Chapter 94: Aftermath (2)
"The second episode's viewership ratings were 9.5%. Not a bad start for the first week, huh?"
"Did you say 9.5%?"
"Yes—it's the preliminary figure. The exact numbers will be out tomorrow, but that's what they say. Anyway, congratulations."
Kim Soll-Ip asked with a sparkle in her eyes, "What about Moonlight Starpour?"
"Why do you ask? Are you worried?"
"Of course I am!"
Only then did Lee Ji-Yeon finally smile, saying Kim Soll-Ip was beginning to look like a professional writer. "The final viewership ratings were 15.7%. It dropped to 10.4% in the middle of the episode before climbing back up. You've certainly encountered a formidable opponent right from your debut."
There was a 6.2% difference in the final score, but it was still quite a commendable performance.
"Ah, seriously. Why did I have to go up against such an opponent!?"
Lee Ji-Yeon found the situation amusing and teased Kim Soll-Ip. "Soll-Ip, you're not all that different now that you've launched your work, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Remember how you teased me for being hysterical? I remember it very well."
"Oh, come on. When did I ever tease you!"
Lee Ji-Yeon shifted her gaze toward us. "You see? That's exactly what a writer's hysteria looks like."
I nearly burst out laughing at Lee Ji-Yeon's playful remark because I knew Lee Ji-Yeon's hysterical behavior was several times more intense than that of Kim Soll-Ip.
"You can do whatever you want but just make sure to keep your phone on. CP Jung was in a frenzy because you weren't answering your phone. Can you imagine how frustrated he must have been such that he sent me all the way here?"
"Oh? My bad! I forgot to charge my phone."
Kim Soll-Ip managed to recall where she had left her phone and plugged the charger in.
Yoo-Jin also let out a long sigh of relief after hearing that the viewership ratings had gone up. I, too, felt slightly relieved, especially since Kim Sung-Woon had used such a wild tactic in the first episode.
"Alright, everyone. Let's eat first. You look like you haven't had a single meal, Soll-Ip."
As Lee Ji-Yeon spoke, I turned to look at the dining table. The table was covered in dust as if she hadn’t used it in a long time ever since she started to revise the script. We laid down some flyers on the table as placemats and spread out the pork belly Lee Ji-Yeon had brought over.
Having already eaten dinner, Lee Ji-Yeon only sipped the coffee I handed her and asked, "But isn't everyone curious about why the viewership ratings gap narrowed all of a sudden?"
Kim Soll-Ip, who was stuffing her face with three pieces of pork belly wrapped in lettuce, nodded vigorously. "Yes, I'm really curious. So please tell me."
Lee Ji-Yeon urged Kim Soll-Ip to eat slowly lest she choked and pointed at Yoo-Jin.
"Um...me?"
"Yes, you, Yoo-Jin."
Lee Ji-Yeon began to recount the story she heard from Jung Sam-Ryong.
***
In Actor Division 2’s morning meeting on April 3rd, the atmosphere had completely changed from the day before, especially with articles mentioning Yoo-Jin being posted in real-time. The mood was lightening as the meeting progressed and every staff member, including Gu Seong-Cheol, seemed excited.
"Wow. Look at these articles. Read it."
"Things are going great, Mr. Gu."
[Blue Sky Episode 2 viewership ratings were 9.5%, Moonlight Starpour Episode 2 viewership ratings were 15.7%]
[Blue Sky and Moonlight Starpour in a fierce viewership ratings battle. What will next week's viewership ratings be?]
[The drama war between the two companies gets heated right from the start.]
[Blue Sky's Twilight, featuring griddle action and fiery scenes!]
Every time Yoo-Jin changed the griddles for the customers at the barbecue restaurant, her technique of swirling the griddles behind her head sparked unexpected interest from the viewers. People likened her skills to that of a barbecue master with 30 years of experience, or even to a level of unique craftsmanship.
Kim Soll-Ip had incorporated that scene after seeing Yoo-Jin dominate the barbecue restaurant while drunk on the day of the company dinner, which unexpectedly resulted in a huge hit.
