Chapter 104
Chapter 104
The Year-End Awards Ceremony
-Will Yu Yeon-seo show up to the SBC Drama Awards?
└I think he will this time.
└He’s been attending a lot of award shows lately.
└That’s because they were film festivals or the Baeksan Awards. Hasn’t he always skipped the network drama awards?
└But why does he skip the network awards? Didn’t he do two or three broadcast network dramas before?
└└After all that crap, would you show up if you were him?
└└└What happened? I really don’t know.
The original Yu Yeon-seo he knew probably wouldn’t have gone simply because it was a hassle. He would have questioned why he should go and greet a bunch of strangers when there was no chance of him winning an award.
-So, about that Yu Yeon-seo incident…
Back in 2015 or so, he was a rookie actor, so it was okay if his acting wasn’t great, right? His image wasn’t bad up to that point.
But in 2016, when One Seven had their resurgence, the blame fell on Yu Yeon-seo for ditching the group. Plus, his acting wasn’t improving, and he was getting roles through his connections, so he was becoming increasingly disliked. To make matters worse, it was a time when a ton of actors with similar age and experience were active, so the rivalry was insane, and literally the whole world was hating on Yu Yeon-seo.
Anyway, he was nominated for an Excellence Award at either the KBC or MBC Drama Awards, and it caused a massive uproar. Every online community flipped out, and even offline, you could hear people everywhere asking why he was even nominated.
└It was seriously horrifyingㅠㅠ
└It was a huge controversy back then, but don’t you think Yu Yeon-seo himself probably didn’t care?
└Hey, can you change the title? It feels like you’re just dredging up old scandals;;
└“To make matters worse???” What’s with that wording, f*ck? My favorite actor was really active in 2016, so are you saying it’s his fault?
└Honestly, thinking about it now, it’s absurd. The network invited him, so who were they to complain and threaten boycotts if he showed up lol.
└└But didn’t the network use that to stir up a ton of drama?
└└└Didn’t Juseong pull all their ads back then? The network immediately apologized for fanning the flames of the controversy lol. After that, they barely nominated Yu Yeon-seo for anything and didn’t even run promotional articles for him.
└And he spent his own money to help several rookies debut, but the hypocrisy was insane lol.
└└Hey, let’s get it straight lol. They blocked anyone but rookies from entering.
└└└Anyway, it’s a fact that he gave rookies a chance, right?
The controversy, which began with speculation like, ‘With such a powerful backer, there’s no way he won’t get an award. If Yu Yeon-seo attends the Drama Awards, he’ll probably win the Excellence Award,’ exploded.
Even though Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t even said he would attend, the prevailing atmosphere was to attack him blindly with comments like, ‘Excellence Award? Are you kidding me? How much money did they take?’, ‘Is he really going to show up after that performance?’, and ‘If you have any shame, don’t come.’
A controversy that would have died down for anyone else only intensified because the subject was Yu Yeon-seo. Moreover, the general sentiment at the time was that it was acceptable to criticize celebrities.
And Yu Yeon-seo’s fan club, Love Letter, would bring this incident up every year-end awards season, strengthening their solidarity with their anger towards those who had criticized him back then. The malicious comments that remained from that time also, without exception, fell under Chairman Yu’s radar, and those who had let their fingers run wild paid the price.
‘Did something like this really happen?’
With his memory synchronization over 40%, the absence of any memory of struggling with such reactions suggested that Yu Yeon-seo himself had been completely unfazed.
Perhaps his family hadn’t taken any significant action, thinking that if he got burned badly enough like this, he would quit the entertainment industry, go back to school, and eventually take over the family business.
-How many awards do you think Demon will win?
Best Drama seems like a stretch, but I feel like it could win most of the other major ones.
└I’m shipping Yu Yeon-seo and Seo Ha-jun for the Best Couple Award.
└Don’t you think Yu Yeon-seo will sweep all the Popularity Awards?
└But isn’t Demon an ensemble drama? It’d be weird if only Yu Yeon-seo won the Top Excellence Award.
└└That’s because… his acting was just that good… ^^?
-Why do you think Demon won’t win? The metrics were good, and the ratings and buzz were great.
└That’s true, but honestly, the drama itself isn’t quite at the level of winning Best Drama, is it?
