Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Episode 8. Whistleblower (2)
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After putting in a request to Nemid to ask whether it was possible to replay memories from the future in data format.
Not long after, he got a call from the HSL side.
“Hello, Han-do ssi. You know you have your first shoot coming up soon, right?”
“Yes, of course I know.”
Kang Han-do gave an immediate response to Assistant Writer Lee Yeon-shin’s question.
How could he forget?
Next Monday at 2 p.m. That would be the first broadcast program recording shoot for Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae.
Of course, in Kang Han-do’s case, he was already a veteran who had experienced numerous broadcast stages.
However, strictly speaking, this would be his first time stepping onto a broadcast stage in the world he had returned to after regression.
Since it wasn’t an open stand-up comedy format that would have him shaking in front of an audience, he wouldn’t need to perform gags while trembling.
HSL was basically based on recording shoots, so as long as he got used to the camera, there wouldn’t be any major difficulties.
Kang Han-do had never recorded at HSL himself, but he had adapted to recording shoots for other programs.
He didn’t know the atmosphere at the studio led by PD Yoo Tae-hwan, but he already knew better than anyone how such recording shoots proceeded.
In terms of experience, he even had more than Jeon Yu-hyeon, who would be appearing alongside him.
After all, he had over ten years of career under his belt.
“Then let’s meet at the broadcasting station that day.”
“Yes, understood.”
After finishing the call, Kang Han-do stood in front of the full-length mirror and scanned his appearance up and down.
At first, he hadn’t adjusted well to his rejuvenated look, but now he was much more accustomed to it.
“It’d probably be better to go looking a bit neater, right?”
The most important thing to focus on in skit acting was ensuring a high sync rate between the character and the comedian.
There were things like speech patterns and behaviors, but most people judged others visually.
There was even a saying that when people meet, over 90% of a person is evaluated based on first impressions. That was how much attention needed to be paid to appearance.
“Maybe I should hit up the hair salon for the first time in a while.”
If he tidied up his hair neatly, he could project a more anchor-like image.
Deciding to also stop by the bathhouse to scrub off some dead skin while he was at it, Kang Han-do resolved to take action right away.
* * *
Monday morning.
The time when South Korea moved the busiest arrived.
“Hey, hold up!!”
A man sprinting up the stairs boarded the train just before the doors closed, practically throwing himself inside.
“That was close!”
The man let out a deep sigh of relief.
He might look like a tired salaryman on the surface, but he was actually the CEO of a small media outlet called True Journal.
His name was Reporter Ko Jeong-do.
Wiping away the sweat pouring from him with a handkerchief, he pulled out his smartphone.
Even while commuting to work, he needed to check how many articles were shaking up the online world and public opinion that day.
That was a reporter’s job.
While skimming articles, a headline caught Ko Jeong-do’s eye.
“A dating rumor between a famous band group’s leader and some female actress. Yeah, I can tell who it is just from that.”
Pulling out his small pad, Ko Jeong-do reviewed his own entertainment industry intel.
He soon matched it up with an article that subtly mentioned the dating rumor while citing an anonymous source.
“Let’s see. The guy’s the young vocalist from Tudak, and the woman’s probably Oh Mi-hee, five years his senior. Obvious, obvious!”
The moment he saw the article without naming names, Ko Jeong-do could easily predict the identities of the two.
He had a solid grip on the entertainment scene.
He had nearly 20 years of experience as a reporter.
Having jumped into the media world early at the relatively young age of 23, Ko Jeong-do had a thorough grasp of entertainment news. With his insight, he could easily figure out who was rumored to be dating whom, even in articles that hid real names.
“But it’s just a dating rumor at the end of the day. Those two aren’t actually dating, young reporter buddy.”
He gave a wry smile, thinking of the nameless reporter who had published the anonymous dating rumor article.
As far as he knew, Tudak and Oh Mi-hee hadn’t developed into an actual relationship.
They were just seen as a friendly little-brother, big-sister pair.
Of course, Ko Jeong-do didn’t know how things between people could turn out. They were close now, but who knew? They might end up as an older-woman-younger-man couple later.
However, the real reason Ko Jeong-do could assert they weren’t in a romantic relationship was something else.
‘Oh Mi-hee already has a boyfriend from the same agency who’s also active as an actor.’
Oh Mi-hee already had a boyfriend.
The reporter who wrote that anonymous dating rumor probably avoided naming them precisely because they lacked solid proof.
‘If you’re gonna investigate, do it properly. Tsk tsk!’
He had planned to head to the office today, have True Journal drop the Oh Mi-hee scandal article, and boom—release an exclusive at the same time... but this article had thrown off his timing.
Exclusives lived or died by breaking news.
You had to drop them immediately to maximize impact.
But ironically, because another media outlet beat him to the punch, he now had to readjust the timing for his exclusive.
‘Well, it’s info only I know anyway. No one else will scoop it first.’
Shrugging it off lightly, Ko Jeong-do glanced out the train window at the scenery flashing by, then lowered his head and picked up his smartphone again.
* * *
The trio gathered at the studio for their first recording shoot.
