Broadcasting Station?
Kim Mi-so had connected him with a producer from the national broadcaster MBSC.
Since he'd said it was fine to call anytime, Baek Min-hyeok dialed right away, and the producer immediately expressed his eagerness for an interview.
It's not as nerve-wracking as the first time.
Truth be told, he'd been a bit shaky during his interview with Shin Min-ji.
Was it because he now had some experience under his belt?
Even though this was a meeting with a broadcasting producer, he didn't feel overly tense this time.
The meeting spot the producer mentioned was a cafe in Yeouido, not far from his hospital.
Before he could even scan the back area, a bright, cheerful voice called out to him.
"Director Baek Min-hyeok! Over here!"
Having apparently seen his face on the news beforehand, the man waved his arm enthusiastically in the air, grinning as if they were old acquaintances.
Min-hyeok gave a slight smile and approached the table where the producer sat. The man promptly offered a handshake.
"Hello, Director. It's an honor to meet a hero like you in person. I'm MBSC producer Nam Gyu-won."
"Baek Min-hyeok."
After a brief bow and greeting, Nam Gyu-won pulled out his card as one typically did at such meetings and stood up.
"Let's grab a drink first. Their hand-drip coffee is pretty good—what would you like?"
"An iced chocolate, please. Caffeine doesn't sit well with me."
"Haha, fair enough. I've heard some people get dizzy and heartburn just from chugging a couple of canned colas."
With his bushy beard and dry, taut skin, Nam Gyu-won looked wilted and fatigued, like a potted plant deprived of water. Yet he never lost his warm, affable smile.
Whether it was pre-made chocolate milk poured straight out or simply a slow period with few customers, the order arrived quickly.
Nam handed over the drink with that same genial smile and said,
"The news team would be shocked if they knew I'd met you, haha."
"The news team?"
"Yeah, didn't they contact you first?"
When Min-hyeok didn't respond right away, Nam's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait... did you not get their call? They said your family strongly declined any news interviews, so they didn't reach out directly."
There must have been calls to the hospital while he was hospitalized.
His family had apparently blocked them before the messages could reach him.
No need to drag family drama into this, though. Smiling lightly, Min-hyeok replied,
"I didn't do anything that extraordinary, and honestly, being on the news feels a bit overwhelming."
Satisfied with the answer, Nam nodded vigorously with a hearty laugh.
"Well, I'm not from the news desk anyway. Goodness, what was I thinking? I should've given you my card first—allow me to reintroduce myself properly, Director."
Taking the proffered business card revealed why he'd come calling. Right where the broadcaster's logo should have been was an illustration of a dog and a cat, boldly proclaiming his identity.
"...You're from Animal Kingdom, aren't you?"
Unlike his earlier boisterous laugh, Nam now scratched at his thick beard with an awkward expression.
"Haha, yes. I should've mentioned it from the start, but there were... delicate aspects, so I held off. My apologies."
It was simple enough why Nam was being so cautious.
Min-hyeok might have hesitated himself if he'd known upfront it was Animal Kingdom.
"So, you're asking if I'd consider a regular spot, not just a guest appearance?"
"...Yes. Pretty much."
Nam scratched the back of his neck, hit right on the mark.
"As someone in the industry, Director, you must know—the current vet panelist on Animal Kingdom has been... controversial, to say the least."
The current regular vet on Animal Kingdom was Oh Hyeok-su.
Recently, years of over-treatment scandals at his clinic had bubbled to the surface, and it seemed the station wanted him off the show.
And now the sexual harassment rumors too.
With no reaction from Min-hyeok, Nam wrinkled his nose slightly—whether from embarrassment or caution—and continued.
"We need a replacement, but no one's stepping up. It's just..."
"Because of Senior Oh Hyeok-su's father, right?"
"Exactly. Oh Tae-san, the current president of the Korean Veterinary Association. Ah... so he is your senior?"
"Yes, we were in the same university."
Nam gulped down his iced Americano, looking parched.
"We've tried bringing in other panelists before, but with Oh Tae-san as association president, finding someone new isn't as easy as it sounds."
Min-hyeok knew this without Nam spelling it out.
Three years ago, before Oh Tae-san slotted his own son Oh Hyeok-su as regular panelist, he'd held the spot himself for twenty years with his kindly, Colonel Sanders-like smile.
It was infamous among vets how one guest panelist nearly had his clinic shut down after participating.
That's why Nam kept gauging his reaction.
"I'll do it."
"Yes, but viewership's been steadily dropping... Pardon?"
Nam's round, cow-like eyes blinked at the straightforward response.
"I... didn't expect you'd decide so quickly. Your health's fully recovered, right?"
A polite way of asking if he was out of his mind for jumping into this after Nam had reeled him in.
"Yes, body and mind are both in top shape."
"No, I mean..."
"Not something to discuss in front of the producer, but stagnant water tends to go bad, doesn't it? I'm young, make decent money, and unlike other vets, I won't take a huge hit."
Nam fixed him with eyes sparkling almost uncomfortably bright.
"Director... I never dreamed you'd agree so readily. Truly grateful. Ah, coffee won't cut it—I should treat you to a proper meal."
