WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈

Chapter 23: First Broadcast (1)

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[SBC <Suspect X> Production Presentation Concludes, CP Han Kang-hee: “Courtesy to Viewers? Properly Vetted Casting Is the Bare Minimum”]

[“A drama is not a game. Hastily casting a lead on set should be avoided...”]

[Did <Suspect X> Take a Barbed Shot at Its Same-Time-Slot Rival tvM?]

Immediately after SBC's production presentation for its ambitious new drama <Suspect X>, the entertainment news front pages were plastered with provocative headlines.

On the surface, they were ordinary promotional articles. In reality, they were an obvious attack.

A lead hastily cast on set. Casting that had not been vetted.

The remarks were clearly aimed at Do Jae-hyun, an actor in tvM's <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>.

Naturally, netizens exploded.

> Wow, is SBC seriously throwing shade like this? LOL They're openly taking shots at tvM.

> But isn't it true? Putting some former extra in as the second male lead is deceiving viewers;;

> I heard paid commenters are being sent out saying that Do Jae-hyun or whoever can act a little, but he's still a complete rookie nobody. Facts.

> tvM must be like a funeral home right now LOL They got cocky, and now look at them LOL

Public opinion naturally tilted toward <Suspect X>, and mockery of Do Jae-hyun poured in.

At the same time, in the smoking area behind the MBS building, Seol Min-su, the lead PD of the competing same-time-slot drama <The Snare>, could not take their eyes off their phone.

"Whew. What a mess."

At his muttered comment, PD Kang beside him quietly asked,

"You mean yesterday's <Suspect X> production presentation?"

"Yeah. Those bastards really went all in on tearing tvM apart."

"Well, I guess they want attention however they can get it. That Ex-Boyfriend Living thing is already causing a huge stir."

"True... It is the perfect target for stealing their share of the pie."

Though <Suspect X> and <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> were rivals of Seol Min-su's drama in the same time slot, Seol Min-su spoke as if it had nothing to do with them.

Finding that oddly strange, PD Kang spoke up.

"But can you guys really just sit back and do nothing? Every community and article is talking about SBC and tvM."

"Hey, hey. We need an opening to jump in. Besides, we scheduled this as a throwaway card from the start. What can we do?"

"So you're just going to make popcorn and watch?"

"Yep. Watching a fire across the river is always the most fun."

Seol Min-su had already given up.

PD Kang let out a snort of laughter before asking again.

"Then what do you think? Who do you think will win, SBC or tvM?"

"Do I even need to say it? SBC."

Seong Yu-ra's next project.

That title alone was enough to capture viewers' attention.

Then they added a massive promotional campaign, building a solid viewer base before the show had even begun.

And yesterday's <Suspect X> production presentation was the final blow.

'Han Kang-hee really used his head well.'

It was sophisticated negative marketing, digging into a competitor's Achilles' heel.

Even Seol Min-su had to admire how shrewd the move was.

Taking shots at another network was an unspoken taboo, but they had wrapped it in the plausible justification of “courtesy to viewers,” and the public was cheering them on for it.

'And tvM hasn't said a thing yet. It's over.'

At first, it looked as though tvM might hurriedly pass the bomb around. But when they proved unable to clean up the situation, they had stayed completely silent.

Perhaps they knew that one wrong word in this situation would bury the entire drama, Do Jae-hyun and all. They seemed to be keeping their mouths shut and bracing for a beating.

In other words, they had practically waved a white flag.

"Oh? Hey, Min-su. They released an official interview video instead of holding a production presentation."

"Really? They're postponing the broadcast, right?"

Seol Min-su crushed out the remaining cigarette and muttered bitterly.

A tvM drama suffering from controversy before it had even started. The best choice those guys had was postponing the broadcast.

Just as he clicked his tongue at the thought...

"Huh? They released it with an unreleased highlight video?"

"...What?"

Seol Min-su's eyes widened at those words.

Seol Min-su's surprise lasted only a moment. Seol Min-su hurried over beside PD Kang and looked at the screen.

Then, after watching the video playing on the phone, a breathless exclamation slipped from Seol Min-su's mouth.

"...Are these bastards seriously going to fight?"

On the smartphone screen, tvM's counterattack, which had been quietly biding its time, was beginning.

