Chapter 21: A Shot at the Top

The moment I saw the opening scene of , I couldn’t help but be amazed by the production quality.

From the camera equipment to the art direction and music, everything was nothing short of spectacular.

Add to that Park Tae-won’s stable acting skills and Lee Soo-jin’s pure and graceful presence, and it truly felt like a masterpiece was unfolding.

However.

“Something feels off?”

It wasn’t until the final scene that I understood the subtle reason behind that 2% lacking feeling.

On screen, the casting of actors, art, music, and so on get better the more capital you pour in.

But the script is different.

Simply throwing money at it doesn’t guarantee quality.

A script ultimately depends on the writer’s own capabilities.

To the public, Park Eun-sook is a top-tier writer with immense talent.

She always needs to prove it through excellent results.

From that perspective—

This work is unlike Park Eun-sook.

This wasn’t a reaction born from rivalry, but from a viewer’s genuine response.

Of course, Park Eun-sook’s trademark sharp dialogue and character development were excellent.

But the genre setting of “mystery” had hit a dead end.

Exists simultaneously in an imaginary Korea ruled by a queen and in modern democratic Korea.

Because of this superficial setting and portrayal, even after watching the entire first episode, it was difficult to understand what was really going on.

In other words, the multiverse worldview wasn’t sufficiently explained for viewers to grasp.

Sure, smart viewers might piece together the fleeting clues, but those are truly *a minority*.

“Drama should be written so even a five-year-old can understand.”

This was something Park Eun-sook herself once said in an interview.

The greatest strength of Park Eun-sook’s scripts is that anyone can find them light and entertaining—that is, stories that are easily accessible to the masses.

Rumor has it that the media pressured Park Eun-sook, who was working on another project, to start  by offering her a multi-billion won per episode fee.

Maybe the flaw in the script lies there.

We’ll have to see how the story unfolds, but my impression after watching just the first episode of  is this:

“If it goes well, it could be a ‘Twin Love’.”

Of course, the production of  must proceed smoothly, and some luck needs to be on its side.

But the possibility was there.

Just as if it was waiting for my reaction, a notification from Godflix popped up.

[Sudden Quest initiated!]

[Achieve #1 ratings in the same time slot!]

[Reward: 300 million KRW / Rank Upgrade Gold]

“What’s a sudden quest? No, wait... 300 million won?”

The condition to be number one in the same time slot was tough.

But regardless of whether it was possible or not, my eyes were irresistibly drawn to the flashy reward.

Above all, the figure of 300 million was staggering.

Looking over the quest details, I was convinced.

Godflix assigns quests tailored to my situation.

Though the difficulty steadily increases, the reward amount also climbs correspondingly.

“To think the day would come when I have a chance to get 300 million won…”

I leaned back deeply into the fabric chair, adjusting its angle.

300 million won is a large sum.

Of course, having married Min Jeong, I had seen them spend tens of millions daily and casually pull out billions for speculative investments.

But that was never mine.

Even after becoming legally married, Min Jeong never gave me any shares or cash assets until our separation.

Embarrassingly, I always covered necessities like food and clothing using the card she issued, and the payments were made with her money.

Until I was chosen by Min Jeong to be the show window husband, I lived a life average at best, often far below average.

When I first entered the writing world as a junior writer, I earned 1.2 million won a month under the condition that meals were provided at the studio.

That monthly wage was even below minimum wage, working seven days a week.

No matter how miserly I was, saving billions was just a dream.

Looking back now, my monthly salary back then wasn’t even worth the price of this high-end fabric office chair I’m sitting on.

Because of that, an intense desire to clear this sudden quest was born.

“If it’s the same time slot, it must mean beating .”

Maybe because I had predicted this from episode one.

Surprisingly, the sudden quest’s difficulty didn’t feel too high.

It wasn’t a condition to achieve this year’s highest ratings, just to be number one in the same time slot.

Relatively realistic.

Even if I didn’t succeed, there’d be no loss.

Godflix felt like it was steadily building a bridge for me, step by step, to somewhere high and unreachable, with perfect safety nets.

With these thoughts, I picked up my phone and dialed Director Kim’s number.

Though the home representative had said he wouldn’t answer, my call was immediately picked up.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Director. The first episode was really great, you know?”

I added flesh to my praise from the editing phase and gave sincere feedback.

“That’s a relief. Hearing the writer say that puts my mind at ease.”

I could hear Director Kim’s relieved breath through the phone.

In this industry, the relationship between writer and director is said to be like a married couple.

They argue fiercely but are the only ones who can truly trust and rely on each other.

At the end of the call, I got to the main point.

“Director Kim, I have a question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Do you think  can beat ?”

“Hmm... It’s possible. I’d be happy if  could take it, but right now it looks difficult.”

I immediately asked, sensing some hesitation in his tone.

“How do you feel about ?”

“I like it. It’s good. But…”

“‘But’?”

“To be honest, it felt a little lacking.”

“See, Director, you think the same as I do. I feel this script is unlike Park Eun-sook’s usual work.”

I got up from my chair and moved to the window, looking down.

From this four-story villa, the only visible lights were a few street lamps illuminating the alleys of the residential area.

The heights from which Min Jeong and the owners of ㅇ Media observe must be no different from mine.

Maybe someday in the distant future, I might witness the same scenery as those who once treated me like an underling.

Holding my phone tightly, I spoke firmly to Director Kim.

“I want to definitely achieve number one in the same time slot.”

***

Six weeks have passed since the first broadcast of .

Recently, I’ve developed a routine that starts as soon as I wake up.

