After tidying up his appearance a bit, Liu Xin’an cleared his throat and nodded towards Seong Taekyon.
"No need to be too nervous, just be natural. We can always edit later." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⸺fire.net
"I know." Liu Xin’an nodded, his gaze landing on Kim Heechul, and he smiled slightly, "So, shall we start now, Heechul hyung?"
"Ah, ahem, today I mainly want to interview Heechul hyung about some things related to Red Velvet...
The interview began step by step, and the content of the interview was nothing more than Kim Heechul’s views on Bae Juhyun and others returning, as well as some evaluations.
Of course, he had to say nice things. These are just clichés, which people might not like to watch, but they are necessary.
After asking about the details of the comeback, Liu Xin’an put away the script and began to improvise.
Yes, there were no hints in the script on what questions Liu Xin’an needed to ask next; the improvisation was entirely up to Liu Xin’an.
Liu Xin’an had already thought about this before starting, so...
"The serious interview is over. Next, I might ask some questions that are not so easy for you to answer, Heechul hyung."
"There are questions that are not easy for me to answer? Ha! You’re underestimating me, Xin’an!"
"Heechul hyung, you’ve known Red Velvet for over ten years, right?" Liu Xin’an began to dig the pit.
"Yes, I’ve known Irene and Seulgi since they were trainees. To be precise, I met Seulgi when she joined the company in ’07, so it’s been fourteen years now."
"I’ve known Irene for twelve years as well. Time flies; these kids have grown up so fast."
Kim Heechul was born in ’83; he’s eight years older than Bae Juhyun, so calling them kids isn’t strange at all.
"So, after knowing them for so long, the members of Red Velvet must have caused you quite a bit of trouble. Is there any situation that particularly gave you a headache?"
Liu Xin’an had dug the pit.
Who likes standard answers? The audience is definitely more interested in gossip.
Kim Heechul was taken aback, then pretended to look angrily at Liu Xin’an: "Wow, asking such questions, huh?"
"Of course, everyone definitely wants to hear your answer, Heechul hyung. Or is it inconvenient to answer?"
"Inconvenient?" Kim Heechul chuckled. He’s an old hand at variety shows!
Complaining? He’s really good at it.
"Everyone else is alright, mainly Irene."
Being a variety show veteran, Kim Heechul knew exactly who to mention to spike the interview’s popularity.
And who was most closely tied to Liu Xin’an and garnered the most attention? It had to be Bae Juhyun, whose CP pairing was currently all the rage!
So, Kim Heechul’s first reaction was to bring up Bae Juhyun.
"What’s up with Irene?"
"She could be considered the most boring artist in our company; she’s really bland."
"Bland? Really? Don’t lie to me; I’ve also filmed promotional videos with Irene, and she seemed alright to me."
"That’s because she’s not familiar with you. Once she gets to know you well, she’s not like that."
Kim Heechul started to complain in great detail about Bae Juhyun’s past.
Of course, with some artistic embellishment to deepen the character setting, so some descriptions were slightly exaggerated.
"Sometimes we’d go on shows together, have you seen the one where I’m the MC?"
"Ah, yes, ’Knowing Brothers,’ right?"
"Yes, every time before they go on the show, they contact me beforehand, asking me to take special care of them. But mid-shoot, Irene always finds me during breaks."
Liu Xin’an’s face was full of curiosity; these were the behind-the-scenes details everyone was dying to know but never saw aired.
"She finds you, Heechul hyung?"
Kim Heechul nodded, then very "seductively" tucked his hair behind his ear, imitating Bae Juhyun’s mannerisms, though in reality, she would never do such a thing in private.
"Heechul oppa always brings up such weird topics on the show; I don’t know how to respond."
He imitated Bae Juhyun’s voice, grumbling at the air with a "dissatisfied" tone.
"She said that once, and I was particularly exasperated, so I retorted: ’Didn’t you ask me to take special care of you?’ "
"And then she kept complaining." Kim Heechul continued, striking another "charming" pose, mimicking Bae Juhyun’s mannerisms, adding, "’Then oppa should ask questions we can actually answer.’"
Kim Heechul’s portrayal was so vivid that Liu Xin’an couldn’t help but laugh: "That must’ve given you a headache, Heechul hyung."
"Ha... More than a headache. If they were guys, I’d have thrown a punch by now." Kim Heechul waved his fist, a face full of frustration, but with a constant smile.
"Oh? You guys didn’t go for the shoot?"
Bae Juhyun and the others had just returned to the practice room for a few minutes when the door was pushed open from the outside. Kim Junmyeon peeked in and looked at them curiously.
Drinking water, Kang Seulgi put down her cup and asked in confusion.
Similarly, Bae Juhyun cast a puzzled look at him.
"Uh... the guy you’re close with, Liu Xin’an, just finished an interview with me. Didn’t he interview you guys?"