"Make sure to get close, my son."
Professor Lee Hyuk-soo from the Hematology-Oncology Department at Baekyeon University Hospital spoke gently to his son, Lee Min-hyuk, as his wife, Gil Soo-jin, stroked their son's head.
"I'm doing this for your benefit. Look at all the advantages you'll gain just by becoming friends with that girl," she said, showing him a picture of Lee Yoo-joo.
"She's the daughter of a fallen admissions coach. But in her mind, she knows everything about how to get her brother's portfolio ready. She knows what it takes to secure the top spot at Baekyeon University’s medical school."
"Mom, I..."
"I know, my son. I know you're not fond of this girl. Min-seo told me you argued with her today. You need to go and apologize tomorrow."
"Mom!!" Lee Min-hyuk finally shouted, unable to contain his frustration. But Gil Soo-jin just looked at him quietly, unfazed.
In the silence that followed, his anger began to wane.
"Why couldn't you have just done a little better on your own?" she said softly, squeezing his shoulder tightly. "If you had put in the effort so that I wouldn't have to intervene like this, things would be different. It’s shameful. That girl has never missed the top spot, not once. Do you really think you can compete with someone like that?"
The middle school that Lee Yoo-joo attended was within the ranks of this "Sky Garden," where students progressed on an escalator-like path from middle school to university. She had never once failed to take first place.
"She was even the top student representative when she entered high school."
In other words, she had completely outperformed him academically. Hearing this, Min-hyuk felt his breath catch.
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"You have to become a doctor, son."
At his mother’s words, Min-hyuk slowly, reluctantly nodded his head.
"Good. Make sure you apologize tomorrow. I'll let Min-seo know as well."
With that, Gil Soo-jin turned away, leaving Min-hyuk glaring at the floor.
"Just be more like Min-seo, alright?"
Though his grades were slightly lower, his younger twin, Min-seo, was already stuck to Yoo-joo like glue.
"That clueless girl."
Min-hyuk muttered to himself as he turned his back. And the next day, he made his way to Yoo-joo’s class, where he found Min-seo already there beside her. He let out a small chuckle as he walked over to them.
"Sorry."
At last, Yoo-joo looked up at him. First, a look of confusion crossed her face, then her eyes narrowed as she understood. A smirk formed at the corners of her mouth.
"For what?"
"For telling you yesterday that you didn’t belong here. I didn’t realize you were the top student representative."
In Baekyeon High School, Yoo-joo was an outsider. This "Sky Garden" was an exclusive place, where students progressed seamlessly from kindergarten to university. These were the chosen ones—the top 0.1% of Korea.
With wealth, fame, and power, they had everything. And among them, Yoo-joo had arrived from outside. Naturally, most people didn’t look upon her kindly. Though this was a world where classes weren’t supposed to exist, they still treated her like a commoner.
Yet, some still approached her—like Min-seo. And the reason was obvious.
"I'm not telling you."
Yoo-joo rose to her feet, pressing her finger against Min-hyuk’s chest.
"My brother's portfolio."
Min-hyuk’s eyes widened at her words, and he noticed Min-seo by his side, covering her mouth and glancing nervously.
"That’s why you're apologizing, isn't it?"
Yoo-joo lifted her finger from his chest and gave a lighthearted smile.
"Well, I’m not telling you."
"You—"
"But," Yoo-joo said, looking around at the group of students now watching them.
"It’s not like I’m going to keep it completely to myself."
Everyone here was a competitor, studying to meet their parents' expectations and advance their family status.
"I’m a little unpredictable."
In that moment, Min-hyuk saw a glimpse of his mother, Gil Soo-jin, in her. He felt like he knew what she was about to say.
"You want to get into Baekyeon University, right? As the top student of your department."
"That’s just—knowing a few things is nothing."
"A few things?"
Yoo-joo laughed loudly, then abruptly stopped.
"I took the college entrance exam last year. How do you think I scored?"
Min-hyuk didn’t answer. She leaned in close and smiled.
"I got a perfect score."
She took a step back, raising her index finger.
"I was first in the nation."
In the midst of the strange tension, Min-hyuk gritted his teeth and spoke in a trembling voice, denying her words.
First in the nation. He couldn’t believe such an absurd claim.
"That could be a lie."
"Believe it or don’t. It doesn’t matter. You’ll see soon enough."
In high school, there were always exams. If her scores were as she claimed, the school wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.
"And it’s not just grades. I’m keeping up with community service, too."
It was as if she was advertising her worth to everyone, hinting at the benefits of befriending her.
Min-hyuk understood now. Just as they wanted her scores, she had her own reasons for coming here.
"So, all of us."
Yoo-joo smiled at everyone watching.
