Chapter 141: Double Celebration
Chapter 141: Double Celebration
“Right now it’s number one! Number one!”
My little sister hurriedly shoved her phone screen in front of my face.
At the very top of the music chart, the “Doctor Princess” OST—“Pieona”—sat proudly at No. 1. Not under Lee Yuna’s name, but under mine.
[1. Pieona (Doctor Princess OST) - Ryu Sunho][2. Pieona (Doctor Princess OST) - Lee Yuna][…]
Because of that, a rare chart like this got completed. The No. 1 and No. 2 song titles being identical—seriously.
But wasn’t the track released last night…? It hadn’t even been half a day since it went public. It hit No. 1 this fast?
I remembered it taking about a week for Lee Yuna’s version to reach No. 1. Then again, if you thought about “Doctor Princess”’s current firepower and ripple effect, maybe it was natural.
This wasn’t the same situation as Episode 3, when Lee Yuna’s OST was released. The ratings had risen to a level that didn’t even compare to back then.
So if I searched the ratings now…
[“Doctor Princess” Episode 16 ratings 49.2%… Kiss scene + OST synergy truly exploded][“My heart can’t take it”… “Doctor Princess” breaks through the cursed 49% wall][Reached 49%… “Doctor Princess” Episode 16 rewrote drama history]
“…Forty-nine percent?”
A stupid voice slipped out of me before I knew it.
My father, who was looking along with me, checked the number and started bouncing in place.
“What the hell! The ratings are 49%? I haven’t seen this since Star Is in My Heart…?!”
“What’s that, Dad?”
“There’s a drama I watched when I was dating your mom! But that was over twenty years ago already… and Sunho, you went and wrote that record…!”
Under the articles emphasizing the ratings, articles about the track’s performance lined up too.
[Confession afterglow as-is… “Doctor Princess” OST sung by Ryu Sunho tops the music charts][Shook them with the kiss scene, locked it in with the song… Ryu Sunho OST hits No. 1, “double celebration”]
Especially after the interview content I’d shared with staff right after the OST recording got printed in the article, the reactions got even more positive.
“Even with a tight filming schedule where getting enough sleep wasn’t easy, Ryu Sunho poured all his strength into every note and every lyric with the heart of ‘wanting to repay the viewers’ love.’
Despite the physical burden of recording that went late into the night, he showed perfect emotional immersion without a trace of fatigue, revealing a truly professional side.
Right after finishing the recording, he returned straight to the set, saying, ‘When I think of the viewers, I forget the tiredness. It was a truly happy experience,’ …”
Comments
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ It’s seriously so good, but isn’t he pushing himself too hard ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠRight… He’s filming a drama and a movie at the same time, went on a UK talk show to sing, and also recorded an OST… isn’t that what this is saying..?Does he have multiple bodies or something..?I don’t think I could live like that, for real…They said he recorded without even sleeping, so why is his voice this honey-sweet..This is why we can’t help but love Ryu Sunho… look at how much he loves his fans
While I was checking the reactions, it seemed my mother had woken up at some point and joined the congratulations.
“Our son is really amazing! Number one!”
And because of that, we ended up having a celebration party from the morning. There wasn’t time to go buy a cake, so my little sister stacked Choco Pies and stuck candles on top.
Fwooo—
“Wooooah!”
“Congratulations again! Our son!”
The visuals were modest, but somehow that made my heart feel even steadier.
After that, I went up to Seoul, handled the scheduled media interviews, and in the car on the way home, I looked up more reactions.
【Han Jusin♥Alicia, a breath-stealing first kiss… and a twist epilogue (ft. Ryu Sunho–Pieona)】
A clip with my OST laid over it went up on JTBN’s official YouTube channel. The view count was skyrocketing in real time like it had lost its mind.
And it made sense—because the epilogue that followed the kiss scene was pretty striking. It was a scene that showed Han Jusin’s gap moe properly.
Since I watched it with my family yesterday and couldn’t focus properly, I monitored the epilogue again, properly.
