Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Chapter 29 Radio Appearance (1)
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While Kim Sang-heon and Lee Yo-su were off on their honeymoon, Kang Han-do found himself sinking into a new dilemma.
‘What corner should I come up with?'
Even before his regression, Kang Han-do had experience planning countless corners.
However, he had never taken the lead in creating one himself.
Kang Han-do had always been in the supporting role.
His job was to back up someone else from the sidelines.
That was why Jo Woo-kim PD's suggestion had caught him off guard.
But it wasn't a bad thing.
'I should try this kind of experience at least once. That's how I can climb higher!'
He decided to see it as a gateway to becoming a top star.
Yet ideas just wouldn't come.
'Trouble ahead.'
Was this the agony of creation? Kang Han-do suddenly craved the cigarettes he'd quit.
As he sat in the café lost in thought,
Oh Min-tae, whom he was scheduled to meet today, approached Kang Han-do.
"Hey, Kang Han-do."
No response even after calling him.
Not a twitch. He just stood there, arms crossed, deep in concentration.
Oh Min-tae tapped Kang Han-do's shoulder. Only then did Kang Han-do react, belatedly.
"When did you get here?"
"Just now. I called, but you didn't answer. What are you thinking about so intently?"
"A new corner."
"Oh! You don't mean that Pobokjeoldo thing, do you?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Kang Han-do had already told Oh Min-tae in advance about Jo Woo-kim PD asking him to plan a new corner.
But there was one thing he hadn't mentioned yet.
"If I nail this corner, it'll help you out a ton too."
"Why? Isn't this your gig anyway?"
"It's not 'your gig'—it's going to be 'our gig.'"
"What do you mean? Spell it out plainly."
"It means I'm already picturing you as a member."
"Whoa, seriously?!"
It was news to him.
Kang Han-do hadn't yet told Oh Min-tae that he planned to include him as a member in his corner.
That's why he'd called him out today—to break the news.
He'd meant to ease into it over a meal, but ended up spilling it the moment they met.
"If your schedule doesn't work, let me know ahead of time so I can take your name off."
"Whoa, hold up! What's with the power trip, Kang Han-do ssi? No, Kang Han-do-nim! I've got time to burn. No way my schedule won't line up."
"Knew you'd say that."
Kang Han-do chuckled at Oh Min-tae's over-the-top reaction.
"Alright, I'll take that as a yes."
"Yeah. And take it easy. Look after your health. Oh, right—this is the red ginseng I was gonna drink. Want it? Here, take this and power through!"
"You little..."
Without meaning to, Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae had slipped into a dynamic where Kang Han-do was the boss and Oh Min-tae the underling.
* * *
Despite Oh Min-tae's excessive cheering, no results came from the support.
Kang Han-do was now a full week into his悩みng.
Coming up with a corner was incredibly tough.
He'd scoured every trending code out there. Still, nothing clicked.
"This is hard. So hard."
He couldn't just keep brooding forever.
Kang Han-do had three fixed programs to handle each week.
On top of that, this week he was scheduled as a guest on a radio show.
The program was 2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol.
As the name suggested, Bae Sang-yeol hosted it.
"Bae Sang-yeol's one of my all-time favorite singers."
A veteran with twenty years in the music biz, he did exactly the style of music Kang Han-do loved, so even before regressing, Kang Han-do had been a steady listener of his songs.
The downside? He didn't put out albums all that often.
To appear on Bae Sang-yeol's radio show, Kang Han-do got dressed up early.
No need for a salon visit and a full hairdo, he figured.
'It's radio, after all.'
Not a visual radio—just pure audio. No video upload, so he kept it casually neat and headed to the station.
He rode in a car driven by Nemida and arrived after twenty minutes. The radio recording space was smaller than typical shoots.
One booth, plus a separate control area outside. That was it.
Bae Sang-yeol was already inside the booth, reading the script.
With thirty minutes till airtime, he was still hustling.
Kang Han-do opened the booth door and bowed politely first.
"Hello, sunbae-nim!"
"Han-do ssi? You're early. We've got a ways to go before broadcast."
"Figured I'd come early and review the script. Haha. And please speak comfortably— you're way my senior."
"Hmm. Alright."
Thanks to that remark, Bae Sang-yeol got a great first impression of Kang Han-do.
It wasn't Kang Han-do putting on airs to impress him. He was genuinely that diligent at every recording.
Bae Sang-yeol loved hardworking types. He had a feeling he and Kang Han-do would click.
