Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Episode 27: Difficulties of the First Broadcast (1)
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HSL's final broadcast aired through the media.
There were many viewers who felt regretful about it.
Some even requested that the season be extended just a bit longer. Every time Kang Han-do came across these viewers' opinions, he felt a sense of pride.
‘I worked hard, after all.’
But he couldn't carry the glory of the past into the present and future forever.
With one program wrapped up, it was now time to take on a new challenge.
A few days earlier, Kang Han-do had received a call from Woo Sung-cheon PD.
If he had time, how about grabbing a meal together in the evening?
‘I never expected Woo PD to suggest a dinner meeting.’
He decided to meet once anyway.
The meeting place was a high-end restaurant named Highroad.
It happened to be close to the house where Kang Han-do currently lived.
The appointed time was 5:30 PM.
Kang Han-do arrived ten minutes early and entered the restaurant.
He had been told that the reservation was under Woo Sung-cheon PD's name, so if he arrived first, he should just give that name and be guided.
“Hello.”
Kang Han-do entered the restaurant.
The atmosphere was extremely quiet.
The moment the staff saw him, they recognized him right away.
“You're Kang Han-do, right?”
“Yes, that's me.”
“Wow! It's a celebrity!”
Unlike the restaurant's refined ambiance, the staff's energy was quite high.
The staff, who had been jumping around in excitement, belatedly regained their composure.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to eat. Haha.”
“Did you make a reservation? We only operate by reservation...”
“There should be one under Woo Sung-cheon.”
“Ah! One moment, please.”
After checking the reservation, the staff guided Kang Han-do to Room 3.
Slide.
As the door opened, Woo Sung-cheon PD, who had arrived just before him, lightly waved his hand.
“Han-do, you’re here?”
“Hello, Woo PD-nim. You arrived early.”
“I left home early thinking there’d be traffic, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Still, you didn’t have to wait long, right? About five minutes?”
“That’s a relief.”
Kang Han-do took a seat at the round table.
His gaze turned in another direction.
There were three sets of forks and knives placed there.
One was for Kang Han-do. Another for Woo Sung-cheon PD.
Then the remaining one?
“Is someone else coming?”
“Yeah. There’s someone who wanted to meet you, so I set this up.”
“I see. An entertainer?”
“No, my junior. Na Won-cheol PD. Do you know him by any chance?”
Na Won-cheol.
The moment he heard that name, Kang Han-do’s eyes changed.
In the future, he would be called a star PD and rise to great heights.
Every variety program he touched recorded soaring ratings. With his sharp direction and fresh concepts, Na Won-cheol as a PD was a man with exceptional talent.
‘It’s not the time when he’s that popular yet.’
The past version of the famous Na Won-cheol PD. Kang Han-do couldn’t even imagine it.
But soon, his imagination would become reality.
Na Won-cheol PD appeared right on time at 5:30.
He looked considerably younger than the Na Won-cheol PD that Kang Han-do knew.
‘Well, since I regressed, he’d naturally be younger.’
Before he gained weight, he was quite handsome.
Na Won-cheol PD bowed his waist and apologized to them.
“I’m sorry. I’m the last one to arrive.”
“It’s fine. You arrived right on time. No need to apologize. Ah, we should introduce ourselves. This is... You know him, right? Han-do.”
“Phew. Who wouldn’t know? I know him too well, actually. I even watched the HSL finale right before coming here. It was fun.”
Kang Han-do gave a small bow to Na Won-cheol PD.
There was hardly any PD who didn’t know Kang Han-do’s name now.
He was the man called the blue-chip stock of the variety world.
Woo Sung-cheon PD then introduced Na Won-cheol PD to Kang Han-do.
“Say hi. My junior I mentioned earlier, Na Won-cheol PD.”
“I’m Na Won-cheol. I’d been wanting to contact you, so I’m really glad to meet you like this.”
“The pleasure’s mine.”
If anything, Kang Han-do wanted to meet Na Won-cheol PD even more.
Woo Sung-cheon PD had served as the bridge.
With all three men gathered, the food began to be set on the table one by one, right on cue.
The main dish was, of course, steak.
After each stated their preferred doneness.
Woo Sung-cheon PD brought up the reason for arranging this meeting.
“To be honest, Won-cheol kept begging me to let him meet Han-do, so I set up this separate appointment.”
“Me?”
Instead of answering, Woo Sung-cheon PD gave Na Won-cheol PD a look.
Na Won-cheol PD cleared his throat with a cough. Just from their behavior, Kang Han-do could tell something important was coming.
His prediction was spot on.
“Actually, I’m planning a program right now. I was thinking of having you as the main MC.”
If it was a project by the future star PD, Na Won-cheol, Kang Han-do welcomed it with open arms.
But the issue was the genre.
He didn’t want to accept blindly without knowing the genre.
