Chapter 87: First Broadcast

Taeha arrived at the studio to watch the first broadcast.

He believed that he should watch the first episode with Jeong Hyo-seop, who had suffered alongside him.

Jeong Hyo-seop was not the only one there.

Underneath Hyo-seop was another assistant writer who had joined in the middle of working on the script for .

It was a man named Ahn Jin-su, who had previously been at Baek Seung-chul’s studio.

He was a friend who had been the youngest under Lee Hyun-seung, the first assistant at Baek Seung-chul’s studio.

Taeha had scouted him after making inquiries through CEO Han.

Originally, Taeha wanted to bring over Lee Hyun-seung, whom he was close with.

However, he could not do that. Since Lee Hyun-seung was the one who had met Taeha as a rookie during his days as Ho-jun, it was only natural.

Because of that, it was bound to be difficult for Lee Hyun-seung to work under Taeha. Even though Taeha had debuted earlier, that was the ultimate conclusion.

Aside from him, there had been another assistant writer who was the second assistant at Baek Seung-chul’s studio, but that friend seemed to have moved on to a different career path. There was nothing to be done about it, as he had reportedly left the industry after becoming disillusioned with it.

Jeong Hyo-seop and Ahn Jin-su.

Currently, there were two assistant writers in Taeha’s studio. It would be nice to have one more, but Taeha did not force the issue. Since Taeha still had many ideas and did not live or eat his meals at the studio, two people were sufficient.

In Jeong Hyo-seop’s case, he was doing the work of two decent assistant writers. He was just that good at his job. Ahn Jin-su also performed quite well, unlike Taeha’s previous assistant, Go Dae-seong. Perhaps because he had been trained rigorously under Baek Seung-chul, it felt like he was doing the work of one and a half people. For a junior assistant writer, he was more than qualified.

As a result, Taeha was currently satisfied with the studio environment. Since Salamander Studio had provided him with a thirty-pyeong three-room officetel before starting this project, life was much more comfortable. It was a good enough environment for Jeong Hyo-seop and Ahn Jin-su, who, unlike Taeha, did not have separate homes in Seoul and had to sleep and eat at the studio.

However, today was the day of the first broadcast of . The studio, which had always felt spacious and comfortable, felt cramped.

The reason was simple. Im Kyung-ho, Shin So-hee, Han Woo-ri, and Kim Se-mi had all mobilized to Taeha’s studio to watch the first broadcast together. Furthermore, CEO Han, Kim Seo-an, Im Chan-hyung, and Kim Su-jin had also taken their places in the studio, making the living room of the thirty-pyeong officetel feel even smaller.

CEO Han must have felt the same way, as he looked over the faces of the people gathered in front of the TV while commercials played before the start of .

“Hmm… we should get a bigger studio for the next project. Right, Team Leader Kim?”

“Yes. That would be best. Next time, I’ll look for a forty-pyeong studio with at least four rooms.”

“While we’re at it, look for one in the fifty-pyeong range. We should increase the TV size too. And put in some decent speakers.”

“I will look into it.”

However, Taeha waved his hand after hearing their conversation. “That’s enough. Why go that far?”

It felt a bit tighter than usual, but it wasn’t as if eleven people couldn’t fit. Most importantly, this wasn’t a studio where eleven people gathered on average, so there was no problem. Unless it was a special case like today, even if the directing department came for a meeting, the number of people rarely exceeded eight.

So, there was no need to get a larger studio. But CEO Han did not budge.

“Aiyoo. Once this drama airs today, the writer’s name value will rise even higher, so we can’t have that. I will definitely get it for you. I’ll also try to find separate lodging for Writer Jeong and Writer Jin-su. So that the studio can be used strictly as a studio.”

The words ‘The drama might not even be a success’ rose to the tip of Taeha’s tongue, but he held them back. Words had a way of becoming reality. There was no need to rain on the parade by saying unnecessary things.

Besides, there were too many people in this room wishing for the success of .

“Well… let’s talk about that again after the drama ends.”

Taeha concluded the conversation by saying that.

It was then. Im Kyung-ho, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed like he was praying next to the actors who were chatting, approached Taeha. He asked with desperate eyes.

“Taeha. Is there any beer in the studio? I don’t think I can watch the first episode sober.”

“Ah. Beer.”

After answering, Taeha asked Ahn Jin-su. “Jin-su. Is there any beer left in our studio?”

“There should be a few cans left that I was drinking with Hyo-seop. Should I bring them out?”

“Yeah. Bring them all. By the way, when is the food we ordered coming?”

Jeong Hyo-seop responded to Taeha’s additional question. “I’m checking right now, and it’s almost here.”

*Ding-dong.*

Just then, the doorbell rang, and fortunately, they were able to receive the food before the drama started. Food ordered from a nearby family restaurant began to be laid out on the table. There were dishes like pasta, pizza, and steak. Along with the food, soda, beer, and wine had also arrived.

