Free Web Novel* * *
The wrap-up dinner was nothing short of a festival. <Strange Tales> had reached a perfect finale. Everyone present felt adrenaline spreading from head to toe.
The screening hall where the audience’s heavy concentration had been palpable. The standing ovation that erupted as the end credits rolled was a moment that, as a creator, one could never forget.
“Back on our final shooting day, it was seriously hot, right? Junhyeok, you remember?”
“With the hanbok layered like that... later the fabric started sticking to my body....”
“For the gutpan scene, we deliberately went with a long take. She had to use her raw voice, so if we’d filmed it in short bursts over and over, our Seoryeong’s throat would’ve been completely ruined. Same for Yeomga.”
“Yeah. That’s why the closer it gets to the end, the cracking sounds real. The next day, my voice was just gone. Hers too. Only now can I say it, but it was honestly brutal.”
The Head Director and the actors talked endlessly—stories from the set, especially the parts they had poured their hearts into, even the sections they had to revise from the original work. They spoke so much that viewers watching beyond the screen would feel as though they were sharing <Strange Tales> together with them.
The video being filmed now was scheduled to air next week as original in-house content on the JC ENM Intube account, as a First Train Live broadcast.
Manager Ma planned to draw in viewers who would feel lost on the first day without <Strange Tales> by launching a Blu-ray funding campaign.
“Okay! Cut!”
Even the camera that had been recording shut off. Now it was truly over.
“Huuuh... th-thank you for your hard work....”
Kwon Junhyeok had been unable to collect the tears that had burst out earlier, pressing tissues under his eyes. Beside him, Kang Hanseong, the martial arts director from the <Do It and It Works> Action Academy, patted his shoulder. For the record, he was drunk and not very good at controlling his strength. He encouraged Junhyeok as if he were about to smash his shoulder.
“You did great, you did great!”
Even Kwak Cheolsik, who had watched Junhyeok cry while practicing at the <Do It and It Works> Academy, laughed and applauded.
“Hey, you punk, I thought you’d get eaten alive by that colt, but you did pretty damn well?”
“That’s right. Especially the action scenes.”
Yun Hyeonjo, who was beside them, nodded slightly. Before anyone realized it, the members of <Faster Than the Law> had mingled into the <Strange Tales> wrap party.
‘It’s all thanks to me.’
After all, at the center of this year’s most talked-about work was Han Yeoreum.... Since everyone lived not far from Yongsan, they’d just called them all over. For reference, building the Han Yeoreum Fam was still being carried out in secret.
‘I figured Kwak Cheolsik and Director Gong would come, but I didn’t expect even Yun Hyeonjo.’
Yun Hyeonjo was someone who rarely showed his face unless it was an official occasion. Yet today, he had asked for the dinner location and come right away.
‘Best senior. Five thousand stars.’
Anyway, ever since leaving the screening hall, it felt like my feet weren’t touching the ground.
‘So this is... the taste of being the protagonist?’
The pouring attention was sweet. The unprecedented level of focus made my whole body tingle pleasantly.
Bzz— bzz— bzz—.
My phone hadn’t stopped vibrating for a while now. I’d deliberately left notifications on to enjoy watching SNS followers increase in real time along with the flood of messages coming in from everywhere. And among the countless notifications—
Ding—!
「Hidden Mission Achieved!」
The basics of ratings are something that brings a satisfied smile just by looking at them!
Breaking past 20% ratings is thanks to the perfect chemistry you draw in. The couple name based on your current role is gaining massive popularity.
Mentions of the ‘Myungdo Couple’ have surpassed 10,000 in a short time.
Reward
[Skill increases]
Perfect Match C >>> C+
A status window announcing ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the completion of the hidden mission appeared.
‘As soon as Episode 16 ended, everyone really went up in flames.’
It was thanks to viewers who couldn’t fall asleep, unable to let go of Seoryeong and Myungdo’s story that ended in a happy ending.
‘Who am I, you ask...? Han Yeoreum, the cable legend who creates insane chemistry with whoever’s beside her, and who’s about to take over the representative image of first love....’
At this point, I could probably earn the title of Chemistry Fairy just by existing. Thinking about my next project made the corners of my mouth lift on their own.
