The employees who were about to be split into Drama 2 couldn’t help but feel a bit freaked out.
After all, when the first episode got a 6% rating, they thought that was the end of the road.
“6%? Well, that’s it.”
“Honestly, looking at it, the setup was… hard to get…”
“I heard it was supposed to go to a cable channel; guess it fits just right.”
When the first episode aired, everyone was laughing and having a good time with those conversations.
I mean, 6%.
Typically, ratings stay pretty steady after the first episode.
It’s that awkwardly high but not too low number.
Plus, just from the setup, it felt like a very strange drama.
For creators, the most dangerous thing is the unfamiliarity.
No matter how great a work is, you must adapt the settings or content to match viewers’ tastes.
This drama clearly didn’t consider its audience.
So they made the judgment and watched the second episode.
‘…Why is this fun?’
‘Something feels kinda off.’
The second episode was all about Min-seo and Yoo-joo.
Min-seo was what you’d call the “not-so-good child” to her parents.
A girl whose grades were just a bit lower than her brother’s.
But that slight difference felt like a huge gap to their parents.
“My parents love me, but I know. I’m just the cute daughter.”
Lee Min-seo said to Lee Yoo-joo in a somewhat subtle tone.
Honestly, she couldn’t quite grasp the reason to get close to Yoo-joo.
They said to get closer to Yoo-joo, but that was really for her brother, not her.
That bothered her.
“She’s just cute and playful. How’s that different from a pet?”
It wasn’t really meant to come off as an attempt to become friends with Yoo-joo.
It was just that, no matter what she said, Yoo-joo didn’t really react, so she was just mumbling to herself.
“I don’t expect anything from her. I gave up long ago, so I don’t do anything.”
Her brother, Lee Min-hyeok, probably didn’t know this fact.
He just thought their parents were indulgent because they adored their daughter.
But Min-seo understood.
People can only be generous when they hold no expectations for the other.
There might be exceptions, but at least, for her parents, that’s how it was.
“I don’t even know anymore~.”
Since she knew that whatever she said wouldn’t get a response, Min-seo munched on the bread she bought from the vending machine.
‘For such a grand declaration of war, it’s surprisingly quiet.’
In school, Yoo-joo was just average.
She didn’t say much, hardly standing out, spending most of her time sitting.
Even so, she had no shortcomings and naturally caught the eye.
But for someone who had said such things on the first day, she was oddly quiet.
As if she were observing something.
“I’ve decided.”
At that moment, Yoo-joo, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.
Decided?
With a puzzled look and a mouth full of bread, Min-seo turned her gaze to Yoo-joo.
“I’ll choose you.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“You want to win against your twin brother, don’t you?”
Yoo-joo whispered in a soft voice.
As if the silence had been a lie, she leaned in closely toward the face of Min-seo, who had the bread in her mouth.
“I’ll make it happen for you.”
Lee Min-seo gazed at Yoo-joo, as if entranced.
It was that kind of atmosphere.
As if they were the only two people in the world, with a magical presence surrounding them.
“Uh, okay.”
“But…”
Waving her finger, Yoo-joo whispered into Min-seo’s ear.
“You have to trust me.”
That phrase felt almost like a devil’s whisper.
“Completely, entirely.”
Min-seo could only blankly nod.
And so, the second episode of Sky Garden came to an end.
The adult perspective vs. the child perspective.
Both were happening simultaneously, intertwining their many desires.
“Strange, isn’t it?”
Said a staff member from the drama department who had been watching.
“Honestly, when you break it down, it doesn’t make sense….”
“It just has this mysterious pull.”
“Ah, but it’s not really my cup of tea.”
Clang!
As they were having such a conversation, the door burst open, and everyone turned to look at the newcomer with tense faces.
Baek Tae-soo.
The man destined to be the king of this drama department.
With a calm expression, he surveyed his surroundings and spoke.
“Did you watch Sky Garden?”
That was all he said.
At his words, the gathered PDs and staff exchanged glances before speaking up.
“I did watch it, but to be honest, I didn’t really get it.”
“I thought it was… okay, maybe.”
“I definitely felt the color was unique. It’s definitely something I’ve never seen on public broadcast before.”
“It felt like romance was completely excluded.”
At the staff’s comments, PD Baek Tae-soo looked lost in thought.
