WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Genius Writer Who Will Never Fall Again ◈
Chapter 21: Broadcast (4)
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It was late July, the height of the summer heat.
By the calendar, it was that time of year. A time when daily life gained a touch of the extraordinary, when people went on vacation to escape the sweltering heat.
But what about those without anything special like that? How were they supposed to get through days like these?
For such everyday questions, and the stress of days that turned like a hamster wheel.
In daily life, where people had the same conversations with the same people every day.
When they looked for a common topic, they inevitably arrived at dramas.
“Hey, have you seen Geomgye Ilgun?”
“Yeah, I started it last week. It’s fun.”
“Right? It’s been a while since I followed a drama as it aired.”
“Though I kind of wish I’d waited to watch it. Every episode cuts off at exactly the worst moment.”
“Ah! Exactly!”
“Huh? Assistant Manager Yoon, you watch it too?”
“Yurim, you do too?”
“Yes! I saw the male lead actor on social media, and he’s totally my type!”
“Oh, I can see that. He does look manly. And handsome.”
“But the more I watched, the more I found myself looking at the female lead.”
“Oh, I know what you mean! She doesn’t even do anything special, but the second the camera catches her, she draws your eye.”
“She’s so pretty. Not just pretty, though. It feels like she’s bewitching you.”
“That’s it! Her aura’s just different!”
That was how dramas seeped into everyday life.
A historical series airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays, combined with broadly appealing material people could watch and discuss without pressure, got people talking about it everywhere.
It had not been common at first, but as viewership rapidly increased week after week, it began appearing as a topic of conversation in workplaces, schools, and all sorts of places.
The story had begun with Yeongho meeting Hyang-dan. Now, people drawn in by what Yeongho did to protect the tavern had joined them, and the entire tavern had become the group’s hideout.
As they began facing one incident after another, they formed a subtle standoff with Jang Bung-ik, a power within the royal court. They did not call themselves a Sword Brotherhood, but because they were a violent organization, others regarded them as one.
The plot raced forward with exhilarating momentum.
Yet the tension never quite faded, making viewers hold their breath without realizing it.
And because every episode cruelly cut off at a critical moment, they had no choice but to wait for the next one.
As people shared those feelings and talked about it more, the name Geomgye Ilgun spread almost like an infection.
That was the power of a well-made drama. The media and trend watchers always tried to reflect such currents faster than anyone else.
[Geomgye Ilgun finishes its third week with 17.6% ratings. Why the explosive growth?]
[Geomgye Ilgun, the quarter’s dark horse. Can it reach 30% ratings?]
The flames of success were spreading.
* * *
A drama’s success was determined by an incredibly complex combination of factors.
The quality of the work itself was, of course, a necessary condition.
But what good was a well-made show if nobody watched it?
Even if it received praise later, what value did that have if it could not promise immediate returns in commercial art?
That was why modern television had an idea treated almost like a formula.
‘Secure strong opening ratings, build on an overwhelming viewer pool, and steadily draw in more viewers. That’s how a drama succeeds.’
Put more simply, it meant using famous actors and famous writers, going full throttle from the start, and maintaining opening ratings.
It was generally an effective method.
You could say it was a method proven regardless of the era.
Since dramas required enormous capital, recovering that investment was unavoidable. That was why this approach had long been so popular.
But as with everything in the world, unexpected variables existed.
There was something technical, calculating industry professionals grew accustomed to and easily forgot.
‘The public always wants something new.’
Repeating a proven formula was ultimately no different from a quiet sinking in popular media.
After all, similarity in genre meant similarity in narrative and development.
Familiarity led to stagnation, and stagnation slowly gnawed away at affection for a genre.
That was why romantic comedies had become a genre people were tired of.
It was also a genre with a fixed audience pool and a firmly blocked ceiling.
That was why Geomgye Ilgun was bound to work.
It had begun at 4.1%, but that was not a problem.
In the end, dramas were a medium where what mattered was how broad an audience they could appeal to.
Among people living in Korea who had watched dramas, was there anyone who had never watched a historical drama?
If anything, the history of Korean historical dramas had been brilliant.
And noir?
It was a traditional powerhouse.
Later, people might criticize it for glorifying thugs or call it another gangster drama, but this was an era when that sort of thing sold.
