Chapter 54
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54
A general knowledge quiz?
That’s the first thing you memorize when you become a variety show PD. There was no way I, Seo Ho-yun, wouldn't know the answers.
…But I intentionally acted unsure, trailing off vaguely. Sensing an opening, the production team immediately bit the hook and offered a deal.
[If you get ten right, we’ll provide food not just for Ju Woo-seong, but for the entire cast!]
[Whoaaa! S-E-O H-O-Y-U-N! OUR SHINING STAR!]
[WE LOVE YOU, SEO HO-YUN!]
“This is a bit of a burden…”
I was so "burdened" that I was currently in the kitchen, casually chugging bottled water. Kang Yi-chae, who was sitting on the floor leaning against the living room sofa playing a game, glanced back at me.
‘What’s up?’ his eyes asked.
‘Nothing much.’
Just keep playing your game.
[Hey, don’t be so discouraged!]
“…Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
[Seo Ho-yun is the best!]
[Shall we begin then? Let’s start the 100-second quiz! First question: There are six metropolitan cities in South Korea. Please name them all!]
Update your quiz material, guys…
[Ah, what? It’s too hard to think of them all of a sudden~.]
While the cast showered the production team with boos, my mouth was already rattling off the answers.
“Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Ulsan.”
[……?]
The production team, who had lost their train of thought at my rapid-fire delivery, gasped in surprise and reflexively blurted out the result.
[……C-Correct!]
I put the kettle on the stove and waited for the next question.
[Next question. What is the name of the climate change international treaty regarding global warming and greenhouse gases signed in December 1997?]
“The Kyoto Protocol.”
[…Correct! Uh, what is the capital of Albania?]
“Tirana.”
I answered within 0.1 seconds while slowly brewing coffee in the kitchen. The coffee smelled great.
As I continued to answer every question without a moment’s hesitation, I could hear a stir among the production staff on the other end.
[Grrr…! Then, how about this!]
“Go ahead.”
[What do you call the time slot with the highest viewership ratings, where advertising costs are set at their highest, in English?]
[Hey! That’s totally unfair!]
[The crew is trying to starve us to death!]
“…Haha.”
A short laugh escaped me. The person on the other end flinched, sounding significantly flustered.
[W-Why are you laughing?]
“No, it’s just, well.”
Sometimes, this crappy world actually seems to help me out…
But since I couldn't say that out loud, I just hummed the answer.
“It’s Prime Time.”
[……And in Korean?]
The cast even started shouting, “The crew is being pathetic!” but I answered calmly.
“Hwanggeum-sigandae—the golden hours.”
[Ugh…….]
The production team fumed for a long time before finally spitting out the word they clearly didn't want to say.
[…Correct.]
[Seo Ho-yun!!]
[All ten questions are correct, Ho-yun!!]
[We’re eating thanks to you, Ho-yun!]
‘Yeah, I know that feeling….’
I nodded with satisfaction. It reminded me of my rookie days when I’d memorize general knowledge quizzes just to squeeze out more screen time whenever a ‘Staff vs. Cast’ dynamic cropped up.
[Seo Ho-yun, I am definitely buying your album!]
[I hope your album hits the jackpot!]
“Haha! Thank you. I’ll send you a copy myself.”
[He’s even cool about it! So handsome!]
Over the phone, the cast was already in a party mood. They were practically worshiping me.
Time to throw out another bait.
“I’ll hang up now, then. Good luck with the late-night shoot.”
[Wait! Wait a minute!]
The production team hurriedly called out to me.
[Seo Ho-yun, let’s do one more speed quiz.]
They bit.
I could already see the captions during the broadcast: ‘The production team acting clingy.’ As I intentionally hesitated, the crew quickly added more.
[If you get ten questions right! The cast won’t sleep in tents tonight! We’ll let them sleep in a room with the heater cranked up!]
[Gasp……!]
[…Ho-yun, please!]
“Ah, man…”
I could answer as many general knowledge questions as they wanted. But the production team wasn't going to be that easy.
[Instead of general knowledge, since Ju Woo-seong used his phone chance on you, we’ll do a quiz related to Ju Woo-seong.]
[Huh? Why me? That’s a bit….]
[Are you sulking because no one called you handsome, Woo-seong?]
[No, it’s not that. I’m just saying he probably won’t know the answers.]
Since I failed the mission earlier, they must think I don't know much about Ju Woo-seong.
‘A miscalculation.’
[How about it, Seo Ho-yun? Are you not confident? Oh, and no looking up the answers beforehand! It only counts if you answer immediately.]
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
I would have bitten even without the provocation. When I agreed, not just the crew, but the cast started buzzing.
[Hey, isn't this a bit much? How is he supposed to know what you'll ask?]
[Ah… I don’t really trust Seo Ho-yun on this one.]
I ignored Ju Woo-seong and spoke.
“In exchange, if I get all ten right, please invite The Dawn onto your show next time.”
I sat at the dining table with my coffee, which had gone cold because I couldn't drink it while on the phone. Kang Yi-chae looked over and cackled, asking if I was working even at this hour.
Shut up.
[Whoaaa!!]
[Seo Ho-yun’s got spirit~.]
[He must be really confident!]
Cheers erupted.
The production team seemed to deliberate for a moment, whispering among themselves. Keywords like screen time, fun, and material popped up before they finally spoke as if they’d made up their minds.
[Okay, deal!]
‘Go.’
I focused intensely. And so, it began.
[Now, let’s see how close you are with Ju Woo-seong. First question! What was Ju Woo-seong’s first #1 song with Black Call, and who was the composer?]
