Free Web NovelCurrent situation.
This was how Eun Baekhap’s fans reacted.
-Ah, fuck, unni please... please get a grip, seriously stop doing insane shit plz
-This is why I love Eun Baekhap. Even if her skull cracks open she’ll still cling to one script and keep going with tiger-like spirit 😯😯 she’s seriously stubborn as hell
-There she goes again, stomping straight ahead without checking conditions first. Look at her running into the flames... fuck... Baekhap-ah..T_T... but I still love you..
-Her matchup luck’s been fucked for years already so I feel nothing now. Mentally ill ballerina? Hell yeah jackpot
-One day everyone in the world will finally reevaluate our Queen Baekhap you lowborn peasants you’re all wrong and my actress is always right
Eun Baekhap’s fandom, as always, carried deep unresolved sorrow. Some even looked like they were enjoying this total chaos instead. The composure of veteran fans who had been through hell already.
Hong Suryeon’s fans looked like this.
-TT_TT Ahhh this is annoying, I was seriously looking forward to Hwang Boseok + Hong Suryeon, why’d somebody else get it.. haha
└ Fine, I can maybe understand the female lead part after giving up a hundred times, but wtf is sh*t doing there? He should’ve stepped aside on his own. This is why I fucking hate male-idol-turned-actors, blegh
-Giving us another project immediately with no hiatus, this is why I love Hong Suryeon ♥︎
-Pairing her with Yoo Jiuk TT_TT Ahhh my heart’s so happy, I can already see their visual chemistry rolling a perfect six on the dice. I’m dying over the synopsis already lololol
└ Yeah yeah, Hong Suryeon looks good with literally anyone, but if it’s Yoo Jiuk then what more even needs to be said haha
Just like the actress herself, her fans were relaxed gamers enjoying the ride. An actress who had never truly lost before. And her previous work, 〈See You That Day〉, had also ended beautifully with strong results and chemistry.
Sure, it had narrowly lost to 〈Unfair Trade〉 in ratings, but that was easy enough to laugh off.
Because 〈Unfair Trade〉 had practically rewritten the history of genre dramas. It gave people the prideful feeling that Hong Suryeon alone had managed to hold back that monster to this degree.
Do Gyeoul’s fans reacted like this.
-Ahhh finally TT_TT finally Do Gyeoul’s taking a project again TT_TT
└ Her hiatus wasn’t even that long but maybe because we didn’t get to watch her grow in between, I feel robbed..T_T I wish she’d do at least one project a year
└ Same same. There were so many roles Do Gyeoul would’ve been perfect for back in high school, but she spent all that time studying T_T honestly I’m even more upset than she is
-Giving a character like this to an actress in her twenties.. LOOLI can’t even imagine how adored and trusted by the writer and director she must be
└ Seriously TT_TT how insanely good was her audition for this to happen
-Her acting in 〈The Fuse〉 was so good, definitely trusting her again this time haha One two three, Do Gyeoul we love you
Do Gyeoul’s fans were excited about a type of acting she had never tried before. They also felt proud that such a rare role—a psychopath lawyer—had gone to Do Gyeoul.
Despite being a script difficult for someone her age to pull off, she had still won the role. They were indulging fully in the catharsis of that victory.
And finally.
“Ha....”
Han Yeoreum’s fandom looked like they were attending a funeral.
-What the hell are we supposed to do with our Melon Bread now
-I smiled the second I saw Hwang Boseok’s name, right? Then I saw the actresses attached were Hong Suryeon, Do Gyeoul, and Eun Baekhap
-Yeoreum-ah, we know you’re kind, we know you care about people... nobody’ll blame you so please dump Eden already...
└ Fuck, if Han Yeoreum had any say in the casting would she have brought Seo Eden in? The previous male lead was Shin Seojin for god’s sake
-Myeong son-in-law please save our girl, you can do it
└ In this atmosphere could the shippers please stop acting up? We’re all genuinely despairing right now, read the room LOLOL;
In this insane situation, there didn’t seem to be a single person who believed Han Yeoreum could win. The competing drama lineup airing in the same time slot, combined with the handicap named Seo Eden, was simply too overwhelming.
Even Aetami surrendered herself to the massive wave. The reactions were like towering tsunami waves.
Almost every board and every community was obsessed with discussing who would win.
A holy grail war between actresses on a scale never seen before.
It was the kind of topic that made everyone feel like their dopamine receptors were exploding.
‘This is insane... this is seriously insane.’
Her heart pounded violently. Aetami quickly searched up the synopsis and character introductions for every drama.
The root cause of this entire disaster was simple: every broadcasting company was completely confident in the project they had chosen.
As expected, her prediction was right. As she scrolled, Aetami could feel it.
