Chapter 398

QBS and Twish have jointly established the terrestrial cable channel Q-Twish.

Today, PD Nam Hyun Min faced a significant yet very mundane problem.

“Why on earth should viewers who are watching TV choose to watch our broadcast?”

The Academy vs. Tournament is covered by one caster and one expert commentator, plus one guest commentator, excluding KBS.

The initial success of the broadcast tends to heavily depend on the fame of the guest commentator over the expert commentator.

Therefore, they invite celebrities who usually have a deep interest in magical dueling as guest commentators.

Sometimes, they bring in singers, actors, sports stars, idols, and in rare cases, even the head of an entertainment agency directly appears.

However, the drawbacks of using amateur commentators are evident.

If viewers judge them to lack professionalism, they soon turn away coldly.

Today, PD Nam Hyun Min walked the tightrope between popularity and professionalism.

“Is there anyone fresh we can get this year?”

After Nam Hyun Min’s inquiry, his juniors began to brainstorm.

“What about Laika from the idols? Last time she was on a variety show, she claimed to be a huge fan of magical dueling. She said she was the top student in magic class during middle school.”

“Oh, you went on vacation yesterday, so you missed the news! Laika has already been picked up by SBS. Ah, how about Min Woo? He also has experience as an MC for Music Bank, and he speaks very coherently!”

“Huh, who is Min Woo again?”

“Don’t you know NCT?”

“Oh, I don’t know them. This is the first time I’ve heard of them.”

“How can you not know…?!”

If someone is popularly well-known, their professionalism tends to suffer, while securing professionalism often falls short of the desired fame.

If a figure comes along who can satisfy both, large broadcasting companies snatch them up first.

The never-ending Monday morning meeting.

As PD Nam Hyun Min was about to step out for a quick smoke on the roof, a message arrived from a friend of 20 years.

It was Hwang Jin Gu, who held the position of manager of the World of Arseria’s first-string professional gaming team.

As Nam Hyun Min read the message, his eyes gradually filled with delight.

“Hwang Gu, it looks like you’ve done something praiseworthy!”

The person he brought wasn’t anyone other than No Name.

Though PD Nam Hyun Min was initially taken aback by hearing the name, in truth, there was no one more suitable than No Name.

“Reputation? She’s more famous than most celebrities. Professionalism? This girl is a high-ranking mage herself.”

It’s common to invite commentators who are graduates of the Academy.

However, having an active student from the Academy take on the role might just be a first in the history of broadcasting.

With anything, the title of being the first comes with a premium.

PD Nam Hyun Min, sensing a huge success, quickly arranged a schedule with No Name directly, and

[No Name will be a guest commentator for the Seoul area Academy vs. Tournament]

As soon as her participation was confirmed, he hastened to release an article before lunchtime.

***

The main event is on Monday.

I was asked to visit the broadcasting station once before that, so I made an appointment for Wednesday, when the rehearsal would take place.

“Looks like a lot of people here.”

The front of the QBS broadcasting center was bustling with office workers.

A cool autumn breeze blew, causing the school uniform tie to flutter over a white shirt.

It’s rare to see a girl in elementary school uniform casually walking around on a weekday afternoon.

As a result, each time I took a step, multiple gazes were drawn towards me.

Just when I was about to contact the PD, urging him to come quickly, I noticed an uncle waving from a distance, looking exactly like my profile picture.

“Hello, Name! Oh, I’m so sorry for being late! I got stuck behind a leech on the way. Did you wait long?”

“No, I just arrived as well. Who’s that next to you?”

I glanced at the woman following PD Nam Hyun Min.

“This person is now the youngest PD in the variety department. Today, she wants to follow you around the broadcasting station and film your day, so I brought her along. If you feel even slightly uncomfortable, I can send her away immediately.”

“It won’t hurt my face to be filmed. I’m fine. I look forward to working together today.”

“Whoo, sounds great! I’m Kim Jin Sol, the PD. Let’s do our best together!”

Entering the QBS studio building with PD Nam Hyun Min from the sports department and PD Kim Jin Sol from the variety department,

PD Nam Hyun Min briefly introduced the schedule to me.

Today’s agenda didn’t involve anything special.

