Cheat day

Baekban Follow (3)

It was the first filming day of Baekban Follow Season 2.

I arrived early and chatted with Cha Ji-chan and Baek Woo-jin while waiting for them to show up.

“Why are there so many cameras?”

Without even counting, there were more than ten.

“There are 14. It’s different from last time, right?”

“Yikes. What about the microphones?”

“One for each cast member and one for me.”

“Aren’t we airing what we filmed today this Saturday?”

I had heard that compared to the relatively relaxed Season 1, the footage from Season 2 would air on the Saturday of that same week.

“Right.”

PD Park Sang-cheol said it as if he had found enlightenment.

“Wow. It really feels like they’re grinding people down. Just grinding them down.”

“It’s not as hard as before, though. Everything is integrated now.”

“Does the broadcasting station use Auto Pot?”

“When editing?”

“It’s a bit hard to just air it as is.”

“What’s Auto Pot?”

Joo Ji-seung asked me.

“It’s a Premier editing tool, and you can think of it as AI that helps with editing.”

“Is there such a thing?”

“I’m more surprised that you didn’t know about it.”

“Tell me more about it.”

“How many cameras do you use when you invite guests?”

“I use three.”

That’s usually the case. The basic setup is two cameras for close-ups and one for wide shots.

“When you talk, you show the footage from your camera, and when the guest talks, you show the footage from their camera, right? Originally, we had to record everything separately and sync the audio.”

“Right?”

“The AI automatically syncs it up. It recognizes voices, so when you talk, it shows your video, and when the guest talks, it shows the guest’s video.”

“Is there really such a thing?”

“Yeah. It saves a lot of time. Still, some human touch is unavoidable.”

“Still, that sounds good.”

“Yeah. If you use it together with subtitle AI, it really cuts down the time. If you decide to keep it simple, you can get it done pretty quickly.”

The level of completion may vary significantly, but the fact that you can create something easily with just a few button clicks is definitely a big advantage.

This will particularly lower the entry barrier for people starting on YouTube.

“I’m here!”

I heard Baek Woo-jin’s voice and turned to see Cha Ji-chan with him.

After putting on their microphones, they stood beside me.

When PD Park Sang-cheol signaled, I opened my mouth.

“We’re uncovering hidden gems along the rivers and paths, following the flavor of Baekban.”

“Season 2.”

Baek Woo-jin playfully showed the number 2 with his index and middle fingers.

“Thanks to all of you, Season 2 has safely begun. Thank you.”

I bowed in greeting, and everyone joined in.

“There are also new members joining us from Season 1.”

As I pulled out the introduction line, Joo Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan stood up proudly.

“Well, they’re just such people.”

“Hey.”

“Hehe. Fitness YouTuber Cha Ji-chan and cooking YouTuber Joo Ji-seung have officially joined the regular cast.”

“Wow~”

Baek Woo-jin responded half-heartedly, and since I wasn’t planning to introduce anyone further, I moved on to the next line, prompting Joo Ji-seung and Cha Ji-chan to react.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us properly?”

“The subtitles will come up, right?”

“Don’t you want to know who we are? So where are we going?”

Baek Woo-jin stepped forward and asked PD Park Sang-cheol.

“Today, you’ll be heading to Gangneung in Gangwon Province.”

In the edited video, I guessed that scenic views of the Gangneung coast would be inserted.

“You’ll be playing games to earn some money for your expenses, which you can then use to enjoy your trip.”

“So, do we get to keep all the money we win from the games?”

I shook my head.

“PD Sang-cheol isn’t that kind of guy.”

“That’s true. If we lose the games, I bet we’ll just be eating instant noodles.”

“No way. That can’t be right?”

When Cha Ji-chan asked, PD Park Sang-cheol replied with a smile.

“Of course. Even if you lose the game, you’ll still be able to enjoy the trip.”

“Then why play the game?”

Baek Woo-jin asked.

“However, we can’t provide everything for free, so you’ll be enjoying your trip while also providing some corresponding labor.”

“That sounds a bit unsettling.”

“What labor? Didn’t we say this is a show about eating delicious food?”

“Just like in Season 1. That guy is truly a bad person, you know?”

“He’s famous, isn’t he?”

“Just famous.”

“Famous for being malicious.”

PD Park Sang-cheol, who was being thoroughly attacked, held back his laughter and continued his statement.

“If the travel expenses are insufficient, we’ll be giving you trash bags after filming. If you fill up a 10-liter bag, we’ll count it as ten thousand won.”

“Wait, so if we’re short 100,000 won, we have to fill up 100 liters?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you kidding? How am I supposed to fill up 100 liters? This is a scam!”

“It’s definitely a scam.”

“I’ve been scammed.”

This time, PD Park Sang-cheol wouldn’t stay silent.

“I also feel a bit cheated.”

“What do you mean ‘cheated’?”

“I invited you because I heard that they sell affordable and healthy lunchboxes and also donate to various organizations. Isn’t it great if we can travel and do something good for others?”

As we all sat in silence, Baek Woo-jin finally spoke up.

“He’s a typical scammer.”

“A predatory salesperson.”

“A fraud.”

Cha Ji-chan and I chimed in, and PD Park Sang-cheol tried to persuade us again.

