Chapter 196
Wednesday. The day for classes of 12C and 12E.
“…Hey! I heard Jeong Gyeoul isn’t coming today!”
“What? Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”
One student even stood up and cheered three times.
“Isn’t that a bit over the top?”
“Shut up! I feel like a successful independence activist right now.”
“Then who’s teaching today?”
“Probably Instructor Kim Ho-il. From what I heard last time, he wasn’t seriously injured.”
“I actually dislike Instructor Kim Ho-il more.”
“Shut up! Shut up, you traitor!”
“…?”
Today, Jeong Gyeoul had to go to Mokdong for a program meeting.
Upon hearing the news, the students were swept up in an inexplicable sense of liberation.
The bold statement that Jeong Gyeoul’s class was better than Kim Ho-il’s was enough to label someone a traitor.
While the students of Class D and E were cheering, at a brunch café in Mokdong, the production team had gathered.
“The first cast member has arrived.”
“Already? We’re not even fully set up yet.”
“I just saw a car entering the alley.”
“Are idols that eager to arrive early?”
“Ah, senior, these days idols either arrive exactly on time or a bit late.”
The door opened, and a wilted Jeong Gyeoul walked in.
“Hello…”
“Hello, Hero. Please put on the mic and come this way.”
“Okay…”
As soon as she entered, Jeong Gyeoul was caught and waited for the mic to be attached while looking around.
‘…This is overwhelming.’
There was no time to admire the café’s interior.
The café owner, staff, and all the filming crew were staring at Jeong Gyeoul, making her shrink naturally.
“Wow… she’s really pretty. At this rate, we won’t even be able to speak later…”
“They say she’s Jeong Ha-yul’s younger sister. Blood really tells.”
“…But why does she look so wilted from the start? It’s a bit worrying.”
“Don’t worry. With just her visuals, she can carry the program alone. No need to worry about tension.”
As the compliments poured in, her body slowly straightened, and a smile appeared on her lips.
“…The writer is right. Look at that smile. We must include that in the teaser.”
Following the assistant director’s guidance, she headed to the table where the variety show master, PD Choi Yong-seok, was sitting.
“Hello. I’m Jeong Gyeoul…”
“Jeong Gyeoul, the Hero! I’ve only seen you on TV; this is the first time seeing you in person.”
“…Are you sure you’re talking about me?”
PD Choi’s greeting, something usually reserved for celebrities, left her flustered.
“You appeared in ‘Omniscient Hero’s Point of View,’ the episode with Jeong Ha-yul, right?”
“…You still remember that?”
The one-time appearance on the show with Jeong Ha-yul.
Whether it was on the train to Gyeongju or now, the impact of that one broadcast seemed significant.
Everyone who recognized Jeong Gyeoul brought up ‘Omniscient Hero’s Point of View.’
Of course, PD Choi had checked Jeong Gyeoul’s profile for this variety show but had never actually seen her before.
“Anyway, nice to meet you. Thank you for deciding to appear on our show. Please sit here.”
“…Yes, nice to meet you too.”
“We’ll do introductions once all the cast members are here… You’ve heard about our program, right?”
“Yes, the president gave me the proposal. I did some prep yesterday.”
“…Proposal? Prep? Never mind that, you must be hungry. Please eat something.”
Seeing PD Choi’s puzzled expression at her mention of prep, an inexplicable anxiety struck Jeong Gyeoul.
‘…Something feels off.’
Before she could ask PD Choi anything to ease her anxiety, the door opened again.
“Oh my, hello, hello, hello. Why are there so many cameras?”
“Mr. Kim! You’re early.”
“If PD Choi calls, you have to come early, or you’ll be kicked out of the variety show world.”
“Please don’t spread malicious rumors as soon as you arrive…”
“Hahaha, viewers, this is not a rumor. One word from PD Choi, and my head is gone.”
The confident tone.
Jeong Gyeoul was amazed, realizing this was the real tension of variety shows.
‘Omniscient Hero’s Point of View’ was an observational variety show, and she had only briefly appeared as Jeong Ha-yul’s sister.
This was her first proper variety show, and everything felt unfamiliar and awkward.
“Oh, teacher! If you say that on camera, people will really believe it.”
“It’s true, so what? By the way, who is this cute, pretty, and lovely person sitting here alone…?”
“Ah, let me introduce you. This is Jeong Gyeoul, the Hero.”
“Hello, teacher. I’m Jeong Gyeoul.”
“Nice to meet you! But a Hero? You look so young; are you really a Hero?”
Mr. Kim looked at PD Choi with a surprised expression.
Whether he genuinely didn’t know about the cast or was acting was unclear.
If it was acting, it was at a level where he could have been an actor instead of a variety show personality.
“Yes. You know Jeong Ha-yul, the Hero, right? You’ve done a few programs together.”
“Of course, I know Ha-yul! Why suddenly… Wait, you look just like Ha-yul! Could it be…?”
The nation’s MC, Kim Guk-min, squinted his eyes and made a playful expression.
