Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Episode 9. First Broadcast (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day HSL Season 2 finally hit the airwaves.
Kang Han-do stopped by a convenience store, grabbed some dry snacks and a can of beer, and headed home. A strong vibration buzzed in his pocket.
“......?”
Realizing it was his smartphone, Han-do checked the caller ID right away.
“Why’s Ye-hee calling...?”
And it was already 10 p.m.
HSL typically started at 11. Han-do had planned to flip on the TV alone and monitor the corner he’d appeared in. Out of nowhere, Choi Ye-hee was calling.
He couldn’t just ignore it.
“Hello?”
-Oh, Han-do. Sorry to call so late. Um... could I ask a favor?
“A favor?”
-Yeah...
A subtle tremor laced her voice.
Something wrong?
His heart dropped at the sudden fear that something bad had happened to Choi Ye-hee.
“Sure, go ahead. If it’s anything I can help with, I’ll do it—no matter what.”
-You mean that? No take-backs?
“Of course.”
For Choi Ye-hee, he’d do anything.
When the woman he liked was in a bind, how could he say no?
Of course, Choi Ye-hee didn’t harbor romantic feelings for Kang Han-do. It was his one-sided crush. He knew that full well, but he didn’t want to give up on these feelings twice in a row after already letting go once.
He wanted to keep trying until she looked his way.
That resolve spurred him on again.
-Then...
Choi Ye-hee paused for a beat.
While he fretted over what the request might be, it turned out to be even bigger than he’d imagined.
-Can I swing by your place for a bit?
One thought filled his mind the instant he heard it.
I need to clean. Right now!
* * *
Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time a young woman had visited his bachelor pad.
Thanks to Nemid—who’d already dropped by twice—Kang Han-do had mastered the art of speed-cleaning whenever someone was coming over.
Same deal this time.
The moment he sent her his address, he dove in and cleaned like a whirlwind.
It was nearing 11 p.m., and the racket was bound to bother the neighbors.
With the windows open, the vacuum hum and assorted thuds echoed loudly into the night.
No helping it. Han-do silently apologized to the neighbors in his head—they’d never hear it anyway.
Thanks to his express deep-clean technique, the place looked pretty decent now.
“Maybe I should moonlight as a cleaner.”
It was clean enough for that thought to cross his mind.
About five minutes after he finished.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang—the one he’d been waiting for.
This late at night, only one person it could be.
Choi Ye-hee, who’d just said she wanted to stop by.
Sure, there was Oh Min-tae or the queen of surprise visits, Nemid, but Min-tae usually called ahead, and Nemid only came for a real reason.
“Yes, coming!”
He rushed to the door and swung it open. Choi Ye-hee gave an awkward smile and apologized.
“Sorry for showing up out of the blue...”
“No, no. Come on in.”
“Okay. ‘Scuse me.”
With a quiet “Heave-ho,” she set a hefty bag down near the entrance.
Han-do debated asking what was in it but shelved his curiosity and ushered her inside.
It was chilly out, so warming up came first.
“I’ve got the boiler on, but if you’re cold, just say so. I can grab an electric blanket from downstairs.”
“No, this is fine.”
Even as she answered, her face didn’t look bright.
Seeing her pallor, Han-do activated his viewer to check her happiness level.
‘110...?’
The drastic drop left him speechless for a second.
* * *
A dip in happiness was par for the course.
Nobody’s happy all the time. Life had its ups and downs.
But averaging around 300 normally, a plunge to the 100s meant something serious had gone down.
And that big bag she was lugging around nagged at him.
“What’s with the bag?”
Having led her inside, Han-do casually probed.
Ye-hee brushed it off, steering the conversation elsewhere.
“Oh, just stuff. Anyway, isn’t today the day your segment airs?”
“You’ve got it marked down, huh.”
“I checked ahead. Thought we could watch together—brought these as a gift.”
She made a little “Ta-da~” sound and held out a small convenience store bag.
The white plastic let the contents shine through.
Beer and dry snacks.
Exactly what Han-do had bought a few hours ago.
