Filming for the sixteen episodes had finally come to an end. It was two months before the scheduled broadcast of *Your Brilliant Twinkle*.
Now, the only things left for the drama were to check the edited versions before they aired and provide minor pieces of advice. Of course, that did not mean Tae-ha had much free time. Rather, he was busier in a different sense. He had to handle the promotion schedule for the drama.
The first item on that schedule was, naturally, the press conference.
The event was attended by Kang Tae-ha, Director Im Kyung-ho, Shin So-hee, Han Woo-ri, and Kim Se-mi. Director Im Kyung-ho’s participation was obvious, as was the Female Lead, Shin So-hee’s. However, Han Woo-ri and Kim Se-mi, who played the sub roles, did not necessarily have to attend. It was true that they were actors of a level who could afford to skip such things.
However, Tae-ha rearranged the schedule so that both of them could participate. Since the sub roles were significant in this drama, he judged it would be better for their faces to become even a little more familiar to the public. Especially in Kim Se-mi’s case, while her popularity might have been lower, she was an actress with public recognition comparable to Tae-ha and Shin So-hee. She would definitely be a huge help with promotions.
Finally, there was Tae-ha’s participation. His attendance was beyond question. He was the Writer and the Male Lead of the production, after all. In fact, Tae-ha was the person who needed to put the most effort into promoting *Your Brilliant Twinkle*.
‘I should be the one taking the most responsibility since I have the largest role in this project.’
It was a fact that Tae-ha found somewhat burdensome. This was because the level of attention *Your Brilliant Twinkle* received would be determined by Tae-ha’s performance during the promotional process. It was fortunate that Shin So-hee, who was receiving significant attention in the entertainment industry, was with him, but that did not entirely alleviate the pressure.
Thinking back, this was the first time Tae-ha was at the very forefront of promotional activities. He had only held a lead role twice before. Even in the first work where he was the lead, the promotional weight had been heavier on Lee Seok-hyun’s side, who was the other half of the two-top lead system. In a way, Tae-ha had just been riding on his coattails.
But this time was different. Tae-ha’s performance was more important than anyone else’s. Because of that, Tae-ha set a goal to handle as many promotional schedules as possible before *Your Brilliant Twinkle* aired. His idea was to succeed in promoting *Your Brilliant Twinkle* through quantity rather than quality.
And so, the press conference for *Your Brilliant Twinkle* began. Park Kyung-im, whom he had met once before during the press conference for *Killer*, asked him a question.
“Tae-ha, you are drawing a lot of attention this time for your roles as both the Writer and the Male Lead of *Your Brilliant Twinkle*. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. How is it? Do you feel under pressure?”
It was one of the questions Tae-ha would receive most frequently during this promotional tour. Having already expected the question, Tae-ha spoke calmly.
“To be honest, it would be a lie to say I don’t feel burdened, but I worked hard to do my best in the given situation without letting the pressure crush me. And I think the results came out quite well. As you mentioned, I know many people are thinking, ‘Is it even possible to be both the Writer and the actor?’ I hope you will watch *Your Brilliant Twinkle* at least once with the mindset of verifying whether it is. That is all I wish for right now.”
Since he had activated his Immersion Ability, camera flashes went off from all directions as soon as Tae-ha finished speaking. The photographers, swept up in the heat of the moment, vied with one another to capture Tae-ha’s image.
– Why are all the reporters so desperate to take pretty pictures of Kang Tae-ha? LOL.
– Is there seriously some kind of cartel? LMAO.
– I’m curious about that too. LOL. Reporters usually turn even the skinniest idols into bobbleheads and ruin their proportions.
– At this point, it’s more accurate to say Kang Tae-ha is blessed by the photographers.
– He really is. Every time he gets his picture taken by a reporter, he ends up with a legendary shot.
– No, our Tae-ha is just handsome. ^^ He’s so handsome he doesn’t suffer even in front of the “camera of truth.” Haha.
Thanks to that, he was able to garner positive reactions on SNS and various communities.
The next schedule Tae-ha handled after the press conference was *Great Saturday*, which he had previously appeared on with Han Yun-seong.
“Let me introduce today’s guests for *Great Saturday*! Kang Tae-ha and Shin So-hee!”
With Boom Baem’s introduction, Tae-ha appeared on *Great Saturday* for the second time. This time, he appeared with Shin So-hee instead of Han Yun-seong.
Once again, Tae-ha succeeded in playing an active role in the two main games of *Great Saturday* with his outstanding perception. He successfully heard the words that had a decisive impact on the success or failure of the games. He failed to get the “one-shot” both times — which is given to the person with the most successful dictation — but it was still a great performance for a variety show.
Furthermore, Tae-ha’s remarks on *Great Saturday* became a minor hot topic, aside from his performance in the games.
“Perhaps because I made such a bombshell remark last time, no one seems to remember my performance in the dictation game. So, my goal this time is to perform in a way that truly leaves a lasting impression. In terms of variety entertainment.”
