Chapter 162

[KMB Drama Department 1 vs Drama Department 2: Signs of a Split?]

[Are the Monday-Tuesday vs. Wednesday-Thursday Feuds Going to Get Fierce?]

Internet newspaper, Seonyang Media, was bustling with the latest scoop.

After all, rumors suggest the KMB Drama Department might split.

There was clearly heated internal competition or other reasons behind the scene.

“It’s just factional division.”

Hearing this nonchalant comment from her fellow journalist, Han Sun-ah turned her head.

“The most likely candidate for the Drama Department 2 director is Baek Tae-soo PD. From what I investigated before, he and the KMB Broadcasting Company president graduated from the same university.”

Seoul Baek Cheon Arts University.

A prestigious school where many figures in the broadcasting field in South Korea usually come from.

That’s why the colleague journalist claimed the president was probably pushing for the Drama Department 2.

“Definitely…”

Han Sun-ah had to agree with that.

The drama led by Baek Tae-soo PD is *Grand Game*, and the current Chief Director, Ha Tae-oh’s notable drama is *Sky Garden*.

At this point, it’s clear even to someone not a fool that these two are in competition.

“Even just looking at the teasers, you can tell. The budget investment is clearly more prominent in *Grand Game*.”

However, the problem isn’t just that.

It seems there were some last-minute personnel changes, and the teaser for *Sky Garden* has a notably lower quality.

To be more precise, it feels like the production skills have dropped a little.

Still, most important aspects seem to be covered, even if not as polished.

“You must feel a bit disappointed from your perspective, right?”

The colleague spoke and patted Sun-ah sympathetically.

After all, no one in this Seonyang Media office didn’t know that Sun-ah is a big fan of Sooyeon.

Whenever Sooyeon performs, Sun-ah consistently publishes stories.

“All things can’t go perfectly. Her movie was a huge hit, and the drama was also decent. You should be satisfied with that.”

It was consoling, but it was also true.

Sooyeon’s popularity in the broadcasting field stems from her consistent success without any evident failures.

Anything she participates in usually surpasses mediocre performance.

The name “Sooyeon Joo” tends to stand out clearly.

Regardless of the medium—whether it’s drama, movie, or variety shows—her presence is noticeable.

Even cable variety shows have benefited from Sooyeon’s influence.

“I think *Sky Garden* won’t flop. It seems enjoyable enough.”

The fellow journalist patted Sun-ah’s shoulder warmly with a hot Americano in hand, as the season was growing colder.

‘…’

With the feeling of changing weather, Sun-ah fiddled with her pen.

As year-end approached, so did award ceremonies.

Film festivals, entertainment awards.

A season where celebrities receive accolades for their work.

‘Surely, Sooyeon will win something.’

Her colleague might be right. Sooyeon had an excellent year already, and even if *Sky Garden* didn’t become a megahit, it didn’t seem like it would fail either.

Still, at the end of the year, audiences tend to remember hits from later periods more vividly than the earlier ones.

If *Grand Game* became a breakout here, there’s a possibility that awards Sooyeon should receive for *Dream Future* might end up going to someone else.

*Sky Garden* didn’t necessarily need to succeed.

However, Sun-ah hoped it would, for the sake of securing her momentum.

‘After all, a strong finish is what matters.’

“And.”

With that, Sun-ah started typing.

An article about the latest teaser for *Sky Garden*.

Although disappointed with the first reveal of the teaser, it garnered attention again thanks to the emphasis from a popular Youtuber.

With over 1.4 million subscribers, his influence was considerable.

‘Thanks to him, I guess.’

Sun-ah had already watched the YouTube videos by Han Bong-sik. His family name was the same as hers, so she felt a strange affection for him.

Anyway, as he mentioned, *Sky Garden* seemed closer to cable network drama style.

Whether that would appeal or end up being too familiar to viewers would only unfold in time.

***

– This song is amazing!

– KMB, release the music already!!

– Perfect for listening while working. The gentle tune really helps with focus.

– I also listen to it while studying. Super-focused every time!

Perhaps it was because the teaser had too much exposition.

Or maybe because there were no standout scenes.

