Chapter 63

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the SBS variety show "Starking" officially began its recording.

"Deadly strikes, pits within pits, huge pits!"

Looking at the large-headed, fat man on stage, who was wearing a plaid shirt and dress pants and looked excited, the audience below responded with the usual cheers and applause.

On the right side of the stage were today's guests, including previously seen Kim Tae-yeon, Shin Ji, and the recent regular guests, Bom, Lu Se-yeon, Jo Hye-ryun, Yoon Jeong-su, Jeong Ga-eun, and other artists. Overall, the majority were comedy entertainers.

But that didn't matter much; what mattered was...

"Damn! How did this girl end up on the show too!" Li Huanle, who was standing behind the stage with the rookie band, suddenly exclaimed when he saw Jiang Minjing, wearing a black fitted jacket, a white T-shirt, and jeans, sitting among the guests, clapping and smiling.

Beside him, Kim Ae-nam, wearing a headband and still dressed in hip-hop style, looked at Li Huanle's strange expression, followed his gaze, and said with surprise, "Isn't that Minjing?"

"Back off, Minjing is my sister, not yours. Go find your beloved Ae-seok!" Li Huanle replied irritably. He was speechless about Jiang Minjing's appearance among the guests. This girl clearly knew he would be on the show, so why did she come? The only possible explanation was that she did it on purpose.

Punk Lolita Jeon Bora and Lee Ji-hyeon, wearing a red tight-knit sweater, black short skirt, and black high heels, also looked curiously. However, they both knew Jiang Minjing was Li Huanle's sister, so it wasn't strange. They just thought that the public didn't know about Jiang Minjing having such a brother, so they had to be careful not to slip up.

"Stay away from me!"

Beside them, Kim Ae-seok, seeing Kim Ae-nam, who had been scolded by Li Huanle, approaching him, immediately called out defensively. His eyes... why were they so strange?

Kim Ae-seok almost lost his temper, but if not for Li Huanle's hum, the two might have fought again.

And the often unpredictable Jung Joon-young was unusually quiet today, seemingly aware of the importance of this performance. This made Li Huanle somewhat surprised and relieved. He turned to look...

#!!!!!

At that moment, Jung Joon-young was standing there, swaying, his eyelids drooping, looking... sleepy.

"It's all up to you guys!"

Li Huanle walked up to the two girls, patted their shoulders solemnly, and expressed his final hope.

Jeon Bora and Lee Ji-hyeon reacted quite differently.

"I'm not here for you!" Jeon Bora quickly backed away a meter and said with a pout.

Lee Ji-hyeon, on the other hand, smiled and replied, "Actually, you don't need to be so nervous. We're all going on stage together, five of us!"

"Haha! What are you talking about, being nervous!" Li Huanle laughed dryly, his stiff shoulders suddenly relaxing.

Looking at the understanding beauty in front of him, Li Huanle suddenly felt more at ease. 'That's right, what's there to be nervous about? Being on the show won't ruin anything. There's always a way out, and people have their ups and downs... spit, spit, spit, just work hard!'

Beside him, Kim Ae-nam also walked over and patted his shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry. I can't promise anything else, but I won't mess up the singing. I'm not just talking big. Compared to some guy in white, my skills have been honed through countless street battles!"

"Damn, what do you mean by that!"

"Rude! Who are you calling a damn, I'm your elder brother!"

"I'm a peacekeeper, fearless against the powerful. I'll fight you to the end!"

"Today, you'll learn the power of an elder... Ouch, damn, you actually hit me!"

...

"Today, our first guest..."

"#$%...#"

"I'll fight you to the end!"

Just as Kang Ho-dong was introducing the rookie band according to the host card, a commotion suddenly erupted from the back.

The audience, guests, hosts, and staff all looked stunned, especially the backstage staff, who were all sweating.

Kang Ho-dong, a semi-god-level MC with extensive experience, also broke out in a cold sweat when he heard the noise, which sounded like a fight. He thought, 'This can't be happening. The show just started!'

...

"Mr. Li Huanle, please, you have to stop them!" A staff member, seeing the Kim brothers already grappling on the ground, ran over anxiously to ask Li Huanle to mediate.

At that moment, Li Huanle was much calmer. He was helpless about the two troublemakers. After they fought for a while, he walked over and said calmly, "I'll give you five seconds to get ready to go on stage. Otherwise, you'll be facing a 2v1. I haven't played this friendship-strengthening game in a long time, and I'll make sure you enjoy it!"

"Ha! I was just joking with my brother!" Kim Ae-seok quickly pulled Kim Ae-nam, who seemed weaker, to their feet. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, looking like good brothers. Even the sleepy Jung Joon-young looked speechless, thinking, 'These guys are all so weird. My brother is friends with these people, so he must be... weird too?'

The small commotion ended there. On stage, Kang Ho-dong, seeing the writer's board indicating to continue, excitedly introduced the next segment.

"The first music video received 2.5 million views in three days!"

"The second music video got over 2 million views in a single day!"

"Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"The Happy Musicians!!"

Many of the audience members had specifically requested to see the Happy Musicians and the rookie band. After all, in "Starking," the stars were mostly supporting roles, and the so-called odd talents were the main attractions.

However, the audience was not large, only about twenty to thirty people, and they all looked relatively young.

Kang Ho-dong, looking excited, said, "That's right!! Now, please welcome the Happy Musicians and their rookie band, bringing their latest creation!"

"Puff, puff, puff!"

A burst of dry ice, and the wooden door behind the stage opened, revealing five men and women dressed in various styles.

The hip-hop-styled Kim brothers with their bizarre pineapple heads.

Chung Joon-young, the panda boy, wearing a black windbreaker and a punk retro outfit.

Punk cool girl Jeon Bora.

And the sexy and sweet Lee Ji-hyeon.

It had to be said that the five of them were indeed very eye-catching. As soon as they appeared, they drew the attention of the audience and even the guests looked over.

The audience gave them a warm round of applause and cheers, but why were there only five people? Where was the masked man, Uchi...?

A chair and a microphone stand were already set up in the middle of the stage. After the five of them stepped onto the stage, their playful expressions vanished.

Even the Kim brothers, who still had red marks on their faces, looked very serious. They had no other thoughts; they were there to help Li Huanle, and they didn't need any reason. Just because of their good friendship, they would help with anything.

Chung Joon-young was not a complicated person. After stepping onto the stage, he also became more serious. This was not just about being responsible to someone else but also to himself.

Jeon Bora and Lee Ji-hyeon were both excited and nervous. They had finally stepped onto this stage, a real stage, though small, it was a significant step forward.