Chapter 296
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: The Grand Finale
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On the television screen, Director Choi Yuwon’s head turned to look at Kim Seoyeon and Team Leader Lee Hyunseong in turn.
Song Yujeong and her mother held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen. Kim Seoyeon and Team Leader Lee Hyunseong didn't seem to notice each other's gazes, but the sweet tension between them made Song Yujeong and her mother unable to suppress their smiles.
Director Choi Yuwon’s bittersweet smile appeared on the screen.
“Uwaaaah…”
Im Yena’s anguished voice flowed from the phone. Only then did Song Yujeong realize Im Yena was on "Team Yoo Sungjin."
“I knew it would be like this…!”
A sound close to wailing could be heard.
At her friend’s cry, Song Yujeong grinned.
It was a victory for "Team Lee Hyunseong."
As she smiled in satisfaction, convinced that 'the male lead is Lee Hyunseong anyway,' Song Yujeong glanced at the clock.
"What the heck? Is it already half over?!"
"Already?"
Even her mother was surprised and looked at the clock. It felt like they had been watching for less than five minutes, but thirty minutes had already passed, and there were only thirty minutes left of *Spring Has Returned*. They wanted to keep watching, wishing time would stand still. Unaware of Song Yujeong and her mother’s anxious hearts, the drama continued.
Outside the bus window, the boy said something.
The girl, her cheeks blushing, pressed her forehead against the glass.
Song Yujeong, her mother, and Im Yena on the phone were watching the two kids’ sweet, lovely scene with warm eyes when—
[Because Yoo Sungjin left just like that.]
—Kim Seoyeon’s narration left them horrified.
* * *
[It’s been a while, Seoyeon.]
At Team Leader Lee Hyunseong’s gentle voice, Song Yujeong covered her mouth.
The soft aura of Yoo Sungjin, often seen in Director Choi Yuwon, was now emanating from Team Leader Lee Hyunseong.
“Uwaaaah…!”
A reaction different from before came from the phone. Judging by the thumping sounds, she was probably hitting a sofa or a cushion, unable to contain her surging emotions.
After that, Lee Hyunseong began to unravel Yoo Sungjin’s past.
Yoo Sungjin appeared, boarding a bus to the airport with a single suitcase and a backpack.
"Seriously, they didn't even see him off to the airport?!"
“My poor Sungjin…”
Yoo Sungjin sat down and stared blankly out the window.
[Taking the final exams with Seoyeon, grading them, spending our senior year together, studying, taking the college entrance exam, going to college, and maybe even longer, much longer….]
He ended up crying silently.
The corners of Song Yujeong and her mother’s eyes grew moist. The sound of Im Yena sniffling could also be heard.
The screen, which had been showing the crying Yoo Sungjin, slowly transitioned to show Lee Hyunseong, who was smiling calmly.
“But I was on Team Yoo Sungjin…!”
At Im Yena’s words, Song Yujeong and her mother couldn't help but laugh.
* * *
[Seoyeon. I like you.]
At Yoo Sungjin’s confession, Song Yujeong gritted her teeth.
“Oh my god. I love this so much…!”
For a moment, she thought her inner voice had slipped out.
It was Im Yena. The thumping sound came from the phone again. It was as if she was trying to demolish her apartment. If her mother hadn't been there, Song Yujeong would have been rolling on the living room floor. Instead, she squeezed the cushion she was holding tightly, as if strangling it.
[I like you too.]
The camera, which had been focused on the two of them, slowly pulled back, showing Kim Seoyeon and Lee Hyunseong from outside the café, through the glass window. The yellow awning, and the two of them, who had been blocked off before, were now smiling and facing each other.
The OST for *Spring Has Returned* began to play as the credits appeared.
[Thank you for watching ‘Spring Has Returned.’]
“It was a great drama! I need to rewatch it right away!”
Song Yujeong nodded at Im Yena's words.
"Me too. I'm going to watch it from the beginning."
This time, she decided she would watch it focusing on Lee Hyunseong. As she was thinking this, she heard her mother's voice.
"Honey. Buy the VOD."
"Heh. I already bought up to episode 5."
* * *
"*Spring Has Returned* hits a peak viewership of 34%! Average viewership of 31%!!"
Cheers erupted in the MBS drama department.
"It really hit 30 percent!"
"Thirty percent in this day and age! And with only six episodes!"
"Did they have the *Spring Has Returned* wrap party yet? It must be insane over there!"
"They had a team dinner after the first broadcast, so they said it was too soon. They decided to go on a reward vacation instead."
"Well, it was only six episodes, so it only aired for a month and a half, right?"
The drama department was bustling.
The director called Producer Gong Heechan aside.
"The edited version?"
"Yeah. The scenes with Yoo Sungjin appearing are all over the place."
"Yes, they are."
