Chapter 317


A week later, filming daily life.

I arrived at the studio to shoot the real variety show.

The place for the variety filming was in a familiar broadcasting station building.

It was the same building I visited during the drama meeting.

Turns out, it was the variety show from the same broadcasting station that was filming the drama.

“Please go in.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I’ll come back around the time it finishes.”

Naturally, Park Kang-seok brought me here.

Before that, I had gone to the shop.

As I entered the broadcasting station building and headed toward the studio, I could see the filming team.

“Oh, Soo-hyun, you’re here.”

“Hello.”

“Yes, you can go inside.”

After greeting the variety PD, I went to the waiting room, where Moon Chang-sik was already sitting.

“Oh, you got here first?”

“I haven’t been here long, either.”

We just have to wait here until it’s our turn to enter the studio that’s filming.

Since I’m a guest, I have to enter right on cue.

While I was briefly chatting with Moon Chang-sik, a staff member knocked on the waiting room door and came inside.

“Okay, please go in.”

“Ah, sure.”

I stood up and left the waiting room, heading toward the bustling studio.

Upon arriving, I noticed the studio was divided into two camps.

The fixed panels were seated on one brightly-lit side, while the filming staff crowded on the opposite side.

And in between was a large monitor.

I guess today, my daily life footage will be edited and played there.

“Wow!”

“Welcome, you two!”

“The actors are finally here.”

As Moon Chang-sik and I walked into the bright side, the panels greeted us warmly.

I guess the scene with Lady Soo-yeon and Moon Chang-won will be edited to air from around this point?

For now, I settled into my designated seat.

“Wow, you’re all the hot topics lately.”

“Moon Chang-sik, it’s been a while.”

“Haha, yes, it’s been a while.”

Moon Chang-sik seemed accustomed as he greeted the panels, showing he had been on this variety show before.

As for me…

“I saw your acting, Soo-hyun.”

“Haha… Yes, thank you.”

To be honest, I felt a bit, no, a lot awkward.

Thinking about it, isn’t this my first time meeting and talking to strangers?

In other varieties, they often greet the panels ahead of time in the waiting room, but this one isn’t like that.

They claim to pursue reality or something like that.

“By the way, you two are appearing together, do you have a relationship?”

At that moment, a female panel directed a question toward us.

“Ah, us? Um….”

I briefly locked eyes with Moon Chang-sik.

Hmm… relationship?

“Uh… we can have meals together.”

“Haha! What’s that?”

The female panel who asked the question responded that way, but is there really more to explain?

We don’t meet on weekends; we’re only at the filming location.

The most we do is share a meal or exchange a few words.

“Chang-sik, do you agree?”

“Oh, me? I guess it’s similar.”

The question shifted to Moon Chang-sik, and we had a brief chat afterward.

And at a certain point where we had filled enough initial air time…

“Alright, shall we take a look?”

Now it’s time to see the actual footage we filmed.

“First up is Soo-hyun. I’m excited.”

“Right? It’s your first variety show, isn’t it?”

“Haha… Yes, that’s correct.”

“You’ll be appearing a lot in the future. Let’s take a look.”

With that, the large monitor in the studio turned on.

Edited videos and subtitles began to roll.

Acting, practicing, moving around.

It started with the footage from that second day I filmed the previous time, played rapidly.

[You have to be diligent.]

What’s more, it even previewed the clip of me having a conversation with Nam Han-kyung while eating lunch in the waiting room.

“Wow.”

“Feeling the excitement?”

“You seem really busy.”

The panels adjusted their postures and focused expectantly on the screen at that sight.

However, honestly, I felt a bit flustered.

…How on earth did they edit it like this?

If I remember correctly, that first day was…

Right, it starts like this.

In the footage, I show myself waking up early in the morning.

“Wow, you’re up early!”

“You get up this early usually?”

As the panels marveled and asked, I nodded my head.

“Haha, yes, it’s a set pattern for me.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Right? You’d want a bit of a break on weekends.”

