[KMB Drama Division Split?] [Will the Internal Fight Between Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday Dramas Be Fierce?]
The internet news outlet Seonyang Media was abuzz with the recent news about a split in KMB's drama department.
There was definitely something going on, whether it was intense internal competition or some other reason.
"It's all about factions."
Han Seon-ah turned her head at the dismissive comment from her fellow reporter.
"They say PD Baek Tae-soo is the leading candidate for the head of the second drama division. From what I gathered during my last investigation, he went to the same university as the KMB president."
Seoul Baekcheon University of Arts. One of the top schools in South Korea for anyone pursuing a career in broadcasting.
So, Seon-ah's colleague speculated that the president might be backing the second drama division.
"That makes sense..."
Seon-ah agreed. Baek Tae-soo was in charge of The Grand Game. And the current head, Ha Tae-oh, was pushing Sky Garden.
At this point, it didn’t take a genius to see the competitive dynamic between the two divisions.
"You can tell just by watching the trailers. The Grand Game had way more investment put into it."
The problem wasn’t just that. It seemed like there was a sudden reshuffling, as the quality of the Sky Garden trailer felt lacking.
Or rather, it felt like the production wasn’t quite up to par. Though it did include most of what needed to be there, the overall feel was lacking.
"Must be disappointing for you, huh?"
Her colleague gave Seon-ah a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Everyone at Seonyang Media knew she was a fan of Seoyeon.
She frequently wrote articles whenever Seoyeon was active.
"Not everything can be a hit. She had a big movie success, and the drama is doing okay. That’s enough to be satisfied with."
While it was meant to be comforting, it was true. Seoyeon was enjoying her current popularity in broadcasting because she hadn't had a clear failure yet.
Whatever she appeared in did at least decently well. The name Ju Seoyeon carried weight.
Whether it was dramas, movies, or even variety shows. Even cable variety shows had benefited from her influence.
"I don’t think Sky Garden will flop. It seems interesting enough."
With that, her colleague stood up, holding a warm Americano, ready to brave the chilly weather.
'...'
Seon-ah felt the changing season as she fidgeted with her pen. The end of the year was approaching, which meant award season was near.
Film awards, entertainment awards. It was the season for celebrities to gain recognition.
'Seoyeon will surely win something.'
Her colleague might be right. Seoyeon had already shone brightly this year, so Sky Garden didn’t have to be a massive success. And it didn’t seem like it would fail, so there wasn’t much to worry about.
However, as the year-end approached, people tended to remember the most recent hits. If The Grand Game became a big success, the awards Seoyeon was expected to win for Dream Future could end up in someone else’s hands.
Sky Garden didn’t need to succeed. But Seon-ah hoped it would.
Because it would cement her position even further.
"And also..."
Seon-ah began typing an article about the recently released Sky Garden trailer. Although it initially seemed underwhelming, a certain YouTuber had drawn attention back to it, giving it a second chance in the spotlight.
With over 1.4 million subscribers, his influence was substantial.
'I should be grateful.'
She had already watched the video by Han Bongsik, a YouTuber with the same last name, which made him oddly relatable.
Anyway, as he mentioned, Sky Garden had a cable drama vibe. Whether that would work in its favor or simply seem unfamiliar remained to be seen.
Maybe it was because the trailer had a lot of exposition, or perhaps it was because there weren’t any standout scenes.
But the scene with Yoo-joo and Gil Su-jin’s conversation had left a strong impression. Still, with little context, many viewers felt, “It’s atmospheric, but I’m not sure what it’s about.”
Instead, the gentle song playing during their conversation stood out. Since it wasn’t an intense scene, the lyrics and accompaniment were more prominent.
Click, click.
"..."
Click, click.
"Stop searching."
Unable to take it anymore, Jiyeon poked Seoyeon in the side as she was intently clicking away with her mouse.
Only then did Seoyeon stop her fervent ego-searching. Though she’d taken a break from it for a while, she’d recently resumed her obsession.
This coincided with the release of the song she sang.
'She hardly ever checks the acting reviews.'
Jiyeon thought to herself. It wasn’t that Seoyeon didn’t look at them at all.
If she felt a particular scene was amazing, she’d search for reactions and then smugly pat herself on the back. But generally, she didn’t bother with acting reviews.
It might be because she’d heard enough praise for her acting.
'Arrogant brat.'
Even as Jiyeon thought that, she couldn’t deny it.
Unlike acting, singing was something Seoyeon hadn’t been good at initially. So the positive reception seemed to bring her extra joy.
"Are you really going on Masked Singer?"
"Yeah, for the drama’s promotion."
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"Not a bad idea. We’re already lagging behind The Grand Game in terms of buzz."
Seoyeon looked back at Jiyeon, who was lounging on the bed with an earbud in one ear, listening to music.
Although they were slightly behind in hype, Seoyeon was confident that Sky Garden could prevail. It was that kind of drama.
Still, she would do everything she could. You never know what might happen, and it’d be a shame if she slacked off and something went wrong.
"What are you listening to?"
Seoyeon turned her attention to Jiyeon, who had been listening to music through one earbud. Jiyeon was hanging out at Seoyeon’s place for the first time in a while.
Originally, Jiyeon hadn’t planned to come over, but Seoyeon had dragged her here. Probably to show off her widely praised song.
But no matter how good a song is, it gets old after the tenth listen. After Jiyeon finished listening, Seoyeon resumed her ego-searching.
Meanwhile, Jiyeon was listening to something else.
"Oh, a singer I like just released a new song."
"A singer? An idol?"
