The Real Player (3)

Time flew, and before they knew it, it was mid-October. The shoot for episodes 3 to 5 of The College Player was just around the corner.

Frederic Patterson, who had arrived early for once, waited on set without a single word of complaint.

"Um, please look after me."

"......Sure."

The rookie stylist, who had been hastily hired as part of a crew expansion, nervously began applying the base foundation to Frederic's face.

Because today was a shoot day, Frederic had gone to bed early last night. Thanks to that deep sleep, his mind was sharp even though his eyes were closed. He sat perfectly upright, quietly enduring the somewhat clumsy touch of the makeup artist. The senior stylists, who had been hovering nearby out of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠concern for the rookie, couldn't help but tilt their heads in confusion at his unusually calm demeanor.

"What's up with him today?"

"He's so quiet. Well, it's a relief for us."

Usually, Frederic was a man who looked like he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could explode at any second. If even the slightest thing went wrong, he would fly into a fiery rage, forcing the helpless staff to walk on eggshells around him. Yet here he was, sitting peacefully even under the rookie's slightly rough hands.

"......"

"......"

Amidst the slightly bizarre atmosphere, the other actors began arriving on set one by one. Dominic, who played Max, spotted Frederic sitting quietly with his eyes closed and cracked a joke.

"What's gotten into you? You actually look decent today."

"......What about it?"

"Usually, your face is completely sour because of a certain someone right up until the cameras roll."

"Shut up. I'm not the only one."

"Now, now, Dominic. Why would you say that?"

Beside them, Chelsea Cartwright laughed awkwardly and offered Frederic some warm encouragement, reminiscent of his mature, reliable self from Season 1.

"Let's break twenty-five percent in ratings this week! Go team!"

"I don't think that's something we can achieve just by working hard," Susan Hopkins, who was sitting nearby, let out a snicker. "Our main character has to carry us~"

With Sion's arrival, the ratings had peaked at an unprecedented 24.2% in Episode 2, but they had gradually entered a downward trend since then. It was inevitable. That number was an absurd, anomalous record for a sitcom. And it wasn't due to the quality of the sitcom itself, but rather the sheer force of a single individual dragging the ratings up. Sion's shocking behavior at the MTV Movie Awards had essentially grabbed the entire broadcast by the collar and carried it forward.

However, as soon as the media's fiery coverage of Sion's sitcom appearance cooled down, the fact that he wouldn't be appearing in every episode of Season 3 came to light. Consequently, people stopped watching The College Player live. They would leisurely watch other programs, check the next day through friends or newspaper articles to see if Sion had appeared, and then watch the recorded broadcast.

As a result, when combining live and recorded views, the episodes featuring Sion maintained ratings similar to Episode 2, but the episodes without him recorded relatively lower numbers. Of course, for a seasonal sitcom, it was normal for the premiere and the finale to pull the highest ratings. In other words, Episode 2—Sion Lee's first appearance—was essentially the "premiere" for viewers who hadn't originally watched the sitcom.

Susan pointed out this analysis, spinning the logic that "there is a reality in this world we just have to accept."

With a bitter smile, Chelsea replied, "Still... we have to do what we can."

"I agree. Besides, thanks to our lead, things have been pretty lucrative lately, haven't they?" Giggling, Susan held up two fingers, flashing a peace sign and wiggling them. "I got a commercial~"

"Really?! Congratulations, Susan!"

"Hey, buy us a drink!"

"No can do~ The commercial I'm doing is aimed at kids, so I agreed to only drink at home during the contract period~"

"Then we'll just go to your house!"

"I don't want to show you guys where I live~"

"Not even me?"

Before anyone noticed, a man had seated himself next to Susan. He looked exceptionally fatigued. Wearing a black shirt, his dirty blonde hair was styled in a casual, slightly messy cut. Sion Lee, who looked even thinner than when the season started, groaned as he sat down and looked at Susan.

"If you got a commercial thanks to me, shouldn't you be buying me a drink?"

"Oh, uh......?"

Susan was visibly flustered. The other three stared at Sion with wide, startled eyes. Seeing the "main character" arrive without a sound, a few stylists who were close with him ran over, giggling.

"......You say that, but you'll never actually come."

"No, I might. Someday."

"Hmph."

Susan pouted, making her disappointment clear. Normally, Frederic would have been incredibly irritated to see his friend acting so cozy with Sion, but strangely, he didn't feel angry. With Frederic staying quiet, Dominic didn't have much to say either. Chelsea, who had been friendly toward Sion from the start, merely smiled awkwardly. And Susan, though still wearing a pout, secretly hoped for Sion's attention.

