Embracing the Dae-yo High School Girl for YouTube Survival
After his conversation with Seoha about appearing on her YouTube channel, Myeongjeon resolved to join PD Jeong Taeyoung's program. It wasn't so much inspired by Seoha's story as a sense of self-sacrifice for this one body. 'Rumors eventually fade away. What remains is the gain from whatever happened during them.' Myeongjeon repeated that to herself.
Whether it was "Dae-yo High School Girl" this or that, it was all ridiculous nonsense, but it wasn't causing her any real harm anyway. And unlike that previous school violence accusation (strictly speaking, not entirely baseless), ignoring it wouldn't ruin her life. Letting the fame ride out might even turn it into an opportunity to get even more famous. Provided she could stomach the embarrassment, of course.
'Look at the big picture, Myeongjeon. It's just a momentary humiliation.' Gritting her teeth, she thought that way. In her view, this was just a fleeting issue that would blow over. How many celebrities had scandals that became huge news? Electrocution accidents, crying over liposuction, impersonating hot idols, or internet streamers ranting about comfort women as whores or sexually harassing idols. And those people? They were all living large.
Compared to that, what had Myeongjeon done? It was trivial—a slip of the tongue while trying to tweak her old "Seo Myeongjeon" speech into something more "high school girl"-like (at least that's how she saw it). Just some cute internet moment that would end there.
Thinking that way, she drafted and sent the acceptance email. Completely oblivious to what would come next.
Myeongjeon scrolled down reading the reply to her earlier email. It wasn't from PD Jeong Taeyoung who'd made the offer, but from the PD of the actual sub-channel she'd be on, which meant they were serious about having her. Even from text alone, the enthusiasm jumped off the screen. And when she mentioned weekend scheduling conflicts due to session work, the reply offered to come to her instead. Despite only seeing words, Myeongjeon felt her fondness for this person rising. Until they actually met.
They met near Myeongjeon's place, at a newly opened spot. Tiled floors with an industrial vibe—hip but like every trendy cafe these days. Myeongjeon was sipping coffee piled high with cream at a table inside the empty space when she spotted someone bounding toward her like a retriever bursting through the door.
"Hello."
"Whoa...! Hello! I'm PD Kim Gaeun!"
Panting and catching her breath, she dragged out a chair with a screech and plopped down. Then she sprang up again to order coffee, sat back down, and immediately popped up once more to dash to the bathroom. Chaotic energy, but vibrant.
"Ah, sorry! I kinda... ran here, so I'm a bit wiped!"
"No problem. Take a seat and catch your breath."
"Yes! Thank you!"
She downed the iced Americano that arrived in a flash, then slumped in her chair huffing and puffing. Once she recovered, PD Kim Gaeun handed over her business card first thing.
"I'm Kim Gaeun! Here's my card!"
"Ah, sure. I don't have one to give..."
"No worries! I have your contact already! Business cards are just for people who need 'em anyway!"
With that, Gaeun started pulling out all sorts of things. Myeongjeon watched curiously. Pens, notebooks, random items emerged. Even a crumpled, battered pack of cookies came out, only to vanish back into her bag amid a gloomy expression.
'Was that for me?'
Seeing that, Myeongjeon wondered if Gaeun was a fan. Why else prepare packaged cookies for a first-time guest?
Eye contact or a brush of hands might make a hormonal teen think of grandkids, but wondering about clear goodwill was perfectly normal.
"I'm a huge fan, so I really wanted to meet you! Your tracks, songs, broadcasts—everything was so fun! I even mentioned it to PD Taeyoung, and he remembered!"
"Ah, thank you."
Myeongjeon tilted her head slightly. This popularity thing. She hadn't lacked fans as "Seo Myeongjeon," but as "Ha Suyeon," it had exploded. Too many people recognizing her made music life tougher. If only they'd hold back a bit.
"What song made you a fan, if I may ask?"
"Oh... it wasn't a specific song! It was from your Music Letter appearance last time..."
A bad feeling hit Myeongjeon at those words. Not a song, but Music Letter? If not the music, there was only one possibility.
"~daeyo! That part! Sorry if this is rude... but it was so cute!"
