Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Arrival at the Broadcasting Station
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Arriving at the broadcasting station brought back memories of the first time I'd come to meet PD Kim Chanmi.
Back then, I'd just thought the station itself was amazing.
I checked the text from the PD as I headed toward the inner entrance.
A middle-aged man who looked like security stopped us.
"How can I help you?"
"Oh, we're here for a shoot today."
"Which program, if I may ask?"
I told him the name of the program the PD had mentioned.
"It's called the Art Psychology Counseling Center."
"Ah! You're here for PD Kim Chanmi's show, right?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"She mentioned to let you in if any panelists showed up."
He slid the entrance open.
"You can go ahead."
"Thank you."
The security was pretty tight, as you'd expect from a broadcasting station.
It felt like some mysterious space no one could just wander into.
Daeun must have felt the same, because she was sticking close to my leg as we walked.
I asked her,
"You okay, Daeun?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. What about Daddy?"
Was she worrying about me?
"Daddy's okay because I've got you."
"Yeah! Daeun's okay because of Daddy!"
Her big round eyes looked up at me questioningly, and I grinned as I replied.
"Yeah. If I were by myself, I'd be nervous, but having you here makes it not so bad. I'm really glad I brought you along."
"Hehe! Daeun too! Daeun's not scared at all because she's with Daddy!"
It didn't seem entirely true, but since she said so, I let it slide.
We took the elevator up to the floor the PD had told us about, and there we met someone who'd been waiting for us.
"Are you Painter Kanghyeok Lee, by any chance?"
"Yes, that's me."
She was a woman I'd never met before, with prominent dark circles stretching under her eyes.
"Nice to meet you. I'm AD Park Nari, working with PD Kim Chanmi on directing the Art Psychology Counseling Center. I was waiting to show you to the waiting room when you arrived."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kanghyeok Lee. And this is..."
"Daeun, right?"
"Hello! I'm Daeun Lee! A genius painter!"
AD Park Nari nodded with a smile at Daeun's enthusiastic introduction.
"Nice to meet you. If you need anything, just tell your auntie, okay?"
"Yes!"
After that brief greeting, she said,
"I'll explain things on the way to the waiting room. Oh, and you'll be filming in the clothes you're wearing now, right?"
"Yes, that's the plan."
"Got it!"
When I'd heard about the broadcast shoot, Erina had given me a ton of advice.
Especially on how to handle things at the station, including one key point: coordination.
If you were with an agency, they'd send a makeup artist and stylist, but otherwise, you had to handle it yourself.
The manager had offered to provide a stylist and makeup artist if needed, but I turned it down—I didn't want to owe anyone.
I wasn't a pro broadcaster, after all. Just coming in once a week to shoot.
No need to go overboard.
After hurrying along, we arrived at a waiting room with my name on it.
Click.
"This is your waiting room."
She opened the door, revealing a spacious room that welcomed us.
I was a bit surprised.
"A private waiting room?"
"You knew about that, huh?"
Erina had mentioned it.
Unless you were a big-name broadcaster, they usually gave you a shared waiting room.
I'd assumed that's what it'd be.
"The PD was really looking out for you, Painter Lee Kanghyeok. With Daeun here, a shared room might be inconvenient, she said."
I hadn't expected this much care.
I'd have to thank her properly later.
"Haha, I hope I didn't cause too much trouble."
AD Park Nari smiled.
"Not just that, I think."
"Pardon?"
"She was actually grateful you're participating in the show."
I wasn't that big a deal.
Yet here I was, being treated like some VIP.
"I had my doubts until this morning, but yeah, the director's right to make exceptions."
"Pardon?"
Wondering what she meant, I asked, and she quickly shook her head, changing her expression.
"Anyway, wait here, and I'll come back when it's time to start. We need to mic you up and do a few things."
"Sure."
"Make yourselves comfortable!"
Click.
AD Park Nari left, leaving just Daeun and me in the waiting room.
I set my bag on the shelf in front of the mirror and told Daeun,
"This is where you'll stay while Daddy shoots the broadcast today."
Daeun looked curious.
"Daeun can't watch Daddy?"
Honestly, the room was pretty big, but leaving her alone still worried me.
