Chapter 130: Episode 9 Everyone Had Been Waiting For
Chapter 130: Episode 9 Everyone Had Been Waiting For
Around 9:50 p.m. on Wednesday night, with the broadcast of Doctor Princess just around the corner, most employees had already left the Entertainment Department office.
Reporter Ahn Gihun remained alone, the glow of the monitor lighting his face.
“Senior, aren’t you going home?”
A couple of junior reporters who were about to leave asked hesitantly.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll look at this a bit more.”
“Yes, sir. Then we’ll head out first!”
The juniors boarded the elevator and whispered among themselves.
“Does he still have an article to edit?”
“I glanced at his monitor earlier, but it didn’t look like he was writing anything. It felt more like he was just browsing the internet.”
“What, then he’s just staying late to log overtime?”
“Who cares. You know he always works in that completely-my-way style anyway.”
Chuckling, the two left the company.
Just as they said, Reporter Ahn Gihun sat in the office staring at the monitor, busily clicking his mouse.
He had been roaming through various online communities, checking reactions about Ryu Sunho.
Because Ryu Sunho’s estimated appearance fee had spread across the internet, the comment sections were still a muddy battlefield.
Reporter Ahn Gihun curled the corner of his mouth upward, clearly pleased by the chaos.
“Yeah, reactions like this should come out. It doesn’t make any sense that Ryu Sunho’s value is higher than Gong Hajin’s, does it?”
He looked quite proud.
And understandably so—because the person who had spread the “Advertising Industry Trend Report” that had heated up the internet a few days earlier was none other than Reporter Ahn Gihun himself.
When he had first obtained the data, Ahn Gihun looked at Ryu Sunho’s valuation and, beyond disbelief, felt outright anger.
What kind of bullshit is this… The entertainment industry is seriously messed up.
He clicked his tongue repeatedly.
Then he remembered his role.
What was the duty of a journalist?
To satisfy the public’s right to know and report the truth while resisting injustice.
If the world had gone wrong, it was the journalist’s job to raise their voice so that it would return to the right path.
The entertainment industry he belonged to could not be allowed to collapse under this kind of inflated bubble.
However, in the case of this data, various complicated circumstances made it difficult for him to reveal it directly himself.
So he had no choice but to take a slightly roundabout approach so the public could enlighten themselves.
Furthermore, for the sake of the public good, it would be acceptable to modify the data a little.
After all, strong stimulation was necessary to change something rotten.
Of course, if he inserted negative opinions too openly, the issue might grow large enough for the distributor to be traced.
Only to the extent that it wouldn’t become a problem.
Tap—tap—
So in the “Advertising Industry Trend Report,” he had simply adjusted it slightly so that Ryu Sunho stood out.
Ryu Sunho had originally been mixed with other celebrities as an S-rank, but Ahn Gihun separated him out and labeled him as “R-rank.”
Just in case, I’ll keep the VPN on.
When he uploaded the data to an anonymous community, all attention focused on Ryu Sunho exactly as expected.
And once he threw a few logs onto the fire through the comments, the flames began roaring.
—Don’t worry about celebrities; they make money way too easily
—That’s seriously a ridiculous bubble lol
└For real; even if he’s the public’s pick these days, this is too much
└Even Gong Hajin, who won the Baeksang Grand Prize last year, doesn’t get that much. It’s just pure image hype
“Kuahaha!”
As expected, he must have been a born journalist.
With just a few words, he could enlighten people and make them move.
Beneath that, a stream of sharp comments targeting Ryu Sunho continued to appear.
Especially the comments claiming he had used the Ministry of Health and Welfare ambassador position as image-making material made Ahn Gihun grin widely.
Because it overlapped with a memory.
The day of the ambassador appointment ceremony, when Seo Jiyeon had mocked him.
—Didn’t you know actor Ryu Sunho accepted this ambassador role without pay?
—You seem extremely quick with drama news, but veeeery slow with other important news.
—I look forward to your fast and accurate reporting in the future, senior!
That arrogant bitch…
How dare she talk like that to a senior in the industry?
