes. Shout 'challenge' and we'll start right away."
"Ahaha! Challenge then!"
At bold Park Woo-chan's cry, the speed quiz kicked off immediately.
To capture fun moments, Lee Yu-na took the first spot.
Then, in order: Lee Jun-seo and two young civilians.
Last up: Park Woo-chan.
"Ow! Like this! Moo! Waaah!"
She'd been explicitly told not to make sounds, but Yu-na was blatantly cheating with every trick in the book, shaking her body for all she was worth.
'Topic: proverbs.'
Just seeing her poke her tiny finger into her arm and moo like a cow brought a smile to my face.
'...She's so cute, maybe let it slide?'
That shamelessness would make for perfect variety show gold.
'...How will Lee Jun-seo play this? Hope we get some funny footage.'
As she murmured that, Lee Jun-seo finally caught on, turned, and tapped the next person's back.
Then his performance began.
The moment he jerked around like a broken robot, laughter exploded out of her.
What the hell was that?
Was he creating a new character?
Lee Jun-seo, who seemed like he could nail anything, was showing an unexpected side.
Yeah, that kind of character lands perfectly.
Nobody's perfect to an extreme.
"Huh? That's not how..."
"......"
Yu-na's sharp jab made Jeong Eun-ji burst out laughing again. Lee Jun-seo's expression screamed, "I know, right?" which made it even funnier.
'This episode's gonna be a hit.'
Thanks to Lee Jun-seo's unexpected antics, the performances from the next person on were noticeably more exaggerated.
By the time it reached Park Woo-chan, no one could guess what proverb he was trying to act out.
"The answer... blood is thicker than water!"
Jeong Eun-ji hit the buzzer decisively, not even close.
"That's not it! Then what was it? Ah! No time! Next problem!"
At Park Woo-chan's direction, they moved to the next one, and Yu-na's acting started.
As expected.
Lee Jun-seo was the biggest issue there.
Every time he tried to act out an object, his hands and feet stiffened like rocks, turning him into a malfunctioning robot.
He might have acting talent, but body-only charades seemed totally unrelated.
'That's what makes him so human.'
Jeong Eun-ji smiled, watching broken Lee Jun-seo to the end.
Naturally, the second problem failed too, and the next... and the one after. Nothing he acted out was even close—they didn't get a single one right.
"Park Woo-chan's team fails, so you get a retry in 5 minutes."
With that, Jeong Eun-ji vowed to book Lee Jun-seo for the next episode.
With his daughter Yu-na too.
After the game, Park Woo-chan looked super bummed and glared at me fiercely.
"Let's switch orders. Jun-seo, sorry on first meeting, but you should've warned us upfront you're a total klutz."
No words for that.
This...
I'd get chewed out by the rep later, huh?
This game had demolished the image I'd built up so far.
From handsome, reliable dad who only had eyes for his daughter to weak, clueless gamer dad who couldn't do anything.
Making excuses now would just make me look worse. Man up, own it, and bow to everyone.
"...Sorry."
"Daddy! Do it like Yu-na!"
"Pfft!"
She'd cheated with sounds galore... The queen of fouls left me speechless in disbelief.
Her boldness made the two civilian players crack up.
'Yeah, no allies here...'
I let out a small sigh.
"Ahaha, I'll do better next time."
"Yeah. Seeing hyung's new side was fun."
"No! I'm not okay with it? Last place in this race means brutal penalties!"
I was on pins and needles, sneaking peeks at Park Woo-chan as I moved to dead last in line.
Five minutes later.
Speed quiz round two.
Maybe because I wasn't in the middle this time? It flowed smooth as water, totally different.
One problem left.
Park Woo-chan pointed at the sky, mouthing "sky" just loud enough for me.
Then pointed at the ground.
'Oh, got it.'
I shot my hand up right away.
"Correct! Lightning from a clear sky!"
Quiz done, Park Woo-chan bolted forward and grabbed the hint paper from the young PD.