Since Yoo Sungjin appeared according to Kim Seoyeon's memories, the scenes were broadcasted out of chronological order, jumbled like 1-3-2-4-5 instead of 1-2-3-4-5.
Producer Gong Heechan scratched his cheek.
"I tried to put them in order as much as possible… but it's not perfect."
"Let's edit it chronologically. From when Kim Seoyeon and Yoo Sungjin met to when they separated. That would be more immersive for the viewers, don't you think? I'll take care of everything else, so just give editing it a try."
Producer Gong Heechan’s eyes darted around thoughtfully.
‘I did want to try editing it with a focus on Seojun.’
With a tempted expression, Producer Gong Heechan nodded.
"Yes. I understand."
At Producer Gong Heechan’s agreement, the director beamed.
* * *
[MBS Special Drama ‘Spring Has Returned’ Achieves Average Viewership of 31%!]
[Only 6 Episodes? A More Than Fulfilling 6 Episodes!]
[The Rebellion of a 6-Episode Drama! Sets This Year's Highest Viewership Record!]
[Sold Out, Sold Out, Sold Out! The Advertising Effect of Spring Has Returned!]
[Highest Promotional Effect for Overseas Brands! Reaches #1 on Plus+ Overseas Rankings!]
-Living in a world of his own. A 31 percent viewership rating, haha.
=Aren't there no dramas that exceed 30 percent these days?
=And a 6-episode drama at 30%, lol.
-The advertising effect of *Spring Has Returned* is insane. The yellow umbrellas sold like crazy.
=I bought a yellow umbrella too, haha. But I can't buy Lee Seojun's sneakers and backpack because they're sold out.
=All the other items are sold out too, holy cow. I heard everything that appeared in *Spring Has Returned* is selling like crazy.
-Ah… I need to buy the figurine…! I need to save money…!
=Me too. I think I'm spending too much money this month. My bank account has become a blank account T_T.
-Is the café from the last episode a chain?
=Nope, it's an independent cafe.
=That place is going to be swamped with customers.
=22 Couples will probably take lots of pictures there like in the drama.
-Looks like *Spring Has Returned* is a huge hit in other countries too.
=22 There were a lot of international reactions even when we were watching it live.
=Yeah, I live abroad, and the reaction here is insane too, haha.
=A lot of people watch it casually because it's short, but they get hit with a visual shock from episode 1, lol.
=That would happen if you watch it without seeing the trailer, lol.
[The Male Lead is OOO! It's Finally Been Decided!]
[Team Hyunseong? Team Yoo Sungjin? Who is the Male Lead?!]
[The First Love Decided in the Final Episode is Finally Revealed!?]
[The Nation's First Love, Actor Lee Seojun!]
-Sound the trumpets! Team Hyunseong!
=I screamed when he said, "It's been a while," lol.
=After he revealed he was Yoo Sungjin, his expression softened, and the way he spoke casually made me fall for him, lol.
-Lee Hyunseong's smile was just like Yoo Sungjin's.
=To be honest, Seojun probably acted as Yoo Sungjin after seeing this side of Lee Hyunseong.
=22 Seeing it this way, you can't help but say he's truly amazing.
-I knew this would happen T_T
=22 I knew it when they both had the last name Choi. T_T
=Same last name Choi?
=Lee Seojun's audition video character was Choi Eun-yulㅠ and in *Spring Has Returned* it's Choi Yuwonㅠ
=The writer for *Spring Has Returned* was writer So Eunjin's assistant, so I was even more anxious T_T Is he really the second lead again? T_T
=I need to cure this second-lead syndrome.
=The way he couldn't even confess was so similar to Choi Eun-yul T_T
-…But honestly, by the end, I was drawn to Lee Hyunseong too.
=Drag this traitor out immediately!!
-I clipped the audio of Seojun's 'I like you.'
=!!Please send it to me!!
=22 Please, I'm begging you!
-I need to change my name to Seoyeon.
=22 I changed my name to Na Yujeong, but I guess Kim Seoyeon is better.
-The nation's first love, Lee Seojun, lol.
=But Seojun's impact was just too strong.
=222 No matter how many times I watch, I just zone out.
=Whenever I think of first love, I'll definitely think of Yoo Sungjin.
[MBS Special Drama Edited Version to Air Next Monday!]
[MBS Pilot Variety Show, ‘Finding My First Love!’ Scheduled to Air!]
-What's a special edited version?
=Rumor has it that it's a Yoo Sungjin-focused edit.
=A Yoo Sungjin edit?
=In the drama, he appears along with Kim Seoyeon's memories, so the scenes are short and out of order. They're re-editing it by piecing those scenes together chronologically.
=…Are you an insider?
=Hahaha.
-What's with the pilot variety show, lol.
=Aren't pilots usually for Lunar New Year or Chuseok specials?
