NOVEL NEXT chapter 116
116 – Variety Show (2)
116
Somehow, the three vans arrived almost simultaneously, and the doors opened almost simultaneously as well.
“I’m sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible.”
“Hello!! I’m here!!”
“Good luck with the shoot today.”
First to emerge was Oh Hye-in, the main vocalist of Purple. Next were Ha-yeon, the sub-vocalist of Athena, and Rize, the sub-vocalist of Girl Seven.
They were popular idol group members who had been seen on TV, YouTube, or somewhere else at least once.
Although they were from different teams, they all shared an unrealistically beautiful visual center.
“For real, the real thing is better— ah, ah. Yeah, it really hurts.”
“You can’t say that, friend.”
“What’s wrong with what I said? I just said they’re pretty.”
“Can you say that in front of the goddess too?”
Jo Jae-shin’s rebuke made Joo Ji-tae nod as if it was obvious.
“Of course. The goddess is way prettier than them.”
“…?”
“…?”
“…really?”
“Really. Why?”
“…….”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Tsk tsk. You’re acting weird after dating. Are you that scared? Don’t lie too much.”
Just a moment ullam, Joo Ji-tae was scolded for saying the goddess was pretty, and now Jo Jae-shin was looking at him strangely, making him speechless.
“What’s the lie? It’s true.”
“…really?”
“Yeah, the goddess is way better.”
“Wow… even if that’s the case, how can you compare her to idols like Oh Hye-in, Ha-yeon, and Rize? They’re pretty too… you’re also quite full of yourself.”
The two were bickering when someone approached.
“Oh my, Joo Ji-tae, isn’t that Jo Jae-shin? It’s an honor to meet you. I watched all the World Cup games.”
“Wow!! It’s Joo Ji-tae and Jo Jae-shin!! World Cup heroes!! You’re really handsome!!”
“Hello. Good luck with the shoot today.”
In an instant, the three main guests of the shoot had introduced themselves in their own unique ways.
The idols’ greetings were met with polite smiles and responses from Joo Ji-tae and Jo Jae-shin, as if they were used to it.
The lively but awkward greetings came to an end, and as Jo Jae-shin watched the three idols walk away to prepare for the shoot, he tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Is the atmosphere not good? I feel a strange distance.”
“There must be a competitive spirit.”
Joo Ji-tae responded bluntly, then muttered to himself, unaware.
“Hmm. No matter how I look at it, Yerin seems more beautiful.”
“…!?”
For some reason, he felt a gaze of admiration from the side.
* * *
Among the bustling staff, Purple’s Oh Hye-in pushed her way through.
“Oh, who… oh? It’s Hye-in. Long time no see.”
“Oh, Director! I’m disappointed. We saw each other just a month ago, didn’t we? We even exchanged greetings while filming a jungle survival show.”
“I know, I know. I remember all the times I’ve worked with Hye-in.”
“Yeah~? But, Director, I’m getting good lighting on my left side today~ Can you zoom in on my left side?”
“Alright~ Left side? Okay! Just trust me!”
“As expected, there’s no one like the Director.”
After chatting for a while, Oh Hye-in approached a staff member holding a reflector and started talking to them in a friendly manner. Joo Ji-tae, who was watching, clicked his tongue.
“Wow… Purple’s Oh Hye-in is really friendly on set, just like they said.”
“That’s not friendliness, it’s good human management. Being an idol must be tough.”
“Tsk tsk. You’re always so negative.”
“I’m not being negative, I’m just objective. Look, Liz is doing the same thing.”
Following Joo Ji-tae’s gaze, Jo Jae-shin discovered Liz, from Girl Seven, chatting with the staff in a similar manner.
“Nam-hoon oppa!”
“Oh, Liz! Hi.”
“Hi! Oppa, is the reflector not heavy?”
“Of course it’s heavy. I’m doing all sorts of exercises I’ve never done before.”
“Will you reflect the light well for me today, oppa?”
“Yeah~”
“Are you just saying that? Is it really okay?”
“Oh, of course.”
With a bright smile, Liz ran off to another staff member, leaving Joo Ji-tae to chuckle.
“I guess that’s just how people are. The entertainment industry is a jungle too.”
“…Cute.”
“…Let’s just talk.”
As Joo Ji-tae and Jo Jae-shin waited, they exchanged greetings with the main MC, Yoo Jae-seok, and Jo Sae-ho.
“Oh, it’s really him! The World Cup hero! The 4th place legend! Joo Ji-tae, I really cheered for you during the game, didn’t I? So, I feel really familiar with you.”
“Hey~ Jo Jae-shin! Nice to meet you. I’m a huge fan. It’s an honor to be filming with you today. But, can we take a photo together?”
“Aww, Jo Sae-ho! What’s with the photo? I’ll take one with you too.”
With the veteran broadcaster’s skillful conversation, the four of them quickly became friendly, and the light chat came to an end.
“Let’s start filming!”
The filming began in earnest after the greetings.
The opening filming location was truly a mess.
“…Ah~ You started without saying a word. Ah, I see. It was really fun. How can you start like that without saying a word?”
