Free Web Novel* * *
On set, filming was still ongoing in real time. While waiting for the lights to be reset, Park Jaeyoung opened a community page.
[Unfair Trade⎢Hey this is good, it actually feels real]
[See You That Day⎢A perfectly wrapped happy ending haha it’s been a while since a rom-com was this fun]
[Unfair Trade⎢Our dark second-male-lead defense squad will support Shin Seojin forever]
[Unfair Trade⎢For some reason every time I see Seojin x Yeoreum I start drooling]
[See You That Day⎢Hong Suryeon please bring your next project soon TT_TT I can’t let you go like this]
Now that all three network dramas had just finished airing, the communities were more active than ever. Every time he refreshed, the page had already moved on.
Unfair Trade, See You That Day, Unfair Trade, Unfair Trade, Unfair Trade, See You That Day, See You That Day, As Expected, Happy Ending.
The categories streaming upward were chaotic.
Director Park smiled as he recalled today’s preview.
— Is it because the culprit is smarter than the detective that they aren’t caught? No. It’s because there are too many bastards in this world.
At some point, the previews had become shorter and shorter. But that only made them more precise in their hook.
Lee Seohae, who didn’t seem like she would ever be on Gam Seonghwan’s side, delivered a meaningful line.
And then—
‘My way.’
Lee Seohae, checking something on her tablet.
Sitting alone at a desk, head lowered, holding a smart pen while meticulously organizing the case—this scene had been an additional PPL request from Sansung Electronics.
‘Damn... it’s been a while since I heard something like that after picking up the megaphone.’
Just those few seconds made every remaining episode of 〈Unfair Trade〉 untouchable. The network chief, the broadcasting review board—nothing could stop it now.
[<See You That Day> leaves viewers “smiling ear to ear” with its tightly wrapped happy ending — Hong Suryeon & Hyun Seunghwan]
[Hong Suryeon attends <See You That Day> wrap party... a smile worthy of a romance fairy⎢StarCutCut]
[Hong Suryeon’s signature rom-com strikes again, <See You That Day> ends on a warm note]
[The final kiss scene of Hong Suryeon & Hyun Seunghwan that stimulates sweet romance cells]
As soon as 〈See You That Day〉 ended, articles flooded in.
When 〈Unfair Trade〉 had first been scheduled against it, Director Park had drunk like a madman.
“Those lunatics... they’re putting this up against Hong Suryeon?”
There was no way to win. Everyone had thought that.
A niche genre piece taking the lead against the most universally beloved genre—romantic comedy.
And not just any rom-com.
Hong Suryeon’s rom-com.
“Damn... this is something no one could’ve imagined...”
Only now did Director Park truly grasp how absurd this moment was.
Since Hong Suryeon’s debut, no drama airing in the same time slot had ever beaten hers.
She was—
invincible.
An undefeated legend.
“Director! Setup’s ready!”
“Yeah—coming.”
Even without checking the exact ratings, he could feel it.
The public had no interest—none at all—in whatever drama would follow Hong Suryeon’s work.
They weren’t curious.
They weren’t anticipating it.
The mere presence of 〈Unfair Trade〉 had erased that space.
And then, the next day.
[〈Unfair Trade〉 K.O.s rom-com fairy Hong Suryeon? Ratings jump to 19.5%, #1 in its time slot]
[〈See You That Day〉 ends on a disappointing note... 18.3%]
[Shin Seojin × Han Yeoreum combo trending? “Their chemistry is insane” viewers cheer]
[Why did Han Yeoreum push away Shin Seojin after he checked the unsolved case? ⎢Unfair Trade]
At last—
〈Unfair Trade〉 took first place in its time slot.
* * *
A week passed, but it didn’t feel real.
Eunnyangi @s2ndlover
(I’m not smart at all.mp4)
Drooling
Retweets 27K Likes 41K
Before she knew it, she was looping the same clip endlessly.
— The number of violent crimes per year is 35,126. The rate is 68.0 per 100,000 people. The homicide rate is 1.6 per «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» 100,000—801 cases total.
Han Yeoreum’s voice carved itself sharply into her ears.
Even with her wrist grabbed, her posture stayed perfectly straight.
At this point, Eunnyangi had practically memorized all their lines.
“...I think I...”
she muttered.
“My ‘obsessed-with-men’ DNA is activating.”
She was certain.
She wasn’t watching 〈Unfair Trade〉 for Han Yeoreum.
It was because of Shin Seojin—the beautiful second male lead from 〈The Great Garland〉 who had overturned the entire landscape of second male leads in Korea.
“That’s gotta be it.”
She nodded to herself.
“I seriously hate Han Yeoreum, but Shin Seojin wins this.”
Eunnyangi let out a breath of admiration.
No wonder this actor had driven people insane during <We Rund>.
Even with Han Yeoreum on screen, he still made people watch live.
That alone proved how incredible Shin Seojin was.
After binge-watching episodes 1 through 8 over the weekend, diving into the minor gallery, clips, and making videos—
Monday evening arrived.
Without hesitation, Eunnyangi fixed the channel to SBC.
“Is it because the culprit is smarter than the detective that they aren’t caught? No. It’s because there are too many bastards in this world. Because of limited manpower, cases are divided into those that matter more and those that matter less.”
Lee Seohae had clearly done her research—and made a decision.
“Three months.”
She spoke of Gam Seonghwan’s past case, unsolved for over ten years.
