Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Episode 30: New Corner (1)
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Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae kept holding idea meetings.
Things were finally starting to take shape.
But there was a problem.
“If it’s just the two of us exchanging banter, won’t it feel a bit dull?”
“What do you mean?”
Oh Min-tae tilted his head.
They’d been having great idea meetings so far, so why was he suddenly asking if it wouldn’t feel dull?
“You’re not saying we should scrap the corner and start over, right?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Kang Han-do began explaining the true intent behind his words.
“Let’s add one more member.”
“Who?”
“Maybe we should start thinking about that now.”
The new corner that Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae had put together, *Driving License Academy (working title)*, followed the format of Kang Han-do as the driving instructor and Oh Min-tae as the student creating funny situations during driving lessons.
The chemistry between these two men had already been proven multiple times. They could easily be called HSL’s signature banter duo.
However, building a new corner solely on their chemistry lacked freshness.
It would just come off as a second *4 PM News Table*.
‘We need to differentiate it from *4 PM News Table*.’
To achieve that, Kang Han-do decided to add one more person.
“How about making it two students? Min-tae, you’ve been to a driving academy, right?”
“Of course I have, since I have my license. But two students? How? You mean we take turns driving?”
“No, one grabs the wheel while the other sits in the back seat. At first, the third member takes the wheel, and in the second half, you do. That way, we can double the laugh points from one to two, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Plenty of corners do it that way. Not a bad idea.”
The issue was deciding who the third member would be.
Kang Han-do fell deep into thought.
Oh Min-tae, who had been rolling his pen, spoke up.
“If we’re doing this, a pretty girl would be nice.”
“……That’s not a bad idea.”
“Huh? I just threw that out as a joke.”
“No, seriously. That idea’s good. Casting a female comedian would liven up the atmosphere. I really think it works.”
A casual remark thrown out without much thought ended up being a huge help in their idea meeting.
Oh Min-tae still looked dumbfounded.
Kang Han-do’s hand moved quickly.
“We need to pick a female comedian who can join our corner. That’s the tricky part.”
“Know anyone?”
“I know plenty. But they’re all busy.”
He started racking his brain.
‘Let me think.’
He recalled memories from before his regression.
Among the female comedians from Pobokjeoldo, there was one who would later become a star.
‘Senior Hwang Yeon-ji!’
BLT public recruitment 17th class. She was a junior to Kang Han-do, who was 16th class.
Yet Kang Han-do called her “senior” for a reason.
Before his regression, Kang Han-do had been her junior.
Originally, Kang Han-do had failed the BLT 16th public recruitment exam. He kept failing after that too.
As a result, he debuted as a comedian later than Hwang Yeon-ji.
But this time was different.
Kang Han-do was her senior.
“Min-tae. The 17th public recruitment exam’s over, right?”
“It ended ages ago. They’re recruiting for the 19th class now.”
And yet Hwang Yeon-ji still hadn’t appeared on TV, which meant…
‘No work!’
Kang Han-do unwittingly flashed a sly smile.
* * *
Hwang Yeon-ji, who had passed the BLT 17th exam.
She had a knack for making everyone around her laugh.
Her nickname among friends had always been “mood maker.”
Being around her brought smiles. Hwang Yeon-ji was highly satisfied with her position.
So while others dreamed of becoming scientists, lawyers, prosecutors, or presidents, she alone wrote “comedian.”
That dream hadn’t changed even at 24.
In fact, she had passed the BLT public recruitment exam after three years of trying.
Now she was officially a comedian.
But.
“What good is it without gigs?”
A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
After passing the exam, she had declared independence to her parents—no more asking for money—and stormed out.
But less than a year later, she was on the verge of crawling back.
With no money, she was forced to work as a parking attendant at a big mart.
All it involved was greeting cars in uniform and heels at a 90-degree bow.
Wearing heels constantly had peeled her heels raw.
“I don’t even know if my dream is comedian or mart employee anymore.”
Hitting the wall of reality was this tough.
She clung to keep her spirits from crumbling, but she was at her limit.
“Maybe I should just get hired here permanently…”
The thought crossed her mind.
She couldn’t chase dreams forever. It was time to worry about survival.
As her mind grew tangled.
A car pulled in just then.
Even Hwang Yeon-ji, who knew nothing about cars, could tell it belonged to someone with money.
“Welcome. This is DeMart.”
The car headed toward the entrance but suddenly stopped.
Was there a problem? Or was he complaining about her greeting?