"Let’s get along."
Min-hyuk couldn’t answer her, but he understood one thing. For the next three years, she would be the queen of Baekyeon High School.
And so, the first episode of Sky Garden came to an end.
"So, what’s this drama even about?" "Why do rich people even care about grades? It’s so unrealistic." "Well, even rich parents obsess over their kids’ grades sometimes." "An admissions coach’s daughter? Come on, that’s such a stretch."
As the first episode of Sky Garden aired, there was a lot of noise. The general consensus was that the setup was too exaggerated, even unrealistic.
"But it was kind of interesting." "That Lee Yoo-joo character is so annoying." "She’s so annoying because she acts so well."
Comments like these filled online communities.
"So, who’s the male lead?" "Is it Lee Min-hyuk? Please tell me he’s not." "Honestly, it feels more like a cartoon for kids than a proper drama."
Opinions were mixed on social media, too. Some found it entertaining, while others thought it childish or disliked the male lead.
Naturally, the atmosphere at KMB’s drama department was gloomy.
"Only six percent..."
Director Kim Il-soo was already feeling a headache coming on. He was scheduled to meet with Seoyeon for filming today.
"This might be a real blow to actress Ju Seoyeon."
Seoyeon had never experienced failure. Young actresses sometimes struggled with negative feedback, and Kim Il-soo worried she might take it hard.
"Hey, get a grip. Are you going to skip filming?"
"But... sigh."
Other young actors on set looked similarly disheartened. They had clearly seen the online reactions and ratings, and their spirits seemed broken even before the filming started.
"I should have rescheduled this shoot."
Kim Il-soo let out a sigh.
A six percent rating wasn’t terrible—it was slightly above average. But the concern was that the ratings were more likely to drop than improve from here. Six percent was right on the borderline.
"The Grand Game did way too well."
"Yeah, there’s no avoiding the comparison."
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Meanwhile, PD Baek Tae-soo’s The Grand Game had pulled in a whopping twelve percent.
Without a competitor, Sky Garden might have a chance to rebound, but with a hit like The Grand Game airing alongside it, the spotlight was inevitably drawn there.
"Nothing but bad news."
Kim Il-soo glanced at writer Min Se-hee, who looked like she was about to pass out. She had been stoic about her expectations, but the rating still seemed to hit hard.
Another staff member tried to comfort her. "I heard a YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers say the show has potential. So, it’s not over yet!"
It was amusing to think that a single YouTuber could sway things, but he continued.
"This isn’t just any YouTuber—it’s Bong-sik. He’s been a fan of Ju Seoyeon for a while and always reviews her work. He’s like a fortune teller with ratings."
Though Bong-sik had simply called hits when they were obvious, a prediction of success would be nice right now.
Elsewhere, Bong-sik was passionately declaring Sky Garden as the hit of the season. Though, judging by the chat comments, his viewers didn’t agree.
"At least we’ve got a fan that big."
"Yeah, a 1.4 million subscriber YouTuber is something."
"I ran into PD Baek Tae-soo on my way here," another staff member mentioned.
"Did he smirk at you?"
"No, actually, he didn’t look happy. I wonder what’s wrong?"
"I doubt it—everything’s practically a celebration over there."
"Ju Seoyeon just arrived on set."
When Seoyeon arrived, she seemed incredibly upbeat, greeting everyone enthusiastically.
"Good morning!!"
"What’s with her? She’s in such a good mood."
Had she not heard the ratings? Or was she in denial?
"Uh, Ms. Ju Seoyeon, did you hear about the ratings?"
"Oh, yes, six percent, right?"
So, she knew—and yet seemed completely unfazed.
Was this simply acceptance of low expectations?
'No, she wouldn’t have taken the role if she thought it was going to fail.'
For Seoyeon, this project was a turning point. She wouldn’t squander her first lead role.
'What’s going on?'
While everyone else was confused, Seoyeon’s cheerfulness almost made their concerns seem trivial.
"Does she really think she can turn it around?"
"Come on, with The Grand Game airing, there’s no way."
"It would take a miracle."
Turning the tide would require more than just an actor’s performance.
They all glanced at Min Se-hee, who fainted again under their stares.
'If episode one got six percent, what will episode two bring?'
Meanwhile, Seoyeon was happily practicing her autograph, oblivious to the concerns of others.
'The original episode two rating was four percent.'
Yet now, with episode one at six percent, no one could predict the outcome.
And then, episode two aired.
Sky Garden surprised everyone, rising to a ten percent rating, nearly catching up to The Grand Game.
While it was supposed to start gaining momentum around episode four, Seoyeon realized there would be no gradual climb this time.
Her Sky Garden was heading straight to the top.