[‘Showbiz Studies’ Opens with a Fierce Clash Between the Male and Female Leads. From Disaster to Romance?]
[‘Showbiz Studies’ Kwon Do-jun Sheds Light on the Dark Side of the Entertainment Industry]
[TV Highlights: ‘Showbiz Studies’ Episode 1]
[KBK’s New Thursday Mini-Series Gets Off to a Strong Start. Youth Stars Draw Fans to Their Screens.]
[‘Showbiz Studies’ Kim Hana: A Vibrant Female Lead Carrying on the Legacy of ‘Lovers in Paris’]
[‘Showbiz Studies’: The Subtle Chemistry Between Yoon Bohyung and Kim Hana. More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers?]
The FD remained glued to the computer, reading aloud each newly published article, while cheers erupted throughout the restaurant.
The response from the press was overwhelmingly positive. All that remained was to hope the ratings would be just as good tomorrow.
‘Moments like this make not having a smartphone inconvenient...’
Yoomyeong looked regretfully at his old black Motorola phone. His name appeared in the articles from time to time. If this had been the smartphone era, he would have spent the entire night refreshing pages and saving screenshots of every article.
‘Maybe not having a smartphone right now °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° is actually a blessing in disguise.’
“Oh, Bohyung’s getting great reactions too! His article share is comparable to the leads.”
Bae Ok-jin handed him a drink.
“That’s all thanks to the filming.”
“What are you talking about? It’s rare to find someone your age who can immerse himself in a role so naturally.”
“That’s right.”
Lee Ok-hyung, who was especially fond of him, chimed in as well.
“There’s another article!”
[‘Showbiz Studies’ Premiered a Week Late. Can It Beat ‘Defense of Dignity’ in Ratings?]
[A Clear Split in Viewership Predicted. Who Will Win the Wednesday-Thursday Mini-Series Battle?]
Whether the ratings would bring celebration or disappointment wouldn’t be known until tomorrow, but for now everyone was riding the high.
“Brother, let’s have a drink.”
“Sure. You did well, Hana. We’ve still got a long way to go, but let’s keep pushing.”
“Ah! Don’t suddenly appear like that when we’re not filming, Bohyung! You’re making my heart race!”
After a few drinks, Harin became livelier despite the absence of cameras and smacked Yoomyeong on the back.
Wasn’t this exactly the same energy as his younger sister?
Yoomyeong laughed brightly and drained his glass.
Waking up at home in Suwon, Yoomyeong nervously clicked onto the NS ratings website.
Click—
KBK ‘Showbiz Studies’
Episode 1: 18.01%
“Wow!”
Yoomyeong exclaimed aloud.
PD Bang Hak had talked about hoping for 20% for the first episode, but Yoomyeong had never expected that much.
Back when he was in graduate school, the same 16-episode drama had averaged just under 20% ratings overall, which meant its first episode must have started somewhere in the low teens.
But now, 18%—was this the butterfly effect of his participation?
Yoomyeong became determined to make sure the drama’s momentum didn’t stop there.
“Let’s see... Defense of Dignity...”
Episode 3: 18.5%.
It had risen slightly from the previous week. Though it still stood a little higher than Showbiz Studies, considering it was already in its second week, the rankings could easily reverse—possibly even tonight.
{The results are pretty good, kyung~.}
“Yes, they’re better than expected.”
{That’s still not enough. They should go higher.}
“Of course.”
Miho pretended to sound indifferent while sneaking glances at the ratings, subtly encouraging him.
Overjoyed, Yoomyeong ruffled Miho’s fur and hurried into the living room.
{Hey! What are you doing, nyan?!}
“Mom, our ratings hit 18%!”
“You’re awake? Jiyeon already watched the live broadcast. You must’ve been exhausted since you slept in.”
The smell of miso soup drifted through the air, and the sound of frying eggs tickled his ears.
