Free Web NovelRefreshing the page quickly made the comments start pouring in. Before anyone realized it, every video <ParCheHi> uploaded was surpassing an average of 300,000 views. It meant the number of viewers who were following the series had increased dramatically.
-Wow what is this? This is insane lololol
-08:27 what is that size difference...? I think Joo Junseo lied about his height.... this scammer (Positive)
˪ What’s Joo Junseo’s height? I’m on the verge of stanning so I need to know ASAP
˪ Profile says 187 but there’s no way he’s that tall lololol
-So it wasn’t just one person who got possessed by a shoujo manga’s energy? T_T aaah when is the next episode coming f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck
Bzzz— bzzz— bzzz—.
[Hey I just watched all the ep]
[This is insane?????]
Right on cue, Aetami got a message from her friend — the drama-nerd friend, Fan B. Aetami quickly began typing.
Right now, this moment, she felt like she absolutely had to talk about <ParCheHi>. free𝑤ebnovel.com
“I’m dying of curiosity.”
Aetami was fascinated not only by <ParCheHi> but also by Yeoreum herself. She wanted to know how on earth someone could switch between dead-fish eyes and heroine-bright eyes like that, how she could make a performance that could easily come off cynical instead become something viewers smiled at.
“A thing like this really depends on the main actor. How did they find a kid like that?”
Aetami let out a genuine breath of admiration. The difference between a “cringe-but-charming” drama and a “so-cringe-you-can’t-watch-it” drama always came from the lead actor.
“Her vocalization, her expressions... nothing feels awkward.”
Dead-fish-eyed Pi Chaewon and lively-eyed Pi Chaewon — neither was excessive or burdensome. It was as if she had always existed as Pi Chaewon.
“Ah, seriously....”
Phone in hand, Aetami ended up reading all the latest comments on <ParCheHi>. There was only one thing left.
“I’m dying to know.”
Search: Han Yeoreum
It was actress Han Yeoreum herself.
And just like that, the lifelong fandom in Aetami’s life began.
* * *
“Hey. You guys saw that?”
“Saw what?”
“That thing they filmed at our school!”
<ParCheHi>’s Episode 4 also landed on the “trending videos” list. More viewers were discovering <ParCheHi> through different routes — stumbling upon it in their feed, seeing community posts, or checking it out via a friend’s recommendation.
“You’re probably the only one who noticed this late.”
Friends who attended the same school as Taeyang were busy uploading all the on-site photos they’d taken during <ParCheHi> filming. Stories, Tr*tter, and even community boards were filling up with eyewitness posts.
[We filmed P.C.H. at our school lolol so cool]
At first I thought “oh, some webdrame filming yeah yea influencers prob” and didn’t care but suddenly J.J.S. showed up....
Even from way over there he was giving <<<I am a celebrity>>> vibes so I freaked out. Even the kids who said J.J.S. wasn’t their type were like “yes yes that’s my husband T_T” after that day lolol
Every Friday we all gather and scream watching ParCheHi together lolol
(Joo Junseo real-life pic.jpg)
This is the closest to how he really looks but he’s actually way more handsome than this
-This is so real, celebrities win half the game just with their physical presence. That’s why models always get good reviews.
˪ (OP): It’s real, he literally stands out alone... like a landmark
-Did you see Pi Chaewon? What’s Pi Chaewon like?
Students from Taeyang’s school spread the photos they’d taken everywhere. The student was just about to go into their gallery to attach one of their <ParCheHi> photos when—
“Not that one. Don’t you have one that came out better?”
“...Huh?”
Startled by a voice behind them, the student almost dropped their phone. Han Taeyang — who they had barely even spoken to before — was looking down at their screen.
“This won’t do. Give me your phone.”
Han Taeyang glanced over the screen briefly and then took the student’s phone. He took out his own phone and entered his gallery.
‘...What is this?’
The student froze. Several lines of his gallery were filled entirely with <ParCheHi> filming photos. Judging by the ridiculous number, it looked like he had collected photos from the entire school.
“Here. Upload this one.”
Han Taeyang kindly sent over a photo where Pi Chaewon could be seen well.
“Uh... tha...nks?”
Taeyang jerked his chin, signaling them to hurry up and post it. The student instinctively uploaded the picture Taeyang sent. A notification popped immediately.
-omg so cute TT_TT any pics of her standing next to Joo Junseo? I’m running my delulu-generator right now so I REALLY need it
Seeing the notification, Han Taeyang sent another picture.
“Do it comfortably. Just comfortably.”
‘Sorry, Taeyang, but nothing about this is comfortable....’
Only after uploading the second picture was the student released from Taeyang’s grasp.
“Dude, Han Taeyang is weird.... He has, like, hundreds of photos of Pi Chaewon.”
“You didn’t know?”
