Chapter 161

“Hello, this is Bong-sik!”

1.4 million YouTube subscriber Han Bong-sik greeted the camera with a smile, bowing at a 90-degree angle.

The greeting had remained unchanged since the days when he had only 140 subscribers.

His attitude, in contrast to his growing number of subscribers, remained constant, and this consistency appealed to his audience one way or another.

“This drama trailer I’ve been waiting for came out today.”

– Is he trying to ride the Joo Soo-yeon wave again?

– Honestly, if you’ve been pushed to over 400,000 views, you should be riding it.

– I don’t know much about *Sky Garden*, though.

– But the song is good. Who’s the singer?

To these reactions from the viewers, Bong-sik wondered what kind of drama it was that elicited such a ‘I don’t know much about it’ response.

Mentioning the song rather than the drama’s content implied that there wasn’t much anticipation for the actual show.

‘Could it be?’

Bong-sik reviewed primarily movies and dramas, but that didn’t mean he didn’t watch other programs.

Especially Soo-yun’s broadcasts.

Bong-sik never missed a broadcast featuring Soo-yun.

Initially, it had been out of self-interest, trying to capitalize on the massive spike in views Soo-yun provided, but not anymore.

Bong-sik was now genuinely a fan of Soo-yun’s.

Really.

‘Not being able to attend the last fan signing has been a lifetime regret.’

Even though he’d thoroughly enjoyed watching *Dream Future*, Bong-sik regretted not attending the recent fan signing event.

Nevertheless, the reason Bong-sik became a fan of Soo-yun wasn’t just because of her acting prowess.

Far-sightedness.

Soo-yun had an uncanny knack for picking great projects.

While some were enhanced by her acting skills, a production’s success isn’t solely determined by an individual’s performance.

Soo-yun’s acting was outstanding, but the projects themselves were exceptional as well.

Of course, Bong-sik acknowledged her talent, which was beyond her years.

Yet, he primarily valued her judgment.

‘But isn’t this *Sky Garden* a bit strange?’

This *Sky Garden* held significant meaning for Joo Soo-yeon.

Up till now, it had been supporting roles and, occasionally, villains.

While, in *Dream Future*, she played the leading role, she wasn’t truly the ‘protagonist.’

But *Sky Garden* was different.

It’s her first role as a true protagonist in a drama.

For an actor, being cast as the lead in a production for the first time is always a special moment.

It also significantly influences their standing in the industry.

Fail at your first lead role?

Needless to say, from the perspective of directors and PDs, it would raise concerns about the actor.

‘This is odd’

Recognizing Soo-yun’s keen sense of judgment, her current response from the audience was hard for Bong-sik to understand.

His curiosity was growing simultaneously.

Why exactly were people reacting this way?

“Let’s check this out first. Our leading actress this time! I’m curious what kind of performance she’ll deliver.”

– Bong-sik, why don’t you review variety shows?

– The recent *Golden Duckling* was interesting.

“Yes, no, I don’t do that. I’m a movie and drama reviewer, remember? Sure, I’m a fan of Soo-yeon Joo, but I don’t review variety shows.”

Of course, Bong-sik had watched the entire *Golden Duckling* episode featuring Soo-yeon Joo, even delaying his other broadcasts for it.

‘The Joo family seems to have a good vibe.’

That might be why they have someone like Soo-yeon as a daughter.

Though, it was surprising to find out her father Joo Young-bin was a developer at Raywill Games.

For Bong-sik, who had once actively played Raywill Games’ games, it was a strange coincidence.

Anyway.

“This isn’t a simple youth drama?”

The preview of *Sky Garden* played.

It had been out for two days, and its views had just passed the 300,000 mark.

That wasn’t bad.

But was it good? It was just…average.

“The recent preview for KMB’s Monday-Tuesday drama has already surpassed 800,000 views.”

Bong-sik knew someone who worked at KMB.

Lately, there had been a lot of internal drama about splitting the Drama Department, making things rather noisy.

Particularly, these Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday dramas seemed to be very crucial for their internal competition.

Currently, *Sky Garden*, airing on Wednesday and Thursday, seemed to be lagging behind.

‘*Grand Game,’ is it?”

A drama that critiques modern society’s gold-centric values.

With the super-hot actress Ko Mi-eun playing the female lead, it was already creating a buzz.

– Honestly, *Grand Game* seems more interesting.

– Really, it does.

– Honestly, having students as the protagonists feels a bit dull.

As he glanced through such audience reactions, Bong-sik continued reviewing the preview.

“The colors seem surprisingly dull compared to what I expected. A lot of effort has been put into it; it feels like a movie.”

– One is about gold supremacy, the other about academic elitism.

– But just looking, the male lead in this one seems off.