Back when he had been learning the job, such a thing would have been unimaginable.
And what? Slow with other important news?
As if getting internal materials like this were easy.
Reporter Ahn Gihun felt certain he had completely won.
Looking at Ryu Sunho’s photo hanging on the main page of the portal site, he smiled slyly.
So you’re acting cocky because you became a Ministry of Health and Welfare ambassador, huh? If you want to wear a crown, you need to be someone who can bear its weight.
The satisfaction was so refreshing it felt like years of indigestion had cleared away.
“Kuahahahaha!”
Meanwhile, at the same time.
The JTBN headquarters building in Sangam-dong.
Drama Department office.
A large whiteboard on the wall displayed a viewership rating graph.
Doctor Princess had aired up to Episode 8.
The graph hovered steadily in the low 30 percent range.
That alone was an incredible result worthy of being called a phenomenon.
But the problem was the growth.
The highest rating still had not surpassed the 32% recorded in Episode 3, where Lee Yuna had appeared as a cameo.
Employees gathered in small groups, whispering with anxious expressions.
“What if we don’t break 32% this week either?”
“What if we can’t go on the reward vacation?”
“No way… I already renewed my passport.”
“I even bought a swimsuit. I planned everything assuming we’d definitely go…”
“If we don’t hit it with this drama, we’ll never have another chance. And 35% isn’t exactly an easy number.”
The 35% ratings pledge the Drama Director had boldly promised.
That dreamlike reward dangled right before their eyes.
Each episode had gripped viewers with intense surgery scenes and fast pacing.
But to break through the dreaded 35% wall, something big was still missing.
“Sigh…”
Just as the employees’ sighs deepened, the door to the Drama Director’s office opened.
The director stepped out.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he wore a relaxed smile.
“Why does everyone look like they’re at a funeral? The drama’s about to start.”
“To be honest… we’re a bit anxious. It feels like the momentum has stalled…”
“What do you mean stalled? The real beginning starts now.”
The director smiled confidently.
He was not anxious at all.
No—his heart was practically pounding with anticipation.
Because he already knew.
About the enormous nuclear bomb waiting in Episode 9.
The thrill he had felt while watching the rough cut of Episode 9 in the editing room was still vivid.
It was the kind of scene that could only explode.
After Episode 9 airs tonight… wherever you go, this will be all people talk about for the entire day.
Communities would explode.
Articles would pour out.
Then what about Episode 10 airing tomorrow?
Naturally, even more people—those who hadn’t been watching—would sit in front of the TV out of curiosity.
The director checked the clock.
There wasn’t much time left until the broadcast began.
He raised the corner of his mouth while looking at the staff.
Stop worrying and start packing your bags, you idiots. I’ll buy you tickets to Bali.
“Honey! Hurry up! Doctor Princess is starting!”
The urgent voice of a husband echoed from the living room.
The clattering sounds in the kitchen stopped.
A moment later, a woman with a short permed haircut came out carrying a steaming pot of tteokbokki.
Although her mouth watered at the smell, her eyelids were swollen like a goldfish.
“How much did you cry yesterday for your eyes to still be swollen?”
“If Juwon oppa hadn’t acted so well, I wouldn’t have cried like that.”
“Se-eun… but you didn’t even cry at our wedding…”
“…A wedding is a happy thing. Juwon oppa dying is a sad thing.”
As one could infer from the conversation, the woman named Se-eun was an ardent fan of Park Juwon.
She hardly even glanced at other male actors, including Ryu Sunho.
But earlier in the year, photos had been released showing Park Juwon, Ryu Sunho, and Moon Ganghyeok hanging out together harmlessly.
Because of that, she had naturally grown fond of them as well.
It’s such a relief they’re hanging out in a healthy way instead of getting influenced by trash like Seo Juhak.
Because of that, she had unexpectedly become a loyal viewer of JTBN.
On Mondays and Tuesdays she watched Bling Bling Island, starring Park Juwon.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays she watched Doctor Princess, starring Ryu Sunho and Moon Ganghyeok.
