Chapter 8

Jang Hoo-dong was slightly taken aback but quickly reacted, his expression turning serious as he said, "I haven't seen such a bold junior in a long time."

"Only with Hoo-dong hyung, I dare to be this bold," Kim Sung-won was not intimidated by Jang Hoo-dong's expression and said with a smile, "Hyung, haven't you heard the Chinese proverb—'A prime minister's belly can hold a boat'?"

After Kim Sung-won finished speaking, he briefly explained the meaning of the phrase.

Jang Hoo-dong had intended to scare this newcomer, but was delighted by his words, especially by the ancient Chinese saying used to praise him, which made him extremely happy and unable to pretend to be angry anymore.

"Amazing!" Liu Zaishi and Kim Je-dong, seeing how Kim Sung-won defused Jang Hoo-dong's "welcome," couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Zaishi hyung, Je-dong hyung. It's mainly because Hoo-dong hyung is a good person that I dare to joke with him," Kim Sung-won boldly tried, not expecting Jang Hoo-dong to be as easygoing as rumored in the entertainment industry.

"Your courage is commendable," Kim Je-dong said, "Many juniors and newcomers have fallen for Hoo-dong's tricks and then been 'pranked,' such as dressing in ways that damage their image. I've never seen anyone make Hoo-dong retreat on the first move."

"Good kid, follow me and learn the spirit of variety shows well," Jang Hoo-dong patted Kim Sung-won's shoulder with a smile.

"Uh!" Kim Sung-won suddenly froze, then pretended to wipe cold sweat and said to Liu Zaishi and Kim Je-dong, "I was scared to death, I thought Hoo-dong hyung was going to teach me wrestling."

"Ahaha..." Liu Zaishi and Kim Je-dong burst into laughter, and Jang Hoo-dong also laughed wildly, rubbing his neck and pretending to fall.

Although he knew Jang Hoo-dong was faking, Kim Sung-won still quickly reached out to support him, "Hoo-dong hyung, I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to forget your wrestling skills so completely."

The three of them laughed again at Kim Sung-won's deliberate misinterpretation of the reason for Jang Hoo-dong's "defeat."

"Good, you have a bright future," Liu Zaishi patted Kim Sung-won's shoulder and praised him.

"Thank you, Zaishi hyung," Kim Sung-won took the opportunity to change his address.

As a result, the self-introductions became much more intimate.

Jang Hoo-dong, a former wrestler, has won the titles of Baekdu Warrior and World Warrior multiple times. After retiring, he began his entertainment career in 1993 through MBC's special recruitment for comedians, known for his active thinking and articulate speech. He won the Art Award for Entertainment (TV category) at the Korean Baeksang Arts Awards last year.

Liu Zaishi, nicknamed Grasshopper, had a long period of eight years of anonymity. It wasn't until after 1998 that he gradually became one of the most popular hosts in Korea with his warm, intelligent, and charming hosting style, and is one of the few artists without any detractors. He won the MBC Entertainment Award last year.

Kim Je-dong, known for his good relationships and extensive network in the entertainment industry, is gentle, kind, wise, and humorous, with exceptional wit.

Liu Zaishi and the others also had a very good impression of Kim Sung-won, finding him a talent worth cultivating.

"Have you memorized your lines?" Jang Hoo-dong looked at the script next to Kim Sung-won and asked.

"The lines are easy to remember," Kim Sung-won nodded and said.

"Right, there aren't many lines. But that makes it harder to perform, especially with many guests, the screen time for newcomers will be less," Jang Hoo-dong said seriously, "As a newcomer, the most important thing is not to be nervous, not to steal the spotlight, and to pay attention to your attitude towards seniors and popular stars. We will give you opportunities, you just need to seize them."

"Thank you, Hoo-dong hyung, Zaishi hyung, Je-dong hyung," Kim Sung-won bowed in gratitude, knowing that in the competitive entertainment industry, it was rare for seniors to give such guidance to juniors.

"Since you call us hyung, don't be too polite," Liu Zaishi said with a smile.

"Although you shouldn't steal the spotlight, if you can create a laugh, say it boldly. It's okay to make a mistake once or twice, we will cover for you," Kim Je-dong, seeing Kim Sung-won's potential, and because they shared the same surname, took care to say.

"Right," Jang Hoo-dong, who also remembered Kim Sung-won's earlier performance, nodded in agreement with Liu Zaishi.

Kim Sung-won thanked them again.

"Sung-won, where are your assistant and makeup artist?" Jang Hoo-dong suddenly asked.

"I just left S.M., I'm now a free agent, so I don't have an assistant," Kim Sung-won shrugged and said.

Jang Hoo-dong and the others were taken aback.

"Don't worry, if you need anything, just tell me, I'll help you. I'll have my makeup artist do your makeup later," Liu Zaishi, who was the first to react, put his arm around Kim Sung-won's shoulder and said.

It's worth noting that although Liu Zaishi is known for his warm and caring nature towards guests, he rarely makes such gestures. However, Jang Hoo-dong and Kim Je-dong were not surprised and did not compete with him, as they knew Liu Zaishi had been in a similar situation as Kim Sung-won for a long time.