As a Hollywood superstar, Sion had taught these four—who had grown arrogant on minor success and behaved recklessly on set—a lesson in "humility." Looking around at their reactions, which showed varying degrees of respect, Sion chuckled. He leaned back comfortably in his chair and let the stylists begin his "nerd" makeup.

I wonder why I'm doing this, he thought.

Still, since he had accepted Olga Asimov's request for the sake of "networking," he decided to look on the bright side.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Ratings soared for the episodes featuring Sion Lee. It was only natural. Because typical sitcoms run for multiple years, they inevitably fall into a rut unless they find ways to draw in viewers. Thus, sitcom producers constantly sought survival strategies to extend the lifespan of their shows. These ranged from short-term tactics like celebrity cameos to long-term methods like introducing new characters or creating entirely new relationships and plots.

In that sense, casting Sion had achieved both the short-term and long-term goals. Even if his appearances were irregular, he was a presence that firmly anchored the season over the course of a year. People gradually fell for the charm of his character, Ryan, and the media, prompted by the network, ran in-depth analyses of that charm, keeping the excitement alive.

While the "real" nerds shed tears of blood and raged at these articles, there was nothing they could do against the cultural tide manufactured by television, the most popular medium of the era. However, their fragile hearts were completely turned around by a single magazine interview Sion Lee did at a comic book store.

"Great! Sion! Look over here and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smile!"

At the photographer's shout, Sion smiled, holding a comic book in his hand. It was a small comic book store in downtown Hollywood. At Sion's request, they had deliberately chosen this location for the interview. The magazine had originally wanted to rent out the entire store, but Sion had insisted otherwise, choosing to shoot alongside the regular nerds.

Hiding like cavemen among the dense thickets of bookshelves, the store's resident nerds watched him with wary eyes, as if observing a visitor from the civilized world.

"......Hmm."

"Hoo."

"Still, picking up the latest issue of Spider-Man. He knows a little something."

"What are you talking about? Picking just Spider-Man? A real man should be reading Pain Walker."

"Dude, why are you comparing it to some obscure hero? Has it ever even been adapted into live-action or a cartoon?"

"The trend these days is Pain Walker! They're going to make a movie out of it soon!"

Like hunters boasting about their prey, they bickered back and forth until they suddenly started arguing in earnest. Then, someone suddenly chimed in.

"The latest issue of Pain Walker was really good, wasn't it? The protagonist, who fights by turning other people's trauma into power, wanders around because he can't remember his own trauma. That really hit home."

"Oh, man. You know your stuff."

King, a local nerd at the store, acknowledged the man who had suddenly cut in, impressed by his comment that pierced right to the core of the latest issue.

"Exactly. Unconscious trauma is terrifying. Pain Walker is a great metaphor for modern psychology! Hahaha! You really get—S-Sion Lee? Wait, why are you here?"

"Why else? I wanted to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠join the comic book talk."

Sion smiled gently as the photographer snapped photos furiously in the background.

"It's a really fun piece. Spidey is great, but I think Pain Walker is excellent too. And since you guys are going to read both anyway, is there really a need to rank them?"

"......"

"......"

The nerds stood dumbfounded, unable to speak, as if watching a modern man fluently speak their ancient, tribal tongue. Just like that, Sion Lee proved he was a "real" nerd.

Though I mostly know this from watching the future superhero movies.

Still, after taking on the role of the "nerd" in The College Player, he had personally bought and read various popular superhero comics of the era to study the character. Because of this, his portrayal of "Ryan" possessed a level of detail that even the "real" nerds couldn't dare criticize.

"What's going on? What's going on between them?"

"Oh my god...! Hurry up and release the next episode!"

True to its sitcom nature, The College Player followed an episodic format with loose connections between episodes. And the moment all the fans had been waiting for—the reveal of Ryan's "face"—arrived about a third of the way through the season.

Episode 3-7.

Kyle and Max follow Belle to Stanford University, where they spy on her and Ryan happily working on a computer. Ryan, excited as he talks about his favorite subject, bounces around like a child. Belle's gaze as she watches a man so deeply immersed in his passion is... very peculiar.

Is she still viewing him as a younger brother, a year junior, just like when they were kids? Or is she starting to see him as a man?

Then, due to Ryan's clumsy mistake, they trip and tumble together. The camera spins. And then...

"Kyaaaaaah!"

The moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.

