Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Episode 30: New Corner (2)
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When it came to practicing comedy sketches, the location options were extremely limited.
First off, it had to be a place free from noise disturbances. And since they needed to make loud sounds, it also had to be somewhere that wouldn't bother people around them.
Fortunately, Kang Han-do's house fit these conditions perfectly.
"Okay, that's it for today."
Kang Han-do announced the end of practice to Hwang Yeon-ji and Oh Min-tae.
They had been practicing like this straight from morning until late evening.
This routine repeated for three weeks.
Three weeks. A time that could feel long or short depending on the perspective.
At the very least, it felt short to them.
Hwang Yeon-ji voiced her regret.
"Can't we do a bit more?"
"Tomorrow's the recording. Practice is important, but managing your condition is even more so. What if we bust our asses practicing only to bomb the stage because we're wiped out? Right?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
The most enthusiastic about practice had been Hwang Yeon-ji.
Of course, Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae had given it their all too. But in terms of sheer passion, no one could top Hwang Yeon-ji.
She was staking everything on this stage.
Because it would be Hwang Yeon-ji's debut performance.
Kang Han-do reassured her.
"No need to push yourself that hard. We've done our best. And we've raised the quality a ton in this short time. Tomorrow, we can put on a great show."
Hearing this from her reliable senior, Kang Han-do, Hwang Yeon-ji felt a bit more at ease.
In truth, the one most nervous among them was Kang Han-do.
This was the first time he would present a corner he had planned and created to the public.
He had to be twice as tense as Hwang Yeon-ji.
But Kang Han-do didn't let it show.
He was the leader of this team. If the leader showed any waver, the junior comedians would get anxious.
So Kang Han-do swallowed his nerves and threw himself into practice.
But today's session had to end here.
It was already 2:30 a.m. Anything more would just be overworking.
"Everyone, get ready to head home and meet me at the parking lot. I'll give you a ride."
Whenever practice ran this late, Kang Han-do would drop Oh Min-tae and Hwang Yeon-ji off near their places.
Today was no different.
The trio piled into the car. Kang Han-do headed first to Oh Min-tae's place.
After fifteen minutes on the empty pre-dawn roads, they arrived.
"Take care getting in."
"You too."
"Thanks for today, sunbae-nim! See you at the recording tomorrow!"
"Yep!"
After dropping off Oh Min-tae, Kang Han-do drove to the one-room where Hwang Yeon-ji lived.
As they drove, Hwang Yeon-ji opened up about her inner thoughts.
"I'm really anxious about whether I can pull it off tomorrow."
"Don't worry. Remember what I always told you during practice?"
"Yeah. That I have talent..."
"Believe in your talent. And if you're still anxious, believe in me. Even if the show tanks, I'll take all the blame."
Hwang Yeon-ji had always had one major flaw.
A severe lack of confidence.
It had been the same even before his regression.
Despite having plenty of talent as a comedian, her lack of confidence led to a passive approach on air, preventing her from unleashing her full potential.
She did eventually rise to stardom, but it didn't last long.
In the end, it was a mental battle.
It was the senior's job to manage a junior's mentality.
"Let out all that comedy greed you've been holding back from showing people tomorrow. Throw in ad-libs anytime if you feel like it. I've got the confidence to catch them all."
"Hearing you say that gives me a lot of strength, sunbae-nim."
"That's a relief then. We're almost there. This the spot?"
"Yeah. Thank you, sunbae-nim! If tomorrow's recording goes well, I'll treat you big time!"
"Looking forward to it."
After dropping off Hwang Yeon-ji too, Kang Han-do drove home.
On the way, he fell deep into thought.
'Tomorrow, I wonder how much of a response we'll get.'
The Driving License Academy corner was the first original idea Kang Han-do had come up with since his regression. So he couldn't predict if it would mesh well with the audience's comedy sensibilities.
'The outcome is something only God knows.'
Kang Han-do wasn't a god.
Only the Variety God knew the future of this industry.
There was only one thing human Kang Han-do could do.
"Run at it with everything I've got."
* * *
Recording day.
The audience seats at Pobokjeoldo began filling up one by one with people doubled over in laughter.
Among them were familiar faces.
Choi Ye-hee. She had come to watch a Pobokjeoldo live show for the first time in a while.
Today, she was alone.
She couldn't resist after hearing that Kang Han-do's new corner was debuting today.
She wasn't the only one. Quite a few people had shown up to see Kang Han-do's new corner.
While waiting in her seat, Choi Ye-hee checked her smartphone.
It was a text from Kang Han-do.
-Ye-hee-ssi. Come to the back of the stage. Mention my name and they'll let you in.
Kang Han-do had gotten word that Choi Ye-hee was coming today.
Confirming the text, Choi Ye-hee followed his instructions.
Kang Han-do stepped out of the waiting room, waiting for her arrival.
"Ye-hee-ssi, over here!"
Choi Ye-hee hurried toward Kang Han-do.
"I feel bad making you take time out of your busy schedule for me."
"It's fine. Aren't you making time for me too, Ye-hee-ssi?"
"I'm not even debuted yet."
Her debut wasn't far off, but she still had plenty of time like this for now.
Choi Ye-hee handed Kang Han-do a water bottle.
