Chapter 141: Unexpected Charm (1)
Chapter 141: Unexpected Charm (1)
The recent atmosphere at the KMB Drama Department could only be described as the calm before the storm.
It was only natural.
Since the department had been split into Division 1 and Division 2, it was a matter of course that the employees and PDs beneath them would be greatly unsettled.
Among the many concerns, the most important was one thing.
"Did PD Baek happen to mention anything to you? About coming over to his side?"
"Ah, I heard something. It seems he's officially looking for members to build Division 2 now."
"The higher-ups will probably handle most of the sorting, but..."
"It looks like PD Baek is personally reaching out to the people he wants to take with him."
The PDs fell into a brief silence after that exchange.
While the higher-ups would naturally divide the staff, when it came to PDs, their personal preferences had to be reflected to some extent.
That was exactly why they were so conflicted.
Should I stay in Division 1?
Or should I go to Division 2?
In terms of sheer ability, the scales tipped toward Director Ha Tae-oh. After all, he had quickly resolved the incompetence of the previous director, and the department had recently been revitalized by the success of Dream Future.
But...
PD Baek Tae-su had connections to the President of KMB.
It was still unclear which side would be given more power in the future. Unless one was a fool, it was natural to support the more outstanding side. However, in this case, it wasn't just about performance—it was about the risk of failure.
If both were to fail equally hard, PD Baek Tae-su would likely be given more chances. That was the power of having "connections."
Consequently, Director Ha Tae-oh was at a relative disadvantage in that regard. On the other hand, he had many PDs who followed him, and his personal ability was rated much higher. Plus, the Vice President was keeping an eye on him...
What a headache.
Connections.
Or lines.
Whose line should they join?
To think they would have to play this game within the broadcasting station. Then again, in any workplace, one eventually has to pick a side, whether the scale is large or small.
The problem was that this clash between Drama Division 1 and Division 2 was bound to escalate. The moment one chose the wrong side, they risked becoming a drifting buoy with no place to settle.
Both sides have dramas currently in progress, right?
The performance of those dramas will give us a better idea of how things will go.
The final dramas before the department officially split. The success or failure of those shows would likely determine the movement of the PDs.
"Ah, what do you think of Sky Garden?"
"It's good. First of all, Writer Min Se-hee, who was discovered this time, has great sense. Her style is something you don't often see on public broadcast."
"Hmm, that's true. Though I'm not sure if that will be a poison or a blessing."
"Well..."
That was something they couldn't deny. Writer Min Se-hee's scripts were stylish and the stories were solid. However, her romance was considerably weak. For a public broadcast drama, this was a significant vulnerability. Writer Min Se-hee was aware of this and was doing her best to reinforce that aspect, but...
It's not a problem that can be solved in the short term, the PDs thought.
PD Baek Tae-su had supported various writers, so he had many talented ones around him. That side would likely be stable.
"Also, there's a rumor about the drama PD Baek is filming this time."
"A rumor?"
"That Song Ga-min is appearing in it."
"Ah, Song Ga-min. Right. I heard."
If one were to ask who the hottest rising actress was lately, she was one of the most frequently mentioned names.
Song Ga-min.
She was only twenty-five. Although she had been active since she was a child actor, she had only truly hit it big less than a year ago. Her story of achieving great success after enduring all sorts of hardships had even become a hot topic among the public.
"They're probably trying to pit the rising actresses against each other."
"Since the opponent is Ju Seo-yeon, they might have cast an actress who is her complete opposite."
Twenty-five isn't old, but it was hard to compare her to a seventeen-year-old young actress who was constantly surrounded by hype.
They've set up a narrative.
The genius actress versus the hard-working actress.
While some of the public were enthusiastic about genius actors, humans ultimately tend to root for the underdog. They were focusing the spotlight on Song Ga-min, who had a relatively harder time and hit her stride later.
The success of a drama isn't determined by the actors' acting skills alone. This casting seemed to have been made with that in mind. They would likely continue to use media play to push that narrative.
To put it another way, it meant Ju Seo-yeon's image was so powerful that they had to go to such lengths.
Brilliant star quality.
Monstrous potential.
The actress who had been shaking KMB to its core since ten years ago was...
Currently.
"Mom, um, I want to go on an observational variety show."
"......Huh?"
...was busy trying to persuade her mother, Sua, who looked utterly bewildered.
*
'Observational variety show.'
