Chapter 186: Secret Weapon (1)
Chapter 186: Secret Weapon (1)
"Did you see it? Sky Garden?"
"Yesterday? Wow, it was totally unpredictable."
"Right? I thought it was a thriller, but then it turned out to be something else entirely."
Once the viewership ratings for Sky Garden began to rebound, their upward trend showed no signs of stopping.
Just when everyone thought 18 percent was the limit, it hit 20 percent the following week.
Then, 22 percent the week after that.
With ratings being refreshed every week, Sky Garden—which was already the center of attention—began to appeal to the general public, moving beyond its 'target audience.'
This was the point where a drama truly gains massive influence.
There comes a time when every broadcast and variety show starts talking about a hit drama.
It’s the moment the broadcasting station decides the show needs a serious push.
And it’s the period when such a push won't face any backlash.
Sky Garden had just crossed that threshold.
"Let's do a special segment for Sky Garden on this variety show."
"Do we have any behind-the-scenes footage from filming? You know, like accidents or bloopers."
"Is it already time to prepare that? If it's only at 22 percent..."
"Hey, are you underestimating the ratings? 22 percent is a mega-hit."
Moreover, this was a time when people's attention was shifting toward OTT dramas.
With the rise of various video platforms like YouTube, the power of public broadcast stations had relatively weakened.
In such a climate, a drama with over 20 percent viewership had emerged.
Grand Game had also hit 20 percent, but it failed to maintain it and dropped, causing the station's momentum to falter.
Sky Garden was now perfectly filling that void.
"PD Lee. Can you get in touch with Seo-yeon? Is there anything we can do for a special segment?"
"Pardon? Seo-yeon's schedule is quite tight, so I think it might be difficult."
"Goodness, how can a young actress be that busy?"
However, no one could deny the claim that she was busy.
How diligently had Seo-yeon been working lately?
In terms of variety shows alone, she had appeared on Golden Duckling and Masked Singer back-to-back.
On top of that, there were the Harara Shorts and even a children's play.
Every single one of those broadcasts had an impact on Sky Garden.
Not a single one had failed to become a hot topic.
It was almost unbelievable.
"You must be happy, PD Lee. Aren't the ratings for Sky Garden going to break another record this week?"
"I hope so. I’d really love to see it hit 30 percent just once."
"Oh, that’s impossible. Those are ratings from ten years ago."
PD Lee Min-hwa laughed as if she knew.
At this point in time, a drama exceeding 30 percent viewership would essentially put it on the same level as the legendary dramas of the past that shook the entire nation.
Of course, due to the nature of the current era, it might not feel quite as explosive, but from the station's perspective, that was the benchmark.
"...But is she really that busy? Isn't this a huge opportunity for Seo-yeon too?"
"She's already appearing all over the place even without our help."
"Still..."
"I believe she's doing something related to the new movie she's filming."
Lee Min-hwa had no intention of forcing Seo-yeon.
Since this wasn't going to be their only time working together, she wanted to maintain a good relationship until the very end.
"By the way, have you heard what her next drama will be? I want to see if I can squeeze in there somehow."
"Wait, do you think every drama Seo-yeon stars in is guaranteed to succeed?"
"Huh? Isn't it?"
Lee Min-hwa pondered her colleague's words and realized something.
Wait, is it?
She’d only done one movie so far, but counting from her days as a child actress, she had three dramas now.
Every single one of them had been a record-breaking hit.
Even if Dream Future was slightly behind Sky Garden, it was the drama that reignited the spark in a then-depressed drama department. As for Sky Garden, it was impossible to even guess how far it would go.
"Do you think Seo-yeon will win the Grand Prize at the Drama Awards this year?"
"She’ll likely be the strongest candidate."
There were several formidable dramas this year.
However, because Sky Garden, which aired in the latter half of the year, was such a monumental hit, her chances of winning were practically guaranteed.
"Winning the Grand Prize right after her comeback..."
PD Lee Min-hwa let out a hollow laugh.
Sometimes, she felt it.
That talent really was a real thing.
*
"Seo-yeon, I heard from éclat Étoile and Adiz. They want to know if you're interested in filming another commercial."
Manager Park Eun-ha spoke to Seo-yeon with a beaming face.
