Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Variety shows.
For an idol whose career has gained momentum and whose results are showing, variety shows are an inevitable part of the schedule.
Lately, it’s been said that because the general public's interest in idols has waned, it’s difficult to land a spot on a variety show even with decent results. However, TeSTAR was an exception.
After all, they were the products of Idol Inc., the show that ranked number one in variety show buzz last year.
Anyone with even a passing interest in the entertainment industry might not know TeSTAR as a group, but they would have at least heard the names or seen the faces of the top-ranking contestants.
Since their performance over the past year had clearly proven their worth, I knew they had received quite a few variety show offers for this comeback.
Thanks to that, I was able to secure a suitable variety show schedule, just as I had wanted.
“Are you nervous~?”
“To some extent.”
Keun Se-jin grinned.
“Hey, me too!”
For someone claiming to be nervous, his eyes were burning with ambition.
‘Well, it makes sense.’
There were only two TeSTAR members heading to the filming site: me and Keun Se-jin.
Since the format of this variety show wasn't suited for the entire group, the offer came after several discussions, and the two of us were selected.
This was practically the first time members were taking on a variety show individually. And there was no way a guy like Keun Se-jin would miss an opportunity to promote himself.
‘Did the success of the unit stage fire him up even more?’
Well, either way, it wasn't a bad thing.
“You know the drill, right? Once we arrive, make sure to greet everyone properly~”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood.”
Just as we had readily nodded to the manager’s words, we made our rounds to greet the cast as soon as we arrived.
“Hello!”
Since we were only in our second year, it was expected, but there were no juniors younger than us.
However, no one looked down on us either.
“Oh~ TeSTAR!”
It was because our recognition and results were undeniable.
‘As expected, being successful is the answer.’
Still, watching Keun Se-jin exchange numbers with three actors in the blink of an eye was a true spectacle.
And then, I spotted a fairly familiar face in one of the waiting rooms.
“Oh! Sunbae-nim~”
“Ah, it’s good to see you two.”
It was Young-rin, the female idol who had served as the representative on Idol Inc.
“I’ve been hearing great things. It’s nice to meet like this. It would have been great to see the others too.”
Young-rin offered a few words of encouragement before adding jokingly, “I’m releasing a solo album this year, so let’s try not to overlap our promotions.”
…The nightmare of debuting at the same time as VTIC suddenly flashed through my mind.
“Haha! Oh, come on, we’re the ones who should be scared and push our schedule back, Sunbae-nim~”
“I’m really looking forward to your album.”
“Thank you.”
Young-rin nodded with a faint smile.
And next to her… well, there was someone I hadn't expected.
Though it was our first time meeting, she looked delighted to see me as soon as the introductions were over.
“You’re Moon-dae, right? Wow, I finally get to meet you! Let’s have a great shoot today~”
It was… a member of Malang Dalkom.
The original artists of "POP☆CON," which I performed for the first ranking evaluation, and "Into the New World," which I had rearranged into a Halloween concept for the first team match—the girl group Malang Dalkom.
And the person I was meeting now was… hmm, the only member of Malang Dalkom currently active as a successful actress.
In any case, she was a major senior in terms of years active, so I bowed my head.
“The pleasure is mine. I look forward to working with you…”
‘Wait.’
Come to think of it, doesn't everyone think I’m a fan of Malang Dalkom?
‘Does she also think I’m her fan?’
Sure enough, the Malang Dalkom member asked with a beaming smile.
“By the way, which of our members were you a fan of? We actually had a little bet among ourselves.”
There was only one right answer to this.
“……Of course, I was an all-fan.”
“Aww, so you weren't my fan? You’re good at dodging, Moon-dae!”
The Malang Dalkom member laughed heartily and slapped her thigh.
‘She’s treating me like a younger cousin.’
It seemed that because I had danced to "POP☆CON" so much, a one-sided sense of familiarity had formed.
“I’m just joking, of course! Thanks to you, Moon-dae, we all had a really fun time for the first time in a while~ Thank you. Let’s do well during the shoot today!”
“…Thank you.”
At this rate, I felt like I might end up leaving with a signed Malang Dalkom CD.
Anyway, seeing people I had connections with among the cast was a good sign.
‘It’ll be easy to pull out stories for the edit.’
Isn't it better for getting screen time to have something to explain or tie together rather than being with a cast where no one knows each other?
Since there was such a large gap in seniority between me and those two, the probability of being subjected to those uselessly old-fashioned broadcast "love line" edits was also low.
‘Still, it would be more comfortable if there were more people of the same gender.’
