Chapter 40

Don’t Stop People.

The representative entertainment program of UBS scheduled on Sunday evening, known as the ‘golden time slot.’

The fixed members consist of actors, singers, comedians, and various broadcasting personalities, due to which the guest selection has deliberately brought in only famous entertainers.

As for the topic of interest, no other broadcast program could surpass Don’t Stop People.

The viewership ratings were also figures that could not be said to be low at all.

However, the main plot, [Name Tag Tag], along with other plots, was primarily composed of ‘physical activities,’ leading to frequent occurrences of members and guests getting into various troublesome situations.

Looking closely, those troublesome instances were also one of the elements that contributed to the popularity of Don’t Stop People.

It was an undeniable fact that the humanity displayed by idols and actors performing difficult missions was a major factor in attracting viewers.

“Is it really okay to make even elementary school students participate in tag games, Su-hyuk?”

No matter how important the viewership ratings were, certain boundaries should definitely be respected.

The fixed member and MC of Don’t Stop People, Sung Yoo-seok, expressed his concerns about the broadcast content previously shown by PD Choi Su-hyuk.

“In my opinion, it would be better to take them out as judges instead of participants.”

“Hyung, you or the other members won’t be serious against Ha Eun, right? You’ll probably only find out where Ha Eun is hiding at the end of the recording, so the situation you’re worried about is unlikely to happen.”

It was only a moment later that PD Choi Su-hyuk brought up another point about considering the fact that Ha Eun was still just 12 years old.

He added that they had tried to minimize any elements that would make Ha Eun struggle during the recording of Don’t Stop People.

“No, right. Su-hyuk, you must have your own thoughts. But, no matter how I think about it, I feel like you’d have to be a bit burdened with tag games.”

“I, hyung, well… Ha Eun said she really wants to try the tag games. She thinks it’d be really fun.”

“What…? Really?”

“Do you think I would lie to you, hyung?”

Until this moment, what PD Choi Su-hyuk had said was clearly the best plan considering both Ha Eun’s personal requests and her safety.

Thus, Sung Yoo-seok was eventually persuaded.

In any case, the more footage Ha Eun got, the better.

From the first episode, Ha Eun was the one who truly elevated the show “You from the Stars” to the skies high above.

No estimates could yet be made about how many new viewers would tune in to Don’t Stop People upon hearing that Ha Eun would be appearing.

From the perspective of the UBS entertainment division, they would try to bring in as many of those unknown viewers as possible during this opportunity.

Such circumstances were something a veteran broadcaster like Sung Yoo-seok couldn’t possibly overlook.

In the end, MC Sung Yoo-seok also had to ensure Ha Eun got as much footage as possible.

The issue was, of course, Ha Eun’s young age.

‘…Geon-yeol needs to support her a lot.’

No matter how much PD Choi Su-hyuk prepared considerate missions for Ha Eun, the recordings wouldn’t just end with missions from start to finish.

The talk between guest Ha Eun and the fixed members of Don’t Stop People was also expected to take up quite a bit of footage.

In the past, many stars who had appeared on Don’t Stop People were able to smoothly proceed with the recording thanks to their unique experiences or stories.

However, whether 12-year-old Ha Eun could show off eloquence or sparkling wit like they did was uncertain.

Fortunately, it was said that Ha Eun had known Lee Geon-yeol, one of the fixed members of Don’t Stop People, for quite a while.

Instead of leaving everything to Ha Eun, it seemed better for Geon-yeol to share episodes with Ha Eun.

As time went on, the long-awaited recording day for [Don’t Stop People: You from the Stars Special] finally arrived.

“How come even wearing a hat, this funny face still can’t be hidden?”

“…That’s something you should keep to yourself, Mi-sun….”

Sung Yoo-seok was waiting for the other fixed members and Ha Eun to arrive while listening to the sudden criticism from his coordinator.

However, it wasn’t long before the members began to arrive one after another, and similar teasing arose again from them.

“Hey, why is it only me being teased? You guys think you’re any different?”

Half-joking, half-serious, the other members also protested that they weren’t much different from him.

“Well… even so, I’m better than you.”

“If my face was funnier than yours, I wouldn’t be a singer, I would be a comedian, right?”

Just as facts bombarded him from all directions, he had to close his mouth again.

After that, another familiar face and an unfamiliar new face appeared in the waiting room.

“All you insignificant faces, step aside~. Here comes the most beautiful Han Yu-hwa!”