Still, the scene between Yoo-joo Lee and Gil Soo-jin in conversation left a strong impression. However, without knowing the context, many comments said, “The atmosphere is good, but I’m not really sure what’s going on.”

Instead, the calm song that played during the conversation stood out.

Because the conversation was subdued and unhurried, the lyrics and accompaniment were much clearer.

Click, click.

“…”

Click, click.

“Stop looking it up.”

Fed up, Jiyeon nudged Sooyeon’s side while reviewing the script.

Only then did Sooyeon stop furiously clicking her mouse.

Sooyeon was genuinely into searching for her name online, having taken a break for a while but resumed her habit after singing her latest song gained attention.

“Yet you don’t search for reviews on your acting at all.”

Jiyeon thought.

Of course, it wasn’t as though Sooyeon didn’t search. If Sooyeon saw a scene that blew her away or seemed off, she would search secretly with her shoulders bouncing unnecessarily. But she usually didn’t look up reviews for normal scenes.

Maybe, as Sooyeon thought, it was because she had already heard too much praise about her acting.

‘Annoying kid.’

Despite thinking this, Jiyeon couldn’t deny it.

Unlike acting, Sooyeon had originally been unable to sing well.

It was evident that she was thrilled to receive good feedback.

“By the way, are you really going to *Masked Singer*?”

“Yeah, for promotional purposes for the drama.”

“True, that’s not bad. You’re lagging slightly in popularity due to *Grand Game* anyway.”

At this comment from Jiyeon, Sooyeon turned her head to look behind her.

Jiyeon was lying on Sooyeon’s bed, one earbud in her ear, listening to music.

Still, Sooyeon was confident that even if she was slightly behind in terms of popularity at the moment, *Sky Garden* would triumph because it was that good.

All the same, precautions were necessary.

To be caught off guard could result in the most unfair predicaments.

“What have you been listening to since a while ago?”

Anyway, Sooyeon couldn’t help but look over at Jiyeon, who had been listening to music with one earbud since a while ago.

Jiyeon had rarely visited Sooyeon’s house recently.

Originally, she hadn’t planned to come, but she ended up tagging along after Sooyeon kept dragging her.

Probably hoping to let Jiyeon listen to her positively-reviewed song.

But no matter how good a song is, after hearing it ten times in a row, it tends to grow tiresome.

All heard, then Sooyeon returned to searching online alone.

Jiyeon was just listening to another song.

“Ah, a new song by my favorite singer.”

“Favorite singer? Idol?”

“No, just a regular singer.”

A powerhouse singer, she added.

Sooyeon had pondered on the meaning of “powerhouse” recently, but it’s not a term someone uses lightly. Thus, the singer must indeed be talented.

“Joo Sooyeon, wanna listen?”

“Yeah.”

Sooyeon casually sat down and took the wired earphones Jiyeon offered.

Their heads slightly touched.

“Why don’t you use wireless?”

“Because wireless isn’t for music appreciation.”

Well, then why do wireless earphones exist?

Though Sooyeon wanted to counter, Jiyeon was quite serious about audio equipment.

Come to think of it, Ramiel was also pretty obsessive about audio equipment.

Moreover, she sang well.

Anyway, for listening to music, Jiyeon insisted on wired earphones.

Given the price of the earphones, which Sooyeon had never seen before, they were bound to be expensive. The last pair Jiyeon showed her cost over a million won, so these were probably around that range too.

This was Jiyeon’s sole indulgence.

“Wow, this is good. Definitely different sound quality.”

“Isn’t it?”

Rarely looking satisfied, Jiyeon leaned her temple against Sooyeon’s and gave a small grin while they slightly turned their heads.

It was unclear whether she was glad her earphones were praised or if she was happy that Sooyeon liked the song.

The voice was incredibly clean.

Being a trained singer herself, Sooyeon immediately recognized how difficult this song was to sing.

First, it had very high notes.

The singer made it sound effortless, but it was indeed demanding.

The singer also had powerful vocal range and was impressively seasoned.

‘Who is this?’

Sooyeon wasn’t particularly interested in singers.

Mostly, she listened to idol music.

Even this was recent, sparked by Cha Na-hee.

“Hey, do you guys want some fruit?”

At that moment, Sua opened the door and extended a plate of neatly arranged apples.