Then, it shows me proceeding to the living room and straight onto the sofa.

“Haha.”

“You would want to lay on the sofa after getting up in the morning~”

So far, it felt like laughs were resonating.

“By the way, you look really nice for the morning.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Right? Is that really no makeup?”

“I put on a little something while washing my face.”

“Aha….”

How can I wander around in completely bare-faced during the filming?

So I remember having lightly applied something while washing my face.

After a while on the sofa, I get up and head to the dining table.

“Do you always eat here together?”

“Yes, generally, we try to eat together.”

Well, the breakfast scene was pretty normal.

After finishing the meal, I return to the living room.

Then I’m relaxing until Bok-sil appears.

“Wow, is that your dog?”

“Oh yes, my parents brought it home.”

“Now that you’ve eaten, it’s time for a walk~”

The panel probably anticipated that since we’d eaten; we’d go for a walk with the dog…

[Bok-sil, come here.]

[Bark!]

[….]

But contrary to expectations, the footage showed me being ignored by Bok-sil.

“…Oh dear.”

“Are you not close?”

A solemn atmosphere settled in an instant.

I panicked, trying to explain myself.

“I-I’ve been busy lately, and also, this isn’t my dog, so we’re a bit distant.”

“Pardon?”

“Soo-hyun, what’s….”

“No, no.”

The more I try to explain, the stranger it feels.

“I came back home after living alone. I found it here.”

“Aha, so it’s more recent?”

“No? It’s been about two years.”

“…Really?”

“…We used to be close.”

Huh? During my broadcasting days, I’d still take it out for walks from time to time.

But honestly, this was slightly nerve-wracking.

This isn’t quite the same feeling as internet broadcasts or acting.

I’m not the one leading the conversation; it’s a different atmosphere when asked questions in an unfamiliar setting.

Thus, the scene of me being ignored by Bok-sil entered the room.

After that… there I am, lying down, just using my phone.

“Wow, you really look relaxed.”

“Seems like it, right? I do that too.”

Still, while they’re showing decent reactions, the screen transitions to an interview.

The person on the screen is Mrs. Jang.

Now that I think about it, she hadn’t interviewed me on the first day but must have interviewed Mrs. Jang instead.

[Does your daughter live like this normally?]

The question was, of course, about me.

I need to articulate well… but as expected.

[Yes, absolutely, if she has no work, she just stays cooped up at home… It’s always been like this since school times.]

[Ah, back in school days too?]

[Yes, without friends, she’d just come home to play games and… watch animations.]

“….”

The panels’ gazes shifted toward me.

“Is that really true?”

“Wow, you don’t seem that way at all.”

“….”

…When did she get interviewed?

Looking at the time, it must have been around morning.

I had nothing to say, so I awkwardly tried to maintain my expression.

The screen returned to me in the room.

There I was, lying on my bed and looking at my phone.

As the screen zoomed in, I realized I was intensely reading a webtoon.

“You seem to like webtoons.”

“I like all creative works.”

“Oh… Do you enjoy musicals as well?”

“Yes? No, it’s just limited to Japanese-style subculture creative works.”

“Aha~ Those things are trending these days, right?”

What will I say instead?

Of course, I mean manga and anime.

Anyway, after that, the time on the screen fast-forwarded.

Yet my body remained motionless, just changing positions on the bed.

“Do you watch all day?”

A panel asked as they watched that.

Shaking my head, I replied.

“I only watch until lunch.”

Shortly after my words ended, I finally got up from the bed and went to eat lunch.

“Is it already lunch? You got up so early before….”

Then after lunch, I could be seen standing in front of the soundproof booth.

“What’s that over there?”

“Oh, that’s the soundproof booth.”

“The soundproof booth?”

“…It’s noisy when I’m playing games at home.”

Then the camera zoomed in on the soundproof booth, revealing the dazzling equipment inside.

The high-priced main unit, two large monitors, and microphones and cameras.

“…My, you’re really serious about your hobbies.”

