< Ba-i-reo-seu >’s first episode rating was 7.6%.
And with each passing episode, the ratings rapidly climbed.
Second episode: 8.2%, third: 8.8%, fourth: 9.5%…
It was an incredible momentum.
If this pace continued, it could even make it into the top ten of tvM’s all-time drama ratings.
Everyone involved with < Ba-i-reo-seu >, Taeha included, couldn’t help but burst into shouts of joy.
But it wasn’t just the production team cheering.
There were others shouting with excitement: Taeha’s fans.
– Ba-i-reo-seu is super fun bb
– I can’t believe Taeha wrote this with his tiny little hands, I’m so touched ㅠㅠ
– There’ll be a cameo scene, right? Right? Please tell me there will be!
– Ah, Han Yunseong is great too, but it would’ve been even better if Taeha was the main character
– He must’ve wanted the lead, but gave it up for the sake of the work’s completion. If I fall for someone who thinks that deeply, I might drown ㅠㅠ
– Honestly, putting my personal feelings aside, isn’t the drama’s rating a total hit?
– For real ㅋㅋ At this rate, people are already saying it’ll crack the top ten
– Too bad it’s only 12 episodes, if it was 16, it could’ve easily been one of the top five ever
– How can a rookie writer produce something like this?
– Well, these days, even successful rookie works end with 6 or 7 percent ratings, yeah
– I really hope it keeps going strong like this ㅠㅠ
– Acting, directing, sound—there’s nothing lacking in this drama, so I think it’ll keep climbing
– It’s a shame Taeha isn’t the lead, but Han Yunseong’s acting these days is on another level, totally ㅇㅅ
– The casting for Yoo Yunha was great too! She really stands out in the right moments
– Our Taeha is going to be so busy this year ^^ His movie’s coming out in the second half too
– Maybe one day he’ll star in a work he wrote himself? That would be amazing ㄷㄷ
Jeon Sun Young, who’d become Taeha’s fan a bit late after being moved by Ma-i-seu-ta, sat at her computer, checking the response on the fan cafe Tae Jo Ma Eul, and thought,
“Everyone’s going wild…”
Though she tried to maintain a calm facade since she was at the office, Jeon Sun Young felt the same way.
She was eagerly awaiting the success of < Ba-i-reo-seu >.
There was only one reason.
Because < Ba-i-reo-seu >’s success meant a new opportunity would open up for Jeon Sun Young as well.
That opportunity was none other than getting to recommend Taeha as a commercial model.
That’s right.
Busily commuting day and night, Jeon Sun Young was currently working in the PR team at a cosmetics company called Par.
And she wasn’t just an ordinary staff member.
She was the PR team leader with nine years of experience.
This was Jeon Sun Young’s current life.
In other words, she was in a position where recommending someone as an advertising model for the company was well within her rights.
Of course, as the PR team leader, Jeon Sun Young’s authority only went as far as recommendations.
The final decision on advertising models was not hers to make.
And that was why she was so invested in the success of < Ba-i-reo-seu >.
Until now, even if she wanted to recommend Taeha as Par’s model, she simply couldn’t.
But with < Ba-i-reo-seu >’s success, the situation had changed.
Not only did his standing as an actor soar enough to make him a leading candidate, he also became widely recognized by the public.
Now, many people knew Taeha.
The fact that it was revealed Taeha was the one at the center of the big rumors about discord and working two jobs turned out to be good for him.
On top of that, as a drama writer, < Ba-i-reo-seu >’s ratings proved his considerable skill, making his name known even more broadly.
Of course, compared to top-tier actors, his name value was still lacking, but it seemed possible to entrust him with a minor brand model role for Par.
“For example… a brand like Maskleum.”
Maskleum was a men’s cosmetics brand that Par had ambitiously launched, but which hadn’t performed as well as expected due to Par’s strong focus on female lines.
Even though they’d used a member of a famous idol group for promotions, the response was underwhelming.
As such, they’d decided not to renew the contract with that model.
So they were in need of a new model.
Unfortunately, the model fee budget for Maskleum had also been reduced by a lot.
That’s why they needed a fresh face who could raise Maskleum’s profile, but whose modeling fee wouldn’t be too high.
And in Jeon Sun Young’s opinion, Taeha was the perfect fit.
Even as a rookie, his recognition was high enough to put him on the list of candidates, but after overcoming the two-job controversy, his position was on a different level.
She couldn’t understand why Taeha hadn’t done even a small commercial yet.
“The only problem is… can I convince upper management?”
That was actually the biggest concern.
Even in the past, recommending a moderately well-known face as a brand model was always the hardest part.
If it was a celebrity whose name everyone recognized, and if the modeling fee matched, the decision could be made quickly without much persuasion.
But in a case like this, she’d have to start by explaining who Taeha was.
Even then, just because she explained well didn’t mean he’d be chosen.
If even one decision-maker didn’t like Taeha’s impression, it was over.
[We understand your explanation. We get that he’s popular. But doesn’t he look a bit too light-hearted?]
[On the contrary, this person’s impression is too heavy. I don’t think he suits being a cosmetics model.]
[Are you sure he’s in his twenties? He looks too old. Find us a model who can give off a brighter, more positive image.]
In fact, Jeon Sun Young had recommended dozens of celebrities in similar cases, only to have them all rejected.
