Chapter 68

< Multi (7) >

Sometimes, people do that. They say things that aren't genuine to hide their true feelings. Hwarin was exactly in that situation right now.

She had described Kang Ujin as unremarkable.

In reality, she was a fan who adored him deeply. She would read his new articles thoroughly and snoop around his SNS whenever she had a moment. So, it pained her to say that she didn't like Ujin.

"Whatever. He's not my type at all. Sister, stop saying weird things."

She didn't correct it outright. The closer the relationship, the more likely it is to hide one's true feelings. Anyway, Hong Hyeon's expression seemed to show a slight sense of relief, though Hwarin didn't notice.

"Ujin isn't good? Why? You haven't even met him, right?"

"Yeah, but his eyes just seem so cold. He's scary."

"That's just his role as Park Dal-yi, isn't it?"

At this moment, Hwarin naturally thought of a line to dig up more information about Kang Ujin.

"Hmm—Does he usually act like that?"

"Of course not... He's not cold. Just a bit chilly. But he's completely different from Park Dal-yi."

"Really? He seems like he might be scary."

"Not at all... He's not scary, just very principled. He's kind and a tsundere."

Though Hwarin acted as if it didn't matter, she stored the new information about Kang Ujin in her mind.

"Tsundere? I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me. But since you're in the same agency, you'll probably meet him often."

"Often? I don't think so. I'm busy too. You know Ujin from the articles, right?"

"I don't know. Why would I read articles about him?"

Though Hwarin saw Ujin's articles several times a day, she forced a smile and moved her gaze to the large TV in front of her, taking a sip of wine. 'Profiler Hanryang' Episode 5 was already airing.

At this point, Hong Hyeon crossed her arms and continued.

"His Instagram followers have already surpassed 130,000, and he even has a fan club now. At this rate, I might be caught up by Ujin."

"Fan club?"

"Yeah. It formed right after his debut. The membership is already in the thousands."

"Really? Wow, that's impressive."

Hwarin put down her wine glass, trying to act indifferent, and cautiously took out her phone to check.

'Fan club? Damn. I didn't know. I've been busy these past few days.'

Pretending to look at something else, she searched for Kang Ujin's fan club. The results came up quickly.

-[Official Kang Ujin Fan Cafe 'Kang Heart' Welcome!]

-Members: 3,111.

-Representative Manager: Blood Relative Woman.

Already over 3,000 members. Hwarin sighed.

'Ah— I was going to join as soon as it formed.'

Though it was a bit disappointing, it was too late. Hwarin bookmarked the page and put her phone down.

"Still, how can you, Hong Hyeon, be caught by a rookie?"

"Why not? It's possible. You'll understand when you see him."

"Why would I see him? I have no intention to. So, what did he get after Park Dal-yi?"

"I only saw it in the articles. He went straight to a project by writer Lee Wol-seon. It's a minor role, but it's crazy. Watching Ujin makes me anxious."

"Yeah— I need to try hard."

As Hwarin gave a suitable response, Hong Hyeon, who was watching 'Profiler Hanryang' Episode 5, said:

"Anyway, will it be okay?"

"What?"

She let out a small sigh and muttered.

"The ratings, since Park Dal-yi is gone."

The next morning, early. In writer Park Eun-mi's studio.

Despite it being a weekend, Saturday, PD Song Man-woo, with a scruffy beard, opened the door to Park Eun-mi's studio. His face was literally skeletal, he looked so gaunt. The reason was simple.

"Ah— I'm dying."

Shooting, editing, shooting, editing, it was a never-ending cycle. He even had to handle promotional schedules and various interviews in between. The good news was that the shooting was almost at the final stage.

"Writer Park, I'm out here."

As PD Song Man-woo collapsed onto the studio sofa and called out to writer Park Eun-mi, she appeared, wearing a headband.

"What's that smell? PD, get off the sofa! Go take a shower!"

"Is that something to say to someone who's been editing all night?"

"Why were you up all night? You said there was still some leeway."

"This isn't the time to argue. The ratings are at 25%, and we need to defend them by editing. From Episode 4, Park Dal-yi is gone."

