Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Episode 6. Job (2)
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Oh Min-tae thought he had successfully avoided Jeon Yoo-hyun.
But then he ran into a completely unexpected figure.
The waiting room was divided up by role.
There were the most 16th-generation public recruitment comedians who had just debuted alongside him, but among them stood out one woman exuding an especially strong presence.
It was Yoo Se-na, the famous comedian who had only recently gone freelance.
Gulp!
Oh Min-tae swallowed hard and stole a glance at her.
Yoo Se-na boasted a slender figure unusual for a female comedian.
Her looks weren't particularly striking. Even so, her killer body had landed her runway spots as a fashion model before she started out as a public recruitment comedian.
She was well-known for still popping up in fashion shows from time to time.
She had a way with words, and her real strength was her powerful voice that rivaled any male comedian despite being a woman.
That made her presence shine uniquely among the crowds of comedians.
Who would've thought a woman like her would audition for the least prominent role of assistant host?
'She'd be perfect for the announcer spot instead. Why go for this one...?'
As he fought back his nerves,
A staffer opened the door to the waiting room where the assistant host applicants were gathered and called out the name of the next person up for audition.
"Yoo Se-na-ssi. You're next."
"Okay."
The 16th-gen rookies let out gasps of admiration as she gathered her script and rose from her seat.
Yoo Se-na cut an impressive figure at what had to be at least 175 cm tall.
And with heels on, she looked even taller. Taller than most guys, even.
"Just follow me."
"Got it."
Yoo Se-na followed the staffer out of the waiting room.
The moment she disappeared, sighs escaped from the 16th-gen comedians' lips in unison.
* * *
PD Yoo Tae-hwan and writer Lee Yeon-shin had taken their seats first for the assistant host auditions.
The other staffers were there too, but these two had the biggest say, so it was really just their reactions that mattered.
The auditions were set to take place in a special studio for HSL's new satirical comedy corner, '4 PM News Table.'
It was a segment that delivered politics, economics, and other current events news in a comedic way.
The moment Yoo Se-na stepped into the studio to audition first for the assistant host role, a familiar face greeted her.
"Se-na-ya."
"Oh my, Hyun-jeon oppa?!"
A massive guy who looked like he tipped the scales at over 100 kg called out to her as she entered the studio.
Oh Hyun-jeon. A 11th-gen public recruitment comedian, currently signed with AT Entertainment and working as a comedian.
"What are you doing here, oppa?"
"What do you think? PD Yoo asked me to volunteer."
"Volunteer? What's that about?"
"It's a skit. Can't audition for it solo. I'm filling in as your temp partner today, so keep that in mind."
"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it."
Oh Hyun-jeon had come to the studio specifically for the assistant host auditions. He planned to read the main announcer lines and sync up with the hopefuls.
Of course, he was just a stand-in main announcer for now—not locked in for the role.
Oh Hyun-jeon climbed onto the neatly dressed news studio stage.
As his huge frame filled the center of the frame, PD Yoo Tae-hwan joked,
"Hyun-jeon-ah. Wanna try out for the announcer role too?"
"Haha. PD Yoo, my schedule's insane these days. Add this and I'll collapse."
Even celebrities couldn't just take every gig nonstop without rest and call it a win.
Moderation was key in everything.
Oh Hyun-jeon was already popping up as comic relief in tons of shows. Snagging this new HSL corner too could wreck his broadcast lineup.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan smacked his lips regretfully.
Once Oh Hyun-jeon and Yoo Se-na were in position, he pushed aside the disappointment and gave the signal to start the audition.
"Start from the marked section in the script you were given."
"Yes!"
Yoo Se-na answered first with real pep.
True to her rep for a big voice, every word packed punch.
And so the HSL audition got underway.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan, writer Lee Yeon-shin, and the key staff watched with fairly light hearts.
But the hopefuls fighting for a spot on the show were burning up inside with tension.
Yoo Se-na was no exception.
* * *
"Next, Oh Min-tae-ssi."
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
By some twist of fate, Oh Min-tae ended up last. He shot to his feet, voice raised high.
Yoo Se-na and the other applicants had already finished and gone home.
Oh Min-tae slowly made his way onto the studio stage.
He bowed to his senior comedian Oh Hyun-jeon, who was seated center stage, then took his assigned spot.
His hands were shaking from nerves.