Although it was something we had agreed upon in the pre-meeting, it was an important device to inform the viewers how this broadcast would be conducted.

“Don’t worry. You just need to win the games, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Right.”

“Alright then. Today’s game will be a quiz.”

“I’m confident in quizzes!”

Baek Woo-jin shouted as he clenched his fist.

“Wait, aren’t you going to ask really hard questions?”

“That can’t be! The questions are designed so that anyone who has completed the essential education curriculum in South Korea can answer them. There will be a total of 10 questions, each worth 10,000 won, and if you get all the answers right, you’ll receive 100,000 won.”

“Alright! Just trust me!”

Baek Woo-jin patted his chest.

“Right. Let’s trust Woo-jin.”

“Woo-jin will take care of it.”

“The first question is coming up.”

Writer Kim Se-yoon showed us a board with the question written on it.

*2011 College Scholastic Ability Test Mathematics (Type A) Question 24

“……Huh?”

“What is that?”

“I can’t even read it.”

“Anyone who has completed the education curriculum should be able to solve it.”

PD Park Sang-cheol said smugly.

“Come on, how long has it been since we took the CSAT? How can we remember this!”

Even as I protested, he only chuckled and didn’t respond.

“Woo-jin, don’t you know?”

Joo Ji-seung asked, half-expecting that this guy, who memorizes all sorts of trivia, might actually know the answer.

“I’m from the humanities….”

For the first time, Baek Woo-jin seemed intimidated by the quiz.

“Hey, you told us to trust you!”

“I’ll count down from 10.”

“No! Wait! What’s that?!”

“It’s a 2011 CSAT question.”

“How many points is that worth? Even the kids taking the CSAT wouldn’t be able to solve it in 10 seconds!”

“147.”

A silence fell after Cha Ji-chan’s statement.

Seeing PD Park Sang-cheol looking somewhat flustered, I thought, “Could it be true?”

“What did you say, Cha Ji-chan?”

“147.”

“What’s that based on?”

PD Park Sang-cheol, unable to answer immediately due to his surprise, instead shot back with a question.

“Just get the answer right!”

“But that’s two questions!”

“Is that the right answer?”

“……It’s correct.”

“Wooaaah!”

Joo Ji-seung, Baek Woo-jin, and I surrounded Cha Ji-chan, spinning around in excitement.

In the midst of our excitement, a flustered PD Park Sang-cheol and the writers were whispering and scheming something.

“What’s going on? How did you know?”

“I got goosebumps.”

“I’m from the sciences. I like math.”

“Wow, how can the guy who can’t even count numbers solve this?”

As we reveled in our victory, PD Park Sang-cheol stepped in. The writers were taking out their phones to search for something, likely looking for an even harder question than what they had prepared.

“Wait a minute. Are you looking for a new question right now?”

“No, of course not. Let’s move on to the next question.”

PD Park Sang-cheol seemed to regain his composure.

Although we got the first question right, he looked confident that we wouldn’t be able to answer this next one.

“Designated as National Treasure No. 32 on December 20, 1962.”

“Tripitaka Koreana!”

Baek Woo-jin shouted.

I widened my eyes in surprise, and PD Park Sang-cheol grinned.

“The Tripitaka Koreana was produced to defend against invasions by the Khitan during the Goryeo Dynasty. Over about 80 years, from King Hyunjong to King Seonjong, how many plates were produced for the Tripitaka Koreana?”

“What? How are we supposed to know that?”

“Well, it’s the Tripitaka, so there are probably eighty thousand of them?”

While everyone was flustered, Baek Woo-jin asked,

“Is that the end of the question?”

“It is.”

“81,352 plates.”

PD Park Sang-cheol checked the script and seemed surprised again.

“What? Is that right?”

“Yeah. I definitely remember. It’s 81,352.”

“……That’s correct. Just a moment.”

PD Park Sang-cheol gathered the writers together to discuss something.

“Wow! This is insane!”

“How did you know?”

“Someone posted online asking if it was a question on the civil service exam, and I saw it there.”

Apparently, there was indeed a question about the number of plates in the Tripitaka Koreana on the civil service exam, which had stirred up some controversy and led to various discussions online.

“How can you remember that?”

“I’m smart.”

“Oh, you’re incredibly smart.”

Cha Ji-chan pinched Baek Woo-jin’s cheeks playfully.

“Everyone.”

PD Park Sang-cheol returned to his spot.

“We talked it over, and it seems the quiz is a bit too boring. There should be a bit of fun in getting some answers wrong.”

“Come on, that’s so old-fashioned.”

“Right? When you watch variety shows, they usually get all the questions wrong, so there should be some that they can actually get right.”

“So, we’ll have each person take turns answering questions. That sounds fair, right?”

“That’s not fair at all. What’s fair about that?”

At this point, I felt like I needed to step in and clarify things.

“I heard you, PD-nim.”

“Then.”

“But if you’re going to set conditions that favor the production team, we should get something in return, right?”

“Exactly.”

Joo Ji-seung, Cha Ji-chan, and Baek Woo-jin all nodded in agreement.

“So, what do you want?”

“The questions are way too hard. Give us some easier ones.”

“That’s right. You should present questions that an average person can answer.”

“That’s the point of making them difficult.”

PD Park Sang-cheol muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“Wow, this guy is really being unreasonable.”