However, Seo-yeon, sitting in the back seat of the van, was tapping away at her phone with a very serious expression.
She seemed so focused that she hadn't even heard Park Eun-ha's words.
Seeing Seo-yeon's attitude, Park Eun-ha immediately knew the reason.
She's writing comments.
Watching Seo-yeon fight to defend her reputation on the internet again today, Park Eun-ha chuckled.
Recently, as Seo-yeon performed in the play and various videos circulated as Shorts, Park Eun-ha had discovered another side of her.
I thought she was a child who didn't know the meaning of embarrassment or nerves.
Her face, which showed little expression, made her seem very indifferent to emotions, but the reality was different.
She just didn't express it; Seo-yeon was actually quite emotional.
In fact, to those who were close to her, it was glaringly obvious what she was thinking or feeling.
Her acting, which delivered clear emotions, likely stemmed from that nature.
In other words, it was easy for her to draw out emotional empathy from others.
Adiz and éclat Étoile must be getting anxious, though.
Park Eun-ha had already heard rumors.
The sales of the two brands that recently used Seo-yeon as a model were breaking records every day.
While éclat Étoile had treated Seo-yeon like a goddess from the start, Adiz was now losing its mind after getting a taste of the "Seo-yeon effect."
[Lee Yu-ju's Chair, Adiz. Sales Rising Daily]
['Lee Yu-ju's Chair' Sold Out. 'Adiz' to Rush Production.]
[Adiz Smiling Amidst Sell-out Craze]
All the chairs appearing in Sky Garden were sponsored by Adiz.
In particular, the one used by the protagonist, Lee Yu-ju, while studying was an Adiz product.
Consequently, it became known as 'Lee Yu-ju's chair,' and they couldn't sell them fast enough.
"Actress Ju Seo-yeon, please let us know if you have any time. We're launching a new brand this time..."
Seeing Kwak Hyun-woo, the advertising planning team leader who had been lukewarm before, talk like that made Park Eun-ha feel quite satisfied.
She had mentioned it to Seo-yeon, but Seo-yeon didn't seem to have much interest beyond that.
"I wanted to be a top student, but I ended up becoming a magical girl."
It was an answer that felt like she understood it, yet didn't.
Park Eun-ha could sense a complex mix of emotions from Seo-yeon—melancholy, yet strangely satisfied.
Anyway, her current comment-writing was likely a struggle against the so-called "slanderous comments" directed at her.
It was roughly that kind of vibe.
She was probably writing comments like that even now.
Of course, only one of those comments was actually written by Seo-yeon.
Though occasionally, when things got heated, accounts suspiciously defending Seo-yeon would appear.
Laughing as she thought of Seo-yeon's comments, Park Eun-ha suddenly remembered a call she had received recently.
"Oh, Seo-yeon."
"..."
"Seo-yeon?"
"Ah, yes?"
Seo-yeon replied with a perfectly nonchalant face as she hurriedly turned off her smartphone.
The way her eyes flickered toward the top right, as if she were a puppy pretending she hadn't done anything wrong, was quite funny.
"About the Gyeongseong Lady shoot. Actor Lee Sang-soo."
"Yes."
"They said it's about time to get started."
"Ah, the test?"
"Right. Gyeongseong Lady had several issues for a while, right? It seems things have finally settled down."
Seo-yeon nodded at Park Eun-ha's words.
Recently, a few actors who were scheduled to appear in Gyeongseong Lady had dropped out.
One of them was the actor for 'Goto Isamu,' the butler of the lead character 'Amanabi Michiko,' played by Jo Seo-hee.
I think his name was Kang Seo-hyuk.
He was also a well-known veteran in the acting industry.
She heard Director Baek Min liked him and had worked hard to recruit him for this movie.
But just before filming, he dropped out along with a few other actors who had come with him.
Naturally, the Gyeongseong Lady team, which had been preparing for the shoot, was bound to be shaken.
Now that they had finally managed to stabilize the situation, it was time to verify the acting of Lee Sang-soo, who would take over the role of 'Goto Isamu.'
He's probably in the middle of fishing right now.
Seo-yeon had been the primary contact for Lee Sang-soo.