"No, just a singer."
She called them a skilled singer. Recently, Seoyeon had mused about what it meant to be "skilled," but it was clear that this label wasn’t given lightly.
"Want to listen, Seoyeon?"
"Sure."
Seoyeon slipped on the wired earphones Jiyeon handed her, and their heads lightly bumped.
"Why don’t you use wireless?"
"Wireless isn’t for listening to music."
She wanted to retort about the purpose of wireless earphones, but Jiyeon was serious about audio equipment.
Now that she thought about it, Ramiel was also rather particular about audio gear. And she was a good singer.
So whenever Jiyeon listened to music, she insisted on wired earphones. Judging by the look of these, they were probably outrageously expensive.
The last pair she’d seen were over a million won, so this one was probably similar. It was Jiyeon’s one indulgence.
"Oh, it’s good. The sound quality is definitely different."
"Right?"
Jiyeon, with a rare look of satisfaction, turned her head slightly and smiled with her eyes as they shared the earphones.
It was hard to tell if she was pleased by the praise for the earphones or Seoyeon’s enjoyment of the song.
The singer’s voice was very clear. Having learned to sing, Seoyeon could immediately tell.
This song was quite difficult to sing.
It was incredibly high-pitched. The singer made it sound effortless, but it was deceptively challenging.
With a powerful voice and impeccable control, Seoyeon couldn’t help but be impressed.
'Who is this?'
Seoyeon wasn’t usually interested in singers. Most of the music she listened to was idol pop.
She’d only started listening to it recently because of Cha Nahyi.
"Hey girls, want some fruit?"
Just then, Suah knocked and entered, holding a plate of neatly arranged apple slices.
"Oh, yes."
Jiyeon, who was slightly intimidated by Suah, quickly stood up and took the plate.
Seeing Jiyeon’s reaction, Suah gave a slightly awkward smile.
"Are you listening to music? Those earphones are cute."
She commented as she walked closer to Jiyeon, who was holding an MP3 player in her hand.
"Oh, it’s not a phone? They still make MP3 players?"
"Yeah, it’s for audio enthusiasts. I even use an amplifier with it..."
"Could I have a listen?"
"Of course."
The term “aunt” didn’t quite suit Suah, who recently appeared on a variety show and sent countless other women into existential crises with her flawless, youthful face.
"Sure."
At Jiyeon’s reply, Seoyeon gave her a look. Jiyeon had dragged Seoyeon over with one earbud still in.
'I barely got to listen.'
Though a bit disappointed, Seoyeon knew how intimidated Jiyeon was by Suah, so she handed over the earphones without a fuss.
"Oh, the sound quality..."
As Suah listened to the song, her expression softened with a mix of nostalgia and joy.
"Yeohee, huh."
"Oh, you know her?"
Yeohee was the singer Jiyeon had been listening to. She was a singer who had recently released a comeback album after a long hiatus.
Having bought the album as soon as it was released, Jiyeon had been listening to Yeohee’s songs non-stop.
"I do. I know her very well."
"Really?"
Suah didn’t know much about celebrities. She had her favorites, but she wasn’t one for details.
Even when it came to singers, she usually didn’t know much. Naturally, Seoyeon was curious.
It was rare for Suah to recognize a celebrity. Noticing their gaze, Suah slowly removed the earphones and looked at the album cover on the MP3 screen.
A glamorous image of Yeohee adorned the cover. After staring at it for a moment, Suah spoke.
"She was my high school friend."
She said with a gentle smile.
"Hello, Actress Ju Seoyeon!!"
The tall man greeted her with a bright smile, and Seoyeon bowed her head in response. Although he looked young, she knew he was close to forty.
"I’ve been asking PD Lee about this for so long, and finally, it’s happening."
"Thank you for considering me."
"Oh, no, the pleasure’s all mine."
The man was Sim Kyung-hoon, a PD from KMB’s variety show division.
He carefully observed Seoyeon as she politely greeted him.
'She’s different from the rising stars I’ve seen.'
Though he wore a friendly expression, he scrutinized Seoyeon closely. After all, sometimes reality differs from what you hear.
'...Her eyes are sharp.'
Though many wouldn’t notice, Seoyeon realized that Sim Kyung-hoon had a meticulous personality.
If he was producing a show like Masked Singer, where the identities were concealed, it made sense for him to be thorough.
Revealing identities prematurely was unacceptable. But his intense gaze soon softened.
"Thank goodness this opportunity came at the perfect time, with Sky Garden coming out."
"I also see this as a good opportunity."
Today’s meeting was an informal one. Shortly after, PD Lee Min-hwa joined them, and the three of them had a casual chat.
"As you know, in Masked Singer, everyone wears a mask. You can either design one yourself or let us make one for you."
"Is that so?"
"Do you have any design in mind? I brought a few mock-ups."
Seoyeon tensed up at the mention.
'Could there be a gorilla mask in there?'
When you searched her name online, images of her fighting a gorilla frequently popped up.
Thanks to some image rehabilitation efforts, that had decreased recently.
But if she ended up with a gorilla mask...
"How about this one? I personally really like it."
"Oh, it’s cute."
Sim Kyung-hoon PD displayed a concept mask on the screen. In Masked Singer, the participants often match props and outfits to their masks.
It was almost like a Halloween costume party.
The mask he showed was a rabbit.
"The red eyes match well with you, Seoyeon. It suits you, doesn’t it?"
A Vorpal Rabbit. Essentially, a killer rabbit.
Seoyeon was thrilled.
It was cute! And strong!
That was her favorite kind of thing.