TV Talent

Part Ten: Warm Up

The studio was wide and well-lit with two rows of benches lined with soft, plush cushions in the center, on either side of where their hosts seat. The production team stood behind a wall of cameras, filming the area. Linda hesitantly entered the space behind the girls. On the other side of the room, BTS shuffled awkwardly in front of their seats.

'Welcome, welcome!' 

A cheerful, buoyant voice echoed across the studio and a short man in a neatly pressed navy shirt and khakis approached them with a wide smile. Yoon Hyun-ki, the host of the show, had spent most of his life working as a comedian and scriptwriter in America. After a successful run in the American showbiz, he moved back to Korea and started his own TV show. TV Talent was wildly successful from the day it began. Hyun-Ki did not discriminate between guests, and and his crew were notorious for coming up with crazy and entertaining challenges and games. His guests were constantly kept on their toes. The spontaneity was part of the appeal on TV Talent, you never knew what was going to happen next. The treasure hunt was one of the newest and most appealing facets of the show. TV Talent was one of the hottest shows airing and appearing on it was no small deal. 

'Welcome to TV Talent! Thank you for coming,' Hyun-ki gestured to the seats, 'Please, make yourselves comfortable.' 

They sat in a row on the benches, which were angled slightly towards the center, as the staff performed a final mic and camera check.

'How are you all feeling today?' Hyun-ki asked, 'Ready for the show?' 

'Yes, yes, thank you for inviting us,' one of the boys- his nametag said RM- spoke up. 'It's an honor.' 

'It's an even bigger honor for me. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves, I've prepared a lot for today!' He flashed his huge, warm smile again, then fanned out his cards and cleared his throat. 

'Ready to roll,' the director called out. 'Ready, action!' 

. . .

The introductions and the first segment passed smoothly, even though they were a bit awkward around each other. Alright, they were completely awkward. Not a single moment of eye contact in the one and a half hours they filmed together. After a while, the crew called a break before moving onto the next segment. 

Hyun-ki turned to them once the cameras were off. 'You guys did a great job!' 

'Thank you, thank you,' they received the praise as stiffly as their interaction. 

'There is one thing I would wish, though,' he sighed. 'The energy is a little too uptight now. You do want there to be some footage we can use, right?' he added jokingly. 

'Of course, of course, we're sorry.' 

'I know, it must be difficult for you, right? Never mind, take your time to get comfortable. We don't like to rush things here.' He smiled at them and got up. 'Oh yes, there is a canteen down the hall too, if anyone would like refreshments. They make really good kimchi stew.' 

They thanked him again, then left the studio to their respective dressing rooms. As Lisa dropped onto the couch, she noticed Jisoo check her phone for the tenth time that minute. She scooched over to her side and dropped an arm around her shoulders. 

'Hey.'

'Hmm?'

'You okay?'

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. 'I'm okay, Lisa.'

'Okay, good.' Lisa bit her lip and looked away.

Jisoo raised her eyebrows. 'Come on, you can tell me what's on your mind.'