“…Hmph!”
Jiyoon left the classroom alone, leaving Suhyeon behind, who was smiling brightly.
It was very much like her to disappear while ignoring Sangil, who was standing in front of her.
“Even though we’re going to the same place, that’s pretty cold.”
“…You really lack awareness, you know that?”
“Me? No way.”
Suhyeon, who had been looking in the direction Jiyoon had disappeared, burst into a hollow laugh at Sangil’s words.
Although he looked only six on the outside, he was a twenty-five-year-old man who had survived the entertainment industry with his wits.
His manager didn’t really know him well.
“You’ve been insisting that Jiyoon likes me for a while now, but that’s not really the case.”
“Who knows?”
“Oh, come on. Even if she confessed, she’s still a kid.”
Suhyeon shook his head.
He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Jiyoon had a fondness for him.
However, he concluded that her feelings were more of a friendly affection than a romantic interest.
Like a naïve kid declaring she would marry her dad.
He thought she was merely imitating the way adults expressed affection, like someone following a trend.
Given the nearly twenty-year mental age gap, taking it seriously seemed laughable.
“At that age, what would she know about love?”
“Do you realize how unconvincing that sounds coming from a six-year-old? Should I stop you from accessing the internet again?”
Sangil murmured with a serious expression, and Suhyeon, who had just gotten his laptop back yesterday, looked at his manager with a betrayed gaze.
Living a life where all information had to be confirmed through others was simply too terrifying.
“Wow, hyung. I’ve already become someone who can’t live without the internet, and now you want to take it away? Are you the devil?”
“…That’s exactly why I need to confiscate it. Please stop looking at weird stuff. It’s messing you up.”
“It’s okay because I’m cute. Everything’s forgiven.”
“How do you only pick up the bad stuff? Anyway, let’s talk about the internet later and get going.”
“Yessir.”
“You’re only good at answering.”
The young actor and his manager bickered non-stop as they moved toward where the staff had gathered.
Despite everything, they had a good relationship.
“Great! Everyone’s here. We’ve rested enough, so let’s get back to work!”
The PD, recharged with energy in a short time, encouraged the staff energetically.
With the lights shining brightly, the boom mic floating above, the reflector aimed at their faces to avoid shadows, and the camera capturing the entire scene, the room buzzed with activity as the equipment found their places.
“It’s just that my body isn’t feeling well.”
As Suhyeon calmly recited the first line of the scene that had an NG, Jiyoon followed after him.
Their conversation flowed naturally without any mistakes.
“Great! Good job, everyone!”
“Thank you.”
And at 6 PM that day, Suhyeon managed to keep his dream of leaving work on time.
* * *
Despite the ups and downs during filming, the drama’s viewership ratings continued to soar.
The rising ratings showed no signs of falling, surpassing the 5% mark, which was considered a daunting barrier, in just six episodes.
It was an unbelievable success.
Given that the drama had succeeded with relatively inexpensive A-list and child actors at its center, the reaction was even more significant.
“Recently, the number of households subscribing to cable services has increased. Especially restaurants and bars.”
“Really?”
Suhyeon, uninterested in the topic, answered indifferently while focusing on the paper he was holding.
His indifferent attitude clearly conveyed, “I’m busy, so please don’t disturb me.”
“Why do you answer like it’s someone else’s business? It’s your work, Mr. Actor.”
“…What?”
Finally lifting his eyes from the paper, Suhyeon looked at Sangil through the rearview mirror with a sulky expression.
He couldn’t immediately see the connection between cable and himself, and he was annoyed by the manager who kept disturbing his busy self.
At that timely moment, the traffic light turned red, and Sangil’s gaze met Suhyeon’s through the mirror.
“Recently, cable companies are using TNB and Praise as bait. The reason there’s been an increase in installation inquiries at restaurants is because customers want to watch Praise.”
“…They’re watching a thriller at a restaurant? More importantly, does it make sense to subscribe just because of one drama?”
Suhyeon let out a hollow laugh at his manager’s words.
There was no way a single drama could influence the demand for cable.
Even if it did, it was too exaggerated to say that restaurants were subscribing to cable just to show Praise.
Even if you’re joking, it needs to make sense for me to believe it.
From Suhyeon’s perspective, as someone who knew the future, Sangil’s information-gathering ability exceeded that of an average manager.
