As expected, Taeha could not participate in the promotional activities for .
He hadn’t yet gained enough recognition to help with the drama’s promotion, so there was nothing he could do.
For that reason, the responsibility of promoting fell almost entirely on Seon Min-gi and Ju Hyo-jin.
Among the cast, only those two had enough name value for promotional impact.
So, just like the viewers, Taeha waited anxiously for the day would be broadcast.
Thankfully, he was able to pass the time by writing the script for and reviewing casting offers that had come in to the company.
And finally, the day of the drama’s premiere arrived.
Taeha, who had tuned in to channel 1180 and was waiting for the start of , thought to himself.
“Could it really turn out the way Choi Daepyo said?”
On the day they’d had a serious discussion about casting the male lead,
Choi Daepyo had proposed one condition.
The content of that condition was as follows.
[It’s not a particularly difficult request. If, after the airing of , you gain the level of recognition of a leading actor, I’d like you to actively reconsider appearing in . That is my condition.]
To be honest, it wasn’t a very likely scenario.
The fact that Taeha, who had only been considered for a minor role, was able to immediately take on a supporting male role after appearing in was itself like skipping a grade in school.
And now, after airs, he would suddenly become a leading actor?
It seemed far too unrealistic.
That’s why Taeha had accepted Choi Daepyo’s proposal.
He figured that was the only way Choi Daepyo would cleanly step away from the male lead casting issue.
Of course, there was one major precondition.
It was that the male lead casting for would have to remain unfilled until Taeha gained more recognition.
And currently, was having difficulty with casting.
Taeha was a rookie writer, so it was inevitable.
Just as expected, the male actors who’d received casting offers wanted to review the script a bit more before giving their answer.
Even worse, it wasn’t even the first-choice actor.
The first and second choices had already declined.
Now, Sallamander Studio’s casting offer was being considered by the third-choice actor.
“Even if it’s just the third-choice, he fits perfectly…”
In the end, it looked as if the conditions proposed by Choi Daepyo were more or less being met.
But Taeha still wasn’t optimistic about this part.
Even if some actor besides himself had played the role of Lee Jae-hyun, it wasn’t likely that person would become a lead.
The reason was simple.
“… is a Seon Min-gi one-top drama.”
Thanks to the help of Director Lee Hae-ik and Kim Jeong-sik, Taeha had been lucky enough to get a meatier supporting role, but that was reality.
No matter who played Lee Jae-hyun, it was tough to make enough of an impact to jump up to leading status.
It would make more sense to solidify his position as a supporting actor, and aim for a more prominent role in the next project, with hopes of becoming a lead someday.
That’s why Taeha quickly forgot about the condition Choi Daepyo had mentioned.
In the meantime,
“It’s starting.”
After the commercials ended, the first broadcast of began at last.
“I wonder how it’ll go. The pre-edited version was pretty good, though.”
Taeha thought as he let himself get drawn in by Director Lee Hae-ik’s unique visual style.
***
As expected, the drama was good.
It wasn’t just good.
He was so absorbed in it, he forgot to breathe through the entire run time.
And it wasn’t just the first episode.
Even the second episode, which aired the next day, captured viewers’ hearts with its high quality and fast-paced thriller development.
Just looking at the ratings—5.01% on the first day, and 5.41% the next—you could tell.
For reference, that rating put it at number five among all dramas aired on 1816.
It meant they could aim for a final rating over 15%.
Even the buzz was enormous—just by looking at all the online communities talking about , it was obvious.
– Heureojeo Saram ㅋㅋ so much fun
– In the end, Seon Min-gi pulls it off
– Who said our Min-gi oppa doesn’t have ticket power;
– Seon Min-gi’s acting was insane, my heart almost burst
– Became my favorite drama just from episode 2
– Ahㅠㅠ How am I supposed to wait until next weekㅠㅠ
– Was the writer always someone who wrote thrillers?
– ㄴㄴ Used to write boring melodramas
– Someone who wrote melodramas made a thriller like this? Can’t believe itㅋㅋ
– Dramas like this always fall apart in the second half
– I actually liked it more than I expected? Especially the biggest variable, the sub male’s acting, wasn’t bad
– The looks are decent tooㅋㅋ Chemistry with Seon Min-gi is nice
– Honestly, the sub male matches the female lead even better than the actual male lead
– Oh? I felt the same wayㅋㅋㅋ
– Especially at the end of episode 1, when the mood totally changed, I got chills
– I almost screamed right there;;
– That’s why I’m even more frustratedㅠㅠ If they’d cast a better sub male, it would’ve been even betterㅠㅠ
– Isn’t that greedy? What top actors want to play a sub male role these days
– At this level, I think they cast about as well as possible
– By the way, the direction is nice. Wasn’t this director the one from Critical Point?
– Yeah, before his compositions were weird, but he’s changed a bit
– The apprentice priest is cute
– The serial killer doctor is cuter
There was one odd comment about Han Woo-ri, but Taeha didn’t pay it much mind.
