The Five Stages of Death and Fandom
There's one thing the five stages of death and the five stages of fandom have in common.
Denial comes first.
"No way, I'm a loyal fan! I'm not some multi-fandom mess!"
Choi Ra-hee shook her head furiously.
Kang Min, her target, was the villain who'd stolen the spotlight from her ultimate bias, Yi Hwan-jae!
And to top it off, he'd once been the arch-nemesis of the Etherbit fan cafe Lambda, where Choi Ra-hee had even served as manager.
How could she fall for that guy of all people?!
...But no, that plot twist with Hui-yul was straight-up insane—
"No!!!"
Choi Ra-hee slammed her head down.
Her eyes gleaming, she bolted straight to her bookshelf.
"Time for purification! Photocard purification!!"
Her shelf held a few college entrance exam prep books and about ninety Etherbit albums.
Especially sixty of them, scraped together from months of part-time jobs just to hit the fansign cut-off.
Not even the thrashing from her mom could shake Choi Ra-hee's faith.
Her full set of fourth album photocards still sparkled.
"So radiant, so pure..."
Staring at the neatly signed photocard like it was enchanted, Choi Ra-hee then pulled out the bromide from her pencil case.
She'd wanted to stick it on her wall, but Mom had threatened to chew her ears off, so it'd stayed hidden.
Unfolding the bromide revealed leader Yi Hwan-jae beaming brightly.
Choi Ra-hee locked eyes with him, overcome with emotion.
As always, her heart instantly calmed.
...But if I had to pick, that smile from Hui-yul just now was even better—
"Nooo!!!!"
In the end, Choi Ra-hee started banging her head on the desk repeatedly.
Her dad in the living room tilted his head.
"...What's Ra-hee on about now, honey?"
"No idea. She'll live her own life."
Nights like this, when fans like Choi Ra-hee multiplied exponentially, passed by.
And the SBC You with Many Secrets team held their first countermeasures meeting.
The reason went without saying: viewership had plummeted below 4%.
#
"Man, this is hopeless, huh?"
Wiztone Entertainment, one of Korea's top five agencies, was a bit unique.
Half of it was a standard management company, handling the usual idol and actor gigs.
The other half was Korea's largest freelance production house, packed with big-name writers, PDs, and staff.
Jeong Min-jae PD of You with Many Secrets was one of the longest-tenured there. When KBC dropped their 30-billion-won project, SBC had snapped him up first for good reason.
Well, right now, Jeong Min-jae was spouting nonsense.
"...Um, PD?"
"Ah, sorry."
Jeong Min-jae PD apologized with a serious face.
It probably hadn't been the right tone.
Reflecting as he eyed the silent staff, he soon spoke in a gravely stern voice.
"There's no answer."
"......."
"Even if you glare, facts are facts. We geared up to fight an elephant in the ocean, and a killer whale pops out going 'peekaboo.'"
SBC's You with Many Secrets was crafted purely to snipe KBC's Black Forest.
If Black Forest was flashy visuals and breakneck pacing, go the opposite: characters over plots.
Nuanced emotions over rapid twists.
And above all, character appeal.
Jeong Min-jae wasn't a genius, but his experience was vast, and his planning pierced weaknesses with surgical precision.
SBC had cheered and begged handshakes upon seeing the proposal.
...Until one supporting actor flipped the board.
"Characters? Hui-yul wins. Appeal? Hui-yul. We banked on emotions, but now even that's Hui-yul territory."
Jeong Min-jae let out a hollow laugh.
"I've seen monster actors devour shows before, but this level? Unprecedented. Maybe one every decade."
"Jeong PD, aren't you overhyping them?"
The CP frowned in response.
As a broadcaster employee, the CP's dynamic with freelance Jeong Min-jae was delicately balanced—they kept polite.
But with the drama bombing, impatience crept in.
"Say what you will, he's just a rookie. Their show's only on episode 4. We need viewership fixes, not defeatist talk—"
"KBC tried fixes, emptied their trunks, and now they're getting wrecked, right?"
"......."
"And calling actor Kang Min a rookie feels off—he's come too far."
Jeong Min-jae had once been among the harshest critics of the King and Sovereign special.
Incredible acting, stunning aura.
But the style was one-note, obvious.
Impressive, but if that's all he's got, we can counter.
It seemed to work at first.
By episodes 2 and 3 of King and Sovereign, viewers adapted to the acting, and the rest couldn't keep up.
But the opponent shed a layer faster than Jeong's counter.
After episode 4, Jeong Min-jae couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.
"It wasn't that he could only do 'Hui-yul acting.' He was holding back. Like a Predator saving the transformation."
"Jeong PD, I get he's good, but overhype—"
"Overhype? That Oldboy-level long take stunt?"
"......."
"Not even Hollywood stuntmen could pull that off easily. You can't undervalue it."
King and Sovereign episode 4 was a fluke of coincidences.
An accidental crash, perfectly caught on camera—and Kang Min himself hadn't expected it.
But from outside? It looked intentional.
Why hold back from episode 1 if he could do 'that'?
"He saved it. Actor Kang Min has a demonic sense for when the plot drags."
