Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Audition (1)
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The acceptance notices for BLT's public recruitment comedians were set to be sent out to the applicants tomorrow.
They would be delivered via formal mail, but true to the IT age, the results would also come immediately via text message.
With just one day left until the results were announced, Kang Han-do hurried to work early for his convenience store shift.
Since it was a weekday night shift, he had to rush to work at a time when everyone else was heading home from work and resting.
As he opened the convenience store door and stepped inside, Min-ho, the previous shift worker who had been waiting for him, greeted him.
“You're early again today. You could've come a bit later...”
“Lately, I've been so tense I can't stay home. It's better to come to the store early so random thoughts don't creep in.”
“Oh right, you said the results are tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
Min-ho had already heard from Kang Han-do a while back that he had gone to BLT station and taken the 16th public recruitment comedian exam.
It wasn't your typical civil service exam, and with the unusual goal of becoming a comedian, Han-do's ambition had stuck in Min-ho's mind longer than others' goals.
“I hope you get good results.”
“Me too.”
Even as a pro who had worked as a comedian for 15 years, he wasn't particularly well-known to the public.
And even if he was famous in the future, that didn't guarantee unanimous approval from the judges in the public recruitment exam.
If it had been a multiple-choice written exam, he might have felt confident about passing, but the comedian exam lacked clear objective criteria. In a test heavily influenced by subjective opinions, even a pro like Han-do couldn't be certain of success.
Of course, he felt like he'd done pretty well on the test itself. That was Han-do's self-assessment.
He had a good feeling, but whether that translated to passing would only be known once the lid was opened.
Min-ho gathered his things and bid Han-do farewell.
“Then, have a good shift.”
“Yeah. Get home safe.”
After Min-ho clocked out and left.
About five minutes later, a familiar customer entered the store.
“Welcome... oh, it's you again?”
“Hey, dude. Is that how you treat a customer?”
Kang Han-do's best friend, Oh Min-tae, pointed out his attitude.
He wanted proper customer treatment, but with Han-do, that was wishful thinking.
“If you're here to buy something, grab it quick and go.”
“Come on, can't we chat a bit? Why are you so cold?”
“You think I don't know your obvious ulterior motive for coming all the way here to see Min-ho?”
“Tch. You know me too well; it's a problem.”
He had failed to run into Min-ho by a mere five minutes again.
That made it two losses in a row since last time.
“Our timing keeps missing.”
Oh Min-tae sighed as he naturally approached the counter.
Han-do, resuming his change sorting, brushed it off lightly.
“Why not just come 30 minutes before my shift starts and wait?”
“Then it'd just be me and Min-ho alone. I'm timing it for when you're the third wheel during the shift change.”
“Why go through that hassle?”
“Because I don't think we're at the point where we can chat naturally one-on-one yet.”
“Just make a bold move and confess already.”
“What if she rejects me? You taking responsibility?”
“If she rejects you, it wasn't meant to be. Move on.”
“Look at this guy, talking big about someone else's business.”
Min-tae wanted to approach more cautiously.
That's why he was using Han-do, who knew both him and Min-ho well, as a go-between.
But his attempts to time the shift changes kept failing.
“At least I wanted to see Min-ho's face.”
“To confess or what?”
“No, man. Tomorrow's our public recruitment results day. I thought seeing the face of someone I like might offer a little comfort.”
“Fair enough.”
Even Han-do, who always gave Min-tae tough love, had to concede on that point.
Before heading to the store, his mind had been filled only with thoughts of Choi Ye-hee.
“You think we'll pass?”
Min-tae's question still carried lingering anxiety.
Han-do could only respond like this.
“No idea.”
“Sigh, this is worrying.”
“But one thing's for sure: we put on a solid stage for the judges. So don't stress too much.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You can be proud of that.”
Regardless of the outcome, it was a stage without regrets.
Setting aside whether it was funny or not, they had prepared a gag item and matched the concept perfectly.