Blue Sky, Yoo-Jin. A sensational debut!
(Griddle-changing dance.GIF)
(Comments)
-Twilight's way of speaking is so funny. It's cheesy but cute.
-She looks great in school uniform.
-But the griddle-changing dance in a school uniform is a bit much.
-LOL. Another hit following the Burger Queen ad.
-The realism is amazing. It’s probably because she has experience working part-time at a barbecue restaurant.
Gu Seong-Cheol's face was beaming with a bright smile. "Oh, by the way. Yoon-Ho met with Ms. Kim last night and she hinted at giving Yoo-Jin more scenes."
"Oh, really?"
Everyone's gaze turned to me.
"Yes. Ms. Kim also said that she’s gained a lot of confidence thanks to Yoo-Jin. Since Yoo-Jin has been driving the viewership ratings, she’s looking to expand her role."
While it would require discussion with the director, the writer's commitment to granting Yoo-Jin more scenes made it highly likely to happen.
Gu Seong-Cheol casually mentioned, "It's a bit early to say, but don't you think Yoo-Jin might win an award this year if things keep going this way?"
"I believe so. If this drama does well, we can certainly hope for a rookie award."
In my past life, Jung Eun-Jin from The Three Blossom Brothers, which would start airing in June this year, had won the rookie award. To surpass The Three Blossom Brothers with a 21% viewership rating, we needed to achieve even higher ratings no matter what. But I was confident that Blue Sky could do it—especially since the Episode 2 viewership rating had already surpassed its original viewership ratings of 8.9% in my past life.
At that moment, the conference room door burst open and Sung Min-Suk walked in with an excited expression.
"What's up, Team Lead Sung? Did we get an advertisement offer or something?"
Sung Min-Suk downed a cup of water as soon as he sat down and then shared the reason for his excitement. "It's not an advertisement offer but something better. We've received casting offers thanks to yesterday's broadcast. Not just from SBC's Variety Department but also from MBS and KBC."
"What?"
"SBC wants to schedule appearances on Corner Restaurant and Running Friends, MBS on Real Hero Returns, and KBC on Omniscient Observer's Viewpoint."
These were all flagship variety shows from each broadcaster.
"Isn't this too fast when just two episodes have aired so far? What's going on?"
Murmur.
The room buzzed with confusion as staff whispered among themselves, trying to understand the situation.
"The variety departments are apparently in a rush these days because there are no notable rookies lately. They've approached not just us but also the team from Moonlight Starpour."
Suddenly, I could see what the PDs from the broadcasting stations were planning. They probably wanted to cast Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin from our side and Han Soo-Ho and Go Eun-Yung from the other to create a rivalry.
"What do you think, Assistant Manager Jung? What do you think we should do?"
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me as I laid out my thoughts.
At that moment, everyone looked dumbfounded.
***
As soon as the meeting ended, I picked Yoo-Jin up and headed to the filming site of Blue Sky. Yoo-Jin was surprised to hear about the discussions from today's meeting.
"Wow~ I don't have to go on variety shows?"
"Nope. We've decided to stick to only advertisements and dramas for this year."
Yoo-Jin looked puzzled as if she couldn’t understand my intention. "But you said we have to do everything we can to get noticed. That's why I did the Burger Queen ad."
"That's right."
"But why?"
"I'm not satisfied with the appearance fee."
Yoo-Jin made an incredulous face. "Seriously? That’s the reason? How much is the fee?"
"200 thousand won."
"Really? That's way~ too low."
"And that's from other broadcasters. SBC even asked for a free appearance as a favor."
Yoo-Jin’s jaw dropped as she was shocked by how low the variety show appearance fees were. Celebrities could ask for a higher appearance fee if they were appearing as the host of the show. But when they appeared in the variety show to promote their new drama, the broadcasters often offered a ridiculously low fee as if they were already being generous.
I declined all the offers because with Blue Sky's viewership ratings, they'd eventually offer ten times more to have her appear on their variety show. For actors, their appearance fee could sometimes reflect their pride and worth, and I had no intention of letting Yoo-Jin go for such a low fee.
