Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Live Broadcast Debut
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I sat in the studio booth, taking a long, deep breath. The number of viewers waiting that CEO Do had casually shown me...
It had now surpassed 400,000—twice as many.
Look at the monitor in front of me.
Even though it was a weekday, the number of waiting viewers was insane.
So that's why CEO Do had rushed to set up this live stream...
['A storm of messages pouring in."]
Languages from all over the world were jumbled together, making it hard to keep up with my eyes.
Zzzt!
What was that noise?
The static hit my ears, snapping me to attention. CEO Do's voice came through the speaker right in front of me.
"Ahem! Jun-seo. You nervous?"
"Yeah, a bit. I didn't expect this many viewers."
Through the transparent glass window behind the monitor, I could see CEO Do. He smiled calmly and spoke slowly.
"You'll be fine. Just relax and do it like last time. Got it?"
"It's live, so no retakes. What if I mess up? You really want me to just go casual?"
I tossed out some jokes to ease the tension, and CEO Do blinked before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! There's paper on the desk, right? Memorize that first. The content was put together in a rush, so it'll be a bit rough."
"This one?"
"Yeah, that."
I nodded, picked up the paper on the desk, and checked it out.
1. Q&A time with viewers.
Answer the questions hand-picked by the staff sincerely.
2. Pick outfits for the year-end awards ceremony with fans.
Show off five outfits and decide the final one by vote!
Note: Watch your mouth!!!
The content listed on the paper was all super simple from start to finish.
But one thing bugged me...
I looked straight ahead and asked,
"...I have a question. Why are we picking my year-end awards outfit with the fans? Wouldn't it be better not to reveal it?"
A small sigh came through.
"Haa, Jun-seo. You're attending two award shows, right? The Entertainment Awards and the Acting Awards. Yeah?"
"What's that got to do with it?"
"Go to the year-end awards wearing an outfit the fans voted on directly. They'll be touched and thrilled to see it."
"...Ah."
"Exactly. So for the Entertainment Awards, we'll wear the fan-picked outfit. It's fan service, too?"
You said it was rushed and rough...
There was a plan after all.
Not a bad idea.
"That's a good thought."
"Right? No weird outfits included, so don't worry."
I nodded.
"Oh! We'll start in 30 minutes. Jun-seo? Drink some water and warm up your throat for now."
"Haa..."
CEO Do turned off the mic and let out a deep sigh as he glanced at the monitor.
"Am I the one who screwed up this time?"
He'd been acting calm and composed as usual, but inside, he was flustered by the absurd number of viewers.
490,000 viewers.
"Pretty crazy, huh."
The viewer count, which had been climbing wildly, was finally stabilizing. Waiting viewers were nearing 500,000.
And this was after suddenly announcing and starting Lee Jun-seo's live stream.
On a weekday, no less.
By the way...
"...I tried to hide it as much as possible, but did that guy notice I was tense?"
Lee Jun-seo's casual jokes had eased his slightly tense mind.
"Kid's got sharp instincts."
CEO Do slowly relaxed his tensed shoulders and turned around. The broadcast prep seemed mostly done.
"Kids. Everyone ready?"
"I'm all set, sir."
"Yes, same here. I'll filter out all the bad chats."
"Chat delay set to 5 minutes."
"Donation features completely disabled."
CEO Do nodded and scanned the staff.
Personnel to keep the chat clean.
Personnel to organize questions.
Personnel to manage broadcast settings.
The staff gathered in the studio looked just like a production team for a major program.
All for just one person...
A team formed around Lee Jun-seo.
"Pretty impressive."
"Pardon? What was that?"
"Nothing. If that guy messes up, cut the broadcast immediately. Stay sharp."
"Got it, CEO."
Exactly.
From now on, they all had to stay on high alert. One slip-up in front of the viewers, and anyone would crash and burn in an instant.
Especially someone with Lee Jun-seo's big, beautiful wings...
The live broadcast start time was fast approaching.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
CEO Do clapped to get everyone's attention. The staff stopped moving and looked at him.
"Everyone! We're starting soon, so..."
Step. Step.
A young staffer approached cautiously, shoulders hunched, eyes down.
"CEO, um... we have a sudden problem."
The word "problem" made CEO Do's face harden instantly. The live was about to start.
A problem now?
"What problem?"
"The designers say they accidentally used Lee Jun-seo's measurements from a year ago. They're fixing it now, but..."
"How long?"
"About an hour and a half."
"......"
