WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈

Chapter 25: First Broadcast (3)

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The first broadcast of SBC's tentpole drama, <Suspect X>, the project the network was staking everything on.

Perhaps because of that, the drama department's monitoring room was thick with suffocating tension.

"How long until broadcast? Isn't it any second now?"

"Yes! Thirty seconds!"

In front of the huge monitor, CP Han Kang-hee and the production team stared intently at the screen.

Then thirty seconds that felt like thirty minutes passed.

"The broadcast has started!"

At the staff member's report, the opening scene went on air.

Everyone in the room turned to the real-time ratings graph.

A brief silence.

Then one employee broke it with an excited cry.

"Real-time viewership is 5.1%! We're opening at 5%!"

The air that had been wound tight in the monitoring room suddenly relaxed.

Only then did relieved sighs burst out from all around.

"Hoo! Opening at 5% is a solid start. I can finally breathe."

"I thought tvM would steal a much bigger share of the pie. What a relief."

"Okay! Let's keep this going!"

Of course, considering the enormous production budget and A-list cast they had poured into it, it was lower than they had secretly hoped for.

But who were they up against?

<Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>, still one of the hottest topics around.

Against a show with that kind of monstrous buzz, 5% was more than decent. It was the best possible start.

And the real competition would begin once the drama properly got going.

As time passed, it would rise another 2 to 4%, and if word of mouth caught on, breaking 10% was not impossible.

And just as expected.

Once the story found its stride, the ratings graph began climbing.

The number that had started at 5% reached around 7%.

"It hit 7.2%! It's still rising!"

"Okay! This is it! Let's keep it going!"

"At this rate, we might really break 10%!"

The monitoring room gradually turned into a festival.

Han Kang-hee, arms crossed, wore a satisfied smile.

Just as everyone was preparing to pop the champagne...

"Uh...? W-wait. What's wrong with the graph?"

The staff member watching the monitor closely muttered in alarm.

Naturally, everyone's attention turned that way.

"What? What is it? What's happening?"

"Th-the ratings are dropping!"

"W-what?! They're dropping? What kind of bullshit is that?!"

Han Kang-hee's smile froze.

He hurried over to the monitor, and his eyes caught the tail of the graph, which had been rising strongly just moments ago, bending downward.

6.8%... 6.5%... 6.3%...

"W-why all of a sudden?! Did the audio get mixed up? Is there a broadcast accident?!"

"N-no, sir. The picture is normal, and the audio is normal too."

"Then why the hell are the ratings plunging like this?! It makes no sense!"

It was not a brief dip.

The graph fell in sharp drops like it was sliding down a steep slope, eventually crashing back into the high 5% range.

The monitoring room instantly fell into panic.

"B-but this is just when viewers should be getting immersed...!"

"W-what is this...?"

Even Han Kang-hee, who had spent years in broadcasting, had rarely seen such a bizarre phenomenon, with viewers leaving in droves for no apparent reason.

Then a terrible, ominous thought flashed through his mind.

"D-don't tell me!"

Han Kang-hee's eyes widened as though he had realized something, and he shouted loudly enough to shake the monitoring room.

"tvM!! Check their ratings! Right now!!!"

#

Once the first broadcast of <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> began, cries of admiration never stopped.

"Wow! This is insane! The visuals feel like I'm watching a movie."

"Listen to those lines! They roll right off the tongue!"

Whenever the actors' performances reached a peak on screen, applause and cheers broke out.

The cheers grew even louder whenever Do Jae-hyun, who had been boldly cast in a leading role after working as a background extra, filled the screen.

"Oh my...? Jae-hyun, what is that look in his eyes? He's going to charm every woman in the world!"

"Man, he looks incredible on screen. That face and that acting? Isn't that cheating?"

Maybe it looked especially beautiful because it was a drama they had poured their blood and sweat into.

Even taking that into account, though, it was obviously an exceptionally well-made drama. The viewers' reactions proved it.

"This is crazy! We're number one on the real-time trends!"

The youngest staff member monitoring the laptop shouted excitedly.

"The communities are going wild too! They're talking about nothing but our drama!"

"Really? What are they saying? There isn't any hate, right?!"

"Ha ha! You couldn't find any of that if you tried. Everyone's losing it over the directing and the writer's script!"

"Of course they are! Anyone with eyes should be!"

With their face buried in the laptop, the youngest staff member kept bringing up one name.

"And Jae-hyun's popularity is no joke! Half the posts are nothing but Do Jae-hyun!"

"Oohhh!"

"Do Jae-hyun! Do Jae-hyun!"

"Say something, Jae-hyun!"

At the staff's teasing chant, Do Jae-hyun awkwardly scratched the back of his head and blushed.

"N-no.... It's all thanks to Writer Ji Yeon-woo guiding me so well.... Honestly, I feel like I should give the writer a big bow, ha ha."

"Ha ha ha! Jae-hyun, you're loyal as hell!"

"Oh my, Writer Ji, I'm jealous! You're the only one getting all that love from Jae-hyun!"

