Free Web Novel“...It’s over.”
Aetami, who had been staring blankly at Yeomga just moments ago, muttered under her breath. The instant she felt the fine hairs on her arms standing on end, a chill ran through her entire body.
“Everyone’s reaction right now—.”
Aetami refreshed the phone in her hand to check the live-thread reactions.
“Huh?”
[♨The Occult Boom Is Coming, Coming — Strange Tales Ep.1 Live Thread♨][9999]
“This is insane. Seriously.”
In just a few seconds, the thread had exploded. Community live threads belonged to drama geeks.
“The drama geeks have definitely bitten!”
Which meant the only ones left were the general viewers.
Aetami realized this wasn’t the time to sit around. She quickly climbed out of bed and sat down at her desk.
“Phew....”
Yeomga’s entrance scene, the cute Seoryeong whining, “How much do you think my hairpin costs,” the Huiya scamming an old man scene, the scene where she gently blew the ash off her palm, the scene where she saved someone who nearly died, and finally, Jeongan’s death and Yeomga’s curse scene.
“There’s way too much to clip.”
Click-.
Aetami, gripping her mouse, spoke aloud.
“Starting sales.”
Her hands busily cut scenes from Episode 1 of <Strange Tales>. The moment she uploaded them, the retweet speed was abnormal. Quotes kept coming without pause.
ㄴFrom now on, hardcore training begins. Ah, at eleven, passed the state exam with third place in the military track! At thirteen, placed first in the civil service exam at the royal test!...
ㄴThis seriously feels like traditional oral performance lolololol The pacing is insane, I was trembling alone then laughing, over and over
︎˪Are you sure you’re really alone at home? Check inside your blanket before sleeping :)
︎˪Ah please no
Everyone wanted to talk about <Strange Tales>.
Gulp....
Aetami swallowed.
“Right, the gallery!”
She quickly entered the <Strange Tales> minor gallery.
* * *
Click- click- click-.
IP 85.152, who had unwillingly become a gallery manager thanks to clueless drama geeks who couldn’t even set up a minor gallery properly, kept clicking the mouse without feeling tired.
They had erased tomorrow’s workday from their brain a long time ago.
Strange Tales Minor Gallery
[Anyone else see how Geum Bitgang and Noh Jeongyeon are complete contrasts from start to finish? I tried analyzing it.jpg]
[Noh Jeongyeon-sensei... please she has to be revived, how did that tiny thing block Yeomga, she looks barely able to survive on her own]
[Breaking down the absolutely insane directing points in Strange Tales, might be just me lolol]
Even drama geeks who hadn’t expected much from a fusion historical drama had gathered.
The footsteps passing through Daejeon, the palace scenery, directing that skillfully used shadows and light, small devices that showed it was a fictional world.
“So it already has an overflow of things to analyze, right?”
Drama geeks were serious, like detectives investigating cold cases. Even when watching the same footage, they were different from ordinary viewers.
Sound volume, characters’ hand gestures, the angle of cups, even foreshadowing for future events. They couldn’t sleep from excitement.
-Yup (175.208) Ah seriously, can tomorrow come faster, holy shit, I really want to see Ep.2
ㄴYup (169.211) Yeomga-nim will come into your dreams and tell you :)
ㄴYup (175.208) Don’t do that, fuck
No— they couldn’t sleep. Guessing the contents of Episode 2, anticipating the story ahead, everyone’s pounding hearts refused to calm down.
“But why are posts going up so fast?”
IP 85.152, who had lived a life devoted solely to theater and musicals, diligently managed the highlighted posts. All through the night, posts kept coming.
“Wait... at this rate, won’t this be completely unmanageable by tomorrow?”
Still holding the mouse, IP 85.152 was seized by a strange fluttering feeling. They had never looked forward to the next day’s episode this much before.
* * *
“Wow!!! Total! Massive success!!!”
This was the Namyangju <Strange Tales> filming site. The faces of the <Strange Tales> team, who had watched Episode 1 together, were glowing. The joy was impossible to hide.
When all the fragmented scenes smoothly connected into one and appeared before the world, that pleasure was something only those who knew, knew.
Everyone on site felt the thrilling joy.
“Director Jjang, when do the ratings come out?”
“Oh, Junhyeok! You can check tomorrow morning. Good grief, you’re so impatient~.”
At Director Jjang’s teasing, Kwon Junhyeok’s face turned red.
