Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Episode 24: Meeting with the Rookie Girl Group (3)
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Kang Han-do was introduced to a restaurant that Oh Shin-hoon knew well.
He had arrived at the front of the place thirty minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
Worried that someone might recognize him, he had deliberately worn horn-rimmed glasses without lenses and a mask.
Pacing around near the restaurant was just the right amount to draw suspicious looks from passersby.
‘Did I get here too early?’
Since this was a dinner with his senior colleagues, Kang Han-do felt the pressure to arrive early. He had originally planned to come an hour ahead but had compromised at thirty minutes.
He decided to kill time by playing his usual mobile game.
With ten minutes left until the appointed time, the second member finally arrived.
“Huh? Isn’t that Han-do?”
“You’re here, sunbae-nim!”
Kang Han-do immediately closed his game and bowed in greeting.
The second to arrive was Oh Shin-hoon.
“What time did you get here?”
“At 6:30.”
“The reservation’s at 7, isn’t it? You came thirty minutes early?”
“Yes. Since it’s with you sunbaes, I figured I should come early and wait. Just in case, I’ve already reserved our seats.”
“You’re so diligent. Still, don’t come quite this early and wait around. Me and Jin-wook hyung aren’t that kind of people. Just show up whenever, nice and casual.”
“Got it. I’ll do that next time.”
“Good, good. Let’s head in first. I just got a call from Jin-wook hyung—he’ll be about five minutes late. Traffic’s bad.”
“Yes, let’s go in.”
The restaurant Oh Shin-hoon recommended was quiet and structured with private rooms to avoid drawing attention.
Kang Han-do headed to Room 7, which he had reserved.
Instead of a part-timer, the owner handled the orders personally.
“Shin-hoon! You should’ve let me know ahead of time if you were coming today.”
“Aigoo, why bother calling ahead when you’re so busy? Oh, this is my junior. Do you know him by any chance?”
Oh Shin-hoon pointed at Kang Han-do as he asked. The owner nodded vigorously.
“How could I not? You can’t not know the hot celebrities these days. It’s Kang Han-do, right? If it’s not too much trouble, could I get an autograph? To hang next to Shin-hoon’s.”
“It’d be an honor.”
Having his autograph hung next to Oh Shin-hoon’s felt novel to Kang Han-do.
As he was signing the paper the owner had brought,
Ryu Jin-wook arrived at Room 7 right on cue.
“Sorry, dongsaengs. Traffic’s worse than I thought.”
“Hyung, why are you so late? You’re tardy, so you’re buying tonight, right? That’s our rule.”
“I know, I know. You little punk. I’ll cover it, so eat as much as you want.”
Oh Shin-hoon and Ryu Jin-wook were close like brothers, so they spoke casually.
But not Kang Han-do. Not yet.
He met Oh Shin-hoon often but still kept a respectful senior-junior dynamic. With Ryu Jin-wook, this was only his second time, including today.
Ryu Jin-wook raised his beer glass.
“I’ve got a goal for today.”
“What is it?”
“Getting close with Han-do.”
Kang Han-do looked a bit awkward at Ryu Jin-wook’s declaration.
But Ryu Jin-wook was serious.
“Han-do’s the most unique rookie I’ve seen since entering the industry. He grows fast, doesn’t get nervous like a newbie, and leads the set’s atmosphere well. When I first saw him, I thought he was a veteran with over ten years under his belt.”
His eye for talent was sharp. Not exact, but close.
Still, Kang Han-do had to play the newbie role.
“It’s all thanks to the guidance from sunbaes like you.”
“I haven’t done much. Maybe Shin-hoon has.”
“I haven’t given him much advice either.”
Oh Shin-hoon deflected too. Sure, he’d shared plenty of MC tips, but putting them into practice was all Kang Han-do. And he had nailed it.
Since the topic had come up, Kang Han-do decided to seek their advice once more.
“Sunbaes, I’m shooting a reality show with a rookie girl group this time.”
“A rookie girl group?”
“Who?”
“It’s a group called VSLine.”
Kang Han-do figured they wouldn’t know them.
Indeed, Ryu Jin-wook said, “First I’ve heard of them.”
However.
“Huh? I know that group.”
Unlike Ryu Jin-wook, Oh Shin-hoon knew VSLine.
It was unexpected. Almost every celebrity Kang Han-do knew had said they didn’t know VSLine. Oh Shin-hoon was the first.
“Really?”
“Of course. We even shared a stage. I was on a gig out of town once, and the dance team introduced was VSLine. They had real talent—I thought they’d debut someday. Didn’t expect it to actually happen.”
