Free Web NovelJiiiiing—. Jiiiiing—. Jiiiiing—.
This was the KBC Drama Center. The sound of printers running nonstop since dawn never ceased.
“It’s here....”
Pre-broadcast advertising for a drama preemptively secured PPL slots and title sponsors based purely on the expectation that the show would ‘succeed.’ Enormous sums were poured into those few dozen seconds.
“Our sweet advertisers....”
So after Episode 1 of 〈The Great Garland〉 aired, the fury of the advertisers had been beyond imagination. But that had only been before Episode 2 broadcast.
“Yes. This is the KBC Drama Center. Yes. Regarding our PPL placements....”
“Director! What do we do?! There are too many calls coming in — operations are paralyzed!”
〈The Great Garland〉 swallowed South Korea whole in two hours.
Producers, the ad team, the marketing team — anyone even remotely connected to 〈The Great Garland〉 was desperate to poke at it somehow.
“Sunbae, who just contacted you?”
“My mom’s college classmate’s club senior’s son’s middle school classmate? Apparently.”
“...Wow.”
Inquiries flooded in. There were no price adjustment negotiations. People were scrambling just to secure even late-slot ad placements.
“What about those guys who were furious after Episode 1 and said they’d terminate the contract?”
“They’re sending gifts by courier today. Said they were too hasty and want to apologize in person to you, Director.”
“Float it casually. Tell them there are plenty offering double, so it’ll be hard to meet me for a while.”
The Center Director looked over the chaos of the Drama Center and smiled in satisfaction.
“What are you going to do...? I mean, that’s technically true, but....”
“We keep loyalty and take more money. We’ll wrap things up nicely. They’ll probably add a few thousand more on top of the existing ad fee. Slip some production budget into other projects too.”
The Director thought of the brand that had gone all-in — both title sponsor and PPL — the moment they heard Han Yeoreum would be appearing.
“At this rate, how much are they making off Han Yeoreum alone?”
It aligned perfectly with 〈The Great Garland〉’s storyline that began at a brewery. The employee beside him spoke up.
“Come to think of it, Right Now and First Dew were always locked as the unshakable number one and two, right?”
“Yeah. Even we drink First Dew at company dinners.”
“Did you know? It’s the same with makgeolli. Not just soju.”
The Director suddenly remembered Han Yeoreum’s creamy soda. The employee seemed to be thinking the same.
“Maybe not soju — but makgeolli? Don’t you think the market could flip? Their sales spiked evenly because of creamy soda.”
If there was an industry with an even more concrete customer base than instant ramen, it was alcohol. From company dinners to drinking alone at home, people preferred familiar liquor.
Right Now had poured tens of billions, even hundreds of billions, into marketing — yet the throne remained ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ firm. The wall of First Dew was insurmountable.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
But the KBC Drama Center Director nodded.
At this rate — maybe, just maybe.
“Contact Jinhae. And Writer An too. We’ll need to revise the latter half for PPL.”
This heat must have reached the filming site as well. No — if anyone was most sensitive to the current surge in popularity, it would be the actors playing the adult roles.
* * *
“Whoa... the reactions are scary....”
Ji Haebeom, on standby at the Jinhae filming site, let out a hollow laugh while staring at his endlessly buzzing phone.
Most of the messages said they enjoyed 〈The Great Garland〉. He had never received this level of attention before — it was only natural.
If someone asked whether any child actor in South Korea had ever made this kind of impact—
Ji Haebeom’s answer would come without hesitation.
No.
And there never would be again.
After only two episodes, the junior who drew this level of response — what might she be doing right now?
Sending simple emojis one by one to the piled-up messages, Ji Haebeom suddenly thought of Han Yeoreum.
“Come to think of it....”
He still didn’t have her number.
“Haebeom-ssi! We’re going into rehearsal!”
After fumbling uselessly a few times, Ji Haebeom finally handed his phone to his manager. He smoothed back his neatly parted pomade hair once, then stepped forward leisurely. The corners of his lips curved upward as if painted on.
“No matter what... I can’t lose to a child actor....”
Ji Haebeom’s instincts were always sharp. His senses were constantly heightened.
Soon NetHolics would enter Korea. Once that happened, the market would change.
Legendary dramas that once emptied the streets during evening hours would never be made again. National dramas surpassing 40% ratings would become memories.
“Standby—!”
But Ji Haebeom judged:
If this was influence that would never be experienced again, then perhaps this was the last time. Perhaps this was the final page of that history.
“Ready!”
The conclusion of legendary national dramas. Ratings never to be seen again.
“Action!”