Unfortunately, I didn't see anyone else among the remaining cast whose activities overlapped with ours or whom I knew.
……Or so I thought until then.
However, as if their schedule was incredibly busy, some guys barely managed to arrive just before filming started.
“Hello~”
It was two members of VTIC.
‘Shit.’
What the hell are those bastards doing here?
These were guys of a caliber where, if the whole group appeared, the show would change its entire format to schedule a solo special. Why did they pop up when they weren't even in a promotion period?
At that moment, Keun Se-jin, who had already put on his microphone, poked my back and whispered.
“Wow, LeTi is working hard.”
“LeTi?”
LeTi Entertainment. The agency for both VTIC and Malang Dalkom.
Keun Se-jin glanced toward the actors he had just gotten numbers from.
“That actor group over there… they’re the team from Sunbae-nim Su-hyeon’s first lead movie.”
“……!”
“They’re under the same agency. They probably agreed to a group appearance on the condition of sliding VTIC in.”
……So the cast had come out as a group to promote a movie.
It seemed that’s why two members of VTIC had personally graced us with their presence during their hiatus.
Since I also held company stock, I supposed I could be generous about promoting celebrities from the same agency.
Keun Se-jin smirked.
“But you’re happy, right, Moon-dae?”
“About what.”
“I don’t see the senior who handles Moon-dae’s social life~”
“…….”
It seemed he had long since noticed that I found Cheong-ryeo uncomfortable.
Well, he probably just assumed something like, ‘I guess that guy was more of a stickler for hierarchy than he looks.’
I let out a short laugh and shook my head.
“No, that’s not really important.”
“Oh, really?”
It was true.
It wasn't as if Cheong-ryeo was going to suddenly bash my head in with a sledgehammer here in front of all these people.
It would just be… a bit annoying and tiring to deal with a crazy person.
‘It doesn't matter if he’s here or not.’
The problem was… the fact that VTIC had appeared at all. We were in the same male idol position, but there was a clear difference in status.
I spoke honestly.
“I’m worried about screen time.”
“Huh?”
Keun Se-jin burst out laughing.
“Wow, Moon-dae is actually worrying about variety show screen time! But don’t worry too much~”
“……?”
Keun Se-jin lowered his voice even further and whispered.
“Those two seniors don’t talk much on variety shows.”
“……!!”
“They probably just sent whoever was available in a hurry. Hmm, they’ll probably just coast through and head home, right?”
He meant they were members with no real interest in variety shows and thus wouldn't have much ambition.
Honestly, I was a bit impressed.
‘This guy’s head really works fast.’
He was truly something else when it came to gathering information and processing it.
I nodded.
“I guess I’ll have to work hard then.”
“We definitely should.”
We shared a rare, unnecessary fist bump.
The microphones were turned on, and filming began shortly after.
“Sensational Saturday! The joy of a weekend night, we invite you all to Saturday Party!”
“Wooooo!!”
Saturday Party was a full-fledged variety show hosted by a national MC.
As one could guess from the name, it was a program with a very long history. It had ended in the late 2000s but was revived a few years ago due to the retro craze.
A program that started at 8:50 PM on Saturdays on a major network, boasting high viewership ratings.
In short, it was a variety show with extreme public appeal.
There was no risk of a guest’s family history suddenly popping up; it was the kind of show where you could show off a fun character and make an impact in just a few scenes.
It had everything I was looking for.
However…… a process of letting go of my dignity was required.
Because the concept required a high tolerance for cringe.
Boom-chick, boom-boom-chick!
Right now, the MC was DJing in an 80s-style booth, shaking his bobbed hair.
He seemed very immersed. His professional spirit was remarkable.
“Today’s party concept? One Mind, One Body!”
The words I had been notified of beforehand came out.
“Only~ pairs of identical party people, total carbon copies, are allowed to enter today’s stage! Our party people~ please appear now!”
Because of this, Keun Se-jin and I had matched our clothes and hairstyles.
…By the way, perhaps conscious of this concept, one of the member combinations the company had considered for this show was the ‘Keun Se-jin and Bae Se-jin’ pair.
Of course, it was scrapped before it could even be discussed, thanks to Bae Se-jin’s proactive horror at the idea.
“Our turn.”
“Yeah.”
It was time for Keun Se-jin and me to make our entrance onto the set.
[The party people entering now are~ Oh~ they’re young! They’re handsome!]
We were supposed to go up on stage and perform a prepared dance along with the MC’s outrageous introduction.
The point was that while the guest danced, the MC would verbally recreate the cringey variety show captions that were popular memes in the past.