Rather than getting caught up in preferences, what mattered was that the drama was being praised and getting attention in all areas.
Thanks to that, Taeha also received messages of congratulations from many people.
It was a totally different vibe than when had done well.
Given the difference in the weight of the roles, it was only natural.
[Awesome! Our Taeha is the supporting male leadㅠㅠ]
[Taeha, I watched the drama (emoticon) It was really fun (emoticon)]
[I want to watch too! Why isn’t Taeha’s drama on Netflix!]
[Was Taeha always this good at acting? Born to be an actor]
[Our Taeha sings and dances well too… I hope there’s a day you get to show that off]
For starters, the group chat with the Freesia members was lively.
They piled on messages, fussing over Taeha and causing a ruckus.
“Getting a touching personal message was nice, but it’s not bad getting celebrated so boisterously in a group like this, either.”
Funny enough, out of over a hundred messages, Taeha himself had only sent three or four.
One of those was a thank-you reply.
In addition, he got calls from Im Chan-hyung, Kang Sojeong, Han Yun-seong, and others.
Taeha also sent messages of thanks to Director Lee Hae-ik, Kim Jeong-sik, Seon Min-gi, Ju Hyo-jin, Han Woo-ri, and Lim Mi-hee.
Unlike when he first started the drama, everyone responded warmly to Taeha’s message.
Of course,
[It’s too early to celebrate.]
There were still people who poured cold water on things.
Namely, Seon Min-gi.
Taeha looked at Seon Min-gi’s ever-blunt message and gave a wry smile as he reached to reply.
But before he could, another message from Seon Min-gi arrived right after.
[But thanks for the congratulations, anyway.]
[Let’s have a meal together soon.]
An invitation to a meal from Seon Min-gi.
Taeha rubbed his eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing.
Even if it was just politeness, it was still a surprise.
Thanks to that, Taeha was able to reply in good spirits.
Just then—
[I knew it would go well, Writer!]
[Don’t forget the promise you made with me.]
A message arrived from Choi Daepyo.
***
But Taeha didn’t feel shaken even after receiving Choi Daepyo’s message.
Though the ratings for episodes 1 and 2 were better than expected, and he’d managed to solidify his position as a supporting actor, it still looked difficult for him to break through to leading status.
That wouldn’t change, no matter how well did.
Taeha believed it would stay that way, and things did proceed just as he expected.
Episodes 4, 7.1%, 5, 8.8%, 6, 9.1%, 7, 10.9%— finally hit the landmark 10% rating, but Taeha’s buzz still wasn’t high.
Almost all the spotlight went to Seon Min-gi, and that atmosphere didn’t change after episode 8.
Ju Hyo-jin, who started to compete with Seon Min-gi more actively, only gradually started to gain some attention as the female lead after episode 4.
At this rate, it was impossible for Choi Daepyo’s condition to be fulfilled.
But then, surprisingly, things started to take an unexpected turn from episode 9 onward.
And finally, episode 10.
“Still alive, huh?”
On the day the ending was completed with Taeha’s final line,
The online communities exploded, far beyond what anyone had expected.
– Today was insane…
– I love Lee Jae-hyun so much!
– Don’t fight with Jinseongㅠㅠ Please, I’m begging youㅠㅠ
– What is the writer thinking? Why are they splitting up those two, who get along so well
– I was so curious I just posted about it on the viewer’s board
– I wondered when Lee Jae-hyun said he’d kill Jinseong, but I didn’t expect thisㅠㅠ
– But aside from that, Lee Jae-hyun’s acting is amazing
– Seriously, even though he’s up against Seon Min-gi, he doesn’t get overshadowed—his charisma explodes
– Am I the only one who feels a thrill watching the two of them fight?
– It’s weird, but I like watching them fight even though I shouldn’t
– They’ll make up in the end, right…? They have to, right?
– If the two completely break up, I’ll be so mad
– And what will you do if you get mad? Post another petition?
– What petition? I’ll even boycott if I have to
– LOL
It was a response that took Taeha by surprise.
He knew he’d acted pretty well.
He’d checked his performance on screen, so it was obvious.
But he hadn’t expected a reaction like this.
He thought, if there was any response, it would all go to Seon Min-gi.
‘I thought viewers would just take Jinseong’s side and criticize Lee Jae-hyun for being the antagonist.’
But that wasn’t the case at all.
Surprisingly, viewers were both repulsed and thrilled by the conflict between Jinseong and Lee Jae-hyun.
In other words, the audience was emotionally invested in both Jinseong and Lee Jae-hyun’s characters.
“Almost equally, too…”
That was why Taeha couldn’t help but be taken aback, and at the same time, feel a little bit of satisfaction.
He felt as if he’d managed to snatch away at least a bit of the attention that Seon Min-gi had always obsessed over.
And just as if he’d read Taeha’s thoughts, a message arrived from Seon Min-gi at that very moment.
At the same time, Taeha’s eyes grew wide with surprise.