And in the end, the model chosen had been someone who was once popular, but whose image had been tainted by messy dating scandals.
Of course, the advertising effect hadn’t been good.
But no one said anything to the decision-maker who’d picked that model.
Only her then-superior, who was PR team leader at the time, had received a poor performance review.
So it was no wonder Jeon Sun Young was nervous.
It wasn’t about whether Taeha was chosen or not; she could already picture the thorny path she’d have to walk if she failed to convince them.
And at the end of that thorny path, there was a high chance of another kind of despair instead of the thrill of victory.
“But still, there’s nothing I can do now. I’ve done my best preparing the materials, so all I can do is see how it goes.”
A short while later.
The Maskleum model selection meeting began in a heavy atmosphere, with all the PR team members and Par’s management in attendance.
As expected, the meeting was not easy.
All the model candidates the PR team had agonized over for days received dismal evaluations.
Just as expected, there were criticisms about their looks and images.
And the conclusion was always, “Isn’t there anyone who’s cheap, famous, and good-looking?”
For Jeon Sun Young, it felt like trying to swallow a sweet potato with no water—her chest tightened with frustration, but she soothed herself.
Now it was time to introduce Taeha.
“Next, we have actor Kang Taeha.”
Jeon Sun Young, with a subtly different tone of voice, tried to sound nonchalant as she introduced Taeha.
At the same time, on the big screen in front of them appeared a carefully chosen photo of Taeha.
The first photo shown was Taeha’s official profile photo provided to advertisers by AH Entertainment.
Taeha’s profile photo was a bit plain.
His good looks were immediately noticeable, but there was a melancholy in his eyes that diminished his charm.
It was a photo from before Taeha’s transformation, so it couldn’t be helped.
But the photos that followed were different.
Photos Taeha had posted himself on Ma-i-seu-ta, screenshots from drama scenes that fans had edited and posted to fan accounts.
The unique vibe was instantly apparent.
Even the faint sorrow that had once dulled Taeha’s charm had completely disappeared, giving off a totally different impression.
In his brighter moments, there was a brightness that seemed unbelievable; in darker moments, a depth that was impossible to measure.
Of course, this atmosphere was possible because Taeha immersed himself in acting.
The people in the room didn’t know this, but they were all simply amazed by Taeha’s incredible charm.
Just like that, the atmosphere in the conference room was transformed by the photos alone.
Yet Jeon Sun Young, unable to read the room, began her explanation.
“Actor Kang Taeha played Lee Jae-hyun in < Heureojeo Itdeon Saramdeul >, which recorded an 18.4% viewership rating, and his bromance with Seon Min-gi, who played Jinseong, attracted great attention. The scene where Lee Jae-hyun dies trying to save Jinseong is considered the best in the drama. Also, as a writer, he penned < Ba-i-reo-seu >, which, despite being embroiled in the two-job controversy, was revealed to be his work on < Great Saturday >, giving him not only public recognition but also the image of a bold actor who tackles problems head-on. In the second half of this year, he is set to star as a dual lead with Lee Seok-hyun in the highly anticipated action film < Killer × Killer >…”
Jeon Sun Young tried to add that even as a rookie, Taeha’s recognition was impressive and that his future growth was even more promising.
But she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Hold on.”
It was Lee Jinhui, Par’s CEO—famous for rarely speaking—who cut off Jeon Sun Young.
Gulp.
Jeon Sun Young unconsciously swallowed.
Not once in her meeting scenario for today had she accounted for Lee Jinhui to speak up.
It was a clear sign of how rarely Lee Jinhui spoke at meetings.
“Why now, all of a sudden? Don’t tell me… Taeha isn’t to her liking?”
As Jeon Sun Young nervously entertained such thoughts, it wasn’t just her.
Everyone present was tense, waiting to see what Lee Jinhui would say.
And at last, from Lee Jinhui’s lips,
“Let’s go with Kang Taeha.”
“Yes.”
“For Maskleum’s model, let’s choose Kang Taeha. Honestly, among all the candidates the PR team leader has prepared so far, this was the most impressive. Beyond the explanation, there’s just something different in his look and atmosphere in the photos.”
“Ah.”
“More than anything, I can feel how much affection the PR team leader has for this model. If an employee recommends someone with this much passion, we should trust them. So, I think it’s best to have Kang Taeha as Maskleum’s model. Everyone agrees, right?”
Lee Jinhui glanced at the other decision-makers as she asked.
All of them, a bit dazed, nodded in agreement.
“They say a convincing face tells a story. He’s definitely good-looking.”
“I watched < Heureojeo Itdeon Saramdeul > too, and he left quite an impression.”
“A young actor who tackles problems head-on… That matches Maskleum’s image well.”
“His image isn’t too young or too heavy, it’s very striking.”
Compliments poured in.
It couldn’t be helped.
After all, this wasn’t a matter that required everyone’s agreement.
Once the CEO decided, it was a given.
Watching as Taeha was selected as the model before she could even finish her prepared explanation, Jeon Sun Young thought,
“Did that really just happen?”
The feeling of truly, passionately liking someone.
The moment when that feeling led to an unexpectedly positive outcome.
***
A few days later.
Taeha officially received the model offer from Maskleum.
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