"......."
"Predators always save two transformations. Who knows what else that guy's hiding!"
A mad analogy, sure.
But to others, Kang Min defied common sense.
A no-name actor explodes with monster talent, then shows off insane physicality and image flips that terrify even gym rats.
To a 10-year vet like Jeong Min-jae, it screamed grand scheme.
"The special's absurd screentime too—that drama might not even be run by the PD and writer. Actor's got serious pull."
"Hmm..."
"What rookie hides that skill for years? I can't imagine what else Kang Min's concealing."
As always, the world buys plausible bullshit over truth.
The CP swallowed hard; staff gulped.
Kang Min had rejected mid-tier agencies and even SGS Entertainment's offer!
What ambition lets you do that—
The CP barely mustered:
"...Still, he's just a supporting lead."
"Doubt it now."
"What?"
"King and Sovereign's lead has shifted. Viewers will demand it."
"......."
"I have ideas, preps too... but hell, I'm starting to think MBS planned it all."
Well, at least the baldy chief would be thrilled—
As Jeong Min-jae shrugged, KBC Black Forest CP Han Ye-seul reached a similar conclusion.
Her language was cheaper.
"What a fucking—"
Ahem.
"Damn it, MBS's idiot play worked. Our painstaking mise-en-scène and minute-by-minute plotting? They beat it with 'ooh, Hui-yul~'."
"......."
"......."
"......."
"This make any goddamn sense?!"
After her 21st meltdown, Han Ye-seul clutched her head, decorum be damned.
She was losing it.
What kind of drama is this...!
Rookie writer, no-name PD, meh leads—then one Hui-yul smile skyrockets ratings?
That's a drama?
Why am I suffering while they coast?
Why can't I get actor carry?
Why haven't I been home in a week while MBS jerks—
Fuck.
As cowed staff watched, Han Ye-seul suppressed meltdown 22.
Unlike SBC's outsourced flop, KBC's in-house meant full losses—no splitting.
They needed countermeasures.
In this madness, somehow.
"...One clear question: How big will Hui-yul get in King and Sovereign?"
Staff exchanged looks.
Cautious consensus:
"I'd bump him to lead."
"Agreed."
"Me too..."
"...Yeah."
Even she'd do it.
Hui-yul fading? Deploy Hui-yul 2.
Not enough? Hui-yul 3, then Hui-yul 3 & Knuckles or No Way Home.
MBS would milk the formula dry. Why not?
Knowing their move, time for ours.
"So countermeasures..."
Countermeasures...
As if!
Han Ye-seul squeezed her eyes shut.
What do you do against one actor going berserk?
Staff outlook: grim.
"Viewers showing fatigue. Too many dense chases and infiltrations..."
"Male lead's emotions confusing some. Not bad yet, but dragging risks..."
Future debts pulled forward for ratings were piling up.
Han Ye-seul clutched her head.
Keep pushing loose scenes back, and the whole show's rep tanks. Mindless fights work in B-movies, not this.
The 30-billion-backed chief producer sighed deeply.
"Fine. Next ep, pay off the debt mountain."
"Yes."
"I know it's tough, but Kim PD, tighten direction as much as possible. Discuss with the writer..."
"...Got it."
Having carved into her own flesh, Han Ye-seul wiped her face.
Post-meeting, she glared at the replaying MBS drama on screen.
MBS's brightest bulb—that gleaming bald head—floated up.
Rage boiled.
That bastard Kim Kang-hyun CP's probably coasting smugly...!
Or chief now.
No worries anyway.
Sneaky bald fuck...!!
Grinding her teeth, Han Ye-seul headed to editing. Overtime confirmed.
But hey,
Just because everyone assumes the bald guy's comfy doesn't make it true.
#
More articles than ever poured out that day.
Even more than during the special.
Unlike the special's visual hype, women dominated reactions now.
In this explosive vibe, Chief Kim Kang-hyun naturally hopped aboard.
"This momentum's killer! Ride the wave now!"
"Agreed!"
"Bump Hui-yul to lead level—ratings will soar!"
It was a Hui-yul-led drama from the special days. Tweaking scripts, restoring cuts for screentime? Easy.
Yu Ho-hyeon PD, Baek Chae-i writer—all in. Staff geared up.
But one man bucked the frenzy head-on.
The actor himself.
"Sorry, but could you reconsider?"
"...Pardon?"
Everyone froze.
What actor rejects more screentime?
Yu Ho-hyeon PD floundered.
"I-if it's pay, we'll match lead rates! Exceptional circumstances..."
"No, my current load's already grueling. More, and I can't deliver proper acting."
"......."
"Please."
For Kang Min, it was desperate—near pleading.
Even now, retakes were pushing his nightmare limit.
Adapt to anything, sure—but dying dozens of times daily? Exception.
I'm begging to cut it, and they wanna add more?!
Kang Min fought full-throttle to block this madness. Survival thrashing.
But alas,
People heard something else.
Way off.
"Oh man, hyung...! For my sake, that far...!!"
First off,
Yi Hwan-jae as the crown prince burst into tears, overcome.
Even Falling Backwards Breaks Your Nose (2)