Sensitivity to the Morning Show Audience
“Live experience… None yet, but if I do, I’ll prepare with all my heart. Our drama revolves around entrance exams. Considering the expected audience, morning program slots…”
Kim Mun-seong, the CP, stared at Deok-su with a long, unblinking gaze before bursting into laughter.
“Whoa, I wasn’t laughing at you, Deok-su. Haha! Too unexpected! Whoa, whoa! Where did you learn that?”
It came out of nowhere, yet there was no malice in it.
Deok-su hesitated for a moment, then murmured, “Teacher… Kim Hyeok-jung.”
Kim Mun-seong rested his chin in his hand.
“Hmmm… Hyeok-jung hyung… Ah, I see. If it’s someone like him, he always stresses details in acting…”
“Do you have a close relationship with our professor?”
“Deok-su. I’ve been in this industry a long time too. Hyeok-jung hyung and I worked together on quite a few projects.”
“Ah…”
“Since you’re his student, you can speak more freely. Deok-su, haven’t you ever wondered what other actors or PDs would say?”
Deok-su smiled awkwardly.
From the look in his eyes, it seemed this wasn’t the case after all.
The reason became clear almost instantly.
“You know that the morning program has been running for over ten years, right?”
“Yes. It’s a famous talk show inviting celebrities, or a family karaoke program targeting the 50s and 60s.”
“Exactly. So what’s the problem?”
Deok-su finally realized his mistake.
Most guests on shows like that were famous people in their 50s and beyond.
Promoting the drama on other days by discussing viewers’ worries or helping people out was tricky.
Kim Mun-seong patted Deok-su’s shoulder and continued.
“The enthusiasm is good, but it’s not a good fit for Deok-su. Moreover, the 30s and 40s—who are the main target audience for the drama—are too busy with their own lives during morning slots.”
“Ah… I made a mistake.”
“Haha, no. Your enthusiasm is admirable. Actually, from our side, just having Deok-su appear on variety shows is a huge relief. Honestly…”
Kim Mun-seong leaned in close to Deok-su’s ear and pointed sideways.
“Those fierce unnies over there would be annoyed if we asked them for variety appearances.”
In the direction Kim Mun-seong pointed, veteran actresses were gathered, chatting animatedly.
He couldn’t assign the student roles to other actors either.
Their names hadn’t yet gained enough recognition for variety shows.
“…I’ll first discuss it with the company and get back to you.”
“I’ll send a list of available variety programs Deok-su’s manager can participate in.”
On the drive home, Deok-su recounted the conversation to Lee Hui-yeong.
Lee Hui-yeong furrowed her brows while reading the message from the deputy director.
“…Kim Mun-seong CP is quite the formidable figure. There are seven programs they say are possible.”
Deok-su’s eyes widened as he scanned the list.
If they simply said it was fine, he might even be able to jump from one variety show to the next.
Lee Hui-yeong pointed to two of them.
“This one would be best. High visibility and solid promotion effect.”
“Radio Plus and one more… Is it actually a radio program?”
“From what I see of the program, radio is definitely the way to go. Sunday Show and Masked King are…”
“I can’t do comedy and I’m not great at singing either.”
In the end, the talk program on Wednesday was locked in as Radio Plus.
With something finally decided, Deok-su’s tension melted away. He leaned his head against the window and fell asleep.
Park Hyeon-woo, gripping the steering wheel, spoke softly.
“Senior. Originally you’re an idol, right? But when I see Deok-sun hyung, he seems to focus more on acting than singing…”
“Park Hyeon-woo, how long have we been traveling together?”
“It’s been about four months now.”
Lee Hui-yeong leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.
“It’s time to start thinking for yourself. Why does Deok-sun hyung avoid singing? Why does he only want to do acting?”
“He likes acting more, right? I thought he wasn’t a bad singer though…”
Park Hyeon-woo looked puzzled, but Lee Hui-yeong offered no answer.
‘The title “Actor Kim Deok-su” must sink deeper into the public’s heart than “Idol L’Vyu.”’