But after Park Juwon’s character died in the drama yesterday, she felt like she had lost the joy of life.
Her interest in the show had slightly faded.
His acting performance had been excellent, earning applause as he exited.
But as a fan, the emptiness of no longer seeing Park Juwon could not be helped.
“Ugh… Juwon oppa isn’t even in it anymore. What’s the point of watching this drama now?”
She grumbled while dipping a piece of tteokbokki.
Meanwhile—
“Wow, Moon Ganghyeok really has an intimidating aura.”
Her husband, who was not anyone’s fan, was watching the drama purely as an ordinary viewer.
Not wanting to disturb him, she also pushed aside her wandering thoughts and looked at the screen.
“Today marks the moment when Korea’s heart surgery technology meets the world’s standards and writes a new chapter in history.”
The hospital director’s voice played over the background.
On the screen, Robert Moon and Alicia Yoon stood in the center of a luxurious banquet hall.
A cold tension flowed between them.
Just as the atmosphere thickened—
BOOM—!!!
A sudden explosion rang out.
The banquet hall began collapsing.
“Whoa! What was that?!”
“A terrorist attack??”
“Wow, I thought things were flowing too calmly. They’re not giving us a second to breathe!”
From the very start of Episode 9, the shocking development slammed in without warning.
The two set their chopsticks down and were pulled into the screen.
“Get down!”
Robert Moon threw himself forward and saved Alicia.
But—
“No… no!”
A massive fragment slammed into his chest.
The scene shifted.
The emergency room, drenched in blood.
After checking Robert Moon’s condition, the medical staff’s faces turned pale.
“Rupture. His heart is almost torn apart.”
“Myocardial rupture… no suturing procedure can reverse that. The heart itself has lost function.”
“Oh my god… what do we do…!”
“Is Moon Ganghyeok really going to die like this?”
“Did JTBN decide to make a disaster-survival special or something… why are they killing everyone?!”
“Hmm… but it would be a huge waste to kill Moon Ganghyeok here…”
Because Writer Joo Hanbit had built Robert Moon’s narrative so solidly over the previous eight episodes, the two viewers desperately hoped he would not die.
Then—
Just as the hospital director and Han Jushin were fiercely clashing over the surgery decision—
RIIIIIIIING—!!!!!
The emergency hotline phone rang loudly.
“A brain-dead donor has been confirmed! We’ve secured an emergency organ transplant donor!”
Hope appeared that Robert Moon might survive.
The two viewers watching clapped and cheered.
But—
“Where is the donor located?”
“W-well… that is… in Jeju Island…”
“Ah! Of all places, Jeju again!”
“They seriously won’t give us a moment of peace!”
At the sudden despair, they both groaned.
Up until that moment, neither of them suspected anything.
They thought it was just another crisis setup within the drama.
“What is the donor’s name…?”
“Ah, the donor’s name is…”
The camera zoomed in on the coordinator’s lips.
Background noise buzzed.
Only the coordinator’s voice pierced through clearly.
“Mr. Cheon Seonghyeon.”
“…Cheon Seonghyeon?”
“…Wait, that name sounds familiar?”
Still not fully realizing it, the two looked at each other blankly.
Then—
“Oh?”
“Ah!”
Se-eun’s eyes widened.
She suddenly remembered what that name meant.
“Cheon Seonghyeon—the character Juwon oppa played?”
“No way. That can’t be right. That’s a different drama.”
“It doesn’t make sense, but when Juwon oppa died yesterday, they did show his organ donation card in the epilogue…”
To answer their doubts, the screen switched rapidly.
The camera slowly tilted upward.
A helicopter propeller began spinning, whipping up storm-like wind.
“Korea University Hospital Air Transport Team departing for Jeju.”
“ETA to donor hospital: 17 minutes!”
“Wind speed increasing! Lower altitude to 300!”
Tension filled the pilot’s voice.
Sweat formed on the viewers’ palms.
Soon the helicopter light cut through the clouds.
A small hospital on Jeju Island appeared.
