"Mr. Producer, look at this."
The producer, who had set up a large broadcasting truck right in front of the store for the long-duration broadcast, was entering the monitoring room made out of the truck's cargo space with coffee and donuts when he was urgently called by an assistant director (AD).
With a donut in his mouth, the producer sat at the monitoring seat and asked, “What’s up? Did he start painting already?”
The AD, handing over his headphones, said, “Van is saying something.”
“Is it like talking to himself? He's not swearing, right?”
“No, he’s speaking in English.”
“What's he saying?”
“Just listen.”
In the screen, Jeong-hoon was squeezing paint onto a large transparent palette that could be held vertically with a thumb hole.
The producer, with headphones on, narrowed his eyebrows, focusing on the voice.
[“Shall we start with a 2-inch brush? Just a little Prussian Blue, it's a very strong color, so just a little. Lightly drag the tip and tap the brush to get the paint on. Then, mix in a bit of the Midnight Black right next to it.”]
What is this? Does it feel like he's teaching painting to someone?
The producer closely observed Jeong-hoon on the monitoring screen. The man was intermittently laughing, seemingly finding something very amusing as he continued talking to himself.
The producer, taking off the headphones, looked at the AD.
“How long has he been doing this?”
“For about 5 minutes.”
“Did he just start talking like this out of nowhere? Before I went to get coffee, he was just sitting and pondering.”
“No, he started with something like a greeting. Take a look.”
The AD replayed the recorded footage.
The producer's eyes lit up after confirming Jeong-hoon's greeting.
Rolling his eyes left and right as if thinking, he quickly said, “Hire a simultaneous interpreter immediately. We need about three who can work 24 hours for the next two weeks.”
“Suddenly? Why?”
“Yes, hurry up! Before I find them, I'll do the real-time subtitles myself. Find them before I die, alright?”
“Ahh, yes. I understand, but what is he planning to do?”
The producer smiled slyly as he pulled the keyboard towards him for entering subtitles.
“He's not just a painter, he has the makings of a star. This broadcast is definitely going to be a hit. I thought I was just obliging Monica's request, but it turns out she's the one helping me. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and find a translator!”
“Yes, right away!”
The producer quickly programmed the system for real-time subtitling and began translating Jeong-hoon's words into Italian for the live broadcast.
Jeong-hoon was smiling and speaking in the video.
[“When painting landscapes, the upper part should be dark, getting lighter as it approaches the horizon. Now, shall we embark on a journey down an autumnal path to see a water lily pond? Wouldn’t it be nice to walk along a pretty trail next to a river, under a sky with fluffy clouds?”]
Jeong-hoon was continuously talking, almost non-stop. The producer’s fingers moved faster and faster because of this.
Without even a moment to take a bite of the donut he had bought earlier, the producer shook his aching fingers and muttered.
“Find those translators quickly, AD. I can only do this for about two hours.”
* * *
Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI).
At first glance, it might seem like a government agency's name, but RAI is actually Italy's public broadcasting company, targeting all regions of Italy.
In a department responsible for broadcasting statistics in Rome, RAI's headquarters, employees monitoring the broadcasts can be seen.
As a large broadcasting company operating 18 channels, RAI requires a systematic monitoring setup, evident by the over thirty monitors in use.
A chief CP (Chief of Production) at the corner seat yawned enormously, though it didn’t seem like it was out of boredom.
“His voice is incredibly smooth. It’s like a whisper and pleasant to listen to.”
He was watching the broadcast of Jeong-hoon painting.
To Western eyes, Asians might not always appear attractive, but with the recent global hit of Asian TV content, Europeans have started to see the charm in Asians, and they no longer find Asians on TV strange.
“And besides, this person. He’s quite handsome.”
He may not have the flashy looks of a world-famous Korean boy band, but he would certainly be considered handsome if seen on the street.
To him, who had met many artists with gloomy or closed-off vibes, this kind of appearance was quite refreshing.
“He's smart. He thought that a broadcast of just painting without talking would be boring.”
The CP, who was monitoring personally after approving the request for a simultaneous interpreter, knew through the AD that this broadcast was not planned at the request of the producer.
The painter was doing everything on his own.
“He's a painter with enough qualities to be a star, haha.”
Just then, one of the monitoring staff stood up and said,
“The ratings for Channel 5 are rapidly increasing. They’ve gone up by 0.4% in 10 minutes.”
The CP spun around in his chair and asked,
“What's the current rating?”
“It’s at 1.7%.”
An art-related broadcast without advertising reaching a 1.7% rating was a small yet significant achievement.
The CP stood up and clapped his hands.
“Alright! Let's cut this broadcast into a simple commercial and air it on all our channels under management, including on the radio. Our target rating is 8%, let's move!”
It's rare for an art-related broadcast to achieve a rating of 8%. But the one who gave the order was the responsible CP of RAI, whose judgment was almost always accurate.
Following the instructions of their superior, the broadcasting company’s monitoring staff busied themselves.
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