“If it cannot be resolved within that time, I will report it to higher authorities.”
She granted him a small concession.
Even though she shouldn’t have.
Even though she knew that bereaved families inevitably lose objectivity.
She treated only him differently.
There was arrogance in it—confidence that if she were involved, it could be solved within three months.
But it also perfectly matched her character.
Principled. Rule-bound.
The story had now entered the core of 〈Unfair Trade〉.
The hunt for the culprit of that day.
Immersion deepened.
* * *
At Sansung’s GLX marketing team, the employee who had pushed for additional PPL was also watching live.
“...Damn. Director Park did well.”
Even after reviewing the storyboard and rough cut twice, seeing it live was different.
Until now, Lee Seohae had always entered interrogation rooms empty-handed.
Her overwhelming genius—like someone who memorized everything in one glance—had shifted angles.
[Unfair Trade Minor Gallery]
[Our stray cat is so admirable]
[The PPL is obvious but it fits so I’ll let it slide LMAO]
[The way she’s this invested in Seonghwan’s case means they’re basically dating already, I’m right]
[How does Han Yeoreum do that eye movement acting? Her speed-reading is insane]
When advertising a tablet, the marketing team focuses on two things:
Nice to have.
And inconvenient without.
You have to highlight both the quality-of-life improvements and the inconveniences people didn’t realize they had.
Only then do you catch attention.
Lee Seohae usually handled everything with her own mind.
But just in case, she organized and checked information again—using the GLX device.
To communicate it to Gam Seonghwan.
For someone so intelligent that communication itself was difficult—
it was the perfect choice.
— People who use GLX tablets, what size is Seohae using? Probably mini
— Yeah the regular is way bigger than that
— Damn now I want one, should I just get it on installment lolol
Those few seconds.
That was all it took for Lee Seohae to capture the audience.
Every brand has an image.
Trend-leading. Soft and lovely. Aggressive and durable.
But building that image costs enormous money.
Time and capital must be poured in relentlessly to reach the consumer’s subconscious. freewebnσvel.cøm
Yet the image Sansung had been trying to build—
was forming, just like that.
Competence.
The pinnacle of high-end tech. Leadership. Clear innovation.
All of it fused into one word.
Competence.
They spent trillions every year maintaining that branding.
“...We should’ve done this earlier.”
Since Han Yeoreum’s 2002 World Cup action scene, GLX smartwatch sales had been steadily rising.
The marketer, staring at the screen, suddenly realized something.
Right now, women in their teens, twenties, and thirties preferred AP.
Young. Stylish. Trendy.
The default choice.
“But now... Han Yeoreum...”
One of the most favored celebrities among young women.
Since her debut in 〈ParCheHi〉, she had created a million Son Minsoo imitators.
Sneakers had been renamed after Pi Chaewon.
Then 〈Faster Than the Law〉 dyed one in ten heads red that summer.
Then <We Rund>—Yeon Huijae’s speech patterns, short hair, pink sweater.
Even the glitter blush balm from her fan signing had sold out instantly.
“But she never had a ‘competent’ image. Honestly.”
She had always been youthful, lovely, fresh.
Not someone associated with electronics.
But now—
after Lee Seohae—
it was different.
The GLX marketing team leader thought about the release date of the next smartwatch.
They had found the right person.
* * *
IP 85.152 watched episode 12 of 〈Unfair Trade〉 live.
[Unfair Trade Minor Gallery]
[They’re both gonna die from overwork before catching the culprit f*ck]
[Sansung I’m tolerating this only until today, if you force more PPL I’ll kill you]
[Let Seohae interrogate just one more time, I want to hear it again]
[Did you guys see yesterday’s making? Both actors are so cute LOLOL]
Posts were flooding in, but it wasn’t like <The Great Garland>.
‘They’re definitely not fighting.’
Compared to the chaos back then—people going insane, fighting every day—this was peaceful.
Lee Seohae and Gam Seonghwan continued tracking the culprit, while being pulled into other cases.
“I’m busy as hell, what are you doing, old man.”
“Ah, you brat! I just want to look at my son’s photos overseas for a second!”
Gam Seonghwan grumbled affectionately at the team leader.
“Is now the time for that? Take care of your team first. We’re the ones you see every day.”
Spotting Lee Seohae, he said,
“This guy’s not investigating, he’s just looking at his son’s photos.”
He waved the phone in front of her. The team leader quickly snatched it back.
“That’s not Korea?”
“Yeah. My son’s in Japan.”
“He’s a ‘goose father.’”
“How old is your son?”
“Same age as Seonghwan! So it’s not really that anymore. He’s independent now.”
“Then a former goose father.”
“Are those old photos?”
“What? Why would I look at old photos and get sentimental? They’re recent. Just taken. Anyway, get back to work.”
Lee Seohae bowed lightly.
[Wait this feels like foreshadowing but I don’t know what it is]
As the two were dragged from one case to another—
it happened.
“What the hell, a hit-and-run? A traffic accident involving a detective?”
The team leader had been hit.
Suspicious music began to play.
— What is this
— Criminals always target the person most important to their target TT_TT
— Uncle!!! Don’t get hurt f*ck this reminds me of my dad
— Who’s the sound director? This uneasy music is insane
“I’m almost there. Heading up.”
Muttering, Gam Seonghwan ended the call and got out of his car in the parking lot.
And then—
[Investigator Lee Seohae]
Lee Seohae was calling him.