Swoosh—
After their lips separated, the on-call room was silent, like someone had pressed a mute button.
Han Jusin froze with a face that said, What did I just do? His usual cold composure was nowhere to be found.
Staring at the lunchbox on the desk, he stammered.
[Th-th-this is an unexpected variable that occurred during the meal process…][It wasn’t a variable. It was a constant with a predetermined value.][A constant…?][Yes. From the moment I prepared the lunchbox, I had already decided the future.]
Han Jusin’s lips stiffened again. His ears were already completely red, and a tension you rarely saw even in an operating room climbed all the way up to the ends of his shoulders.
[…S-so… in other words… you… about that act called a kiss…?][Nope. The kiss was done by Professor. What I did was a peck.][…!!!]
At that, Han Jusin’s brain completely froze for about three seconds. It was a shock intense enough to need a ventilator.
Alicia let out a small snort of laughter.
[But I like that more. It’s cute.][…Cute…? A Black Flame Dragon, being described like that…][Not the Black Flame Dragon.]
With bold confidence, she lightly lifted Han Jusin’s chin.
[Han. Ju. Sin.]
Those three syllables, very slowly, and very clearly, disarmed him.
It was content that had already aired. But even now, the comment section was overflowing with people lingering in the afterglow.
Ah, holy shitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Han Jusin glitching is so damn cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋHe panics and looks for the Black Flame Dragon, then gets his chin grabbed and instantly behavesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ what is he, a big dogThe kiss scene was sexy but the epilogue is cute, it’s going crazy..A man who was a cold elite professor in the hospital turns into a clumsy younger boyfriend in romance? This is peak, seriously..The fact Ryu Sunho sang the OST is genuinely god-tierㅋㅋㅋ It hits harder because it feels like Han Jusin is singing itJTBN must be hyped too, look at them instantly making a clip and uploading itㅋㅋㅋㅋ god-tierRatings are 49% so of courseㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Next week was the final episode.
At this pace…
We might even be able to break 50%.
The next day.
A drama set in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
“Cut! Okay!”
Director Chae Wongi’s strong shout rang out. His voice echoed louder and more refreshingly than usual.
“Good work, everyone!”
“‘Doctor Princess’ filming is officially wrapped!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The set was filled with cheers and applause.
Without exception, everyone hugged each other and patted backs. It was the moment a months-long forced march ended, but the cheering now wasn’t just the relief of being finished.
The staff’s faces were full of pride. Pride in having created, with their own hands, a drama that recorded legendary ratings.
Bouquets moved back and forth, commemorative photos were taken, and the warm atmosphere continued.
Especially the No. 1 contributor to the ratings—praise poured toward Ryu Sunho.
“Sunho, you seriously worked so hard!”
“Our Professor Han Jusin! What are we going to do if we can’t see you anymore!”
“Ah, seriously—from acting to promotion, you worked so hard.”
“That UK talk show was seriously legendary.”
“The OST was so good. I changed my ringtone right away, Sunho?”
“Sunho! Big bro! Let’s definitely work together again on the next project!”
Pushing through the crowd, writer Joo Hanbit approached with tears shimmering in her eyes.
“Really… thank you so much… Meeting Sunho in my first drama was incredible luck. If it weren’t Sunho, Han Jusin wouldn’t have been that charming…”
Writer Park Eunju also expressed her gratitude beside her.
“Sunho, you seriously worked so hard. See? I knew I had an eye for people. Don’t forget—you have to appear in my next work too, okay?”
In the middle of that, Director Chae Wongi strode over.
“Alright, alright, let go of our lead actor. At this rate, he’ll wear down.”
“Director, good work.”
“Good work, my ass. Actor Ryu did everything. In all my years directing, I’ve never filmed this comfortably. The moment you point the camera at him, you get a picture.”
Director Chae Wongi looked at Ryu Sunho with eyes full of affection. Then, as if he had just remembered something, he asked.
“Ah, right. Actor Ryu, you’re coming to the wrap party, right?”