That was right.

*Sky Garden’s* casting was primarily young actors.

Of course, many were unfamiliar to the audience.

And for a drama trying to appeal to the public, being unfamiliar could be quite risky.

“This drama feels quite strange. Generally, how well it immerses the viewers in its first episode is important. From just the preview, that immersion is… not really noticeable…”

In the middle of his explanation, Bong-sik paused.

The content of the preview was this:

At first, there was a large appearance by veteran actors known for their acting prowess, setting the central theme of the story.

It was all about how important the character ‘Yoo-joo Lee’ was.

To gain admission to the prestigious ‘Baekyeon University,’ the study methods of the protagonist, Yoo-joo, were explained.

In short, they needed to build a portfolio.

This section detailed how they manipulated their children to achieve that.

– Is Baekyeon University like Seoul National University?

– Honestly, striving to send someone to Seoul National University this way feels a bit too greedy, doesn’t it?

The audience reactions were something like this.

But Bong-sik kept watching it silently.

For the initial 1 minute out of the total 2-minute trailer, it mainly focused on this ‘background.’

And the remaining 1 minute…

Suddenly, a refreshingly cool melody played, and the female protagonist, Yoo-joo Lee, appeared.

“Brother, I hear you were the top student at Baekyeon University. And in medicine too.”

“Yes.”

“You must be so proud. It’s a fantastic achievement, isn’t it.”

It was different from what Bong-sik had expected.

Mysteriously, the thriller-like tension between the two females was palpable.

Most notably, the gaze in Lee Yoo-joo’s eyes was indescribable.

Bong-sik couldn’t help but be impressed.

It was a gaze that made him forget he was watching an ‘actor’s performance.’

“Amazing. Really amazing.”

With a subtle twist of her lips,

“Min-seo. Let’s be friends.”

The trailer ended with these quiet yet deep words from Yoo-joo Lee.

The clear and melodious song added a slightly eerie vibe to the teaser.

– The acting is genuinely good.

– But I’m not quite sure what the content is about.

– No romance? That’s fine with me.

– Haha, romances on public channels usually flop, don’t they?

Looking at such reactions, Bong-sik thought carefully before speaking.

“Could this be the dominant force of the season?”

– ?

– Are you serious?

“Yes, uh, I really enjoyed it. Why is it only at 300,000 views?”

Bong-sik had already reviewed the Monday-Tuesday drama *Grand Game* and had never made such remarks, which left the audience baffled.

– Bong-sik is blinded by his fandom for Joo Soo-yeun again.

– Lol, has Bong-sik lost his touch now?

Of course, Bong-sik understood the viewers’ reactions.

This *Sky Garden* preview indeed showed too much ambition.

Yes, there were subtle nuances making the preview seem a bit strange.

However…

“This feels like a cable drama.”

– Is that bad?

“Not in a bad way. It’s kind of refreshing. Novelty and unfamiliarity are very close, and in the preview, the familiar elements were highlighted. But… if it can appeal fresh when aired properly…”

Bong-sik paused again, careful with his choice of words.

Matching ratings is like an annual event to him, almost.

But this time, he found it genuinely hard to predict.

“I’ll bet that *Sky Garden* will record the highest ratings of all dramas this year.”

– Are you crazy? What will you do if you’re wrong?

“Grab my guitar and do a live performance at Hongdae.”

– Seriously?? I’ll screenshot this! Lol.

– Bong-sik, even you have to know your limits.

Bong-sik smiled exaggeratedly.

But it wasn’t merely a joke.

He truly meant it.

Rather…

‘Maybe this *Sky Garden* will bring a new wave to public broadcasting.’

A drama to bring back some of the attention back to public channels amidst the rise of OTT platforms.

Bong-sik believed that sincerely.

And was it because of what the 1.4 million YouTube subscriber said or the delayed buzz?

Within a week, the *Sky Garden* preview hit 1 million views, much to everyone’s surprise.

[*Sky Garden* trailer. Surprisingly gains 1 million views in a week!]

[Who’s the singer of the *Sky Garden* soundtrack that’s drawing attention?]

Articles started to surface one by one.

***

“Did you watch the *Sky Garden* preview?”

“The song was really good. Will it be released as a single when the drama starts?”

“Judging by the vibe, it doesn’t seem like it’s from an idol group. Maybe it’s a new solo singer?”

At school, surprisingly, there were frequent conversations about *Sky Garden* among the female students.

Apparently, *Sky Garden* appealed more to this younger demographic in comparison to *Grand Game*, which was more geared toward older audiences.

Especially if the protagonist of that drama was in their class, it would be a natural fit.

‘Someone just start a conversation!’

‘If we ask who the singer is, she’ll surely tell.’

