On the set of SBS variety segment "Hero Girls"

"Hero Girls"[tentative title] - We should have learned how to play rugby

"Everyone! Which singer are you expecting to see?" the show's emcee No Hong-chul asked Korea's national women's rugby team with an air of triumph, as if he has a joker up his sleeve as a hidden card. With boy band MBLAQ already having heated up the atmosphere with their performance, it would have been difficult to create a bigger impact on the set with just a so-and-so singer. But No's confidence was actually worth a nod of understanding. For it was none other than Big Bang member Taeyang who got called into Incheon's Songdo district on an already dark night. The problem was, the nodding reporter as well as the national women's rugby team were already looking at him. "Taeyang!", "Ah, how did you know that? Ah, you can see him." However, knowing about Taeyang's appearance beforehand does not mean that his performance would shine any less. Moreover, it surely does not pale the efforts made by the "Hero Girls" team of SBS variety show "Happy Sunday," who rushed to get Taeyang to perform on the show for the national women's rugby team.

As a matter of fact, the format of "Hero Girls" -- where a dozen female cast members are divided up into two teams and compete in a popularity contest in front of a certain group of people -- and the performance for the national women's rugby team was "a bit of a stray from the main structure," as producer Park Sung-hoon described. The female cast included [veteran Korean singer] No Sa-yeon, the big sister of the clan, as well as youngsters T-ara member Ji-yeon and IU. Of course, both teams wanted to win the love of the rugby players. Seo In-young's team, who contacted MBLAQ and Taeyang for the show and mastered the dance routine for T-ara's "Bo Peep Bo Peep," cried out, "Please take notice of our hard work," while No Sa-yeon's team, who spent the afternoon with the athletes playing games and building friendships on a mud flat, stressed "Don't forget that time [we spent together]." But really, the most important thing at this moment is "giving the ladies (national women's rugby team) what they want," like the producer said.

In other words, the premiere episode of variety segment "Hero Girls" was an opportunity to cheer for the national women's rugby team, who sweat to prepare for July's world championship games in a country that has almost no infrastructure for the sport. So even if the captain of the rugby team was lucky enough to get to kiss Taeyang's cheek that day, we -- being the generous readers that we are -- shall show our dignity and just let it go. Oh, this remark is not something directed at our editor-in-chief.

Reporter : Wee Geun-woo eight@
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@ , Jang Kyung-Jin three@