Chapter 86

"You're really not going to tell me how many votes you won by?

Hwang Yi-Young kept badgering Woo-Jin for an answer while they were in the car. They had to be careful at the office to maintain confidentiality, so she only had a few opportunities to openly ask him about it.

"Please watch the episode when it goes on air."

"How am I going to wait till next Sunday! They're only showing round one this week."

"Stop it. There are people like me too, you know." At least Hwang Yi-Young got to see Woo-Jin enter the waiting room wearing The Masked King's golden mask; Kang Ho-Soo couldn't even go anywhere near the broadcasting station that day. The production team had requested him not to tag along as it might expose Woo-Jin's identity. As Woo-Jin's main manager, Kang Ho-Soo was rather well-known among Woo-Jin's fans because of his physique and appearance. Initially, many people had mistaken him for a former gangster turned bodyguard instead of Woo-Jin's manager. It wouldn't help much even if he were in disguise, so he couldn't tag along in the end.

"I want to brag about it, but I can't, so it's killing me on the inside." It was the first time that an ordinary actor - not a musical theater actor - had become The Masked King. It was definitely brag-worthy. Hwang Yi-Young was dying to tell everyone about it, but she wasn't allowed to, so it was driving her insane.

"You're preparing well for next week's recording, right?" Kang Ho-Soo asked. Kim Joong-Sun had restricted access to the studio Woo-Jin was using for his practice sessions. Even Woo-Jin's staff members weren't allowed to enter unless needed for music-related work. All these restrictions made Kang Ho-Soo feel very frustrated because he couldn't get involved in anything related to The King of Masked Singers.

"I can just do what I did previously." Despite saying that, Woo-Jin's thought process was a lot more complicated. He wanted to defeat Min Si-Hoo without room for any refutation. He wanted to win by a landslide such that nobody could raise any objection or spin any stories later on. Hence, Woo-Jin pushed himself to the limits.

He knew Min Si-Hoo better than anyone else, so he was well aware of his weaknesses as well. Additionally, he could gauge Min Si-Hoo's current skills by looking at his previous performances on The King of Masked Singers. He was confident of winning over Min Si-Hoo with his current singing skills, but Woo-Jin also had help from his past lives. Therefore, becoming The Masked King was not a problem as he was equipped with the experiences and secrets from his past lives as someone who used to be a bard, singer, and master of the Sound Technique.

Even though Woo-Jin was still far from reaching his ideal level, he was still able to easily defeat Min Si-Hoo with his current skills, and he certainly didn't have a problem dealing with the other contestants using these skills. However, despite the production director's efforts, he was worried that the other singers might play it safe and choose not to challenge him. In order to leave the competition without a hitch later on, Woo-Jin had revealed in advance that he would only be doing five episodes. As a result, he might have put himself in an unfavorable situation. The other singers only had to hold out for the next four episodes. Even if they didn't take on Hanryang Doryeong, the latter would be stepping down on his own, so they wouldn't want to take the risk.

"TheKing of Masked Singers' PD will take care of it."

"How?"

"He managed to get you to go on The King of Masked Singers. Do you think he can't convince the other singers to do the same?" Evidently, The King of Masked Singers' production director was rather impressive in that regard. Even Min Si-Hoo wore a mask and participated in the program despite having ridiculed music variety programs in the past.

"You should worry about today's recording instead. Are you really going to go ahead with it?" Today, Woo-Jin would be recording an episode of TV Star with Berry Rose. Kang Ho-Soo asked for a confirmation from Woo-Jin, even though they had already established an agreement with the production team.

"Yes. The CEO has also consented to it."

"It won't be a problem, but it might get chaotic for a while. You're busy preparing for The King of Masked Singers in the first place, so I'm afraid it might be a hassle."

"Is it chaotic on our side? The production team is the one who's busy dealing with the chaos."

Today's recording would be airing next Thursday on TV Star, while The King of Masked Singers would be airing on Sunday.

"It's going to be a terrible week for you. Are you sure you want to start today?"

"That's why I said to do TV Star after The King of Masked Singers ends. I didn't want to make an excuse saying that I stepped down from The King of Masked Singers because of a mental breakdown." There was always an excuse for everything, but Woo-Jin didn't want such mercy.

After arriving at the waiting room prepared by TV Star, Woo-Jin found out they had changed the cast for today's episode. Originally, Berry Rose's Cho-Hee was scheduled to be on the show, but she couldn't make it due to a conflicting schedule, so another Berry Rose member, A-Ra, would be replacing her.

"Well, it's the same for me regardless of who shows up because I've never met them before, so it's fine with me. In fact, I'm glad that Kang Hee-Joo is going to be on the show, thanks to A-Ra."

Kang Hee-Joo portrayed 'A-Ra,' the female lead in Death Hill. She would be joining today's recording because her character shared the same name as Berry Rose's A-Ra. The theme of today's episode was 'Our Meeting Was A Coincidence.' Since they invited the two A-Ra's to the show, it seemed as though this forced coincidence was a conversation topic. However, Woo-Jin was happy with the updated cast list as he was more comfortable with Kang Hee-Joo than Berry Rose.

"It's been a while." Woo-Jin went over to Kang Hee-Joo's waiting room, and she greeted him warmly.

Since it was a dialogue-heavy program, the production team didn't feel comfortable having just Chae Woo-Jin and Berry Rose. They were unsure if the three of them were entertaining enough, and this was a considerable risk. Hence, the production director came up with a reason for Kang Hee-Joo to appear on the show, as he was also closely acquainted with her.

As Woo-Jin was on his way back to his waiting room after saying hello to Kang Hee-Joo, he ran into the two Berry Rose members in the hallway. As Woo-Jin had met Da-Young before, he looked at her first before greeting her naturally when he saw them coming out of their waiting room.

