A terrestrial cable channel Q-Twish, established in collaboration with QBS and Twish.
Nam Hyunmin, the PD, faced a significant and yet very mundane dilemma today.
“Why on earth should the viewers watching TV tune into our broadcasting?”
The Academy Competition is broadcasted with one caster, one professional commentator, and one guest commentator, excluding KBS.
In general, the early success of a broadcast tends to hinge more on the fame of the guest commentator than on the professional commentator.
Thus, they invite celebrities who usually have a deep interest in the Magic Battle as guest commentators.
Singers, actors, sports stars, idols, and in rare cases, the heads of entertainment agencies may also show up.
However, the downside of using amateur commentators is clear.
If viewers determine that the expertise is lacking, they will quickly turn cold and switch channels in no time.
Once again, Nam Hyunmin found himself walking a tightrope between popularity and professionalism.
“Is there no fresh face this year?”
At the question posed by the overall PD Nam Hyunmin, his juniors began to brainstorm.
“What about Raika from the idols? She mentioned being a huge fan of the Magic Battles when she appeared on a variety show last time. She was also the top student in Magic Studies back in middle school.”
“You must have missed yesterday’s news. Raika got scooped up by SBS already. Oh, how about Minwoo? He has experience as an MC on Music Core, and he’s articulate!”
“Wait, who’s Minwoo again?”
“How can you not know NCT?”
“I don’t know! It’s my first time hearing about them.”
“How is that even possible…!”
If they’re famous, they lack professionalism, and if they focus on expertise, the name recognition is somewhat disappointing.
By the time someone satisfies both criteria, major broadcasting stations have already snatched them up.
The never-ending Monday morning meeting.
Just as Nam Hyunmin was about to step out for a smoke on the rooftop, he received a call from a friend he’s known for 20 years.
It was Hwang Jin-gu, the coach of the World of Arseria’s first-string pro gaming team.
As he checked the message, the eyes of PD Nam Hyunmin gradually lit up with excitement.
“Hwang-gu, you’ve done something great, huh!”
The person he mentioned was none other than NoName.
Nam Hyunmin PD was slightly taken aback upon hearing that name for the first time, but when he thought about it, there was no one more fitting than NoName.
“Fame? She’s more recognized than most celebrities. Expertise? She’s a High Wizard, for crying out loud.”
It’s common to invite Academy graduates as commentators.
However, having a current Academy student taking the role would likely be a first in broadcasting history.
Anything ‘first’ usually comes with a premium title.
Feeling a jackpot coming, PD Nam Hyunmin directly contacted NoName to adjust her schedule.
[NoName will appear as a guest commentator for the Seoul Regional Academy Competition.]
The moment he confirmed her willingness to appear, he swiftly released an article before lunch.
*
The main event is on a Monday.
I had asked her to visit the broadcasting station beforehand, and we agreed to meet on Wednesday when the rehearsal was scheduled.
“Wow, there are a lot of people.”
The area in front of QBS Broadcasting Center was bustling with office workers.
The cool autumn wind blew, and the school uniform ties fluttered over their white shirts.
It’s quite rare to see a girl casually wandering the streets in an elementary school uniform on a weekday afternoon.
So, unsurprisingly, as I stepped forward, I felt 20 to 30 pairs of eyes gathering around me.
Just as I was about to rush to contact the PD who said he would come to meet me, I noticed an uncle waving from a distance who looked exactly like his profile picture.
“Hello, Na-me! Oh, I’m sorry for being late! I got stuck with a leech on the way. Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here too. Who’s this by your side?”
I glanced at the woman who was following Nam Hyunmin PD.
“This person is the youngest PD from the entertainment department. She wants to film a video following you around the broadcasting station today. If you feel at all uncomfortable, I’ll have her leave right away.”
“Having someone film me isn’t going to ruin my face. I’m fine with it. I look forward to working together today.”
“Whew, all right! I’m Kim Jinsol, PD! Let’s do our best together!”
Together with Nam Hyunmin PD from the sports department and Kim Jinsol PD from the entertainment department, we entered the QBS studio building.
Nam Hyunmin PD gave me a brief rundown of the schedule.
Today’s agenda didn’t include anything special.