Shin So-hee picked up a bottle of wine with an excited expression.

“Oh. I’ll have wine. They were sensible enough to order Pinot Noir. Se-mi, you’re drinking too, right?”

“Hmm. Pour me a glass too. I’m nervous.”

“What about you, Woo-ri?”

“For now, I think a Zero Coke will be fine. I don’t want to get drunk already.”

“Right. Good thinking. Someone has to watch the first episode sober. What about you, Taeha?”

Taeha hesitated between the soda, beer, and wine. Everyone except Han Woo-ri seemed to have chosen beer or wine. Even CEO Han, who had been confident of success, seemed to be feeling the pressure as he drank wine. Im Kyung-ho was already opening his second 500ml can of beer.

“I’ll start with a soda too. I’d like to raise a victory toast after the first episode is over.”

“Understood.”

Like that, everyone waited for the first broadcast of  in their own way, as if they were watching a New Year’s sunrise. Im Kyung-ho seemed to be praying again, as if the beer hadn’t calmed his nerves.

And finally, all the commercials ended, and the first broadcast of  began. At the same time, those who had been chatting in small groups to relieve their tension fell silent.

***

 began with directing that highlighted Im Kyung-ho’s signature delicacy. The camera movements, focusing on the morning dew, were superb, signaling that the story was beginning from Lim Yu-jin’s perspective.

Even though Taeha had already checked the rough cut, the directing felt fresh to him. And then, the drama truly began.

‘It’s good… everything in every corner is beautiful.’

The feeling was definitely brought to life when various scene effects and music were layered on top. Once again, it was clear why Im Kyung-ho was called a master of rom-com directing. Under Im Kyung-ho’s hands, the campus scenery that had only existed as text was transformed into a place full of romance.

Shin So-hee’s acting, which had to play the most important role in Part One, was also excellent. It was good when he saw it on set, but seeing it expressed through the flow of the directing made it feel even better.

“So, I’ll change it. Even your future, which you couldn’t change.”

Glancing over, Shin So-hee also seemed satisfied with her own acting. But at this moment, the person Taeha was most concerned about was not Shin So-hee. He wasn’t particularly interested in the reactions of the other actors either. He didn’t even think the reactions of CEO Han, Im Kyung-ho, Kim Seo-an, Jeong Hyo-seop, or Ahn Jin-su were that important. All these people, like Taeha, had seen the rough cuts before.

The people Taeha was most concerned about were none other than Im Chan-hyung and Kim Su-jin.

The reason was simple. Because the two of them, like the viewers, were seeing Part One of  almost for the first time. Of course, it wasn’t that they hadn’t read the script. But even so, they were the only two among them likely to show a reaction similar to the general audience.

Because of that, Taeha couldn’t help but worry about their reactions, and then…

‘It worked.’

Confirming their reactions, Taeha clenched his fist. It was only natural, as the two were watching  with their mouths agape. At some point, they had almost stopped eating the food and drinking the alcohol in their hands. It was a sign of how immersed they were in .

‘It seems the drama turned out well even in their eyes.’

The drama progressed toward the end of Part One, and finally reached the last scene that Taeha had put the most effort into.

And here, exclamations burst from the mouths of Im Chan-hyung and Kim Su-jin, who had been focusing without saying a single word until now.

“Wow.”

“No way.”

It was easy to tell what the viewers’ reactions would be like. Sure enough, after the drama was completely over, Jeong Hyo-seop and Ahn Jin-su, who were checking Social Media Platform 2 and community reactions, spoke up one after another.

“Writer! It’s a hit! Our work rose to the real-time trends on Social Media Platform 2 as soon as it started!”

“The online communities are going crazy right now. The popular posts are all being taken over by .”

Tomorrow morning, he would have to open the box and check the contents called viewership ratings, but at this rate, it seemed there was no need to worry. At the very least, Part One of  was a success.

People who finally grasped the situation let out cheers, and congratulations poured in for Taeha.

***

After the broadcast of Part One of  ended, they reheated the food that had gone cold while they were watching the drama and drank heavily all night.

Because of that, the studio’s environment, which had maintained its cleanliness despite feeling a bit cramped due to the number of people, collapsed. It became a complete mess.

But since it was a happy day, everything was forgiven.

And then, the viewership ratings for Part One were confirmed. Surprisingly, the rating was 8.8%. Furthermore, this trend continued in Part Two and Part Three. It recorded ratings of 9.7% for Part Two and 10.3% for Part Three. It was a much faster pace than , which had entered the top ten all-time ratings for tvM with only a twelve-episode broadcast.

However, after Part Four was aired, surprisingly, the viewership rating suddenly dropped to 6.3%. It was a result that even Taeha had not anticipated at all.