Damn Idol, Episode 91
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That is the title of the variety show I’ll be appearing on today.
It’s such a popular program that I feel like I’ve seen it before, but it isn’t a variety show I remember clearly.
I’d only contacted them while monitoring which variety show would be the most appropriate for me to appear on right now.
At the moment, it isn’t easy for me to appear on variety shows.
I don’t know what’s going on inside M Show, or how much CEO Choe Daeho has been moving behind the scenes.
But at the very least, word must have gotten around.
That Sedalbaegil stabbed Ryan in the back, and CEO Choe Daeho is grinding his teeth over it.
In this situation, there are no variety programs that would put me or Sedalbaegil on the air.
But Downfall Detector is a little different.
Not because it’s a YouTube variety show.
Just because something is YouTube content doesn’t mean it can automatically avoid the influence of the industry establishment.
If the cast and production crew are insiders within the industry, they can’t help but be mindful of those with vested interests.
And
The production crew is an outsourced studio that also works with terrestrial broadcasters, and two of the three MCs are stars who became popular on TV.
In other words, it was a program where CEO Choe Daeho’s influence could easily reach.
Even so, the reason I knew I’d be cast was…
“Nice to meet you, Han Sion.”
“Hello.”
“Wow, you really came? When I first heard it from the production crew, I thought they were lying.”
Because the format of this program was so extreme that casting guests was difficult.
There is only one piece of content.
A lie detector.
It isn’t some clumsy thing where you put your hand on it and it checks your pulse or body temperature.
They use equipment more advanced than what the Korean police use, and supposedly the same as, or better than, what the FBI or CIA uses.
So the moment I entered the set, the enormous lie detector stole my gaze.
Huh, but it looks kind of familiar.
I feel like I saw something like this back when I was called in by the FBI.
I don’t know if it’s exactly the same, but it’s similar, isn’t it?
Thinking that, I exchanged greetings with the MCs.
Jo Taehun and Chae Myeongho.
They’ve lost some steam now, but five or six years ago, when terrestrial TV was king, they were the ones who carried weekend variety shows.
As for Jo Taehun, he has completely moved his base to YouTube and is enjoying a second prime.
They’re people it would be good to leave a favorable impression on.
Ah, the remaining MC is more of a technician than a host.
He’s the person who operates the lie detector, a criminal profiling expert who has occasionally appeared on current affairs programs and variety shows.
When I looked him up, he was apparently a retired police officer.
They called him Detective Sin.
“I’m Han Sion of Sedalbaegil.”
“Whew, you’re handsome. But why did things go wrong with CEO Choe Daeho? Daeho-hyung may be an old fogey, but he isn’t a bad person.”
The cameras aren’t even rolling, and he’s doing this in private?
But Jo Taehun didn’t seem like he was actually trying to hear my answer.
He grinned and continued.
“You know it’s going to be nothing but questions like this, right?”
“Yes. I know.”
“Honestly, I don’t really get it. Why did you really come on?”
“Because I’m a huge fan of Downfall Detector. If I ever got the chance, I really wanted to appear on it at least once.”
“Uh, hmm… Sure. Honestly, it’s great for us. We never imagined this kind of picture.”
Chae Myeongho, who had been standing beside him, added.
“We’re not going to talk about Ryan Entertainment or Take Scene. Coming Up Next will probably only be touched on lightly too?”
“Yes.”
“Oh? You look like you know why.”
“More or less.”
Considering the format of the program, if Ryan or Take Scene comes up, I’ll have no choice but to curse out Choe Daeho.
Choe Daeho wouldn’t welcome that situation.
What Choe Daeho wants isn’t for me to get cursed at to my heart’s content.
It’s for me not to get cursed at at all, no matter what he does.
That’s the truly worst situation for a celebrity.
Because indifference is a swamp you can’t come back from.
“Detective Sin is stuck in a bit of traffic, so it looks like we’ll be delayed about twenty minutes. Is that all right?”
“That’s fine.”
“We don’t really have a waiting room. How about it? Want to sit in the detector chair?”
“Sounds good.”
I knew he was joking, but I really went and sat in the lie detector chair.
Just in case, to do some mind control.
Maybe they found the sight amusing, because the camera taking the full shot started filming me.
Sitting in the lie detector, I thought about the format of
The format of
They ask things the public is curious about but finds hard to ask.
Then they run the lie detector.
If it’s a lie, you have to keep answering until the truth comes out.
You can use the right to refuse a question only once, and where you use that refusal has often become a hot topic.
The reason this program became a hit was that there were truly no brakes on the intensity of the questions.
After deciding to appear, I monitored the program, and there were a few scenes that even left me dumbfounded.
Personally, the episode featuring the actress “Huisu,” who had been a sexy star in her heyday, was intense.
At the height of her popularity, she married a husband from a chaebol family, but recently divorced after a fierce legal battle.
The first question was this.
“Did you marry for money?”
The actress said no, but the lie detector went wild.
In the end, when she said yes, they moved on to the next question.
The next question was impressive too.
“Before the divorce was finalized, did you have a lover you were physically intimate with?”