"Here, have this."
"What's this?"
"Fruit juice I made specially. Just banana and milk mixed together. It's sweet and tasty."
Choi Ye-hee's special banana juice.
Kang Han-do's face lit up.
"Thanks. Gotta power up with something from Ye-hee-ssi."
"You can do it, Han-do-ssi. You've always pulled it off before, and you will again."
Choi Ye-hee's encouragement always boosted Kang Han-do's spirits.
He was glad he got to see her.
After a brief chat, Choi Ye-hee headed back to her seat.
As Kang Han-do turned to return to the waiting room.
"Lucky you. Some of us don't get cheers from beauties."
Oh Min-tae popped out from the corner, his face the picture of jealousy.
"Since when did eavesdropping on conversations become your hobby?"
"Today. Anyway, Ye-hee-ssi got even prettier. She was cute last time, but today? Legendary."
Oh Min-tae had heard from Kang Han-do that Choi Ye-hee was on the verge of debuting in a girl group.
Even accounting for that, her beauty was top-tier.
"Han-do-ya. Be careful."
"About what."
"Once Ye-hee-ssi debuts as a singer, guys are gonna hit on her left and right. Lock her down now."
"And boom, scandal headlines everywhere. You want that? It'd be a huge hassle for Ye-hee-ssi. A fresh girl group with a scandal? You'd just ruin her."
"What'd you learn in the army? As long as you don't get caught, it's fine. Just don't get caught."
"There's no such thing as an eternal secret in this world. Especially not in showbiz."
Kang Han-do had seen countless secrets over the years, and plenty of celebrities who vanished without a trace because of them.
That's why he wanted to be extra careful.
And right now, there was something more important than his relationship with Choi Ye-hee.
"You try on the costume? Props checked?"
"All done."
"Yeon-ji too?"
"Yeah. Just need your okay."
"I'm good. We're fifth in line, right? Not too late, so let's wrap up prep quick."
"Okay!"
The two quickened their steps.
* * *
As the fourth corner in line, "We've Been Out on Fieldwork," neared its end.
Kang Han-do's Driving License Academy team and staff began bustling behind the stage.
Kang Han-do, with his long experience at Pobokjeoldo, moved swiftly and efficiently. But Oh Min-tae and Hwang Yeon-ji, doing everything for the first time, looked awkward and clumsy.
The biggest issue was Hwang Yeon-ji.
She had a completely spaced-out look on her face.
Kang Han-do, pausing what he was doing, called out to her.
"Yeon-ji-ya."
"Yes?!"
Hwang Yeon-ji let out a shrill scream. If it had been any louder, it might have disrupted the recording.
"Calm down. Take a deep breath. Our turn's coming up soon."
"O-okay!"
She was even stuttering.
Oh Min-tae whispered to Kang Han-do.
'She gonna be okay?'
'She'll be fine. Yeon-ji's the type who's strong in the moment.'
'How do you know? You've never seen her perform.'
'I have. Back in the day.'
And quite a lot, at that.
But he couldn't tell Oh Min-tae about the pre-regression days.
The fourth corner ended.
Finally, it was the Driving License Academy team's turn.
They quickly set the stage.
The characters in Driving License Academy boiled down to three.
Driving instructor, Student A, Student B.
Kang Han-do would play the driving instructor. Hwang Yeon-ji as Student A, Oh Min-tae as Student B.
Kang Han-do mainly handled the heckling role.
Dressed in the driving instructor uniform, Kang Han-do exaggeratedly stretched.
"Ow, my back! Let's see. Come to think of it, I heard the students I'm taking on this time are real troublemakers. How bad are they that the other instructors gave up?"
He even muttered it loudly on purpose.
Right after Kang Han-do's line, Hwang Yeon-ji entered.
"You're Instructor Kang Han-do, right?"
"Y-yeah? Are you Ms. Hwang Yeon-ji?"
"Yes, that's me."
"You look normal enough... Anyway, let's get started."
They moved behind the panel shaped like the front of a car.
Hwang Yeon-ji pulled out her keys. No matter how much she tried, the ignition wouldn't catch.
"Oh no, instructor! Is the car broken? It won't start!"
"That's weird... No, how are you using your house keys! Is this your house?!"
"Sorry. Then these keys are..."
"Those are for the academy lockers!"
Trouble from the get-go.
Hwang Yeon-ji played the concept of a total newbie who knew nothing about driving.
Oh Min-tae was different.
After her part ended, it was Oh Min-tae's turn.
"Please take good care of me!"
Oh Min-tae bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, polite as could be. Kang Han-do responded with a satisfied smile in character.
"A polite young man. This lesson should be smooth."
But.
The moment Oh Min-tae gripped the wheel, electronic music blared as background.
"Go, go! I'll shove aside anyone blocking my path! Haha!"
Oh Min-tae went with the concept of turning into a wild maniac the second he touched the wheel. Kang Han-do clung to his seat, pathetically yelling, "Ease off the gas, you psycho!!!"
The audience burst into laughter at the two men's comic antics.
Seizing the moment, Kang Han-do activated his Happiness Level Viewer.
Seeing people above the average happiness threshold, Kang Han-do smiled inwardly.
'The response isn't bad!'
It felt worth all the hard work.