For makeup, they put more emphasis on costumes that clearly revealed each character’s identity.
In Kang Han-do’s case, it was a clean-looking announcer.
Jeon Yu-hyeon, fitting his sub-MC title, unified his look with a suit.
Min-tae, on the other hand, was different.
“Hey, buddy. Take a look at this outfit.”
Oh Min-tae, having finished full makeup and changed in the waiting room, called out to Kang Han-do.
Kang Han-do paused from reading the script and looked at Oh Min-tae.
He soon gave a simple impression.
“You look exactly like a con artist.”
It might sound like an insult rather than praise in this situation, but for Oh Min-tae right now, it was actually a compliment.
“Then it’s a success.”
Today’s concept for Oh Min-tae was roughly this:
Posing as the director of a major museum responsible for the nation’s cultural artifacts—a fake expert with no real knowledge, just spouting off trivia he’d picked up online.
His outfit was a brown modified hanbok, a long drooping mustache, and a big mole stuck next to his nose.
Oh Min-tae had transformed into a character that instantly screamed dim-witted.
From Kang Han-do’s perspective, who knew his usual look, it was novel and at the same time, he could tell the makeup was spot-on.
Jeon Yu-hyeon, checking Min-tae’s makeup from the side, gave the same reaction.
“Not bad. That’s excellent.”
“I’m honored that Sunbae-nim says so, haha!”
Oh Min-tae seemed pleased too, continuously checking himself in the full-length mirror.
It was probably the first time in his life he’d done such professional makeup.
Kang Han-do, in fact, didn’t need much disguise—just basic makeup.
After all, his role was to get laughs with words, not looks.
As the three comedians chatted about the makeup,
“Is everyone ready?”
PD Yoo Tae-hwan popped into the waiting room to check on their prep.
At his appearance, Kang Han-do and Jeon Yu-hyeon stood and greeted him.
“Hello, PD Yoo Tae-hwan!”
“Hello, Yu Sunbae-nim.”
“Yeah, yeah. Looks like you’re all set... Shall we start recording right away?”
“Yes!”
They’d received the script in advance and practiced it relentlessly at home.
And since it wasn’t live, minor flubs could be easily NG’d and redone.
The 16th public recruitment comedian duo psyched themselves up, reminding themselves not to feel undue pressure for this long-awaited shoot, as they prepared to step out of the waiting room.
Just then, Assistant Writer Lee Yeon-shin followed suit and entered the waiting room.
“Hello. I have one thing to relay to the actors. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
The three men fixed their eyes and ears on Yeon-shin. She, checking something in her notebook, relayed an unannounced matter.
“After the recording, there’s a simple interview request for you all taking on these new roles. It’ll help promote the corner too, so I was thinking of accepting, but no one has schedules right after today’s shoot, right?”
“No, none.”
“We’re rookies, so nothing yet.”
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae naturally had free time.
They were just debuting on broadcast, so no other schedules.
“Then we’d like to accept the interview... What about you, Jeon Yu-hyeon ssi?”
“......”
His opinion mattered most.
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae were rookies anyway, so they desperately needed the interview.
No need to even ask—they’d naturally agree.
But Jeon Yu-hyeon was different.
He had avoided mass media contact as much as possible. Sensitive questions could arise.
But hadn’t he already decided to appear on broadcast? As HSL entered Season 2 and their 4 PM News Table hit the airwaves, contact with media was inevitable.
In that case, accepting the interview here might be better.
It wouldn’t look good if Jeon Yu-hyeon was the only one of the three leads to bail.
Still, just in case, he started a quick call with his manager to discuss.
Meanwhile, quietly watching, Oh Min-tae whispered enviously to Kang Han-do.
‘Sunbae-nim Jeon Yu-hyeon even has a manager. When can we work with one?’
‘Once we get famous later, we’ll officially sign with an agency, and they’ll assign managers whether we like it or not.’
‘I want to become a celebrity fast.’
‘Same here.’
For Oh Min-tae, it was just a personal wish of ‘wanting to,’ but for Kang Han-do, it meant something deeper.
Not ‘want to,’ but ‘must.’
If he didn’t become a celebrity and raise South Korea’s happiness index above average, this world would perish.
For his precious friend, his family, and the woman he loved, he had to become a megastar somehow.
The promise with Sheridel resurfaced in his mind.
At that moment, having decided, Yu-hyeon informed Yeon-shin of his choice.
“I’ll do the interview too, please.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I have a lot to clear up anyway.”
“Got it. I’ll schedule it that way.”
“And one more question?”
“What is it?”
“I’m curious if I could hear which media outlet requested the interview.”
“Not a problem.”
The media outlet mattered.
Some fabricated stories like it was nothing, so it was necessary to check who was requesting.
Especially for Jeon Yu-hyeon, who needed heavy image management, this was crucial.
At his request, Yeon-shin named the specific outlet.
“It’s True Journal.”
The moment he heard that.
A memory from the past swirled strongly in Han-do’s mind.
True Journal.
That was...
‘The place that exposed VQ Entertainment’s antics to the world, wasn’t it?!’