Chapter 167: The Start of the Low Point (3)
Chapter 167: The Start of the Low Point (3)
The employees who were soon to be reassigned to Drama Bureau 2 were, quite frankly, terrified.
After all, they had thought it was over when the first episode premiered with a 6 percent viewership rating.
"I mean, 6 percent? It’s dead in the water."
"To be honest, the premise itself is just hard to understand..."
"I heard the script was originally intended for a general programming channel. It seems like a perfect fit for that."
When the first episode aired, everyone had laughed and chatted like that.
It was 6 percent, after all.
Usually, ratings tend to stay around where the first episode starts. It was a lukewarm figure—neither impressively high nor disastrously low.
Furthermore, based on the premise alone, it was a very strange drama.
For a creator, the thing to be most wary of is "unfamiliarity." No matter how great a work is, the setting and content must be adjusted to suit the viewers' tastes.
This was a drama that didn't seem to consider the audience at all.
But then, they watched the second episode.
...Why is this fun?
Something feels a bit strange.
The second episode focused on Min-seo and Lee Yu-ju.
Min-seo was what parents called a "disappointing child." She was a girl whose grades were slightly lower than her older brother's.
However, to her parents, that "slight" difference was a chasm as deep as a thousand-foot precipice.
「My parents adore me, but I know. I’m just their "cute" daughter.」
Lee Min-seo spoke to Lee Yu-ju in a subtle tone.
To be honest, she couldn't quite understand why she had to get close to Lee Yu-ju. Her parents told her to become friends with her, but that was for her brother's sake, not her own.
She resented that.
「I’m just charming and cute. How is that any different from a pet dog?」
She wasn't saying this specifically to get close to Lee Yu-ju. It was just that Yu-ju hadn't shown much of a reaction to anything she said, so Min-seo was simply grumbling to herself.
「They don't expect anything from me. They gave up on me a long time ago, so they don't make me do anything.」
Her brother, Lee Min-hyuk, probably didn't know this. He likely just thought their parents were lenient because they doted on their daughter.
But Min-seo knew.
People can only be lenient when they harbor no expectations for the other person. Some might be different, but at least that was the case with her parents.
「I don't even know anymore~.」
Knowing that Yu-ju wouldn't answer no matter what she said, Min-seo crunched on a bread roll she’d bought from the snack bar.
For someone who made such a grand declaration of war, she’s awfully quiet.
In school, Lee Yu-ju was just ordinary. She was quiet and didn't stand out, spending most of her time just sitting there.
And yet, she wasn't bad at anything, so she naturally caught people's eyes.
For someone who had said those things on the first day, she was eerily quiet. It was as if she were observing something.
「I’ve decided.」
That was when Lee Yu-ju, who had been silent, finally spoke.
Decided what?
With the bread still in her mouth, Min-seo turned her gaze toward Yu-ju in confusion.
「I’ll go with you.」
「W-What do you mean?」
「You want to beat your twin brother, don't you?」
Lee Yu-ju whispered in a low voice.
As if her previous silence had been a lie, she leaned her face in close to Min-seo, who still had bread stuffed in her cheek.
「I’ll make that happen for you.」
Lee Min-seo stared at Lee Yu-ju as if she were being pulled in.
That was the atmosphere. There was a magnetic presence about her, as if only the two of them existed in the world.
「O-Okay.」
「In exchange.」
Holding up her index finger, Yu-ju whispered into Min-seo’s ear.
「You have to trust me.」
The words were like a devil’s whisper.
「Completely. Everything.」
Min-seo could only nod blankly.
And so, the second episode of Sky Garden ended.
The adults' perspective and the children's perspective. The two progressed simultaneously, with the many things they desired becoming intricately intertwined.
"It’s strange," said an employee who had been designated for Drama Bureau 2 after watching it.
"Honestly, if you break it down piece by piece, it doesn't make sense, but..."
"It’s just strangely... captivating."
"Ah, but it’s still not really my taste."
Clatter!
As they were talking, the door swung open. The employees looked at the newcomer with tense faces.
Baek Tae-soo.
The man who would become the king of Drama Bureau 2.
He looked around with a calm expression and spoke.
"Did you watch Sky Garden?"
That was all he said.
At those words, the gathered PDs and staff members exchanged glances before speaking up.
"I saw it, but honestly, I’m not too sure about it."
"I thought it was okay to watch."