Upon seeing him,
“You don’t need to worry too much. To be honest, it was an unfriendly drama, wasn’t it? They didn’t really address anything.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s right. Honestly, the 10 percent in episode 2 was released, but we still have more, right?”
At their words, Baek Tae-soo narrowed his eyes.
It was as if he was questioning whether they were serious.
Under that gaze, the staff member who had been forcing a smile turned to stone.
‘W-wait, is he angry?’
Thinking this, a cold sweat broke out as they waited.
Then, PD Baek Tae-soo finally spoke.
“Explaining is simply unnecessary.”
“Excuse me?”
“If we explain, viewers will end up thinking.”
Baek Tae-soo revised his evaluation of the drama writer Min Se-hee, who was in charge of Sky Garden.
He knew that in the past, writer Lim Jin-ha had salvaged a crumbling script in Dream Future.
Back then, it felt merely decent, but—
“We push the story forward as quickly as possible without needing to explain. Once you start explaining, the tempo naturally slows, and viewers will have time to think. But what about Sky Garden? Before you know it, it’s already over.”
But did that mean the content was merely sensational? Not at all.
He minimized the settings that could be muddled and pushed the plot faster than the reader could think about its coherence.
Thinking back, one might say, ‘That doesn’t really make sense.’ But at least for the duration of watching the drama, you forget about that.
Of course, it won’t appeal to everyone.
It might even be unbearably so.
But the drama writer believes that’s a minority.
The overwhelming majority of viewers are drawn in.
That was the way Sky Garden unfolded.
Whether that was intentional or not, he wasn’t sure.
“That’s the immersion factor. It makes you zone out and watch without thinking. Furthermore, that’s directly related to fun. Essentially, Sky Garden is just a fun drama.”
No one could speak at Baek Tae-soo’s words.
But that was only for a moment.
“…But, that applies to us too.”
Baek Tae-soo smiled.
In an instant, those who had been tense, thinking he was angry, finally relaxed their faces.
“We’re going to overwhelm again in episode 3. I can guarantee that.”
He said that, sitting down at his desk.
And behind the sight not visible to them, the smile on his face turned serious.
“Right, until now, we’ve been winning.”
“We’re going to win, right?”
“Of course, we have to win.”
“There’s a difference in material, though.”
“Genres ultimately have their own characteristics.”
Currently, Baek Tae-soo PD’s work, [Grand Game], is definitely sailing smoothly.
In Baek Tae-soo’s opinion, this drama will continue to sail smoothly at least until episode 6.
The problem comes next.
The script from episode 6 onwards.
In other words, it’s the point where the romance really starts to kick in.
“……”
Conflict appeared on his face.
After all, he was a PD for a public broadcast network.
*
“I can finally breathe easy about our daughter.”
Soo-ah watched Seo-yeon playing with her younger sister, Su-yeon.
The drama seemed to have not done well in episode 1, but Seo-yeon looked perfectly fine.
No, she actually seemed to be in a good mood.
‘Is she maybe hoping for a flop?’
It was a thought that crossed her mind.
Of course, that wouldn’t be the case.
Seo-yeon probably had that much confidence in her drama.
Seeing her stand out even when everyone else was nervous.
“She takes after her dad in this, huh?”
“Dad?”
Seo-yeon’s expression soured.
It was as if her face said, “Don’t say that.”
She definitely couldn’t stand the idea of being compared to her dad.
Soo-ah chuckled at her daughter’s reaction.
“Your dad is the type who may seem easygoing, but he makes decisions when it counts.”
“Really? I’m not so sure.”
The Young-bin Seo that Seo-yeon saw was honestly a rather light-hearted person.
He seemed to have a temperament not so different from his peers.
Sometimes it felt like his mind had stopped in his late teens or early twenties.
“As a creator, you have to keep your thoughts young… and so do I.”
Soo-ah is an artist.
Now it’s more like a hobby, but she used to draw diligently in high school.
Whether an illustrator, game designer, novelist, or singer.
You have to be young in spirit.
Once your thoughts grow old, that’s when it’s time to retire.
“Dad always said that.”
“Dad?”
“It’s his catchphrase. He says you have to live young.”
To do that, he probably plays games that kids like.
It seems he does various things to keep those feelings alive.
As you grow up, thoughts can age in the blink of an eye.
Faster than your body does.
“Originally, your dad was a person who didn’t know how to worry.”
Soo-ah looked at Seo-yeon.
Her daughter reminded her of the Young-bin she first met.
