Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Counterfire
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MBS's ambitiously(?) prepared Child Star.
A terrestrial broadcast, no less—and practically the first audition program ever targeted at young kids—it naturally drew massive interest from all sorts of people... especially parents with children.
"Oh my... So now kids can appear on shows like Ultra Star K too?"
"When did they even recruit for this? If I'd known, I would've sent my kid out there."
"Maybe next time our daughter could give it a shot?"
Audition news that most people—unless they were unusually plugged in or had connections—would never have heard about.
In fact, the vast majority first learned of it through broadcast previews,
and by that point, not only the preliminaries but even the first round of the main competition had already wrapped filming.
And all of this was just a sneaky trick by the production team to make result rigging that much easier.
Of course, the general public had no clue, so for now, they were just left with a touch of regret—and hopes that if the show did well, maybe their own kids could try next time.
Separate from all the behind-the-scenes drama, Child Star's main broadcast kicked off amid pretty hot viewer buzz.
The Child Star judges were stuffed to the brim with big-name singers whose star power alone was dazzling.
Every single one of them had faces that practically sparkled, so viewers were hooked right from that angle.
— "The fierce battle to find the next child prodigy who'll lead Korea's music scene begins now! Welcome to Child Star!"
With the host's announcement, the audition proper kicked off.
Preliminaries meant dozens upon dozens of kids.
And their skill levels? All over the map.
From kids half-ass imitating singers to ones lisping through nursery rhymes with tiny tongues.
Even for a regular broadcast featuring kids, the overall quality was shockingly rough.
A few cases left a lingering unease, but the audition rolled on without sparking any major suspicions.
That's when the vibe shifted.
A girl appeared under the subtitle "An aura that's anything but ordinary."
A bit more mature-looking than the others, and quite pretty to boot—she stepped into the spotlight in stark contrast to the haphazard kids so far.
The heavy-handed "something special's coming" directioning naturally hooked viewers.
— Next episode preview. —
And just like that, this week's episode wrapped.
Viewers felt a twinge of annoyance, but overall, they were reasonably satisfied with the fun they'd had.
Sure, the nursery rhyme bits were a little cringy, but watching kids do their thing had its own cute charm.
'No way... they cut it off here?'
I'd tuned into Child Star Episode 1 with high hopes.
Seeing that final scene, I couldn't help but feel deeply unsatisfied.
With the sudden schedule shake-up, I figured the preliminaries wouldn't wrap in just one episode.
But even so,
from the perspective of a mom who'd turned it on hoping to see her darling daughter on screen, the fact that it blue-balled me to the end soured my mood.
'Sigh... Nothing to be done. Guess I wait for next week.'
With that bitter taste lingering, I glanced at Seon-hwa, who had quietly dozed off in my arms at some point, and gave a wry smile.
'Her first solo broadcast appearance... and she's not even that interested, huh.'
She'd watched mom's shows with wide-eyed glee, but her own solo gig? Straight to snoozetown.
I gently laid her on the bed,
slipped out of the room quietly, and turned on my phone.
What caught my eye next was a text from the Child Star team announcing the second round schedule.
The first round had gone surprisingly smoothly thanks to their little schemes, and the second would likely follow suit.
However.
Beneath that seemingly smooth surface, I knew the truth.
Something was about to blow up with Child Star soon...
'The tipping point was forcing Seo Han-sol—the one in bad shape—to win... but it's not just that.'
It was just pouring oil on a fuse already lit.
The real spark came from elsewhere.
And to counter it, I needed to make my own preparations.
Luckily, I had just the person who could help in a pinch.
"Senior, mind meeting up for a bit?"
— "Wh-what? Uh... why? What's up?"
A voice laced with odd tension came through the receiver.
Why would he be nervous around me? I tossed in a light joke.
"Calling in a favor from my lifesaver."
— "What the... Uh. O-okay. Where?"
"The café right in front of my place."
After a bit of fumbling, he agreed without a fuss.
Flashing a deep smile, I immediately got ready to head out.
'Gotta hurry if I want to set the counterfire early...'
A week later, Child Star resumed.
It picked right up with the girl from last time—the one with that extraordinary aura.
Pretty face, dressed in high-end clothes fit for the stage.
She stepped up and introduced herself in a crisp, no-nonsense voice.
— "Hello, I'm Seo Han-sol. I'm twelve this year, and I'm here to become a singer."
Her bright-eyed intro gave off a sparkling vibe.
Having amped up the intrigue from the jump, she grabbed the mic and slowly began her song.
Separate from past doubts, her song felt flawless.
No small feat for her age, so viewers naturally found themselves rooting for her against those picky judges.
And the result?
Seo Han-sol delivered exactly the hype.
A bit of lingering iffy-ness aside, her raw talent shone through, so viewers nodded along to her pass.
A few more qualifiers followed, but none really stood out.
The mood loosened up accordingly—right up until then.
— "Alright, the final slot in the Child Star preliminaries has arrived. The contestant coming up next? You might already know her."
The host's voice turned dead serious for the intro.
The screen then focused on one person in the audience.
Even seated, she stood out crystal clear.
She sparked a barrage of nicknames from memory,
after nearly a year of unforgettable turns in role after role.
Actress Chae Soo-jeong.
Her out-of-nowhere appearance stirred the viewers,
and a few naturally recalled one fact.
The little girl who popped up bit by bit in every drama her mom starred in.
And—
"From the drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception, and also seen recently in the finale of Reply 1989—child actress Chae Seon-hwa!"
The next moment, the girl they'd suspected slowly ascended the stage.
A touch on the short side, but with an unmistakably radiant face that gleamed.
Seeing her familiar features, viewers felt less shock and more like a fond reunion with a niece.
Amid the viewers' light cheers, Seon-hwa took the mic.
Her tiny, reed-thin fingers gripping something almost as big as her head—it was heart-melting on sight.
But...
The familiar intro melody flowed out next.
With the peppy beat from Reply 1989,
Seon-hwa's singing began.
And