"It definitely felt unique. It’s certainly a vibe I haven't seen on public broadcast before."
"It feels like romance has been completely excluded."
At their comments, PD Baek Tae-soo remained silent, his face lost in thought. Seeing this, the staff continued.
"Y-You don't need to worry too much. Honestly, it’s a very 'unfriendly' drama. It doesn't explain anything properly."
"Yeah, exactly. I mean, the second episode hit 10 percent, but our ratings are still higher, right?"
At their words, Baek Tae-soo’s eyes narrowed. It was a look that seemed to ask if they were being serious.
Under that gaze, the employee who had been speaking with a forced smile froze like a stone.
I-Is he angry?
As they broke into a cold sweat, PD Baek Tae-soo finally spoke.
"They’re simply choosing not to explain."
"Pardon?"
"Because the moment you explain, the viewers start thinking."
Baek Tae-soo revised his evaluation of Min Se-hee, the writer of Sky Garden. He knew she had previously stepped in to fix the crumbling script of Dream Future after Writer Im Jin-ha left. At the time, he’d thought she was "pretty good," but that was it.
"She doesn't bother with explanations and pushes the plot forward as fast as possible. If you include explanations, the tempo naturally slows down, giving the viewers time to think. But what about Sky Garden? By the time you go 'Wait, what?', it’s already over."
Was it just provocative content then? No, it wasn't that either.
She glossed over settings that could be ignored and developed the story faster than the audience could question the logic. Looking back, one might think, 'That doesn't really make sense,' but at least while watching the drama, they forgot to care.
Of course, it wouldn't suit everyone. Some would probably hate it.
But the writer likely calculated that those people were in the minority. She was only carrying the absolute majority of the viewers with her.
That was the narrative style of Sky Garden. Whether it was intentional or not, he wasn't sure.
"That is immersion. Making people watch in a trance without thinking. Furthermore, that directly links to enjoyment. In other words, Sky Garden is just a fun drama."
Everyone fell silent at Baek Tae-soo’s words. But only for a moment.
"...Still, the same goes for us."
Baek Tae-soo soon gave a thin smile. Those who had been tense, thinking he was angry, finally relaxed.
"We will overwhelm them again with the third episode. I guarantee it."
He said that and went to sit at his desk. Then, out of their sight, the smile vanished from his face.
Right, for now, we’ll keep winning.
They had to win. There was a fundamental difference in the subject matter. Genres, after all, have their own inherent characteristics.
The drama Baek Tae-soo was currently directing, Grand Game, was certainly sailing smoothly. He believed it would continue to do so at least until the sixth episode.
The problem was what came after. The script from episode six onwards.
Specifically, the point where the romance began in earnest.
"..."
Conflict flickered across his face. In the end, he too was a PD for a major public network.
*
"I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, sweetie."
Sua watched Seo-yeon, who was playing with her younger sister, Su-yeon.
The drama’s first episode hadn't done well, but Seo-yeon looked unbothered. In fact, she seemed to be in a good mood.
Does she want one of her works to fail?
The thought even crossed Sua's mind. Of course, that wouldn't be the case. Seo-yeon must have had that much confidence in her drama. Seeing how she remained perfectly fine while everyone else was terrified.
"You really take after your father in times like this."
"...After Dad?"
Seo-yeon’s face soured. It was a look that said, 'Don't even say that.'
She could tolerate other things, but she couldn't accept the idea that she resembled her father. Sua chuckled at her daughter's reaction.
"Your dad might be like that, but he’s the type to step up when it’s time to make a decision."
"Really? I haven't noticed."
To Seo-yeon, Young-bin was, frankly, a frivolous person. He felt like someone who possessed a temperament not much different from her peers. Sometimes, she felt as if his heart had stopped maturing in his late teens or early twenties.
"As a creator, you always have to keep your thoughts young. ...Me too."
Sua drew. Although it was more of a hobby now, she had worked incredibly hard at it during high school. Whether you were an illustrator, a game designer, a novelist, or a singer.
In the end, you had to stay young. When your thoughts grew old, that was the time to retire.
"That’s what your dad said."
"Dad did?"
"He says it like a habit. That you have to live young."
To that end, he played games that kids liked these days. He seemed to do various things to make sure he didn't forget that sensibility.
Because once you become an adult, your thoughts grow old in the blink of an eye. Faster than your body.
"Originally, your father was someone who didn't know the meaning of worry."