‘They’re all fighting to the death.’
It was obvious they were risking everything. The sheer intensity of nobody giving up even a single step was enough to make chills run down her spine.
[HOT / Apparently drama fans are losing their minds over this year’s second-half drama lineup.jpg]
Hong Suryeon + Yoo Jiuk + Woo Seungri romcom
Hwang Boseok + Han Yeoreum + Seo Eden romcom
Do Gyeoul + Seo Jeongwon + Kwak Shinseong legal drama
Eun Baekhap + Lee Eungyu + Yang Huimun affair melodrama + revenge
-This is insane what the hell???? Did all the broadcasting stations secretly collude or something?
└ Apparently this is their final desperate push before NetHolics fully takes over
-I’m absolutely going for Eun Baekhap’s drama. I’ve never had my heart race this hard from a character description before T_T my queen please don’t drive me insane
-LMAOOOOO Holy shit, how are they even paying for these production costs
└ It’s possible because these are female-led dramas
└ The comment above is seriously true. Most production budgets go to male actor fees LOLOL Since these are female-led and don’t need huge CGI-heavy productions, it probably worked
-Seriously what am I even supposed to watch at this point
-Throw rotten Seo Eden out
└ Seo Eden has fans too, damn, that’s harsh LOLOLOL
└ He’s the reason people are saying harsh shit though. Why the hell is Seo Eden in a Hwang Boseok + Han Yeoreum project??
‘Yeah. How’s our baby Melon Bread supposed to survive this...?!’
Aetami calculated the odds with a splitting headache.
In terms of recognition alone, Han Yeoreum couldn’t beat Eun Baekhap and Hong Suryeon at the top, nor Do Gyeoul with twenty years of career experience.
As for the male actors opposite them: top-tier Yoo Jiuk, veteran film actor Lee Eungyu even if only in a supporting role, and Seo Jeongwon, who had steadily climbed upward through recognized acting skill.
‘And then there’s Seo Eden. That’s just impossible.’
Among the directors, the director attached to Do Gyeoul’s project had the biggest name value too.
The only thing advantageous for Han Yeoreum, who was losing in recognition, director prestige, and male lead lineup alike, was Hwang Boseok alone.
Aetami mentally ran through every possibility from years of being a drama addict.
‘...There’s nothing....’
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see a path to victory.
‘But maybe this is actually better.’
If Han Yeoreum lost after going up against Hong Suryeon alone, it would become solely Han Yeoreum’s defeat. But now that Do Gyeoul and Eun Baekhap had entered the battlefield too—
‘People can say “you lost, but you fought well” now!’
Being the most disadvantaged also meant having the least to lose in a fight.
The most hopeful scenario was losing to the other dramas while still keeping the ratings close.
Because that would become another opportunity to prove her acting ability.
‘Just don’t get crushed too badly, Yeoreum-ah....’
Aetami prayed silently. She could already vividly imagine drama fans grabbing each other by the hair and fighting online.
* * *
After a war unlike anything before had officially been declared, naturally every community burst into flames. I scrolled through the reactions from the public.
[DramaMovieActor TALK / Uh what the hell is this;; I literally screamed out loud]
Even with just Hong Suryeon and Han Yeoreum my heart was already pounding enough, then Do Gyeoul joined and I went ???, then Eun Baekhap got added and I seriously screamed LMAO what IS this
-Anonymous 1: This feels too dreamlike T_T LOLOL this is fucking amazing... never thought I’d see a day like this
-Anonymous 3: I got chills all over my body. Can’t believe I’m witnessing a war like this in my lifetime LOLOL I still can’t decide which drama I’m supposed to watch live T_T
-Anonymous 7: I’m seriously so happy TT_TT I can already tell all my time’s gonna disappear into dramas every week!
[DramaMovieActor TALK / Who do you think’s gonna win? LMAO]
Personally Hong Suryeon T_T Woo Seungri + Hong Suryeon + Yoo Jiuk is a combination drama fans have been screaming for for years and they actually made it happen LOOOL this is so fucking funny. The synopsis itself literally cannot fail
-Anonymous 1: Same It’s just that 〈Unfair Trade〉 was too monstrously strong last time, but 〈See You That Day〉 still did well too.. I’m just thankful my actress is working nonstop without hiatus T_T
-Anonymous 5: I really hope Do Gyeoul’s drama succeeds the most.. Giving us a female psychopath lawyer?? We should honestly kneel down and say thank you
-Anonymous 9: No matter what, Eun Baekhap falls behind way too much in ratings..TT_TT Ah, this unni seriously has such incredible taste in scripts, but every other condition is always terrible
└ Anonymous 12: That’s why Eun Baekhap fans are permanently full of resentment. Unni... unni that’s not it...