"Oh! Yes! Good job, everyone! I'm out! Great work, Jun-seo!"
Murmurs erupted around us.
Glancing over, I saw Yoon Seok-jae, the show's most popular regular, had shown up.
He zipped past me, going straight for Park Woo-chan's name tag.
'Still the same as ever.'
Just once.
Memories of my past life appearance on this show flooded back, bringing a fond feeling.
"No! Wait, hold on, hyung!"
As I watched them bicker, lost in nostalgia for a sec, Yu-na naturally wedged herself between them.
I rubbed my throbbing forehead.
"Oh. Isn't that Lee Yu-na? So that means... Ah! Right, it is!"
Yoon Seok-jae finally spotted me, flashing a bright smile as he approached.
Meanwhile, Park Woo-chan looked like he was trying to slip away to the next spot.
Don't we need to grab him?
"Oh, yeah! You're Lee Jun-seo, the rookie actor who won at the awards last time, right?"
I bowed politely in greeting and extended my hand.
"Yes, that's me. Hello. I'm actor Lee Jun-seo. Nice to meet you, senior Yoon Seok-jae."
"I'm Lee Yu-na! Hello!"
He shook hands, then gently patted the head of Yu-na, who introduced herself boldly.
After a moment.
His gaze fixed back on me.
"Man! I watched all your dramas with my son—they were a blast. So... what brings you here?"
His super natural hosting style made me smile as I answered.
"My schedule freed up for a few days, so I brought my daughter out to play."
"Oh, so... we didn't crash your daddy-daughter time, did we?"
"Nah, no way. Yu-na had a total blast."
Mid-interview, Yu-na started bunny-hopping toward Yoon Seok-jae's name tag.
'Here we go again...'
I scooped her up by the armpits, lifted her high, and refocused on Yoon Seok-jae.
"Your daughter's adorable."
At his sincere praise, I shrugged lightly.
"She could sleep in my eyes and it wouldn't hurt."
"Put Yu-na in Daddy's eyes? That'd hurt... Don't do it."
"Ahaha! Yu-na."
"Yees?"
Yoon Seok-jae suddenly turned his back.
"If you wanna rip it that bad, go for it?"
"R-Really?"
I hurried to stop him.
"Ripping the name tag means you're out."
"Ahaha! Then just rip half and stick it back."
"...In that case. Yu-na? You wanted this, right? Rip exactly half."
Yu-na nodded eagerly and grabbed Yoon Seok-jae's name tag.
Gulp!
I heard a dry swallow.
No way, right? Nah.
She's a good girl who keeps promises.
Her innocent grin at me sent chills down my spine.
"Yaaap!"
Rip!
I'd said only half...
The young PD watching smirked and said.
"Yoon Seok-jae. You're out."
Stunned, I handed over his name tag and bolted from the scene in a fluster.
This is absolutely not my fault...
***
Yu-na, meekly asleep in the passenger seat, didn't wake until we got home.
Proof she'd had a blast, right?
"Yu-na, time to wash up and brush teeth. Or your teeth'll hurt later and you'll have to go to the scary dentist."
"Mmm..."
"Not getting up for real?"
No sign of it.
No choice...
'Just this once, let it slide.'
I tucked her in warmly, gently patted her tummy, when my charging phone on the table started vibrating.
What? Call from the rep?
I slipped out to the living room so as not to wake Yu-na and picked up.
"Yeah, rep? What's up?"
-You caused a scene today, huh?
"Huh? What do you..."
-Went to the hanok village, surprise variety appearance. What image are you trying to ruin?
"......"
Knew it'd come to this.
-Sigh, never imagined you were such a klutz. It's all over the internet already, total chaos.
"...All of it leaked?"
-Yeah. Sending the link. Check it yourself. And come to the agency tomorrow—we need to talk.
Click!
Call ended. I clicked the link he sent and checked reactions.
Comments under the video were a feast of "keyem" squees. I shut off my phone.
"Sigh, better not look..."