“If it doesn’t overlap with movie filming, I’m planning to go. Of course I should go and greet everyone.”
“No. Actor Ryu just needs to decide to come. We should match the date to your schedule. What’s the point if the main character doesn’t show up?”
At the director’s words, the surrounding staff nodded.
“Anyway, you worked hard. Since Actor Ryu says he’s coming to the wrap party, everyone’s looking forward to it. I’ll bring really good alcohol!”
Meanwhile, around the same time.
Actor Gong Hajin, in a dark room, stared into his laptop monitor as if he meant to bore through it.
The screen was filled with Ryu Sunho’s articles and videos.
[The man of 49% ratings, Ryu Sunho][An acting genius who captivated the UK][OST chart all-kill… an all-round entertainer with nothing he can’t do]
“……”
Gong Hajin bit down hard on his lip.
Back when he first saw him in “Vacuum State,” Gong Hajin had thought of Ryu Sunho as just a rookie who could act. The same type as him, but not on his level.
So he pretended to take care of him while looking down from above. It was arrogance he could afford because he was sure his own position would never shake.
But in just a few months, the situation flipped.
Achievements Gong Hajin would struggle to reach even if he worked his whole life—Ryu Sunho was attaining them easily, like it was a joke.
“Fuck……”
An emotion he had never felt before. Jealousy? Envy?
No—it was a stickier, more unpleasant inferiority.
Fear piled on top of it, the fear that his position was being threatened.
As his mental breathing room disappeared, the mask he had maintained began peeling away bit by bit.
It was at a movie set.
“Cut! We’re going again.”
At the director’s words, Gong Hajin irritably swept his hair back.
“No, Director. Why is this an NG? The emotional line was perfect.”
“The emotion popped a bit. Here, you need to restrain it a little more—”
“Restrain, my ass.”
Gong Hajin raised his voice at the director. The staff flinched and stopped what they were doing.
“And the lighting—fuck… why does a shadow keep falling from earlier?”
“……”
“Director, didn’t you say we’re producing this aiming for Cannes? Then why are we using staff this low-grade?”
He took it out on an innocent lighting staff member.
The atmosphere on set turned icy in an instant. The staff, shocked by a side of Gong Hajin they had never seen, exchanged glances.
“…Was Actor Gong Hajin always like that…?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen him like that… Has he gotten more sensitive lately?”
“Why’s he sensitive, all of a sudden?”
“Who knows… Maybe he’s getting anxious because Ryu Sunho keeps pushing forward these days.”
The staff’s whispers reached Gong Hajin’s ears too.
Ryu Sunho.
That name again.
Gong Hajin barely held onto his reason, said he would go rest for a bit, and stepped away.
But the agitation wouldn’t subside.
“Fuck… everywhere I go, all anyone talks about is Ryu Sunho.”
“Everywhere I go, all anyone talks about is Ryu Sunho.”
At Singgeut headquarters, in an office, the Ice Cream Marketing Team Leader—Seo Dongju—couldn’t hide his satisfied smile as he looked at the monitor.
Ryu Sunho’s name was being heard everywhere.
Not only the drama fans’ explosive reactions. Even famous music YouTubers were keeping the topic alive by uploading Ryu Sunho OST cover videos and reaction videos.
And even those videos were exploding in views. It made you feel just how insane Ryu Sunho’s popularity was right now.
“Heh heh heh… This is why I spent real money.”
Seo Dongju’s grin rose like it might hook onto his ears.
It was worth hiring Ryu Sunho and paying that expensive model fee.
“Of course, it wasn’t my money, though.”
Since it wasn’t money coming out of his pocket, it was even better.
So how could he just sit still?
If upper management had paid to hand him a legendary-grade weapon, then it was Seo Dongju’s job to swing that weapon without rest.
“Employee Lee Sihyeon, check Ryu Sunho’s schedule right now and contact him. Tell him to set a meeting date. This is the perfect timing to post SNS ad content!”