“Yes. That’s right. Jeong Ha-yul’s…”
“Her real daughter?!”
“No! No! Her younger sister!”
“…Right? I keep up with Ha-yul’s news. I haven’t heard about her having a daughter.”
“…You must not have seen her younger sister’s face.”
“Ahem! I know! I do! She only appeared on TV when she was very young. It’s normal not to recognize her. If I had recognized her here, it would have been too forced.”
Kim Guk-min smoothly deflected PD Choi’s attack, but PD Choi, being one of the top variety show PDs, sensed an angle and continued with mischievous questions.
“But teacher, do you watch all of Jeong Ha-yul’s broadcasts?”
“Of course! I’m very close with Ha-yul.”
“But you must not have watched ‘Omniscient Hero’s Point of View.’ Jeong Gyeoul appeared there too.”
“…Really? Sorry, Jeong Gyeoul, I must have missed that episode.”
“It’s okay. I only appeared briefly. It’s normal not to know.”
PD Choi thought Kim Guk-min would handle it well for the show, but Kim Guk-min apologized to Jeong Gyeoul.
Even though it was a variety show, it was their first meeting, and Jeong Gyeoul wasn’t a celebrity who lived off broadcasts. Plus, she was young, making it hard to joke around easily.
Under PD Choi’s lead, everyone sat down, signaling the camera to edit accordingly.
As Kim Guk-min and Jeong Gyeoul exchanged greetings and small talk continued.
“Two, three. Seasons of love. Hello, we’re SOL!”
SOL. The two members of the girl group leading the 4th generation idol scene had arrived.
“Hello! I’m Winter, the main vocal of SOL.”
“Hello! I’m Geum Yu-na, the main dancer of SOL.”
Kim Guk-min, PD Choi, and Jeong Gyeoul exchanged greetings, and the two joined the table.
Jeong Gyeoul seemed flustered during the process, but no one knew why.
“You managed to get Winter and Yu-na from the busy SOL? PD Choi, what kind of program are you planning?”
“Haha, I put in some effort.”
“Is it still a secret? Wow, I called so many times, but you really didn’t tell me anything.”
“Amazing…”
“Really?”
Unlike Jeong Gyeoul, who found everything unfamiliar and awkward, the two idols added reactions more comfortably, creating a warmer atmosphere.
Soon after, the trusted actress Han Seo-jin joined the table.
“Hello, I’m actress Han Seo-jin.”
“Seo-jin! So you’re joining us too?”
“Wow, I was really worried, but seeing you here, I feel relieved.”
After everyone exchanged greetings, the actual filming began.
Of course, the previous content would also be edited and broadcasted, but the main filming started now.
“Alright, let’s have everyone introduce themselves.”
The nation’s MC, Kim Guk-min.
The trusted actress, Han Seo-jin.
The idols, Winter and Geum Yu-na.
And the Hero, Jeong Gyeoul.
The five, an unexpected combination, greeted the camera one by one.
“If anyone needs food or drinks, please order more.”
“Um…”
“Yes, Jeong Gyeoul. You already have a question?”
“Can I order a lot?”
“Of course. You can order everything here.”
Jeong Gyeoul’s hand-raising and her question made everyone smile.
‘Crazy… she’s so cute!’
‘Eat it all! You can even empty the store! Although it’s not my money, I’ll cover it with the production budget!’
Hearing PD Choi’s words, Jeong Gyeoul smiled brightly, making the atmosphere even warmer.
“Give me everything here!”
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
It seemed like question marks floated above everyone’s heads.
Jeong Gyeoul’s meal size and fuel efficiency were only known within the industry, not to the general public.
Of course, no one here knew about it.
“…Are you really ordering everything? That’s enough for a staff dinner.”
“…Is it really not okay?”
Jeong Gyeoul’s expression instantly turned gloomy.
“PD Choi! Is the budget tight? I’ll give you my card!”
“Right, PD! The company gave me a card for first meetings! I’ll give it to you!”
“Wait! I’ll pay with my fingerprint!”
Kim Guk-min offered his personal card.
The idols, who hadn’t earned much yet, offered their company cards.
Even actress Han Seo-jin opened her payment app to scan her fingerprint.
Seeing Jeong Gyeoul wilt in real-time, the other cast members shouted as if they would devour PD Choi, leaving him flustered.
“Ah, no, it’s not that I don’t want to order… You all know I’m not that kind of PD.”
With a look of injustice, PD Choi managed to salvage the situation by ordering the entire menu.
“Alright, let’s eat and talk. We’ve met like this, but none of you know the program’s name yet, right?”
“Yes, even the manager didn’t know…”
“That guy is something else. I called him for a week, and he wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“…Wait a second.”
“Yes, Jeong Gyeoul?”
Once again, Jeong Gyeoul raised her hand.
“Isn’t this the variety show where we go to a school and experience being students for a month?”
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
Once again, it seemed like question marks floated above everyone’s heads.