* * *
Before recording started, Yeo Min-hwa PD, who directed 2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol, dropped an unexpected heads-up.
"We don't have an official corner for this, but... we get a lot of listener requests like opinions or whatever. What it is..."
"They want me to sing?"
"Oh, you knew?"
Of course he did.
Kang Han-do was a fan of Bae Sang-yeol's radio show, after all.
He'd listen to 2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol on long car rides. Even when not commuting.
Occasionally, he'd catch guests singing.
Bae Sang-yeol's show was all about introducing music. With that focus, song requests popped up now and then.
Yeo Min-hwa PD gave him the prior notice.
"If a lot of requests come in, Bae Sang-yeol sunbae-nim will ask if the guest can sing."
She lowered her voice dramatically, clearly not wanting Bae Sang-yeol in the booth to overhear.
"Sometimes guests can't sing, and it gets awkward, so I tell him to skip listener song requests... but he doesn't change. So it'd be great if you think about it ahead of time, Han-do ssi. Feel free to say no—he won't push."
"Got it."
But Kang Han-do had no plans to refuse.
He'd dealt with something similar on Audio Star already.
And deep down, he figured:
'They'll definitely request a song once they hear I'm on.'
It was obvious.
Kang Han-do had sung on TV once and shot up to real-time search trends. The public remembered him as the 'singing comedian.' No way requests wouldn't flood in.
As he entered the booth, Bae Sang-yeol asked Kang Han-do,
"Did Yeo PD give you the heads-up about the singing?"
"Ah, yeah. You heard?"
"Not really. It's just that she says it every time a guest shows up, so I figured."
Fiddling with his pen, Bae Sang-yeol gave a wry smile.
"It's an old bad habit of mine, I guess. If listeners want something, I try to deliver unless it's impossible. I should skip when time's tight, but imagining my listeners' disappointed faces... I just can't."
His care for the audience.
That was the secret to Bae Sang-yeol hosting 2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol for over ten years.
Kang Han-do didn't see it as a flaw.
"I think that side of you is what makes you Bae Sang-yeol sunbae-nim—and I like it even more for that."
"Thanks for saying so."
Their bond solidified in that moment.
From outside, Yeo Min-hwa PD's voice rang out.
"Five minutes till broadcast. Get ready."
* * *
2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol countdown began.
3, 2, 1.
As the ad break ended, Bae Sang-yeol's rich baritone filled the booth.
"The time I prepare at 2 PM for you, dear listeners. 2 PM Date with Bae Sang-yeol."
That was the line.
The fixed opener Kang Han-do heard every afternoon at 2 PM.
'Who knew I'd hear it live.'
New emotions washed over him.
Kang Han-do wouldn't appear right away. First came listener letters paired with song intros, then the guest segment.
"Today's pick is Patrick’s 'Still.' Some of you might know it. A ballad capturing a man's heartache after parting with his love. Back in college, I spent whole days strumming guitar strings just to play this one."
True to his life in music, Bae Sang-yeol wove a memory into every song.
Especially pop tunes.
Suddenly, it hit Kang Han-do:
'Hold on. Should I sing a pop song too?'
He started racking his brain for pop songs he knew.
Korean songs? Easier to sing, less pressure.
But Bae Sang-yeol's focus was pop.
The radio featured it often.
'Didn't see this coming.'
Oops.
Kang Han-do's mind went blank.
What pop song? He brainstormed nonstop.
Meanwhile, Bae Sang-yeol moved to the next segment.
"Time to bring in our guest for some talk. We have a special visitor today. The hot young comedian making waves—Kang Han-do ssi."
"Hello! Comedian Kang Han-do here!"
"Kang Han-do ssi, you have more ties to the music scene than you'd think, right?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it, there are quite a few connections."
More than a few, actually.
He'd done a reality show with VSLine, MC'd Music Festa special, and sung on Audio Star to huge acclaim.
VSLine was the monster rookie girl group pulling massive buzz since debut. Couldn't skip talking about them.
"During VS Together filming, VSLine had already debuted, right?"
"How to put it... They had debuted, but it didn't feel like a full debut? Think of it that way. Their official debut was at Music Festa."
"I saw that stage—nothing ordinary about it. Right away, I thought, 'These girls are gonna blow up.'"
"Sunbae-nim, you watched VSLine's debut stage?"
"Of course. Haha!"
Who knew he'd find a VSLine uncle fan in this spot.
'That's the power of girl groups.'
Kang Han-do swallowed his admiration.