Chapter 182: One-Day Part-Time Job (2)
Chapter 182: One-Day Part-Time Job (2)
After Episode 12 of Sky Garden aired, the previously quiet reception exploded like a bomb, with posts flooding in from every direction.
There were likely several reasons for this.
The buildup that had started from Episode 10.
The recent surge of interest gathered through Masked Singer.
And the fact that Episode 12 was the exact point where those binge-watching finally caught up.
Naturally, various communities and social media platforms were overflowing with all sorts of predictions.
Such were the reactions.
Some said the plot was suddenly turning into a makjang mess, but it certainly succeeded in grabbing everyone's attention. The fact that no one could predict how the story would unfold played a huge role.
And, mirroring those intense reactions...
"Whoa."
The staff on set stood with their mouths agape as they looked at the response to yesterday’s broadcast. They were about to start filming Episode 15, but it was almost impossible to focus.
And for good reason.
"18 percent?"
"Is this for real?"
The numbers were unbelievable.
Since the show had been on a steady upward trend and expectations were high, they had anticipated a good response. After struggling to climb, the ratings had hit 14 percent.
But this week, it was a staggering 18 percent.
A jump of a full 4 percent.
Most importantly...
"...We won, didn't we?"
Though only by 1 percent, they had officially overtaken Grand Game in viewership ratings. While Grand Game was impressive for maintaining its high ratings, the consistent growth of Sky Garden was nothing short of miraculous.
"Writer Min Se-hee collapsed!"
"Did she ascend to heaven? Her expression looks so peaceful."
Writer Min Se-hee, who usually lurked around on filming days, was slumped in a corner with a look of total transcendence. It seemed she hadn't expected this level of success. Even though she must have been notified beforehand, her reaction suggested just how shocked she had been when she first heard the news.
"This is insane."
"Wow, is this real? My phone was ringing off the hook yesterday. Everyone was asking what happens next."
The young actors on set all had flushed faces. In recent years, the number of dramas that surpassed 18 percent in ratings could be counted on one hand. Being part of this drama meant their recognition as actors would skyrocket. Naturally, they had to work even harder to show their best.
Sky Garden would undoubtedly follow them for the rest of their lives as a career-defining portfolio piece—much like the portfolio of Lee Yu-ju’s older brother that Gil Su-jin desired so much in the script.
"Seriously, Seo-yeon. You're incredible. How does every project you film turn out like this?"
Director Kim Il-soo approached Seo-yeon with a beaming smile. Seeing even the supporting actors and extras reacting this way, he assumed Seo-yeon, the lead, would be over the moon. Especially considering her usual personality. He expected her to be shrugging her shoulders with sparkling eyes, practically begging for more praise.
But when he spoke to her...
"...Huh?"
Seo-yeon seemed strangely subdued.
Director Kim flinched for a moment.
"Is... is something wrong? Did something bad happen?"
"Ah, no. It's just..."
Seo-yeon quickly lowered her head. She just had a few things on her mind. Of course, she was incredibly happy that the drama was a hit.
It was just that...
Ever since the Magical Girl Harara shorts, the memes that had relatively died down were starting to rear their heads again. It seemed that because Sky Garden brought a massive influx of new members to Seo-yeon's fan cafe, they were digging up old memes.
They were truly a group one could never let their guard down around.
Of course, the majority of reactions were about how good her acting as Lee Yu-ju was.
But the ones who call themselves fans...
Outside of the fan cafe, the animals most commonly associated with her in other communities were usually of the puppy variety. They said the way she ran around on variety shows was like a puppy. But in the fan cafe, there were constant debates over which animal suited her better, making her wonder if it was a fan cafe or an anti-fan cafe.
I mean, it's not that I hate being strong.
But aside from that, how should she put it? It was a matter of pride. She felt a slight sense of crisis because it felt like people didn't even perceive her as an actress anymore. There were many posts saying she was pretty, but they were usually along the lines of "she's a pretty gorilla."
That really stung her pride...
Hmph, once I show them my true self, they'll change their minds in no time.
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes and began scrolling, aggressively hitting the downvote button on the post she was reading. She had plenty of alt accounts created just for times like this.
Anyway.
Seo-yeon let out a sigh. Out of all the paths she had taken to improve her image, it seemed she had no choice but to pick the one that had received the best response so far.
