The CF Queen Sweeps Everything

Top Class was beginning to make its presence felt to viewers in earnest.

With a massive production budget and actors whose names carried real weight, the drama was already drawing buzz as a must-watch event long before its official premiere.

Click-click. Click-click.

"Mmmmm—."

Scrolling down with her mouse wheel, Team Leader Ma tilted her head back until the back of her skull sank into her neck pillow. "Aigoo—. Someone spent some serious money, didn't they?"

Wearing a three-pack-for-9,990-won short-sleeve T-shirt, she looked so comfortably at home that anyone glancing in would have mistaken the office for her living room. "Alrighty, then."

With one knee propped up on her chair, Team Leader Ma casually struck a pose. A sizable chunk of that 5-billion-won production budget had clearly been melted into publicity, too.

"In that case, let's get started on our end, shall we?"

Her fingers flew across the keyboard faster than the eye could follow. The clatter of keys rang through the office.

Word had it that the Top Class team had their schedule packed to bursting — not just the terrestrial variety shows, but magazine photo shoots, interviews, even radio appearances.

The brands that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had plugged their sponsorships into Top Class were no doubt already loading their press releases like bullets into a magazine, ready to fire at will.

All that remained now was to fire indiscriminately.

"Ki Joo-ye's agency really does work hard, doesn't it?"

Ever since the screening of War on the Rule of Law, where she'd been held up for comparison — same clothes, different feel — the chatter around Ki Joo-ye's styling had been unusually loud.

"And they're planning to use our little cutie as a backdrop, of all things."

Once the show started airing, it was obvious they'd be gearing up to steamroll Han Yeo-reum for all she was worth. The shallow little scheme was transparent as glass.

"Then we'll just have to go about it differently."

"JC ENM's success has Ma Su-yeon in it." As if committing that maxim to memory, Team Leader Ma cracked her neck in a long stretch.

Poster and still-cut releases, magazine interviews, a portal news feature on 'why the actor took the drama role and how they analyzed the character,' web content, variety shows. And a production press conference on top of it all.

Kindling had to be stacked, log by log, to build the fire under Strange Tales.

"Well then — first things first—."

Team Leader Ma put in a call to the PR office. "Yes, Team Leader Hong. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's prep the article for Cutie's Creamy Soda ad, shall we?"

Just as Strange Tales was opening a new chapter for fusion period dramas, she felt certain — Creamy Soda would open a new chapter for the liquor industry, too.

Every corner of this place was packed with sweet, sky-blue balloons — the set for the Creamy Soda commercial launching just in time for summer. Plush white cushions shaped like clouds were scattered about, and the staff's hands moved busily, setting up the camera equipment.

The director who had shot the Cheot-iseul commercial was on set again this time as well.

"The Ki Joo-ye posts keep coming… Think we'll be okay? Ah, seriously, what if Top Class actually takes off after all this."

"Stop thinking about the drama doing well. Think about who's going to be the bigger star," the Creamy Soda ad manager said.

The two were college classmates. Just as the director had pointed to the name Yeo-reum in the ad proposal at their last drinking session and recommended her, the first-ever model for Creamy Soda had become Han Yeo-reum.

But right up to the final hour, the one still hanging at the top of the model candidate list had been none other than Ki Joo-ye.

"If the drama does well, the celebrity gets famous. That's how it works."

"Dramas do well all the time and the actors still don't blow up. Top Class has a huge ensemble cast anyway. Ki Joo-ye is a supporting role. But look at Strange Tales! Han Yeo-reum is the lead, isn't she?"

Checking the camera's memory card, the ad director spoke with studied casualness. "And from what I hear through the grapevine — you know Geum Bit-gang, right? The comeback after her long hiatus. That was…."

"Yeah?"

"Apparently it was because of Han Yeo-reum?"

At that, the two locked eyes. Three full seconds of silence settled between them.

"BWAHAHAHA!"

Then, without anyone needing to say a word, they both burst out laughing. They knew it was at least half a joke.

"Okay, that one was a step too far."

"Agreed."

There was no world in which the legendary Geum Bit-gang would break her hiatus for a single rookie actress. The stubbornness of a master was famous not only in this industry but among the general public as well.

"Still, Han Yeo-reum does suit Creamy Soda better."

The director said it to the visibly anxious Creamy Soda ad manager, who nodded along as if to say, obviously, why even bring it up.

"Right? Ugh… I really hope she makes it big. We're always being pushed into second place by Cheot-iseul."

The product was the brainchild of a desperate attempt to finally beat Cheot-iseul by targeting a younger demographic. Gazing at the soju bottles lined up at the center of the set, the two of them let out a short sigh together.

"Well — it's the public that makes the choice in the end."

And so the commercial shoot for Bohae Brewery's ambitious new brainchild, Creamy Soda, finally began.

Whoa. Creamy Soda.

Arriving on set, I marveled at the familiar soju bottle. Little white clouds were drawn, adorably jaunty, across its pale sky-blue plastic bottle.

It was pretty popular back then, wasn't it.

After this, sweet, low-alcohol drinks that went easier on the hangover would sweep the market and become the next big thing.

And this time, the ad is actually mine.

In my previous life, Ki Joo-ye had done it. After stealing Do Gyeo-ul's role, now I'd taken Ki Joo-ye's too — the thought alone made me laugh out loud.

"Yes! Just like that, perfect!"

The ad director shouted as he fired the shutter. I was wearing white pajamas, holding a bottle of Creamy Soda.

