The Perfect Villain
With trembling eyes fixed on me, Kim Seonye PD quickly regained her composure and spoke as if it were nothing important.
“Those are the participants from Girl 100. Do their names have any particular connection?”
Her gaze carried the clear question, “What on earth are you talking about?” It seemed she had decided to play dumb. But wasn’t it a little late for that now?
“Vote manipulation? That’s quite a dangerous and insulting thing to say. As the PD of this broadcast, I can assure you that such a thing would never—”
“Oh! PD-nim! You spilled your coffee! You must have been startled by something!”
“…Startled?”
“I didn’t mean to surprise you! But it looks like the fact that I know about this has made you quite flustered. I’m sorry!”
“…”
Kim Seonye stared blankly at my exaggerated reaction before letting out a hollow laugh, as if she found it ridiculous to keep pretending. She glared at me and said,
“Fewer than twenty people should know about this. How did you find out?”
If someone interested in the entertainment industry had regressed, there’s no way they wouldn’t know. Not to mention who ends up in prison and how many years they get… Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.
“I happen to have quite a few connections here and there. So I hear all sorts of stories. Besides, the source isn’t what matters right now, is it? Not in this situation.”
Kim Seonye rested her chin on her hand, sighed, and muttered,
“…How annoying.”
You’re not the only one who thinks so.
“Let’s get this straight. The real crisis here isn’t that the broadcast’s image is ruined, but that the original plan for the eleven debut members has fallen apart. You had prepared various narratives—growth-type characters, charm-type characters, perfect-type characters—and arranged for those eleven to safely enter the debut group. But now only three made it into Class A, completely destroying that plot. That’s the actual problem.”
A rigged broadcast that can no longer be rigged. That’s the crisis.
“More precisely, the bigger issue is that you’ve shown the agencies behind you that this broadcast might slip out of your control. And it happened right from the first episode.”
This crisis was closer to Kim Seonye’s personal crisis than the broadcast’s. She was just as desperate. Therefore, there was no need to position myself below her in the negotiation.
“Since we’ve confirmed we share the same view that this situation is a crisis, shall we discuss the deal now?”
I needed Kim Seonye, and she needed me. Yet she spoke as if she didn’t agree.
“That’s a word that only applies when both sides have something equal to exchange. What exactly can Team Leader Sun offer me?”
“A new narrative that can stabilize the broadcast or guarantee the placement of those eleven members.”
“…A narrative?”
Why are you pretending not to know?
“Can you remove Gyeoul from this broadcast?”
“I’m the PD of this show. If I decide to, there’s nothing I can’t do.”
“Of course you could if you set your mind to it. But the backlash would be severe. If you deliberately exclude the only three members in Class A, it’s obvious how the viewers will react.”
No exaggeration—the broadcast would genuinely go to hell.
“I believe that’s exactly why you called me here. ‘Since we can’t remove her anyway, we might as well turn her into a completely unlikable character and use her as a stepping stone to elevate the image of the other eleven.’ And, ‘She won’t listen if we just ask nicely, so we’ll have to scare her a little too.’ Something like that.”
Instead of denying my words, Kim Seonye shook her head and said,
“…You have a talent for saying things in the most unpleasant way possible.”
Isn’t that your problem for having unpleasant intentions in the first place?
“It’s because the situation isn’t pleasant. I want to say only good things to you, PD Kim Seonye, and build a healthy relationship.”
I offered a light smile to appear friendly before continuing.
“In that spirit, I have a proposal. I’ll take on the unlikable role you were planning to give Gyeoul. And I’ll do it cleanly—far beyond what malicious editing could ever achieve.”
“…You’re going to do that? After dragging the situation this far just to avoid being controlled by me?”
“Of course, there are conditions. That’s why I called it a deal.”
Eighteen people remain until the final episode. Gyeoul has to be among them.
“Please make sure she makes it into the minimum eighteen during the final live broadcast.”
“…You’re asking me to keep her until the final episode?”
“That’s right. And her ranking throughout the process should be shown as top-tier. Gyeoul needs to become the mountain that must be overcome.”