“What kind of program is it?”
“Well...”
That’s when he was about to continue.
“Excuse me.”
The door opened. A restaurant staff placed steaks in front of each of them.
Na Won-cheol PD smiled as if the timing was perfect.
“Let’s eat first. I’ll explain the rest over the meal.”
He picked up his knife, cut it to an easy-to-eat size, and brought it to his mouth.
The juices flowing out made Kang Han-do’s tongue blissfully happy.
“This place is really delicious.”
Kang Han-do shared his genuine impression.
It wasn’t broadcast banter. With no cameras around, there was no need for exaggerated reactions.
Na Won-cheol PD smiled faintly.
“Right? Actually, I’m a regular here.”
“Ah-ha. That’s why you chose this place.”
“Yes. The taste is guaranteed. The chef here is extremely skilled. Not just Western cuisine, but Korean food too, and lately, he’s even dabbling a bit in Japanese cuisine. He’s talented, and full of passion and curiosity for cooking. He’s a good guy.”
He seemed quite close to Highroad’s chef.
‘Well, he said he’s a regular.’
It made sense that they were close.
In the middle, Woo Sung-cheon PD spoke up.
“Perfect, since food came up.”
“Yes. Han-do, there was something I was about to tell you earlier? I’ll explain what the program is about.”
It was the element Kang Han-do was most curious about.
“It’s a food-related program.”
Somehow.
Kang Han-do had vaguely expected Na Won-cheol PD’s answer.
The person who made the connection was Woo Sung-cheon PD, who directed a mukbang program. He had thought it might be related to that.
Moreover, Kang Han-do had recently appeared on Food Master and shown a good performance. It was natural for PDs planning food-related programs to come calling.
But he hadn’t expected it from Na Won-cheol PD.
“What exactly is the program?”
He wanted to hear more details.
Na Won-cheol PD set down his fork and knife for a moment.
“We’ll open a small restaurant. But only for ordinary people who pass the audition. We’ll serve them food, do the serving, and have talk time. That’s the format.”
“Then I’d need to know how to cook... I’m confident in talk, but my cooking skills aren’t at the level to run a restaurant.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve already booked a chef.”
“Oh, who?”
Food-related programs were trending in the entertainment industry these days.
There were many star chefs. Kang Han-do thought it might be one of them.
“He’s a chef who isn’t known yet. This broadcast will probably be his debut.”
“A famous chef?”
“The one you just praised without holding back.”
“...!”
Kang Han-do looked at the steak in front of him.
He had a pretty good idea who it was.
Na Won-cheol PD spoke again.
“It’s Kim Un-sik Chef, who works here at Highroad. I’ll feature him in my new program.”
* * *
Unlike other PDs, Na Won-cheol PD was famous for frequently casting unknown or rookie stars rather than established names with big reputations on his programs.
It was to give viewers a fresh taste.
However, this was quite a risky attempt. Celebrities called stars didn’t have high fees for nothing.
They earned it by delivering wherever they went.
Using too many new faces could destabilize the program. Na Won-cheol PD overcame that with his directing skills.
That’s why he was an amazing PD.
But even Na Won-cheol PD didn’t like filling the entire cast with new faces.
He just used them in higher proportions than other PDs. That didn’t mean he avoided big-name celebrities.
A flagship entertainer was necessary.
Na Won-cheol PD assigned Kang Han-do as the central figure to lead the program and provide stability.
The chef handling cooking and one entertainer for serving were slated to be new faces.
Kang Han-do’s role was the most important.
It meant Na Won-cheol PD highly valued Kang Han-do’s abilities.
But Kang Han-do’s mind was complicated.
‘It feels good to be recognized by Na PD.’
The risk was high.
Naturally, he didn’t give an immediate answer there.
He said he’d consult and get back to them.
To sort out his thoughts and gather various opinions, Kang Han-do headed to LC Entertainment.
He asked Nemide what she thought.
Truthfully, he didn’t have high expectations from her. He just thought of it as casually asking for her opinion.
But Nemide gave an answer Kang Han-do hadn’t thought of.
“How about meeting the people you’ll be appearing with first and then deciding? You never know. Even if it’s their debut, they might surprisingly have talent for this project. If you check them out in advance, Han-do, it’d help a lot in deciding whether to accept, right?”
“You’re really Nemide?”
“Yes? I am?”
“No, your answer was so good that I doubted without thinking.”
“That’s too much, Han-do! I’m your manager, even if I look like this! I can step up when needed!”
“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.”
Nemide was right.
It wouldn’t be too late to decide after meeting the co-stars first.
“Nemide. How about we go cut into some steak tonight? My treat.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“You gave me wise advice. As a thank you, I’m treating.”
“Sounds good. Where to?”
“I already picked the place.”
Kang Han-do grinned.
“It’s called Highroad. Their steak is amazing.”