King of Dying Acting - Chapter 18
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[Some say.]
[Those who draw lines must above all protect those lines.]
Dong-dong.
The drumbeat echoes, meticulously tuned in an echo chamber, instantly captivating the viewers' ears.
Blackout.
Amid that drum sound, footsteps naturally seep in.
[Nonsense.]
[The goal of those with power has always been to ensure it faces no threats.]
[Wasn't that vaunted Fengshan ritual the same?]
Through his faintly opened field of vision, rows of soldiers come into view.
The man at their forefront slowly raises his head.
Left State Councillor Jeong Ji-uk
False Prophet
In those sharp eyes gleams the sun.
As the sun hangs on the mountain ridge, what it dyes—is it human sight, or the world itself?
Either way, all he sees is simply Heaven's Mandate.
[Join me.]
He takes a step forward.
Countless footsteps join his.
At the same time, screams, shrieks, curses, and terror condense into a resounding cry.
[Lines belong to those who cross them.]
[Glory belongs to all who do.]
Yet his steps remain bright. A vivid glory and grand righteousness accompany his every move.
And then,
in that endlessly dim place untouched by light.
A crow-like man watches indifferently, then turns away.
[About half a dot's worth, maybe?]
An endlessly dark shadow swallows the man in an instant,
and a title overlays it.
King and Sovereign Special
Premiering April 25th
#
The King and Sovereign teaser dropped right in the middle of the usual clash between KBC's Black Forest fans and SBC's You with Many Secrets fans.
Those clashing were mostly actor fans, sometimes writer fans, and even more rarely PD fans.
When there's bait, they fight over it; when there's none, it devolves into pure bullshit. That's the way of the world.
Someone brought the news right as the fun debate was turning into straight-up slander and personal attacks.
This anonymous tipster hooked countless users with one simple, unvarnished phrase: "Teaser dropped."
But the hooked users had no time to get mad—they plunged straight into chaos.
The video left them no choice.
The visuals edited by 21-year veteran PD Kim Kang-hyun were nothing short of staggering.
He could've made it even flashier—once a film director dreamer who chose MBS's public recruitment instead.
But instead of overdoing angles and effects, he kept it clean, focusing shots squarely on the actors.
And it landed perfectly.
Fans of Etherbit and Citrus Girl fell into chaos for slightly different reasons, but drama fans struggled even more to define "what this even is."
Some called it a pure troll teaser for attention; others expected a genre totally unlike what they'd thought.
Some panicked over the leads not showing their faces; others clapped and said, "This is it."
Some saw overlap with Black Forest; others praised it as totally different.
But the biggest fight was over that crow-like warrior at the end.
There was zero info on the actor or character Hui-yul.
No one even knew such a name existed.
Which only fueled more fights—and the more they fought, the bigger the buzz grew.
Perfectly,
perfectly according to the prospective head of broadcasting's plan.
Yu Ho-hyeon PD couldn't hold back tears of emotion.
"Incredible, sunbaenim! I never dreamed it'd go this well!"
"Yeah."
"We split the buzz perfectly at least! Now we just show 'em what we've got!"
"Right."
"...It went according to plan, so why do you look so down? Something wrong—"
"Nah, it did go well. The rest is on you."
"Yes, sir!"
"And on your way out... grab that Unbelievable PD guy."
"Unbelievable?"
"Yeah, Unbelievable."
"...?"
Yu Ho-hyeon thought the guy was in variety, but the utterly exhausted expression stopped him from asking more.
As drama communities blazed, KBC and SBC saw their own stirrings.
KBC reacted first—they had the most skin in the game, money-wise.
"Why the hell are these bastards butting in now?!"
Unlike Kim Kang-hyun, KBC's drama department head raged openly.
Not because he was hot-tempered, but because it was rage-worthy.
"SBC sneaking in was bad enough when we were set to clean up unclaimed turf, but now this scrub Yu Ho-hyeon is hopping around too?!"
Black Forest was a 30 billion won drama.
Anything over 10 billion gets hyped as a "masterpiece" or "massive investment," so this was deliberate—and as an in-house production, the pressure was even higher.
And KBC had blasted it through press and celeb mags instead of hiding it.
"We're serious, so pull your slots or prepare for war."
Bonus: They slotted it as weekend drama, not trendy Fri-Sat.
But.
"SBC held a press conference! PD Jeong Min-jae and writer Lee Kyung-ae team-up! Weekend drama!"
"What the fuck?!"
