Raw Gems and Relentless Negotiation
The concept was simple: a wild, chaotic older sister causing all kinds of trouble, only for her sharp and capable younger sister to clean up the mess behind her. The rest of the expedition team would trail after whichever twin caught their eye at any given moment. And if a sprinkle of childhood romance bloomed somewhere in the mix? Absolute perfection. After all, nothing hits adults quite like the pure, overwhelming cuteness of kids falling for each other. Beyond that, being twins opened the door to all sorts of rich, layered stories that would have been impossible otherwise.
“These kids have zero broadcasting experience. What if they freeze up in front of the camera? They probably couldn’t even read a script properly,” Chae Kang-ho protested right up until the end.
“Script? Since when has our show ever followed a script? Hand them lines and they’ll just act. What I want is the raw, unfiltered version of those kids.”
The PD was after something genuine. And the special episode’s location? Right inside the broadcasting station itself—filled with people already seasoned in reality television. In other words, while the children stumbled and fumbled, celebrities or staff wandering the halls might actually end up helping the show. Studios on standby, offices in the middle of meetings, even the director’s office. They could roam anywhere, any way they liked. Everything had already been cleared through the director’s line and approved by fellow PDs. That day’s special shoot was guaranteed to be pure reality spectacle.
“Just look at those eyes. That’s not just pretty—that’s the kind of gaze that devours cameras. I’d bet my entire fifteen-year PD career on it. Those two are the real deal.” Kim Chul-min wrapped an arm around Chae Kang-ho’s shoulder and continued. “The fate of Kkureogi Tamheomdae rests in their hands. Got it?”
Chae Kang-ho could no longer resist.
“Use whatever means necessary to bring them in. Get on your knees if you have to. Appearance fee? Don’t even think about cutting it—just give them exactly what Kim Su-jin was getting. And tell them we’ll accept any other conditions they want. We need them no matter what.”
“…Excuse me? Even Kim Su-jin’s fee? You do realize she was getting A-rank money, right?”
Under the three major networks’ appearance fee grading system, A-rank was the highest pay an underage actor could receive—and Kim Su-jin had been earning it. Even split between two children, that was still more than most B-rank child actors made.
“…Isn’t this a bit much? Usually it’s fifty thousand won at most, maybe a hundred thousand if you’re generous. Even if we’re being extra careful because it’s an MC lineup, twenty—no, thirty thousand should be plenty.”
One of the more realistic staff members voiced the obvious, and the rest of the conference room nodded in agreement. No matter how outstanding their visuals were or how much the assistant director doted on his nieces, paying A-rank child actor money to two complete broadcasting novices was an outrageous, reckless decision that completely ignored industry norms. The staff member in charge of the budget was already clutching his head in despair.
“Are you all still not grasping the situation?” Kim Chul-min said quietly, scanning the room. “Have you all gotten so comfortable keeping your seats for years that your bellies have grown fat? If the special falls through and we can’t find a proper replacement for Kim Su-jin, the show’s ratings will tank overnight. And then? Immediate cancellation. This broadcasting station isn’t some pushover. Do you all want to become unemployed?”
At Kim Chul-min’s harsh words, everyone’s jaws dropped. Just as he said, in all the years they’d held their positions, they had never heard him speak like this. He could be a bit intense, but he wasn’t the type to choose such strong wording. The severity of their current crisis suddenly felt very real.
“Kang-ho, explain the appearance fee situation to your sister in detail. Make sure she understands just how shocking our offer is. That way their parents’ mindset will shift from the start. It won’t feel like a simple favor from a younger brother—it’ll register as serious business. Once the parents change their perspective, they’ll naturally instill a sense of responsibility in the kids for the shoot. It’s a clear signal of how sincere KBC is. This isn’t about the money.”
He squeezed Chae Kang-ho’s shoulder once more.
“So, Kang-ho. I’m counting on you.”
Chae Kang-ho stared at the PD with a dazed expression. What had started as a single phone call to fill in for a children’s variety show had somehow ballooned into a massive business discussion about KBC’s future. And it didn’t stop there.
“And everyone listen up. If their faces are as good as they look, use any means necessary to lock them into the MC spots.”
At Kim Chul-min’s grave declaration, Chae Kang-ho swallowed dryly. His nieces’ futures were now riding on this one-off casting call. No matter how cutthroat the entertainment industry was… if they survived and succeeded here, they would truly step into the upper class.
Seeing the manic gleam in Kim Chul-min’s eyes and the desperate looks from his fellow crew members, Chae Kang-ho dialed his phone with a trembling hand.
“Noona… it’s Kang-ho. The thing is…”
He began explaining the situation as gently and earnestly as possible while the staff held their breath, hanging on every movement of his lips. Finally, when Chae Kang-ho pulled the phone from his ear and looked around at everyone with a complicated, subtle expression—
“What did she say? She’s mad? She’s definitely mad, right?” Kim Chul-min asked impatiently.
Chae Kang-ho remained silent. The watching crew began to grow anxious.
“Hey! Say something already!”
When the frustrated Kim Chul-min finally snapped at him, Chae Kang-ho spoke in a low voice.
“She said she’ll ask the kids for their opinion first and call back later.”
“You little—why did you drag it out like that? You want to get scolded?”