Yoomyeong glanced at the clock and saw it was already 10 a.m. He wished he could have had breakfast with his father, but the man had probably already left for work. Yoomyeong resolved to have dinner with him instead.
“Your father said not to wake you because you’d be tired. He said yesterday’s episode was really fun and that you looked the coolest.”
Yoomyeong was about to get emotional when Jiyeon abruptly changed the subject.
“Wow, he’s really laying on the affection thick... I almost cringed to death.”
“Shin Jiyeon! Don’t tease your brother like that!”
His mother joined in with their usual family banter.
“Brother really knows how to turn on the charm. But I saw Inha looking at him with hearts in her eyes, you know?”
“Oh, Inha too?”
“Not just Inha. At this point, it’s not even about the ratings anymore. The fan forums are exploding.”
Jiyeon pointed at the site open on her laptop, and Yoomyeong hurried over.
[Showbiz Studies Episode 1]
└ A loyal retainer dies for the lord who recognizes him, so Hana should choose Bohyung, who recognizes her.
└ I need a Bohyung at my dad’s workplace too.
└ I came from Baek Seunghyo’s fan café. Kwon Do-jun, you’re terrible, but I still love you...
└ I want to raise a Bohyung. Is anyone giving one away?
“I checked, and someone even made you a fan café overnight.”
Yoomyeong was genuinely stunned. He had expected that portraying an appealing character well would bring him some popularity, but he never imagined such a response after only one episode.
Messages arrived from members of the Oedipus club, friends and juniors, Sung-jin and Jun-han from Changcheon, and even distant acquaintances whose names he barely remembered.
That evening, Yoomyeong sat with his family in front of the TV, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Mom, the recording’s all set!”
“Good. Hurry and sit down, it’s starting already!”
Episode 2 began.
“Mr. Kwon Do-jun, I may be plain, poor, and even run errands to buy your drinks, but I’m a human being too! I’m human!”
The final scene from Episode 1, where Hana finally exploded in anger, had naturally been nothing more than her imagination.
‘...I just want to scream that at him and quit right there... Aaah!’
She swallowed the anger rising in her throat, thinking of her grandmother’s illness and her own dreams.
“What are you staring at? Hurry up and get me another drink! Not something this cold—a lukewarm one!”
“...Yes.”
After being tormented by Kwon Do-jun all day, Hana dragged herself home in exhaustion.
When Bohyung greeted her with a bright smile, sadness suddenly surged up inside her, and she slumped against the wall. Bohyung quietly sat down beside her.
“What’s wrong, Hana?”
“It’s nothing... It’s just that today...”
“What happened today? Who did this to you?”
“Hey, why are you crying too...? Huhu...”
Hana confessed the cruelty she had endured from Do-jun over the past several days, and Bohyung comforted her gently.
Though his voice remained soft, the close-up on Bohyung’s face revealed a chilling expression, stirring curiosity about what he was truly thinking.
Then came the controversial line.
“It’s similar to a hierarchy, those dogs...”
“...Calling them dogs is a bit harsh...”
“Not ‘dogs,’ but a ‘hierarchy.’ Think about the hierarchy in the Chinese zodiac. There’s the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig! The ones at the bottom always flaunt whatever little authority they get.”
The line sparked laughter. Hana herself burst into incredulous laughter.
But then the focus shifted to Bohyung’s face.
Amid Hana’s laughter, his sharp, piercing gaze cut through the scene, making viewers tense instinctively.
“Bullies like that need to taste it for themselves...”
Watching the TV, Jiyeon briefly glanced at Yoomyeong before turning back to the screen, her expression clearly asking, ‘Is that really the same person I know?’
After calming Hana down, Bohyung made a phone call.
“Yes, Manager. Exactly like that. Yes.”
Bohyung calmly gave instructions to the mysterious man on the other end of the line.
Soon another call came in. Wearing a cold expression devoid of any smile, Bohyung gave a slight nod.