“Yeah.”

Jiyeon oddly seemed to be intimidated by Sua.

Hence, upon Sua’s entrance, she immediately stood up to take the plate.

Seeing this, Sua gave a slightly awkward smile.

“Hm? Are you listening to music? These earphones are pretty.”

Sua said this while approaching Jiyeon, who looked slightly uneasy.

Jiyeon still had her MP3 in her hand from listening to the song earlier.

“Wow, not a phone? Are MP3s still around?”

“It, um, it’s an audio device with an amp too…”

“Can I listen, Auntie?”

“Auntie.”

The term didn’t quite suit Sua.

The recent guest of a popular variety show who triggered many South Korean housewives to experience a moment of zen appeared with not a wrinkle on her face and smiled softly.

“Yeah.”

With Jiyeon’s response, she gave Sooyeon a nod.

Since Jiyeon had jumped up when Sua entered, one-eared Sooyeon was dragged along.

‘Wait, I haven’t listened to much yet.’

Thinking that, Sooyeon still handed the earphones to Sua since she knew Jiyeon was vulnerable around her.

“Hmm, the sound quality…”

As she said this while placing the earphones on and quietly listening to the song, Sua’s expression became notably strange.

It was a mix of nostalgia and familiarity.

“Yeo-hee, right?”

“Do you know her?”

Yeo-hee. Her name was the singer Jiyeon had been listening to.

After the album was released, Jiyeon had only been listening to Yeo-hee’s songs, having bought it as soon as it came out.

“Yeah, I know her. Very well, in fact.”

“Really?”

Sua wasn’t particularly well-versed in entertainment figures.

She liked a few individuals but didn’t know them in-depth.

Especially singers.

Unsurprisingly, Sooyeon found this odd, too.

Since Sua rarely knew any celebrities.

Under both their gazes, Sua slowly removed the earphones and looked at the album cover displayed on the MP3’s screen.

There was a glamorous Yeo-hee.

Upon seeing it, Sua softly smiled.

“I was her high school classmate.”

***

“Nice to meet you, Miss Joo Sooyeon!”

Greeting with a bright smile, the tall man caused Sooyeon to bow her head politely.

He looked incredibly youthful, but she was aware he was close to forty.

“I’ve told everyone so much about you, it’s really a relief to finally meet.”

“Thank you for such kind words.”

“Of course, you deserve good reviews.”

He spoke with a smile.

He was Shim Kyung-hoon PD, affiliated with the KMB Variety Department.

He carefully observed the polite Sooyeon.

‘This is not what I expected from someone so popular recently.’

Despite the bright smile on his face, his eyes intently observed her.

There’s always a gap between what we hear and reality.

‘Her eyes… very sharp.’

Others might not have noticed, but Sooyeon recognized Shim PD as someone very meticulous.

Naturally, in a program like *Masked Singer*, where participants hide their identities, the PD needs to be detailed.

To avoid any possibility of identities being revealed.

However, these keen observations didn’t last long.

“Good thing this opportunity came up. Especially since you’re currently shooting *Sky Garden*.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity as well.”

Today’s meeting was relatively casual.

With the late arrival of PD Lee Min-hwa, it turned into a light three-way meeting.

“You know, *Masked Singer* involves wearing different masks. You can create your own, or we can design one for you.”

“Is that possible?”

“Are you thinking of any design? Although, I do have some options prepared.”

At this, Sooyeon internally tensed up.

‘Does he have a gorilla mask?’

When people search for her name online, videos of her fighting a gorilla often pop up.

Perhaps due to her efforts to change her image, the frequency has slightly decreased recently.

But if he suggested a gorilla mask…

“This one? Personally, I quite like it.”

“Ah, how cute.”

Shim PD showed her a concept screen with the masks.

By the way, the *Masked Singer* isn’t just about the mask. Props and costumes often match as well.

To express the concept akin to dressing up for Halloween.

The design Shim PD showed her was a rabbit.

“Red eyes, and it fits Sooyeon’s image very well, doesn’t it?”

A bloodthirsty rabbit.

Upon seeing this, Sooyeon was satisfied.

Kawaii! And strong!

These were the things Sooyeon loved the most.

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