Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Episode 18. Surprise Appearance (1)
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“Group jump rope?!”
“Oh no.”
The mission was simple, yet challenging at the same time.
Since it was a physical challenge, he thought it might be easy to clear if they rounded up a bunch of athletic-looking citizens and had them jump rope together.
At that moment, the PD announced another restriction.
“And we’ll also impose a gender ratio limit. There must be at least two women included.”
In other words, they had to form a team of three men and two women.
Of course, this was within the limit of five citizens.
The celebrity team that Oh Sin-hoon was on already included Ryu Mi-ni and another female celebrity, making two women and the rest men.
Out of nine people total, four had to be women.
Oh Sin-hoon, who had been plotting a bit of a workaround, saw his plan dashed.
“Oppa! Let’s find people quick for now.”
“Yeah, got it!”
Prompted by Ryu Mi-ni, Oh Sin-hoon began scanning the surroundings as well.
It would be ideal to pick people with good athleticism, but this wasn’t sports—it was a variety show broadcast.
Including one or two folks who seemed chatty would help secure some screen time.
He was turning his head to spot a couple of people who could make him stand out on air.
‘……?!’
Oh Sin-hoon couldn’t believe his eyes.
One man had captured his full attention.
“Hey, hold on!”
Oh Sin-hoon plunged into the crowd.
As he approached, people cheered and reached out their hands one after another. But Oh Sin-hoon wasn’t there to hog the citizens’ attention.
The man standing back, watching the Speed Man filming site, was a face Oh Sin-hoon recognized.
“No way, isn’t that Kang Han-do?”
His words drew everyone’s focus.
“Kang Han-do?”
“Wait, that name rings a bell.”
“You know… the comedian from HSL.”
“Ah! The anchor guy!”
Here and there, people who knew Kang Han-do started acting like they were fans.
The rookie comedian famous for 4 PM News Table had shown up here.
* * *
The group had no choice but to head to a TV program filming location due to Jo Ye-min’s stubbornness.
Upon arriving at the site, familiar faces entered Kang Han-do’s view.
‘These members… it’s definitely a Speed Man recording.’
Seeing Oh Sin-hoon and the other regular guests confirmed it right away.
Who would’ve thought Speed Man filming was starting here.
“Hey, Han-do. Isn’t that senior Oh Sin-hoon over there?”
Oh Min-tae rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Kang Han-do gave a clear answer to his confirming question.
“Looks like it.”
“Why’s Senior Oh Sin-hoon here?”
Just as Kang Han-do was about to explain it was a Speed Man shoot, someone cut him off.
“That’s Speed Man.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
Variety show fanatic Jo Ye-min recognized the program the moment she saw the setup.
It was one of the hot programs these days.
For Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae to appear on it, they still needed to build more name value. That’s how much of a trending show Speed Man was.
But opportunity knocked from an unexpected place.
Oh Sin-hoon chatted with the PD, then suddenly started looking around.
That was fine. The problem came next.
As he scanned the crowd, Oh Sin-hoon’s gaze locked exactly onto Kang Han-do.
‘No way?!’
Kang Han-do unwittingly swallowed a small gasp.
Should he hide? Pretend not to know? All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind.
But Oh Sin-hoon acted first.
He strode over and grabbed Kang Han-do’s hand without warning.
“No way, isn’t that Kang Han-do?”
He deliberately raised his voice to emphasize the name.
Probably so the mic would pick it up clearly.
Seeing Oh Sin-hoon’s warm welcome, Kang Han-do instinctively realized something.
‘Too late to play dumb now.’
The moment Oh Sin-hoon spotted him and approached acting all friendly, there was no backing out anymore.
* * *
Was it because of Kang Han-do’s appearance?
Even the PD directing Speed Man seemed caught off guard, his face full of surprise.
Who’d expect another celebrity to be nearby.
Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for shows to run into other celebs mid-filming without prior arrangement.
And these moments often added real authenticity, so Kang Han-do joining wasn’t a bad thing.
‘Yeah, this is what makes a show alive!’
As Oh Sin-hoon led Kang Han-do to the center of the open space, he subtly made eye contact with the PD.
He knew exactly what that look meant.
“…….”
The PD gave a slight nod, and Oh Sin-hoon flashed a satisfied smile.
Silent approval.
Kang Han-do had every intention of going along with their invitation to appear.
As a rookie, any chance to get face time on TV was worth taking.