The answer to this question was also repeated until “yes” came out.
Because whenever she said no, it kept registering as a lie.
The question after that was perfect.
“Did you come on because you ran out of money?”
This time, the answer was a cool yes.
Many more questions went back and forth after that, but those were definitely the most intense.
It’s a program that asks questions with a persistence that borders on sadistic.
There’s no way the public wouldn’t like it.
Even without bringing up witch hunts as an example, the public is capable of becoming cruel.
Then a question may arise here.
Why on earth would anyone appear on a program like this?
The reason is simple.
Because if you can build even a little goodwill with the public on
For example, there’s the famous baseball player Ok Gangwon.
Based on his history as a member of the national team, Ok Gangwon was active all over variety shows after retirement…
Then one day, he was hit with a three-hit combo of drugs, illegal gambling, and a sex scandal, and fell into the abyss.
However, thanks to
“Did you do drugs?”
“I did. But I truly didn’t know they were drugs when I drank it. They were mixed into my alcohol.”
“Did you engage in illegal gambling?”
“I did. It was go-stop at 50,000 won per point. It isn’t a small amount, but compared to my income, I didn’t think it was a large amount either. I won about 3.8 million won that day, and the person who lost money reported me.”
“Do you admit to the sex scandal?”
“I am absolutely innocent.”
“Did you come on because you ran out of money?”
“I came on because I was wronged. I still have plenty of money in my bank account.”
Without getting stuck even once, he told only the truth to every question, and his gaze was intense.
Through this program, the public came to understand what level of wrongdoing Ok Gangwon had committed and which parts were unfair to him.
Thanks to that, he succeeded in making a comeback.
Of course, some people said that they might have manipulated the lie detector and run a washing machine for him.
But for that to be the case, the track record
There was also an idol who fell into the abyss after trying to avoid military service through an illegal broker and tried to run the washing machine somehow, only to be shown no mercy.
The question was even this.
“Do you not feel sorry toward soldiers your age who are serving legitimately?”
He said he was sorry about twice, but it came out as a lie.
In the end, he used his right to refuse the question, but it was already too late.
Because the production crew, in a very cruel move, aired even the footage from before he used the right to refuse.
In other words,
It was the last bastion for those who had already fallen into the abyss.
When there are no producers willing to call you, and it feels like the public has completely forgotten your name.
A last-ditch ultimate move to overturn the situation in one shot.
Even the MC Jo Taehun right in front of me had fallen into the abyss because of illegal gambling and drunk driving.
The program that allowed him to make a comeback was
He was the guest on episode one.
So the production crew had been flustered when they got my call.
There have been people with ambiguous unlikable images who appeared while trying to seem cheerful and ended up plunging into a bottomless abyss.
There have also been cases where someone who would have returned after about a year of self-reflection if they had stayed quiet appeared too hastily and ended up retiring.
But Han Sion of Coming Up Next had no reason to appear on
That was the production crew’s overall reaction.
Of course, after I signed the appearance contract, they welcomed me with open arms.
Because the hottest figure at the current moment was coming on the program he seemed least likely to appear on, making it possible to show a picture no one had imagined.
‘From my position, this was the most rational option.’
A program that Choe Daeho’s influence doesn’t affect, yet creates tremendous buzz just from appearing on it.
A program where there is absolutely no worry that editing will ruin my image.
It’s very appropriate.
As long as I don’t fall into the abyss.
A little while later, the profiler called Detective Sin arrived and began putting the lie detector on me.
Rather than putting it on, attaching it seems like the more appropriate expression.
Because he plastered things all over my body.
After the lie detector setup was finished like that, a light test began while filming was underway.
“Is your name Han Sion?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Where are you affiliated?”
“Currently, I belong to Sedalbaegil.”
“Could you lie and say that you have six fingers?”
“I have six fingers.”
“Now lie and say that you’re a woman.”
“I’m a woman.”
After making me tell the truth a few times and lie a few times, the profiler gave the production crew the OK sign.
At last, the main MC, Jo Taehun, opened the program.
“Today, a truly unimaginable guest has come to us in person. Those of you who saw the thumbnail probably doubted your eyes, right? The hottest program lately! The one that broke 10% in viewership ratings! It’s Han Sion of Coming Up Next!”
The staff applauded.
“Hello. I appeared on Coming Up Next, and I belong to a team called Sedalbaegil. I’m Han Sion.”
“When you say you appeared, does that mean filming has ended now?”
“Yes. Filming has ended for every episode, including the final one.”
“Good, good. Why did you come on this program?”
“Because I’ve always been a huge fan, and I really wanted to appear on it at least once.”
“You did say that during the preliminary meeting too… But isn’t this level of fandom basically madness? You could fall into the abyss, you know?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve really done anything wrong while living my life.”
After answering like that, I caught my breath.
This is a program where the intro isn’t long, and questions are thrown out abruptly.
There will probably be a caption like “Madman idol, whoa,” and the questions will likely begin out of nowhere.
Sure enough.
“All right. We’ll go light with the first question. How many girlfriends have you dated so far?”