Chapter 102: Is This Really Fun?
Chapter 102 < Is This Really Fun? >
The recording of ‘Life Tavern’ began after a brief wait. The set was decorated like a cozy pub, with a table and a grill in the center that looked like something from a barbecue restaurant.
“Today, we have some really amazing guests that we had a hard time inviting.”
“I almost screamed when I saw the guests in the waiting room.”
“Me too.”
The main MC, Han Tae-hyung, announced Kim Ji-sung’s maternity leave and started the opening remarks. The assistant MC, Park Joo-hyun, chimed in.
“The emperor of the music industry, who released his fifth regular album and is dominating the charts these days, Choi Jun-young!”
“And the icon of this era! The actor, Yoo Yeon Seo!”
The MC’s opening remarks ended and Choi Jun-young and Yoo Yeon Seo stood in the center.
“Both of you are famous, but please introduce yourselves anyway. Shall we start with Jun-young?”
“Yes, hello.”
Choi Jun-young introduced what song he came back with, what the concept of his album was, and even sang a verse of his song as Park Joo-hyun requested. He finished his introduction after that.
“I’m Yoo Yeon Seo.”
Unlike him, Yoo Yeon Seo bowed his head and briefly introduced himself.
“Wow, look at that confidence. Just saying ‘You know who I am by my name alone’, huh?”
“No need for explanation. That’s right. You’re a celebrity who attracts attention in many ways in Korea.”
The MC’s styles were different. Han Tae-hyung had a gentle tone that made people feel good, while Park Joo-hyun had a slightly sarcastic tone.
That’s why everyone hated him… Yoo Yeon Seo thought and sat in the center.
“Ah, did we call Park Joo-hyun for nothing?”
“But it would be too quiet with just three people. Tae-hyung would be burdened to host alone.”
“Of all the people who had time, only Park Joo-hyun was available…”
The writers whispered to each other and glanced back. Lee Tae-gyum and Lim Seung-hyun were watching the shooting with grim expressions and their arms crossed. Lee Tae-gyum didn’t look threatening, but Lim Seung-hyun looked like he would cancel the shooting if he got annoyed.
“Wow, it feels like he’s piercing through me.”
“Park Joo-hyun knows the rumors well, so he’ll adjust himself…”
“He should. He wouldn’t dare to talk back to Yoo Yeon Seo, right? We told him to be careful before the shooting.”
The writers whispered. The sudden news of Entertainment Jump’s closure had spread quietly in the industry, and two years later, the rumors had grown to the point where if you messed with Yoo Yeon Seo, any company would go bankrupt, or that a PD who had been rude to Yoo Yeon Seo before had been fired, and all kinds of strange stories.
“But how did you two end up on this program together? I heard that Jun-young brought Yeon Seo here… Are you close?”
“Of course we are. We worked together on an island for a long time.”
“Don’t we have to hear Yeon Seo’s opinion on this?”
At Park Joo-hyun’s question, Choi Jun-young leaned back on his chair as if to say, why are you asking such an obvious question. Seeing his gesture, Yoo Yeon Seo lifted one corner of his mouth and answered.
“We’re not that close.”
“Hey.”
Choi Jun-young was flustered and tapped his shoulder. They looked close enough that Park Joo-hyun looked at them with surprise.
“Wow, is this your first time on a talk show? You know how to do variety.”
“I’m comfortable because Tae-hyung is the MC. He said I had to come on this show.”
“Really?”
Han Tae-hyung, the main MC, laughed loudly at Yoo Yeon Seo’s witty remark.
“Jun-young, you produced all the songs on your album as usual, and you always have the modifier ‘trust and listen’. How do you feel? Aren’t you burdened?”
Han Tae-hyung focused on Choi Jun-young first. Since there were only two guests, they had enough time to focus on each other. Choi Jun-young talked about how he had been doing lately, and how he had planned his album work.
“Yeon Seo… I’m sorry to say this on our first meeting, but you’re so handsome. You know you’re handsome, right?”
“I know.”
Yoo Yeon Seo smiled leisurely and answered, and Han Tae-hyung clapped and laughed. The production staff also cheered.
“What? Why is the reaction so different from what I said?”
“That’s because Jun-young…”
“Are you too obsessed with appearance?”
