It was the day of the Working Man shoot.
While driving, Yoon Sungwoo glanced at Taehun through the rearview mirror.
“Are you nervous?”
“Nope.”
“I bought some throat candy for you. Have one. Phew… Why am I the one all nervous?”
“Exactly. Sounds like you’re the one with stage fright, not me.”
Sungwoo took a deep breath and turned the steering wheel.
The Working Man filming set came into view.
Among the bustling staff, Yoo Jaehyung stood out, even among the other cast members.
On a scorching summer day, the show’s opening began.
“Today’s guests are from KBC’s most anticipated upcoming drama, Butter Campus!”
“No way.”
“I loved that drama!”
“Hyung, it hasn’t even aired yet.”
“I meant the trailer! The trailer was amazing.”
While the seasoned variety veterans showed off their banter in the opening, the Butter Campus cast awkwardly entered.
Lee Chaehyuk, Park Gayun, and Ki Taehun stood in line, in that order.
Applause erupted to welcome them.
[Working Man, huh? This is gonna be intense.]
‘Variety shows are all about patterns. Watch carefully how they play it.’
[Observation Mode: Activated.]
Yoo Jaehyung scanned his new targets.
His gaze swept over the Butter Campus actors, assessing their potential for comedy.
He might be able to generate some fun chemistry with Chaehyuk and Gayun, who were already familiar faces to him.
But could he really ignore the obvious bait—Ki Taehun, known as the failed idol-turned-actor?
‘I’m clearly an easy target. If I’m gonna get roasted anyway, I might as well lean into it.’
“Oh? Tiamax’s Ki Taehun? What are you doing here? Are you with the drama team?”
Sure enough, Jaehyung chose the risky route.
It was his signature Working Man opener—poking fun to kick things off.
As everyone’s eyes turned to Taehun, the usual reaction would’ve been nervous flailing.
But—
“Hyung, I’m hurt. I’m totally part of the drama team!”
Taehun kept the banter going without missing a beat.
‘Nice rhythm. Nice punch. So his name’s Ki Taehun? Let’s see how far he can go.’
Jaehyung’s lips twitched into a grin.
This wasn’t just bait—this was fun.
“Oh? But your shorts today… are those plaid?”
With Jaehyung’s comment, everyone started throwing out remarks.
“Looks like… men’s trunk underwear? Is that underwear?”
“Yikes, that’s embarrassing!”
“Hyung, I’m a former idol! What kind of underwear do you think I’d wear?”
Taehun didn’t flinch.
He rolled with it, building a character.
‘Right on cue. Variety show openings always start with fashion roasts.’
[So you wore those on purpose?]
‘Kind of.’
Taehun already knew what kind of reaction was coming next.
“So are you admitting you’re not wearing underwear? Did you just say you’re going commando?”
The joke was a bit of a stretch, but everyone burst out laughing.
“Ew, what! That’s even worse!”
“No, that’s not it! I do wear underwear—briefs, to be specific—and these are just pants!”
Watching Taehun getting worked up had Jaehyung completely hooked.
The other cast members were cracking up.
“It really does look like underwear. Haha!”
“Wait, I think I saw that on a home shopping channel once.”
“I’m telling you—they’re briefs!”
Everyone made exaggerated faces of disgust.
Looking genuinely wronged, Taehun protested, “No! I know what you’re all thinking, but it’s not that! This isn’t some 3-piece trunk set for 39,900 won. I paid good money for this designer brand! Look—check the tag!”
“Ugh, just go away. Don’t drag me into this!”
As Taehun fumbled around his waistband for the tag, Jaehyung exaggerated a retreat, quickly turning his back.
‘That’s the rhythm. That’s the beat I wanted to hit.’
[Did you really plan for it to go this far?]
The opening segment wrapped up smoothly.
From afar, Yoon Sungwoo gave Taehun a thumbs up.
“Alright, let’s move to the next location! Everyone, board the bus!”
***
After a short break, they got on the bus and headed out.
During the ride, Jaehyung spoke up.
“So, what’s Butter Campus about? Chaehyuk, could you explain?”
