Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Look at This Fish
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Look at this fish
A large screen right in front of her eyes.
And the crystal-clear tone pouring out from the speakers positioned all around.
In that space, perfectly optimized for watching videos,
she slowly downed the wine glass in her hand in one go.
The rich, lingering aroma of the fine wine.
Normally, she would have savored the taste purely, letting it linger on her tongue.
But at this moment, she was gulping it down like it was just water.
"Gulp! Gulp! Haa..."
She roughly set down the now-empty wine glass.
Ha Yu-ra
Sitting alone in this spacious room, she watched the scene clearly displayed on the large screen in front of her, feeling her face heat up once more.
-"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Haa..."
The soft gaze he sent her as he gently took her hand on screen.
Han-seo... no, Chae Soo-jeong.
The result of the makeup team's tireless efforts,
especially the heartbreaking work to hide not just the face, but above all those ample breasts, transforming her into a strikingly handsome man.
The deep, lingering gaze that such a Soo-jeong had sent her during filming was still making Yu-ra's heart race even now.
Of course, Yu-ra knew well that this was just part of the acting.
Honestly, the awkward acting in the first scene had been so intense that some of the production staff had quietly worried whether she could pull off such sweet scenes.
But as if mocking those concerns,
Chae Soo-jeong began radiating more charm than your average male lead the moment the acting started.
Strong and reliable,
yet also possessing gentleness and tenderness—a presence that made any woman's heart flutter.
Just recalling it made Yu-ra's face flush red as she rolled around on the bed, hugging a pillow.
"Seriously... that's just cheating... even if it's acting..."
On top of that, the scene had passed in a single take without any reshoots,
but ending so quickly only made it feel even more intense to Yu-ra.
A strange sense of reluctance came as a bonus, though she couldn't show it.
Before long, the ending theme began to play.
As she watched, Yu-ra, who had buried her face in the pillow, felt a subtle smile creep onto her lips.
The content was solid, but more than that, the drama had turned out better than expected.
It was only episode 2, but the atmosphere was already better than most of the shows she'd seen.
"At this rate... it might outperform Tears of the Queen Consort, no?"
As the lead actress, it was natural to hope her project succeeded.
But beyond Tears of the Queen Consort, which she'd starred in before, Yu-ra desperately wanted this one to succeed.
For her teacher, just beginning to bloom brilliantly.
For Chae Soo-jeong.
The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
Weekend drama.
First-week ratings: 4.3%
For a ZTVC drama, it was a decent start, allowing the production team to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Still, it's a relief. Yoon Tae-young and Ha Yu-ra's star power pulled through decently."
"The Beasts fans must have streamed in quite a bit, and Ha Yu-ra has a solid fanbase too."
Seo PD and the youngest writer chatting in relieved tones.
Considering the risk of a rookie lead and ZTVC's recent internal struggles, these ratings were a solid defense.
Of course, compared to other networks' dramas, it wasn't high, but for a mid-tier station like ZTVC, it was plenty good.
Moreover, competing shows in the same time slot were all lukewarm or poorly received.
They knew a bit of buzz could propel them upward anytime.
Seo Ji-tae PD and the youngest writer began harboring thick expectations amid the relief.
Then.
"Hm..."
"? What's up? Something you don't like?"
"Lee PD?"
Lee Dong-cheol PD, seriously scanning the articles.
He then showed his phone to the two.
"Here, check this out."
"Yeah?"
"Yes?"
What it showed were articles filling one side of the internet news board about the drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
Thanks to the decent ratings, articles had piled up since day one.
Articles mostly showing positive buzz and interest.
Since it had only just started, reactions were mostly mild.
But one article stood out prominently.
It had overwhelmingly more comments than the others.
It had racked up 200 comments on its own.
At a glance, it was drawing far more attention than the rest, though the content itself was nothing special.
It briefly introduced Han-seo's actions in the drama, then noted that Chae Soo-jeong was a completely pure(?) rookie with no prior roles in dramas or theater.
However.
The article drew massive interest disproportionate to its thin content.
The comments below speculated wildly about Soo-jeong's identity while genuinely marveling at her acting.
It was clear at a glance that Chae Soo-jeong and her character Han-seo had left a deep impression on viewers.
"Impressive... Even with so little screen time officially out, this reaction."
"She bookended the start and end of what's aired so far, but even accounting for that, it's huge attention."
In truth, across the 100 total minutes of two episodes, Han-seo's overt scenes totaled just over 5 minutes.
Only two scenes, or three if counting the masked Minister of War assassination.
Yet that brief appearance drew more attention than any other cast member.
Partly because the scenes were impactful,
but more so due to Chae Soo-jeong's standout aura and divinely inspired acting.
"Right now, most are fans of the other actors dipping in. But if this continues, it might ignite separately from fan loyalty."
"Yeah. If Han-seo... actress Chae Soo-jeong keeps getting spotlighted, the reveal later will be shocking."
"Exactly. Keep info control tight. Don't let hype fizzle midway."
Honestly, the drama seemed strong enough without it.
But why not gather it all and explode big?
Harboring thick expectations of truly shaking up viewers, Lee Dong-cheol PD and the team wore excited smiles.
YouTuber Oh Young-ae, in the middle of a live stream.
She was in a great mood lately.
The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
In a drama landscape barren like a famine, a watchable show appearing was like rain in drought for this diehard fan-slash-YouTuber.
Her stagnant subscribers were ticking up a bit.
At this rate, her long-dreamed 500k goal felt within reach.
"Ha~ This episode was great too. After all the hardship, Su-ryeon and crew dealt a big blow to the scheming Queen Dowager. Especially the end—Big Brother Han-seo! Our big bro burst in, slew the officer in one stroke, and saved them. Peak!"
And one more thing.
Lately, Oh Young-ae felt tempted to change her ultimate bias.
She'd always liked Ha Yu-ra, the actress steadily growing.
But drawing even more interest: the actress dominating every scene with overwhelming acting.
Chae Soo-jeong as Han-seo.
Young-ae had thought male actors relied more on looks than skill, but Soo-jeong's acting changed that.
Watching her purely captivate hearts, Young-ae felt her own chest flutter unknowingly.
"Su-ryeon drifting from childhood friend Seong-ryong, drawing closer to Big Brother Han-seo. The love triangle's end has me hooked."
Young-ae eagerly awaited the next episode preview in excitement.
But.
"...Huh?"
End credits rolled, time for preview.
But the story continued instead, making Young-ae refocus in slight surprise.
"Uh... looks like it's continuing. Let's watch."
A serious mood with an unusual development.
On screen, Han-seo walked alone somewhere.
Not the usual kind 'big bro', but Han-seo with a chilling expression.
He arrived where a familiar face waited.
The Beasts' Chan-su... no, the Captain of the Inner Guard.
The Queen Dowager's confidant showed no hostility toward Han-seo.
"You've arrived."
The Captain bowed politely.
A chilling smile crept onto Han-seo's lips as he regarded him.
Completely different from before,
the eerie smile from the opening prologue.
"Huh?"
Oh Young-ae stared blankly as the drama ended abruptly,
while the chat, quiet during the ending, exploded into frenzy.