“Jun-young has a handsome voice.”
The concept of today’s Life Tavern script was to tease Choi Jun-young. He acted as if he was wronged according to the script.
“So, Jun-young, you’re releasing an album and working hard… What are you doing these days, Yeon Seo?”
“I’m resting at home.”
“I did some research beforehand, and there are a lot of fans looking for you, Yeon Seo.”
I’m pretty active for an actor, aren’t I? Maybe because I’ve been showing my face in the media without a long hiatus for two years, the fans are thirsty for me even if they don’t see me for a while. He smiled first. Anyway, it was a good thing that there were a lot of people looking for him.
“Well… I went to visit Soo-ho’s set the other day, and I felt like I wanted to start my next work soon.”
“Oh, I have something to say about that.”
“What?”
Park Joo-hyun smiled with a smirk. Was it a mistake to see the malice in his smile? Maybe he had a prejudice because of Lee Tae-gyum and Lim Seung-hyun’s actions before the shooting. You have to experience it to know.
But Yoo Yeon Seo felt that this was not a prejudice, but a sharp sense at work when he heard the next words.
“Did you know that Shin Ye-won said this in an interview with a magazine?”
“Really?”
“She said she had a lot of NGs that day because Yeon Seo’s face was so handsome when he visited the set.”
“Is that so? I only saw Su-ho hyung briefly and left.”
“Come on, really? You didn’t even say hello? You didn’t exchange numbers?”
Her tone seemed to be slightly nagging, which was why many people disliked her.
‘Can you believe this?’
Why did she have to bring up the actress and give the reporters a chance to make sensational headlines? Didn’t they agree not to talk about this?
Yeon Seo frowned and glanced at the camera, and the director quickly crossed his arms and made an X sign, looking desperately at Han Tae-hyung. It was obvious that Park Ju-hyun had asked a question that was not discussed with the production team.
“Ah, please, really… Who brought her here? Is this the writer?”
“Park writer.”
“Sigh…”
Yeon Seo had a decent sense of entertainment, but if this was the case, it would have been enough to have the three of them without Park Ju-hyun. The director thought.
Of course, this scene would be edited out when it aired, but it would be over if Yeon Seo’s mood was ruined.
Yeon Seo was guaranteed to bring ratings even if he appeared alone. They had to leave a good impression on him so they could cast him again later. But Han Tae-hyung was ruining that possibility every time he opened his mouth.
“What about your next work? Are you looking for it slowly? There are quite a lot of people who are curious about Yeon Seo’s current situation.”
Seeing his sign, Han Tae-hyung quickly changed the topic. As expected of the nation’s MC, it was a very natural flow.
“I’m thinking of doing something else this time.”
“Something else? Can we hear what it is?”
I’m going to join my mother’s company as an executive soon. He couldn’t say that, so he just smiled.
“What do you think suits me?”
“Wow, you’re asking me back… How about entertainment? Kim Ji-sung, who was guarding my side, is going to take a maternity leave for a few weeks…”
“Me as a co-host?”
“Why not? You’re doing great right now. This is your third time in entertainment, right?”
“I didn’t appear much.”
“Really? Don’t you want to do it seriously?”
Han Tae-hyung praised Yeon Seo. It wasn’t flattery, but an intention to make the guests comfortable. He understood why many fans wanted Yeon Seo to appear on ‘Life Tavern’.
“Hey, hosting and being a guest are different, right?”
It’s because Park Ju-hyun, who was a temporary co-host, was ticking him off. He had recently made a fuss on the internet with his slip of the tongue. He was already anxious about losing his job. Kim Ji-sung, who was the original co-host, was going to take a break for a few weeks, and he was aiming for that spot.
‘Could it be that Yeon Seo also has a knack for broadcasting… He doesn’t seem to hate entertainment.’
Of course, he could hate it. He could make a provocative scene and create an issue, which would guarantee the popularity and ratings. Then he would become the temporary MC.
“Wouldn’t it be better to sing? You sing well, don’t you?”
“That’s right. I saw Yeon Seo sing. On another entertainment program.”
Park Ju-hyun’s provocation was obvious, and Han Tae-hyung and Choi Jun-young exchanged words and turned the topic around again.