First, I check the ratings statistics for  provided by Nielsen Korea through the staff group chat.

Then I scour various drama community sites and news articles to closely monitor public reaction.

 started at 7.7% ratings and shot up to 8.9% by episode two.

In episodes three and four, it quietly surpassed 10%.
Consistently held number one in the same time slot, climbing to 13%, but couldn’t go beyond that, remaining in the 13% range by episodes five and six.

Meanwhile,  steadily rose to 12%, narrowing the gap with  to less than 1%.

Everyone’s keenest interest was whether  would tie or surpass .

It had been nearly six years since any drama exceeded 10% ratings in this time slot, so not only viewers but broadcasting industry insiders were watching the ratings battle closely.

Taking every opportunity, stations 484 and 180 kept rerunning both dramas.

Whether at the company, home, alumni gatherings, or club meetings, all the talk was about  and .

Even if someone missed the original broadcast, they caught up via 017, making it almost impossible not to have watched either drama among fans.

After confirming the hot topics, I threw on a hat over my messy hair and headed out.

I drove about 20 minutes to a gym in Mapo-gu.

I had been feeling my stamina decline lately from all the writing, and this was my excuse.

Idol-turned-actor Seo Mo had forced a 77-session membership on me at the private gym she attends as a gift.

This gym, from the third to eighth floors, is a hotel, and the second floor is a gym run by the hotel itself, complete with spacious underground parking.

I took the private elevator up to the gym.

The strong sunlight pouring through the tall glass windows made me squint.

“You’re early, Lee Jung-hyuk.”

“Hello, thanks as always.”

I exchanged greetings with Trainer Woo-rak, Seo Ji-won’s trainer, and worked out vigorously for about an hour.

After intense exercise that drenched me in sweat, taking a shower left me physically tired but mentally refreshed, invigorating my energy.

After changing clothes, I headed to the hotel lobby café on the first floor.

“I’ll have an iced Americano, please.”

“Coming right up.”

A familiar song was playing in the café.

It was Seo Ji-won’s solo track .

Seo Ji-won’s clear and sweet voice combined with heartfelt lyrics touched the hearts of many.

This song was none other than the OST #051 from , currently the hottest track.

The “Seo Ji-won boom” was in full swing, with countless YouTubers doing covers.

It wasn’t just that.

Every outfit, jewelry, and bag Seo Ji-won wore on  sold out instantly, earning her the nickname “Goddess Ji-won.”

Articles asking “Did Seo Ji-won always sing this well?” and “Did she always act this well?” appeared frequently.

The saying “Strike while the iron is hot” truly applied to Zeus Enter, the production company behind .

At the start of , there were vitamin ads; after the show ended, sparkling water ads filled the air with Seo Ji-won’s face everywhere.

Moreover, her star follower count skyrocketed from 80,000 to over 300,000 in an instant, showcasing her popularity.

Her words that she was tired but happy suddenly made perfect sense.

The popularity of co-lead Ahn Yoo-seok, a former unknown rookie, was also skyrocketing daily.

The sole reason Ahn Yoo-seok rose to stardom so fast was one thing:

His acting.

His incredible skill portraying both the male lead and the twin brother earned rave reviews from critics week after week.

Not only elites but ordinary viewers found his acting excellent.

Many online posts criticized previous production teams and directors who failed to recognize this young man’s talent earlier.

On TikTok, videos of Ahn Yoo-seok switching between the roles of Sung Jae-il and Sung Jae-hoon from  went viral.

His fan club ‘Ahn Yoo-ilmui’ broke records for fastest cafe member growth, causing a stir.

One article headline aptly read, “South Korea is an Ahn Yoo-seok Holic.”

Moreover, word of mouth about  was spreading among foreign fans who love Korean dramas.

Thanks to fans from Vietnam, China, Japan, and other East Asian countries, Ahn Yoo-seok’s official star account quickly surpassed one million followers.

Seo Ji-won jokingly complained that she’d been a star for 10 years but couldn’t come close to those numbers in just 10 days.

But when Ahn Yoo-seok was the first to follow her, she happily took a selfie and uploaded it.

Learning that Ahn Yoo-seok was still unsigned, major agencies contacted H Studio to meet him.

After consultations, Hong Joo-hee and Moms Food CEO Jung Se-jin chose “Pureun Entertainment,” home to many veteran actors well-suited to manage Ahn Yoo-seok’s career.

With a strong agency behind him, his stock rose even more.

The agency carefully selected commercials reflecting his image and quickly signed him for a cosmetics ad.

Walking the streets, you could easily spot huge bus ads featuring Ahn Yoo-seok holding skin toner.

South Korea was currently buzzing with the Seo Ji-won boom, the Ahn Yoo-seok boom, or rather, the  boom.

I leisurely took a sip of the iced Americano I’d just gotten, sank into the soft hotel café chair cushion, and checked my phone.

There was a message from Seo Ji-won.

“Writer, you’ve been going to the gym regularly!”

“You haven’t been coming much lately?”

“Yeah, I was filming ads till dawn yesterday, couldn’t get any rest.”

You gotta stir the pot hard while the water’s boiling.”

“But Writer, why haven’t you been coming to the filming site lately?”

“I come if I have time.”

“You used to come every day saying you wouldn’t leave us alone. People change.”

“People who don’t change eventually rot.”

Come to think of it, it had been a while since I last visited the filming site.

I knew how busy and hectic things were there, so I didn’t push myself to go.

Seeing how passionately the actors and production staff were working, it seemed only right to visit with a gift sometime soon.

“What kind of gift would be good…”