Commonly speaking, it was a type of show that dealt with the daily lives of stars. The offer that had come in this time was for a show called Golden Duckling, which was a fairly popular slice-of-life variety program.
Since some observational shows dealt with specific themes like 'dating,' Seo-yeon had been inwardly nervous. However, Golden Duckling was a recently revamped show that primarily focused on the daily lives of stars living with their parents.
Naturally, since they lived with their parents, younger actors appeared quite often. It was a fairly experimental plot, but the daily life of the child actor who first appeared on it became a massive hit. It was popular in many ways because it showed the daily lives of child actors or young celebrities that were rarely seen.
In particular, it was often used for image-making for young stars. A sort of 'Even if the kid looks perfect on TV, they're just a kid' kind of vibe.
"It was an MDC variety show."
It was a broadcasting station that Seo-yeon had a strange history with. During her child actor days, Action King, which had gone head-to-head with The Moon that Hides the Sun, was an MDC drama. And she felt like she had been compared to them during Dream Future as well... honestly, she didn't remember that part very well.
Anyway, an actor isn't bound to a single broadcasting station. There was no major problem with appearing on a variety show anywhere. In the past, people might have been cautious about dramas, but that wasn't the case these days. There were even instances where an actor appeared in dramas on all three major networks at the same time.
So, a variety show was no big deal.
First of all, I don't have a clear grasp of exactly what I need to do.
She figured she could just refer to other celebrities. More than anything, Seo-yeon felt that this was a truly, truly great opportunity.
This time, for sure.
As the incarnation of ego-searching, she was extremely concerned about her image. Lately, her image was that of an actress who fought against all sorts of wild animals in composite photos. Even...
The previous Giant Sea Bass video had recently been unearthed, and in slow motion, it looked like Ju Seo-yeon was hitting the fish. It was a very blurry video, so it seemed half-joking, but...
D-Danger.
Watching her image being demolished in real-time made cold sweat pour down her back. Honestly, Seo-yeon was jealous of Jo Seo-hee or Lee Ji-yeon.
In Jo Seo-hee's case:
Because of her relatively fierce impression, she heard things like that, but to put it another way, she had a strong aura of a high-born villainess. A sort of high-end brand image, so to speak.
And in Lee Ji-yeon's case, although her fandom wasn't as powerful as Jo Seo-hee's, she was building a similar image. However:
There was a bit of talk like that. It seemed that compared to the Villainess Jo Seo-hee, Lee Ji-yeon felt a bit more like a commoner. Looking at it now, it seemed like that side needed some management too...
Anyway, both of them had strong feminine images. Most of the comments were about them being cute or pretty.
But in Seo-yeon's case:
Seo-yeon looked at the post and fell into serious thought. Is this really an actress's fan cafe?
Of course, there were far more posts saying she was pretty and cute. After all, she was beautiful. In fact, those who first became fans mostly wrote about her being pretty. It was just that as time passed, they naturally ended up in the <Colosseum> board set up in the Ju Seo-yeon fan cafe.
Was the Colosseum board originally a place to debate 'versus' matches for an actress?
Seo-yeon pondered seriously. She had checked it occasionally, but wasn't it usually meant to be a discussion forum for users? Yet here, there were more discussions seriously debating how far Seo-yeon could win in a fight.
Honestly, Seo-yeon was curious about something too. If I get hit by a bullet, it'll leave a wound, right?
In the first place, her TS Body didn't seem to tolerate scars or wounds. The proof was that no matter how much she exercised, not a single callus formed on her hands. Always smooth and soft. That was Seo-yeon's skin. Surprisingly, it was a standard feature among TS girls.
Maybe I'm just a bit sturdy.
Since she had never been shot, there was no way to check. Not that she wanted to be shot.
"Hmm."
Seo-yeon thought for a moment and then left a comment on that post.
This should be enough. For Seo-yeon, it was a comment she had put her best effort into. After all, Seo-yeon also liked being told she was strong.
For the sake of my image.
She had almost typed "Honestly, Ju Seo-yeon would win," but she had trembled as she changed the comment. After posting it, she pressed refresh a moment later.
[Your account has been suspended for 3 days.]
- Reason: Stop the slander lol.
"?"
Wait, why was this slander? Was saying she was pretty and cute slander? Or was saying she'd lose to Special Forces slander?
Seo-yeon glared at the screen for a moment before closing the browser.
As I thought, the observational variety show is the only way.