*
"Are you sure you're okay with this? You're busy with filming. We could have pushed it back a bit."
Jo Seo-hee said this while sitting in the passenger seat. Despite her words, her face was glowing. Seo-hee loved amusement parks to begin with, and this was her first time going with a friend.
Moreover, that friend was a fellow actress of the same age. Since she shared a common bond with Seo-yeon, Seo-hee’s mood today was at least five times better than usual.
And it wasn't just Seo-yeon today.
"Seo-hee Unnie, can I really ride as many rides as I want?"
"Of course, of course."
"Yay!!"
Seo-yeon’s younger sister, Su-yeon, had come along as well.
Genes are scary, Seo-hee thought.
Seo-yeon was lethally beautiful, but Su-yeon was also incredibly cute. Seo-hee had to suppress the urge to give Su-yeon a big hug right then and there.
"But is it really okay to just show up like this?" Seo-yeon asked.
Even if they were just going, there had been absolutely no promotion for this.
"It's better to do it like a surprise event."
"Really?"
"Once we're out there, everyone will take videos and upload them to the internet anyway. That's more effective than pure corporate advertising."
Seo-yeon nodded at Seo-hee’s words. She hadn't checked the view count on her Harara shorts since it passed 5 million, so it might have reached 10 million by now. She was even starting to see comments from foreigners, not just Koreans. It was almost frightening how far those magical girl shorts were spreading.
Well, it definitely helped my image.
Though Seo-yeon loved being praised, she rarely clicked on the Harara shorts because the comments were flooded with people calling her cute. She could just shrug off being called strong, but the waterfall of "cute" comments made her heart tickle so much she couldn't bear to look.
"Alright, we're here."
Seo-yeon, who had been thinking that expensive cars really were nice and wondering if she should buy one for her dad once she saved up enough money, looked up.
And then...
"..."
"What's wrong?"
"No, I was expecting something like Daejeon Zoo's O-World."
"Where's that? Is it a zoo with rides?"
"Are you insulting the pride of Daejeon right now?"
Seo-hee was flustered by Seo-yeon’s sharp look. Wait, isn't she from Seoul? Why is she suddenly so defensive about a zoo in Daejeon? Seo-hee had only heard of it for the first time today. Wasn't Daejeon just the city of bakeries?
"A-Anyway, what do you think?"
"...Honestly, I'm impressed."
Seo-yeon looked around the amusement park grounds with genuine admiration. To be honest, the only amusement parks Seo-yeon knew, other than O-World, were the two most famous ones. Those were the only ones she had ever been to. But even compared to those, the park before her eyes didn't fall short at all. Even the machinery looked brand new and shiny.
Naturally, Su-yeon was expressing her joy with her whole body, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Unnie, this is awesome! Awesome!"
"...I've been wondering, who did you learn that 'awesome' from?"
"Dad says it all the time."
So her slightly middle-aged speech habits really did come from their father. Seo-yeon sent a sharp mental glare toward Young-bin back at home. She wished he wouldn't pass on his weird habits to her little sister.
"We can go on the rides after the event... Shall we head in first?"
Seo-yeon had already watched videos beforehand to see how to perform. Of course, there wasn't much to the acting she had to do. Still, she had to coordinate with the other actors, which was why they had arrived so early in the morning.
"Unnie, are you going to be a magical girl again today?"
"...Something like that?"
Personally, she wanted to be Zeroro, whom Su-yeon said she liked. That character suited Seo-yeon’s image better.
Actually, I think Jo Seo-hee is more suited for the villainess role.
Seo-yeon glanced at Seo-hee. While she herself had a sharp look, she thought she looked much gentler than Jo Seo-hee. I definitely look nicer than her.
Seo-yeon will probably play Zeroro, right?
Jo Seo-hee was thinking along similar lines. Since Su-yeon liked Zeroro, she figured Seo-yeon would want to play her for her sister's sake. Zeroro was a popular character, though not as much as Harara. Plus, she was a clumsy, high-society villainess, which was great for building a positive public image.
And Seo-yeon has a face better suited for a villain than I do.
Seo-hee knew she had the vibe of a high-society "villainess heiress." But compared to Seo-yeon, who had made a huge impression as a villain, she felt her own face was quite mild.