“I See You. Composed by Philharmonic. They took their first #1 on U-U Bank on February 5th, 20XX.”
[…Eh?]
Ju Woo-seong’s bewildered voice came through clearly.
[Correct! Name one line from Ju Woo-seong’s part in Black Call’s last title track, ‘Strike’!]
“Tell me what you want, I’ll make it all come true. Who do you think you are talking to?”
[……Correct!]
[What the…?]
This was all information I’d looked up when I was digging into Ju Woo-seong’s background.
I could memorize most of it after seeing it two or three times…. Conversely, the production team let out a groan.
[Ugh…… What is Ju Woo-seong’s debut date based on music broadcasts?!]
“December 9th, 20XX.”
[Wait… w-was it?]
[Ju Woo-seong! How can you be the one who’s unsure?]
[……Correct!!]
[Wow, this is insane! Seo Ho-yun must be a huge fan of Ju Woo-seong!]
The following questions were easy. Easy as pie.
I correctly named Black Call’s B-side tracks, the drama OST Ju Woo-seong recently sang, and even his cat’s name.
[Yesss! We’re sleeping inside!]
[Man, Ju Woo-seong really raised his junior well!]
[Hey, Seo Ho-yun… I’m actually starting to feel a bit overwhelmed here…….]
“Next one, quickly.”
[…Fine.]
As Ju Woo-seong grumbled, laughter erupted from the other side.
Finally, it was the last question. The production team seemed to have given up by now.
[Is this the only question we have left? (Yes….)]
[Ah, seriously…. This is basically a freebie.]
[We lost…….]
[Last one. This is a service question, like scooping up the best part with a spoon and delivering it right to your mouth.]
I was confident I could handle whatever came my way. I was practically humming at the thought of The Dawn appearing on a major network program.
[Last question. What is Ju Woo-seong’s favorite food?!]
?
[Ah, even I know this one~!]
[It’s famous. Ju Woo-seong loves this so much.]
…What?
This is famous?
“……Um.”
Cold sweat began to trickle down.
[Uh-oh?]
I searched and searched through my mind.
Was there information like this? I had obviously focused on Ju Woo-seong’s music shows and activities. If they asked me to recite the lyrics to a song from Black Call’s second album that Ju Woo-seong wrote, I could do it right now, but….
How the hell was I supposed to know Ju Woo-seong’s favorite food?
When the answer didn't come as easily as before, the production team quickly caught on. They realized I didn't know.
[Ho-yun, ten seconds left!]
Jajangmyeon. Vongole pasta. Nyang-nyang-i’s cat food. Tuna kimbap. No, tuna kimbap is what Jeong Da-jun likes.
I tried to recall everything, but it all scattered into a dizzying mess.
Sensing victory, the production team excitedly began the countdown.
[Seo Ho-yun, please answer!!]
…I need an answer to give one.
“…Well.”
[Yes!]
“Well, I… do I really need to know that?”
[……!!]
A chilly silence fell for a moment.
[BZZZT!!!]
[…….]
I got it wrong. I had come all this way, only to fail because I didn't know one stupid thing about Ju Woo-seong’s favorite food… In my hollow disappointment, I just glared at my phone.
[……Don’t cry! Don’t cry!]
[It’s okay to be ignored by your junior!]
The previously silent cast members suddenly began to comfort Ju Woo-seong. Honestly, what did it matter what Ju Woo-seong liked to eat? As I listened to the noisy chatter over the receiver with a dull expression, one of the cast members kindly explained.
[Ju Woo-seong is a Kimchi Fried Rice maniac~. He’s so famous for eating Kimchi Fried Rice every time he’s on a program that even non-fans would know.]
[It’s okay, it’s okay. Ho-yun said he didn't particularly want to know.]
[Ah… I see….]
Was that it?
Now that I thought about it… I felt like I might have seen something like that. I must have skipped over it because I wasn't interested. As I waited, having nothing to say, they put us on a 1-on-1 call to "reconcile." Ju Woo-seong was silent for a long time.
[…….]
“……If you have nothing to say, shall I hang up?”
[Yeah, let’s hang up the phone and cut ties while we’re at it.]
“…Aw. Why would you say something so hurtful?”
= No, you can't. Go back, the refund period is over.
[Please edit out the part where I was touched earlier….]
I hadn't intended to secure the final bit of screen time like this….
The quiz, which had ended in a sea of laughter at the very end, ultimately resulted in a victory for the production team.
[With the production team’s victory, the cast will be sleeping in tents tonight!]
[It’s okay to sleep outside! I’m already warmed up from laughing.]
[Seo Ho-yun is so funny. Even though he failed the mission, we should have him on again next time.]
“I’d be grateful if you invited me.”
I wrapped things up with a few more words—good work, thank you, well wishes—and after hanging up, I flopped onto the sofa.
Once the noisy sounds from earlier vanished, the surroundings felt even quieter. I felt Kang Yi-chae, who had been focused on his game with earphones in for a long time, turn his head to look at me.
“Working hard since dawn, huh? I thought you said you were sleepy.”
“It’s fine.”
There was something worth sacrificing a bit of sleep for. The system window that appeared before me proved it.
[A Sudden Quest has arrived!
Appear on a variety show alone and get a good reaction.
Success: 3,000 Points
Failure: Unable to appear on variety shows for 1 year]
“Haha, as expected….”
Ju Woo-seong is a resource I can use until the very end.
As I sat there grinning, Kang Yi-chae glanced at me, shook his head, and went into his room.
I’d found a way to gather points.