“Oh dear, this is Su Hyuk. How have you been?”
Su Hyuk said, swallowing lightly. Just a tiny sound, hardly audible to the other party.
‘Why am I so nervous over something like this?’
Just a moment ago, he had been in the director’s office after being called in, but this felt even more nerve-wracking.
And it was understandable. The person he was trying to recruit with this call was as big of a deal as the director himself. An influential figure in the online world, someone who could shake up the entire industry just by having a thought.
Especially for Su Hyuk, she was like a savior.
Kayak was the reason Su Hyuk, a somewhat unremarkable PD, reached his peak. She had appeared on the program “Midnight Talk,” which could practically be considered the starting point of his career, and helped it become a massive hit.
It would be fair to say that her role was significant in why he was here now, marking the beginning of his glory days and landing him several more programs afterward. In simpler terms, he owed her quite a bit.
Of course, even putting those reasons aside, she was still someone not easily dismissed.
“Oh, PD.”
“Yes, yes, it’s PD Su Hyuk. Uh, you remember me, right? We met when you were on Midnight Talk?”
“Shine Muscat.”
“Pardon?”
“I enjoyed the Shine Muscat, it was delicious.”
She was probably talking about the Shine Muscat he had sent as a gift during the last Seollal.
Su Hyuk was slightly flustered since it was an unexpected topic of conversation.
“Oh, yes. I sent them because they were sweet and fresh, so I’m glad you liked them.”
Honestly, he didn’t even remember sending anything like that. He figured she was just making polite conversation.
After they exchanged pleasantries, he got to the point.
“The thing is, I’ve got a new program coming up…”
“Yes.”
“It’s a dating variety show… You know the shows like Love Village or Destiny, the Dating Market? It’s kind of similar to those.”
“Nope, I haven’t watched any of them.”
“Uh, I see. That’s fine. Can I explain it to you briefly?”
“Sure.”
Her tone was flat. He couldn’t even guess if she liked the idea or not.
“I should have just met and talked like last time.”
“If I had, I might have been able to read her expression.”
“But it was unavoidable. The issue of the cast needed to be resolved quickly, and the list had to be finalized.”
“In his ideal lineup, Kayak was perfect, but if she refused the offer, he would have to find someone else as soon as possible.”
“The male cast was already confirmed. What’s left are the female participants, specifically someone to take on the role of the ‘catfish’ for the broadcast.”
“He had candidates in mind, like a former singer, a current dancer, and a former Miss Korea turned shopping mall CEO, but they all felt like disappointing options compared to Kayak.”
“Thus, Su Hyuk was desperately hoping, though he didn’t show it, that Kayak would accept the offer.”
“So, this is how it’s going to be; what do you think?”
“Umm…”
“A voice that didn’t convey any meaning. After a brief silence, Kayak asked.”
“But is it okay for me to participate if I don’t have any intention of dating?”
“Was she worried about that? Su Hyuk thought she was surprisingly innocent, contrary to how she appeared.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that! Most people participate without any interest in dating.”
“Really? So, everything about dating or flirting in there is just scripted?”
“Uh… there are real moments, but also scripted parts. We do some directing to spice things up for the show.”
“…That sounds a bit lame… I used to watch those shows completely absorbed.”
“Her voice sounded a bit down, as if genuinely disappointed. What he meant to alleviate her burden seemed to have backfired.”
“There are many couples who end up really connecting during filming! I even went to a wedding of someone I know who got married after doing the show… If Kayak-san finds someone you like, you can meet them there.”
“No, I’m not looking to date. I just feel like I’ve discovered the secret red pill of dating shows…”
Earlier, she said she didn’t watch any famous dating shows, and now suddenly bringing this up? It was hard to gauge where to align; she was tougher to read than the director, who was his immediate superior.
“Anyway, do you have any thoughts? You can just come out and do as you please, Kayak-san. Even if you come just to relax, that’s fine. The filming location is a pretty famous resort.”
“You just need to do it. After you come out, you can just relax and leave; that would be enough. The filming location is quite a famous resort, you know.”
