Chapter 91

'If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me' Chapter 091

The preview video for "Let's Get Acquainted" started by showing a lineup of past guests.

After showcasing a lineup of famous stars, it then revealed the new guest who would cap off the atmosphere.

[This week's guest is...]

[VTIC!]

Behind the subtitles, numerous records and activities of VTIC passed by. Then, one of the members was zoomed in on. It was a famous scene of him accepting an award at an international ceremony.

[VTIC's leader]

[Cheongrye]

[Who does he want to get closer to?]

Immediately after, a new screen appeared.

[One day in July 202X]

[Cheongrye: Hello, I'm Cheongrye from VTIC.]

It was a pre-meeting video showing Cheongrye in casual clothes.

[Q: What are the criteria for choosing the person you want to get closer to?]

[Cheongrye: Well... fellow singers? (laughs)]

[Cheongrye: Actually, I haven't met many fellow singers because I've been focusing on my activities.]

A small subtitle, "The sorrow of a workaholic," appeared and then disappeared.

[Q: If you have to name just one person?]

[Cheongrye: That's tough. (laughs)]

[Cheongrye: Actually, there is someone I've been keeping an eye on recently.]

[Cheongrye: I think they're somewhat similar to me.]

The next sound of Cheongrye's voice was bleeped out.

His mouth was also blurred, so no clues could be gathered from there.

But in the next moment, almost everyone guessed who Cheongrye had pointed to.

Because a blurry clip of Park Munda's performance of "It's Me" from "Ajuja" was shown.

Since the news had already leaked in articles, it was as if they were openly giving hints.

[Who is the 'similar fellow singer' that Cheongrye has pointed to?]

[Find out next week on "Let's Get Acquainted"!]

The comments were already flooded with spoilers.

- Park Munda

- Obviously Park Munda lol

- Wow, Cheongrye rarely appears on variety shows, finally! I'm looking forward to the chemistry with the junior!

- Holy crap, this is going to be so entertaining

The best comments were mostly along these lines.

If you sorted by the latest or went to social media, you could see different stories, but the general audience's expectations were quite high.

It was rare for male idols with broad appeal to appear, and especially since the two had never done solo variety shows, their appearance on a public broadcasting variety show was significant.

Especially for one of them, it was their first public broadcasting variety show, so the fans were completely thrilled.

- Holy crap, Munda's solo variety show :(

- This show is really entertaining, and I think Munda will do well in this type of show, I'm looking forward to it

- Finally, a successful solo appearance... Adding one more win to the long wait... I'm so moved...

- (I'm already watching the live broadcast, just passing by)

There were certainly lingering conflicts from overlapping activity periods with VTIC and the complaints of individual fans within the fanbase.

But they didn't dominate the overall trend. Even individual fans of other Testa members wanted someone to break through to a public broadcasting variety show.

This was true even for malicious individual fans.

- It's not like the agency arbitrarily chose him; he was pointed out, so I won't hate him... But it feels weird that the bear-head story won first place

- Munda, don't mess this up, our idol needs to appear too

- I don't care about the bear-head variety show, so I'll mute it. I only follow the group account, so I have to keep seeing it, which is annoying

- Huh? Only Park Munda on a public broadcasting variety show? T1, give our idol more individual schedules

The negative public opinion subsided quietly after some discussion below the surface.

- Ah, I can't wait for next Friday

Overall, this was the opinion of entertainment-related communities.

And the person who was now entering the filming location with a sense of distrust was...

* * *

'This kid is suspicious.'

Suddenly, without any prior discussion, Park Munda was chosen as the variety show guest?

And he didn't even mention this variety show in the chat, not a single word. It means he didn't even consider giving a heads-up.

'This kid is trying to mess with me.'

But the company wouldn't approve of turning down a public broadcasting variety show, especially one that airs on Friday night with good ratings.

So, currently, after greeting the staff, I was approaching the filming location.

“...”

A huge wooden building loomed in front of me.

'Bad memories are coming back.'

Why wood, of all things? I suppressed a sigh and knocked on the door.

“Is anyone inside?”

Knock, knock, knock.

After knocking quite strongly, the door soon opened slightly.

“It's cold out, please come in quickly.”

“...Thank you.”

Because of the X-rated setting of being invited to a cabin in the middle of winter, I had to wear a puffy jacket in the summer, almost dying from the heat.

'They said the guest would decide the setting, so this kid must have chosen it.'

He's been inside from the start, so it doesn't affect him.

I swallowed the rising anger and entered the building.

Inside... it was a typical cabin. Not a high-end resort, but a simple facility where hikers could stay for a short time.

‘...Is it time to deliver my lines?’

I put my bag in the corner and muttered.

“I was surprised by the sudden snowstorm, but I'm glad there was a cabin.”

“Yes, I saw the weather and came in quickly.”

That's right. The current basic setting is 'a cabin in the snow, just before a disaster.'

The reason for this absurd setting is obvious.

It's a characteristic of the show.

"Let's Get Acquainted" is a program that invites a famous person and has them spend time with another famous person they've chosen.

