Chapter: 92
– This drama is a bit different than expected.
– It has a quirky flavor, but what…
– Jo Ha-rin is seriously pretty! Is she the main character????
– No, no, no! She’s a supporting role.
– ???? No sense of style.
The first broadcast of Dream Future aired.
A 15 percent rating was indeed an encouraging achievement.
Only two shows this year have pulled this off.
However, considering that those two dramas had a quality that was night and day compared to Dream Future, the outcome sent shockwaves through the higher-ups.
“This actually works?”
That was the perfect phrase for the situation.
The perception of the director, Kim Pil-seok, also improved significantly.
He was already seen as a competent young director, but now, it was more like…
“Quite the problem solver, huh?”
“True. Nobody wanted to tackle this.”
“Of course, a youthful romance is basically a dead genre now…”
“Honestly, I was half-skeptical when the proposal first came out.”
Such conversations were bubbling up even within the broadcasting station.
“More than anything…”
There was another person garnering attention in the drama team.
“Is it that girl again?”
“That girl? Ah~.”
The KMB drama team.
Among them, those who had been with the company long enough couldn’t forget one particular “kid.”
Joo Su-yeon.
The child actress who made waves with The Sun Hidden by the Moon.
She made a dazzling comeback and established quite a reputation.
“When Su-yeon’s in it, something feels different.”
“I know, right? The vibe is just… off.”
Several staff members commented while watching Episode 1 of Dream Future.
“Usually… the last highlight gets the best ratings.”
“Yeah, but I heard Jo Ha-rin’s audition scene actually hit higher ratings?”
“Right, it was two percent more!”
Kim Pil-seok had put a little extra effort into that scene.
It was a slight deviation from the original script.
He had consulted with the drama writer, but it felt almost like a gamble.
Though it was Episode 1 and focus should be on the main characters, he somehow gave attention to Jo Ha-rin as well.
Of course, that resulted in a grand success.
“Wait, the role of Song So-ha is played by Cha Na-hee, right?”
“She’s probably got a lot on her plate being an idol and all.”
In fact, fans of Cha Na-hee’s girl group were expressing their dissatisfaction.
“Why did they downplay Na-hee’s character so much?!” they complained.
“However, it’s not like the screen time has increased dramatically. Jo Ha-rin’s introduction scene was under ten minutes. Total time combined as well.”
“Ten minutes out of one hour. Song So-ha had at least double that.”
Honestly, Jo Ha-rin’s screen time wasn’t drastically different from the other four main characters aside from Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha.
Ten minutes.
And that was even with the combined group appearances included; she got even less in individual cuts.
The first appearance segment and the audition scene.
Yet, surprisingly enough, her presence resonated more with viewers than Song So-ha, who filled the screen at least three times as much.
So, Jo Ha-rin wasn’t really at fault here.
The only thing that changed was that she got through with “singing, not dancing.”
But why such reactions popped up?
It was her acting skills.
The impact of her scene was significantly greater than Song So-ha’s, making viewers mistakenly think Jo Ha-rin appeared “a lot.”
After watching the drama, if you kept mentioning it, more often than not, people would cite her as the most memorable moment.
That gave Dream Future a significant edge in its early popularity, but not everyone was thrilled about it.
“I can’t believe this!”
Dream Future’s writer, Lim Jin-ha, muttered in an annoyed tone.
“Oh, come on, Writer Lim! It’s great! Another hit production!”
“…”
The friendly PD of the drama team, Baek Tae-soo, tried to soothe Lim Jin-ha.
He was one of the higher-ups at KMB.
Rumors circulated that he was likely to head the drama department within a few years.
There had been a chance before, but at that time, a much more capable individual overshadowed him, forcing him to step back with tears.
“In the variety shows, she couldn’t sing to save her life.”
“Ah, I know! That was Joo Su-yeon, right?”
“Yeah. So, I thought she wouldn’t be able to pull it off… and then I got blindsided.”
Could it have been an act?
How could she have delivered such an impressive performance in that scene?
Regardless, Lim Jin-ha wasn’t pleased.
“I’m not okay with this.”
In the first place, Jo Ha-rin was a character they had reluctantly thrown in.
A character added simply to serve as a seasoning when Song So-ha got involved with Kim Si-hwan.
But now that seasoning was starting to overshadow the main dish.
Certainly, this wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
A minor character shouldn’t detract from the main story.