“Hmm… But if I actually appear, I can’t just stand still, right? I feel like I have to give you some content.”
“That would be great! But you really don’t need to feel pressured about it. Just having Kayak here will bring life to the show, and I think we’ll get a lot of content, you know? That’s just my instinct…”
This was Su Hyuk’s instinct after watching countless romance shows to properly set up the ‘Solo Party.’ He felt strongly that just Kayak appearing would create something entertaining.
Once all the explanations were done, Kayak, who had briefly pondered, responded.
“I’ll do it.”
“Okay! Then I’ll send you the detailed schedule and script. But, you know, you won’t have that much filming time. You’ll be participating as a catfish role starting from the middle of the program, unlike the other participants…”
“Catfish? Am I the catfish?”
There was a hint of confusion in her voice. Su Hyuk then explained.
“Yes. Ah, I should explain what a catfish is. In a dating show, a catfish is somewhat of an ecosystem disruptor, a powerhouse in the dating market, and a key player who shakes things up…”
“I know what it is. But, me? Can I really pull off the catfish role?”
“…You’re questioning if you can really do the catfish role?”
She seemed to lack confidence, which was unusual for her. Su Hyuk let out a chuckle for a moment.
Then, with a serious tone and lowering his voice, he said something meaningful.
“I can say with confidence that there’s no one more suited to the catfish role than you, Kayak.”
His words were filled with such conviction that he wouldn’t accept any rebuke. In fact, he firmly believed that the show would unfold just as he had described, without any doubt lingering.
“Well, okay… Since you’re the PD and an expert, you probably know better than I do.”
Kayak, the actual person involved, merely tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand.
*
After that, Kayak seemed to become inexplicably busier following her real-time dog-rearing broadcast where she adopted a dog.
Even though she didn’t show it, it’s true that the frequency of her streams decreased and the total broadcast time was shorter.
The viewers were the quickest to notice this change. They were the type to assign meaning to even the slightest actions of Kayak and react sensitively, so there was no way they wouldn’t catch on to the decrease in her broadcasting.
The viewers were the first to notice faster. They were the type to attribute meaning to even the smallest actions of Kayak and react sensitively, so they couldn’t possibly miss that the total amount of broadcasts had decreased.
[Me]
[What’s going on, Broadcast Host? Why do you look so busy?]
[Rock]
[Stand up straight, Kayak! Why didn’t you turn on the broadcast yesterday?]
[Please do longer broadcasts, Teacher… The early morning feels so lonely.]
[If the broadcast time has decreased, how about we all use the extra time for self-improvement?]
[Self-improvement, pfft. Those who know how to do that aren’t here.]
[Isn’t watching broadcasts a form of self-improvement?]
[What are you preparing again? Haha, a surprise event, haha!]
[If you think you can get through today with just Mila’s charm, you’re mistaken.]
[Right, right! Even the Broadcast Host needs some charm! Bring in Mila, and then you should charm the Broadcast Host, too!]
The viewers’ complaints were overflowing. In summary, they were upset that both the number of recent broadcasts and the broadcast times had noticeably decreased.
“Ahem.”
Kayak smiled and said, “You all know I’m not the type to just waste time, right?”
It was a subtly suggestive remark that something special was going on behind the scenes, just like in previous instances.
[Are we getting something big??]
[Isn’t that just bluffing?]
[If nothing big comes of this, it’ll be legendary, haha!]
[Are we getting a 48-hour nonstop shameful dance broadcast??]
[Since there’s an event, I just wish you’d do steady broadcasts…]
[They said they’re preparing something, guys, just wait a bit.]
Some viewers shot doubtful glances in that direction, but…
“I’ve been a bit busy preparing things, and it’s almost done. I think next month I’ll be able to show you the results. Soon we’ll be back to normal broadcasting…”
Kayak added, “Anyway, feel free to look forward to it. I’m not sure if you’ll like it or not… but I found it fun.”
[What the heck is it??]
[What are you up to now?]
“I don’t know if you’ll like it or not” <<< That's a content that can trigger a viewer's meltdown.]
Those words made the listeners feel very uneasy.
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