Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 94

< 94. Finally Eating It. >

“You’re back?”

As he returned to the dorm, Jungseo approached Rembrary and asked.

“How about the dating show? What do you think it’ll be like?”

“Hmm. It might be fun.”

“Oh, really?”

“Why, don’t people usually eat something when they go on dates?”

“Right? I guess?”

“Don’t you know?”

“I’ve never been on one.”

“Seriously, what have you been doing all this time without dating?”

At Rembrary’s question, Jungseo gave him a look that said, ‘Aren’t you one to talk?’

However, he couldn’t bring himself to tell his benefactor not to be a hypocrite, so he awkwardly smiled and said,

“I can date anytime, but idol activities have a short lifespan.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh. But why the talk about eating?”

“While filming, I might get to eat pizza.”

As Rembrary hummed along to the pizza commercial song on TV, Jungseo hurriedly blended a tomato juice and handed it to him.

“Drink this and hold on for now.”

“I want to eat pizza, Jungseo.”

Jungseo felt sorry and smiled again.

In fact, Jungseo had tried to order pizza because Rembrary kept singing about it so much.

But Jongwoo adamantly refused, saying it was absolutely not allowed until this promotion cycle was over, so he couldn’t order it.

They had just won first place in music show activities, was still filming, and soon he would be entering a virtual dating program.

Jongwoo’s nagging was that he had to manage his image no matter what.

Unfortunately, Jungseo had no choice but to comply.

Being able to work without worrying about weight would be ideal, but if they did that, their popularity would plummet immediately.

That was still the reality of the entertainment industry.

Jungseo deliberately changed the subject brightly.

“Who’s your partner?”

“CEO Shin Jo-woon…”

Taein, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation from the side, dropped the remote.

“Who?”

“And CEO Jang Tae-ri too.”

“What?”

“I am fresh and new.”

Jungseo and Taein, who hadn’t heard the specific concept yet, looked at each other and shook their heads.

What does that even sound like? I don’t know.

***

Date: July 1st. Weather: Rainy.

Jongwoo, no, Jongwoo *hyung* [older brother or male friend] keeps interfering, so I decided to record a video diary in the bathroom.

Jongwoo *hyung* is always like that. He nags a lot.

There’s a movie poster with a stitched-up mouth.

I liked that poster so much that I got one and brought it home.

“What are you going to do with that? Isn’t it scary to put up at home?”

When Jongwoo *hyung* asked, I said I would imagine the main character in that poster was Jongwoo *hyung*, so he tore up the poster.

He has such a bad temper.

But is this going on air? Please cut this part out.

Ah. I have to talk about dating.

Jungseo printed out a few pizza menus to eat on the date.

I’m carefully reading the reviews while choosing.

Jungseo is kind.

Please include this part in the broadcast.

***

Date: July 2nd. Weather: Rainy.

I chose the pizza menu.

I’m going to get one with shrimp.

But when I think about it, there are two people who will buy me pizza, so wouldn’t it be difficult if I only choose one pizza?

Recording continues two hours later.

I decided to ask Jang Tae-ri for a shrimp pizza and Shin Jo-woon for a shrimp pizza.

When I told Hyegyeol about this, she called me a dummy.

The dummy isn’t me, it’s her.

Please be sure to include this part in the broadcast.

***

Date: July 5th. Weather: Rainy. Six AM.

Today is the day of filming for .

As I woke up early and was washing up, Keshi asked me.

“What’s it like to live without common sense?”

It was a question I couldn’t answer, so I asked Taein to ask for me instead, and the two started fighting.

I was just relaying the message.

Afterward, Jongwoo *hyung* came and scolded Keshi, then got angry at me for starting the fight.

Nine hours have passed. Continuing.

On the way back from filming, Jongwoo *hyung* asked.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

I don’t know what I did wrong, but I know that a handful of your hair has fallen out, I replied, and he got angry again.

***

Today was the first day of filming for the dating show.

Rembrary habitually picked up the self-camera and was heading to the bathroom when he was caught by Jongwoo, who was waiting in advance.

“I’ll just check how you’re doing and give it back. Just check.”

He can’t delete it, but he can see the recordings.

After checking the video diary that Rembrary had recorded for several days, Jongwoo let out a heavy sigh and returned the camera.

“I guess it’s out of my hands now. I have no choice but to trust the PD [Production Director or Producer]….”

“Don’t you like my diary?”

“Did you think I would like it while filming this diary?”

“I didn’t think about you at all.”

As Rembrary said with a smile, Jongwoo stared down at him for a moment with a face full of things to say, then pointed to the bathroom with his finger.

“Go wash up.”

Afterward, he went to the salon and received ‘makeup that wasn’t excessive and natural while maximizing his face’s features,’ and then went to the studio to start recording.

As always, Jongwoo made Rembrary swear an oath before entering the studio, and Rembrary said he understood.

Up to this point, it was the same as usual, except for the filming schedule.

But something was strange.

As soon as he entered the studio, the atmosphere of the set was very different from other filming sessions.

Rembrary was bewildered and looked around.

Previously, the staff would be amazed, saying, ‘Wow, it’s Woo Yeon-woo,’ or look at him with a lukewarm expression, saying, ‘Ah, it’s Woo Yeon-woo,’ but today, they were staring at him with tension in their jaws.