"Thank you, Zaishi hyung, but it's fine, I'm good like this. I'm afraid I'll look too handsome and steal the spotlight from other guests after makeup," Kim Sung-won said nonchalantly.

"Ha ha... Good, that's the right attitude!" Jang Hoo-dong laughed loudly, patted Kim Sung-won's shoulder hard, and praised him.

Kim Sung-won didn't expect to build such a good relationship with Jang Hoo-dong and the others so quickly. In his past as a singer, he had seen many harsh seniors, so those who were called good seniors were often just not difficult to deal with. Truly caring for juniors was rare. As an artist who had been active for four years, Kim Sung-won knew how much help he would get from the three of them.

"Sung-won, what are you thinking about?" Jang Hoo-dong noticed Kim Sung-won's dazed look and asked curiously.

"I was thinking if this was a dream, to be favored by all three hyung at once," Kim Sung-won said exaggeratedly after regaining his composure.

"Ha ha... You know, it's not easy for others to get my care," Jang Hoo-dong intercepted Kim Sung-won's exaggerated words and attributed them to himself.

Liu Zaishi and Kim Je-dong both laughed, not taking it to heart. Among the three, Jang Hoo-dong, though the oldest, was the most playful, acting more like a maknae.

"It seems my decision to join X-Man was very correct, just meeting these three is enough," Kim Sung-won thought to himself.

Not long after, the guests for this episode of X-Man arrived one by one.

Although some guests had their own waiting rooms, most were in the main waiting room, and even those with their own rooms stayed here.

Kim Sung-won, introduced by Jang Hoo-dong, greeted each guest.

Lee Ji-hyun / Nam Gong-min / Lee Hwa-jin / Andy / Junjin / Lee Sung-jin / Kim Jun-hee / Dana / H.

These were the guests for the fifth episode of X-Man.

"Hyung, hello," Andy and Junjin said to Kim Sung-won. As former S.M. artists, they knew Kim Sung-won to some extent, and after a careful look and Jang Hoo-dong's repeated introductions, they finally recognized him.

"Andy hyung, Junjin hyung, I'm younger than you, so just call me Sung-won," Kim Sung-won said with a smile.

In the entertainment industry, the relationship between seniors and juniors is very important, but for popular stars, if the other person debuted later but is older, they should be ranked by age; if the other person is younger but debuted earlier, they should be ranked by seniority. This is the effect of popularity, not a mandatory rule, but a widely accepted unwritten rule.

After hearing this, Andy and Junjin only made a brief polite response and did not continue the conversation with Kim Sung-won, as they were not very familiar with him and had already left S.M., making it inconvenient to talk much.

Of course, they did not know that Kim Sung-won had also left S.M.

With the mediation of Jang Hoo-dong, Liu Zaishi, and Kim Je-dong, the atmosphere in the waiting room was very harmonious. Jang Hoo-dong kept Kim Sung-won close to him, causing everyone to look at him with curiosity, wondering what the relationship was between this "newcomer" and Jang Hoo-dong.

"Knock, knock, knock..." With a knock on the door, an X-Man staff member entered.

"Everyone, get ready, we start filming in five minutes."

The guests had already finished their makeup and did not need much preparation, quickly taking their positions in the studio.

"Real

Situation

Sundy

What a wonderful Sunday, X-Man!"

With the passionate words of the three MCs, the fifth episode of X-Man finally began filming.

"The fifth episode of X-Man, let's meet the challengers. Please come out!" Liu Zaishi's tone was melodious and full of flavor.

With music and applause, Kim Sung-won and the others entered the studio from behind the partition. Notably, Kim Sung-won was not on Jang Hoo-dong's team but on Kim Je-dong's team.

"Ya—, today's guests are all remarkable people!" Liu Zaishi, as usual, began introducing the guests one by one.

...

"The next person, most of the male guests here will be very envious," after introducing Lee Sung-jin, Liu Zaishi's tone suddenly rose, excitedly saying.

"Why? Why?" Jang Hoo-dong asked in配合, eager to know.

"Do you want to know? Really want to know?" Liu Zaishi teased.

Except for Andy and Junjin, the other guests had no impression of Kim Sung-won and looked at Liu Zaishi with curiosity.

"Let's warmly welcome the honorably discharged Kim Sung-won." After building up the suspense, Liu Zaishi pointed to Kim Sung-won and said.

"Wow—" The studio erupted in a chorus of admiration.

"Kim Sung-won, why did you join X-Man?" Liu Zaishi asked, as he did with Lee Sung-jin.

"Because the three mountains of Korean variety shows—Je-dong hyung, Zaishi hyung, and Hoo-dong hyung—are all here. To stand out, I came here too," Kim Sung-won said half-jokingly.

"Ya—, you really know how to speak!" Liu Zaishi picked up the line without hesitation, praising him.

"Ha ha..." Jang Hoo-dong suddenly burst into a wild laugh, looking as if he might roll on the ground at any moment.