Squid jerky, fish snacks, peanuts. Even the varieties matched.
‘Not a single thing that doesn’t overlap.’
Han-do swallowed a wry smile at her spot-on duplicates.
No way was he admitting he’d already bought the same stuff—it’d just disappoint her.
Opting for a white lie in good faith, he said,
“Ooh... Ye-hee, you’ve got great taste.”
“It’s the basics.”
She boasted openly about her own sense.
It was adorable.
“But let’s watch TV already. It might start any minute!”
“Right.”
Pretending to give in to her urging, he grabbed the remote and switched channels.
Right on cue, the HSL logo popped up on screen.
No sofa, so the two settled on the floor.
Ye-hee, in a skirt, rummaged in her thick bag.
He sneaked a peek inside.
Couldn’t ignore what he saw.
‘Toiletries... and underwear?! ...Change of clothes?’
He flinched but quickly faced the TV.
He hadn’t meant to spot her undies.
Oblivious to his fluster, Ye-hee kept digging and pulled out what she wanted.
A knee blanket, the kind women often used.
Worried her skirt might ride up and flash her panties, she draped it over her lap.
“Needed a knee blanket, huh.”
“Yeah. Skirt’s kinda short...”
A faint blush colored her cheeks.
Stockings or not, too much thigh or crotch showing would mortify her.
Hence the blanket.
“Should’ve told me—I’ve got one.”
“Oh? You have a knee blanket?”
“Not mine, but BLT station gave them out as souvenirs to the cast and crew of that show recently.”
“Ah.”
They chatted as HSL Season 2 kicked off.
“Which slot’s your corner in, Han-do?”
“Fifth.”
“Pretty much mid-to-late, then.”
“Yeah.”
Segments weren’t fixed—flexible as needed. Han-do didn’t sweat the order.
Among HSL’s lineup, an S-grade celeb guest usually anchored the late main slot. 4 PM News Table, being Part 1, had no big guest, but Jeon Yoo-hyun’s presence bumped it to mid-late.
The media buzzed over his broadcast comeback.
Online forums and SNS were 80% Jeon Yoo-hyun talk.
Tough call for him.
‘He’s something else.’
Han-do couldn’t fully relate, never been there himself.
But mentally draining, no doubt.
Overcoming that pressure to return—and now his comeback show doubled as Han-do’s debut slot.
* * *
During the 4 PM News Table segment, Ye-hee laughed her head off—full-on guffaws.
Tears welled in her eyes from it.
Seeing her reaction, Han-do couldn’t help but smile warmly.
Shooting had its rough patches, and it being his first in ages threw some curveballs.
But someone was here, laughing at his performance. That made him feel like he owned the world.
For a comedian, nothing beat ‘laughter’ as a gift.
Today, Ye-hee gave him exactly what he craved most.
Communities and SNS lit up too.
And...
“Han-do! Check this!”
As the show ended, Ye-hee excitedly shoved her smartphone at him.
He leaned in to look.
“......!”
His pupils dilated.
Jeon Yoo-hyun, Kang Han-do, Oh Min-tae—the trio topped the portal site search rankings.
The biggest, most-trafficked site in the country.
Proof the spotlight was on 4 PM News Table.
“Congrats, Han-do.”
“Haha, thanks. Still can’t believe it.”
A lifelong no-name comedian, he’d never hit portal rankings once.
Eyes wide at his first post-regression win.
Ye-hee raised her beer can.
“To celebrate—cheers!”
“Let’s.”
Her joy, like it was her own triumph, drew smiles from him too.
Good news doubles when shared.
They clinked cans and sipped—then.
Her face flushed, buzz kicking in.
“Whoa.”
Nearing 1 a.m., Han-do checked the time and approached.
Couldn’t keep her out so late.
“Ye-hee, time to head home...”
Reaching to support her—
“......I’m not going home.”
“No, you have to. Your parents will worry if you’re out this late...”
“......I ran away.”
“......!!”
The search ranking high faded fast.
An unexpected bombshell crashed in unannounced.