=MBS is really milking this for all it's worth, lol.
[Title: Spring Has Returned) An Analysis of Why It Had to Be Lee Hyunseong.]
The proportion of times Kim Seoyeon thinks of Yoo Sungjin through Lee Hyunseong and Choi Yuwon is different for each episode.
In episode 1, it was only Lee Hyunseong. In episode 2, it was mostly Choi Yuwon.
In episodes 3 and 4, it was about even. In episode 5, Lee Hyunseong had a bit more.
In episode 6, as you know, it was only Lee Hyunseong.
Just by looking at the screen time, it's Lee Hyunseong, haha.
+) Just in case, I also calculated the total time of the past flashback scenes, and Lee Hyunseong had more.
-Oh. You're right.
=It was pretty even until episode 4, so we fought hard, but from episode 5, something felt off, haha.
-Look at the dedication, lol. You even calculated the time, lol.
* * *
"A special edited version?"
As the exam period began, Seojun took a temporary break from reading scripts to focus on his studies. Consequently, An Daho also paused his visits to Seojun's house.
“Yeah. They’re gathering only the past scenes, re-editing them, and broadcasting it.”
"Is there time to broadcast that? I thought writer Oh Youngchul's drama was supposed to start right after *Spring Has Returned* ended…"
Seojun tilted his head at An Daho's words.
“It’s not that long, so they’re going to air it for a bit before the drama starts. It seems like they want to carry over the viewership ratings of *Spring Has Returned* to the follow-up drama.”
Indeed, with a rating of 30 percent, it was worth trying such a trick to maintain it. Even if only half of those viewers continued to watch, that would be 15%. For the MBS drama department, which had been fluctuating between 1 and 2 percent, it was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.
"I see."
“It’s airing on Monday at 9:30 PM, so watch it if you want.”
"Okay."
“Well then, study hard for your exams.”
"You enjoy your vacation too, Daho hyung."
“Haha. I will.”
After hanging up, Seojun wrote down [Monday/9:30 PM/Spring Has Returned - Edited Ver.] on the calendar on his desk and focused on his studies again.
[Midterm Exams]
[Shadowman Series Figurine Sale]
[<<Fan Meeting>>]
* * *
Monday, 9:30 PM.
[*Spring Has Returned - The School Days*] was broadcast.
From the day Yoo Sungjin transferred, to the scene where they ate together in the cafeteria, it showed how Kim Seoyeon approached Yoo Sungjin and soothed his sharp, defensive thorns.
Unlike the original drama, the edited version, which flowed chronologically, allowed viewers to become even more immersed.
-Watching it in order like this is so good, haha.
=22 I'm going to rewatch *Spring Has Returned* after this.
-But knowing that Yoo Sungjin cries on the bus makes it so heartbreaking T_T.
=It's a happy scene, but why am I watching it while crying? T_T
-But Yoo Sungjin must have had a really tough life.
=22 His parents sent him to Korea, then back to the US. What a mess.
=Since his father remarried, he probably had to walk on eggshells in the US too.
=Our Sungjin grew up so well T_T.
-I heard the PD was a rookie, but after seeing this edited version, he's really skilled.
=22 I thought it was just an edited version where they pasted scenes together, but he directed it differently from the original in a way that fits the edit well.
=333 The directing was good. In the past, Kim Seoyeon and Yoo Sungjin were separated by the bus window, but in the present, they're inside the café together. It was nice how they were captured in one frame, inside the window.
=The transitions to the flashback scenes when Lee Hyunseong and Choi Yuwon appeared were also smooth.
=Producer Gong Heechan? I think he'll do a great job directing his next project too.
-I heard the writer was a rookie too, but I'm glad it didn't start strong and end weak.
=22 I was worried she'd feel pressured because the actor was Lee Seojun and wouldn't be able to do it, but it ended well.
=The characters were all charming too.
=Writer Yoo Cheong-ah! I'm looking forward to your next work!
-Now what do I watch on Mondays and Tuesdays?
=I know, right? I waited for Tuesday every week for six weeks, so I didn't have the Monday blues, but I think they're coming back.
=How's writer Oh Youngchul's drama? Today's first episode seemed pretty good.
=Should we watch that then?
Although it wasn't very long, the viewership for [*Spring Has Returned - The School Days*] was enormous, once again causing a stir at MBS. Just as the director had planned, the viewership of *Spring Has Returned* carried over to the follow-up drama. Though it remained to be seen what would happen to the Tuesday ratings.
"Lee Seojun! We just need to get Lee Seojun!"
This was the determined cry from the MBS drama department, which had fully reaped the benefits of the Lee Seojun effect.
"Lee Seojun! Get Lee Seojun!"
And this was the desperate cry echoing from the KBC and SBC drama departments, whose Monday-Tuesday viewership had been completely wiped out.