After all, it was Seo-yeon who had become close to him through Star Fisherman.
Seo-yeon was also the one who informed him about this test.
Honestly, it's probably just a formality.
At first, she thought Director Baek Min was being a bit too picky.
But thinking about it, there were several reasons for this test.
For both Actor Lee Sang-soo and Director Baek Min.
From Lee Sang-soo's perspective, a director who just hands over a role based on a name alone would be suspicious.
And from Director Baek Min's perspective, Lee Sang-soo had been away from acting for a long time.
Other actors would also inevitably doubt Lee Sang-soo's performance.
When a person experiences a major failure, everything they've achieved up to that point can easily crumble.
Lee Sang-soo was a similar case.
He was once a representative actor of South Korea, but his image had been severely damaged by his failure in Hollywood.
The anxiety that those words might actually be true probably played a part in why he couldn't easily return to activity.
Have I really become a has-been?
That doubt had taken root in his heart.
This test was for that.
It was a formality, but that didn't mean it was meaningless.
"I heard they're still keeping Lee Sang-soo's participation a secret from the other actors."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I guess they'll announce it once it's finalized."
He's cautious, just like Director Baek Min.
Seo-yeon thought so as she calculated the dates.
Given the timing of the test, the actual filming for Gyeongseong Lady would likely begin late this year, around November or December.
About a month left.
She had to be careful not to let her schedules overlap.
There were two major projects starting production at the end of the year.
Mine and Gyeongseong Lady.
She heard that Mine might pivot toward an OTT release rather than a domestic theatrical one.
That was why the filming was being delayed.
Then will it be a drama instead of a movie?
She had her doubts, but it wasn't a bad choice.
There were many advantages to entering the market at this time.
And finally...
Seo-yeon checked the date marked on her smartphone several times.
Both Mine and Gyeongseong Lady were important, but for Seo-yeon, there was a shoot more important than anything else.
There was an audition in the latter half of this year.
It was an audition that hadn't gained much traction because it overlapped with auditions for several other movies.
The audition for Seoul Escape.
A movie about a disaster caused by a biochemical terror attack.
It was the final work of the late Director Jo Bang-woo.
*
"Kyaaaa!! Oppa!!"
"Please look over here just once!!!"
Park Jung-woo walked down the street, waving to his fans with a smile.
Was there a special fan meeting today?
Not really.
He had simply come out for some shopping without much thought.
The problem was that he had come out for shopping really without much thought.
I should have covered my face.
He had been too careless.
For a while, even when he went out with his face exposed, people would only occasionally come up for an autograph, so he hadn't thought much of it.
However, because the OTT drama he recently filmed had received quite good reviews abroad, things had turned out like this.
"The drama is seriously the best! A true masterpiece!"
"That's right. It's amazing!!"
"Thank you."
Park Jung-woo smiled and waved at the fans' words, but honestly, he found it absurd.
That was released ages ago. Why now?
In fact, it hadn't received very good reviews in Korea.
However, when it suddenly started climbing the charts overseas, the people who used to call it childish started watching it belatedly.
Once it hit number one on the international charts, it suddenly became meaningful and profound.
The director's worldview was distinct and original... anyway, it had been transformed into such a work.
"What's your next project?! I'll definitely watch it when it comes out!!"
Park Jung-woo pondered for a moment at the fans' shouts.
He hadn't decided on anything specific yet.
But there was something he had in mind.
"That is..."
It was the moment he was smiling and answering the fans.
Among the crowd, there was a woman waving at him.
Wearing sunglasses and a hat, she was a suspicious, masked figure by any standard.
At first, he tried to ignore her.
No, he did ignore her.
Is she crazy? Look how many people are here.
He thought about turning his back and leaving.
But he couldn't turn.
"?"
The moment a question mark appeared over Park Jung-woo's head, he felt the woman grab his arm.
"Why are you running away?"
"Are you cra—..."
Before he could finish saying "crazy," Park Jung-woo's body began to be dragged away.
No, he was practically half-lifted and hauled off.
Literally in an instant.
It was a feat comparable to a ninja suddenly appearing.
"Huh? Oppa?"
"Is this a movie shoot?"
In that sudden situation, the fans chasing Park Jung-woo could only freeze in their tracks.