"How have you been? I'm sorry for not knowing who you were back then."

"It's okay! You were put on the spot, and now you have to go on the show because of us, right?" When Da-Young bowed and apologized to Woo-Jin, he waved his hand, saying it was okay.

Just then, he made eye contact with the girl staring at him. After researching Berry Rose, he could tell who she was at a glance.

"You're A-Ra Yang from Berry Rose, right?" Perhaps, it was because A-Ra was the same age as Woo-Hee, so he felt as though he was meeting his sister's friend.

"Yes! I'm a fan of yours."

"Oh really? Thank you."

"On that note, please give me your phone number. Let's keep in touch with one another."

"I think that would be kind of difficult." A-Ra didn't ask if she could have his number but had confidently told him to give her his number. Just when Woo-Jin was taken by surprise by her action, his savior appeared right on time to save the day.

"Woo-Jin, makeup!"

"Yes, I'll be there right away!" Hwang Yi-Young stuck her head from behind the waiting room door and called out to Woo-Jin. He pointed at her and told the two Berry Rose members, 'See you later.'

"Oppa, you allow the staff to speak to you so casually like that?"

"Huh?"

As Woo-Jin was about to head towards his waiting room, A-Ra shot him a glance as if to say she couldn't comprehend what just happened.

"Don't be too nice to the people working for you. If you're a little nice to those ordinary people, before you know it, they will try to walk all over you." Unlike the blasé look on Da-Young's face from experiencing this so often, Woo-Jin stood rooted to the ground for a moment in shock. Then, with an innocent look on her face, A-Ra proceeded to say that he seemed too generous and forgiving to other people.

Woo-Jin slowly took a step back and distanced himself from A-Ra. For some reason, he felt uneasy, as though he had stepped on a strange landmine.

***

Woo-Jin and the other cast members opened the glass door and entered the studio after the hosts explained the topic of today's episode and gave a short introduction of them.

"Our meeting is purely coincidental. He came on this show after running into two members from an idol girl group at a convenience store by chance. An up-and-coming star, Chae Woo-Jin!"

Woo-Jin bowed after Kim Goo-Jin introduced him. With so many cameras facing him, Woo-Jin was flustered for a moment because he didn't know which camera to look at like he did back in Huntsman. He was reminded of how variety TV programs used too many cameras. Just in time, Kang Hee-Joo skillfully gestured to him the correct camera to look at.

As soon as the host finished introducing the guests, Woon Jong-Shin asked Kang Hee-Joo, "But why is Kang Hee-Joo here?"

"It's a coincidence. Don't overthink it."

"Are you going to be starring in a new movie soon?"

"I'm not shooting any movies at the moment. The only reason why I'm here is because of my character in my previous movie, 'Ara.'" She gave Berry Rose's A-Ra a high five as decided beforehand. However, the latter looked at Kang Hee-Joo with a sullen glare because she was sitting next to Chae Woo-Jin. Naturally, she didn't actively participate in the conversation.

It was definitely a good thing to invite Kang Hee-Joo to the recording today. Despite being a little cynical, she led the mood at the start, allowing Woo-Jin and Berry Rose to feel less anxious.

"I think they're still nervous, so let's listen to a song first. How about Berry Rose's 'Catch Me?'"

"I can't sing right now because my throat hurts." A-Ra cutely shook her head and placed both hands on her cheeks. Da-Young wanted to stand, but she hesitated and looked around, not knowing what to do.

"We can't force a sick person to sing, but we can't make Da-Young sing alone either. Hey, Chae Woo-Jin! Volunteer to sing with her."

Kang Hee-Joo gave A-Ra a piquant smile and told her it was okay. Woo-Jin was sitting on her left; she pushed him towards Da-Young. Before Woo-Jin knew it, he went up the stage behind the studio and sang Berry Rose's debut song, 'Catch Me,' with Da-Young.

"Catch me, catch me, it's now or never~! Catch me, catch me, don't regret it later. Come take my hand~! Catch me~!"

Woo-Jin sang 'Catch Me' with Da-Young in sync, albeit in a deep voice. Thus, it didn't go well with Berry Rose's lively song. Da-Young couldn't hold it in any longer; she kept turning around and laughing because the song had become totally different - it felt heavier than the original.

"What is this! It feels like I'm threatening the person, telling them they'll pay for it if they don't hold me."

"Your effort is commendable for singing a song together with someone you don't know, but this is kind of..."

"I watched one of your videos online. You sang one of the idol girl group's songs really well, so what's with your performance today?"

After hearing the hosts complain, Woo-Jin responded after he finished singing.

"Back in the military, I sang that song so many times that I became very familiar with it. However, it's my first time singing this song today. Wasn't it good enough considering it's my first time?"

"You sang very well! You sang very well, but...." Da-Young turned around and laughed again as she spoke, while Woo-Jin shamelessly looked very pleased with himself after hearing her compliment.

Woon Jong-Shin stopped him just as Woo-Jin was about to return to his seat with Da-Young. "How can you go back just like that? You have to sing too."

"I just sang, though. You want me to sing again?"

"You have to sing your song now, 'The Wind That Blows From You.'" When Woon Jong-Shin raised his hand and said that, the hosts on both sides confirmed that Woon Jong-Shin had been listening to that song nowadays.

"I really like that song and wondered if I could ever hear it live. I guess today's the day!"

Even though Woon Jong-Shin was a singer and producer, the younger generation was more familiar with him as a variety TV program entertainer. He hadn't had much opportunity to interact with Actor Chae Woo-Jin. Furthermore, everybody knew that DS rarely allowed their artistes to go on variety TV shows, but the opportunity had arrived at long last.