155: One-handed Golden Shot

Kim Ji-soo didn't mind the laughter; she had been an MC here for several months and knew all the staff members.

"My apologies! My apologies! Got a bit carried away. Hahahahaha~~"

A middle-aged man, clearly in charge, waved his hand at her and said.

"It's fine! You two can just pretend we don't exist. The show starts in over ten minutes, this is your time."

"Kamsahamnida! PDNim."

Xu Zhiyou looked at the video on her tablet, not even raising her head, and said, "Show Ge! When did you become so shameless? I wouldn't even dare to call myself a future great director. You've got some nerve!"

Speaking of directors, she didn't care about having 'nerve' or not. Last year, she had spent an entire morning discussing with Park Sandara.

The goal was to get Xu Zhiyou to study hard and improve quickly, but she ended up going abroad to study instead.

"Zoe Senior! Dara Unnie found you an intern director position, using a lot of her connections. Do you want to go?"

"No!"

"Yah! Aren't you going to even consider it?"

"No consideration."

"Why? Give me a reason to give up." This opportunity had cost them both a lot of effort, and to be rejected like this was a bit disheartening.

Seeing her dejected expression, Xu Zhiyou thought for a moment and whispered in her ear.

"I can't stand your country's senior/junior and hierarchical system. If I really went to a film crew, I'd inevitably have to deal with so-called seniors and superiors."

"It would be fine if we could just mind our own business, but I'm afraid of running into some idiots. Then I wouldn't be able to control my iron fist."

"And most importantly, such opportunities are readily available to me. Owing favors means having to return them, and I don't like owing favors, okay?"

"Uh???"

Seeing her in a daze, Xu Zhiyou flicked her forehead and said, "Isn't that a good reason?"

"Good! I've given up. Sigh~"

"What's wrong? It's not that bad, is it? Why are you sighing?"

Kim Ji-soo stared at her, wanting to speak several times, and Xu Zhiyou also noticed her small movements. "What's wrong with you? Just say what you want to say! Don't be like this with me."

"Then I'll say it. Zoe Senior, sometimes it's normal human interaction to owe each other a little. You're too solitary."

"What are you talking about? Am I very solitary?"

"What do you think! Your incredibly narrow social circle, your habit of avoiding things whenever possible, and your indifference to other people's affairs..." She rattled off a long list.

Xu Zhiyou found it absurd. She just didn't like getting involved in other people's karma; she wasn't that aloof and distant.

She closed her tablet, interrupting her. "Stop, stop, stop! I'm just a bit lazy, but hearing you say that, I even feel like I'm very arrogant."

"Actually, it's much better. Thanks to my unremitting efforts, you've improved a lot. At least you're not as irritable anymore. Imagine when you first came, tsk tsk tsk!"

Xu Zhiyou's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "Show Ge, if you're sick, you need to get treatment quickly. When we get back, I'll find you a mental health expert for a thorough check-up."

"Yah! Talk properly."

"You were the one who didn't talk properly first. Wouldn't it be better to play a couple of games with that time? You're still only Diamond rank, I'm embarrassed for you!"

"Yah!" She could say anything about her, but she couldn't say her gaming was bad. That was her last shred of dignity.

"What's wrong? Can't I say you're bad?"

"I'll kill you."

As soon as she stood up, Xu Zhiyou pressed her forehead with a palm, and she was pressed back down so gracefully. She was a short little person, 162cm tall.

She was no match for Xu Zhiyou, who was 177cm tall. No matter how much she struggled, she was always pressed into the chair, which was incredibly frustrating.

"I warn you, let go of me. You're being extremely disrespectful, you know that?"

"I know! So what?"

"Yah! I'm an Unnie."

"Hmph! I'm the leader."

Kim Ji-soo really wanted to spit blood. She couldn't win in a fight or an argument, and the hierarchy was more effective than age, so she could only concede defeat.

"Let go, I give up."

Xu Zhiyou let go of her after hearing that. After half a year, she couldn't distinguish between the big and small kings, and needed some education. "How much better would it have been if you'd done that earlier? Still daring to fight, look how capable you are."

"Yah! Don't hit the face when you hit someone! Don't I have any dignity?"

"Puhahahahaha~"

The staff had been trying hard to hold back their laughter, but hearing Kim Ji-soo say that, they finally couldn't help it.

Kim Ji-soo was quite straightforward. Anyway, losing face wasn't a one-time thing, and after many times, she didn't care anymore. She sat casually to the side, tidying her hair.

"Annoying! You messed up my hair."

Xu Zhiyou checked the time; five minutes left. "Hurry up and get ready, it's our turn to go on stage."

"Is it time?" She looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh my! Why is it so fast? I didn't even notice."

She quickly got ready, bid farewell to the control room staff, and went to the front stage to prepare. Inkigayo operated in both live and pre-recorded modes.

The process was largely similar to other shows, involving cueing the flow, interacting with the audience, interviewing groups, promoting songs, and so on.

Their position and the waiting room area were neither far nor close. Xu Zhiyou saw rows of male and female groups in the hallway, looking very young.

Kim Ji-soo followed her gaze. "Zoe Senior! What are you looking at?"

She withdrew her gaze and returned to the main topic. "Nothing. Later, you introduce the people, and I'll handle the songs."

"No problem."

As the two of them stood there, people in the nearby corridor who could see them began to whisper.

"I didn't expect this episode's MCs to be Zoe Senior and Jisoo Senior. I wish I had their looks. Sigh!"

"What's there to envy about looks? Talent is what matters. Zoe Senior's EP swept all the charts. That's the strength of a true music student."

"Indeed! Talent can last a lifetime. As for looks, as long as you're not too ugly, it's fine. Even if Zoe Senior retires now, she won't have to worry about food or drink. I'm so envious."

"I'm more envious of the four BP Seniors, being able to team up with a bug-level person like Zoe Senior. As long as she's there, it's hard for BP not to be popular."

"If they didn't have the strength of ace trainees, who would dare to team up with Zoe Senior? Our small companies are already struggling so much, imagine how much YG Entertainment, a big company like that, must be struggling."

"What's the use of just struggling? You need talent. Lisa Senior got into YG Entertainment with a 4000:1 ratio, and Chaeyoung Senior with 700:1. With this kind of screening method, how could those selected not have some skills?"

"Lisa Senior seems to be the only Triple-A trainee at YG Entertainment. The Green Card line are the real monsters, each one more talented than the last."

"That's why their popularity is so high; there's a reason for it. Each one individually is a bug-level person. Who can stop five of them together?"

"Their debut stage was immediately number one. They single-handedly took on BTS, Red Velvet, and several other popular groups right after their debut. Simply invincible."

"Whenever they participate in music shows, they're always number one. I've been debuted for over a year and still haven't touched a trophy. My heart aches so much I can't breathe."

...

The two of them didn't know they had become the focus of everyone's conversation. Kim Ji-soo was focused on the time, while Xu Zhiyou was continuously rehearsing in her mind.