It'd be great if she could come to the set, but that was just my wish.
Broadcasting wasn't child's play.
Probably not allowed.
"Hmm, if you promise to be super quiet, Daddy will ask the PD if you can come to the set with me."
Daeun's eyes sparkled as she shouted,
"Daeun can be super super quiet!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Daeun can be quiet like a rock!"
Daeun could definitely stay still like she'd just said.
But I couldn't promise her yet without confirmation.
If I said yes and it didn't work out, she'd be heartbroken.
"I hope the PD sees how good you are at staying quiet, right?"
"Yeah! Daddy, tell her good!"
Grin.
"Yeah, got it. Daddy will ask nicely. But it might not work out."
"Okay! I know!"
With that, I pulled out the stuff I'd brought from home to keep her from getting too bored.
A sketchbook, colored pencils, and a few illustrated storybooks, just in case.
"Wow! Awesome! Daddy even brought books for Daeun!"
"Of course."
"Yay!"
She grabbed a picture book and plopped down in a chair to read.
"Hmm... The magpie that repaid kindness..."
Man...
Let me say it again: Daeun had never been formally taught to read Hangul.
But she'd taught herself.
With those memories intact, she read the book flawlessly.
It was impressive, but it also made me curious.
'She's gonna soar once she starts school.'
At her age, studies weren't the priority.
Character and experiences mattered more, so lots of parents planned around that.
But these days, even elementary school was all study, study, study.
Her learning potential would probably max out by then.
She'd get even more attention than now.
'A true genius.'
A painting genius, now eyeing study genius status too. Grinning at her bright future, I turned to the mirror.
Bzzz—
My phone rang.
[PD Kim Chanmi]
It was from the PD.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
PD Kim Chanmi came to our waiting room. I told Daeun, who was engrossed in her book,
"Daeun, Daddy's gonna talk to the PD real quick. Can you stay here alone?"
"Yeah! Daeun can stay good!"
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Click.
I stepped out, and there was the PD waiting.
"Nice to see you. It's been a while."
"Yes, I hope you've been well. How's the waiting room? Comfortable?"
"Thanks to your thoughtfulness, we're fine."
She waved it off with a smile.
"Oh, come on. We're just grateful you're on our show. Anyway, I came because it's your first shoot, and I was wondering where to put Daeun."
I'd been planning to bring it up.
The PD had been thinking about it too.
I'd told Daeun I'd ask, but from my position, I couldn't exactly demand it.
They'd already been kind enough with a private waiting room.
"She's too young to leave alone in there. So, could I ask Daeun a favor?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. I know it's tough on kids, but if she can stay totally quiet, maybe she could come to the set? Having Daddy nearby would reassure her more."
I hadn't expected the PD to bring it up first.
I'd been hesitant because of my position, but this was a relief.
"Daeun should be able to stay quiet. She's always been a calm kid."
The PD's face lit up.
"That's great. I was really worried. Even thought about assigning someone to watch her."
She'd gone that far.
I'd sensed it from our first meeting, but PD Kim Chanmi really loved kids.
She was attentive to details others wouldn't even consider.
"Thank you for caring."
"No, like I said, I'm the grateful one. Actually, Reporter Park told me."
"Told you?"
"Yes, how big a deal it is for Painter Kanghyeok Lee to appear on TV."
Ah...
That explained the extra care.
"Jungeun talked too much."
"Oh, no. I'm glad I knew before making a mistake. And it's all true."
True, but I didn't want special treatment for that reason.
"Still, no need to go overboard. Whatever the outcome, it was my choice."
She grinned.
"Thanks for saying that. Meeting you might be my luckiest break on this show."
Luck?
She was overestimating me, but her next words left me silently agreeing inside.
"So, can I talk to Daeun directly?"
"She'll love that."
Grin!
The PD opened the door and went in.
"Hey! Auntie!"
Daeun jumped up in surprise, and the PD said,
"Daeun! Wanna watch your daddy shoot?"
Daeun beamed.
"Yeah, I wanna watch!"
With PD Kim Chanmi's permission, an hour flew by in the blink of an eye.
Now, a bit tense, I stared at the camera straight ahead.
"Alright! Recording start!"
After all the long prep, the shoot finally began.