Episode 35. Still, I like being together (3)
Before starting the filming of “Soulmate,” Kang Dae-oh checked the filming schedule sent by the production team.
First, they would head to a certain hotel located in Gangwon-do, look around the related facilities there, then explore the surroundings until dinner, and finally have a meal at the hotel.
This was the entire schedule for Day 1.
‘They said we could plan our own outdoor activities.’
It seemed they didn’t intend to control every single detail of Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon’s travel itinerary, despite the PPL, ensuring a certain degree of autonomy.
They had to inform the production team in advance where they were going so that the staff could arrive at the location before them and finish setting up for filming.
If they didn’t do so and decided on a location spontaneously on the same day, they would first have to secure filming cooperation and then set up, which would take too much time.
So, the production team asked Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon how they would like to plan their travel itinerary.
‘They said I just needed to decide and send it by today.’
Kang Dae-oh sent a message to Min Seung-yeon, asking if there was anywhere she wanted to go.
The reply he received was as expected.
[You can choose wherever you want to go.]
Min Seung-yeon was not the type to have a strong preference for specific locations when it came to traveling.
Instead, she tended to focus more on things other than the location, such as food.
So, Kang Dae-oh usually decided most of the locations.
Kang Dae-oh cautiously anticipated that this time would likely be no different from usual.
No, given that he received a message telling him to decide himself, it was more of a certainty than an anticipation.
‘In that case…’
Although they would be traveling by car, he didn’t want to travel too far.
It would be better to stick to the nearby area if possible.
It would be a shame to spend all their time traveling when they finally had a chance to go on a trip.
And he couldn’t help but consider the staff’s perspective.
‘It’s certainly difficult to perfectly combine or substitute filming with travel.’
If he focused on the trip, filming-related elements would bother him. But if he prioritized filming, the meaning of “travel” would fade considerably.
Or perhaps it was because Kang Dae-oh wasn’t yet skilled at integrating broadcasting and travel well.
Just then, the thought crossed his mind: ‘Wouldn’t it be possible for people with some experience?’
‘They were there. Around me.’
Coincidentally, there were not just one, but three people right near Kang Dae-oh who had accumulated enough experience in this area.
Kang Dae-oh immediately contacted his daughters to get their advice on this matter.
However, the replies he received were coincidentally quite similar from all three.
[It’s best for Dad to do it your way for the first time.]
[If I tell you where to go, or that you absolutely must go here, wouldn’t that completely take away what little fun there is in a living trip?]
[I’m busy editing videos right now. Dad can handle it, so feel free to plan it.]
All three concluded that it was right for Kang Dae-oh to do it himself.
He had believed that his daughters would neatly sort out his complicated thoughts.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Perhaps his daughters were right.
Because traveling also has the fun of planning it yourself.
‘Today is research day.’
Kang Dae-oh inwardly apologized to Executive Director Yoo In-seok, an apology that would never reach him, and decided to postpone his work for a while.
Thanks to his daughters’ encouragement (?), Kang Dae-oh was able to plan a reasonably satisfying travel route.
The production team’s reaction was also not bad.
Now, it seemed he just needed to confirm during the main recording whether Min Seung-yeon liked it or not.
Min Seung-yeon did not know all the places they would visit, even on the day of filming.
Aside from the PPL-related locations the production team had informed them of in advance, the places Kang Dae-oh had chosen were still kept secret.
Even when Min Seung-yeon pestered Kang Dae-oh to tell her whenever she had a chance, he remained firm.
In the end, Min Seung-yeon began filming in an ambiguous situation.
Before the shoot began, the PD asked Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon a question related to the video they filmed yesterday.
“You know that cam we gave you yesterday? You recorded it well, right?”
“Yes.”
Kang Dae-oh said, pointing to Kang Yeyoung, who was standing a distance away.
“Yeyoung told me how to handle the camera, so I worked comfortably.”
“Indeed. It’s a relief to have a successful broadcaster.”
The PD actually wasn’t too worried thanks to Kang Yeyoung’s presence.
Occasionally, very occasionally, they would think a video had been filmed, only to find out the power was off. Or the video was successfully filmed, but there was no sound. Such cases often occur.
That’s why they rarely entrust cameras to cast members to film in a vlog style.
But in Kang Dae-oh’s family, there was Kang Yeyoung, the master of vlogs.
So, the PD and the production team were able to entrust the self-filming to the couple with more peace of mind than ever before.
Just in case, the camera team checked the footage, and the result was…
“Oh my. It seems like it was filmed even better than when I filmed it?”
After watching the video of Kang Yeyoung personally holding the cam and filming her mom and dad’s travel preparations, the camera team staff were astonished.
Kang Yeyoung not only had outstanding talent as an influencer but also excellent skill in handling filming equipment.
That’s why, before she regressed to the present and before she tried to become an influencer, Kang Yeyoung used to receive many offers asking if she had any interest in joining as a filming staff member.
Of course, Kang Yeyoung rejected all of them.
Thanks to their third daughter, who was overflowing with talent in filming, Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon’s travel preparation video was able to produce footage that was more natural and of higher quality than any other couple’s.