└If the drama was bad, the ratings wouldn’t have been so high.
-Awards season is back. I’m out, see you next year. Peace.
-Stop fighting and just look at the new red carpet photos of Yu Yeon-seo.
└His hair slicked all the way back is insane.
└He still hasn’t gotten used to the flashes, so cute.
└└Isn’t it an aftereffect of the accidentㅠㅠ? I don’t think he was like this beforeㅠㅠ
-Hey, Love Letter members, Yu Yeon-seo’s hair, makeup, and styling are god-tier. Where’s his salon?
I know he doesn’t have a stylist and picks his own clothes.
└Where is it? I’m curious too.
└We don’t know either.
└└What? Don’t keep it to yourselves, let me know too.
└No, we really don’t know;;
└Rumor has it that it’s not a salon for celebrities, but a place that only caters to a select few politicians and chaebol families.
└└That’s so classy.
└But Yu Yeon-seo doesn’t have a stylist? His personal fashion sense is incredible.
As Yu Yeon-seo walked past the red carpet and entered the awards ceremony hall, the venue fell silent for a moment before erupting in an explosion of cheers.
‘What the.’
Is something going on? Unconcerned, he looked for his seat. This year’s Drama Awards had admitted a small audience through a lottery, and among them were some incredibly dedicated members of Love Letter. Im Seung-hyeon’s sister, Im Hye-ju, was also in the audience, enthusiastically waving a slogan banner.
“Yeon-seo!”
“Hey!”
From a distance, Hong Min-a and Seo Ha-jun were waving their hands frantically, calling out to him. They looked like Pomeranians greeting their owner, and Yu Yeon-seo let out a deflated laugh.
The table for Demon was at the very front, right in the center. Furthermore, Yu Yeon-seo’s seat was on the edge, a prime spot for the cameras.
“You two are here early.”
“I feel like I’m going to throw up, man.”
“Me too. Wow, I’m so nervous.”
Seo Ha-jun’s group, Envy, had won awards at a few music festivals thanks to their international popularity, but this would be his first acting awards ceremony, so his nervousness was understandable… but wasn’t Hong Min-a called the queen of the indie film scene? She must have swept awards at various ceremonies, even if they weren’t as prestigious as the big three.
“That’s surprising.”
“I’ve never had much luck with awards. I was consistently nominated, but…”
“That’s just like me. I never had any luck with awards either.”
Yu Yeon-seo said with a shrug. His words seemed to offer some comfort, as Hong Min-a’s gloomy expression vanished, and she giggled.
“You’ve been to a lot of these, right, Yeon-seo?”
“Nope. This is my first year-end ceremony too.”
“Really? Don’t you feel pressured?”
“What’s there to be pressured about?”
I’ll just enjoy it for a bit and then leave. The reaction to his nonchalant reply came from someone else.
“I feel immense pressure. The thought of hearing people say things like, ‘Does he deserve this award?’ or ‘What on earth were the criteria for giving it to him?’”
“Congratulations on your true media debut, senior.”
Yu Yeon-seo deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke. Jeong Hyeon-sik, who had just arrived, sat down in his chair and let out a small sigh.
But would Jeong Hyeon-sik really face that kind of controversy? His acting was genuinely good. Besides, that sort of criticism usually came from the fandoms of younger actors, so their age demographics wouldn’t even align. Reading Yu Yeon-seo’s expression, he laughed hollowly.
“There’s been a lot of talk lately since Demon did so well.”
True, people who criticize like that probably don’t discriminate. And since this kind of attention would be new to him, he couldn’t help but be sensitive to every little reaction. Yu Yeon-seo nodded.
“With your level of acting, you’ll probably hear more of it in the future, so just ignore it like I do.”
“That’s because your mental fortitude is on another level.”
“I am pretty tough.”
Yu Yeon-seo shrugged. Seo Ha-jun, looking tense, kept drinking water.
“Haa… Senior, if it gets tough, sue them through your agency. They say the new virtue is to sue first, notify later, and show no mercy.”
“Is that so?”
Hong Min-a said cheerfully, lightening the mood.
Thus, at award ceremonies, you were talked about whether you won an award or not, making it highly probable you’d get entangled in all sorts of controversies and gossip.