"It's here! It's here! It's here!"

"Yep, I'm dead."

His boyishness had mostly faded. His eyes, sharper and more decadent due to his weight loss, gazed up at Belle. Ryan's face, looking up at Belle with a worried expression, was a masterpiece of masculine yet delicate features.

Belle stares blankly at Ryan, then slowly caresses his cheek.

"Whatwhatwhatwhat?!"

"She's touching him like that!"

"She is one hundred percent in love! This is insane!!"

"What about Max? What about Max...!"

"Screw Max! Ryan and Belle is the only way!"

Everyone watching the scene, unable to sit still, squirming and jumping up and down, let out massive cheers. The ratings shattered their previous record.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

A few days later. A conference room at Paramount Studios, where The College Player was being produced.

"Excellent..."

It was a meeting where executives from NBC, Paramount, and the senior production team were all gathered. Without a doubt, the most important topic of the day was Sion Lee.

"We broke twenty-five percent."

25.7%.

The moment Ryan revealed his face from behind his glasses, it generated an astronomical amount of buzz for the show. Dozens of newspapers had reached out, asking to publish stills of that scene before the network even distributed them, and support for the "Ryan x Belle" couple was soaring by the day. To put things in perspective, one of the agenda items brought to the table by the executives was "producing a spin-off based on their childhood relationship."

"What if we ask for a contract renewal?"

At the NBC director's opening suggestion, everyone began chiming in with their opinions.

"With Sion Lee? It's a good idea, but..."

"The issue is how to handle the episodes we've already filmed."

"What if we rewrite the story to increase his live shooting scenes?"

"That would..."

Ethan Simons, the head writer, frowned as he ran through the logistical nightmare in his head. But as a creator overjoyed by the love his work was receiving, he laughed, throwing caution to the wind.

"Ah, what the hell! If we can get a contract renewal, we'll make it work!"

Everyone in the room was acutely aware of the positive impact Sion Lee had on the sitcom. It was, quite literally, the "Shion Effect." That was why they were willing to pay an even larger sum to have him appear in more episodes and continue driving up the ratings.

"Our rough target is... thirty percent for the finale."

"That's insane. A sitcom that was sitting at twelve percent in Season 2, and you want to drag it to thirty?"

"That's an impossible number. Even election night broadcasts don't pull those kinds of ratings."

"It's not entirely unprecedented. I Love Lucy hit sixty-seven percent."

"That was the 1950s, the circumstances were completely different. Back then, there was nothing to watch but the news and I Love Lucy, so of course people went wild. Breaking thirty percent in this day and age is practically impossible."

"But don't you want to try?"

The speaker was Jackie Halberg, Vice President of NBC's Entertainment Division.

"Saying 'it was possible then but impossible now' is just an excuse. Isn't that always the case for people like us? Settling for the status quo. But since we've made it this far, shouldn't our job be to piece together ideas to make it happen, no matter what?"

Everyone smiled at her encouraging words. There was a saying: television broadcasting is a brief cycle of heaven and hell repeated every week. Much like life itself. Once humans feel they have achieved something, boredom quickly sets in, and they set new goals to keep fighting. The veterans who had fought tooth and nail to rise to the top of the broadcasting industry knew this truth all too well. Whether their ambitions were big or small, they all still possessed a hunger for their careers, and they wanted to pull this off.

Right then, someone raised their hand. All eyes immediately locked onto her.

Sitting near the head of the table, quietly listening to the discussion, was the core of the sitcom: Olga Asimov. She spoke with a slightly troubled expression.

"He likely won't accept the offer."

"......Why is that?"

Everyone was taken aback by the sudden wet blanket thrown over the discussion. Olga hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Sion has agreed to star in another movie during our shooting breaks. ......It's a film about dinosaurs. I think if I say that much, you'll all know which movie it is, so I'll leave it at that."

She wasn't just a wet blanket. In fact, she was never the type of person to speak without a purpose.

"And to add one more thing..."

She was the kind of person who always presented a definitive alternative when she chose to speak up.

"I have a way to break thirty percent for the finale."

"Oh...... And what would that be, Mrs. Asimov?"

"Having my daughter make a cameo."

The ice princess, said to possess acting talent that surpassed even the Iron Witch. Yet, whenever she was paired with Sion Lee, she transformed into a vision of spring, becoming a massive sensation in her own right.

At this incredibly effective proposal to utilize her own daughter, everyone gasped in shock. As expected, when it came to business, Olga's mind operated with ruthless efficiency.