Park Hyeon-woo tossed out various theories, none of which came close.
Lee Hui-yeong encouraged him to think it over enough.
The car carrying the three of them sped through the night streets.
“Come in.”
Upon Min Du-jin’s approval, Lee Hui-yeong entered the office.
“Welcome, my manager.”
“Good afternoon, Director.”
Lee Hui-yeong sat down warily across from Min Du-jin.
Two days earlier, Min Du-jin had called her while Deok-su was shooting a title drama, requesting a meeting in the office soon after. She had accepted.
‘He’s one of the founders who created today’s JMT. But because of the caution he received from Director Kang Ha-seong and other division heads, his position inside the company isn’t very strong, or so he once told me.’
Soon a secretary placed tea and light snacks on the table and left.
Min Du-jin raised his hand and offered her a cup of tea.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ve been curious since I heard you’re the manager who revived Kim Deok-su. I know you’re busy, but I really wanted to talk.”
“Thank you for looking kindly on me, Director. Still… the strength of the Director is intimidating; I can’t help but feel tense.”
Min Du-jin laughed and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead at the mention of a difficult situation.
A light conversation flowed between them.
From industry chatter to company matters, then to the actor division, it grew deeper and deeper.
Min Du-jin listened more than he spoke, so Lee Hui-yeong kept talking busily.
“…This manager also thinks that way.”
“One top star is better than many second-tier ones. Everyone says it out loud but never admits it, yet everyone knows it. Signature is a top team, but it’s a stretch to call every single member a top star.”
“Top stars in entertainment are a double-edged sword for JMT. They bring in a lot of money, but when a star gets upset, the losses are enormous. Management costs aren’t cheap either. JMT is simply aiming for stability.”
Min Du-jin crossed his arms.
The main topic was about to begin.
Lee Hui-yeong sensed it and straightened her posture.
“…Kim Deok-su is rather ambiguous in the current JMT.”
“I’d like to hear your thoughts on that.”
“Before that, I heard you turned down the offer to manage Signature. Is there a reason?”
Lee Hui-yeong swallowed hard.
‘I don’t know what his motive is…’
Since he was hard to read, caution was necessary.
“I thought I wasn’t qualified to handle Signature. Even managing just Deok-sun hyung was overwhelming.”
“Hmmm… That must have been disappointing. You couldn’t have been unaware of how great Signature is…”
“The group that had three consecutive wins on the Japanese Oricon monthly charts, broke attendance records at concerts in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, won the most Golden Disc awards… It seemed beyond my capacity.”
“Or did you think Kim Deok-sun would surpass Signature?”
For a split second, Min Du-jin’s eyes flashed with intensity, but Lee Hui-yeong simply shook her head calmly.
“I’m grateful you see me that highly, but with my short career, I couldn’t possibly have such deep thoughts…”
“I see.”
Min Du-jin’s gaze softened again.
The conversation was nearly over.
When Lee Hui-yeong stood up, Min Du-jin said with a smile,
“Please come by anytime. If you need anything, feel free to say so.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lee Hui-yeong left the director’s office.
A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and dropped to the floor.
Appearance, acting skill, star power—there were many important things on set, but one stood above the rest.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
Deok-su bowed politely to the receptionist.
She was a mid-level actress making a special appearance as the mother of student Won-jun in episodes one and two of the drama.
When Moon Ji-won met Deok-su’s height and opened her mouth slightly,
“…You’re taller than you look on screen. Your figure is amazing too.”
“I was about to slip up and say the same, Ji-won.”
“Puhahaha! What the heck did you just say?”
Moon Ji-won lightly patted Deok-su’s shoulder and laughed.
A woman who didn’t like Deok-su didn’t exist.
The power of a single line was already evident in rehearsals.
“…I’m portraying this face…”
“Okay. But Deok-sun, if you lean in too much, I’ll get nervous?”
Despite being strangers, the two showed excellent chemistry.
Moon Ji-won’s light jokes brought big laughs from Deok-su and everyone on set.