Sighing, writer Park Eun-mi sat next to PD Song Man-woo.

"I'll hand over the final episode script by tomorrow."

"Okay. I submitted my resignation yesterday."

"Ah— Really? That's good... Really?!"

"Really. Well, the shooting is almost done, and only editing is left, so it's time to move on."

"Wow. The drama department must be in chaos, right?"

"Yeah, the directors and managers were all over me. Ugh, it's tiring."

"Of course. You're the PD who achieved a 20% rating on the first episode. Your filmography is so impressive. But are you really sure about this?"

PD Song Man-woo leaned his head back on the sofa.

"Yeah. Honestly, I'm getting a lot of offers and investment talks. Since this project went well, I'll set up a production company after wrapping things up. I plan to direct until I die."

"Of course you will."

For a moment, PD Song Man-woo looked up at the ceiling and suddenly remembered Kang Ujin.

"When I set up my production company and start a new project, how much will Ujin's price be? I hope it's not too high to handle."

"Of course, it will be high. You set the bar so high from the start? Oh! I was really surprised when I saw that Ujin got a role in Lee Wol-seon's project. That lady must be paying attention to me and trying to get Ujin, right?"

"That woman has a good eye for actors. Even if she started out of jealousy, she must have been impressed by Ujin after seeing him."

At that moment.

"Ah! That's right."

Writer Park Eun-mi clapped her hands and said.

"Do you know our assistant writer, Chae Nana?"

"Yeah, the shy one."

"She has a meeting with Ujin tomorrow."

"…What? Why?"

"Ujin read Nana's short drama script and scheduled a meeting."

"Really? That happened?!"

"Yeah. It's 100% due to the 'Detective Agency' effect."

"It's the same as 'Detective Agency,' isn't it? What crazy thing is going to happen with that short drama?"

At that moment.

-Vroom, vroom.

PD Song Man-woo's phone on the table started to vibrate. It was a call, and writer Park Eun-mi asked quickly.

"Is it the Episode 5 ratings call?"

"Yeah. I told them to call as soon as the results were out."

PD Song Man-woo put the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, tell me, what are the ratings? Yeah."

The interesting part was that his eyes suddenly widened.

"…What? How much? Ah, I see. Hang up for now."

After hanging up, PD Song Man-woo let out a small sigh.

"I knew this would happen."

"How much did it drop?!"

"…21.7%"

"Ah!"

The ratings, which were at 25%, dropped by 4% in one go. This was clearly due to the absence of Park Dal-yi.

"Honestly, I was prepared for a drop, but I didn't expect it to drop so much just because Ujin is gone."

It was definitely the impact of Park Dal-yi's absence.

At this time, in the bw Entertainment parking lot.

Kang Ujin got into a van. His hair was a bit messy, probably because he hadn't gone to the salon yet. Soon, Han Ye-jung, who sat next to him, spoke in her usual cold tone.

"Brother, after today's meeting schedule, you'll do a photo shoot and take some SNS photos. You've seen that your followers have surpassed 130,000, right?"

"Ah— Yeah, I saw it."

"Your fan club has already reached 3,000 members. It's time to consider a fan meeting."

What meeting? Kang Ujin was silent at the unfamiliar word. But Han Ye-jung didn't stop.

"If a fan meeting is difficult, a fan signing event would be good. Since the fan club formed so quickly, we need to take action. By the way, Brother, do you know who the fan club's manager is? Has the PR team contacted them yet?"

"Ah, I haven't heard anything yet."

"I'll check. The manager is—Blood Relative Woman? What a strange ID."

Indeed, it was a bit strange. What kind of person has an ID like 'Blood Relative Woman'? Kang Ujin chuckled inwardly.

-Clunk!

The passenger door opened violently, and Choi Sung-geun rushed in, shouting.

"Ujin! 'Hanryang' Episode 5 ratings are 21.7%!"

"…Ratings."

"Ah! It dropped significantly."

But Choi Sung-geun's expression was peculiar. He explained the reason himself.