Ji Haebeom believed 〈The Great Garland〉 was exactly that.
And up until now, his predictions had never once been wrong.
* * *
Aetami happily flailed in the flood of content pouring out.
[The Great Garland Gallery]
[Collected all Taeseok–Huijae scenes so far.jpg]
[Not a single person is phoning in their acting is this an actor-rivalry drama or what?]
[E02 especially good scenes.gif]
[My scalp still stings from the back-of-the-head hit in Ep1 fck]
All day long, featured posts climbed without rest. Meticulous captures and gifs, long analyses, and heated attention toward the actors.
‘This is it! This is exactly it!’
Even Aetami’s anger toward Director Ja melted away. The intense bait of Episode 1 had pushed Episode 2 into double-digit ratings, and viewers who fell in love with Huijae in Episode 2 would be dragged helplessly through Episodes 3, 4 — perhaps all the way to the finale.
‘Using our girl’s face for bait had a reason after all....’
The most controversial moment in 〈The Great Garland〉 was Huijae’s ending line — “Joseon scum.”
The avalanche of articles and community debates had all uploaded Huijae’s face front and center.
And that, in turn, became Han Yeoreum’s stamp of recognition.
– How does that blunt bob suit her this well T_T
– I wanna cut mine short too fr this is my aesthetic
︎˪ Please try to endure it
︎˪ What if I can’t endure it
︎˪ Go to Daiso and look in a full-body mirror first then you’ll endure it
– Barely any makeup makes it feel even more real... felt it since 〈Strange Tales〉 but even her crossdressing and everything she just fully lets go when she needs to
︎˪ fr but she’s still cute TT_TT LOLOLOLOL freewёbnoνel.com
The view counts and comments proved it. Han Yeoreum’s face plastered the portal sites.
It was different from the early phase of 〈Strange Tales〉, Geum Bitgang’s glamorous comeback.
Top actor Ji Haebeom. Eun Baekhap. None of them could headline 〈The Great Garland〉 articles now.
The public cared only about Yeon Huijae and Gi Taeseok.
Ppongdang @pppongdang___e
On days without Weerand move aside you crazy bastard nothing works because of you stop ruining people’s mood and get lost hurry up can’t you hear me
On days with Weerand ang
Retweets 31K Likes 29K
Drama addicts were already waiting for next week. Aetami hit the retweet button and thought,
‘Ah, of all things — they’re doing promotions without the child actors...!’
She tucked her lips inward. Just thinking about it made her chest ache. She missed Yeoreum.
‘What is our baby melon-bread doing right now....’
As usual, she opened Yeoreum’s SNS. There was a ring around the profile picture. Instinctively clicking within 0.1 seconds, Aetami beamed.
‘What is this three-shot?’
On either side of Yeoreum stood Choo Gaeul and So Dami. A gathering of the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 members.
‘My filial daughter always gives us something....’
Aetami immediately hit the capture button. It was clearly a private meeting, but she secretly wished it would air on broadcast — and tucked Yeoreum’s smiling photo into her heart.
* * *
“Hoo....”
Choo Gaeul took a deep breath.
“Unnie, do I look okay?”
“Gaeul-ah. You’re really pretty!”
“Really really?”
“Really really!”
“...Should I check the mirror one more time?”
“You’re going to be late at this rate! That’s the twentieth time you’ve asked! Didn’t you say your styling anxiety got better after 〈ParCheHi〉? You said as an actress... you’d compete with acting!”
Choo Gaeul’s manager stomped her feet inside the van.
Staring at the mirror, Gaeul calmed her trembling heart once more.
“But what do I do? I’m acting with Han Yeoreum again!”
Today was the first gathering of the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 members.
Though Choo Gaeul had been acknowledged for her acting as Sukbin Choi in the concluded 〈The Fuse〉 — a role unlike anything before — the thought of meeting Han Yeoreum again through acting inevitably made her tense.
She still remembered.
More precisely — she could not forget.
Han Yeoreum’s cheeks glowing orange atop the rooftop. The face crying in bitter sorrow. Acting that only the real could show.
“But it’s time! Go! Hurry!”
Imagining the cameras and staff already on standby, Choo Gaeul climbed the stairs step by step.
‘It feels like I’m going to challenge Han Yeoreum....’
But she wasn’t the old Choo Gaeul anymore.
From the moment she received the script, she decided to become Go Yungyo. She studied relentlessly. Studied and studied again.
‘Okay....’
She gripped the doorknob.
Then opened it.
What appeared was the interior of a workshop.
‘...Huh?’
Choo Gaeul froze for a moment, startled.