Director Gong was already deep into heavy drinking beside the Head Director. Amid the noisy atmosphere, Geum Bitgang, who had stayed seated, was looking at me.
“What are you grinning like that for. You think everything’s over just because this one’s done?”
Geum Bitgang spoke casually.
“So what are you going to do about that.”
About that? What was she talking about?
Noh Jeongyeon beside her laughed and said,
“She means <The Great Garland>. Bitgang went ballistic when she heard the news.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
At the mention of my next project, the dinner table suddenly fell quiet. Everyone was waiting for my answer.
‘If it were other people, they’d be flustered by this silence—but not me.’
I’d been waiting precisely for moments like this. Now then, everyone, please focus on me.
“I’m going to audition for the role. Let’s do it properly, yeah!”
At my answer, Geum Bitgang raised the corner of her lips. Pleasant exclamations burst out around us.
“Go for it! Seoryeong!”
“But who are you fighting against?”
“Our Seoryeong will win no matter what!”
Praise me more. I’m still far from satisfied.... Pretending I couldn’t hear well, I deliberately cupped one hand to my ear. The praise came pouring down even louder.
“So who are you fighting for the role! Who dares to call our Seoryeong to an audition, huh!”
“That would be....”
As soon as I opened my mouth, the dinner venue fell silent again. That was when the door opened once more and someone walked in.
“Gi Juye. The youngest daughter from <Top Class>.”
The person who appeared was Director So Yesol, who had debuted with <No Interest Whatsoever>.
“Gi Juye?”
“What?”
“Why is she auditioning?”
And astonishingly, not a single person seemed to care about Gi Juye.
“Um, everyone.... Isn’t this the moment when we should be a little tense? It’s Gi Juye...?”
“Alright! To us, who worked so hard!”
“To us—!”
“.......”
Director So’s small voice was once again drowned out by the clinking sounds of glasses raised in a toast.
* * *
“She’s my muse, I’m telling you. You have to acknowledge it now. Mm-hmm.”
Dok Gomin kept insisting on her ownership over Han Yeoreum, while So Yesol lifted her glass and poured herself another drink.
“Today the alcohol tastes especially sweet.... It sticks right to my mouth....”
“Right? That’s creamy soda.”
“Thanks to you, Yeoreum, no matter what alcohol we drink, all MBS can taste now is sweetness. Even Tentalcue tastes sweet.... Because life has gotten bitter.”
Taking it as a compliment, Yeoreum’s face brightened.
‘...If you went to the MBS Drama Center, you wouldn’t be able to make that expression....’
To explain briefly—
Right now, the entire drama scene was being completely devoured by <Strange Tales>.
[<Top Class> shows the real top class of its top actors.... Gorgeous spectacle, ratings at 15.7%]
[MBS’s small masterpiece, <Holiday>, ends with viewers’ applause ‘a perfect beginning, development, turn, and conclusion’]
[KBC’s <Brother’s Return> continues its downward spiral, angry viewers shout ‘Brother, get out!’]
<Top Class>, barely maintaining double-digit ratings. <Holiday>, which ended in single digits. And <Brother’s Return>, mocked as an unprecedented disaster.
‘All three terrestrial networks took a hit....’
It was true that in recent years, some of the most acclaimed works had come from cable. It was also true that attention had been stolen away. But being crushed with this kind of overwhelming weight class was a first.
‘Still, ratings had always been a landslide win for terrestrial.’
Even if cable dramas hit double digits, they usually hovered in the low tens. But <Strange Tales> was different. It broke past 20% and claimed a powerful symbolic meaning.
‘That cable dramas are something you can trust and watch.’
So Yesol pressed a hand over Dok Gomin’s face as she kept shoving photos she’d taken into view.
“<Strange Tales> was truly a perfect drama.... The actors all felt possessed.”
So Yesol stared intently at Han Yeoreum. At Yeoreum, who now wore the face of Seoryeong from <Strange Tales>, rather than Yeondu, the young village head from <No Interest Whatsoever>.
“But couldn’t that actually become poison? From now on, everyone’s going to call you Seoryeong.”
At So Yesol’s words, everyone nearby nodded. Kwak Cheolsik especially empathized.
“True. After a really strong role, you usually get a bunch of similar ones. Look at me. All I get are gangster roles, one after another.”