Although he couldn’t pick out works that would succeed by reading the trends and quality of the projects, he knew how to filter out external distractions by gathering information from his surroundings.
It was a crucial ability, considering that many projects failed due to excessive greed, no matter how good the script was.
Therefore, Suhyeon thought that Sangil was just joking to see his surprised reaction, not spreading false information based on strange rumors.
However, unexpectedly, Sangil was serious.
“I didn’t expect this, but you’re surprisingly naïve, aren’t you?”
“What…?”
“Praise can’t be considered just another drama. It’s the first drama produced by a cable channel that can rival the quality of the three major broadcasting networks. Being the first at anything is important.”
“That is…”
When Suhyeon fell silent, unable to continue, Sangil pointed out the aspects he had overlooked one by one.
Reruns on terrestrial TV, home shopping, animation channels, game channels, religious promotions, hobby information ads, and more ads…
The image of cable broadcasting was more of a hobbyist option than a primary choice, leading to a narrow target audience.
Since the monthly service fee wasn’t low and there was nothing to miss if you didn’t watch it, people were reluctant to subscribe without a special reason.
For the cable industry, which was struggling with a stagnant number of subscribers, the drama Praise was a great bait to attract the public.
“It completely overturned the prejudice that ‘programs produced by cable are provocative and low-quality.'”
Whether it was prejudice or fact wasn’t important.
What mattered was that Praise was well-made enough to attract the public’s attention and served as a perfect example of the changing face of cable.
“Everyone’s working hard…”
“We have to if we want to make a living. Director Lee Bongchun is rejecting PPLs that don’t match the work, so the broadcaster is actively cooperating with the cable providers.”
True to his reputation for being persistent and for producing movies, Bongchun chose the completion of the work over money.
He reduced the signing bonus to include clauses related to advertisements and exercised his rights to reject PPL offers that didn’t match the work.
The higher-ups, who hadn’t expected Praise to be this successful, regretted losing the lucrative pie that had slipped out of their hands.
“…So, are they really showing Praise at restaurants?”
Suhyeon looked at Sangil with a subtle expression.
The reason he had chosen Praise was that he knew from the future that the drama’s script would be a blockbuster hit as a movie and that the status of cable dramas would change.
With a trusted PD and TNB putting their all into the drama department, he had calculated that he would gain a better filmography than being a supporting actor on terrestrial TV.
However, reality exceeded Suhyeon’s expectations.
“Money is great.”
“That’s true, but, uh, no matter how you look at it, having dinner while watching a thriller isn’t right.”
“…Mr. Actor? If you take my joke seriously, what does that make me?”
“A bad adult, of course. A bad adult who teaches a child the harshness of capitalism.”
“Doesn’t it hurt your conscience to say things like that?”
“Suweoni is still a baby, so she doesn’t understand that.”[1]
Suhyeon, who responded annoyingly, picked up the paper he had thrown aside, leaving Sangil grumbling behind.
It didn’t matter whether the cable company increased its subscribers using Praise as bait.
He had more important things to do.
“I have to memorize this first. No more small talk.”
“Is there a lot to memorize? It didn’t look like much earlier.”
“It’s not much, but I can’t afford to make a mistake. They’re all die-hard viewers and fans, so I have to show a better side than usual.”
Suhyeon quietly read the written instructions.
Today’s outfit was a white turtleneck and jeans.
For the question “Who are you closest to?” he had to hug Actor Lee Seohan slightly and answer, “I like hyung the most.”
He had to keep holding Seohan’s hand…
Most of the instructions were to show off his closeness with Seohan and appeal to a child’s unique loveliness.
It’s like begging. And why are the instructions for kids so unfriendly? If I were really six years old, I wouldn’t understand any of this.
Suhyeon puffed out his cheeks in frustration at the complicated instructions.
As Praise gained unexpected attention, the production team set a pledge: If the ratings exceed 5%, the lead actors will watch an episode with 100 viewers in a movie theater.
It was a pledge made to hype up the atmosphere, expecting it to be fulfilled later on, and considering the modest rise in viewership typical of cable, it was a reasonable condition.
However, Praise broke those expectations by the 6th episode.
The production team and the broadcasting station, in a mix of panic and joy, hurriedly prepared to fulfill the pledge.
