Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Episode 7. Three People, Three Colors (2)
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Kang Han-do stepped into the lobby of BTL Broadcasting Station.
He hadn't made any prior arrangements to meet up, but by chance, he ran into Oh Min-tae—the guy who had passed the audition alongside him—just as they arrived at the station.
“Oh! Talk about perfect timing.”
Oh Min-tae raised his right hand in greeting toward Kang Han-do.
To be honest, Kang Han-do never imagined Oh Min-tae would pass the audition.
Even during the public recruitment exam they took together, nerves had caused him to revert to his practice runs, with subtle mistakes in the situational directing.
Of course, the judges might have wondered if those were intentional directorial choices.
But the situational skit Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae performed for the public recruitment comedian exam was a fully scripted production, complete with a tight script and detailed blocking.
Whether it was luck or Kang Han-do's scripting skills shining through, he couldn't say for sure, but the two of them had passed the 16th public recruitment comedian exam.
And now, they were both tackling the HSL audition side by side.
The public recruitment exam allowed for some teamwork, but the HSL audition was strictly individual. So Kang Han-do hadn't held out much hope for Oh Min-tae.
But as the saying goes, even if the sky falls, there's a hole to escape through.
Oh Min-tae had landed his role with surprising confidence.
Not as the assistant host he'd originally auditioned for, but as the expert character.
“How'd you end up switching roles?”
That was the first question on Kang Han-do's mind.
Oh Min-tae scratched his head at the question.
“Beats me. I have no idea.”
“Hmm.”
It was probably PD Yoo Tae-hwan's call.
He must have figured Oh Min-tae's clumsiness would suit the expert role even better than the assistant host.
In the skit itself, the main anchor and expert characters handled the core roles of 4 PM News Table.
The assistant host was purely a supporting position.
And the comedian slotted for that supporting spot was quite the surprise.
“Isn't that Kang Han-do-ssi?”
A man who had just passed through the turnstile greeted Kang Han-do first.
Jeon Yu-hyeon—the guy he'd clashed with fiercely over the main anchor role just recently—flashed a bright smile as he approached.
“And you're Oh Min-tae-ssi, right?”
“Yes?! Oh, yes!!”
“Looking forward to working together on this idea meeting.”
“Same here, sunbae-nim!”
In the end, Kang Han-do had snagged the main anchor spot.
But rather than cutting Jeon Yu-hyeon from the audition, PD Yoo Tae-hwan had assigned him the assistant host role, forming a trio with Kang Han-do, Min-tae, and Jeon Yu-hyeon.
Thus, these three senior-junior comedians had come together.
For Jeon Yu-hyeon, the most experienced of the bunch, being assigned the least prominent character might have felt like a blow to his pride.
But Jeon Yu-hyeon didn't see it that way at all.
He was actually quite satisfied with the situation.
After the panic disorder scandal, returning on a stage with a highly visible character might draw all the criticism arrows his way.
Better to start quietly rather than flashily. That was Jeon Yu-hyeon's strategy.
For that reason, he even felt relieved to have landed the assistant host over the main anchor.
Of course, losing out to a junior in the race for the top spot was a bitter pill for him to swallow.
* * *
Kang Han-do headed to the HSL office with Oh Min-tae and Jeon Yu-hyeon.
Jeon Yu-hyeon was impressed by how Kang Han-do navigated the place on his own without a map or anything.
“You don't come to the station often, but you're finding your way like a pro.”
“Han-do was the same during the public recruitment exam—navigating solo like that. I was amazed watching him.”
“Haha, I see.”
Kang Han-do, who had been listening to their conversation from ahead, turned his head.
“I worked at the station a while back, so I know the BTL layout pretty well from experience.”
“Oh ho.”
“And sunbae-nim, please speak comfortably with us. We're about to breathe the same air on this program—no need for formal speech.”
“Hmm, should I?”
Jeon Yu-hyeon agreed to drop the formalities without hesitation. Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae actually preferred it this way.
Having a senior comedian as a guide was a solid asset for the two of them.
This industry was all about connections.
You couldn't survive on a "lone wolf at the top" mentality in entertainment.
Despite the panic disorder fallout, Jeon Yu-hyeon would be a reliable senior for them.
And from Kang Han-do's perspective, with his memories of the future, getting personally close to Jeon Yu-hyeon would definitely pay off.
Jeon Yu-hyeon had stumbled once due to panic disorder, but he'd hit another peak later on.
That alone made him a valuable senior.
Knock knock.
Kang Han-do knocked on the office door as the representative. The door opened cautiously, revealing a young staffer who asked,
“What brings you here?”
