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Han Yeoreum’s guideline had been drafted so meticulously that it rivaled that of most top-tier actors.
“So that’s why people keep saying JC, JC,”
Gam Dajeong muttered. Soaked in caffeine and wearing a gloomy expression, she stared at the section coordinating editing authority, then pulled the pen tucked behind her ear into her hand.
“This clause preventing ‘unfortunate staging,’ tsk. I don’t like it.”
Variety shows were, by nature, an extreme form of show business where even something the size of a grain of millet had to be puffed up into popcorn. JC ENM, in particular, understood that better than anyone.
“No, they’ve been dragging in every kind of bait possible over cable, and they expect people to not get this? This?”
Gam Dajeong, speaking through the nasal tone of chronic rhinitis, drew a long—shrrk—line across the guideline with a solemn face.
Han Yeoreum’s current branding position: acting-focused rising star, diligent sincerity in balancing academics and her main profession, a modest life no different from ordinary early-twenties female college students, vlog-style observational progression maintaining mild, harmonious relationships with friends.
Proposed daily flow: moving-in day → new semester school life → DaeYeJong lectures → a day with classmates → radio special DJ
“It’s... pretty packed, though.”
This variety show was JC’s innovation piece. It was obvious how much care Jegal Rok had poured into it. From the fact that he’d even made her move just for a variety program, it was clear he was no ordinary figure.
The way Jegal Rok had pulled the film script reading schedule forward carried something like obsession—borderline madness. Gam Dajeong scribbled on the documents, visibly displeased.
“Hey! Do it properly!”
The head of the MBS Drama Bureau shouted beside her. After Pi Chaewon, Seoryeong # Nоvеlight # had been MBS’s undisputed public enemy, but now things were different.
They planned to use this opportunity to build a good relationship somehow, then forcefully find a drama script that fit well and push it straight into production.
With Han Yeoreum as the front, his eyes gleamed with calculation, clearly aiming to drag up the ratings.
“You’re the one who handed over the variety free-pass however you wanted, Director,”
“Even so! You’re not a kid anymore—how old are you, scribbling all over official documents?!”
“Ugh....”
“You, you! Stop making that ‘ugh’ sound!”
“Aaah....”
The director emphasized again and again just how important this variety show was.
“That Intube thing—what do they call it these days? Skyrocketing! Let’s go for that! Don’t we need to build a concrete viewership base?”
“That part’s true. But honestly, I’m really not feeling it... It doesn’t look fun at all. You handed out a free-pass on your own, so our writers busted their asses like hell. At least one fixed panelist went on sick leave—thank God....”
“You you you! Are you really going to talk back to your uncle like that?! So Yesol and Gam Dajeong, both of you are problems, problems! There’s only one broadcasting station! One!”
Gam Dajeong covered her ears with both hands. Han Yeoreum was set to appear as a special guest on <Please Take Care of M Headquarters> for three weeks. They had to squeeze every last drop out of it.
The first episode would be school life, the second her main profession, and the third an everyday routine that was somehow still relatable, despite everything.
“You don’t even know variety shows, Director. Bring in the Head of the Variety Department.”
“What do you mean I don’t know variety, punk. And good job saying that. You forgot how you used to come hang around the variety department with your uncle when you were little? Who do you think secretly turned on the hookup TV when your aunt was beating you to study, huh? Who was it!”
“Dragging out private past stuff like this is kind of lame.”
“It’s a good thing she’s appearing now. KBC already launched a pilot variety show similar to <M Couple>! If Han Yeoreum goes there, what then?! I’m telling you, we struck first!”
Gam Dajeong shut her mouth. In this industry, whenever one thing hit big, similar formats always sprouted like mushrooms after rain.
As <Please Take Care of M Headquarters> took off, KBC immediately copied it. With the mix of office-worker vlogs and celebrity vlogs trending on Intube, it was bound to be popular.
“Looking at <The Great Garland>, the opening part of the scenario is just so—”
“What?”
The moment she heard that, Gam Dajeong pulled out her phone.
“Catch the traitor on your side. People are already going crazy after secretly reading the script.”
Exactly five minutes later, Gam Dajeong’s uncle—the director—was dragged out with his arms bound, pulled along by So Yesol.
“Now it’s finally quiet....”
Gam Dajeong absolutely hated boards that other people had already set up for her. What was variety, anyway? A program with an extreme level of difficulty, where you had to earn recognition from the other party.