“But as he got older, he gained hesitation. It seems he’s still pondering something.”
“Dad is pondering?”
Soo-ah couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s genuinely doubtful expression.
“Maybe it’s because of that game director position. He might be worried about it.”
“Can’t he just go for it?”
“No, he probably wants to do something different. He’s had dreams since back then.”
He’s not a game director for a big company.
Young-bin’s real dream was to make the game he wanted to create.
In other words, he wanted to be independent.
“But now he has a family, doesn’t he?”
“…….”
“So he seems to be hesitating now. It looks like they’ve been talking about him moving up for a while. Now they want to plan a big project together with the company.”
Soo-ah gazed quietly at her daughter, who had fallen silent for a moment.
“So, I thought the role of Lee Yoo-joo, played by Seo-yeon, was really sad.”
The character Seo-yeon was playing.
In [Sky Garden], Lee Yoo-joo is a girl who moves only according to her parents’ wishes.
She didn’t want to move like that, but eventually, she unknowingly ends up doing what her parents want.
Lee Yoo-joo’s father wanted her to prove her abilities as his entrance exam coordinator.
She hoped to prove her abilities as a denator.
Lee Yoo-joo was fed up with it.
“But, eventually, I had no choice but to use that ability.”
Lee Yoo-joo’s goal is ultimately the same as her father’s.
To prove her abilities and create connections.
And to use them as a stepping stone to rise higher.
To break through the walls built by the elite and look beyond.
But in the end, that’s what her father desires as well.
Lee Yoo-joo has only learned to look up.
She doesn’t know how to see anything else.
So, Suah said, “What a sad child.”
‘…Definitely.’
Seo-yeon felt that after hearing Suah’s words.
All this time, Seo-yeon’s portrayal of Lee Yoo-joo was of a girl working hard to fulfill a dream.
Seo-yeon acted that way too.
But thinking about it, Lee Yoo-joo didn’t have a dream of her own.
Ultimately, her desire to rise is due to the knowledge and education her father instilled in her.
The world is all about money, power, and fame.
Lee Yoo-joo wanted to be someone who had it all.
She didn’t want to live a life like her father’s.
That came to be.
Because she only saw that in her small world.
Lee Yoo-joo might think it was her own decision.
But is that really all there is?
“Seo-yeon.”
Suah smiled as she watched Seo-yeon deep in thought.
“Why did you want to be an actor?”
As if trying to answer the question about the character ‘Lee Yoo-joo’.
“Weren’t you originally wanting to do something else?”
At those words, in that moment.
Seo-yeon was left speechless.
She hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
“Mom!”
The youngest, Joo Su-yeon, who was in Seo-yeon’s arms, spoke brightly.
“When is Dad coming today?”
The youngest really liked her dad.
She would wait just for the time Dad would come home.
“Dad said he has an appointment today.”
“Appointment?”
“Yeah, with a friend.”
“Dad had a friend, huh?”
At innocent Joo Su-yeon’s words, Seo-yeon almost laughed without realizing.
It felt strangely familiar to her.
“Yeah, a high school friend.”
They used to meet often, but after becoming adults, they couldn’t meet as often.
The person Young-bin was set to meet today was just that.
*
“Wow, what’s this? A suit.”
Young-bin said as he entered the bar they agreed to meet at.
Once inside the bar, a sharp-looking man in a neat suit was sitting there.
With sharp glasses and a cold expression, he scrutinized Young-bin as if he were merchandise.
“So, do you actually work at a company?”
“No, how could I? Oh, and what’s with your eyes?”
“…..”
As they sat across from each other, Young-bin shrugged off his casual clothes.
“And I can’t earn as much as you, so I can’t afford a suit that expensive. How much is that watch?”
“Two thousand.”
“No way. That’s filthy expensive. You’re buying the meat today.”
Young-bin said that and proceeded to rummage through the menu.
“Oh right.”
He suddenly spoke as if he remembered something.
“I heard about ‘Hyper Action Star.’”
“Yeah.”
“I heard the director is from GH Group. That’s what Seo-yeon said.”
“Right.”
“So you found out recently, huh?”
Young-bin let out a scoff at his calm response.
After all.
“When did you become a director?”
To that, he answered with a chuckle.
“Because it’s my father’s company.”
The man across the table, the director of the GH Group’s cultural business division, Kang Tae-jin, replied with a smirk.
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