Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: I Want to Take Her Home
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Changes to a broadcast program consumed far more time and effort than anyone could imagine.
Even for a show that prided itself on being a real variety program, there was a basic script and framework for the progression. They had to tear it all apart and rebuild from scratch.
From the MC's lines to the pre-prepared graphic screens. Everything they'd spent weeks or even months on had to be manually overhauled by hand. And with the extra budget that came up in the process, they had to submit reports to the higher-ups explaining the circumstances.
Of course, writing the true circumstances as they were would get them fired on the spot, so a suitable excuse was essential.
It was practically evidence tampering, and on top of that, they had to pour every ounce of their already short-staffed manpower into it.
The sole reason for overhauling the program's framework, which they'd completed with all that blood, sweat, and tears, was one thing.
To secure Seo Han-sol's victory.
Chae Seon-hwa and Seo Han-sol.
The gap in their skills was despairingly wide.
Seo Han-sol could sing, sure, but at best she was "pretty good for a kid" or "has some talent."
This was a difference that not only experts like them but even ordinary viewers could clearly recognize.
No amount of editing or biased judging could bridge that gap.
In this situation, one famous quote popped into PD Ma Ju-seok's mind.
If you can't beat them, join them.
It was what a soccer player said after transferring to the rival team that kept crushing him, finally lifting the winner's cup.
If the opponent was too strong, there was no need to fight—instead, join forces with them and aim for the top together.
This way, Chae Seon-hwa's monstrous talent wouldn't derail their plans; it would actually lend natural plausibility to Seo Han-sol's win.
Of course, that meant no solo victory for Seo Han-sol, but right now, this was the best option.
If they'd had a bit more time, or foreseen this turn of events, things might have been different. But with the finalists already locked in, coming up with another plan at this stage was impossible.
"Okay, everyone, line up side by side here."
"We'll take a quick photo before moving on to the main round."
The kids came up in groups amid the bustle.
As the production staff captured their images, thick smiles spread across their faces.
They were still exhausted to the point of death, but they'd passed the crisis where they might have actually dropped dead.
*
Seo Han-sol stepped onto the stage as guided.
She projected a calm, nonchalant demeanor on the surface,
but at that moment, her hands were subtly trembling.
The reason was the girl standing right beside her.
At least three years younger, yet her skill seemed decades ahead.
It was because of Chae Seon-hwa.
'Han-seo Big Brother's daughter... She really does look a lot like him...'
She'd vaguely sensed it from afar, but up close, this child's face unmistakably reminded her of actress Chae Soo-jeong.
Han-seo, who had recently taken the spot as her ultimate bias.
Apart from his insane skills, the fact that this was that man's(?) daughter made Han-sol feel an unusual closeness to the girl.
And one more thing—along with that familiarity, another reason kept Han-sol's eyes glued to the girl beside her.
'She's so pretty... Like a living doll...'
She herself had looks that held up anywhere.
But the little girl next to her was something else...
Beyond just pretty, she exuded a mystical aura, like a doll come to life.
Pretty and cute—the perfect match for her tastes.
She even felt like hugging her tight if she could.
At that moment,
"?!"
"..."
The girl's gaze, fixed straight ahead, slowly turned toward her.
Chae Seon-hwa stared up with a serene expression.
Golden eyes sparkling like stars, flawless milky skin.
And cheeks that looked so soft, you just wanted to touch them.
Even as a girl herself, Han-sol felt herself drawn deeper the more she looked, her heart starting to pound with a strange emotion.
Then.
"Unnie."
"! Uh... yeah? W-what... what's up?"
A voice carrying a gravity beyond her childish years.
Han-sol replied in a slightly trembling voice,
"!"
and Seon-hwa's lips curved into a radiant smile.
Like a flower bud blooming fully after being tightly closed.
A smile with the destructive power to pierce Han-sol's heart like a massive spear.
'Gah!'
As if struck by a literal critical hit, toward the reeling girl,
Seon-hwa clenched her tiny fist and said brightly.
"Let's do our best. Fighting."
"Eek!"
Like a finishing blow,
an instant-kill attack loaded with cuteness overdose slammed into Han-sol's heart.
Reeling in a dizzy haze, Han-sol wobbled.
Throughout the ensuing photo shoot,
she gazed at Seon-hwa, who gripped her hand with her tiny fingers, and unwittingly thought.
'How... I want to take her home...'
Of course, she knew it was impossible, but the situation stirred a deeply sincere desire.
Forcing her melting expression to stay composed,
she barely finished the shoot and returned to her seat.
This time, right next to Chae Seon-hwa. Still holding her hand tight.
*
Right after the somewhat chaotic photo session ended,
the host returned alone to the stage and continued in a confident voice.
"Now that the groups are set, we'll announce the task for the main round. The main round consists of two stages: we'll narrow it down to half in the first task, then proceed to the finals. The first task is..."
With those words, the host pointed to the massive screen in front of the audience.
There, footage began playing of a hot popular idol group,
Black Venus's performance.
Black Venus's hit song,
'Pool Villa.'
Originally meant as a solo by one member, but rescheduled as a group track. The song was easy to sing, but its addictive melody starting with "Pool Villa~ Pool Villa" had made it a hit not just in Korea but worldwide.
"Everyone knows this song. The super hot hit right now, Black Venus's 'Pool Villa.'"
Even here, people unwittingly hummed "Pool Villa, Pool Villa."
At the same time, some kids' gazes turned serious as they watched.
They already had a rough idea what it meant for this song to appear now.
"Exactly one week from now, everyone here will perform this as a duet. Feel free to arrange it or sing it as is. Our expert panel here will assist with arrangements, so no worries."
Thus, the first main round task was revealed.
Practically the semifinals. Watching this, the participants... more precisely, the kids' guardians, began burning with motivation.
'Victory... is already out of reach.'
'But second place is totally doable.'
'This works out better. Seo Han-sol can't win anyway, and that Chae Seon-hwa kid is a monster... Just let them have first, we'll take the next spot...'
Whether they'd snuck in through connections or entered "fairly," no one even considered competing with those two.
Meanwhile, as most guardians ignited their zeal for second place,
Chae Soo-jeong, mother of the de facto first-place lock, couldn't help furrowing her brow at the unfolding situation.
'Sly bastards... Using my daughter like this.'
She'd planned to flip the whole thing purely on skill.
But they'd cunningly pulled Seon-hwa into their "ally" camp, solidifying Seo Han-sol's win even more.
Plus, fewer confrontations meant less risk of her voice giving out at the end, like in her past life.
'This might actually be trickier... Cutting out these rotten producers...'
An unexpected change from her intervention.
It might end up okay for Seon-hwa's future, but failing to excise the entertainment industry's rot left a bitter taste in her heart.
'...Guess I'll have to wait and see.'
With that thought, Soo-jeong scanned the production staff with eyes laced with icy fury.
Silent, but an aura that could chill spines if unleashed.
Meanwhile,
at that moment,
on the opposite side of the globe, others were watching Soo-jeong's gaze.
"Hmmm..."
On the large screen was Black Star's queen, Kaguya.
Despite the awkward tokusatsu makeup, she exuded an overwhelming presence that made such details irrelevant.
And,
the gazes of two people watching it.
"How does it look?"
A blonde young woman asked with anticipation in her voice.
The bespectacled middle-aged white man replied in a quiet voice.
"GOOD..."