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.
“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!”