The students still didn’t know Yeoreum’s real name. She was, quite literally, Pi Chaewon herself.
“Han Taeyang is famous for being a hardcore Pi Chaewon fan....”
And that’s how Taeyang became Pi Chaewon’s extreme fanboy.
* * *
Intube
@JC ENM — 600,000 subscribers
[The Cherry on the Parfait Belongs to the Heroine! Script Reading Site] 04:27
Episode 4 of <ParCheHi> was released, and the flow of the story shifted.
Until now, most web dramas followed the “snack” format — episodes cut abruptly, more like short anecdotes. <ParCheHi> was the only one approaching the format like a traditional drama with a continuous narrative.
“Our subscriber count is steadily increasing. If you look here—.”
It wasn’t like the usual snack culture where you could watch the next episode or not — it didn’t matter. For the first time, they had created a web drama that made people curious about the next episode.
It meant the industry’s flow was beginning to shift.
‘Intube is Intube, broadcast stations are broadcast stations. In a market where the gap was always clear — once Intube starts climbing....’
More “broadcast stations” of a new kind would appear — platforms that could swallow the existing ones whole. It was impossible not to want a piece of that.
‘Right now, we need to establish our own independent route.’
Jegal Rok looked at the PPT spread out before him. In the newly launched Web Content Department, Team Leader Seong was presenting the midterm results.
“Episodes 3 and 4 were uploaded consecutively into the trending video list — ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Episode 3 at #17, Episode 4 at #9. Community mentions and reactions are also positive.”
“And revenue?”
“If you look at this graph, sales of the N brand items worn by Han Yeoreum in her role as Pi Chaewon have increased slightly compared to the previous month, and the percentage of customers who purchased through the link—.”
Jegal Rok raised an eyebrow at the results surpassing expectations. Interesting.
“N company sent a proposal to continue PPL in the next project. They raised the amount by 20 million won compared to <ParCheHi>.”
The final episode hadn’t even been uploaded yet. The fact that they were already making concrete moves meant one thing.
‘N company caught on.’
They wanted to ride <ParCheHi>’s success and join future JC ENM web dramas. Jegal Rok gave a short nod.
“Tell them we’ll discuss that later. The next project hasn’t been decided yet.”
“Yes, understood.”
Programming juggling, last-minute ads, establishing a trendy image.
‘This is fun.’
The presentation finally ended. The results exceeded expectations in every area.
“Director, may I ask about the label plan?”
“What about it?”
“I heard you’re reconsidering the original plan of turning MCN influencers into actors.”
Team Leader Seong asked Jegal Rok directly. It carried the meaning: So, are you bringing in Han Yeoreum or not? As always, rumors traveled fast in this industry.
“That’s right. But I need to think a bit more.”
“There are many people around me asking about Han Yeoreum’s affiliation. She’ll start getting business cards from everywhere soon.”
“Team Leader Seong. If JC pushes, anyone can become a star. Even famous celebrities plummet instantly if they switch agencies.”
Jegal Rok lifted his index finger upward, then lowered it all the way down to the floor.
“You’ve seen how they fall, haven’t you?”
Jegal Rok had full confidence he could create a star. What he wanted to check was the scale.
And in that sense, Han Yeoreum was clearly “promising material.”
“How much we’d have to pour in... we need to set the framework from the very beginning. Testing the waters halfway just wastes time.”
He needed to watch her a bit longer to see if she truly fit as the first pioneer of JC ENM’s new content market.
“...Yes. Understood.”
Jegal Rok didn’t even want to waste time walking back to his office — he opened his tablet in the elevator. On screen was today’s newly uploaded <ParCheHi> script reading video.
-I don’t know. I have no idea when I’ll ever be able to escape this shoujo manga.
Han Yeoreum’s voice came through.
This wasn’t audio quality.
This was visual quality.
A single line made you see the whole scene. Every moment Yeoreum appeared, the entire “quality” of the video changed.
“Reporter, it’s me — Jegal Rok.”
Jegal Rok lifted his phone and contacted the newspaper.
“For our newest web drama, please arrange an interview as soon as possible.”
That’s how Yeoreum’s first interview was scheduled.
* * *
This was Jongno District. I inhaled deeply in front of the building. A nameplate with the company name hung beside the entrance.
[Daily Media]
A newspaper specializing in entertainment news. At last, I was going to have my first interview.
‘I seriously... feel like a real celebrity....’
It was part of the schedule Team Leader Seong gave me not long ago.
“Yeoreum, you’ve got an interview request for the <ParCheHi> lead.”
For reference, I recorded that call and use it as my alarm. No matter how sleepy I am, hearing those words makes me jump out of bed instantly.
Thinking about today’s interview made my heart pound so hard that I ended up arriving way earlier than the appointment time.
“Ah... the air of a protagonist....”
While I was breathing outside the office building, a Carnival van pulled up in front of me.
