Chapter 9

"Hey, Hudeung, Hudeung, what's wrong with you?" Liu Zaishi asked, surprised, as he supported Jiang Hudeung's shoulder.

"The three major mountains of Korean variety shows, what a fitting description!" Jiang Hudeung said, striking a pose of fitness.

"Three major mountains—Jidong, Zaishi, Hudeung, you're last, you know that?" Jin Jidong said with a pleased look, but with a hint of sarcasm directed at Jiang Hudeung.

"Ah! Why am I last, Seongwon? You need to explain this to me, brother!" Jiang Hudeung, admiring Jin Jidong's cleverness, immediately put on an angry face and shouted at Jin Seongwon, making it clear that Jin Seongwon was his junior.

"Brother Hudeung, I sorted them by age. Isn't Jidong the oldest?" Jin Seongwon said with an innocent look.

"Ha ha..." As soon as Jin Seongwon finished speaking, the studio erupted in laughter.

"Oh no! Oh no!" Liu Zaishi and Jin Jidong looked as if they had been deeply hurt, rubbing their necks.

Jiang Hudeung smiled and secretly gave Jin Seongwon a thumbs up, deciding not to dwell on the matter. These scenes would definitely not be cut, and it was enough. Overdoing it would not be good, especially since Jin Seongwon was still a newcomer. The three of them understood this well.

"Good," PD Park, sitting cross-legged opposite, nodded slightly. "It's rare to see him get so close to Zaishi and the others so quickly. I wonder how he did it."

PD Park could see that Jiang Hudeung and the others were deliberately giving Jin Seongwon more screen time, but as long as the laughs were there, he wouldn't stop them.

After introducing the guests, the first highlight of the show was the dance declaration ceremony.

The first to take the stage was Junjin from Shinhwa, known as the "Dancing King." His powerful dance moves and dazzling choreography left the audience in awe, drawing waves of applause.

Suddenly, Jin Seongwon had an idea and secretly signaled to Liu Zaishi that he wanted to go on stage.

Although Liu Zaishi was puzzled, he didn't hesitate. After Junjin's performance, he announced loudly, "Next, let's welcome the returning man—Jin Seongwon!"

When Jin Seongwon took the stage, his arms began to shake rapidly, followed by a strange squat.

"Is this... Isn't this Junjin's dance move just now?" Liu Zaishi, while smoothly introducing him, felt a bit worried, thinking Jin Seongwon was trying to compete. He quickly thought of ways to defuse the awkwardness.

However, Jin Seongwon's next moves had the entire audience in stitches, and Liu Zaishi was completely relieved.

It turned out that Jin Seongwon's dance moves, after the first one, were similar in form but lacked the spirit, appearing awkward and stiff. The originally dazzling dance, when performed by him, was hilarious.

Jin Seongwon seemed to realize his dance was off, shook his head in frustration, and then started a chaotic dance, finally stepping off the stage amidst the audience's laughter.

Although Jin Seongwon didn't look very muscular, his bronze skin gave him a very "manly" look, and his subtle aura made him seem like a true "star." His chaotic dance only made him more amusing.

"Ya—" Liu Zaishi and Jiang Hudeung laughed, mimicking Jin Seongwon's final chaotic dance, causing another wave of laughter.

"His dance is impressive," Junjin whispered to Andy, noticing something in Jin Seongwon's moves.

Although Andy didn't know much about this, he trusted Junjin's skills and gave Jin Seongwon a curious look. Jin Seongwon smiled, nodded, and made a small apologetic gesture.

"He's apologizing to you," Andy, feeling more fond of Jin Seongwon, whispered back.

Junjin was slightly taken aback but then turned and nodded at Jin Seongwon with a smile.

Jin Seongwon stood in the lineup, watching the other performances with great attention. Some were dazzling and eye-catching, while others were hilarious and laugh-inducing. With Liu Zaishi and the others providing commentary, the studio's atmosphere quickly heated up.

Especially notable was Namgung Min's mysterious "dance," with his simple hand and foot movements, which were both childish and hilarious. Liu Zaishi even encouraged him to dance more, earning him plenty of screen time, which Jin Seongwon envied a bit.

After the dance, everyone sat in a semicircle. Liu Zaishi briefly asked about the characteristics of lying and then started the video call segment.

It's worth mentioning that the PD for this episode of X-Man was Choi Young-in from "Yeon Shim Man Man." Jin Jidong even asked about the secrets of "Yeon Shim Man Man's" popularity, which made Jiang Hudeung quite suspicious. This small segment added a laugh point.

Although the opening segment of the show was short, the recording took over an hour. Afterward, everyone changed clothes and took a short break, as the next segment, "Unity Horseback Riding," was the most physically demanding.

"There are no black pants left. Here's a gray one for you," a staff member said coldly, handing Jin Seongwon a gray pair of pants that stood out.