“Actually, Jun-hyung hyung said he would give me a song as a condition for coming here together.”
“Oh, that’s nice. But Jun-young, you’re not going to give him just one song, are you?”
Choi Jun-young, who was drinking water, said with determination.
“I’ll give him a whole album.”
“I can produce the whole album for you if you want. If he wants, that is.”
“Wow. Are you going to dominate the charts after Jun-young?”
“That would be great for me. Actors do fan meetings too, right? Su-ho did one a few days ago… Anyway, it would be perfect to invite him to a fan meeting.”
“Are you getting royalties, Jun-young?”
“Hey, Tae-hyung hyung… You know that.”
Choi Jun-young chuckled, and Han Tae-hyung lightly hit his shoulder and laughed.
“How about you, Yeon Seo?”
“I’ll think about it seriously.”
Yoo Yeon Seo also smiled. He thought it wouldn’t be bad to try it once since they had set up the stage for him.
And then, Park Ju-hyun, who was chiming in from the side, opened his mouth again.
“But Yeon Seo is really handsome, right?”
What was he trying to say this time… It was a compliment, but he felt uneasy. Han Tae-hyung’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Didn’t other celebrities who saw Yeon Seo in person all pick him as the most handsome male celebrity?”
“That makes sense. I keep turning my head this way. I want to keep looking at him.”
“And these days, he’s called the celebrity of celebrities, right? How about it? You must have received a lot of offers from female celebrities, right? Did you get a lot of numbers?”
“Ah, hyung, why are you saying that? It’s not the 90s.”
The director jumped up and waved his hands frantically. His expression showed urgency.
‘Why? This is how you raise the ratings. Tae-hyung’s mood dropped.’
He tried to create some stimulation, but the program’s nature was far from provocative.
“…”
Yoo Yeon Seo answered with a smile on his lips and stared at Park Ju-hyun. Park Ju-hyun avoided his gaze and blinked his eyes in the tense atmosphere.
‘What’s with that look…’
Feeling his pride hurt, he changed his target and shot an arrow at Choi Jun-young.
“Jun-young, any news?”
“Hey, when was I Jun-young? Hyung, I’m not a rookie.”
Choi Jun-young answered with a smile even though it was a rude question. He was good at controlling his expression as a singer and an actor, but he didn’t feel the same inside.
“Are you making a lot of money from royalties these days?”
“I make more than you, hyung.”
“What about the person you had a dating rumor with before? Any good news?”
Han Tae-hyung panicked and waved his hand. Choi Jun-young said he was fine and shrugged it off.
‘At least it’s not directed at me, but it’s still uncomfortable and comfortable.’
Actually, Choi Jun-young was quite nervous about Park Ju-hyun’s appearance. He had suffered a lot from Park Ju-hyun’s persistent questions when he was a rookie.
If Park Ju-hyun had kept nagging at Yoo Yeon Seo, it would have been awkward to see him later. He wouldn’t have felt good if he only got weird questions after asking to come on the show.
“Sigh…”
While Choi Jun-young was brushing it off with a smile, Yoo Yeon Seo leaned back on the backrest and crossed his arms. His legs were crossed, and he looked arrogant at a glance.
“Is this what this program is supposed to be? It’s boring.”
The studio went cold at his remark. Park Ju-hyun, who had closed his mouth in shock, finally realized his mistake and tried to fix it. He was the type who spoke without thinking and regretted it later.
“Uh… Yeon Seo doesn’t do much variety shows, so that’s why. These kinds of questions are common. They’ll edit it out later.”
“This is not a matter of variety shows, but a matter of basic manners.”
He spoke in a low voice, but he had a smile on his lips. That made him look more fierce.
“You’re not even curious, but you’re digging into other people’s love lives and attacking them. Is that fun for you, Park Ju-hyun?”
“Uh… I didn’t mean to attack.”
“Do you think dating rumors are positive for a popular singer? Do you really find it fun to ask who got whose number and stuff like that?”
“…”
“Is this something you say on air? Do this in private. No, honestly, even in private, you know it’s rude to the person who’s mentioned, right?”
No matter how much they edited it later, this was crossing the line. As Yoo Yeon Seo glared at Park Ju-hyun with sharp eyes, the director shouted in a hurry.
“Let’s take a break from recording!”
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