But since such healing content is quite common, they added a unique element.

Extreme situations.

The two are isolated in some kind of extreme situation, where they have to take care of each other's safety. This is always the basic setting.

Of course, it's not a serious scenario; it's more of a skit. A back-and-forth between comedy and immersion.

For reference, the pilot episode that was a big hit was set in an apartment during a zombie apocalypse.

A soft and sweet actor from Myeongdal was chosen, and from the clips I saw, it was quite interesting.

‘The problem is that I'm appearing on it.’

Especially with a 1.8 million follower idol whose thoughts are impossible to read.

‘Just don’t give him any excuses.’

The goal is to treat him like a notoriously bad-tempered senior and finish the filming without any issues.

“Going on a hike in this weather is rare, so it's surprising to meet you here. Oh, would you like some coffee?”

Cheongrye smiled and lifted a thermos. In his other hand, he held an old, rustic coffee cup, part of the setting that he found in the cabin.

“Thank you.”

I took the coffee cup with both hands. Inside was a hot Americano.

It was so hot in the long sleeves with a boiling Americano...

“...”

I just pretended to take a sip and put it down.

Fortunately, the inside was well air-conditioned, so it was gradually becoming bearable even in winter clothes.

‘Now it’s my turn to make a suggestion.’

I opened my mouth.

“Since I got to drink coffee, would you like me to treat you to dinner? I brought plenty of preserved food.”

“Sure. Hmm... The snowstorm is still strong. We might have to wait a while, so we should eat a hearty meal.”

“Okay.”

I pretended to look out the window, which was blocked by a green partition.

‘...What’s going on?’

It’s a paid job. No point in overthinking it.

I approached the bag I had thrown in the corner and took out the preserved food.

It wasn’t something I had prepared, but something the production team had provided in advance...

A brand caught my eye.

[Convenient Boneless Chicken Feet Rice Bowl]

“...”

I’ll take out something else. Now, chicken feet are... brain food.

“Thanks to you, I had a good meal.”

“You're welcome.”

The meal time passed with light skits about why we were hiking.

“I'll clean up.”

“...No, no! We should do it together.”

Who’s trying to get rid of me by making the junior play?

As I was cleaning up the remaining plastic and containers, a loud noise came from outside.

‘Boom!!’

They’re really putting in the sound effects. I was honestly surprised.

“...!!”

“Is that thunder?”

Cheongrye frowned and went to the cabin door, trying to open it slightly.

But the door wouldn’t budge.

“...It seems that the sound earlier was a landslide. It looks like the snow has piled up outside.”

“I'll report it to the police.”

I picked up an old feature phone and pretended to report to the police, saying, “They said the snow is too deep, so they can't come today.”

“Well, then we'll have to stay in this cabin for the night.”

“Okay. Please take care of me.”

“I should be the one to take care of you.”

With that, the basic setting was established.

From now on, we were supposed to freely develop the situation, keeping in mind a few character settings for the skits... according to the production team's pre-briefing.

So I made some funny gestures, like looking for a heater and checking the windows, and then sat back down in the living room.

“The heater isn't working well. We don't know what might happen, so we should stay awake all night.”

This was the production team's way of telling us to stay up all night for the broadcast.

‘...What should I do?’

Given the structure of the show, it seemed like it was time to start sharing some sincere stories, as if we were strangers.

‘Maybe I should start by asking for advice, to fit the scene.’

After some thought, I started with a casual lead-in.

“By the way, why did you decide to go hiking today?”

“I wanted to clear my head, and today was the only time I had. Haha. Well, actually, I'm a singer.”

“Really?”

Cheongrye continued, looking a bit embarrassed, and cleared his throat.

“I'm in an idol group called VTIC. You might have heard of it.”

This ridiculous setting...

I gave a response like, “Of course I've heard of it, I'm a fan,” and then started my story.

“I also... recently debuted.”

“Really? You're a junior. What a coincidence.”

“Indeed.”

The situation setting was so unrealistic, it was like a needle's eye.

I thought we were about to have a serious conversation, but Cheongrye, who had been rubbing his chin, suddenly said something out of the blue.

“Well... since we're in the same profession and can't sleep... I have a story to tell.”

“Really?”

“Would you like to hear it?”

Who would say no to a story?

“Sure, I'll listen.”

“Haha, it's not that serious... just a casual chat.”

Cheongrye lightly tapped the wooden floor.

“Have you heard any idol ghost stories? I heard one recently.”

“...Ghost stories? Idol ghost stories?”

“Yeah.”

...I don't know if he has a particular desire for skits, but I'll play along.

“What's the story about?”

“Well, it goes like this...”

Cheongrye smiled.

“There was an idol who, one day, woke up and found themselves back in the past.”

“...”

“This idol, surprised but determined, tried to become a successful idol without any controversy... But every time, they would die in an accident and be sent back to the past!”

“...”

“So, the idol, trapped in the past, eventually became a ghost. They wander the recording studio, and when an idol who seems likely to succeed is recording, they join in, saying, ‘I could have done it too...’”

Cheongrye crossed his arms.

“What do you think?”