"Th-thank... you..."
"Pardon?"
"Thank you..."
Unknowingly gritting her teeth through the greeting. Chastising herself at Gaeun's puzzled look, Myeongjeon greeted properly again. A fan was a fan, even if for a reason she hated. She should be grateful. Though it'd be better if not for that.
After that, they dove into show talk. Gaeun, who'd been retriever-level excited just seeing "Ha Suyeon," turned serious.
"The format's roughly like this."
She pulled out PPT slides and storyboards to explain. According to her, this was a new program Gaeun was launching.
"Bringing in YouTubers, influencers, musicians... famous folks or those with good chemistry. Drop 'em in a city, make 'em busk for cash to survive... something like that."
"Like a one-night two-day survival thing?"
"Ah, no! Not quite."
Myeongjeon's mind jumped to an old show infamous for its "as long as it's not me" vibe. But didn't this sound similar? Group a few people, some thrive, some end up homeless. "I made bank~"
"It'll be more healing, emotional... with some humor, but showcasing participants' songs and talents for viewers to love."
"Sounds good."
Myeongjeon nodded. Trends like healing were hot; no need to fight them. Trends were trends because they worked.
"But as mentioned before..."
"Before?"
"Yeah. PD Taeyoung passed on the character stuff, right? TV needs more than just filming. So we craft characters for fun."
'Basically, plain folks filmed raw would be boring, so assign personas and mine humor from that.'
Myeongjeon got it. Shows were for entertainment. Even docs needed to be fun—not awkward hellos, awkward singing, awkward meals.
"If you join, Suyeon-ssi, we'd go with 'daeyo' and bubbly high school girl vibe."
"...Bubbly high school girl?"
Myeongjeon asked incredulously. Bubbly? That idea only came from lunatics. Where was she bubbly? And...
"My character from Invasion from Seoul 2024 wasn't bubbly at all. Suddenly pushing that here might clash."
"Ah... it's fine! Blame nerves."
"That's... uh... never mind."
Seemed best to accept. No point complaining now. Better image, exposure, whatever. Once appearance details wrapped...
"Thanks for your time."
Myeongjeon rallied her weary mind to bid farewell. High school girls' mental assaults were bad enough, but this one person's hit harder than all of them.
"Ah...! Suyeon-ssi! One sec, please."
"Yes?"
"Could I ask one favor? Might be rude...!"
Then don't, if you know it's rude. Myeongjeon thought, but shook it off. She was in a position to push boundaries too.
"-Do the daeyo speech just once...!"
Not even close.
Myeongjeon eyed Gaeun. Couldn't snap at someone eager to book her, especially a self-proclaimed fan. Had to humor it, like it or not.
"Got it daeyo."
But Gaeun looked skeptical.
"Kinda... off somehow...!"
"I did my usual... no idea what's different daeyo."
Not satisfied even with daeyo? Gaeun's disappointment showed, but Myeongjeon called it done. She showed it; their problem if unsatisfied.
"See you next time daeyo."
Standing with a slight tongue-twist to preserve daeyo, Gaeun's eyes lit up.
"That's it!"
"What I've been waiting for! That exact slip behind a straight face! The shy flush! Flustered hands!"
Like an otaku listing fave points unasked, Gaeun ranted excitedly. Realizing her unconscious reactions, Myeongjeon flushed deeper, wanting to bolt. Even the cafe owner watched the farce. Total chaos.
He was a staffer under PD Kim Gaeun. Not a major role on set, but essential.
"Alright, meeting first. Then straight into shoot one. Fighting chant before we go—everyone gather!"
Gaeun's rare serious side amid her usual beaming energy felt off. He joined the chant and returned to his spot.
Meanwhile, guests arrived one by one.
'How long's this meeting? Hope it's quick.'
He hated endless waits. As if hearing him, the slightly dragging meeting ended, and the cast flooded down.
'Whoa, that girl's stunning.'
From vaguely familiar names to total newbies, scanning the six, he spotted a knockout beauty. Still youthful, but clearly a stunner. Hard to imagine her fully grown.
"Okay, let's shoot~!"
With the six in front, PD Kim Gaeun called it. Cameras rolled.