“Yes. It’s a youth romance story that captures the excitement of campus life, friendship, and first love among college students.”
Chaehyuk recited his lines as rehearsed—safe and polished.
Jaehyung turned his gaze to Taehun.
“And Taehun, what kind of character are you playing that you show up in underwear? Are you like a college Superman?”
“These aren’t underwear! I play Kyungjun, a college student and… it’s important for his character—”
“I’m crying right now.”
“Why is he so funny?”
Everyone was chuckling so hard that no one paid attention to his explanation.
Seizing the moment, Taehun drove it home.
“I’m telling you, I’m the lead in Butter Campus!”
He played up the indignant character and stole the scene again.
Jaehyung thought to himself—’this guy’s got grit. He’s not afraid of being the butt of the joke.’
‘He’s going to make for some very entertaining footage.’
“I don’t know, man. You really seem like one of us. You’ve got variety star potential. Why are you over there? Come do shows with me.”
“I’m a full-time actor!”
“What are you talking about? Everyone knows you’re a bad actor. You’re not really in the drama, right? You’re just a guest today, right?”
And then—
In the middle of filming, Taehun suddenly pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Wait, is he seriously calling someone during the show?”
“Sungwoo hyung! Bring me a different pair of pants!”
He was calling his manager.
“They keep saying these look like underwear. Hurry!”
The unexpected move had Jaehyung wheezing.
“Who’s Sungwoo hyung?”
“My manager!”
“Oh no. The manager—pfft—crack me up—”
***
At the next stop, the bus pulled over, and Yoon Sungwoo came running in with pants in hand.
“Wait, who is this guy barging onto set right now? Oh man, this is gold—hahaha!”
All the staff started laughing.
“Hyung. Not these pants. Bring something else.”
[Wow. The build-up was insane.]
‘Taechang, this is how you do variety.’
[Seriously though, why do you keep calling him Taechang?]
Ki Taehun had completely stolen the show on the Working Man set.
***
Later, after the shoot moved to the next location, they finally got a short break.
Taehun could tell, even though everyone else was starting to relax, that not all the cameras were off yet.
The small hidden cams were still rolling—and Taehun’s instincts told him this was the most important part.
[Everyone is taking a breather and resting now.]
‘After all, in movies too, the post-credit scenes are always the best parts.’
He couldn’t afford to waste this moment.
Twenty minutes might not seem like much, but it was enough.
This was a chance to improve the silly image he’d shown so far.
[Don’t tell me… you’re planning to act just to build a better image?]
‘Do you know why humans are social creatures? It’s because we all act. That’s human instinct.’
[Ohh. Writing that down…! Who said that?]
‘Who else? It just popped into my head just now.’
Taehun approached Yoo Jaehyung and spoke politely.
“Senior Jaehyung, sorry to bother you while you’re resting. I really learned a lot today.”
“Of course. You’d better call me senior properly from now on,” Jaehyung said, his tone softer than during filming.
As he looked at Taehun again, dressed perfectly for variety, he thought: ‘If you want to last long in this world of variety, it’s best to keep your real image and your on-screen image separate. Usually, you need a main character and a sub-character persona. But this kid—he knew how to distinguish between them!’
National MC Yoo Jaehyung found himself liking Ki Taehun.
He was a character unlike any they’d had before.
Handsome, yet approachable.
Funny, but still an actor.
“You know, you’ll need to start paying membership fees to the Variety Association at the end of every month now.”
“Aww, come on, senior. I should be paying dues to the Actor’s Guild. Could you maybe give me a discount on those fees?”
At Taehun’s cheeky remark, Jaehyung smacked his lips as if the boy was just too good to pass up.
There was a relaxed confidence about him—the kind that came from someone who had already built their foundation and didn’t mind failing.
‘He’s definitely one of us. Former idol, kind of clumsy, bad fashion sense, can’t dance. Like he came here with a plan.’
‘Did he set this up so perfectly we couldn’t help but engage with him?’
‘Was it intentional?’
‘No way… That would make him a genius.’