"Great — awesome! Now let's see you take a sip! Going for it in one take!"

Fizz—.

A light crackle of carbonation sounded as my hand turned the bottle. I poured the Creamy Soda into a glass, and soft foam spilled out along with its sweet fragrance.

I poured it into a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear glass and took a sip. The pillowy foam left a mark on my lips.

The Creamy Soda touching the tip of my tongue tasted especially sweet.

Is this… the taste of a lead role?

Smiling brightly to emphasize that even the swallow was free of the bitter bite that came with other drinks — because that was the point of the shot.

Last one. The catchphrase of this entire campaign.

"For summer, Creamy Soda."

The moment the words left my mouth, the director yelled out. "Okay!"

Was it because I'd been standing in front of cameras so often lately? The "okay" came fast. Next up was the wire.

To emphasize Creamy Soda's soft lightness, there was a scene where my body would float upward the instant I took a sip.

Maybe because I've used wires on actual film sets before… posing wasn't hard at all. This, I suppose, is what you'd call the posture of a Rising Actor.

"Ready—."

Deliberately playing up the lightness, I stretched my body out from head to toe in midair. My heart felt as buoyant as my floating body.

With that, two commercials under my belt….

What would happen if articles started rolling out like, Queen of Commercials Emerges? A fashion brand with Brand N, a food-and-beverage brand with Bohae Brewery's Creamy Soda, and other advertisers rushing in one after another…. Pick me, pick me… I want to do a commercial with Han Yeo-reum… please, let it be me… everyone… I understand how you feel, but don't fight — form a line… And who am I? That's right… I'm Han Yeo-reum, the actress who just swept every CF in sight….

"Yeo-reum, we're here!"

I opened my eyes, having drifted off mid-nod. It was 11 a.m., according to my watch.

Shooting the Creamy Soda ad late into the night had left the fatigue stacked up. Drama filming, commercials, even MC-ing a music program.

And who am I?

Han Yeo-reum, Rising Actor with a jam-packed schedule.

This much isn't enough to tire me out.

I shook my head briefly to shake off the sleep. Manager Choi, having finished parking, handed me a cold green tea.

"First variety show. Aren't you nervous?"

"I think it's going to be so much fun."

"Nice! That's exactly the attitude!"

In the back seat all the while came the ceaseless sound of rustling. Coordinator Hwang was organizing today's wardrobe.

Rarely silent for once — no, wait, rarely quiet for once — she caressed the fabric with an ecstatic look in her eyes. That was the identity of the rustling.

"Finally…. FINALLY, I get to put her in a pretty hanbok!!!"

As if to at last exorcise the grief of all those scruffy menswear ensembles, Coordinator Hwang let out a scream. In her hands hung a hanbok of pale sky blue.

"Rolling—!"

Everyone inside the studio set had finished standing by. Kwon Jun-hyeok, whose hanbok matched mine, stole a glance at the seat beside him.

Even among fellow rookie actors….

Strictly speaking, Kwon Jun-hyeok was the far more senior of us. He pressed his lips together, hard.

She said this is her first variety show, right.

Which meant he had to help Yeo-reum get through it well.

Though, of course, if he helped her too conspicuously, she might suddenly register that he was the senior here and get crushed under the weight of the hierarchy.

As naturally as possible. I'll cue her on when to drop lines.

Today's show was a quiz program.

It was a seated format, which meant a constant stream of chatter and even more important reactions.

I have to tell her it's fine even if she keeps getting things wrong…. Since I'm the senior.

Every scene he was attached to these days, Kwon Jun-hyeok practically outsourced his acting to Han Yeo-reum — and in this moment, the weight of responsibility on his shoulders was immense.

And then, exactly thirty minutes later.

"Whoa! Han Yeo-reum, what— what even IS that!"

"Correct! That's correct!"

"…."

The one whose spirit had been crushed was Kwon Jun-hyeok.

What is this. This is way too easy.

I deliberately kept my expression in check and feigned mild confusion. The format of this variety program was already old news to me.

And honestly, I can see the answers to every single quiz.

When it came to lip-reading, you'd struggle to find anyone in Korea better at it than me.

On the screen was the show's main PD. This was the program's most popular segment, and while the PD was known to viewers well enough to have some comedic appeal, the real draw was the quiz-show format no one had seen before.

The format borrowed a little from a show that had been popular before: a quiz answered purely by reading lips. But unlike the old game, where you read a single word off someone's mouth, this time it was full sentences.

Strapped to a chair, the main PD was being stuffed with food, Joseon-dynasty style, by the youngest PD and an assistant director working in from both sides.

Because he'd fake an illness every time a crucial hint was coming and mouth the words without sound, the difficulty was genuinely brutal.

The quiz demanded basic general knowledge, the deductive skill to reconstruct mouth shapes, and on top of that the wit to pull hidden clues out of the sentence itself.

"Ah! Too short!"

"Want me to go again?"

"No! Stop the food-stuffing!"

The contestants desperate to extract even one more hint, the staff desperate to torment their boss a little longer, and the trembling PD in the middle — the three of them made a perfect harmony.

The meme had even taken on a life of its own online. Just as everyone was clamoring for more hints and the bonus round was about to begin, I raised my hand.

"A restorative dish eaten in the royal court of the Joseon era, prepared specifically for the king's health — a whole chicken boiled, its cavity emptied and stuffed with ginseng, glutinous rice, and jujubes."

At that, the panelists shot to their feet all at once. And on the screen, the main PD's mouth fell wide open.