Wondering why they were like that, he tilted his head, and a staff member who had greeted him at the first meeting quietly approached and said.

“We’re going to film the scene where Jang Tae-ri and Woo Yeon-woo have their first date. We deliberately chose a pizza place.”

“Ah. Yes.”

As Rembrary blankly replied, the staff member added in a voice full of vibration.

“Eat both the shrimp pizza and the shrimp pizza. Jang Tae-ri will buy them all for you.”

That’s all well and good, but why is your voice trembling so much? Rembrary wisely pushed the question that was about to come out of his mouth back in.

“Okay.”

Afterward, he got back in the van with a VJ [Video Journalist] to help him.

The VJ explained the situation to Rembrary while moving in the car.

“Other virtual shows start the first meeting as a real first meeting, but Woo Yeon-woo and Jang Tae-ri will go as if it’s their first meeting but not their first meeting. But viewers will know that the two are meeting for the first time.”

“It’s complicated.”

“You have to look real, but you can’t forget that it’s fake. Otherwise, it’s easy to become a real mess.”

Even just with the concept, it’s already a mess, Rembrary nodded while thinking.

The VJ handed Rembrary a script that was two pages long.

“Here you go.”

Rembrary received the script and opened it.

He knew from the moment they said they would create a character and decide on lines by looking at the self-camera that they wouldn’t leave him 100% free.

But when he actually received the script, it felt like he was just filming a drama like High Priest.

“Huh?”

However, the script that the VJ gave him was definitely different from a drama script.

“There are only a few lines here and there?”

“Yes. Just make sure you do the required lines that are there, and the rest is up to Woo Yeon-woo.”

Jongwoo, who was listening to the conversation from the side, worriedly interjected.

“If our Yeon-woo says something problematic…”

The VJ laughed and waved his hand.

“Our PD [Production Director or Producer] never does evil editing. We’ll cut it all out on our side.”

When Jongwoo still couldn’t rest assured, the VJ added firmly again.

“It’s true, so you can trust us. If there’s no scene worth using, we’ll just put in the scene where he says the required lines.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Yes. Besides, this is also a battle for screen time.”

This time, Rembrary interjected and asked.

“A battle for screen time?”

“There are eight characters, and the relationships are tangled. Right now, the amount of required lines is similar, but when editing, the side with more usable scenes will get more screen time, and after that, the side with the better viewer response will get a little more lines. You should worry about this rather than evil editing.”

Jongwoo smiled with a mixture of resignation and pride and muttered.

“Our Yeon-woo will secure screen time. There’s no need to worry about that.”

***

Finally, the car stopped in front of the pizza place, which was the filming location.

Before getting out of the van, Rembrary showed the lines to the VJ and asked.

“But are we really doing it exactly like this here?”

“Yes. Those lines are required.”

Rembrary nodded, took the script, and got out of the van.

The VJ picked up the camera, and Jongwoo quickly followed.

“Just go in. Go to Jang Tae-ri naturally.”

Rembrary muttered, ‘Okay,’ and went inside the store.

Less than 30 seconds after Rembrary entered the store, the customers who had glanced at the door recognized his face and shouted things like, “Oh my gosh, it’s Woo Yeon-woo!”

Rembrary waved and smiled at them, then found Jang Tae-ri and approached her.

Jang Tae-ri was dressed even more luxuriously than at the first meeting, and when she saw Rembrary, she smiled brightly and shouted, “Yeon-woo-*ssi* [term of endearment]!”

The customers who had been glancing at Rembrary widened their eyes at that voice.

“Is it a drama shoot?”

“No way. There are so few staff members.”

“Is it a variety show?”

“It looks like a variety show?”

The sound of people whispering echoed loudly from all directions.

Rembrary didn’t care about the noise and quickly approached Tae-ri and lightly hugged her as written in the script, then let go.

The people around him were even more surprised and buzzed.

However, since the VJ was openly holding the camera, no one seemed to think it was a real relationship.

“You said you wanted to eat pizza?”

Jang Tae-ri asked familiarly as she sat back in her chair.

The VJ told him to act like it was their first meeting but not their first meeting. Is this what he meant by acting like that?

They hadn’t even exchanged a word other than greetings when they met before, but now Jang Tae-ri was acting as if she had met Rembrary more than ten times.

Rembrary sat across from her, briefly checked the script, and then replied.

“Yes.”

When he first received the script, he thought it would be no different from filming a drama.

But when he actually started filming, it was a bit awkward that there were required lines and actions, and everything else was floating.

Besides, the lines weren’t connected, and it was just written as ‘Say these lines,’ so it was difficult to know when to say the lines.

For example, today, there were five lines that Rembrary had to say in the pizza place.

1. I like coming here with you.

2. Are you going to meet that person after meeting me?

3. Is it me or that person?

4. (Action) A light hug at the first meeting

5. That person can’t make Tae-ri happy.

He already did number 4 when he came in.

He has to say the remaining four lines too.

But it would be strange if he didn’t do it naturally.

Rembrary sighed briefly and looked at Jang Tae-ri.

Jang Tae-ri was smiling brightly and looking at Rembrary’s face.

She must have some kind of script too, but since she’s not saying anything, it must be just as ambiguous for her to know what to say first.

Rembrary mulled over the remaining four lines and decided to do the most difficult one first.

< 94. Finally Eating It. > End