On top of that, you could be resting comfortably at home at the end of the year, but instead, you had to go to the salon, get dressed up, and become a clapping machine for hours. And if you were caught by the camera not reacting enthusiastically to a congratulatory performance, it would ignite a firestorm bigger than any other controversy.
That was why many actors disliked award ceremonies. They tended to prefer projects from cable and general programming channels that didn’t hold such events, which led to rumors that those channels had an easier time with casting.
“Hello. It’s been a while, everyone.”
“Director. Writer.”
Director Choi Seong-mun and Writer Im Ye-na had shed their work-weary appearances and were now neatly dressed.
“Director, do you think you’ll win an award?”
“It would be nice if I did. Did you know I even prepared an acceptance speech?”
“Really?”
The entire Demon team laughed at the director’s already nervous words. They could feel other actors nearby glancing over at their cheerful atmosphere.
“Wait, none of you prepared anything?”
“We don’t even know if we’ll win anything. Besides, the fun of these events is in watching people ramble because they didn’t expect it.”
“Is that how it is? Aw, but saying you won’t win is too modest. I’m sure you’ll all be going home with your hands full.”
As Yu Yeon-seo looked around, he noticed Seo Ha-jun’s ears were particularly red. Ah, you prepared something. Hong Min-a was also smiling shyly, so… you too?
“Hello, Yeon-seo.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I’m a fan.”
Meanwhile, several of the attendees at the ceremony didn’t just pass by the Demon table. They openly stared at Yu Yeon-seo, clearly determined to make an impression. Seeing this, something occurred to Seo Ha-jun, and he smiled playfully.
“By the way, congratulations on inheriting the company. It is a congratulatory thing, right?”
“It hasn’t happened yet. And inheriting… it’s still a long way off.”
“Come on, the fact that they’re not shutting down the articles means it’s confirmed, right?”
He might seem naive, but he had over five years of experience as an idol. Yu Yeon-seo gave a slight nod, and Seo Ha-jun’s eyes sparkled.
“So does that mean you’ll be going to the office and everything? Since you’re a director?”
“No, a lot of people in my position don’t go to the office. And if someone like me showed up regularly, it would make the other employees uncomfortable.”
“Ah, that makes sense. It’s amazing, juggling both jobs.”
“Technically, you’re juggling two jobs as well.”
“But that’s within the same entertainment industry.”
“Technically, mine is similar.”
There wasn’t much difference between Seo Ha-jun, who balanced being an idol and an actor, and Yu Yeon-seo, who held a position at a company related to the industry while also acting.
The interesting thing was, as soon as news broke that he was inheriting shares of JSENM and being appointed as an executive director, outlets related to the Ajin Daily began to subtly spread rumors of illegal inheritance, nepotism, and Yu Yeon-seo’s potential retirement.
‘Not even a scratch on his ego.’
Of course, Yu Yeon-seo didn’t care in the slightest. If anything, it only backfired, causing Juseong to pull its advertisements from the Ajin Daily.
[Yes, that company is a good choice. Since you know that field well….]
Chairman Yu would have welcomed any company he inherited with open arms, as long as it helped erase Lee Hui-seo’s shadow. Yu Geon-min, however, was clearly disappointed.
“So, have you found your footing now?”
“Yes. I had a photoshoot just yesterday.”
The introverted attention-seeker, Seo Ha-jun, had landed three solo commercial deals since Demon. His group, Envy, was also simultaneously boosting their lacking domestic recognition. He proudly flashed a V-sign with his fingers before his expression suddenly turned glum.
“But I don’t think we’ll be renewing our contract.”
“Why?”
“There’s the military service issue… and it seems the other members want to make a fresh start somewhere else.”
Although his primary goal had been to make a name for himself, he had always held affection for his group. Seo Ha-jun’s efforts to promote the group’s name through Demon had now come to nothing.
‘Come to think of it, the One Seven members will probably be enlisting soon too.’
One Seven’s leader, Yoon Yu-chan, and Lee Han-gyeol, with whom he had worked on White Tiger, had recently enlisted. The others would likely follow soon. One Seven, which would mark its 10th anniversary next year, was reportedly not renewing its contract with AST Entertainment and was looking for a new agency.
While he was lost in thought, a short video montage showcasing the works of 2020 came to an end. With the MC’s opening remarks, the awards ceremony began.