“I’m sorry…”
A, E, I, O, U. Stretch your mouth wide—left, right, up, down, as far as it goes. Then, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Lip trills for warm-up. After that:
“Do you like me?”
“The appearance of Lucifer at the school of demons… Heh, this is going to get interesting.”
“With just white cloth and wind, I can go anywhere.”
“Cancer cells are… still life, you know.”
I kept reciting the famous lines I remembered. Some of the dialogue could easily be misunderstood, but this was absolutely not me messing around. These were simply the only lines stored in my head, so I was testing them out. I could probably find scripts on the computer, but right now Yoon Ji-ah would be staring at stock prices. I didn’t want to disturb her.
‘Anyway, this doesn’t seem too bad, does it?’
The only downside was that monitoring was impossible. If cell phones were a bit more advanced, I could record video, but unfortunately at this point I’d need a camcorder. That would make things way too complicated. After all, I was practicing in secret. I needed to finish before Mom, Dad, or Yoon Ji-ah noticed.
Honestly, no matter how much I kicked and screamed and refused, I’d probably end up losing to Yoon Ji-ah anyway. Once her brainwashing hit, I’d be forced into child acting or kids’ modeling whether I liked it or not. Rather than hearing people say I was some hack who only got by on her face, it seemed smarter to start practicing little by little from now on.
It was definitely not because I was scared of being discarded and was already throwing myself into practice to prove my value. Nope. Not at all.
Anyway, that was the situation. Knowing I was doomed to live as a slave made me feel like I was already learning how to chop wood and farm, which left me a little gloomy. Still, this effort was entirely of my own will.
It had already been several days since I started practicing alone. At first I focused on vocal exercises, then diction, then moving my facial muscles to practice expressions. Now I was used to it and knocked out all of them like a daily routine. I never forgot to finish with stretching, either. A child’s flexibility was insane—enough to make your nose clog from how impressive it was—but if I didn’t keep using it, it would gradually stiffen up.
Everyone probably thought I was just exercising. They had no idea I was practicing acting. If they found out, it would be nuclear.
And then that evening, we began a peaceful dinner. Well, as long as Yoon Ji-ah wasn’t running wild, our house was usually pretty quiet.
“What are you looking at?”
I offered a light greeting, meaning thank you for letting me have a peaceful evening today.
“Ha…?”
Yoon Ji-ah, completely unaware of my feelings, looked at me like I was ridiculous.
“Seo-ah! Stop bothering Ji-ah and eat your food.”
“I wasn’t the one bothering her—she was the one staring at me weirdly—”
The moment I tried to defend myself with proper pronunciation, the living room phone rang loudly. Mom answered it, and throughout the entire call her expression grew increasingly strange.
“Oh really? Mm, mm, well I guess it can’t be helped. Of course the children’s opinions come first. Yes, I’ll ask them properly. Wow, really? Tell them thank you. Okay, I’ll call back after I get their answer.”
When Mom hung up, she couldn’t hide her odd expression as she looked back and forth between me and Ji-ah. Our gazes—mine, Yoon Ji-ah’s, and Dad’s—all turned toward her. Dad looked at her with concern.
“What’s going on?”
“It was Kang-ho. He asked if Seo-ah and Ji-ah could appear on a broadcast.”
“What? A broadcast?”
It turned out that the children’s program Kkureogi Tamheomdae, where our uncle worked as assistant director, was planning a special segment. The cast had run into some issues, and during the emergency meeting, our nephew-obsessed uncle had apparently bragged about us every single day until they begged him to cast us somehow. It was quite the happening.
Most parents would have been thrilled, but ours—thanks to Uncle—already had a rough idea of just how dirty, toxic, and ugly the entertainment industry could be. That was probably why they wore such complicated expressions. It was a mix of immense pride that their daughters had been cast and worry that this might drag them into that world. A feeling no ordinary parent would understand in their lifetime.
Regardless, I remained utterly indifferent. It just felt like one more annoying thing piling up. And sure enough, the eyes of Yoon Ji-ah sitting beside me were sparkling.
“Kkureogi Tamheomdae? Isn’t that the children’s variety show hosted by Kim Su-jin unnie?”
“You know about that program too, Ji-ah?”
“Yes, since Uncle works on it. But why do they need both of us? Wouldn’t it be fine with just Seo-ah unnie?”
The moment that question left her mouth, the verdict was already in: Yoon Seo-ah would be appearing. Case closed.
“Um… well, you see…”
Mom continued the explanation. The one who had flaked on the broadcast was the female MC. The male MC had no issues, but since it was a special episode, they were considering swapping out the MC for just that one day. Having an impossibly beautiful pair of twins appear together would be far more beneficial for the show. Something like that.
“Then it’s fine if only unnie goes. Kim Su-jin unnie’s spot can be taken by Seo-ah unnie. I have some things to do.”
“Should we do that, then?”
She was selling me off and sneaking away. And both Dad and Mom were nodding in agreement.
Wait, was I the only one with nothing to do?!
‘…Well, she’s not wrong.’
Home—school—comic bookstore—arcade. That was the full extent of my daily route. Occasionally following the poop truck around was added in, but that was just random encounters.
‘I really don’t have anything to do, do I?’
I wanted to argue, but I had no grounds for it. This felt like… my nose was about to get pierced.