Jin Seongwon smiled, not minding, and changed into the clothes before heading to the main waiting room.

"Seongwon, come here," Jiang Hudeung called out loudly when he saw Jin Seongwon enter.

Among the guests, Jiang Hudeung was close to many artists, but he was particularly attentive to Jin Seongwon. This was partly because Jin Seongwon's performance was very satisfying, and partly because of his current situation, which made Jiang Hudeung want to lend a hand. Additionally, Jin Seongwon had also won the favor of Liu Zaishi and Jin Jidong, and Jiang Hudeung's competitive nature made him act so warmly.

"Your pants?" Jiang Hudeung, who hadn't noticed the pants earlier due to the crowd, now frowned and asked as Jin Seongwon approached.

The waiting room suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were on Jin Seongwon.

"I think wearing these pants will get me more screen time. Brother Zaishi, please help me out," Jin Seongwon said, putting his arm around Jiang Hudeung's shoulder and smiling.

It wasn't that Jin Seongwon didn't care; he just knew he would have to deal with X-Man's staff in the future. Complaining would only create a rift. Moreover, with so many people in the waiting room, any complaints would make him seem disrespectful to his seniors, which is a big taboo in the entertainment industry.

Of course, Jin Seongwon was also grateful for Jiang Hudeung's somewhat rash behavior and didn't hesitate to put his arm around his shoulder. For the usually dominant Jiang Hudeung, this clearly showed their close relationship.

Jiang Hudeung didn't expect Jin Seongwon to say such a thing and, seeing that he didn't shy away from his offer, laughed and patted Jin Seongwon's back hard.

In Jiang Hudeung's eyes, accepting help wasn't shameful; being hesitant was what made people uncomfortable. Jin Seongwon's openness clearly won Jiang Hudeung's favor.

"Ya—, what a thoughtful kid," Liu Zaishi said, nodding in approval.

"These newbies are so capable, we might be out of a job soon," Jin Jidong joked.

Jiang Hudeung's special treatment of Jin Seongwon made the others in the waiting room a bit uncomfortable, as Jin Seongwon was just an unknown artist. While they couldn't say anything, they might have wanted to distance themselves from him. Liu Zaishi and Jin Jidong's simple words effectively quelled this sentiment.

Jiang Hudeung, however, didn't care about this. He pulled Jin Seongwon's head to his chest and said, "Seongwon, I'm your brother. How can you put your arm around my shoulder like that?"

"Ah! Brother Hudeung, spare me, I'm sorry," Jin Seongwon said, putting on a pained expression.

"Slap!" A card-like object suddenly fell from Jin Seongwon's inner pocket.

Jiang Hudeung let go of Jin Seongwon and picked up the object from the floor.

"Ah—ah—ah!" Jiang Hudeung's eyes widened, and he let out a wolf-like howl, as if he had discovered a new continent.

"What's wrong, Brother Hudeung?" Liu Zaishi, curious, leaned in and let out a similar exclamation, looking at Jin Seongwon as if he were an alien.

"What is it?" Jin Jidong, usually quiet, was also intrigued.

"Seoul National University student ID!" Jiang Hudeung held up the card, almost shouting each word.

Jin Seongwon, not wanting to leave his student ID in his clothes, had put it in his inner pocket, and it fell out when Jiang Hudeung bent over.

"Wow, Seongwon," Liu Zaishi said, holding up his thumbs.

"Seoul National University's Foreign Languages Department, Seongwon, your foreign languages must be very good?" Jin Jidong asked, impressed.

"I mainly study English, Chinese, and Japanese, and I also study Russian, German, French, and Spanish," Jin Seongwon said with a hint of pride.

"Ah?" The others in the waiting room were stunned, as if struck by lightning.

"I find these languages easy to learn," Jin Seongwon said, then translated a sentence into all seven languages.

"Seongwon, I didn't mean to, brother," Jiang Hudeung suddenly put on a "flattering" expression, carefully put the student ID back in Jin Seongwon's pocket, and patted his head, saying, "Your head is a national treasure, it can't be hurt in any way."

"Ya—, Brother Hudeung, you're in trouble for grabbing Seongwon's head," Liu Zaishi tiptoed and blew a few breaths on Jin Seongwon's neck, then said with a "angry" look, "I'm so angry at you, Hudeung."

"Sorry, sorry, I was wrong," Jiang Hudeung said, playing along and apologizing carefully.

"Seongwon, sit down quickly, don't get tired," Jin Jidong walked between Jiang Hudeung and Jin Seongwon, pulling Jin Seongwon's arm.

Jin Seongwon was speechless, but he noticed that the others were now looking at him differently. They didn't doubt the authenticity of his student ID; unless he wanted to leave the entertainment industry and live a normal life, it wouldn't be fake.

"Time's up, get ready for the shoot," a staff member said, freeing Jin Seongwon from the awkward situation.