#

[tvM's <Living with My Ex> Meets the Controversy Head-On: “We Will Put It to Rest with the Premiere”]

[“Do Jae-hyun Is a Born Genius”: Director and Actors Offer Unusual Unanimous Support for Unknown Rookie]

[tvM Breaks Its Silence: “No Explanation Is Needed. Five Minutes After the Premiere Begins Will Be Enough”]

tvM, which had been taking SBC's negative marketing without resistance, began to fight back.

Reporters rushed to cover tvM's all-out offensive, and within a day, tvM's name covered the entertainment front pages of every portal site.

At the center of it all was Do Jae-hyun in the highlight video released after the interview.

[Did anyone see the tvM highlight video that just went up? Do Jae-hyun is absolutely insane.]

> His face is ridiculously good, but his acting is even crazier;;; Why does he have to be the second lead though? I'm about to get second-lead syndrome again. Sob.

> Whoa, I just watched it. I immediately get why the director was talking so confidently;;

> Everyone calling it editing tricks needs to get on their knees and reflect LOL

>> I'm already on my knees reflecting....

> So tvM wasn't stupidly sitting around doing nothing. This one video seems to have ended the controversy instantly LOL

>> Is it really that good...? Over just one video....

>> Your friend is right there. Go kneel beside them.

> What even is Do Jae-hyun? He creates 300 backstories with just his eyes; why is he the second lead, fuck, sob.

> Seeing Choi Tae-kyung in the preview reminded me of my ex.... I broke up with my ex like that too, sob.

>> What? Your ex was as handsome as Choi Tae-kyung? Can I get his number hehe....

>> As if;; If he looked like Choi Tae-kyung, we'd be married with twins by now;;;

> The cast chemistry is fantastic overall. Cha Ye-rin has completely surpassed her peak too, seriously.

> We already knew Cha Ye-rin and Choi Tae-kyung were good at rom-coms, but Do Jae-hyun is a total secret weapon. Crazy.

> Honestly, Do Jae-hyun is the real kicker. For real. With looks and acting like that, what controversy is there?

> The me from yesterday who was trashing Do Jae-hyun needs to reflect, fuck....

> This year's drama scene is getting really fun LOL <Suspect X> should probably start worrying?

> Seriously, just judging by the preview, doesn't <Living with My Ex> completely crush it? LOL

>> Totally agree LOL

Do Jae-hyun, who had been plagued by speculation, was transformed overnight into a monster newcomer, and the buzz shifted completely to tvM.

But what truly set the public ablaze was Director Woo Young-taek's provocative counterattack.

[Director Woo Young-taek's Barbed Remark: “‘Fake Actors’ With Nothing but a Big Name Are the Ones Deceiving Viewers”]

[tvM Director Woo Young-taek Takes Aim at <Suspect X> Lead Kang Min-hyuk? “The Nepotism Hire Is on Their Drama, Not Ours”]

[<Living with My Ex> Director Woo Young-taek Strikes Back at SBC CP Han Kang-hee? “Instead of Worrying About Someone Else's Drama, They Should Take Better Care of Their Own Actor's Skills”]

SBC had talked about vetted casting, so Woo Young-taek pointed out lead actor Kang Min-hyuk's chronic wooden acting.

And when Han Kang-hee, SBC's drama department head, saw the article...

Bang!

He glared at his phone screen, struggling to suppress his boiling anger.

'Woo Young-taek, has that crazy bastard really lost his mind...!'

His eyes trembled as they followed the article headline.

Only hours earlier, online public opinion had belonged entirely to SBC. But a single interview and highlight video from tvM had turned it around completely.

Every spotlight was now on Do Jae-hyun, and Director Woo Young-taek's counterattack had dragged the dormant controversy around Kang Min-hyuk's wooden acting back to the surface.

Han Kang-hee's perfect negative marketing had boomeranged and struck him in the back of the head.

'Fuck! Are these bastards really trying to take us on or what!'

He wanted to start swearing and raging at once, but Han Kang-hee swallowed a dry cough, trying to hide the throbbing vein at his temple.

Because Seong Yu-ra was sitting on the sofa directly across from him.

"...."

"Ahem. Writer Seong, you don't need to worry too much."