Sua looked at Seo-yeon. Her daughter reminded her of the Young-bin she had first met.
"But as he got older, he gained hesitation. He seems to be troubled by something even now."
"Dad is troubled?"
Sua burst out laughing at her daughter's face, which looked like she truly couldn't believe it.
"It’s probably because of that Game Director position. He’s likely agonizing over it."
"Isn't it just a good thing if he does it?"
"No, your dad probably wants to do something else. He’s had a dream since a long time ago."
It wasn't being a Game Director at a major corporation. Originally, Young-bin’s dream was to make the games he wanted to make. In other words, he wanted to go independent.
"But he has a family now."
"..."
"So he seems to be hesitating. Apparently, the higher-ups have been talking about it for a while. They want him to plan a massive project with the company."
Sua gazed intently at her silent daughter for a moment.
"That’s why I thought the character Seo-yeon is playing this time, Lee Yu-ju, is very sad."
The role Seo-yeon had taken on.
Lee Yu-ju in Sky Garden was a child who moved only according to her parents' wishes. She didn't want to act that way, but in the end, she found herself following her parents' will without even realizing it.
Lee Yu-ju’s father wanted her to prove his ability as an entrance exam coordinator. And Lee Yu-ju was sick of it.
"But in the end, she had no choice but to use that ability."
Lee Yu-ju’s goal was ultimately the same as her father's. To prove her ability and create connections. And then use them as stepping stones to climb higher.
To climb over the walls built by the establishment and go beyond.
But that was ultimately what her father wanted. Lee Yu-ju had only learned how to look up. She didn't know how to look at anything else.
That was why Sua said she was a sad child.
...Certainly.
Seo-yeon felt it after hearing Sua’s words. Until now, the Lee Yu-ju that Seo-yeon had been portraying was a girl working hard to achieve her own dream. That was how Seo-yeon had acted.
But come to think of it, Lee Yu-ju didn't have a dream she had thought of herself. Her desire to climb higher was ultimately due to the knowledge and education her father had instilled in her.
The world is all about money, power, and honor. Lee Yu-ju wanted to be someone who held all of those. She didn't want to live a life like her father's.
And that happened because she had only seen those things in her small world.
Lee Yu-ju might think it was a decision she made herself. But was that really everything?
"Seo-yeon."
Sua smiled as she watched Seo-yeon fall into deep thought.
"Why did you want to be an actor?"
It was as if she were trying to help Seo-yeon find the answer to her dilemma regarding the character 'Lee Yu-ju.'
"Didn't you originally want to do something else?"
At those words, for a moment...
Seo-yeon couldn't say anything. Just as she was hesitating over how to answer.
"Mom!"
Su-yeon, who had been in Seo-yeon’s arms, spoke up brightly.
"When is Dad coming today?"
The youngest, Su-yeon, loved her father. She would wait for the time he came home every single day.
"Dad said he has an appointment today."
"An ap-point-ment~?"
"Yeah, an appointment with a friend."
"Dad had friends too?"
At Su-yeon’s innocent remark, Seo-yeon almost burst out laughing despite herself. It felt like something she had heard often.
"Yes, a high school friend."
A friend he used to meet often in the past, but couldn't see as much after becoming an adult. The person Young-bin was meeting today was exactly that kind of friend.
*
"Whoa, what’s this? A suit?"
Young-bin said as he entered the designated bar.
Inside sat a sharp-looking man in a neat suit. He had sharp glasses, strong features, and a cold impression. He looked Young-bin up and down as if inspecting a product.
"Is that how you go to work?"
"No, how could I go to work like this? And hey, what’s with that look in your eyes?"
"..."
Sitting across from him, Young-bin took off the jacket he’d been loosely wearing.
"Besides, I don't make as much as you, so I can't wear expensive suits like that. How much is that watch?"
"Twenty million."
"Damn. That’s filthy expensive. You’re buying the meat today."
Young-bin said, thinking he was going to devour all the meat today as he opened the menu.
"Oh, right."
He spoke as if he’d suddenly remembered something.
"About Hyper Action Star."
"Yeah."
"I heard a Director from GH Group planned it. According to Seo-yeon."
"He did."
"So I only found out recently, you jerk."
Young-bin let out a hollow laugh at the man's calm response. After all...
"When did you become a Director?"
At that question, the man sitting across from him—Kang Tae-jin, Director of the Cultural Business Division at GH Group—replied with a smirk.
"It’s my father’s company."