All sorts of thoughts raced through her.
The driver’s side window rolled down.
The man in sunglasses stared straight at her.
“Are you Hwang Yeon-ji?”
“How do you know my… Oh!”
Hwang Yeon-ji belatedly noticed her name tag on her uniform.
Anxiety flooded her face.
‘This is it… He’s here to complain!’
Working at DeMart, she’d dealt with all kinds of irate customers.
Bowing too shallowly, voice too soft, bad vibes, etc.
She was on the verge of hating humanity.
But the man hadn’t approached her to pick a fight.
He lowered his sunglasses slightly.
The moment she saw him, Hwang Yeon-ji couldn’t hide her shock.
“Uh, um… Senior Kang Han-do?!”
“That’s me.”
Kang Han-do nodded and gave her a warm smile.
“When does your shift end?”
“Me? Why are you suddenly asking about my schedule…?”
“I’m asking you on a date.”
It would be the date that became a turning point in Hwang Yeon-ji’s life.
* * *
A nearby café.
Kang Han-do explained everything to her.
Starting with how Jo Woo-kim PD had given him a chance to launch a solo corner, up to wanting to scout her as a member.
Hwang Yeon-ji couldn’t believe it.
“Me… on the Pobokjeoldo stage?”
“Yeah. You’ve got the talent.”
Calling a former senior “you” felt awkward somehow.
Hwang Yeon-ji kept brushing back her hair.
She still hadn’t fully grasped reality.
Thanks to that gesture, a few young men passing by glanced her way.
Hwang Yeon-ji was a comedian with striking beauty. At 170 cm, she was tall for a woman.
She could’ve been a model—no shortcomings there. It was another of her strengths.
That’s how Kang Han-do saw it.
‘If you’re pretty or handsome, you get attention somehow.’
Same with athletes. Skill plus good looks meant even more praise.
Looks matter for a reason.
Pobokjeoldo was one of the stages she’d always dreamed of.
Most BLT public recruitment hopefuls took the exam just to stand on that stage.
Kang Han-do had been one of them.
If some random agency rep had said this, she would’ve yelled “scam!”
But Kang Han-do came himself.
This was her chance.
A chance to leap over reality’s wall.
Fear was huge, but no challenge, no success.
Now was the time to go for it.
“I’ll trust you, Senior Kang Han-do.”
With that, a new teammate joined Kang Han-do’s corner.
* * *
From the moment he saw the new corner proposal draft, Jo Woo-kim PD showed immense satisfaction.
“You really put this together yourself?”
Kang Han-do shook his head.
“Not just me. Min-tae and I brainstormed it.”
“You even added Hwang Yeon-ji? Hwang Yeon-ji… She seems talented. But she lacks confidence. You take good care of that.”
“Yes, got it.”
“Anyway, let’s put it on stage once. Deadline… when can you make it?”
“We’ve finished the detailed idea meetings, but we still need a lot of practice. Yeon-ji gets really nervous even in practice.”
“The first time’s always shaky. Can’t be helped.”
Still, they had to account for it.
Kang Han-do knew this but brought her anyway. That’s how highly he rated her talent.
Hwang Yeon-ji would adapt quickly. Kang Han-do had no doubt.
“*One Roof, Three Families* drops after episode 3. That slot goes to the Driving License Academy team.”
One of Pobokjeoldo’s corners, *One Roof, Three Families*, hadn’t gained much traction.
They’d prepared ambitiously, but the response was poor, forcing an early end.
Kang Han-do’s new corner might meet the same fate.
Even so, they had to try.
Nothing happens without action.
To move forward, at least try walking.
Three weeks left.
They had to prepare everything for the stage in that time.
* * *
The Driving License Academy team gathered at Kang Han-do’s house.
Even on a weekday morning, Hwang Yeon-ji joined practice.
Oh Min-tae looked at her and asked.
“What about your part-time job?”
“Quit it.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I want to focus on the stage.”
“You’re bolder than you look.”
“I’m the least experienced here. If I skip practice for a job and ruin the seniors’ hard work, that’d be disastrous, right?”
“Yeah, true.”
“And now we’ll get appearance fees, so no worries about living expenses.”
“Right. Get paid for shows, ads later for ad money. Let’s rake it in big!”
“Yes!”
Oh Min-tae and Hwang Yeon-ji bonded, full of fighting spirit.
But Kang Han-do didn’t want to waste even this time.
“Alright, enough chit-chat! Practice starts now. Get ready.”