The maximum appeal created by combining those two genres was simply different.
Opening ratings were an illusion.
In the end, what survived was what more people found interesting and entertaining.
Geomgye Ilgun had been written for one purpose alone.
Not to be “insanely fun,” but fun enough that viewers would come back for more.
The purpose of this work was to make anyone casually say, “Isn’t that show fun?”
Artistic merit?
That was something viewers attached to it after it became successful.
My role was already being fulfilled faithfully.
Of course, there was still the question of how to make people watch the work in the first place. But that problem had already been solved too.
‘Actors bring people in.’
That was why people cast famous actors.
That was also why they cast famous idols.
But as I said before, the public always wanted something new.
Something with more explosive firepower than famous actors.
‘A shocking new star.’
That was the result.
I let out a dry laugh as I scrolled through Facebook, the social media app popular in this era.
‘I expected this, but it’s even more than I thought.’
[Compilation of Hyang-dan Smiling.]
[Ryu Cheong-a Interview: Airheaded Charm.]
[Ryu Cheong-a Makeup Tips.]
Every kind of post was appearing.
Since so little about her had been revealed through the media so far, people everywhere were squeezing out anything they could and posting about Ryu Cheong-a.
She did not even use personal social media, creating a sort of mystique around her.
That heightened people’s curiosity. Then people who wanted the traffic from those curious searches began posting even more articles. By the end of the third broadcast week, social media was practically holding a festival for Ryu Cheong-a.
There was no denying that an actor’s stature had a profound effect on a drama’s stature.
This sort of viral attention gradually made people ask, “So what is Hyang-dan?” and “Who is Ryu Cheong-a?”
Do you know the bandwagon effect?
It referred to consuming media in order to join a trend, driven by the sense of alienation that came from being the only one not included in something everyone else was discussing.
That was happening now.
The icon called Ryu Cheong-a was drawing people in.
She was not the only one.
There were occasional posts about Na Jin-geon as well.
[The next in the lineage of handsome leading men...]
[Western-looking handsome men are always right...]
The longer I watched, the more posts I saw that imagined Na Jin-geon as some macho man who spent his days off exercising and partying.
‘He’s probably playing games right now.’
It would take more time for that secret to come out.
In any case, that was as far as it went.
Everything had fallen into place as I had expected, and the results through the third week had surpassed my expectations.
It was still too early to call it a complete success, but there was no denying the meaningful upward trend.
That was why.
Only now were my regrets beginning to melt away.
My hand clenched tightly.
‘This was how it was supposed to go. How it should have gone.’
The anxiety that had refused to subside until just before the broadcast was now being thoroughly dissected.
Because I was finally learning that the proof I had dreamed of was not an illusion.
Because I was learning for myself that my anxiety had been needless worry.
Five more weeks.
I just had to make it through that far.
Then, in the end, I would gain certainty that I had been right, that the reason I had been forced to collapse was not me, and that I could do well from now on.
‘So just a little longer.’
A little longer, until I no longer had to feel this anxiety.
‘More.’
So I could become someone greater.
For that, there was one thing.
[Reporter Choo Hyuk-jae: Shall we get started?]
It was time to remove the last obstacle remaining in my way.
My stomach sank coldly.
I wrote a reply.
[Yes. As expected, they made contact first.]
In the third week, just as the indicators were beginning to show explosive potential, the event I had anticipated began.
It was time to do the cleaning I had put off.
* * *
The couple had big dreams.
More precisely, their greed was immense.
Even after the business they had somehow kept afloat collapsed completely, they had not given up. They dreamed of another business and would stop at nothing to make it happen.
The management business was one such attempt.
Their daughter was exceptionally talented.
If they could get her help somehow, establish an agency, and grow it properly, they could forget the humiliation of their previous failure. This was their chance to earn enough money to make that failure seem insignificant.
Her first project, Geomgye Ilgun, was soaring through an astonishing growth curve after only three weeks.
Naturally, Cheong-a’s value as the female lead rose in proportion.
The entire world was curious about the actor Ryu Cheong-a.
They cheered for Ryu Cheong-a’s acting, her gaze, her expressions, and her gestures.
Her per-episode filming fee?
It was low, naturally, because she was a rookie. But that did not matter.