It simply involved watching rehearsal footage sent by KBS alongside caster Yoon Geon and pondering how to engage in some back-and-forth banter for about 30 minutes to an hour.

“If you have any questions, PD Kim Jin Sol will find the right person to guide you. You can manage that level of difficulty, right?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, great. And Name, don’t feel too pressured today; just enjoy it! What’s most important is the actual event!”

Once the veteran left, only the two novices remained.

Kim Jin Sol, the inexperienced PD, displayed her beginner’s demeanor.

As we awkwardly made eye contact, I initiated the conversation first.

“By the way, where is caster Yoon Geon? I heard we should go to the conference room.”

“Oh! Uh… Wait a second! There are multiple conference rooms; which one are you referring to?”

We soon found ourselves lost in the middle of the building.

***

As a junior PD, Kim Jin Sol had a hard life just managing editing tasks set by her seniors, but she was much more ambitious than that.

She was a self-proclaimed workaholic, actively seeking her own tasks.

She planned to film what celebrities do when going in and out of the broadcasting station.

And No Name gladly accepted to be the third guest.

Name’s first impression seemed to align with the style of child actors, everyone at the broadcasting station would agree.

For lead actors, it’s not just about being handsome or pretty; they must also have a unique aura, which No Name exemplified perfectly.

“I feel like my commentary is a bit unclear. Is it because my explanations are too lengthy?”

Caster Yoon Geon and Name sat side by side in front of the desk, watching the rehearsal.

After taking a sip of apple juice, Name expressed her concerns about the script she wrote.

“In that case, lowering the bar can be helpful. Viewers will surely be curious, but they don’t need to know everything.”

“So they don’t need to know everything… I get what you mean.”

“If someone asked when rainbows appear, how should I respond?”

“The precise answer is that the sun acts as the light source and the raindrop acts as the prism, which must be positioned opposite each other. However, depending on the questioner’s level, it might be best to say they appear sometimes after a shower.”

“Exactly. And the more this phenomenon is repeated, the more curiosity will arise for the questioner. By then, it wouldn’t be too late to explain.”

“Oh, so I can vary the commentary to keep it interesting! That’s really a good approach.”

“Haha. Isn’t it adorable how Name speaks?”

“Me?”

Having been immersed in the coverage of the tournament for years, caster Yoon Geon provided meticulous feedback.

Kim Jin Sol couldn’t help but admire how Name absorbed it all so readily.

She referred to the vocabulary often used by commentators and appropriately replaced every word.

No Name transformed from a streamer-style commentary to a structured expert commentator with a defined storyline.

It was almost impossible to find any signs of immaturity now.

This happened within just one hour.

Even after caster Yoon Geon left for the next schedule, Name remained at her seat for a while, analyzing past tournament matches.

“Can I ask what you’re doing now?”

“I was pondering how to make the tournament commentary akin to a mystery novel.”

“A mystery novel?”

“Yes. Continuously providing direct or indirect clues about advantages and disadvantages throughout the match and guiding them to properly combine those clues, ultimately allowing the viewers to make reasonable predictions about winning and losing. It’s not all that easy, especially with many matches ending suddenly without warning.”

With a soft whisper,

a sound escaped from between Name’s lips.

“Though we’ve only briefly met, I feel like Name is an incredibly hard worker.”

“Really?”

“Guest commentary can be an easy role if you’re merely inclined. But is there a specific reason you’re engaging with such passion?”

Name hesitated for a moment before answering again.

“Honestly, I initially decided to do guest commentary because I wanted to show off to many people. I was, after all, barred from participating in the Academy tournament due to height restrictions, so I thought let’s just do commentary to score some points. But conveying professional knowledge in refined language is no easy task, right? And on top of that, there’s the challenge of making it entertaining. However, I know what my shortcomings are, and I believe that if I put in effort, I can improve going forward.”

“Wow…”

Just as I was momentarily in awe,

Name suddenly stuck her short tongue out playfully.

“And to be honest, rather than ignoring my shortcomings, I think it’s better to explain better alternatives to the viewers. But it can’t hurt their feelings, right? So from now on, I’m thinking about studying how to critique in a more entertaining way.”

Whether it’s from Sepiron or Altair, she concluded, her round eyes sparkling.

There was no bias in Name’s commentary.