Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Episode 35: Small Mistake (2)
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Lian Rose's title track began playing as background music.
Choi Ye-hee and Miha danced along to the song.
It was a dance meant for five people, but the two of them were more than enough to dominate the stage.
That said, they couldn't perform the full choreography.
They only did a short performance of the highlight section.
As the song ended, the audience erupted in loud applause.
Kang Han-do wanted to cheer enthusiastically along with them, but he had to maintain the posture of a fellow performer on stage, not a fan.
"Oh... Do trot songs these days come with dances like that?"
"It's not trot."
Choi Ye-hee shot back at Kang Han-do.
Now that the performance was done, it was time to dive into the gag segment proper.
The three of them settled into the fake vehicle.
Choi Ye-hee took the wheel first.
Kang Han-do was in the passenger seat.
"Start the engine. Let's go."
"Yes!"
Choi Ye-hee wore a tense expression.
It wasn't acting. Standing on the Pobokjeoldo stage for the first time, she was genuinely nervous as hell.
That expression unintentionally synced perfectly with the role of a first-time road lesson student.
Choi Ye-hee gripped the wheel and began "driving."
Kang Han-do tossed out a question related to Lian Rose.
"When did you debut?"
"At the end of last month. The date was..."
"Left turn there."
"Oh, yes!"
She turned the wheel at Kang Han-do's instruction.
"What's the title track called?"
"Our title track is Love's..."
"Right turn there."
"Yes?! R-right turn..."
Whenever she tried to say something important, Kang Han-do cut her off with a left or right turn.
Choi Ye-hee sniped back at him once more.
"Instructor-nim. You're really asking those questions because you're curious about me, right?"
"Huh? Of course!"
"It kinda feels like you're not that interested..."
"Right turn."
"R-right turn..."
In the midst of it, Kang Han-do unleashed his left-turn, right-turn technique again.
Every time he interrupted, the audience burst into laughter.
From their reactions, Choi Ye-hee realized she was nailing her role.
Next up.
It was Miha's turn.
Miha climbed into the driver's seat.
"I'm heading out!"
"Go straight."
Miha pretended to drive.
Unlike Choi Ye-hee, Miha didn't have a driver's license. She had to fake it completely.
Maybe because of that, her grip on the wheel looked incredibly awkward.
She also put on a super tense face.
Kang Han-do repeated his earlier question.
"You said your debut date was when?"
"Our debut date was..."
Before Kang Han-do could even say "left turn," Miha rattled off her answer at top speed.
"We had our debut stage at Music Festa on the 29th. That was our official first performance."
"...R-really?"
Kang Han-do kept up his flustered acting.
Miha's position was rapper.
Maybe that's why she spoke so damn fast.
The second question came.
"The title track is cal..."
"It's a song called 'Season of Love.' Unlike the title, it's a fast-tempo dance track. And for the record, I'm the rapper."
Fast as ever.
The audience applauded Miha's machine-gun delivery.
Kang Han-do had toyed with Choi Ye-hee, but this time, Miha had counterattacked.
"So, who's in the mem..."
"Me, unnie Ye-hee, unnie Cherry, and..."
Suddenly, Miha trailed off.
She'd bitten her tongue trying to talk too fast.
This wasn't planned.
It was a mistake.
The audience tilted their heads.
Was this part of the gag? They stared with puzzled eyes.
Was it just that one slip?
Miha kept fumbling her lines with more mistakes.
'This is dangerous.'
Kang Han-do glanced at Miha.
The repeated flubs had her shrinking in on herself.
This flow couldn't continue.
He had to do something!
"U-turn."
"Y-yes!"
"Red light ahead. Stop."
"Stop!"
"And deep breath! Slowly! No more stuttering!"
The audience cheered Kang Han-do's quick-witted direction with applause.
The original line after stop was "turn on the left blinker," but Kang Han-do ad-libbed it.
For Miha's sake.
Miha regained her composure a beat late.
At the same time, she recalled what Kang Han-do had told her before they went on stage.
It's okay to mess up.
No one would blame Miha. They'd send warm support instead.
Kang Han-do's words were true.
Miha nodded.
I can do this!
She etched that thought into her mind.
Kang Han-do and Miha exchanged glances.
She seemed to be telling him:
'I got this!'
Only then did Kang Han-do smile.
* * *
Bolstered late, Miha finished the stage without further stumbles.
The two women had somehow completed their first Pobokjeoldo stage.
As soon as they stepped off, Miha bowed her head and apologized to the Driving License Academy team.
"I'm sorry. I messed up the stage because of me..."
But Kang Han-do denied it.
"No one here thinks the stage was ruined. If anything, you did better than we expected. The vibe was great. Right?"
Kang Han-do sought agreement from Oh Min-tae and Hwang Yeon-ji.
They chimed in that he was right.
"The audience looked like they were having a blast. A stage like today's is a success."
"Oppa Min-tae is right. Don't worry about it too much. You did great."
It was no joke—sincere praise.
For a debut stage, they'd done really well.
Choi Ye-hee hadn't even slipped up.
This was solid.
Jo Woo-kim PD approached to encourage them too.
"Good work. And don't get too down about the mistake. Min-tae did it to death just last week anyway. Haha!"
"PD-nim! How could you bring that up?! What about my dignity?!"
"Did you ever have any dignity?"
Thanks to Oh Min-tae becoming the butt of the joke, the mood lightened up a lot.
Choi Ye-hee, Miha, and Hwang Yeon-ji headed back to the waiting room.
Then.
Jo Woo-kim PD patted Kang Han-do on the shoulder.
"You did great, Han-do. Without your cover, it could've been bad."
Without Kang Han-do's save, it might've turned dicey.
As the PD in charge of directing the Pobokjeoldo stage, Jo Woo-kim could've brushed off the initial slip, but the repeats had him secretly sweating.
Kang Han-do had cut it off perfectly.
"It's my job."
That one line summed up Kang Han-do's mindset.
He was the one who'd first suggested bringing Lian Rose as guests.
He