“Hello. I'm Kang Han-do, 16th public recruitment comedian. I'm here for the 4 PM News Table idea meeting.”
“Ah, right. Follow me... Jeon Yu-hyeon-ssi! You're here too!”
The staffer only just noticed Jeon Yu-hyeon, bowing deeply in greeting.
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae hadn't been recognized despite being right there. The difference was stark.
And understandably so—they were brand-new rookies fresh off passing the 16th public recruitment. How many people would even know their faces? A moment's thought made the reaction gap make sense.
The three followed the man inside.
There, PD Yoo Tae-hwan, who had been chatting with writer Lee Yeon-shin, welcomed them warmly.
“You're all here.”
“Hello, PD Yoo Tae-hwan-nim!”
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae bowed sharply.
Jeon Yu-hyeon offered a crisp greeting to PD Yoo Tae-hwan as well.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan wasn't known as a drill sergeant in the comedy world, but his veteran status commanded respect naturally.
“Come on, everyone, have a seat.”
At his words, Kang Han-do, Oh Min-tae, and Jeon Yu-hyeon quickly took their places.
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae deliberately avoided sitting directly across from PD Yoo Tae-hwan.
At that moment, Jeon Yu-hyeon called out to Kang Han-do.
“Han-do-ya.”
“Yes, sunbae-nim.”
“Shouldn't you sit here?”
Jeon Yu-hyeon pointed to the seat right across from PD Yoo Tae-hwan.
Anyone would agree it suited Jeon Yu-hyeon best, facing the writer and main PD directly.
But Jeon Yu-hyeon yielded it to Kang Han-do instead.
“But Jeon...”
“The main spot is yours all the way. So it's only natural you sit there. Right, PD Yoo sunbae-nim?”
“Jeon Yu-hyeon's right. Take this seat.”
Kang Han-do hesitated for a split second, then feigned reluctance as he sat in the spot Jeon Yu-hyeon indicated.
At the same time, he relayed to PD Yoo Tae-hwan what he'd told Jeon Yu-hyeon on the way over.
“PD Yoo Tae-hwan-nim, please speak comfortably with me and Min-tae too. Jeon Yu-hyeon sunbae-nim already agreed to drop the formalities with us.”
“Haha. If Yu-hyeon's already going casual, I won't stand on ceremony either.”
They neatly sorted out the honorifics while building rapport.
Now, they dove into the idea meeting for the revamped 4 PM News Table.
* * *
“In the original 4 PM News Table setup... the anchor holds the center while tackling the expert and assistant host characters. That formation won't change much... but the issue is the expert and assistant host character settings have shifted quite a bit.”
It was inevitable.
Oh Min-tae, who had auditioned for assistant host, ended up as the expert.
He'd failed to land assistant host, but snagging the higher-profile role left him with no real complaints.
Similarly, Jeon Yu-hyeon, who went for main anchor, got assistant host.
They had no choice but to adjust from their original character concepts.
“The expert character... will switch titles each episode—economic expert, management guru, disaster specialist, law professor, etc. But only the title changes; Min-tae stays on consistently.”
“Yes.”
“The expert was originally meant to spew half-baked theories, absurd boasts, and bluffing—bragging online-scraped info over real expertise... a bit of a 'con artist vibe,' something off-kilter. But after seeing Min-tae's acting, I changed my mind. We're leaning into the clumsy feel for a deficient character.”
“Haha.”
No one could match Oh Min-tae at exuding clumsiness.
It was a natural habit under pressure.
What he'd seen as a flaw had ended up saving him.
“The main anchor shines with eloquence, so if the expert did the same smooth talk, they'd overlap. This tweak wasn't planned, so Min-tae, keep that in mind.”
“Yes, got it.”
PD Yoo Tae-hwan's point boiled down to this:
Don't compete on words—play up your unique clumsiness and shortfall vibe.
Oh Min-tae seemed to grasp it fully, jotting down the key notes in his notepad.
PD Yoo Tae-hwan continued.
Finally, he turned to the three leads.
“Beyond the character tweaks, the overall formation stays the same. Anything not covered in my earlier explanation is as you know from before. Any good additional ideas?”
PDs and writers don't create corners unilaterally.
They build them collaboratively with the comedians performing them. It's standard. And efficient.
Oh Min-tae stayed silent, out of ideas. Kang Han-do pondered briefly.
Their input could shape the program's direction.
Rookies or not, as the ones embodying the roles, Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae's opinions would carry weight.
“I have one request.”
Kang Han-do finally spoke up.