“Where are you going, Bohyung? It’s already ten o’clock.”
“I’ll be back soon. I may be a little late.”
“What time will you come back? You’re... coming back, right?”
Hana asked anxiously, now so used to Bohyung being part of her daily life.
Bohyung reassured her warmly, all traces of coldness disappearing from his voice.
“Of course. I’ll bring Grandma her favorite Ghana chocolate. See you in the morning.”
The emotional shifts came rapidly, almost dizzyingly so.
“Hmm... An actor’s duty is to act. Then what about a human being’s duty?”
“Sorry?”
Bohyung shook Kwon Do-jun’s confidence to its core.
“See? If we were only judging appearances, then technically I’d be in a position to speak casually to you. But I’m still using honorifics, aren’t I?”
As Bohyung delivered the arrogant line, the camera focused not on the speaker, but on the listener—Kwon Do-jun.
An actor with sky-high pride.
The humiliation of feeling utterly defeated despite always being praised.
Yet because he understood the situation too well to lash out recklessly, he could only bite his lip in frustration.
Sigh—
Jiyeon sighed as she watched.
Even though she knew it was deserved, she still couldn’t help feeling sorry for top actor Kwon Do-jun as his pride visibly crumbled.
Had there ever been a drama that tore down its male lead so thoroughly this early?
Writer Yook Mi-young could afford to make such a bold move because she had a character capable of carrying the ratings until the broken Kwon Do-jun rebuilt himself and earned the audience’s love.
In the early part of the drama, it was the supporting character who shone brightest.
The reason viewers sympathized with Kwon Do-jun without disliking Bohyung in this scene came from the perfect balance between acting and editing.
And from that point onward, Kwon Do-jun began to change.
“Teacher, how was that just now?”
“...I’ll do it again.”
“Again.”
“One more time.”
The wounded actor, as though trying to reclaim his pride through acting, buried himself in practice.
Even as a celebrated top actor, Kwon Do-jun devoted himself completely to shaping his character. His efforts resembled a wounded beast desperately licking its wounds in a way that was both fierce and pitiful.
‘He really is an extraordinarily talented actor... one of the best among actors in their twenties...’
Yoomyeong nodded inwardly.
Just as Baek Seunghyo himself had said, the role of Kwon Do-jun was not one an actor could tackle without complete confidence in his own skill.
If the acting failed to match the story’s description of a top actor, the performance itself would be ridiculed as unworthy of a ‘top star.’
Yet Baek Seunghyo’s portrayal of Kwon Do-jun was overwhelmingly convincing, forcing viewers to acknowledge his skill.
And for some reason, his acting was even better than Yoomyeong remembered from his graduate school days.
“I am Kim Hana, road manager to actor Kwon Do-jun.”
And in Episode 2, Hana’s charm as the woman supporting such an actor finally began to shine.
Do-jun, suffering from tailbone pain after unfamiliar horseback riding for a shoot, found a soft cushion already placed inside the van.
The kimbap arrived without the pickled radish he disliked, and the coffee was prepared exactly to his picky taste.
Her presence on set always brought laughter, even improving Do-jun’s reputation.
At first, he misunderstood and wondered if she liked him. But over time he realized Kim Hana treated everyone the same way—whether it was a top star like him, an unknown extra, or even an elderly woman collecting cardboard on the street.
She was simply thoughtful and considerate toward people, someone with the kind of gentle personality that noticed others’ situations and put them at ease without making them uncomfortable.
Watching her, he couldn’t help recalling those unpleasant words.
‘Is this what he meant by the quality of one’s core...?’
Then, when a sudden vacancy appeared for a minor role on set—
“We need a young woman... Ah, someone with exactly that kind of vibe.”
“...What? Me?”
Hana was chosen, and Episode 2 came to an end.
the eyes of Yoomyeong’s family turned toward him, filled with admiration and pride.
“Brother...”