And deep down, Seo-hee actually liked Harara. She was cute. Of course, she could never bring herself to say she liked Harara. She had simply pestered her father to slip this event into the amusement park's schedule. From a corporate standpoint, a children's play featuring the currently popular Harara wasn't a bad idea.
As she was thinking this, Su-yeon looked at Seo-hee with sparkling eyes.
"Is Seo-hee Unnie going to be in the play too?"
"Huh? Yes, I am."
"Really? I want to see Unnie act!"
"Do you?"
Seo-hee felt the corners of her mouth twitching upward at Su-yeon’s reaction. Little sisters are so cute. It was a shame she couldn't have one even if she begged her father. She was the youngest in her family, after all.
"Yeah, yeah! Su-yeon loves Seo-hee Unnie's acting."
At those words, Seo-hee was about to smile back when a chill ran down her spine. She looked up and saw Seo-yeon standing silently behind Su-yeon, staring at her.
Wait, why?
Did I do something wrong?
As Seo-hee trembled slightly, Seo-yeon puffed out her cheeks.
I've hardly ever heard Su-yeon say things like that to me.
Most of what she heard was: "Unnie, you always play the bad guy!! You're mean!!!"
It wasn't like she wanted to play the villain. Lee Yu-ju was strictly the protagonist, not a villain. It was unfair.
I'll make you see me in a new light today.
Seo-yeon’s motivation surged. She would make Su-yeon say "Unnie, your acting is amazing!" instead of praising Jo Seo-hee.
*
Mirinae Park.
It was an amusement park owned by the New Like Group, completed the year before last. While it couldn't be called the largest in Korea, the grounds were quite extensive. More importantly, it was a park where all the rides featured the latest designs.
They had promoted it heavily by bringing in numerous celebrities and had succeeded in significantly raising its brand awareness over the past two years. In particular, because it featured many theme parks related to the cultural industries—movies and dramas—hosted by New Like subsidiaries, there was a steady demand.
Among them, New Like was the largest investor in Loop Entertainment, which had recently gained massive popularity with Magical Girl Harara. As such, they frequently held children's plays at the amusement park.
Of course, despite their ambitious preparations, they hadn't seen the expected results until now. That was why there were rumors that they were bringing in celebrities for promotion this time.
I heard the rumors, but...
Park Dong-hwan, an actor in this Magical Girl Harara play, swallowed hard as he looked at the two actresses before him.
Ju Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee.
Was there anyone among the younger generation of actors who didn't know these two? They were that famous. In Ju Seo-yeon’s case, it had only been a year since her return, but she was a former child star who had left a huge impression in The Moon That Hides the Sun, and she had been the most active actress this past year.
One movie, two dramas. On top of that, she was appearing in various variety shows, becoming a very familiar face to the public. Why were people like them in a children's play?
"I guess the rumors were true."
"What rumors?"
"There's a rumor that Jo Seo-hee is the heiress of a New Like subsidiary."
"Heiress"—that was a word you didn't hear often. In short, it meant she was the precious daughter of a wealthy house.
Why is the daughter of such a wealthy house working as a celebrity?
He was curious. Come to think of it, the wife of the New Like chairman was said to have been a famous actress. They said she would have been even more famous if she hadn't passed away young. He remembered it being a big story at the time, as she was an actress considered a genius.
As he was thinking this, he saw Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee walking toward him, having finished their conversation elsewhere.
"Ah, which of you will be playing Harara and Zeroro?"
He knew that the actors coming today would each take on the roles of Zeroro and Harara. When Park Dong-hwan asked...
"...I'm Harara," Seo-yeon said, shooting a sharp look at Jo Seo-hee.
Jo Seo-hee felt wronged by that look. She had definitely intended to play Harara.
However...
"Unnie has to be Harara!! The good magical girl!!"
"No, Unnie can be Zeroro too..."
"Unnie is cool, so I like you as Harara."
Who would have thought Su-yeon would throw a tantrum like that? Even though she liked Zeroro herself!!
...Of course, she had said her sister was "cool," so it wasn't all bad. But still!
Seo-yeon poked Seo-hee in the ribs with her index finger. It was a cute gesture, but the pain in Seo-hee’s side was anything but cute. Jo Seo-hee squirmed, clutching her side.
Seriously, this is so unfair.
It was only natural that Jo Seo-hee looked like she was about to cry.