└ Anonymous 15: I’m crying. I thought my actress would soar after peaking with <We Rund>, but once again she sees only the script and throws herself into the fire. Fuck, please... PLEASE learn to calculate things, woman TT___TT
-Anonymous 19: I’m betting on baby Melon Bread LOLOLOLOL It’s her first romance but I feel like she’ll still dominate here too
└ Anonymous 21: But the problem is the male lead. Why the hell is an idol in a Hwang Boseok drama..?
└ Anonymous 22: Agency connections, obviously
-Anonymous 36: Please at least change the title 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉. It sounds so lame T_T Like some weekend family drama
‘I’ve always been... a filial daughter to my fans.’
Seeing my fans discouraged made my heart ache. Everyone else was gathered together chatting passionately, but only my fans seemed to have stepped back and started crying in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the corner.
‘What must it feel like for fans watching an actress who has never once lost in buzz or ratings get dragged into a disaster like this....’
I felt overwhelmed myself, so how much worse would it be for the people watching?
I let out a deep sigh.
Facing this kind of situation for the first time kept chipping away at my confidence.
‘I managed to regain my composure during the styling meeting, but....’
Actually seeing my fans looking sad with my own eyes hit me hard. The mindset of Let’s go confidently! Hidden powerhouse fighting! completely crumbled apart.
Right then, a call came from Myeong Jeha.
-What should we do?
Yesterday, Myeong Jeha had already told me the peak performance levels of all three projects.
In Myeong Jeha’s memories, those three dramas had never aired simultaneously like this. Because of that, all of them had surpassed 20% ratings and ranked highest among competing time-slot dramas.
Works so polished that it was impossible to exploit any openings.
And me, stuck in the most disadvantageous position.
-Want me to help?
I hesitated for a moment.
All the reactions I’d monitored flashed through my mind simultaneously. My head felt as chaotic as a laptop with dozens of windows open at once.
“I really did want to say that.”
But.
“I still want to endure it myself. For now....”
Maybe it was an arrogant thought only possible because I had never failed before.
Maybe my drama would end up with the lowest ratings out of all of them.
Later on, I might regret not asking for help back then. Maybe I should’ve asked him to spread negative rumors about the competing projects. Maybe I should’ve had scandals involving actors or directors exposed in advance.
Maybe I’d regret it like that.
“Even if I get beaten to a pulp, I still want to try going as far as I can first.”
Still, I wanted to face them head-on.
Because it felt like a chance that would never come again.
This might be the only moment in my life where I could fight actresses like Hong Suryeon and Eun Baekhap—and, much as I hated to admit it, even Do Gyeoul—on equal footing.
-Hahaha.
Myeong Jeha laughed brightly on the other end of the line.
“Why are you laughing? Is it funny?”
-I’m just... happy. freёwebnovel.com
Right. To an old veteran like him, this probably did look entertaining.
‘Meanwhile I’m over here staking my life on this...?’
This was a genuinely huge decision for me.
“What exactly is making you happy, huh? This situation?”
Still smiling, Myeong Jeha answered.
-Mm. It reminds me of the old days too.
What a seasoned answer.
I tried to shake off the complicated feelings weighing on me.
-Good. Keep pushing forward with that mindset.
“Yeees....”
-You don’t realize it, but even one tiny thing can easily make a project collapse.
“But you said none of those three projects ever collapsed.”
-Who knows. There just weren’t any meaningful variables before now.
Myeong Jeha added one last thing I still didn’t fully understand.
-A project is a living creature, Yeoreum-ah.
Something about the idea of a project being alive gave me the faintest sliver of hope.
“Okay. Then I’m heading out.”
-Where to?
“Director Byeon and Writer Hwang are starting pre-production today.”
This was on an entirely different level from before. It wasn’t just about researching the character or discussing how scenes should be filmed anymore.
With the grim determination of soldiers heading into battle, Hwang Boseok had decided to revise the script.
And during that process, he requested to hear the opinions of both the director and the actors, so everyone gathered together in one place.
After the news of the four-actress showdown spread, everyone had become busy.
There had even been suggestions to change the temporary title 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 before it became widely known.
But in the end, because of this blazing atmosphere, the temporary title stuck.
-When are you done?
“No idea. We’ll see once we start.”
-Have a safe trip.
Myeong Jeha quoted Yeon Huijae’s line.
Some of my tension melted away.
Right.
Who am I?
Han Yeoreum—the actress who became the nation’s first love with only four episodes of 〈The Great Garland〉.
‘Then I’ll show them something even greater over sixteen episodes.’
My heart raced.
I stepped into the MBS Drama Center.
The place where I would create my Nam Pyeonghwa.