They drew lots for 100 viewers and rented a movie theater…
The team, who was preparing for the live broadcast like it was a movie premiere, asked the lead actors to help with the promotion.
Although it seemed somewhat forced due to the script that accompanied the request, on the surface, it was still technically just a request.
It didn’t have to be the very next episode… In the end, Taebin-noona couldn’t come.
As the schedule was hastily arranged, there were some clashes with the actors’ schedules.
Suhyeon, who had no schedules outside of classes, was okay, but Seohan had to adjust drama-related interviews, and Taebin couldn’t come in the end.
They barely managed to gather 100 viewers, and due to the short application period, they almost got criticized despite fulfilling the pledge.
This is where you can tell they’re newbies.
Having just started, TNB didn’t hesitate to make bold attempts.
Planning a typical mini-series despite being a cable channel, actively promoting through the internet, and even fulfilling a crazy pledge to rent a movie theater…
The raw freshness that vividly resonated with the public…
However, too much freshness sometimes revealed inexperience.
What can I do? Like it or not, I’ve already signed the contract. I have to lead this well.
Grumbling, Suhyeon meticulously checked the instructions on the paper.
As a professional getting paid, he had no intention of handling the event carelessly
* * *
“Hello, everyone. I’m Lee Seohan. Thank you for gathering here today.”
“Hello!”
“Seeing you all like this, it feels like a movie premiere.”
At Seohan’s words with a hint of laughter, the seated audience burst into laughter.
Several flashes sparkled from the designated press seats.
“Hello. I’m Kang Suhyeon, playing Yeonwu. Umm… I love you!”
“Kyaaa!”
“So cute!”
When Suhyeon tilted his head and smiled, the screams that had momentarily stopped filled the theater again.
Due to the overwhelming number of women, the sharp high-pitched sounds pricked Suhyeon’s delicate ears.
It’s a movie theater, but it feels like a concert hall…
Like a frightened child, he clung to Seohan’s hem.
Seohan also raised his hand and lightly patted Suhyeon’s head.
Although it seemed like an unconscious gesture due to their usual good relationship, it was actually part of the script received from the promotion team.
My pride hurts that my height is below the waist.
Though his small body was cute and lovable, it was too weak and everything was too high for him.
Whenever he got close, he felt like a dwarf in a giant’s world, so despite his admiration for Seohan, the situations where his head was easily patted were frustrating.
“It’s almost time for the drama to start. Are you all ready to enjoy it?”
“Yes!”
While Suhyeon was immersed in his internal conflict, Seohan calmed the viewers and skillfully led them.
Despite doing so, he didn’t stop patting him, and Suhyeon continued to smile toward the crowd with a complex and subtle feeling.
Oh, it’s starting. This feels really weird…
When Suhyeon and Seohan sat in the front row, the theater lights dimmed and the familiar logo appeared.
The screen was so large that the resolution was a bit blurry, but it also had its own charm.
It feels like I should be eating popcorn while watching.
The large screen and rich sound turned one episode of the 16-part drama into a cinematic experience.
The thriller genre, the actors’ performances that were flawless even in close-ups, and the movie-like editing techniques made it possible.
…Is this really the end? This timing is so bad it could make Satan cry.
As always with dramas, episode 7 ended without satisfying the viewers’ curiosity.
It was his first time watching an incomplete work in a theater, so Suhyeon felt an odd sense of injustice.
Even though he had read the entire script and acted according to it, he felt strangely wronged.
“Please take a poster when you leave. Thank you for loving Praise.”
“Thank you!”
When the drama ended and the lights came on, Seohan skillfully wrapped up the event as confidently as he had started it.
He finished his task by giving out posters with the random signatures of one of the three leading actors.
“You did well today. Suhyeon, it’s really late. Aren’t you sleepy?”
“…I’m a bit sleepy, but I’m okay.”
“Your eyes are closing. I’ll handle the rest. Go home and get some rest.”
Even though Suhyeon’s eyes were bright until the drama ended, he couldn’t fight off the drowsiness that hit him and started to doze off.
Unable to ignore it any longer, Seohan called his manager to carry him, and only then did Suhyeon relax and fall asleep peacefully.
[1] Suhyeon intentionally mispronounced his name and added the suffix -i at the end to make himself sound cute.
