Chapter 7: A Nation’s MC and a Faltering First Impression

“Hello, senior. I am Sanghyeok, the leader of Daon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah, I know Daon very well. Do your best today.”

It was Yoo Janghoon, famously known as the Nation’s MC.

Hari watched Sanghyeok’s interaction, then bowed his head to offer his own greeting.

“…Hello.”

“Oh! So our ‘Yeon’ is over here, huh? It was Hari, right? I’m a fan.”

“Thank you. Please take care of me today, senior.”

Yoo Janghoon shook hands with Hari, whose nervousness was evident, and gently patted his shoulder.

“Only twenty years old? Still a child, a child. Let’s make this first shoot a good one.”

Hari hadn’t expected the Nation’s MC to know his age, so he couldn’t hide his flustered expression as he stared at him. Yoo Janghoon responded with a warm smile before turning to speak with the PD. Only then did Hari release the breath he had been holding.

Though it was merely an exchange of greetings, the stature of the person he met left him feeling as if all the energy had drained from his body. To actually meet Yoo Janghoon, the Nation’s MC.

He was as kind and thoughtful as people said. The atmosphere on a set often shifted depending on who took the lead. In that sense, this was the first MC who had greeted him with such warmth, making him feel as though he might just endure the two-day, one-night shoot.

He was still nervous, but at least he had his members.

Pushing aside his strange feelings, Hari glanced around, searching for Se-an and Sanghyeok. He was just about to take a step.

*Rustle.*

A crinkling sound came from the snack bag he had crammed into the pocket of his long padded jacket. It would be troublesome if it made noise during the broadcast. He should have put it in his bag earlier, but he’d forgotten, leaving his pocket bulging. ‘I’ll have to put it away during a break later,’ he thought, resuming his steps.

“Hello. My name is Hari. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Yeon… no. I should call you by your real name. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hari.”

“Yes. It’s a pleasure.”

After a while, Hari seemed to grow accustomed to it, following Sanghyeok and Se-an and greeting people with ease. Having finished greeting the main staff, Hari paused to catch his breath, fixing his gaze on the floor. Although the atmosphere was more welcoming than he had imagined, he still felt overwhelmed.

The shoot hadn’t even begun, yet he was already facing two days and one night of constant interaction with strangers. He resolved to work diligently, at the very least.

‘I’ll just work hard and leave.’

Hari made a firm resolve.

Just then, the unfamiliar toe of a shoe entered Hari’s vision as he was lost in thought. Realizing someone had stopped in front of him, Hari looked up with a puzzled expression.

The first thing he saw was a pair of pitch-black eyes. Hari was slightly flustered but also shocked as he met the gaze directed at him.

It was Jung Ihyeon.

He couldn’t tell if Ihyeon had meticulously styled himself for the variety show, or if his appearance simply shone even in rags. Even his forehead, visible between his half-swept hair, looked impeccably neat. Simply standing there in a coat, he radiated an undeniable aura.

Hari was as shocked as the first day he saw Sanghyeok’s face. Although he had encountered him at an awards ceremony, he had been too distracted to properly see his face then. Now, seeing him so closely, Hari suddenly understood why he was so popular.

Of course, in his eyes, Sanghyeok was the most handsome. But Hari had almost wavered in that conviction just now, so he looked at Ihyeon with renewed interest.

“Hello.”

“H-hello?”

The man greeted Hari casually. Hari instinctively replied to the man’s greeting, yet felt a deep sense of bewilderment.

‘Why… why did he come over?’

Hari was utterly flustered, never having imagined Ihyeon would approach him first. Furthermore, after offering the greeting, the man said nothing more. Growing increasingly awkward, Hari’s eyes darted around uncomfortably before he managed to force a smile onto his face.

Hari unconsciously fiddled with the snack bag in his pocket. While it was hardly appropriate behavior in front of such a senior figure in the entertainment industry, Hari was so flustered that he seemed unaware of his frozen posture.

“Hmm.”

Soon, Hari realized where Ihyeon’s gaze was fixed and gasped in surprise, quickly apologizing.

“S-sorry.”

Oh my goodness. It was nothing short of insane. A junior so green, in front of Jung Ihyeon. Only then did Hari realize his hand was in his pocket, and he hastily pulled it out, his face pale.

*Thud.* At the same moment, Hari’s heavy snack bag dropped to the floor. Hari froze, staring only at the fallen bag. A few chocolates had even spilled out. It was truly a complete disaster.