The *Great Saturday* panelists worked hard to help Tae-ha achieve his goal. Every time Tae-ha did something well, they made sure to give him exaggerated and hilarious reactions. This became a significant source of entertainment for this episode.
Of course, it could not generate as massive a buzz as his last appearance — when he turned a crisis involving rumors of discord with a lead actor into an opportunity — but it was not a bad result for a promotional appearance.
Even Seo Jeong-yeop gave him a thumbs up after filming and spoke to him.
“Tae-ha, you hit it big every time you come on *Great Saturday*. Come back again later.”
And then, the third promotional schedule. It was another familiar experience. He had decided to appear on *An Ji-yeon’s Salon Drip*.
[The Younger Man Has Returned. This Is Troublesome | 60.50 Kang Tae-ha | Salon Drip]
The video was posted with that title. Of course, just as they say no sequel is better than the original, the reaction to the second video was definitely weaker than the first. However, Tae-ha’s interview — where he activated his Immersion Ability as a ‘younger man who likes an older female comedian’ — once again created quite a stir.
“Wow! Sister Ji-yeon, you’ve gotten even prettier!”
“You came near my neighborhood to film recently, so why didn’t you contact me? Sister, you hate me, don’t you?”
“Since I came here today, will you just meet up with me once if I call you later? Really?”
Was it the influence of his Immersion Ability? His flirting was more natural and aggressive than before. Perhaps thanks to that, Tae-ha’s video recorded better views than Kang Pil-goo’s, who had also appeared on *An Ji-yeon’s Salon Drip* for a second time.
The interesting fact was that some people were happy about this, saying Tae-ha had won the battle of the sequels. These were reactions from some of the shippers who continued to pair Tae-ha and An Ji-yeon together. Of course, there were also shippers who argued it was still a draw because Kang Pil-goo’s original video had more views than Kang Tae-ha’s. These were the ones who shipped Kang Pil-goo and An Ji-yeon.
Regardless, Tae-ha, who had gained a good response from appearing on *An Ji-yeon’s Salon Drip*, went on to do radio guest appearances, press interviews, and magazine interviews. That was the extent of the promotional schedule that was similar to what Tae-ha had done before.
—
Tae-ha was determined to handle as many promotional schedules as possible. Unfortunately, however, there were no other variety programs on the broadcast station airing *Your Brilliant Twinkle* worth appearing on besides *Great Saturday*.
Furthermore, it was a bit awkward to appear on variety programs from other broadcast stations to promote *Your Brilliant Twinkle*. It wouldn’t look good in terms of professional etiquette. Because of that, Tae-ha had no choice but to appear on many Nutube channels.
Fortunately, there were quite a few Nutube channels these days that could be helpful for promotion. In some respects, their effect could be considered higher than that of TV variety shows.
Among them, Tae-ha chose three main ones. He had already appeared on *An Ji-yeon’s Salon Drip*, and the remaining ones were *That’s Your Business* and *Are You Kidding Show*.
The one scheduled first between the two was a content titled *Are You Kidding Show*, which was famous for parodying foreign talk shows. This content, which was conducted in English, was a promotional schedule that even Tae-ha found quite burdensome.
It wasn’t because of his English skills. Tae-ha, who had a natural talent for languages, was quite good at English. The reason Tae-ha felt burdened was something else.
It was because *Are You Kidding Show* was a content where Hollywood stars and world-class soccer players, who are rarely seen on variety shows, had appeared as guests. That meant his view counts would be directly compared to those of such guests.
‘If you’re not a global star, you’re bound to fall behind in views. I have overseas fans too, but…’
He was not yet at the level where he could be compared to Hollywood stars or world-class soccer players. Of course, when Tae-ha heard from the promotional agency that an appearance on *Are You Kidding Show* was possible, he had accepted without hesitation. This was because he felt that promoting *Your Brilliant Twinkle* was more important than his own prestige.
Moreover, he thought it might be an opportunity to make his name known to those who didn’t know him.
And so, the filming for *Are You Kidding Show* began.
“Today, Yoon-su, I have someone similar to you here.”
“Who’s similar to me? What’s the similarity? Face?”
“No. The fact that he has eyes, a nose, and a mouth.”
“We have today’s guest! Kang Tae-ha!”
The tallest of the three MCs, the Australian-educated Kim Yong-ju, shouted this, and Tae-ha made his appearance.
At the same time, the voices of the three people, who had been shouting “Wow!” and “Make some noise” in a fuss, vanished. It was as if they had even forgotten their rehearsed reactions.
The reason was simple. It was Tae-ha’s aura, which seemed as if it were not of this world. They were completely overwhelmed by that aura. It was a reaction that seemed too dramatic for three people who had already filmed with world-class stars.
But there was a reason they had no choice but to react that way. It was because Tae-ha was using his Immersion Ability to play ‘a being with an aura that surpasses even a global star.’