Han Kang-hee set his phone face-down on the desk and forced his lips into a relaxed smile.

"Those guys are desperate, so they're pulling out every trick they have to deceive people. Put bluntly, how can anyone judge based on a highlight video that's not even five minutes long? Don't you agree?"

"...."

"It's obvious they're bringing up our actor just to get attention. There's a difference in weight class, so they're struggling like that because they're afraid of getting buried otherwise. But once the lid comes off and the actual broadcast begins, all their weaknesses will be exposed."

Han Kang-hee made those confident declarations.

Yet Seong Yu-ra's face remained dark as she silently looked down at her tablet screen.

"Department Head Han."

"Yes?"

"Did you watch the highlight video?"

"Ah, yes. Of course I did. But they covered it with so much editing and music, haha. I couldn't really tell what was what."

Han Kang-hee avoided her gaze and stumbled through his answer.

He could not hide his own anxiety either.

Seong Yu-ra was no more at ease.

'An unknown actor in his seventh year? With acting like that?'

Her instincts, honed over decades, told her something.

The Do Jae-hyun on the screen was a real actor, someone born to act.

Meanwhile, Kang Min-hyuk, the lead Han Kang-hee had forced through, was so dreadful that it was hard to believe he too was in his seventh year.

Was it merely because of the comparison?

An ominous feeling rose in her for no clear reason.

'...I have a bad feeling about this.'

Before the boasting Han Kang-hee, Seong Yu-ra realized that this time, the question was not how they would win.

It was how they would survive.

#

At that same time, in the basement of a shabby theater company in Daehangno, exclamations burst out among the members gathered around a smartphone.

"Whoa, Jae-hyun is incredible. He's gotten even better."

"Oh, thank goodness. He must have suffered so much all this time. He's finally getting his chance to shine."

The troupe members could not hide their excitement, rejoicing as though it were their own success.

It was understandable.

They were colleagues who had witnessed Do Jae-hyun's fierce passion and effort firsthand.

"I honestly don't get it. With Jae-hyun's skill, he should have made it big ages ago."

"Agreed. It's ironic that he's only becoming famous now."

"Whew, anyway, this is good. The ones who are meant to make it always do."

As the warm atmosphere continued, one troupe member sitting in the corner frowned and spoke up.

"By the way, did you guys see the <Suspect X> preview SBC released yesterday?"

"Oh, the one with Kang Min-hyuk?"

"Crazy. Right, right. My face got so hot from embarrassment while watching it that I turned it off halfway through. How has he not improved at all? He's exactly the same as when he first came here."

Kang Min-hyuk.

He too had briefly belonged to this theater company in the past.

But he had left as though driven out because of his lazy attitude, terrible acting, and above all, lack of sincerity toward acting.

"How did someone with acting that bad land a lead role on a major network? Did he even audition properly?"

"That's why I felt so satisfied when I saw the tvM director's attack interview. Those mindless Kang Min-hyuk stans were seriously giving me cancer, heh."

As the conversation naturally turned to Kang Min-hyuk, the member who had first mentioned him brought up another subject.

"Speaking of Min-hyuk, you all know his dad is the CEO of some production company, right?"

"Of course. He used to brag about it himself all the time."

"But why bring that up all of a sudden?"

The member hesitated, then lowered their voice.

"Well... I only heard this somewhere, so I can't be sure. Anyway, they say his dad and the CP overseeing <Suspect X> call each other brothers."

"What?!"

"And there's another rumor going around. Kang Min-hyuk's father supposedly goes to CPs and bureau chiefs with a name at broadcasting stations, promises them advisory positions at his company, and asks them to put his son in their productions."

"...."

In an instant, silence fell over the noisy rehearsal room as though someone had thrown cold water on it.

A breathless, incredulous laugh slipped from someone's mouth.

"No way... Are you saying he got hired through connections?"

"Come on, does that even make sense? A lead role on a major network?"

"Well, I don't have proof. Just a suspicion. But when rumors like this start spreading in an industry as small as broadcasting, isn't that pretty obvious?"

At those words, the troupe members' eyes flashed with meaning.

#

Time passed quickly, and at last, the day arrived.

D-0 for the first broadcasts of <Suspect X> and <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>.

It was today.

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