The start was good.
Before moving to the hotel with the staff, Kang Dae-oh exchanged brief goodbyes with his three daughters.
“Don’t worry too much just because Mom and Dad aren’t here. If anything happens, don’t worry about the filming and call us right away. Understood?”
“Yes, Dad!”
Kang Dae-oh turned his head towards Min Seung-yeon.
He gave her a look as if asking, “Don’t you have anything to say to the kids?”
Why wouldn’t she?
Min Seung-yeon began speaking like a machine gun, as if she had been waiting for her turn.
“First, Yera. Don’t just eat whatever’s in the fridge because you’re hungry. Check the expiration date before you eat it. And Yeyoung, don’t mess up your room and the living room just because Mom’s not here. Lastly, Yebin. Don’t leave the door open too often just to ventilate. They said there’s a fine dust warning today, so it’s better to turn on the air purifier. Got it?”
Even if Kang Yera and Kang Yeyoung were to be expected, Kang Yebin couldn’t escape her mother’s nagging domain either.
Caught off guard by their mother’s sudden nagging attack, the three daughters quickly replied with timid expressions, “Yes…”
The PD whispered softly, just loud enough for Kang Dae-oh to hear.
“Seung-yeon ssi. You’re quite scary when you nag.”
“Right.”
Among them, the person who had been nagged the most by Min Seung-yeon was Kang Dae-oh.
As an expert in being nagged by his wife, Kang Dae-oh couldn’t help but admit that the PD had seen it correctly.
After all preparations were complete.
Kang Dae-oh first got into the car and started the engine.
Front, side, and even back. Mounted cameras were densely placed.
‘I thought I’d get used to this kind of filming since I’d done it once before.’
Far from getting used to it, it felt very unfamiliar.
Although he had experience filming reality shows, that period wasn’t as recent as he thought.
Perhaps because a considerable amount of time had passed, the awkwardness was doubled.
While he was checking the camera positions, Min Seung-yeon took her seat next to Kang Dae-oh.
A small bag was in her hand.
“Should I open the trunk?”
“No. These are snacks I packed for us to eat on the way to the hotel, so it’s better if I hold them.”
Food couldn’t be left out of a trip.
Kang Dae-oh nodded firmly at Min Seung-yeon’s assertion and entered the destination into the navigation system.
Since they had to drive all the way to Gangwon-do, he had to make sure to have countermeasures against drowsy driving.
‘I probably won’t fall asleep, but…’
With cameras watching him from all around, it seemed he wouldn’t have a chance to feel sleepy.
Still, there was no harm in being careful.
Kang Dae-oh popped a piece of anti-drowsiness gum into his mouth and skillfully turned the steering wheel.
Then, the vehicles carrying the staff began to move, lining up behind the car Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon were in.
The fact that a procession of multiple vehicles was following behind Kang Dae-oh brought a wry smile to his face.
“If I take a wrong turn just once, the staff will be in the same predicament, right?”
“Why? You’re not trying to take a different route on purpose, are you?” Min Seung-yeon asked, just in case.
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, emphasizing several times that he had just said it as a joke.
It was then.
Crackle! A sound came, and the PD’s voice was transmitted through the small walkie-talkie received from the audio team.
―”Kang Representative-nim. Please don’t do that, for our sake, who are working hard.”
“Can you hear everything I’m saying?”
―”Yes. It seems your walkie-talkie button is pressed, Kang Representative-nim. So what you said was transmitted to our walkie-talkie as well.”
As the PD said, the small walkie-talkie button was stuck in the cup holder.
It was originally a device that required the button to be pressed for transmission/reception. Somehow. Kang Dae-oh had felt something was off.
Min Seung-yeon took action on behalf of Kang Dae-oh, who was driving.
“It’s fixed now.”
“Thank you.”
“Want something to eat?”
“What did you bring?”
“Wait and see.”
Min Seung-yeon began to unpack the lunchboxes one by one on her lap.
Perhaps because she was so used to riding in the passenger seat next to her husband, Min Seung-yeon calmly laid out the food inside the slightly shaking car as if there was no problem at all.
“Look.”
“Is that in the right container sweet potato?”
“Yeah. Dried sweet potato. It’s delicious when you sprinkle a little sugar on it. Want to try some?”
“Just one.”
“Okay.”
Min Seung-yeon used her finger to put a piece of the sweet potato she prepared into Kang Dae-oh’s mouth.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. It tastes even better because my loving wife fed it to me.”
“Oh, stop it, really.”
Min Seung-yeon’s face blushed like a girl’s.
It was then.
―”You two are so affectionate. That kind of scene is very good for broadcasting.”
“PD-nim, I didn’t even press the button. How did you hear our conversation?”
―”Actually, it’s set up so we can transmit and receive remotely even without pressing the button.”
“……Should I just turn it off completely?”
―”Please calm down. Understood. We won’t secretly eavesdrop anymore, so please don’t turn it off. We beg you.”
“Haa.” (Sigh)
The PD showing too much interest in Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon was quite a problem.
He even felt as if he was traveling with his three meddlesome daughters.