He wouldn't have waded into controversy like this before.
But with rent, loans, Kim Mi-so's salary—and now another mouth to feed in Ssal-i—he wasn't about to turn down paying work.
Controversy be damned; his own nose was made of stone.
"No need. Just let me know when filming starts."
* * *
Today was the first meeting with the Animal Kingdom panelists.
Riding the elevator to the designated floor, Min-hyeok glanced at his smartphone.
Even before filming began, portal sites were flooded with articles about his new role on Animal Kingdom.
His brother had called a few times after seeing the articles...
But he hadn't picked up.
No good could come from dragging his precious brother into this controversy inferno.
Is this the place?
Reaching the floor indicated in the text, he spotted a door with "Animal Kingdom Meeting" scrawled on an A4 sheet down the hall.
He knocked and entered. Inside were Nam Gyu-won and Yu Ho-yeop, the national MC famously nicknamed "Animal Kingdom Uncle."
Nam, who'd confirmed his participation at least five times, sighed in relief upon seeing him and approached.
His face was that of a desolate convenience store owner finally welcoming his first employee on opening day.
"Ah, you've arrived, Director! No need to introduce—this is the sexy Yu Ho-yeop hyung."
"Hey now, Gyu-won. Not 'sexy' in a first meeting. Don't say that—I'll get scolded."
"Come on, everyone knows it."
Nam and Yu Ho-yeop seemed close, bantering like brothers.
Min-hyeok gave Nam a quick nod, then approached Yu and bowed.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Baek Min-hyeok, the new vet panelist."
Yu stood for a handshake, eyeing him up and down.
"Great to meet you. Wow, our Gyu-won said you were handsome, but I thought he was exaggerating... You look ready for acting, modeling—or maybe idol work? Your face screams that."
"You're too kind. It's an honor to meet a national MC like you. I've seen you on TV since I was a kid, so you feel familiar."
Yu smiled oddly, pleased, and patted his arm encouragingly.
"Is that so? Then drop the formalities. I'm older anyway—easier for you off-camera, right?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Yu pulled over the chair beside him and grinned.
"Perfect. Off-camera, just call me hyung."
"Hyung, this isn't off-camera. It's a meeting."
To ease things for the newcomer, Nam joked to lighten the mood.
Yu bit his lower lip with his upper teeth in mock exasperation.
"Gyu-won, the meeting hasn't started yet. The other panelists aren't even here."
Right on cue, the conference room door burst open.
"What, everyone's early?"
"I thought I'd be the first today!"
The first arrival was Park Shin-young, the female national MC and comedian.
The other was a fairly popular female idol these days... What was her group again? Anyway, a girl idol.
Their eyes immediately locked on him. Min-hyeok stood and greeted them.
"Hello, I'm vet Baek Min-hyeok."
"Whoa, you're tall and handsome. A real vet?"
To Park Shin-young's wide-eyed question, he replied with a professional smile.
"Yes, a real vet."
"Hi! I'm Reina from Secret Cherry."
"Nice to meet you."
Reina from Secret Cherry...
Even the group name was cryptic.
Once everyone sat, Nam beamed around the table.
"Now that you've all met our new Animal Kingdom family member, shall we kick off the real meeting?"
Yu raised a hand to interrupt.
"Hold on, are we actually doing a full meeting today? We've never bothered before. I thought it was just quick intros—I even scheduled something after."
Park nodded in agreement.
"Right? What even is there to meet about? I figured hellos and done. More importantly, Ho-yeop, when'd you chat up the vet?"
As the same-age duo geared up for local banter, Nam waved his raised hand like a distress signal.
Luckily, he recaptured the flighty duo's attention.
"Hyungs, noona—please, no more of that. Know what people say about Animal Kingdom? 'MBSC's worst live broadcast ever'—just the crew's animal footage with us oohing and aahing!"
Yu and Park exchanged baffled looks at Nam's raised voice, then chimed in.
"Well... that's true. What's new?"
"We've heard that since ten years ago. Fifteen?"
Frustrated, Nam scratched his thick chin beard.
"Exactly! We can't keep doing the same dead-air live shows. With the new vet panelist, we're revamping the format a bit."
Park immediately massaged her temples like a headache was brewing.
"Revamp what? KBC has Nationwide Singing Contest, MBSC has Animal Kingdom. People love this chill vibe."
Nam shook his head firmly, ignoring her plea.
"It won't cut it anymore. Nationwide Singing Contest draws younger crowds and spans generations, but not us. Who watches Animal Kingdom with their parents these days? Your son and her daughter go to YouTube for animals."
The MCs exchanged sheepish glances.
Yu checked his watch, sighed softly, and asked,
"So, what? How do you want to change it, producer?"
"By getting out there ourselves."
Yu gave a thumbs-up; Park clapped like it was someone else's problem.
"Lord, you're already trekking remote mountains—crew must be suffering."
Park chimed in coolly.
"Yeah, tough on the crew. Still chilly out there too."
Even as they spoke, a chilling smile crept across Nam's face.
"Crew's used to it. Time we all hit the ground running. Together."
The smiles vanished from every face in the room.
Including Min-hyeok's.
Should've mentioned this upfront.