“For you, Cheolsik, that’s less about roles and more about.... Never mind.”
As Kang Hanseong struggled in a headlock, coughing, Yun Hyeonjo neatly summarized.
“You said first-love roles, right? There’s a lineage to these things. Casting similar images is the norm. Since the screen time is short, actors viewers can easily accept are more efficient.”
“Exactly. Look at me. I act better than Bitgang, but because of my pure face, I always got pitiful roles. Chick, this is the fate of actresses with lovable masks.”
“You do not act better than me!”
While Yun Hyeonjo, Noh Jeongyeon, and Geum Bitgang bickered, So Yesol looked steadily at Han Yeoreum.
“...But?”
And yet, Han Yeoreum’s answer was this. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
“Director So, I’m Han Yeoreum.”
At those words, the Head Director at another table jumped to his feet.
“That’s right! Han Yeoreum!”
“Exactly, exactly! Han Yeoreum!”
Director Gong stood up with him, chanting Yeoreum’s name.
“No, no.... In terms of acting ability, sure, you’d obviously beat Gi Juye. But the problem is the money. Historical dramas are hard to slot PPL into. On top of that, given the subject matter, it won’t attract many overseas fans, so you have to recoup costs domestically.”
So Yesol formed a circle with her thumb and index finger.
“China money. That’s the issue.... Gi Juye has a solid Chinese fanbase.”
When money came up, the table grew solemn. In the face of production costs, no one could escape reality. The break-even point wasn’t important only in film.
“...But?”
Right now, Han Yeoreum was the actress who had rewritten cable history.
“I’m with JC.”
It didn’t land. So Yesol let out a sigh.
“...Aren’t you curious about a way to let people feel the actor’s own charm beyond the character, and to solidify your fanbase...?”
That was what she’d really come to say.
“Come on an MBS variety show, Yeoreum....”
Even as the Drama Center director was wasting away over Han Yeoreum, she kept her reason intact. There was no drama at MBS right now that could hook Yeoreum. Then they’d have to at least pull in buzz.
“Whenever Han Yeoreum appears, ratings follow!”
Bring Han Yeoreum onto MBS variety shows. That was the special mission So Yesol had been given.
“But why is someone from the drama division here instead of a variety PD...? That seems inefficient.”
The rational Yun Hyeonjo raised the question.
“That’s because, as a director who considers Yeoreum my muse—”
“She’s my muse!”
While So Yesol and Dok Gomin bickered, Yeoreum’s phone kept vibrating. As if announcing the beginning of her march toward success.
「Mission: Beyond the Character」
Keyword: Variety Show Debut
Have you been swallowed by a powerful character? Are people calling you by your role name instead of your own? Oh no. At this rate, your image might solidify. In times like these, you need to act strategically—approach the public in a friendly way.
Success Condition
[◼︎◼︎ Gain public favor by appearing on ◼︎◼︎ as ◼︎◼︎◼︎!]
In the meantime, a status window that Yeoreum hadn’t noticed flickered faintly into view, then disappeared.
* * *
Unlike the <Strange Tales> wrap party filled with laughter, there was a place filled with tears. The <Strange Tales> gallery.
[So happy I could die, such a perfectly in-character narrative all the way to the final episode...]
Seoryeong kicking Myungdo’s shin was so freaking cute T_T
Yup (222.33) Myungdo chasing her to propose, his build was unreal TT_TT f*ck
[Heard from a staff member that Blu-rays are coming Director’s cut and they’re giving out the scriptbook too]
You all know what that means, right? Let’s start.
Yup (186.77) Yeah I heard too, right right
ㄴYup (218.236) Really? T_T Is it official? Where can we see it?
ㄴYup (337.11) If we push hard enough it becomes reality, just go all in TT_TT
A tightly closed happy ending. It was what everyone had wanted, yet viewers of <Strange Tales>, unable to let it go like this, all shed tears.
Staggering out of the screening hall, Aetami couldn’t even think of going home, endlessly refreshing at a nearby 24-hour café.
“This is insane....”
Aetami repeated that one line over and over. She was certain everyone else felt the same. No other words came to mind.
In the <Strange Tales> gallery, reviews written by people who had attended the screening were beginning to appear one by one.