We were to watch the rehearsal footage sent by KBS with Yoon Geon, the caster, and discuss for 30 minutes to an hour about how we would interact in a lively back-and-forth.
“If you have any questions, Na-me, Kim Jinsol PD will find the right person and guide you. You can manage that, can’t you?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, sounds great! Don’t worry too much today, just enjoy it! Remember, the key is the practical experience!”
Once the veteran left, only the two fledgling PDs were left.
Kim Jinsol, clearly wearing her rookie badge.
As we exchanged awkward glances, I finally broke the silence.
“By the way, where’s Yoon Geon? I heard I could find him in the conference room earlier.”
“Ah! Um… which conference room? There are several. Give me a moment!”
That’s how we got lost in the middle of the building.
*
During my time as a junior PD, the editing duties imposed by seniors were exhausting enough, but Kim Jinsol was ambitious far beyond that.
A so-called workaholic who sought out her own tasks.
She planned to film what the entertainers who enter and exit the station are doing.
And NoName was happy to become the third guest.
Na-me’s first impression was that of a child actress style that every single broadcasting station staff member would unanimously agree upon.
For lead actors, it’s not merely about being handsome or pretty; they must also have their own thick aura, which NoName exuded perfectly.
“I feel like my commentary might not be very clear. Maybe it’s because my explanations are too lengthy?”
Yoon Geon, the caster, and Na-me sat side by side at the desk as they watched the rehearsal.
After taking a sip of her apple juice, Na-me voiced her concerns about the script she wrote.
“In such cases, it could help to lower the audience’s level of understanding. Viewers may be curious, but they don’t want to know everything, you know?”
“Not wanting to know everything… I get what you mean.”
“What would you say if someone asked when a rainbow appears?”
“Technically, it requires the sun, acting as a light source, and raindrops, acting as prisms, to be positioned opposite each other, but it’s best to say that they appear sometimes after a shower, depending on the questioner’s level.”
“That’s right. And if that phenomenon keeps happening, the questioners themselves will gradually become curious and it won’t be too late to explain then, right?”
“Oh, then we can add variations to make the commentary less dull. That’s really a good approach.”
“Haha, Na-me, you’re just too cute.”
“Me?”
Yoon Geon, having been through years of Academy Competition commentary, provided detailed feedback from the side.
Watching Na-me absorb it all, Kim Jinsol couldn’t help but admire her inwardly.
She took the often-used vocabulary from commentators and replaced words appropriately.
NoName transformed from a free-flowing streamer commentary style into a storyline-driven expert commentator.
There was hardly any trace of her former inexperience left.
All of this happened in just one hour.
After Yoon Geon left for the next schedule, Na-me remained in her seat, analyzing matches from the past competitions.
“Can I ask what you’re working on right now?”
“I was contemplating how to make the commentary for the competition resemble a detective novel.”
“A detective novel?”
“Yes. Continuously throwing direct and indirect hints about advantages and disadvantages throughout the match. Guiding the viewers to piece them together appropriately so in the end, they can derive reasonable predictions about victory and defeat themselves. It’s not easy, especially since there are many matches that conclude abruptly without any foreshadowing.”
whoosh—
A whisper of wind slipped through Na-me’s lips.
“I can tell even from our short meeting that you’re quite the hardworking person, Na-me.”
“Really?”
“Guest commentary can simply be navigated if one is determined to do it adequately. But is there any particular reason you’re so passionate about it?”
Na-me hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“Honestly, the initial decision to do guest commentary was because I wanted to show off to others. Given that I couldn’t participate in the Academy Competition due to height restrictions, I thought, ‘Why not commentate and at least score some points?’ But I realized how challenging it is to convey expertise with refined language, and it has to be fun on top of that. However, I know what my shortcomings are, and knowing that improvement is possible with effort keeps me motivated to keep at it.”
“Wow…”
For a brief moment of admiration, Na-me suddenly stuck out her short tongue in a playful way.
“And to be frank, I think it’s better to explain better alternatives to the viewers rather than ignoring my shortcomings. But I need to ensure the ones listening aren’t offended, right? So, moving forward, I plan to study how to critique while keeping it entertaining.”
She added that this would apply to both Sephiron and Altair, her round eyes twinkling with excitement.
There was no such thing as biased commentary with Na-me.
