Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Meeting with the Rookie Girl Group (1)
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The Audio Star episode featuring Kang Han-do finally aired.
As expected, Kang Han-do's name shot up to the top of the search rankings.
Above it was the corner name Game World. Below Kang Han-do came Kim Sang-heon, Lee Yo-su, Jang Seok-du, and other comedians from Game World.
In online communities, mentions of Kang Han-do overwhelmingly dominated.
It was only natural.
‘My screen time is way more than I thought.’
Kang Han-do realized this once again while monitoring the Audio Star episode.
It was quite a lot. Among the Game World team, his face appeared on camera the most.
Even though he’d been seated in the most obscure corner spot.
This meant his performance had stood out the most.
The Game World team members didn’t show any jealousy over Kang Han-do getting more screen time. On the contrary, they praised him, saying he’d done well.
Without Kang Han-do, the Audio Star Game World episode might have hit rock-bottom ratings. He’d practically saved it.
‘Filming with Senior Oh Sin-hoon really improved my hosting skills.’
A newly set goal.
The start of his path to becoming a national MC didn’t look too bad.
After finishing the monitoring, Kang Han-do hurriedly got ready to head out.
He drove straight to the broadcasting station.
Today was the HSL meeting.
The location was the same small conference room where they’d held idea meetings before.
Oh Min-tae, who had arrived first, greeted Kang Han-do.
“You’re here?”
“You’re early today. Not like you.”
“What’s with that? I was late just twice, don’t go labeling me a chronic latecomer. Anyway, I saw yesterday’s broadcast. You killed it.”
“I got special training from Senior Oh Sin-hoon.”
“Lucky. I want special training too.”
“Going for MC?”
“Nah, just saying.”
Oh Min-tae still had no other programs besides HSL. His envy wasn’t about Kang Han-do learning from Oh Sin-hoon—it was indirect longing for a fixed spot on another show outside HSL.
“I’m all in on HSL.”
With just the one program, Oh Min-tae couldn’t help feeling more attached to it.
However.
Unfortunately, that attachment wasn’t likely to last.
“Hello.”
“Hello, PD Yoo!”
PD Yoo Tae-hwan and writer Lee Yeon-shin entered the conference room side by side.
Jeon Yoo-hyun hadn’t arrived yet.
“Shall we start the meeting then?”
PD Yoo Tae-hwan moved to begin right away. But Kang Han-do spoke up first.
“Senior Jeon Yoo-hyun isn’t here yet.”
“Oh, looks like Yoo-hyun didn’t tell you guys.”
“Huh? Tell us what?”
“Yoo-hyun’s not doing the next season.”
“What?!”
It was news to him.
Kang Han-do wasn’t the only one shocked—Oh Min-tae looked stunned too. PD Yoo Tae-hwan explained the situation.
“It’s not a bad exit. Quite the opposite. Appearing on HSL seems to have fully restored his old skills, and other PDs recognized it. He got a ton of offers. After a lot of thought, he decided to join three programs at once. He originally wanted to stay on HSL, but I told him it wasn’t necessary.”
“Why say that...”
“Our show’s next season is the last one.”
Oh Min-tae felt like he’d been smashed in the back of the head with a hammer.
Kang Han-do’s thoughts were very different.
‘Yeah, making it this far is impressive enough.’
In the original timeline, HSL was fated to end after season 3. That was the HSL Kang Han-do knew. But after his return, it had gone on to seasons 4 and 5. That was a huge win.
Oh Min-tae couldn’t accept it.
“Why is it suddenly the final season?! No one said anything! And the ratings have been good, haven’t they?”
“The ratings are decent, but they’ve been trending down for a while. And ending HSL here doesn’t mean scrapping it entirely. Think of it as a long hiatus for a major revamp. You know as well as I do—no show lasts forever. To go as long as possible, you need constant change. One step back for two steps forward. Something like that.”
It was a reasonable point.
HSL had started with tons of “fresh” praise. But as seasons piled up, that buzz faded.
The freshness and novelty wore off. Repetitive patterns made it hard to stay entertained.
For the show’s leap forward, PD Yoo Tae-hwan had made a bold decision.
“Like I’ve said many times, it’s not folding because it flopped. It’s a break to build momentum for even bigger success. Don’t be too down about it.”
But Oh Min-tae couldn’t help feeling down.
“This is my only show.”
“Right. I actually have something to tell you about that.”
“What is it?”
“One of my colleagues from the same year is planning a mukbang variety show. You’re a big eater—always devouring at company dinners. So I recommended you. What do you think?”