SBC didn't just play fair—they countered hard.
No, they went beyond, hyping that sure, Black Forest was big, but they weren't backing down. They tied KBC down so it couldn't run. Pure PR blitz.
A bizarre situation born from the drama market's recent upheaval.
The head calmed his churning gut.
'Well, dramas don't live on ratings alone anymore.'
With terrestrial ratings in shambles, the ad revenue era was over.
But ratings still mattered.
They hugely impacted prices for overseas exports and OTT deals, now the main revenue.
'Titles matter more now too.'
Even meh ratings get premium if there's a clear hook.
Like a globally hot actor.
Or a chart-topping singer's BGM.
Or squeezing a 30 billion drama on a shoestring budget—
The head felt pure shit surging inside.
"These manners-lacking bastards...!"
"Uh, didn't we pull something similar last year?"
"Ours and theirs the same?! Ours bombed worst in company history! No choice!"
"...Yes."
So KBC, stung hard, was seething lately.
And as dragon and tiger snarled...
...in hopped a bold pup.
"This Yu Ho-hyeon the one I know?"
"Yes."
"What was his best rating again?"
"Dunno exactly. Always hovered around 5%."
"Right..."
Pre-change, that'd be instant firing; now, with external hype, it breaks even-ish.
Yu Ho-hyeon survived on that stability. "Scrub" wasn't pure malice.
KBC drama head summed it up neatly.
"Has this bastard lost his mind?"
"Well, the teaser and special slot look pretty committed..."
"Teaser or special, anyone can commit. But you need the real goods. Hype eyes sky-high then what with a one-off writer and hack lead?"
Facts.
King and Sovereign screamed "strangling itself" to anyone watching.
The one wildcard? That crow warrior at teaser's end.
"...What?"
"So, name's Kang Min, first casting. Unknown hiatus length, but 5 years at Hong Ji-ho's acting academy..."
"Trash that. Why bring scrub files?"
"B-but Oh Heon-yeong and Yi Hoon said he's a natural talent, and buzz around him is decent..."
"You believe that?"
"...No. 90%+ press play, I think."
"Then trash it."
The soaked-in-excellence photo of Kang Min went into the shredder.
KBC head racked his brain.
"Yu Ho-hyeon's one thing, but that sly fox Kim Kang-hyun wouldn't greenlight on one guy. He's next head."
"Yes."
"Something's up. Something..."
"......."
"...Wait, is this loser just making clam chowder outta scraps?"
SBC reached a similar "logical" conclusion.
"Can't win anyway, so might as well splash shitwater?"
"Makes sense... What'd PD Jeong Min-jae say?"
"Unclear, but from the video, seems like this Kang Min guy's got something..."
"He doesn't. Total newbie."
"...Yeah."
"Shitwater it is. Lost all shame with age."
No one imagined a near-head like Kim Kang-hyun betting on a rookie actor.
Thus, conclusions veered wildly off.
Even MBS HQ, ground zero, thought so.
Five days post-special teaser, prospective head Kim Kang-hyun got summoned to the president's office.
#
"Kim, you've got two big charges hanging over you."
New MBS president was a pragmatist—old one got nabbed juggling regulators and execs.
Favoring fake Sidiz chairs over luxury, he cut straight.
"One's why embarrass the network when you're gonna get heat anyway... Insolence."
"Yes."
"Bigger one's improper solicitation. First I can cover, second no."
"...Mind saying who tipped the second?"
"Can't say who, so I'll say. Variety CP Park Dae-geun."
"Knew it."
Park Dae-geun's nephew was once MBS casting director.
Took bribes to snag Ma Do-jun over Kang Min; Yu Ho-hyeon snitched to his sunbae, got him busted.
That sunbae now stood in the president's office. Life turns. Don't make enemies lightly.
President shrugged.
"Sure, he's got beef with you, but not major. Your recent moves puzzle even me."
"Hm."
"So, what's your thinking? Answer wrong, can't look away."
Prospective head offered no words—just pragmatist bait his boss would bite.
A rip of junior Yu Ho-hyeon's audition tape.
Beep.
"Sorry, edit's a bit rough."
"......."
"......."
"...Keep rolling. Unless you wanna get canned."
Budget secured.
"This kid's Kang Min, right?"
"Yes."
"Hm, since you're already losing face, might as well go big..."
And something the reenactment-actor-wannabe never held a grudge over, not even a speck.
What You Want Doesn't Come Easily (5)
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