No tongue-twisting on lines, and their facial expressions were decent too.
Of course, none of the judges burst into laughter, but their lips had curled up slightly.
Plus, the happiness meter had risen noticeably from the start of the stage.
Putting all that together...
It seemed unlikely their stage would be underrated.
“All we can do now is humbly accept the results.”
Han-do spoke calmly.
They had given their all.
If they still got rejected...
They could aim for next year's chance.
That would be fine.
After all, Han-do had tasted failure six times before.
One rejection was just the beginning.
He resolved to steel himself with that mindset.
* * *
The next morning.
After finishing his night shift, Han-do dragged his exhausted body home and crashed straight into bed.
With the results announcement looming, his mental burden had been heavy.
He fell into a deep sleep, and about five hours later...
Bang bang!!
A rough knocking sounded at the door of his studio apartment.
“Damn... what the hell?”
Grumbling, he roughly flattened his bedhead with his hand and opened the door.
As he unlocked it, the front door swung open, revealing a familiar face.
“H-Han-do!!”
“What are you doing here?”
It was Oh Min-tae, the same face from the store yesterday, urging him on.
“You, you!! Check your texts quick, hurry!!”
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“The results are out!!”
“...Oh!”
His foggy mind cleared instantly.
Han-do rushed inside, grabbed his smartphone from beside the bed.
One text message caught his eye.
Among the many words, one stood out, grabbing his attention.
It was...
“...Passed...!!”
Han-do's fists clenched tight.
At the same time, Min-tae let out a joyous shout.
“You passed too!! Thank God, really!!”
Min-tae's reaction meant he had passed as well, not just Han-do.
Six public recruitment failures and 15 years of obscurity.
Undeniably tough times, but they had become the foundation for a brilliant new start in life.
* * *
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae, who had passed BLT's 16th public recruitment comedian exam.
But it wasn't over yet.
“Isn't becoming a public recruitment comedian the end of it?”
Min-tae, sitting across from Han-do at a café, stared intensely at the acceptance notice and voiced his doubt.
BLT's comedian exam was divided into three main stages.
First round: document screening. Second round: public audition. Third round: final audition.
Other stations used similar systems, but BLT was unique in how the second public audition and third final audition differed.
Passing the second round granted public recruitment comedian status. In other words, those who received the second-round pass notice were now officially BLT exclusive comedians.
The contract was for three years, during which they would perform under that title.
But here's where the problem arose.
“Becoming public recruitment comedians is great, but which programs we'll work on next is important too.”
“Yeah, true.”
Min-tae nodded at Han-do's words.
Passing the public audition made them public recruits, but it was just the start.
Even as public recruitment comedians, BLT didn't assign them specific programs.
From the moment they passed the exam and gained the status, they earned eligibility for another test.
Namely, auditions for the comedy programs BLT was showcasing internally.
If they failed those, they'd have to hone their skills in small theaters for a while or wait individually for program bookings.
That wait could last months... or years.
So, gaining public recruitment status was essentially like being told to find your own workplace.
“We should find programs that suit us, apply, pass the auditions, and secure spots with media exposure.”
“Sounds tough, man.”
Min-tae had thought passing the public audition once was it.
But a program audition awaited them.
Even if they failed the program auditions, BLT—unlike other stations—kept their public recruitment status.
However, the difference between passing or failing that final hurdle was stark.
It meant the difference between quickly exposing themselves to the public right after passing or not.
After all, visibility was the driving force for celebrities.
The biggest way to build it was frequent media exposure.
They had to show and promote themselves to the public often.
“And if we fail the program auditions, we might face long years of obscurity.”
“Obscurity...!”
Min-tae's face turned pale.
He knew the hardships of obscurity well from stories.
With even ordinary people aware of its terror, Min-tae—soon to be an entertainer—couldn't claim ignorance.
“So what do we do now?”
His mind went blank at the word "obscurity."
Han-do rolled his pen.