But Lim Jin-ha’s point of view was slightly different.
More than anything.
“What’s the deal between Park Jung-woo and her?”
Lim Jin-ha was a fan of Park Jung-woo.
The fact that Park Jung-woo was already cast was thanks to Lim Jin-ha’s wishes.
So, seeing Su-yeon getting too friendly with Park Jung-woo didn’t sit well with him.
“Yeah, that would be best.”
Yet, even so, a drama writer had limited power, especially one with such little experience.
If it weren’t for Baek Tae-soo’s hit production, Lim Jin-ha wouldn’t even be able to voice his opinion.
But if you think about it, now Lim Jin-ha had the chance to speak up.
“I might need to reduce her role.”
“Huh? Why? It’s going well right now…”
“She’s encroaching on the lead’s screen time.”
“Well, that’s a fair point…”
Still, it was clear that the one driving the ratings for Dream Future was Joo Su-yeon.
But if you reduced her presence…
“But a show where the main character is overshadowed can’t succeed.”
Joo Su-yeon was currently at the forefront, but you could never tell how long that would last.
Maybe giving Cha Na-hee more focus wouldn’t be a bad idea.
As for Su-yeon’s acting shining through, Baek Tae-soo found Cha Na-hee’s performance equally decent.
If more weight was given to her character, she might even really shine as a lead.
“Okay, I’ll talk to PD Shin-yoon and Director Kim about it.”
“Sure, as always, thank you! You know I appreciate you, right?”
“Oh, I know.”
Chuckling, PD Baek contacted PD Shin-yoon.
He wasn’t necessarily looking to request major script revisions.
He was just checking in casually.
*
Dream Future is a Monday-Tuesday drama.
The next day, Episode 2 aired, causing ripples for a different reason.
What viewers witnessed from Jo Ha-rin’s live scene in Episode 1 was nothing short of shocking.
The content was pretty standard.
The six lead characters who successfully passed the auditions were assigned to Group C.
A total of 100 people passed the initial auditions.
Half of the 200 applicants had been eliminated.
Among them, Song So-ha was in a deep dip of confidence.
To make it to the final rounds, they needed to stay in Group A until the very end, but she barely made it to Group C.
And with other fierce competitors in Group C, she was completely losing her morale.
“Just give up if it’s tough. No, why are you even holding on?”
Then, a guy with blonde hair and piercings made that remark.
Park Min-yul, who had received rave reviews for his rap and dance.
He just didn’t vibe well with Song So-ha.
In fact, the next mission involved all six performing as a unit.
She lacked confidence.
– Is Park Min-yul MY Yeon-woo?
– Isn’t that character supposed to be refreshing and charming???
– Charming??? That’s not the real personality of MY Yeon-woo!!!
The reactions to Park Min-yul prompted some changes to his character as well.
He was an idol, and there were limits to his acting skills, so they altered his character slightly to align with his original personality.
A task that was propelled by Lim Jin-ha, who adored MY Yeon-woo.
Episode 2 depicted Song So-ha’s struggles.
They tried to make an effort as a team, but nothing seemed to go right.
Fighting, more fighting.
Finally, with just one day left until the last mission.
Having had no real practice in Group C, Song So-ha sneaks out for some solo live practice.
What people typically call busking.
The next mission would require them to perform a guerilla concert on the street.
“Why are you going alone?”
Only Kim Si-hwan chased after Song So-ha.
The two exchanged soft smiles before heading out onto the streets for live practice.
– What kind of vibe is this?
– Wow…
– Why are they doing the audition mission on the street anyway?
– What’s stopping them? They can do it!
Anyway, discussions about the somewhat lackluster script emerged.
Just as a furious chat was beginning to brew.
“Looks like nobody’s watching after all,” said Song So-ha.
Both Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha were singer-focused.
Thus, they didn’t have much to show for it.
Even if they tried their best to sing, there was nothing particularly performative about it.
Perhaps this wasn’t what Produce Star 200 was hoping for.
“Still better than doing nothing.”
With smiles, they sang until the sun began to set.
They had two hours to sing on the street.
And until they were about to hit their limit, people were still hardly paying attention to them.
Slowly, as they began to tire, a familiar face appeared.
“Ha, these stubborn kids,” Park Min-yul said as he approached, microphone in hand.
– ?
– Hold up, no way…
– Is this for real?
The chat that was about to ignite with discussion took a different turn.