“Today’s schedule is tight, so if you want, we can take it easy? We can finish a bit later.”
“No, you’re taking our leave as a hostage again. We need to finish early today, and we have a busy guest.”
“Right. As the representative of the 5th generation girl group! Purple, Nike, Girl Seven’s visual center! Oh Hye-in and Ha-yeon, Lizzy has arrived.”
Although the shooting started without a slate, Yu Je-seok smoothly transitioned to introducing the guests, and Jo Sae-ho pretended to know what was going on, but,
“Wait, Jo Sae-ho. You’re interrupting the guest’s introduction.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just too eager. Please go ahead.”
It was as natural as if they had rehearsed it, with Ku Sa-ri eating and moving to one side.
“Hello. I’m Oh Hye-in from Purple, and I’m grateful to be back on Working Man.”
“Wow~!! Oh Hye-in from Purple!!”
“Yes! Although it’s not complete without the seven of us, today I’m perfect as the cute maknae of Girl Seven, Lizzy! Nice to meet you~!”
“Lizzy~! I listen to Nike’s songs a lot. I want it~ I want it~ This is what I always listen to in my car.”
“Yes, I’m Ha-yeon from Nike, who has returned with our first regular album.”
“Ice Princess! I really like Nike, you know? Isn’t Nike the name taken from the goddess of victory? So, it’s really popular—”
“Wait, Jo Sae-ho. Wait a minute.”
“Oh, did I cut off the ment again? I really like Nike. I’m sorry.”
The people’s gaze shifted to the other side.
For a while, Jo Jae-shin, who had been watching the idol guest introduction like a spectator, opened his mouth first.
“Hello. I’m Jo Jae-shin, the national soccer team representative.”
“Yes, I’m Joo Ji-tae. Nice to meet you.”
“Wow~! The hero of the World Cup! Our Jo Jae-shin, Joo Ji-tae player!!”
The exaggerated reaction was accompanied by enthusiastic applause.
The real shooting had begun.
The shooting continued with the idol guests taking center stage.
After all, the soccer players, who were not used to entertainment, were overshadowed by the broadcast-proven idol guests, who were actively trying to get more airtime.
While the idol guests were chatting enthusiastically, Jo Jae-shin, who had become familiar with the shooting atmosphere, suddenly whispered to Joo Ji-tae.
“Is this okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Aren’t we not doing anything?”
“It’s okay.”
Joo Ji-tae, who kept covering Jo Jae-shin’s whispers during the shooting, nodded again to mean it was okay.
Although it was Jo Jae-shin’s first time on an entertainment show, Joo Ji-tae, who had occasionally appeared on entertainment programs during his rookie days, knew well.
“It’s all about us, anyway.”
In the broadcasting studio, it’s not about how much you talk, but about how much editing material you can get.
In that sense, no matter how much the 5th generation idol representative may try, they couldn’t surpass Joo Ji-tae and Jo Jae-shin, who were at the peak of their World Cup popularity.
Before long, questions poured in for the two.
“You’re both still young and part of the national team. How did you feel when you were first selected for the national team?”
“Did you expect to get such good results when you played in the World Cup?”
“Of course, you can’t leave out the awards. Joo Ji-tae player received the Golden Ball and Bronze Boot for being the top scorer, and Jo Jae-shin player received the Silver Boot for being the second-highest scorer.”
Most of the questions were about the World Cup, fitting for the time when the World Cup fever was at its peak.
At first, Jo Jae-shin, who was stuttering, was now smiling brightly and responding quickly.
“Wow, this! This is really something I was curious about while watching the broadcast.”
Yu Je-seok asked with an amazed expression, looking at Joo Ji-tae.
“Joo Ji-tae, didn’t you do really well in that match against Italy? Wasn’t it the Italy match?”
“That’s right. I did pretty well back then.”
“People were really curious about what you whispered to Paolo Pellegrini when he was substituted, and then he burst into tears.”
As the production team played back the footage on the tablet PC, Liz jumped up and down.
“Ah! I know this! I saw this!! I was really curious about it!!”
“What did you say to make Paolo Pellegrini cry?”
Joo Ji-tae smiled wryly at Yu Je-seok’s question.
* * *
“This is such a cowardly monkey.”
The signal for substitution.
When Joo Ji-tae heard Paolo Pellegrini muttering to himself after seeing the number on the scoreboard, he just smiled lightly.
“You don’t know, do you? This is men’s soccer.”
“This is such a cowardly method—”
“You’re like a girl. That’s why Italy can’t win. You need to play like a man, with passion and energy on the field. Look, it’s already 3:0.”
Paolo Pellegrini, who had been provoked by the Hollywood action of the opponent’s player and was trailing 3:0, couldn’t bear the humiliation and burst into tears.
However, the scoreboard simply displayed his number.
Under the pressure of the referee and the disappointed gazes of his teammates, Paolo Pellegrini couldn’t hold back his tears.
* * *
“Ah, that’s right? Just…whatever…”
“Just whatever?”
“I just pointed out that he wasn’t manly, and he cried.”
This incident would later become a legendary meme, earning Paolo Pellegrini the nickname “Crybaby Lady” that would follow him for a long time.