The voting results were all decided by Kim Seonye’s hands. If she wanted, she could suddenly drop Gyeoul in episode five or six. In Girl 100, where focus naturally decreased as it approached the twelfth and final episode, such mid-way dropouts wouldn’t attract much attention. Since Girl 100 was a rigged broadcast, I absolutely needed this woman’s cooperation.
Kim Seonye sneered at me.
“Doesn’t this sound like I’m the only one losing out?”
“Not at all. I don’t understand why you didn’t think of this scenario yourself. Why do we have writers, directors, dozens of cameras, interview shoots, and behind-the-scenes footage?”
“To create a story.”
Not enough.
“That’s the phenomenon.”
“To increase immersion?”
Still not enough.
“That’s the process. You need to state the result.”
“…To raise viewership ratings.”
Only then did I smile in satisfaction.
“Correct.”
The viewership ratings you’re so obsessed with—that’s what we’ll gain if we make this deal.
“Now let me state the conditions. I agree to Gyeoul taking on the unlikable role. But it must not be done in a cheap way. Creating a third-rate villain for short-term buzz won’t help in the long run.”
Kim Seonye snapped irritably,
“Then what exactly do you want me to do?”
Have you lost your touch? Seonye, don’t you get it?
“Let’s make Gyeoul a charming villain. The kind of villain who, despite being a villain, carries the weight of the drama’s quality and attracts fans.”
Kim Seonye fell silent, as if the picture was finally forming in her mind. After a long while, she finally spoke.
“…The concept of an arrogant genius might work well.”
Exactly. Unable to hide my smile, I added to her words.
“We also need to add a naturalness that makes it seem like she didn’t say those things with malicious intent.”
“Of course, it has to be backed by overwhelming skill that matches the concept.”
“She’s already shown that. All that’s left is how dramatically we can enhance it through editing.”
Kim Seonye, unwilling to lose, added her own points.
“An exclusivity that others can’t understand.”
“Nothing creates a sense of alienation better than that. Gyeoul’s mask is already that of a cold beauty, so building the image won’t be difficult.”
“We should also highlight her clumsy side for the gap effect.”
“Something like a sports day would be perfect. If we put her in animal pajamas and make her run around, even a gap that didn’t exist before will show.”
“There should also be a process where the trainees who were in conflict come to acknowledge each other.”
“The emotion of friendship always sells well. It’ll raise the overall favorability of all the trainees and add a narrative of personal growth.”
“We should save that final step until the very end, when we decide the eleven debut members.”
“Resolving conflict suits the finale.”
“Throughout the process, viewers won’t be able to look away.”
“And all of that will echo back as viewership ratings.”
We took turns building upon each other’s words like stacking blocks. In the end, a single clear tower stood before us.
“What will happen if this narrative is properly delivered to the viewers?”
Kim Seonye and I answered at the same time.
““It’ll be a success.””
As if the answer amused her, Kim Seonye began to chuckle before bursting into full-blown laughter, clutching her stomach. When her rough, breathless laughter finally subsided, she extended her hand to me.
“I don’t like you.”
“That’s unfortunate. I quite like you, PD Kim.”
“Flattery won’t work anymore. It’s too late.”
Quite the cold assessment.
“Still, I’ll admit that you’ll help with the ratings. And it’s true that I’m crazy about ratings.”
I smiled as well, taking her hand and shaking it.
“I’m a bit crazy about that too.”
***
After leaving the editing room, I pulled out the pen-shaped recorder I had kept in my front pocket and checked its status. Everything had been recorded perfectly. Including her admission that she had rigged the broadcast.
Humming a tune, I headed home.
Seonye. For important moments like this, you should make recording a habit.
***
As bedtime arrived and Kim Yujin began snoring beside her, Gyeoul lay on the dorm’s flat bed and closed her eyes, thinking,
‘I shouldn’t have done that…’
Today… No, ever since it was decided that Gyeoul would appear on Girl 100, she had shown far too much dependence on Taeyang. This went against her intention to become someone who could stand on her own so that Taeyang’s attention could turn more toward Gaeul.
‘Get a grip. If I keep showing my emotions like that, everything will fall apart. And I won’t be able to stay by Taeyang’s side either.’
That was something truly terrifying to Gyeoul. She made a firm resolution to never show that side of herself again in the days to come, and drifted off to sleep.
An appropriate target has been selected. ‘Possibility Memory’ will be activated.