‘But…’

Soo-yeon sat quietly at her seat.

Of course, while listening to those female classmates’ chats, Soo-yeon’s lips twitched multiple times.

‘That’s me.’

MEEE!!!

She genuinely wanted to yell that out loud.

Running up to the podium, striking it,

“In fact, I sang the OST for this *Sky Garden*!”

“Wow, amazing!”

“I always believed in you!”

…Though in reality, Soo-yeon’s character wasn’t that assertive.

At least.

That’s how she felt inside.

But she couldn’t do that, having promised the drama PD, Lee Min-hwa.

“Everyone’s been really fond of the OST sung by our Soo-yeon this time. We’re planning to reveal it more dramatically.”

“Dramatically? How?”

It wouldn’t have a big impact just by revealing it with a sudden ‘Ta-da! I sang it!’.

“To connect with a variety show. Ah, right! I need to check on Soo-yeon’s schedule as well. You’ve been pretty busy recently, haven’t you?”

“Yes, a bit. But it varies by type.”

A variety show though.

Honestly, Soo-yeon had wanted to take a break from them for a while, but if it was related to the drama, it might be different.

“Firstly, we’re still considering something. Soo-yeon’s singing ability has improved a lot recently. We’ve been pondering how to showcase that to the public… But you know our PD Shim, right? He’s been insistent on having Soo-yeon on a show.”

PD Shim Kyung-hoon.

The producer of the currently popular KMB variety show.

After being deeply impressed by MDC’s *Golden Duckling*, he had been relentlessly pressuring PD Lee Min-hwa recently.

Please, let the actress Joo Soo-yeon appear on our one KMB variety show!!

“…Of course, it’s not entirely due to PD Shim’s persistence. It’s primarily to enhance both *Sky Garden* and Soo-yeon’s presence.”

“But the singing was done by Nahi… or Summer Girls?”

“Since they’re idols, it’s natural for them to sing well nowadays. The demand for idols has risen too.”

That was true.

Even referring to skilled idols felt a little odd when you think about it.

‘Like calling an actor who can act well an “acting actor.”‘

Acting is their job, yet calling someone good at it an “acting actor” feels somewhat strange.

“So, what kind of variety show is this?”

“Surely, you’ve heard of it. They may have dipped a bit recently, but it’s still a great promotion tool.”

Listening to that, Soo-yeon thought of one particular show that had recently lost some popularity but had a steady audience and continuous media coverage.

“Masked Singer?”

***

“Yeo-hee, sis.”

At the call of her manager, a woman with an unruly appearance raised her head after nearly a decade of collaboration.

Her manager sighed upon seeing her.

She was nearing forty, yet her lifestyle hadn’t changed a bit from when she was in her twenties.

When was she planning to get married?

Or had she already passed the marrying age at forty?

Still, given that she was a celebrity and looked about early thirties, one might believe there was a chance.

Despite her disheveled appearance, she could be considered the epitome of self-care.

She was lazy in daily living, but she put a lot of effort into maintaining her appearance.

Recently, inspired by some variety show, she was very diligent about her skincare, even going so far as to book a dermatologist.

“Probably something about Sua.”

But who was Sua?

An entertainer? The fact that Yeo-hee, who usually didn’t care about other entertainers, took interest made it a point of curiosity.

“But singers need to sing, right.”

“I just released an album not long ago.”

“Are you aware that solo singers will be forgotten quickly these days if they don’t stay active on TV? The space for solo singers is being taken by idols.”

Yes, even she knew that.

Stretching after a yawn, the woman called Yeo-hee stood up.

Still, if the manager brought it up, it had to mean something was up.

“Thinking about retiring?”

She had been entertaining thoughts of living off her savings, traveling around, etc.

If she hadn’t watched that particular variety show, she probably would have pursued that life.

“Really, an audition call for sis after such a long time.”

“Really? It’s unusual. You should definitely do it.”

“How surprising.”

The manager said it with such a cheeky tone while Yeo-hee lazily opened her eyes and looked at her manager.

“So, what is it?”

“Masked Singer.”

Ahn, can singers even appear on that show?

She thought about it but then realized that lately, it had become more of a comeback platform for celebrities who’d either had scandals or had gone into hiding.

Recently, it wasn’t attracting top-tier singers anymore, so its ratings were dropping gradually.

“I’ll go. Sure.”

“Huh, really? I expected a refusal!”

As the manager exclaimed that, she suddenly noticed a song playing somewhere in the room, probably on loop.

“Is this from a rookie? The voice is great!”

“Eh? A rookie? Is it?”

“Yeah? But… I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere before…”

Though the manager couldn’t remember where she had heard this song, given that it was only a brief 2-minute segment in a drama preview.

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