“What, you want to snag a <Top Class> neck early, Junhyeok?”
Kang Hanseong, the martial arts director from the <Do It and It Works> Action Academy who was on site, lightly nudged Junhyeok. Junhyeok hesitated, then said,
“No... hyung, that’s not it.”
“Oh? You okay with losing?”
“We have to win....”
Watching Junhyeok mutter shyly, the staff burst out laughing. Director Jjang asked the star of the show, Yeoreum.
“What about you, Yeoreum? How was Episode 1!”
Yeoreum smiled brightly while replying to the messages flooding her phone.
“I honestly came out super cute.... I give this honor to all of you. The <Strange Tales> team. The best team. One thousand five hundred stars.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
At that shameless answer, everyone applauded. But Yeoreum was sincere.
“Who am I? Han Yeoreum, who showed a perfect Seoryeong from °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Episode 1.”
As Yeoreum proudly voiced her satisfaction out loud, a large hand suddenly landed in front of her. It was Director Jjang’s hand.
“Alright! Then let’s cheer up and finish the rest of the shoot strong!”
On top of it, the lighting director, sound director, Kwon Junhyeok, the assistant director, and martial arts director Kang Hanseong stacked their hands one by one.
“I’m good.”
It was Yeoreum who grabbed Geum Bitgang’s crossed arms and pulled her hand in.
“Hey, Professor! You can’t be left out. Come on, Professor Bitgang too.”
“I said I’m fine, honestly.”
And so, on top of the gathered hands, Geum Bitgang’s and Han Yeoreum’s joined as well. Their body heat connected. Between the hands of those who stitched fragmented scenes into one, warmth was passed along.
“Alright, on three, let’s make <Strange Tales> a huge hit! Let’s go!”
One, two, three! Everyone shouted together, pressing their encouragement down into their palms.
“<Strange Tales>!”
“Let’s make it a hit!”
Hands shot up powerfully into the air. Each person’s joy scattered into the night sky. It was well past sunset, deep into the night.
The lights standing around the set shone on them as brightly as day.
* * *
The next morning. The world stirred.
[The thrill of a fusion historical drama shown by TVM... Netizens buzz after confessing, “Didn’t sleep a wink all night”]
[The dignity of a master — <Strange Tales> overwhelms with heavy presence, seizing this summer’s living rooms]
[Something big coming? <Strange Tales>, a sudden rain like a comet in the drought of Korean historical dramas]
A cable drama’s Episode 1 with a 1.2% rating set the internet abuzz.
Anyone who had watched <Strange Tales> Episode 1 couldn’t stop talking about how fun the drama was.
That sparked curiosity even among the public who hadn’t watched Episode 1 yet.
Sdae (British-drama fandom) @ScreenDaze
Why I’m losing my mind over Strange Tales
1 No acting holes (everyone’s pronunciation is stable)
2 Not lonely even when alone (with ghosts)
3 It meets my gaze (Yeomga)
4 I can brag (the courage to watch to the end)
5 No elders (rebellion OK, no respect)
Retweets 11k Likes 8k
The fire was fully lit. Everywhere you went, it was all <Strange Tales> talk. Naturally, yesterday’s <Top Class> Episode 4 airing at the same time was getting swallowed up.
<Strange Tales> charged straight at <Top Class>, which had aimed to dominate the public.
[HOT/ The drama that went crazy the moment Ep.1 aired.jpg]
(Strange Tales screen capture.jpg)
People kept saying Bitgang this Bitgang that since the trailer, but once you actually watched it, it was even crazier, everyone burned the live thread like mad lolololol
-Seriously comments were going up every second, the live thread itself was fun as hell lololol
-I’m bad with scary stuff, will I be okay? T_T... I’m torn
ㄴCome to the live thread and watch together T_T we’re all pissing ourselves so it’s fine
ㄴFine my ass... what do you mean fine? Aren’t we all just becoming bedwetters together?
-Geum Bitgang comes on and I hold my breath every time TT_TT
The explosive buzz that devoured Episode 1 was Geum Bitgang’s insane acting power. Her bizarre character overwhelmed viewers beyond the screen, drawing cheers from everyone.
Writer, actor, director. The three elements that make a work. All of them meshed perfectly. Viewers could feel it after just Episode 1.
This was a drama you had to watch until the end.
Its pull was strong enough to grab you by the collar and drag you along.
Of course, reactions to Yeoreum were far from ordinary too.