Seo-yeon made up her mind. She was determined to properly improve her image this time. Still, the fan cafe had many posts saying Seo-yeon was pretty and a good actress. But this Colosseum board was suspicious. If she didn't improve her image soon, she might even get a call from éclat Étoile.
However, there was one big mountain she had to cross for the variety show.
"S-Seo-yeon. An observational variety show? Does that mean Mom has to go on it too?"
"Mom, you have to sit in the guest studio."
"In the guest studio?!"
Sua jumped. As she jumped, her heart raced. Looking at those breasts that hadn't changed even as she aged, Seo-yeon felt a bit conflicted.
My chest has been feeling a bit tight lately too...
They wouldn't grow that big, would they? Surely those could actually stop a bullet.
"Is Mom going to be on TV?"
Her younger sister, Su-yeon, asked, blinking her large eyes.
"A-Ah, no. It's not certain yet... but if Mom goes on, Su-yeon will be on it too."
"I'm going to be on it too? I want to go on!"
Ju Su-yeon, nearly eight years old and a soon-to-be elementary schooler, said as she raised both arms. Sua's expression softened at the sight of her cute daughter, but her eyes soon sharpened again.
"M-Mom can't go on something like that! T-The guest studio is that place, isn't it? The place where you talk with the MCs!!"
"Well, it's a show where they observe the children, so I suppose so."
"It's not 'I suppose so'! Then your school life will be shown too. Is that okay?"
"Yes."
Seo-yeon didn't have a single shred of shame. At least in her school life, Seo-yeon was the definition of a model student. She took good notes, didn't doze off in class, and kept her eyes fixed on the teacher with perfect posture!
"W-Won't our daughter's lacking social life be revealed?"
"!!"
Seo-yeon's eyes widened. She never expected to hear such a pointed remark from her own mother, of all people.
"At least Mom occasionally keeps in touch with Ji-yeon's mom and Jung-woo's mom."
"Ji-yeon aside, you kept in touch with Senior Jung-woo's mom?"
If that was the case, wasn't Jung-woo incredibly surprised when she made her comeback after ten years?
"She's not the type of person to blab about things like that to her son."
She kept it a secret. Was that how it was? Seo-yeon felt a strange, indescribable emotion at that subtle consideration.
But doesn't that mean you only keep in touch with two people?
Seo-yeon didn't bother to say that out loud. If she had to say, she had... probably three. Lee Ji-yeon, Jo Seo-hee, and recently Gil Da-hyeon. Ah, there's Cha Na-hee too. So, four. And if she counted Park Jung-woo, that made five!
I won.
Seo-yeon sent a triumphant look toward Sua. Sua felt something subtle from that gaze, but she was more concerned about Seo-yeon's words.
An observational variety show.
Sua didn't participate in the neighborhood association or mom cafes. Since she worked as a freelance programmer, she rarely went outside. In short, Mom Sua loved being at home the most. To think something like this would happen.
"B-But why suddenly an observational variety show? Everyone likes it when you go on shows where you use your body."
"Mom, you know what my image is like because of that."
"It's healthy and good."
"That may be true, but as an actress, it's a bit..."
Seo-yeon spoke seriously.
"It's absolutely necessary to reform that image."
"......"
At Seo-yeon's serious tone, Sua realized there was no escape. Knowing how difficult it was to change her daughter's mind once she had made it up since she was young, Sua could only squeeze her eyes shut.
An observational variety show. It seemed unavoidable.
And so.
At the MDC broadcasting station.
"Oh my~!! It's so nice to meet you!!"
A middle-aged woman was making a fuss. She was Jeon Ha-young, the PD of the MDC variety show Golden Duckling. She licked her lips as she looked at the girl before her.
Black hair and a calm impression. Even Jeon Ha-young, who had met countless celebrities over the years, was momentarily dazed by her beautiful appearance. She had heard the girl was still a high school student, so she couldn't even imagine how she would look once she grew a bit more.
Na-hee brought in something good.
She had mentioned it just in case, but she never expected her to actually bring her. Jeon Ha-young barely managed to maintain her smile as she repeatedly greeted Seo-yeon. If she let her guard down for even a moment, she felt like she would just stare at Seo-yeon in silence.
That was how beautiful and powerful her aura was.
'Ju Seo-yeon.'
The actress who had currently made a huge name for herself at KMB. Naturally, from the perspective of other broadcasting stations, she was a prize they desperately wanted to claim.
And this Golden Duckling was the first step. In other words, Jeon Ha-young had come to this meeting with a very heavy responsibility from MDC.