Meanwhile, Oh Hyun-jeon snuck a glance at Min-tae and gave a wry smile inwardly.
'Way too tense, kid...'
As a senior, he wanted to help the junior loosen up, but he couldn't play favorites with just Min-tae.
The other 16th-gen rookies had auditioned too.
If Oh Hyun-jeon started babying Min-tae as the "senior," it might hurt the kid more than help—drawing unnecessary flak.
No one was gonna bail him out.
It might sound harsh, but that's how it was. Everyone had to fend for themselves here.
That was showbiz. And society too.
Oh Hyun-jeon hoped Oh Min-tae could shake it off on his own and started reading his lines.
"I'll show you the stats on how far the economic downturn has gone this year so far."
The scenario laid out in the script was straightforward.
Oh Hyun-jeon as the anchor would request the assistant host to show a panel with economic stats to the camera, just like before.
The assistant brings it out as asked, but instead of stats, it's some silly internet meme panel.
And the assistant has to play it stone-faced and oblivious until the anchor points out the screw-up.
"He-Here's the st-stats ri-right here~"
Oh Min-tae hoisted the panel.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan and writer Lee Yeon-shin's expressions shifted subtly.
He kept trading lines with Oh Hyun-jeon and driving the skit...
But his pronunciation felt off no matter what.
Nerves?
"Hold up."
PD Yoo Tae-hwan halted the audition and addressed Oh Min-tae.
"Let's go again. Min-tae-ssi, loosen up a bit."
"S-Sorry."
Oh Min-tae had one bad habit.
When tense, his words dragged in the middle.
It was fine normally, but sometimes it made him sound sloppy.
This was probably one of those times.
Round two of the skit began.
The anchor frantically signals with eyes, hands, feet to ditch the panel, but the oblivious assistant misses it and launches into a dead-serious take on Korea's economy per the script.
"Th-This year so far overall it's been do-downward..."
No matter how hard you listened, something was off.
The slurring was too much.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan watched Min-tae's audition for a while, then clapped lightly a few times.
"Good work. That's a wrap on the assistant host auditions."
"Th-Thank you!"
Oh Min-tae bowed repeatedly to Oh Hyun-jeon, PD Yoo Tae-hwan, and the other staff as he wrapped up.
He slunk out of the studio, still hunched in tension till the end.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan, who had watched him go, called over writer Lee Yeon-shin.
"Yeon-shin-ah."
"Yes, PD-nim."
He made an unexpected pitch to her as she approached quietly.
"For this corner, think we could tweak the character setup and roles?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Got a better idea."
PD Yoo Tae-hwan curled up the corner of his mouth.
* * *
With auditions wrapped for assistant host and expert roles alike,
It was finally time for the last spot: main anchor.
Fewer applicants than the public recruitment comedian exam meant the auditions, not even three hours in, were already nearing the end.
Jeon Yoo-hyun, who was up almost first, appeared in the studio, and Oh Hyun-jeon eyed him with a complicated look.
"Long time no see, Yoo-hyun-ah."
"Yeah. First time seeing you at the station in two years?"
"Since you dropped all your shows due to panic disorder."
"..."
They'd been pretty tight.
Bonded over the same corner in Pobokjeoldo, they'd kept in touch a lot, but Jeon Yoo-hyun's sudden vanishing act had cut that off.
Jeon Yoo-hyun was the one who'd severed outside ties first.
He'd barely kept his agency link and ghosted station contacts.
That's why his run-in with PD Yoo Tae-hwan a year back had been pure chance, no prior heads-up.
"Never thought you'd come back after two years."
There was a thorn in Oh Hyun-jeon's words.
Jeon Yoo-hyun already knew Oh Hyun-jeon didn't think much of him.
He'd bailed without a word, after all—his own fault.
"I'm an entertainer too. Turns out I can't live without TV."
"Then maybe keeping in touch with folks would've been smart."
"...Can't argue that."
He hadn't even tipped off Oh Hyun-jeon or other close contacts about his comeback.
Still, Jeon Yoo-hyun's side wasn't totally unrelatable.
The regret lingered anyway.
"Not saying this out of spite. Hope you get that."
"...I do."
Jeon Yoo-hyun nodded like he got it fully.
The awkward vibe between them finally broke. PD Yoo Tae-hwan signaled to start the audition.
Oh Hyun-jeon and Jeon Yoo-hyun dove straight into the skit like it was nothing.
Pros were pros.