Park Min-yul showed up holding a microphone.
Everyone thought there was no way he would actually do this.
But then suddenly, Park Min-yul started rapping as he walked.
– What the heck!!
– Turn on the flickering lights and let’s go…
– Oh right, this is the kind of drama I forgot after watching Episode 1.
With the sudden rap from Park Min-yul, more people started to turn their attention toward them.
Those who had initially paid no mind to Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha began to notice them.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
With Park Min-yul leading the rap, the other three from Group C followed closely behind.
Ha Yoo-sung, Jo Ha-rin, and Jin Hye-min began stepping in rhythm.
Among them, Ha Yoo-sung started rapping along with Park Min-yul.
The rest danced vigorously, charging forward.
– Aaaah!!
– I think I’m actually going crazy!!
– Who wrote this script?
– OMG.
– Please stop it already!
“Guys!!”
Song So-ha shouted with a bright face.
And then the C group’s practice began.
As they did, onlookers gathered around them, starting to cheer.
– Wait a minute…
– Are they all hypnotized together?
– If you want to mess up the drama, just say it!
– I recommended this to my friend, saying it was fun.
– You didn’t get dumped, did you? Your friend must be nice.
Thus began the C group’s performance.
Despite their absurd scene, people couldn’t help but chuckle.
– They’re actually doing well again.
– What a surprise, their singing is solid!
Oddly enough, despite the corny vibe, the scene’s direction was quite good.
You could feel the effort put into the song.
And just like that, Episode 2 of Dream Future, which ushered in shock and awe, came to a close.
The responses across various forums mostly had a sense of absurdity.
– I’m not sure what’s gonna come next week, but I’ll still watch!
– Surprisingly, it’s quite enjoyable!
– And the songs are good!
Proving the community’s reactions to be true, the ratings hit a solid 13 percent—just shy of the first episode.
Especially, the group performance segment peaked at an impressive 18 percent.
However.
– This episode felt like Jo Ha-rin had less screen time.
– She barely popped up at all.
– That’s definitely true.
There was a peculiar sentiment that Jo Ha-rin, who left a big impact in Episode 1, seemed notably sidelined now.
But most believed it was unavoidable due to the plot.
“Good!”
Lim Jin-ha saw the community’s response and smiled.
Without having to drastically revise the script or extensively change scenes.
He merely cut out a few lines.
At this point, it was good enough.
“If I keep trimming it down like this…”
By around Episode 8, she might barely be visible.
Lim Jin-ha thought with a smirk.
But there was one thing he wasn’t accounting for.
The third teaser for The Chaser that dropped that evening.
*
The second teaser for The Chaser was not much different from the first.
Two detectives searching for the culprit.
And the brutally slaughtered victims.
A chase scene involving a raincoat-wearing assailant.
What was different this time, however, was the increased frequency of shots featuring Cha Seo-ah, the convenience store employee.
– Why are they showing the extra’s face so much?
– Because she’s become popular recently, maybe?
– Hmm…
Such responses had begun circulating.
While talks of The Chaser were starting to circulate, the final third teaser was revealed just before its release.
– The visuals are indeed good.
– But seems like there aren’t really any new scenes?
It was a roughly two-minute video.
A compilation of major scenes from the first and second teasers.
The character portrayed by Joo Su-yeon, who had been receiving a lot of backlash during the second teaser, scarcely appeared.
Most viewers came to the obvious conclusion.
“Oh, they probably omitted her after the negative feedback from the second teaser.”
However.
Whoosh!
In a scene drenched by heavy rain.
During the tagline scene from the second teaser.
There stood the small-statured culprit in her yellow raincoat.
Clang!
The fire axe she held dropped to the ground.
Thud.
Thud.
With a pulsating background score, the culprit’s hand moved slowly.
Everyone watching the video thought, “No way.”
Could it be that the identity of the culprit was finally being unveiled?
Crack.
As the hood of the raincoat lowered, long black hair came into view.
Slowly.
Very slowly, the camera panned upward, revealing a well-defined jawline.
The pale skin glistened from the rain, standing out.
And finally.
Red eyes.
Eyes that glimmered in the darkness.
Cha Seo-ah.
The same woman who had previously appeared as a convenience store employee.
Following her appearance, the screen faded to black.
It was as if they had shown everything they needed to show.
The title The Chaser slowly emerged on the pitch-black screen.
Thus, it was only natural that various film communities exploded.
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