Did they think there were only one or two companies already offering advertisements because they had seen Ryu Cheong-a?
Did they think there were only one or two production companies reaching out to work with her on her next project?
Things were going well.
The outlook made it obvious they would go even better.
The daughter they had painstakingly raised had become a goose that laid golden eggs.
How could they not be happy?
At least, that was how the couple saw it.
They believed it was all thanks to the sacrifices they had made to raise her.
They believed this was simply Cheong-a repaying them for it.
More than anything, were they not the ones managing and increasing the value of Ryu Cheong-a as a person even now?
They thought they were merely receiving a small reward.
Today was no different.
“Full-service management. And a writer representation contract.”
“Yes, Writer Han is also a rookie, isn’t he? Frankly, this industry is not an easy place to navigate as an individual. So, if you are going to choose a nest anyway, why not join the agency that was with you at the beginning of your journey? I thought we could bring you in and grow together. Hahaha!”
Han Jae-kyung.
At first, when they had thought he was merely a rookie writer, they had not expected much from him.
But how could that thought last?
There was a certain atmosphere on set that became apparent when they followed filming day after day.
Jae-kyung rarely showed his face and almost never had reason to meet the crew, yet people’s praise for him always soared sky-high.
Even the chief producer, renowned for their skill, never held back praise for Jae-kyung’s writing ability, beyond his personal qualities.
A prospect like this had to be brought in while he was still cheap.
The couple’s goal was not to run a one-person agency managing only Ryu Cheong-a.
They planned to expand further, building a full-service management agency that used talent from every corner of the industry.
Their start had been good.
They had already met with several people. As Cheong-a’s standing rose by the day, those people began leaning toward favorable answers and discussing the finer details.
They even told Jae-kyung about that side of their business.
“Hahaha, of course, since we are a new agency, you may not find us very trustworthy. But listen. Among the people currently discussing contracts with us are...”
The husband, who was leading the negotiations, thought to himself.
He was just a young punk, newly arrived in the entertainment industry and drunk on his dreams.
Show him a little splendor, and he would quickly fall for it and put his name on the contract.
‘I need to handle him well. Just having a writer the broadcasting station values...’
From casting actors to adjusting the weight of roles, all sorts of advantages would naturally follow.
If they handled him properly, they could raise the agency’s status throughout the entire industry to the heavens.
Naturally.
Of course, the couple expected Jae-kyung to be tempted and ask all sorts of questions.
But another question came first.
“Does Ryu Cheong-a know about this?”
The couple exchanged glances.
A thought flashed through their minds.
‘Does he have feelings for Cheong-a?’
If he was a young man in the prime of his life, perhaps that was only natural.
If so, things might become even easier.
The smiles on the couple’s faces deepened.
“Haha! What do you think our role is? An agency handles these things so Cheong-a does not have to worry about them. She does not know yet, but she will certainly be delighted to have Writer Han under the same roof! Of course she will! Our Cheong-a talks about Writer Han all the time. Isn’t that right, honey?”
“Of course! Before, she...”
They traded suitably embellished words.
Sweet talk meant to lure Jae-kyung in.
And laughably, most of it had been fabricated from things Cheong-a had actually said.
Jae-kyung remained expressionless.
In fact, he had been expressionless ever since they met, his eyes sunken. To the couple, it looked like nervousness or posturing.
Their arrogance and greed clouded their vision too thoroughly for them to notice anything in his sharp features.
Then Jae-kyung suddenly spoke.
“I understand.”
“Still, you are truly impressive. Taking care of your daughter while planning to expand your business like this.”
“Hahaha! Isn’t it all work that must be done? We do it gladly. What could we not do to help our daughter succeed?”
“That is exactly why it is impressive.”
Jae-kyung carefully set the contract down on the table.
Then the words that followed froze the couple in place.
“Being so devoted when she is not even your biological daughter cannot be easy.”
How did he know that?
The couple’s expressions stiffened in an instant.
Their smiles vanished as they looked at the person across from them.
Jae-kyung was still expressionless.
No, deeply ingrained gloom was plainly visible on his face.
“I have a few questions, anyway.”
Only then did they vaguely sense it.
“There are a great many strange terms in this contract, so I think we need to go through them carefully.”
For some reason, the couple felt as if a sharp awl had been pressed against their Adam’s apples.
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