Did he even need to think?
Oh Min-tae answered without hesitation.
“I’ll do it! No—please let me!”
“Haha, knew you’d say that. And Han-do, I’ve got a recommendation for you too.”
“What is it?”
PD Yoo Tae-hwan had gifts prepared not just for Oh Min-tae, but for Kang Han-do as well.
“They’re planning a reality show for the rookie girl group VSLine, debuting soon. They need a host, so I recommended you. The PD there was thrilled.”
Reality shows for girl groups were planned to promote them to the public.
Kang Han-do had never been involved with a girl group in his life.
Curiosity kicked in hard.
And it was best to seize opportunities. Already eager to build his MC resume, Kang Han-do decided to take it if possible.
But he couldn’t decide solo.
“Can I check with my agency and schedule first?”
“Of course. I’m not asking for an on-the-spot decision. Anyway, Min-tae, learn from Han-do. Don’t just grab every offer that comes.”
“If I had two fixed shows like Han-do, I’d be picky too. But with my situation, how can I? If there’s a spot, you say yes.”
“True. Fair point.”
Better than hesitating and losing it to someone else.
The entertainment world was brutally competitive.
* * *
Later, Jeon Yoo-hyun called Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae separately.
The meeting spot was his house.
Oh Min-tae hesitated at Jeon Yoo-hyun’s front door.
“Should’ve bought something nicer.”
In his hand was a set of beverages.
It was their first time visiting Jeon Yoo-hyun’s home. Kang Han-do was tense too, but having been to Oh Sin-hoon’s place once before, he wasn’t as wound up as Oh Min-tae.
“Senior said not to bring gifts from the start. Bringing something too pricey would just burden him.”
“R-right?”
“Anyway, let’s go in.”
Kang Han-do rang the doorbell first.
Ding-dong!
A woman’s voice called out, “Coming!”
As the front door opened, Jeon Yoo-hyun and his wife welcomed them.
“Hello, Senior!”
“Hey, come on in.”
“Yes!”
They’d originally planned to meet at a restaurant. But as celebrities, prying eyes and ears were a concern, so Jeon Yoo-hyun reluctantly invited them home.
He’d wanted to have them over for a while.
Faced with the lavish spread his wife had prepared, Oh Min-tae didn’t know what to do with himself.
Kang Han-do summed up his feelings in one line.
“Feels like VIP treatment.”
“You are VIPs. The reason I called you today is... You’ve probably heard from PD Yoo already. I’m not doing the next season.”
“Yes, we heard.”
“I don’t have the face to look at you guys. I should’ve stuck it out to the end.”
“No, it’s fine. You grabbed a better opportunity—we’re happy for you.”
“PD Yoo probably lined up good gigs for you too. He’s more responsible than he seems.”
Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae nodded.
Just recently, as Jeon Yoo-hyun said, PD Yoo Tae-hwan had suggested fitting programs for each.
After talking it over with his agency, Kang Han-do committed to the VSLine reality show production.
The program title wasn’t finalized yet. Filming wasn’t starting immediately.
Oh Min-tae was different.
“I start recording next week.”
“Haha, they’ve got you on a tight schedule.”
“Yeah. But busy feels good. Never knew having options meant this much.”
“True. That’s how I was in my no-name days. Anyway, glad it worked out. Min-tae, your tongue’s happy. Han-do, your eyes will be.”
Kang Han-do smiled awkwardly.
“Eyes? With no other guy cast, I’m already worried how to handle it.”
Balance was key.
A few guys and several girls would’ve been ideal. But just Kang Han-do as the lone guy amid all girls? Tricky.
Plus, they were rookies fresh off debut decision—no variety or reality experience.
He’d have to lead a lot.
That’s why Kang Han-do had spent days binge-watching every reality show centered on girl groups.
Some had MCs, some didn’t.
Pros and cons, but no-MC ones often felt scattered. So Kang Han-do defined his role.
Organization. That’s what he’d handle.
Jeon Yoo-hyun raised his glass.
“Anyway, glad everything’s going well. I was worried about you two deep down. And grateful too.”
Jeon Yoo-hyun shared what he’d kept inside.
“Truth is, I was anxious. A guy who’d been off-air suddenly joining HSL. But thanks to you, I overcame it and returned successfully. Really thankful.”
Gratitude straight from the heart.
“You’re my juniors, but also my benefactors. I’ll repay this debt.”
Kang Han-do, Oh Min-tae, and Jeon Yoo-hyun.
Their bond went beyond senior-junior—it was camaraderie and more.