Besides, with his mission to become a superstar, this was a prime opportunity to get his name out there.
Speed Man aired at the golden slot of Saturday 7 PM. It topped the ratings in its time slot among competing shows.
A perfect chance to show himself to the masses—why pass it up?
No way. Kang Han-do wasn’t that kind of guy.
“Oh my!”
Ryu Mi-ni jumped in surprise at Kang Han-do’s entrance.
As a fellow celebrity, she knew who he was.
She’d even watched HSL, where he appeared. Ryu Mi-ni probably never imagined running into him here.
“Did you scout him, oppa?!”
“Nah, he was just watching the filming over there.”
“Oh my god, what a coincidence…….”
“Alright, let’s start with a quick self-introduction.”
Oh Sin-hoon jumped straight into broadcast-friendly lines.
Kang Han-do’s surprise appearance was locked in, but the cameras kept rolling.
The PD’s intent to go without cuts was clear.
They wanted maximum realism.
Playing along, Kang Han-do showed pro-level composure in front of the camera and greeted everyone.
“Hello, I’m Kang Han-do. Nice to meet you!”
The onlookers responded with waves of cheers!
“Woooow!!”
“Kang Han-do! Kang Han-do!”
Chants of his name echoed from all around.
His sudden arrival sparked a festival vibe for a moment.
“Thank you, thank you.”
Kang Han-do bowed to the crowd, expressing his gratitude for the cheers.
As greetings wrapped up, Oh Sin-hoon fired the first question.
“Hey, Han-do! What brings you here?”
“Well, you see…….”
Han-do trailed off.
The reason he’d come here was simple: to have a meal with Choi Ye-hee and her friend Jo Ye-min.
But admitting he was out on a private meal with a female friend could stir up scandal rumors.
Sure, a platonic meal with a female friend wouldn’t cause a huge fuss, but he didn’t want to risk dragging Choi Ye-hee into any trouble, so he came up with an excuse.
“I just came to grab a bite with Min-tae.”
“Oh! Right, Min-tae’s here too!”
Oh Sin-hoon finally noticed Oh Min-tae and beckoned him over.
“Min-tae! Come on over!”
Oh Min-tae, suddenly called out after Kang Han-do, shuffled awkwardly to join them.
The crowd recognized him too and erupted in cheers and applause.
Anyone who knew Kang Han-do knew Oh Min-tae.
They appeared on the same program, after all.
“Give us a self-introduction too, Min-tae!”
At Oh Sin-hoon’s prompt, Oh Min-tae introduced himself with a dazed look.
“Hello. I’m Oh Min-tae.”
The crowd clapped for him.
Two celebrities in one spot.
‘Jackpot……!’
Oh Sin-hoon smirked inwardly in satisfaction.
A variety show needed dramatic twists like this to be fun.
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae.
Their encounter turned Speed Man into an unexpectedly entertaining opener.
* * *
Oh Sin-hoon began briefly explaining the rules he’d gotten from the PD.
Group jump rope. And they needed participants.
“That’s why I’d appreciate it if you two could help out, Han-do and Min-tae. What do you say?”
“No problem for me.”
“Same here.”
The 4 PM News Table duo readily agreed, and Oh Sin-hoon nodded.
“Alright, that secures two. Now, let’s see… next…….”
His teammates started scouting other citizens.
Then, one person suddenly shot her hand up high.
“Over here! We’ll join too!”
“……?!”
The moment they saw the woman who raised her hand, Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae both flinched.
It was none other than Choi Ye-hee’s friend, Jo Ye-min.
Jo Ye-min was a born variety show enthusiast. With a chance to appear on one right in front of her, how could she pass it up?
She saw it as a gift from the heavens and pitched herself hard.
Her effort apparently won over Ryu Mi-ni, who selected her.
“What about this woman, oppa?”
“Looks good.”
With Oh Sin-hoon’s okay, Ryu Mi-ni waved Jo Ye-min over.
At that moment, Jo Ye-min dragged another woman forward.
Kang Han-do’s expression stiffened the instant he saw her.
The one Jo Ye-min was gripping tightly was none other than her friend Choi Ye-hee.
‘Damn.’
He’d lied about coming to eat with Oh Min-tae specifically to avoid linking himself with Choi Ye-hee.
Now, all his efforts might go to waste.
Still, Choi Ye-hee didn’t look particularly displeased. Kang Han-do reluctantly decided to let them join.