Empathy and laughter, and ultimately the power to move the viewer’s heart. To pull all of that together at once, your brain had to spin at full throttle.
“This one seems kind of boring....”
But JC ENM, the royal family of variety shows, had already laid out the entire feast. Gam Dajeong felt completely deflated. It was like seeing the answer sheet before the test even started.
“PD, honestly, even if we just do it moderately, the views will probably be stable.”
“Right. Let’s just follow the standard formula for a female-actor observation variety.”
Han Yeoreum’s editing would be kept just moderate enough that no complaints would come in from JC ENM.
[PD]
Then, on the first day of filming, Gam Dajeong received this message from a staff member.
[It’s just... really fun?]
* * *
“...Unbelievable.”
People often say this, don’t they. When you think of a successful celebrity, the first thing that comes to mind is a Han River view.
[Eun Baekhap bought Seongsu-dong Acro Forest entirely in cash—sale price makes you gasp...]
[Ji Haebeom bought two units in UM Village; with ironclad security, top stars are moving in one by one...]
She’d imagined all kinds of things, but there was exactly one thing blocking her imagination.
A good house.
For some reason, imagining success paired with living in a nice house always made her chest feel clogged, like hitting a speed bump. It felt like her subconscious telling her to wake up to reality.
‘A new place. A brand-new place.’
It was her first time living somewhere with an elevator. And in an apartment that hadn’t even been completed that long ago. It wasn’t a Han River view, but even this alone was incredible. It really felt like she’d made it.
‘So this is... the taste of being a celebrity...?’
No house, no building, not even a Han River view. Just the fact that the company had gotten her a new apartment lease was enough to make her want to jump up and down on the spot.
But who was she?
‘Sixteenth-floor resident Han Yeoreum.’
At the very least, she had to prevent anything coming up from the fifteenth floor. Suppressing her joy again and again, she settled for forcefully opening the living room’s full-length window instead.
Even though it was still winter, maybe because it was daytime, cool air rushed in. The changed view beyond the window made it sink in that she had really moved.
‘This is bad....’
Even pulling her cap down low couldn’t completely hide Han Yeoreum’s distinctive aura. The moment a resident, who’d been looking at their phone in the elevator, glanced sideways at her, they’d have no choice but to recognize her.
‘If I run into residents in the elevator...’
Oh, right? You’re Han Yeoreum, right? Haha, hello. Wow, amazing, you live here? Yesss. But please keep it a secret.... Of course, I’m a huge fan! I’m really enjoying the drama. Ah, seriously, could I get an autograph just once? Of course! Where should I sign? Hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha....
‘Should I start carrying autograph paper with me....’
Soon, rumors would spread all through the complex that a celebrity lived here... along with Han Yeoreum real-life sighting reviews... the apartment association ladies would gather to watch <The Great Garland> live... Ah, just talk to me comfortably, please. It’s not like I’m anyone special, hahaha.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Just open that already....”
A cold voice cut through the warm interior of the brand-new apartment. Han Taeyang stood there, holding a large box and staring at her. Why wasn’t he irritated for once?
“Hey. We need to unpack quickly. Right.”
Only then did it hit her.
‘Ah. We’re filming a variety show.’
This was the first scene of <M Couple>: Han Yeoreum, serious about her studies, moving near her school right after settlement to balance her schedule, resolutely returning to campus.
* * *
Han Yeoreum couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery spread beyond the window. Emotions so overwhelming they were hard to hide lingered at the corners of her eyes, as if she couldn’t quite believe in her own success.
‘Idiot.’
But Han Taeyang wasn’t surprised. From the moment Han Yeoreum debuted, he’d expected this day to come quickly.
‘Of course she was bound to succeed.’
Han Yeoreum had been prepared for a very long time. She carried an accumulated volume of practice that far surpassed others—time spans so immense they were hard to even imitate.
Han Taeyang’s earliest memory was from when he was five. Sharp and dull. Two incompatible kinds of noise often shook the house, mixed with the smell of alcohol. frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Taeyang.”
The voice of his eight-year-old sister, pulling the blanket up over her head and holding her little brother tight, didn’t tremble. It was only resolute.
“Want me to tell you something fun?”
But Taeyang couldn’t do that. Sis, can’t you hear the sounds outside the door? Unable to even say that, he just sobbed quietly, hiccupping as he cried.