“Well, yes….”

“Wow, it’s better than the equipment at our houses!”

“Haha… I invested a lot to set it up.”

With that, the subtitle “The most expensive hobby equipment among past participants” appeared on the screen.

…Who would spend that much on a hobby?

Of course, it’s for work purposes, but I chose to ignore that.

Next, the footage showed me playing games.

“Oh?”

A middle-aged actor was impressed.

“Do you play games?”

“What’s that?”

“Wow, that’s a Romance of the Three Kingdoms game. I play that too.”

“Oh, really?”

I responded with a bit of cheer, finding kinship with the middle-aged actor.

Wow, he also plays this game?

What a proud moment for me as the advertising model.

“You don’t look like a person who plays such games.”

“Haha… I just love Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

As I chatted, I expertly maneuvered the mouse in the footage, bringing up a window on the sub monitor.

Then I opened YouTube…

And the camera perfectly captured my wrecked algorithm-filled YouTube page for just a moment.

“Oh dear.”

“You seem to like those sorts of things.”

“Haha….”

So that’s been filmed.

Moreover, they even broadcast that edited video.

You mischievous broadcasting company fiends…

Is today the day Lady Soo-yeon gets mortally wounded twice?

I briefly felt dizzy at the thought of how much I might be teased by viewers when this airs…

After that, I adeptly moved through the game in the footage.

“Wow, you seem quite skilled at games.”

“I’ve played a bit too much.”

“Oh… but how long do you plan to keep playing?”

“Haha….”

I didn’t answer the cheeky question from the panel, merely managing an awkward smile.

Well…

If I keep going…

In the footage, I was seen still playing even with eight times speed…

“Uh…”

While the panels were momentarily looking on, as if asking how long I’d continue.

[Wee-ing.]

My phone on the desk rang, and finally, I stopped.

“Oh, who is it?”

“A friend.”

“Oh….”

Hearing that it was a friend made the panels expectingly glance over.

But…

[Tap tap tap.]

In the footage, I showed no sign of getting up, putting on my earphones instead.

“Uh… Are you gaming together?”

“…We live far apart.”

“Aha… how far away?”

“She’s a friend who lives in Japan.”

“Japan?”

At the mention of Japan, the panels all showed startled expressions.

“Yes, she’s a Japanese friend.”

“Oh… How did you become friends?”

“Uh… by chance, yes, just happened to be.”

I glossed over the questions regarding Tenshi.

I can’t exactly say I met her while streaming and discovered she was a native senior VTuber, right?

Hastily changing the subject, thankfully, the panels didn’t press further.

But more than that…

“…When are you going to stop playing games?”

“Ah… since it’s a rare holiday.”

Seeing me in the same spot, even when fast-forwarded, was a tiny bit embarrassing.

…I don’t do this all the time, or at least, I pray I don’t.

“Oh dear, you’re a unique one indeed.”

After a while, I left my gaming for the call from Mrs. Jang, who was cooking in the living room.

“I feel like I’m watching a teenage boy during vacation.”

“Haha! That’s spot on.”

“Cough…”

A teenage boy, huh…

I might not have had much to say that day, though.

Perhaps I should’ve gone out for a bit?

I really stayed home too much.

Afterward, we had dinner together, looked at the script for a while, and then my day came to an end.

“Wow, you really know how to relax.”

“This is what a holiday is, right?”

“You reflect energy saving mode itself.”

Though I pretended not to, I could feel the panels’ gazes on me.

“Haha.”

I also pretended not to, but felt quite embarrassed.

But it’s fine.

“I-I’ll be working tomorrow. Just you wait and see.”

Because I still have tomorrow ahead of me.

Moreover, with Moon Chang-sik here… I shouldn’t have to worry about air time, right?

I thought while waiting.

“Alright, shall we see Moon Chang-sik’s video next?”

“Oh really? Let’s compare our holidays.”

Before my footage from the second day started, Moon Chang-sik’s first-day video rolled.