"Ah— But it's complicated. A drop in ratings is definitely bad. It's bad for Hyeon too. But for you, Ujin, it's not necessarily bad."

What did he mean? Kang Ujin remained silent, and Choi Sung-geun continued.

"In other words, 4% of the viewers watched 'Hanryang' because of you."

It was true. The media was also covering Choi Sung-geun's statement intensely.

[Issue Check] 'Profiler Hanryang,' which was rising endlessly, dropped to 21% in one go.

It was natural. The ratings dropped by 4% in just one day.

Of course, a 21% rating was still impressive. But the drop after Park Dal-yi's departure was a phenomenon.

['Hanryang's' ratings dropped by 4% as soon as 'Park Dal-yi' died?]

The media and public opinion were even more heated in summoning Kang Ujin. Given the timing and flow, Kang Ujin was the center of attention.

[Star Pick] 'Profiler Hanryang' dropped by 4% as soon as 'Park Dal-yi' Kang Ujin left, viewers: "Bring Park Dal-yi back."

[The power to drop 4% in ratings, Hanryang's frown, Kang Ujin's smile?]

What could be done?

From this point on, there wasn't much Kang Ujin could do. He had already completed his promotional schedule. All that was left was for the next villain actor and PD Song Man-woo to work hard.

Perhaps the ratings would rise again.

In any case, both Kang Ujin and 'Profiler Hanryang' were once again in the spotlight. Although the ratings for 'Hanryang' dropped, Kang Ujin continued to be mentioned, increasing his recognition.

Furthermore.

[The 'Detective Agency' that gave the acting award to the hot rookie 'Kang Ujin' is now available on various OTT platforms.]

Due to Kang Ujin's soaring popularity, 'Detective Agency' was uploaded to various OTT platforms, even topping the charts on one platform.

And later that afternoon.

-! Preview! I hope more people watch this, a bit less awkward...? | Sports Day x Profiler Hanryang

The 'Sports Day' team uploaded a preview for the 'Hanryang' episode. It was the perfect timing, given the overlapping issues. As a result, the views skyrocketed. Of course, the comments from viewers were also numerous.

-LOL 0:41 Kang Ujin's answer 'Yes' just one word LOL

-^_^ Finally, we can see Kang Ujin's usual self!

-I hope they bring Park Dal-yi back... 'Hanryang' is a bit awkward without him.

-Hong Hyeon is Hong Hyeon... Damn, she's so beautiful.

-Quick! Quick! Release the main episode!

-Oh, can I finally see a variety show with Kang Ujin...??? I'm so happy...

-From the preview, Kang Ujin seems a bit rude.

-LOL Ryu Jung-min is still with that perm hair LOL

-Everyone is curious... What kind of character will Actor Kang Ujin be... I can't wait to see...

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What was noticeable was the number of times Kang Ujin's name was mentioned. Since he had a significant presence in the preview, the video achieved 300,000 views in just one hour.

-OMG Is Kang Ujin a serious person?? I'm so curious... T_T

On the same afternoon, Netflix Korea.

In the parking lot of the Netflix Korea building near Jonggak Station, a woman quickly got out of a van. She had long legs and was wearing a white mask.

It was Hwarin.

Around her were the plump manager and the management team. Hwarin moved to take the elevator. As she walked while looking at her phone, the manager spoke.

"Hwarin, wait a moment. Are you serious? No, right? You're just going to a meeting, right?"

The plump manager looked very anxious. In contrast, Hwarin responded nonchalantly.

"I told you to stop. I haven't decided whether to do it or not, but I'm just going to a meeting. You're making a fuss."

"Ah, you're saying this out of the blue about a short drama meeting! Even if it's Netflix, this is a bit much. Look, the CEO called again."

"Whatever. I'll call back later and say I was in a meeting."

At this point, Hwarin and her team were already in the elevator. But the manager's worry didn't stop.

"You're not in a big project right now. There's no need to go to a short drama, especially since the writer is a rookie. If it goes wrong, it could be a disaster."

Hwarin, who was taking off her mask, chuckled.

"So what if