*bite.*

“Ow ow ow!! S-Sorry, Ha Eun! Uncle was wrong!!”

Less than a second later, Lee Geon-yeol fell to the floor, holding his left side.

By that time, Ha Eun, slowly bowing at the waist and politely greeting Sung Yoo-seok and the other members of Don’t Stop People, made quite an impression.

Whether that impression was good or bad would soon be revealed.

“I swear it feels like just yesterday when I saw you in the neighbor’s house. You’ve grown up so beautifully!”

“Oh, if Se-young says you’re pretty, then you’re really pretty.”

“Hey, Ha Eun. Would you take a picture with uncle later? My mom is a huge fan of yours.”

For now, since all the members welcomed Ha Eun with open arms,

Sung Yoo-seok thought the first button on this endeavor was pretty well buttoned.

Later, being guided to the dressing room, Ha Eun dressed in traditional attire alongside Sung Yoo-seok and the other members looked truly elegant.

Of course, saying that out loud would likely earn him a thrilling slap from Ha Eun, just like it did for Geon-yeol, so he refrained.

“HAN YU-HWA!”

“HAN YU-HWA-GOON!”

“HAN YU-HWA-DA!”

The other members’ eyes widened at Ha Eun’s beautiful traditional outfit, and he didn’t find it necessary to restrain their reactions.

To Sung Yoo-seok, Ha Eun’s current appearance was the very embodiment of the character Han Yu-hwa from You from the Stars.

However, they soon prepared to hold a brief conversation to kick off the recording.

During the process of confirming several questions that would be used for chatting with Ha Eun,

“Then, can I ask about Ha Eun’s acting?”

“My acting…? What kind?”

“Well, mainly what kind of thoughts you have while acting, or maybe any personal acting tips?”

While Ha Eun had answered that questions about family or hobbies were perfectly okay, her expression hardened at the thought of queries about her acting.

“I—I won’t dig too deep into it. You can just simply tell me how you get into character.”

It was odd that Ha Eun, who had been noted for her impressive acting skills not typical of a child actor, seemed hesitant about the very kind of question she should feel most confident answering.

In the past, many actors who had appeared as guests on Don’t Stop People had lengthy monologues about their acting.

‘Well… maybe this child has her reasons.’

In any case, questions that could make the guest uncomfortable were not to be brought forth from MC Sung Yoo-seok’s mouth.

He decided to lean towards the types of questions that Ha Eun had previously indicated were okay to ask.

After continuing to share items he needed to inform Ha Eun, they noticed that there were less than 10 minutes remaining until the start of the recording.

Other members, including Lee Geon-yeol, were also putting on their microphones and preparing for recording, so Sung Yoo-seok tried to enter his preparation.

However, shortly after that, Ha Eun hesitated and spoke up.

“Um, Uncle Yoo-seok. Can I ask just one thing?”

“Oh, of course. If you have any questions about the filming, feel free to ask anything.”

“Well, it’s not a question about filming. It’s something a bit private… Is that okay?”

“Um… just go ahead and say it.”

As Ha Eun requested a bit more time, they had no choice but to postpone putting on their microphones for a moment.

Eventually, the question from Ha Eun turned out to be one that Sung Yoo-seok had not anticipated at all.

“Uncle Yoo-seok, do you get recognized by people when you go to cafes or supermarkets after becoming famous?”

“Well, I suppose so…?”

“Then, don’t you find such people burdensome? Honestly, I don’t think it would be comfortable.”

Sung Yoo-seok still wasn’t sure what Ha Eun’s intention was behind asking such a question.

However, since she requested some time before asking, he did not consider it to be a light-hearted query.

“I guess those kinds of interests can also be seen as responsibilities that come with the popularity I enjoy. Of course, compared to when I was ordinary, it’s a bit uncomfortable in many ways, but I still try to handle it as much as I can.”

He responded with an entirely serious answer.

Ha Eun momentarily appeared to be deep in thought after hearing that.

However, in the end, she expressed her gratitude for the good advice given, and Sung Yoo-seok hoped that her concerns would be resolved well.

After that, finally, the standby signal from PD Choi Su-hyuk reached both Sung Yoo-seok and Ha Eun.

Before they knew it, as the recording was about to start,

“Alright, everyone has been waiting. Today’s special guest is Lee Ha-eun!”

As the MC of Don’t Stop People, he sincerely welcomed guest Ha Eun.

At that moment, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the various highlights she would showcase.

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