Yoo-Jin nodded with a serious expression. "So that's why many sunbaes are rarely seen on TV unless it's for movie promotions?"
"Exactly. But just let me know if you do want to appear on variety shows. There are plenty of offers."
"No, I'll follow the schedule you’ve set. You're my talent agent, after all."
‘She’s willing to do whatever I ask? She’s making me emotional again. This is the kind of commitment that makes a talent agent want to carry their celebrity on their back in gratitude.’
"All I ask is to avoid late-night schedules. Miso has been complaining a lot because I get home too late these days. Her cheeks are always puffed-up like this."
Yoo-Jin narrowed her eyes and mimicked Miso’s puffed-up cheeks expression.
I wanted to take a photo for Instargem but had to hold back my laughter instead.
***
Upon arriving at the Namyangju filming site, Yoo-Jin stretched and breathed in the crisp air.
"Ah, this feels so refreshing!"
The mood on set was noticeably high due to the increased viewership ratings from yesterday, and people were treating Yoo-Jin differently. Yoo-Jin visited the make-up crew to fix her makeup and costume checks before the shooting began.
Wearing a school uniform and minimal makeup, Yoo-Jin smiled and asked. "How do I look?"
"You look great. The makeup's perfect."
"Perfect. Then I'm off to shoot."
"Good luck!"
Yoo-Jin greeted the staff and started filming.
As I was setting up the waiting chair, Cha Soo-Yeon approached with a big smile. "Mr. Jung~"
She was looking at me with a warm and sweet gaze as she called me in a soft tone.
"W-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Haha. The atmosphere on set is so much better thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin. I got so many sponsorship calls this morning I almost wanted to kiss her."
"You got sponsorship calls?"
Cha Soo–Yeon nodded vigorously. "As you know, most of our props are nearly 20 years old and hard to come by. But several companies offered to sponsor us after yesterday's broadcast which really eased my worries."
‘Boosting the viewership ratings, receiving sponsorships from companies, and earning Cha Soo-Yeon’s trust—this is like hitting three birds with one stone.’
"Thanks to that, Mr. Kang also got a boost in confidence. Look over there."
Cha Soo-Yeon pointed at Kang Soo-Hoon, who was energetically giving instructions to the cameramen and the director of photography.
"Camera 3 on Miss Yoo-Jin's left. Jib shot over Twilight. Make sure Twilight's face is visible. And Camera 7, please get a bust shot. Director, please make sure the paths don't cross."
"Okay, Director Kang! You're in high spirits today. Did something good happen at home or something?"
"Didn't you see the viewership ratings yesterday? We'll catch up in no time if we keep this up."
"Hahaha, that's true. Alright, I'll put in some extra effort as well so we can surpass them next week!"
Although today's filming was for the latter part of episode 13 and unrelated to next week's episode 3, they were increasing Yoo-Jin's scenes in advance to make editing easier later. Ju Yung-In was supposed to take the lead, but Yoo-Jin was filling in admirably.
That's when Cha Soo-Yeon glanced around and spoke in a lower voice. "Um, the president of our company was wondering if Miss Yoo-Jin has any work lined up yet for her next project... Is there anything decided yet?"
‘A next project? Already? Blue Dragon must have a plethora of drama synopsis ready.’
I briefly went through a list of dramas produced by Blue Dragon in my mind, but I quickly shook off the thought. After all, Yoo-Jin's next project was already set.
"Unfortunately, it’s already decided."
"Ah, I should have asked sooner. Well, whoever snagged her, they sure moved fast."
It was hard to believe this was the same person who initially pushed for Park Jin-Hee over Yoo-Jin.
Persistent, Cha Soo-Yeon continued probing with a disappointed expression. "But when is it scheduled for?"
"July."
"Have you signed the contract yet? If not, how about Writer Kim Eun-Yung's next work Beauty in Every Direction? It's about time Miss Yoo-Jin took on a lead role, don’t you think?"
Cha Soo-Yeon tried to tempt me with Beauty in Every Direction which boasted a 21.5% viewership rating.
This time, it was an offer for a leading role.
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