They said first impressions were the most important. To have his hand shoved in his pocket in front of such a senior—he would have no excuse if he were reprimanded for being disrespectful.

However, contrary to Hari’s expectations, the man bent down, picked up the snack bag, and gently placed it back in Hari’s hand.

“Be careful. You might drop it again.”

A gentle, low voice brushed past Hari’s ear. Hari felt a wave of relief at the man’s entirely unangered tone and gripped the bag tightly in his hand.

“Thank you…”

Hari’s words were followed by a silence that settled between them. In the unbearably awkward atmosphere, Hari fidgeted with his clasped hands, pressing his fingertips with his nails. ‘Should I say something? As the junior, it’s probably my place. But what should I say?’

The man, who had been observing Hari as he pondered with his small head, swallowed dryly. Then he opened his mouth.

“Do you remember me?”

“Yes… from the awards ceremony.”

Hari nodded more actively than before at his question. He couldn’t possibly forget. Hari looked up at the man, feeling a little unfamiliar. He hadn’t expected to be able to talk to him so intimately. Seeing someone he’d only ever seen on screen right in front of him felt novel.

“…I didn’t expect to meet you again like this.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nice. This, too.”

Jung Ihyeon. The man to whom Hari had given the plum blossom at the awards ceremony looked down at him. Ihyeon’s face, adorned with a soft smile, made Hari’s heart feel warm just by looking at it. His kindness was so profound that Hari couldn’t understand why he was looking at him with such an expression.

“Ihyeon, just a moment!”

Hari, who had been staring blankly at Ihyeon, startled and turned around.

The MC, Yoo Janghoon, and even the main PD seemed to be waiting for Ihyeon. Ihyeon let out a small sigh.

“I wanted to talk more, but I have to go. Thanks to you, the drama ended well. The song was really good.”

“Ah. Thank you, senior. Your acting was… incredible too.”

“Thank you. Well, have a good day today.”

Perhaps due to the calls from behind him, Ihyeon concluded their conversation without further words. As Ihyeon departed, Hari finally relaxed and exhaled.

‘Still… he seems like a good person. Even though I acted so foolishly, he spoke to me kindly.’

Hari, aware of his embarrassing behavior, pressed his eyelids with a tired expression before looking up. It was a true relief that Ihyeon was such a kind person.

“Hari. Are you done with your mic?”

“Ah. Not yet.”

“Come here. It’s time to put it on.”

Sanghyeok and Se-an already seemed to have their microphones attached. Hari, responding to Se-an’s gesture, approached the staff member holding the microphone and naturally raised both hands.

“What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much… He just said hello and that he was happy to see me, then left.”

“Hmm, really?”

Sanghyeok glanced at Ihyeon, then turned his gaze back to Hari.

Meanwhile, Hari swallowed hard as he put on the microphone. He had thought his tension had eased after greeting people and finding the atmosphere surprisingly pleasant, but he was far from it. As the mic was attached, the reality of the shoot set in, and a wave of nervousness began to wash over him.

“Let’s go wait too.”

“Yes…”

Even amidst that tension, preparations for the shoot were proceeding smoothly.

Now, the shoot was truly about to begin.

****

“Our guests today are very hot topics, aren’t they?”

“Oh. I think I know who it is, hyung.”

Comedian Kwak Dusik confidently replied to the main MC Yoo Janghoon’s words. Yoo Janghoon, giving Kwak Dusik a look of cool disapproval, continued to speak.

“Of course you know. We already greeted each other before the opening, didn’t we?”

“No, if you say it like that, what does that make me?!”

“The era of acting like that is over now. Huh? You have to approach it genuinely!”

“Why are you making me out to be a liar, hyung?”

“Now, returning with a broken cane, Daon!”

Yoo Janghoon ignored Kwak Dusik’s words and introduced Daon. Kwak Dusik glared at the teasing Yoo Janghoon with an aggrieved expression. He huffed, stepped forward, and then, as Daon appeared, returned to his original spot and clapped like the other cast members. His expression was one that would clearly be captioned with phrases like ‘Seriously, this hyung…’ and ‘Unfair’ on broadcast.

Hari, who had been watching their comedic banter, flinched at the phrase introducing Daon. He had seen it written in the script beforehand, but hearing it in person made him a little embarrassed. No matter how much of a hot topic it had become, it was still an accident caused by a mistake. The memory of that day spontaneously resurfaced, making his face flush.