Jaehyung entertained the thought briefly but decided even if Taehun had planned all this, the natural way he pulled it off was unreal.
He couldn’t hide the smile spreading across his lips.
‘He really does have talent for variety. Push, and he pulls. Pull, and he pushes.’
It felt like he had discovered a new star—one that the stagnant variety world had been waiting for.
Jihyukjin, Jaehyung’s long-time friend and fellow Walking Man cast member, seemed to read his mind.
“Hey, Ki Star. Wanna just join us as a regular? I’ll make it happen. I’ll turn you into a real star.”
“And what star are you turning into, hyung? You’re still trying to get on here yourself,” Taehun teased.
As Jihyukjin puffed up, Jaehyung burst into laughter.
Taehun joined in, playing along.
“If Butter Campus flops, I’ll join this show permanently. Save me a spot!”
Though the cameras were still rolling, the mood was truly light and cheerful.
“Listen to this guy. Why come here just because your show tanks?”
“Forget that. He just casually dropped a promo. What was that? Butter what?”
The Walking Man crew always gave their guests a moment to plug their work—this was Taehun’s moment.
“Come on, why would I promote anything? I’m just saying, when your Monday is rough, maybe you should tune in to KBC’s Monday-Tuesday drama Butter Campus, premiering August 2nd.”
The cast was genuinely impressed by his timing and delivery.
Even though Lee Chaehyuk and Park Gayun were clearly exhausted, they couldn’t help but stick out their tongues in disbelief at how energetic Taehun still was.
Unlike your typical rookie actor, he wasn’t the least bit intimidated by this room full of veterans with a combined 100 years of broadcast experience.
“This kid’s the real deal. A monster born for promotion.”
Song Mihyo, a 10-year veteran in variety after starting as an actress, was also impressed.
She understood exactly how powerful a pledge on Walking Man could be for promoting a drama.
So she made a suggestion.
“Alright then. If Butter Campus hits 10% in viewership, make a public pledge.”
Taehun nodded and gave her a respectful glance.
“Sure. If Butter Campus surpasses 10%, I’ll appear in Hyung Jihyukjin’s next music video.”
[Input registered. Reaching a 10% viewership rating for the Monday-Tuesday drama will trigger a major reward.]
‘You say that, but last time you barely gave me anything.’
[Hey! The reason you’re still not tired after 5 hours of filming is because of your stamina trait!]
Taehun shook his head, but the system was right—he was still full of energy despite the long shoot.
Jihyukjin snorted, acting coy.
“That’s cute. Only big stars appear in my music videos, you know.”
“Oh, is that why you haven’t been in any of them yourself?”
Jihyukjin, who was originally a singer, released a new track every month under Monthly Jihyukjin, producing both songs and music videos.
He often invited Walking Man members and guest stars to appear in them.
Despite paying well—comparable to event gigs—many stars had appeared.
But since he spent nearly all his variety show earnings on music production, the results often lacked the polish expected of a star-studded MV.
“You’re pretending to make a pledge, but you just wanna become a star, huh?”
At that, Heo Jonghoon fired back.
“Oh please, hyung. Who in their right mind thinks becoming a star through your music video is a good idea? It’d ruin their image.”
‘No. This is actually a huge opportunity.’
A music video lasts two to four minutes.
If he could show off his acting skills in that short time, even viewers who hadn’t watched his drama might become fans.
“I promise I’ll keep my pledge. But if Walking Man gets good ratings too, then you guys have to post proof on your SNS accounts, okay?”
Everyone laughed and agreed.
“I don’t use social media, but I’ll make Jonghoon post with me. I promise. I need to decide if we’re really bringing this kid into variety for real.”
“Sure. And if we hit 15%, I’ll bring in other actors—”
Exhausted, Lee Chaehyuk and Park Gayun turned away from him.
“—Um, maybe I’ll just come with our Sungwoo hyung next time.”
“Wait, you mean the manager earlier?”
“The one who brought you your pants? Or was it underwear?”
Taehun flared up again, and everyone—including the Walking Man crew and the Butter Campus cast—burst into laughter.
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