CEO Do rubbed his chin, thinking. An hour and a half would mess up the final segment.
"Can't they speed it up?"
"They say that's as fast as it gets. They might finish two outfits on time..."
Swoosh.
A nearby staffer hesitantly raised a hand.
"CEO, how about this?"
"Speak."
"Instead of trying them on, why not release the catalog and let the fan cafe vote on what suits him?"
His eyes lit up.
That was a good idea.
"From the reactions now, there are tons of questions fans want to ask Lee Jun-seo."
"...Go on."
"Skip the planned number 2 and just do Q&A."
CEO Do nodded.
"Good. Do that. Tell the costume team below we don't need them. Time's up for us. Let's start the live."
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it, CEO!"
"Jun-seo, get ready. Chat has a 5-minute delay, remember that. Go wild."
"Got it."
I nodded, adjusted my posture, and looked at the monitor.
Black waiting screen.
The moment broadcast time hit, my face appeared clearly on the monitor.
Fans' chats poured in nonstop, too fast to follow with my eyes.
How am I supposed to read this...
I kept that thought inside and flashed a bright smile, waving.
"Hello, everyone. As you all know, I'm actor Lee Jun-seo. Time's short this broadcast, so let's jump right into Q&A."
I took a sip of water, waiting for questions. Soon, the lively chat suddenly stopped.
What? Why'd it stop?
A staffer outside the transparent glass held up a sketchbook with writing.
[Read and answer the second-to-last and the one above it now.]
The live manager had paused the chat so I could read it.
I turned to the monitor.
-What's with all the foreigners?
-Chat firepower insane lololol. Is this Korea or abroad?
-Hey, you made the channel then ghosted it? Show your face more often. Please?
-where is Yuna? Yuna? Yuna?
-Oh! LOOOOOL!
Second-to-last...
A foreign fan looking for Yu-na?
"I see a fan looking for my daughter? Yu-na's at kindergarten. They haven't had winter break yet."
With that, I slowly read the chat in the middle.
"Someone asked if I ghosted the channel... Yeah, true. CEO said he forgot to tell me today. So, guilty as charged?"
As natural as possible.
And careful with words.
I kept going.
"Next question..."
I deliberately unpaused, and chats flooded in instantly.
Then stopped again.
-Jun-seo oppa, you're really bad at dancing, right? Not joking?
-Do you have any overseas fan meeting plans? (Do you have any plans for an overseas fan meeting?))
[Second from bottom.]
Staff outside were grinning mischievously. Teasing me by making me answer that?
I let out a deep sigh.
Chat was paused, but...
I could guess the fans' reactions.
They were waiting for my robotic dance. As I stood from my seat, a staffer entered the booth.
Wearing a mask over his face.
What? Why'd he come in?
Broadcast accident?
Panicking, I glanced outside the booth.
[That's our maknae. Dances as good as an idol. Follow his lead and dance.]
Ah, so they brought in a staffer who dances like an idol to compare with me.
Fans already know I'm a terrible dancer. From variety shows... fan meetings... I've already shown my embarrassing side, so no hesitation.
I looked back at the monitor.
"The masked guy here is our agency's maknae staffer."
I naturally proceeded, positioning the maknae next to me. He bowed shyly, then slammed his head on the desk with a loud thunk.
That must hurt...
"Hahaha... He seems really nervous."
"......"
No response.
"Not much time, so shall we start?"
Doong-doong. Ta-ra-ran. Dda-dan.
A fast-beat song played.
The staffer's vibe changed instantly as he busted out flashy moves right in front of me.
"......Wow."
My jaw dropped.
How am I supposed to follow that...
The staffer's powerful dance was seriously idol-level cool. How could he dance like that in this cramped booth?
The song soon ended.
The masked staffer stopped his flashy dance abruptly.
My turn now?
"Ahem! He dances really well. Alright, I'll do my best to follow. Answer with my body."
Doong-doong. Ta-ra-ran. Dda-dan.
Same song played again.
I stretched my arms side to side.
Sharply.
And as flashy as possible.
Trying to mimic the staffer, but my body wouldn't cooperate.
Creak! Creak!
Isn't this how it's done?
Then—
"Pfft...!"
Laughter erupted right beside me.
The masked staffer ducked his head, shoulders shaking hard.
I stopped dancing and looked at him forcing back laughs.
"......"
"...Just laugh it out."
My words ignited it, and the staffer let out a huge laugh he'd been holding.
"Hahahahaha!"
It filled the booth.