[The magic of dance! Surging stocks! The two shining stars of TeSTAR have descended to earth!]
The funny part was supposed to be the guests breaking down, unable to endure those sounds echoing through the hall via the microphone.
But neither Keun Se-jin nor I seemed likely to break down in an entertaining way. Maybe if it had been Ryu Cheong-woo or Seon A-hyun.
So, we decided to flip it on him.
While dancing, Keun Se-jin and I slowly surrounded the DJ booth.
“……?!”
The MC looked a bit flustered.
“Wow, the greatest national MC!”
“He’ll show us what hosting really is! I am the host!”
“A presence that even a booth cannot contain! The light that makes the whole nation weep!”
“He holds Saturday evening in the palm of his hand. These are the comments of a giant!”
“The only one who can capture both emotion and laughter is the person in the DJ booth!”
[No, wait…!]
The MC was the one who broke down instead.
He seemed genuinely flustered at first, but then he started playing along.
‘Thank goodness.’
I was relieved that I didn't have to spout even more extreme comments.
However, Keun Se-jin, grinning beside me, poured out all the remaining lines.
“The history of Korean variety shows is divided into before and after Choi Ho-soo. He is the standard of variety!”
“…….”
The dance stage ended like that.
After regaining his composure and stifling a few laughs, the MC left us with a gem of a closing remark.
“Taking over the stage as soon as they appear! This is what variety is all about! Passion, spirit, love, and peace!”
“Thank you!”
Keun Se-jin and I stepped down from the stage.
‘…Phew.’
For now… I had done everything I aimed for in this part. Seeing even the production crew laughing, the impact seemed decent.
However, as soon as I sat in the guest chair, a wave of mental exhaustion hit me.
I had prepared myself while studying the show before appearing, but it was amazing how a variety show could test a person’s cringe tolerance to this extent.
‘To think there were…… so many people who missed this format.’
It was hard to believe. But the viewership ratings didn't lie.
‘Let’s just focus on reactions.’
I clapped enthusiastically for the VTIC guys who were the last to go up on stage.
As Keun Se-jin said, they didn't seem to have much interest in variety shows, as they hadn't prepared anything significant.
“Handsome looks bestowed by heaven!”
Once all twelve cast members had appeared, the program began in earnest.
“Actually, the reason I threw this party today was… to find the fake!”
“No, didn't it feel strange because they were such carbon copies?? One of them is a doppelganger! A fake!”
…The plan I had heard was that based on this concept, the pairs would be split into two 6-vs-6 teams.
“The decisive person who causes the team’s defeat! That person… will receive a penalty!”
And the moment the penalty-taker was selected in the first game, the true intention was revealed.
“Eh? Why isn't our Ju-ho, who entered with you, coming out?”
“Wh-what?!”
“Since you share the same body, you have to receive the penalty together~ You’re doppelgangers! Therefore, One Mind, One Body!”
“……!!”
That was it.
If a penalty-taker was chosen, their doppelganger on the opposing team would also receive the penalty.
“Oh, my goodness!”
“Then I shouldn't target the 'me' over there?”
“No, team victory is more important! Let’s just take the penalty~”
Surprisingly, since no one had been notified beforehand, the cast was genuinely shocked.
Amidst the murmuring, I locked eyes with Keun Se-jin.
‘Let’s take a penalty once.’
‘Okay.’
Reactions in crisis situations like penalties were great for establishing character. This was something we absolutely had to capitalize on.
“The penalty for this team match is…… a water balloon bomb!”
“Gasp!”
Hmm, that level of intensity seemed fine.
However, when the opportunity came, an interference occurred.
It was a one-on-one situation in the "Mirror Ball Dodgeball" team match.
The lineup was me and a VTIC member.
And just then, the lone VTIC member on the opposing team caught the ball.
‘In this kind of show, the person who is eliminated last gets the penalty.’
Given the nature of this program, they would 100% do that to get a funny shot of someone looking unfairly treated.
They’d say something like, ‘Well, you were the last one left and you still couldn't win, so you’re the cause of the defeat~’ They had done it many times before.
‘I just need to get hit here.’
I prepared myself to be hit by the ball.
“There it is!”
“Hit him over there!!”
But then, the VTIC member on the opposing team did something crazy.
He looked at me with an ambiguous expression, then pretended to throw the ball only to step on the line and get himself eliminated.
“……??”
“Oops! I made a mistake!”
‘What.’
What the hell is that bastard doing?
He even caught my eye and gave me a wink as a signal.
He had the face of a senior student covering for a freshman during a presentation.
‘What the hell is he up to?’