Everyone laughed and chatted, convinced the drama would succeed.

But I could not simply get swept up in the mood.

'Viewers like it? That can't be right.'

Unable to believe it, I went onto drama-related communities myself and looked through the newest posts.

Was something wrong with my eyes?

The boards were covered in posts about <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>, and every single one was praise.

Praise for the actors' visuals.

Admiration for Director Woo Young-taek's direction.

And even compliments for my script.

The dialogue is seriously so damn good. It's a rom-com, but none of it is cringey.

For real. This is on the level of a genre drama.

I thought it would be a predictable cliché, but it totally caught me off guard... The writer knows how to play push and pull with viewers.

People don't say dramas are all about the writer for nothing. The script is so good that there's no time to get bored lol.

What? An hour just vanished? The pacing is fucking insane.

Ahhh, how am I supposed to survive until tomorrow?

But why is nobody saying anything about <Suspect X>? Didn't that premiere too?

There are posts about it lol. They're just buried way down there, so you can't see them lol.

And even those are just hate comments saying it's boring...

Was I seeing this wrong?

Sure, I could not deny that the actors were good. There was no doubting Director Woo Young-taek's direction either.

But I absolutely could not agree with people saying the script itself was fun.

'Isn't this praise way too excessive...?'

Unable to hold back any longer, I started writing a critical post myself.

[Hmm.... Am I the only one who doesn't like it? The plot drags, and the emotional beats are all over the place, so it's just confusing. It only looks like the actors are carrying it on their backs.]

It was a sharp critique that perfectly pinpointed my work's flaws.

Then, before even five seconds had passed, replies began pouring in.

But...

Are you an SBC employee? lol

...How did they know?

Well, technically, I was not an SBC employee. I used to be one.

Swallowing my surprise, I tapped at the keyboard.

[OP]: I'm not;;

Yeah, right lol. You're obviously a paid shill for the competing show. Go finish watching <Suspect X>~

What do you know about emotional beats, dumbass? This blind hate is unreal lol.

For real lol. OP, did you even watch the drama? lol

Turns out the OP was Seong Yu-ra, the writer of <Suspect X> lol

"...I'm a tvM writer."

Bitterly, I looked up and took in the scene inside the restaurant.

The staff and actors had even forgotten to grill the meat, all staring at the television as though they would be sucked into it.

Was it really that good?

Before I knew it, the sixty-minute runtime had flown by, and the ending credits began to roll.

The screen went black, but the heat in the dinner venue did not fade.

People noisily discussed the scenes they had just watched over drinks and food, and ratings were by far the biggest topic.

The chaotic mood continued for a few minutes.

"Wait! Everyone, quiet!"

Director Woo Young-taek held up his loudly ringing phone and gestured for silence with his other hand.

The restaurant, which had been like a marketplace, suddenly went silent.

"I-it's the bureau chief. Shh."

Gulp.

Woo Young-taek swallowed dryly and carefully answered the call.

"Yes, Bureau Chief. Ah... I-is that so? You were watching? The ratings are.... What? H-how much did you say?"

The people who had been holding their breath widened their eyes at the word ratings.

Naturally, everyone's gaze fixed on Woo Young-taek's lips.

"Yes, yes. Understood. Thank you, Bureau Chief. Yes!"

After ending the short call, Woo Young-taek slowly lowered his phone.

His face held an indescribable mix of tension and exhilaration.

"D-Director. What about the ratings? What did we get?!"

"Director! Stop torturing us and tell us already!"

At the staff's urging, Woo Young-taek quietly asked back.

"...What was our network's highest first-broadcast rating ever?"

"That was <Wise Prosecutor Life Season 2> last year! 11%!"

"B-but why are you bringing that up...? Don't tell me?"

The corner of Woo Young-taek's mouth tilted upward.

"We beat it."

"...!!!"

The impact of that brief answer was enormous.

"You're kidding!!! We passed 11%!!?"

"Holy shit! <Wise Prosecutor Life Season 2> only passed 10% because it was Season 2! How did we beat that?"

Breaking 11% alone was practically a miracle.

But it was still too early to celebrate.

"Director! Then did we get 12%?"

"Higher."

At Woo Young-taek's answer, everyone's eyes grew as wide as though they would pop out like frogs'.

"D-don't tell me, 13%?!"

"Higher than that too."

"W-what? Holy shit. Then h-how much? 14%? 14.5%?"

Woo Young-taek smirked and shook his head.

Then he declared slowly, his voice full of laughter.

"15.2%."

Silence.

Then, one second later, cheers loud enough to blow the restaurant's roof off erupted.

Actors and staff alike, everyone in the restaurant embraced one another and shouted with joy.

A few mixed soju and beer like they were popping champagne, while others shed tears of happiness.

But amid that festival-like atmosphere, there was exactly one person who could not enjoy it.

Yeah. Me.

'Fuck? I'm appearing next week.'

I had agreed to a cameo because I thought hardly anyone would watch it anyway.

I never dreamed that choice would come back as a nationwide black mark on my past.

...I'm fucked.

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