Everyone already knew about the infamous “couple” Moon Ji-won and her husband, so there was no pressure.
PD Jo Woo-seok, holding a megaphone, offered various tips about positioning.
“Deok-su, you should relax your expression a bit. When you see something you don’t like, have a blank stare.”
“Yes, PD.”
After rehearsal, the actual shoot began immediately.
Deok-su leaned his upper body forward toward Moon Ji-won, who was kneeling.
“Won-jun… Even if we go to Seoul National University of Medicine, Seoul National University itself will be out of reach, Mother.”
“Teacher, please! Is there any way?! I’ll do anything you say…”
“Anything… But it’ll be difficult for you.”
“No! I can do it! I can do anything…”
“Do you really mean you can do everything I tell you?”
Heavy emotions swirled on set between the two.
Moon Ji-won nodded vigorously with tears streaming down her face. Deok-su, turning away, curled his lips in a sly smile.
Even the notoriously blunt director Ha Tae-sik couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise.
“Cut. Change the angle and we’ll go again.”
After the okay sign, Deok-su exhaled.
He had almost let an NG slip because the emotion he absorbed from Moon Ji-won was overwhelming.
The pull of a senior actor was immense.
“Deok-su. What was that voice just now?”
“This? It’s something I practiced… Does it sound strange?”
“Strange? No, it was scary. I thought a grim reaper was coming for me.”
Deok-su finally smiled.
The practice to channel a grim reaper had been worthwhile.
From the first episode, the emotional scenes had been constant, and both Deok-su and the actors were growing tired quickly.
The intense motherly love mixed with obsession to send her son to a prestigious medical university had to be fully absorbed.
“Haa…”
Deok-su had improved his stamina, yet he still needed to take a break in the middle of the relentless schedule.
But the moment he stepped onto the set, he instantly transformed into the energetic Han Seo-won.
“Won-jun… What do you think the greatest revenge is?”
Deok-su, who had just locked the classroom door, brought his mouth close to the ear of Park Dae-seong, who played student Won-jun.
“R-revenge? Why would I even think about revenge…”
“Right now, you’d love to tear up that worthless problem book. But you don’t have the courage to say you want to do something. You’d just be sitting there, reading a book you don’t even understand properly, playing the role of a doll in front of your mom.”
“T-teacher… Y-you… What the heck are you…”
“So, get revenge. Throw away that medical school acceptance letter! Whether you become a doll or a person, that’s what I want! True revenge means giving the other person exactly what they want and then taking it away. That’s revenge, isn’t it?”
“…”
Student Won-jun’s eyes, still dazed as he read the book, suddenly blazed with intensity. The camera slowly tilted upward.
“Cut!”
Clap clap clap.
Applause erupted. Deok-su scratched the bridge of his nose and smiled sheepishly.
His heart was still pounding from the deep immersion.
PD Jo Woo-seok patted Deok-su’s back.
“Whoa, that was incredible, Deok-sun! You really are Han Seo-won.”
After that, the remaining episodes consisted mostly of dark emotional scenes, yet the atmosphere on set remained cheerful.
After filming episodes one and two, several days passed.
“Hyung. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Deok-su, dressed casually in the Menclothing outfits sponsored by the brand, climbed into the car.
Today he was participating in a radio schedule to promote the drama.
Upon arriving at NBS Radio Station, a woman ran over and greeted him energetically.
“Oh, please take good care of us today, senior!”
Deok-su waved back lightly.
“Thanks. I should be resting after the drama wraps up…”
“No, senior.”
The woman with firm energy was the new actress Shin Da-hyun from JMT.
When Deok-su’s radio appearance was announced, she was sent along under the pretext of being his assistant at JMT.
Having pondered it, Lee Hui-yeong had accepted on Deok-sun’s first radio outing.
Inside, the host actress Kim Hye-seon was reading the script.
After a brief greeting, as the commercial break approached, Kim Hye-seon said,
“Deok-sun. I heard you’re close with Tae-seon?”
Suddenly, the name Yu Tae-seon slipped from her mouth, and Deok-su froze for a moment.