Inside the narrow hospital corridor, the transport team pushed a stretcher carrying an ice box toward the surgical ward.
Finally arriving in the operating room.
“Donor time of death… 19:14.”
A man’s body lay quietly on the operating table.
The transport team bowed their heads respectfully.
The camera slowly—very slowly—moved to reveal the man’s face.
“……!”
A face any viewer would recognize instantly.
In Bling Bling Island, Park Juwon’s character Cheon Seonghyeon lay there peacefully with a pale face.
The drama deliberately held a silent three-second close-up on his face.
The intense background music stopped.
It was a shot almost like mourning.
“Your final act—we will ensure it carries value.”
After a brief moment of silence from the medical staff—
“Beginning extraction.”
Their hands moved swiftly and precisely.
The tense rhythm accelerated.
Then—
the moment the heart was extracted.
All background sound abruptly cut out.
And moments later—
“Heart secured! Departing Jeju!”
The helicopter soared into the dark sky.
At the same time—
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A steady heartbeat echoed in the background.
The camera slowly zoomed out from the transplant box containing Cheon Seonghyeon’s heart.
Episode 9 ended there.
“……”
For a long time, silence filled the living room.
The short-haired woman, Se-eun, looked at her husband blankly.
“Mihih uh ahya…? Hihja horum hodasse…”
Her husband gently closed her hanging jaw.
“Are they insane…? That seriously gave me chills…”
Se-eun still couldn’t come back to her senses.
She had never imagined Park Juwon would appear in another drama like this.
And in such an impactful way.
As a character that pierced straight through the story.
Wait! I can’t be the only one who saw this!
She became curious about other people’s reactions—especially fans like herself.
She immediately opened Park Juwon’s fan café, “Juwonna I Love You.”
As expected, it was in complete chaos.
[Anyone watching Doctor Princess right now?]
Juwon oppa made a cameo(?) appearance and wow… I seriously have no words, just chills everywhere…
—I saw it ㅠㅠㅠ I was watching alone and screamed in surprise ㅠㅠㅠ
—I seriously never imagined he’d appear again like this;;
—I started crying the moment I saw him lying in the operating room ㅠㅠㅠ why did he look so cold ㅠㅠㅠ
└But it was so noble and beautiful… our oppa created a story even at the end ㅠㅠ
└Seriously… I was sad he died yesterday, but seeing the heart donation today somehow feels like salvation ㅠㅠ
—Cheon Seonghyeon’s heart going to Robert Moon… this universe is insane
—But this is huge;; articles are already going up everywhere
└Then isn’t this good for Juwon oppa too?
└Of course! Every article mentions his name
Naturally, this episode was not only trending within Park Juwon’s fan club.
With enormous ripple effects, it became a hot topic simultaneously across various communities.
—If you haven’t seen Doctor Princess Episode 9 today, go watch it seriously;;; my head is still buzzing
└No, you have to watch Bling Bling Island Episode 12 first
└Someone already posted a drama summary with screenshots; at least check that out
—Holy shit lol this is insane lol they connected two dramas like this??
└Are the broadcasting station people crazy?? the way they handled organ donation gave me chills
└People who cried watching Bling Bling yesterday are bawling again watching Doctor Princess today lol
└Now revive Robert Moon! Let him get Cheon Seonghyeon’s heart and come back stronger!
And then people naturally began asking questions.
—Who came up with this idea? They deserve an award
└Seriously the idea is insane
└Wasn’t it the writer?
└No way, a writer can’t just use a character from another drama like that
└Also the writer is a rookie; she probably doesn’t have the seniority for something like this
└Something like this would need to be someone at broadcasting-director level, right?
└Yeah, probably someone that high up
Then someone wrote:
—Could it be… Ryu Sunho who did it?
└That’s going too far lol
└But Ryu Sunho is the Ministry of Health and Welfare PR ambassador, right? Maybe it’s related
└Wait… really?
In shock and curiosity, people began searching for the person who proposed this astonishing idea.
And it would not take long before they learned the answer.
.