[The broadcast station needs to run a background check on Han Yeoreum ASAP]
She definitely has a fraud record... smells like an industry insider
-Yup (175.208) This crazy bastard saying insider lolololol
-Yup (175.192) I already reported her to the police, if it gets pulled next week that’s thanks to me
ㄴYup (169.211) Fuck, it can’t get pulled lolololol
Thanks to handling long lines effortlessly and her pretty convincing cross-dressing, Yeoreum’s presence wasn’t overshadowed by Yeomga.
Memes born from <Strange Tales> started popping up one by one. JC ENM wasn’t about to miss this. Fingers moved busily from the morning.
Tap- tap-tap-.
“Manager Hong! We’re spreading the Han Yeoreum fraud-record meme now—.”
“Oh, before that, upload it to the official Intube too as a clip title. ‘The flamboyant crime scene of Han Yeoreum that needs a background check.’”
The JC ENM PR team showed no signs of fatigue despite working overtime after overtime.
They could feel the firewood they’d piled up all this time finally burning properly.
“N Company contacted us saying they want to renew the contract!”
“How much are they raising it?”
“One big sheet.”
“Say we’ll think about it for now, then keep pushing <Strange Tales> articles! Make them anxious.”
“Uh, the contract’s ending soon though.”
“Exactly, so they’ll get even more desperate. Look at N Company’s articles right now. From start to finish it’s all Han Yeoreum! Han Yeoreum! All Han Yeoreum.”
The company Yeoreum had modeled for started pushing out press releases the moment Episode 1 finished airing. They’d gotten a sense of it too.
For hours on end, <Strange Tales> dominated real-time trends.
“Check yesterday’s <Top Class> ratings!”
“It’s 13.7%!”
Manager Hong smiled smoothly with his thread-thin eyes.
“Good.... Now the war begins.”
<Strange Tales>’ chase of <Top Class> had begun.
Manager Hong loosed the arrow.
* * *
This was the SBC Drama Division. Between the signs reading ‘New Media Content Department,’ everyone could feel that <Strange Tales>’ public response was no joke.
“Director, what do we do?”
“What do you mean what do we do? Hurry up and check clip reactions and push articles!”
With JC ENM leading the way as all three terrestrial broadcasters expanded their Intube channels, MBS now boasted the second-highest subscriber count after JC ENM.
SBC regretted being a step late, but they were all smiles, planning to sweep up subscribers with <Top Class>.
There was a reason they’d deliberately named the department something fancier than MBS’s ‘Web Content Department,’ calling it ‘New Media Web Content Department.’
“Before <Strange Tales> surges up!”
SBC stacked walls with buzz bricks for war and even stockpiled press-release bullets.
No matter how many arrows and spears <Strange Tales> threw, SBC already had existing viewers lined up in front.
That was the idea.
Intube
@SBC DRAMA Subscribers 480K
[If he’s handsome, he’s oppa. Oppa is a status. Okay? Yoo Jiuk’s status is a gangster. #TopClass EP.4] 8:32
Views 110K
-How did I end up consuming a middle-aged man...
-2:37 The action is insane, his back shirt gets crazy tight, face turning red
︎˪Mmm Michelin~~
-Look at Yoo Jiuk’s eyes change lololol here the leads’ tension is so tight, no one gets pushed back, makes it even more nerve-wracking
“How are the sponsored brand articles?”
“Reactions are good. Apparently everything Joo Junseo wore is selling out.”
“Okay. Run another round of summer travel spots using <Top Class> filming locations. Focus on Yousta card news!”
It was SBC’s anticipated project. This side also had a director–writer–cast lineup no less solid than <Strange Tales>.
No— to be precise, if you broke it down piece by piece, not only was it based on a web novel, but the writer’s previous work had done well, the director of <Top Class> had more name value than the Director Jjang who’d cut his teeth on web dramas, and above all, the male lead was a veteran actor.
“It’s Geum Bitgang, sure, but does it really make sense for a rookie actress to go head-to-head with Yoo Jiuk? Huh?”
The SBC drama director sighed. The New Media staffer who had uploaded clips to all of SBC Drama’s SNS accounts tilted their head.
“Huh.... I think this could actually be a real head-on fight...?”
At talk of five hundred billion won flying away, the SBC director shouted again.
“What kind of nonsense is this—!”
“Look.”
With a troubled face, the staffer held up the screen to the SBC director.