This showed just how small Korea could be.
With talk of a girl group he knew, Oh Shin-hoon took interest in Kang Han-do’s words.
“What’s the program?”
“They called it ‘VS Together.’”
“Who’s directing?”
“Min Hye-young PD.”
“Min PD, huh. Pretty standard.”
She wasn’t exceptional, but not bad either. It matched what Kang Han-do knew.
“So, what do you want to say to us?”
“Since I’m taking the solo MC role. It’s my first time soloing, and my first time with a girl group reality show. I was hoping to get some helpful advice.”
“Has Jin-wook hyung done anything like this?”
“Nah, not me. You, Shin-hoon?”
“Me neither.”
Just because you have experience doesn’t mean you’ve done every type of show. Kang Han-do realized that now.
Oh Shin-hoon popped a piece of fish cake into his mouth.
“I haven’t done it myself, but a junior I know has. You know him too, Han-do. Mun Cheong-un.”
“Ah, Sunbae Mun Cheong-un. Yes, I know him.”
“He did a few of those reality shows back in the day. He’s not around much anymore—says he’s focused on business.”
His business was going better than expected, so Mun Cheong-un didn’t feel the need to be on TV.
Of course, staying visible could boost his brand. But for now, he wanted to focus on the business.
“Hang on. Let me call Cheong-un.”
Oh Shin-hoon went into emergency casting mode.
He called Mun Cheong-un.
It barely rang a few times before Mun Cheong-un picked up.
-Yes, sunbae-nim!
“Cheong-un, it’s hyung.”
-I know. What’s up? Calling suddenly like this.
“Nah, a junior I know is solo MCing a girl group reality show. Me and Jin-wook hyung have zero experience with that stuff, so we can’t give good advice. You did a bunch of those before. Help us save face—any tips?”
-Who’s the junior?
“You know him. Kang Han-do.”
-Ah! Of course! The monster rookie, right? He’s on every time I turn on the TV. If I can help, I will. Gotta give to get later, right? Haha!
Businessman mindset, maybe. Already calculating future returns.
-Nothing much. Just two things. First, how to hype the girl group members. Build the group’s overall color, highlight each member’s charm, discover it. In other words, use the reality show to stamp fans’ minds with ‘this member’s this character type.’
Creating characters. Solid advice.
“What’s the second?”
-The second’s actually the most important.
Kang Han-do swallowed unconsciously.
The most important second point.
He leaned in to listen.
-Avoid scandals.
Of course.
Important, yeah.
* * *
Kang Han-do headed to the shoot, mulling over Mun Cheong-un’s advice.
Today was the first recording for VS Together.
Just yesterday, he’d wrapped a gut-busting shoot for another show.
Exhausted, but he couldn’t let it show on camera.
The first location was UltraBig Entertainment’s practice room.
It was in the basement of the company building.
Upon arrival, Kang Han-do greeted Min Hye-young PD and the staff one by one.
Episode 1 would cover his first meeting with VSLine.
Min Hye-young PD gathered Kang Han-do and the staff to brief them again on the shoot flow.
“The VSLine members think recording starts at 3 p.m.”
“Yes?”
Kang Han-do instinctively checked his watch.
11:30 a.m.
He remembered the shoot starting at noon, so he’d come thirty minutes early.
Min Hye-young PD had a secret plan.
“It’s almost lunchtime. The UltraBig CEO will gather the VSLine members and suggest ordering delivery from a Chinese place. Then Han-do ssi disguises as the delivery guy and sneaks into the practice room. Will the members recognize you? It’s a surprise first meeting.”
A hidden camera bit.
Not bad.
“How about it, Han-do ssi? Think you can pull it off?”
“Absolutely.”
Kang Han-do even had prior experience working part-time at a Chinese restaurant.
A chance to put that to use.
The sudden hidden camera plan chased away his lingering fatigue.
‘This is what variety’s all about.’
He changed into the staff-provided Chinese delivery uniform.
Helmet, mask, and metal delivery box too.
The iron box felt as heavy as ever after so long.
Min Hye-young PD gave a small gasp of admiration at his look.
“You pull it off better than I expected.”
“I did delivery part-time back in the day.”
“Perfect then. We need an opening, so take off the helmet. Camera ready!”
The staff moved efficiently. With the practice room in the basement, the members upstairs seemed oblivious to the commotion outside.
Kang Han-do held the mic.
The camera focused on him.
Min Hye-young PD signaled start with a hand gesture instead of words.
“We shine a spotlight on the rookie girl group, VSLine. VS Together! Hello, I’m comedian Kang Han-do, your new MC.”