Chapter 18. Summer Wardrobe

The cast and crew gathered in the large conference room of LN Media to watch the first broadcast together.

Usually, they would gather at the JNBC building where the drama was being aired or rent a restaurant, but considering Director Kim Hansu and the production team who were still editing until the last minute, the cast and related personnel gathered at the LN Media building, which is an external production company.

"Alright! Once the last commercial is over, we'll start."

The final commercial was still playing, and Yeonwoo's phone kept vibrating.

He changed his phone settings to silent and checked the Kakao Talk messages.

Starting with the family group chat.

- Mom and Dad are so nervous, it feels like we're going to die. Son.

- Everyone in the green chat room seems really excited. Brother!

Yeonwoo sent a private message to his sister Sohyun, asking her to hide any negative comments or bad content from their parents, and then he looked at another group chat where the number of messages kept increasing.

- Yeonwoo, I made sure all the guild members watched the live broadcast.

- I did too, all our relatives and distant cousins!

The school friends' messages about making sure their acquaintances watched the live broadcast.

Yeonwoo smiled happily and focused back on the screen.

The intro of 'Summer Wardrobe' began.

Wow!

Clap, clap, clap!

The large conference room was filled with applause and cheers, celebrating the fruits of their hard work.

Director Kim Hansu, who was on the phone with the JNBC drama department, and the staff members taking pictures of the intro screen were all busy.

"Ah! This moment always makes me so nervous!"

Sohyun, who had already starred in several leading roles and was a top actress, covered her face with her hands and peeked through her fingers at the screen.

The first broadcast officially began.

Yeonwoo, who was taking on his first leading role in his first work, was also nervous.

A veteran who had participated in various special operations, including infiltrations, espionage, and VIP protection in war zones, he was now entering a completely new territory by facing the public with his name.

The first broadcast started with the freshness of the campus and a thrilling atmosphere, followed by a lively and dynamic scene, and the dialogue between Seojun and Yeon, who bickered with each other. The internet reactions were also positive.

「Green Chat Real-Time Talk - JNBC Summer Wardrobe」

- Kurimango(sky14***): Yeon and Han Sohyun are a perfect match, better than I thought.

- Gomting(mwlsd***): The atmosphere of the webtoon is well captured, I'm already excited.

- Gwemin(answlt***): The game is over just with Son Jinwook and Han Sohyun as the leads. I still can't believe these A-listers are in a campus romance.

Ryu Sohyun, who was only half-watching the drama and keeping an eye on the real-time reactions, nervously watched as her brother appeared, hoping only positive comments would be posted.

The middle of the first episode was approaching, and it was time for Cha Wooju to make his first appearance.

Fast-paced music played, and Cha Wooju walked down the runway.

"Wow, he's amazing. I was surprised even when we shot this."

"Yeah, I thought he was a real model."

"Well, but Yeonwoo could easily be a model, right?"

The exclamations in the large conference room.

This was a scene where the production team had planned to use a close-up if Yeonwoo, who is not a model, didn't look good in the full shot. However, Yeonwoo confidently showed off his looks and walked like a real model, so the scene was edited and broadcast as a full shot, making it look like a real fashion show.

Since the cast and crew, except for a few members of the production team, were seeing the edited final version for the first time, they all applauded and cheered at the perfect scene.

Yeonwoo smiled awkwardly and nodded to those around him.

Meanwhile, Yeonwoo's family, who were anxiously waiting.

"Goodness, who is that son?"

"Son, you look amazing, just like me."

Sohyun, alternating her gaze between the screen and her father, looked at her phone.

「Green Chat Real-Time Talk - JNBC Summer Wardrobe」

- Kkwasla(suin4***): What... is this? This visual?

- HiHello(danbe3***): This is a casting mistake. His face is more cartoonish than the webtoon. What's the point?

- Park Ji-hyun(hyeo***): Who is that guy? I want him.

- Junsoo the Great(forbes***): Ryu God's appearance is a scam, right?

The real-time comment section, which was updating two pages at a time with each refresh, was faster than when the drama started.

"Mom and Dad! It's a hit. Everyone is saying he looks amazing."

"Of course! Whose son is he?"

The reaction was so good that Sohyun didn't need to hide it from her parents, contrary to what Yeonwoo had worried about.

The first episode ended with a scene where Chairman Cha, as rehearsed with Director Kim Hansu, angrily scolded his son Cha Wooju.

Even though Yeonwoo knew the content and had acted in more than half of the scenes, he watched the drama with bated breath, finding it thrilling.

Facing himself on screen, something he had longed for in his previous life, was more exciting and happy than he had imagined.

An hour passed without him noticing, and the staff members checked the ratings of 'Summer Wardrobe' on the green chat.

The first to speak was Director Kim Hansu, who had been on the phone.

"Everyone! According to the station's own survey, our first episode's rating is 8.3%."

Wow!

Clap, clap, clap!

Cheers and applause erupted from all directions, and screenwriter Choi Mihyeon and Han Sohyun clapped hands with each other.

Amidst the cheers, an assistant director who hadn't put down his phone shouted.

"According to the green chat, it's even higher, at 8.7%!"

Jinwook also high-fived Yeonwoo.

"Alright, I'd love to celebrate today, but once we finish the Saturday shoot, our lead actors' scenes will be done, so let's push through the weekend."

Whistle!

The large conference room was filled with excitement, including the sound of whistles.

***

At first, Han Haeun tried to forget about Jeon Suhoon due to the pressure from higher-ups. But how could he forget someone who appeared in his dreams every day?

"Damn, this isn't even my first love, and I'm still like this."

"What's wrong?"

Detective Lee Hyungryul, who was in the same office, asked, seeing the unusual sigh and frustration of the prosecutor.

"Ah, Officer Lee. Sigh. Do you want to go smoke?"

"Sure, let's go."

Han Haeun and Lee Hyungryul went out to smoke. After smoking in silence for a while, Han Haeun spoke.

"Remember when the chief came last time?"

"Yes, I was curious about what it was about. Hmm."

Han Haeun, who usually trusted and followed the veteran Lee Hyungryul, a 25-year veteran, confided in him.

Of course, he didn't mention the dreams, just that he had some suspicions.

"Hmm, in such cases..."

Lee Hyungryul, stroking his chin in thought, continued.

"When I was a rookie, in the mid-1990s, I once investigated an ordinary person and was stopped by higher-ups."

Han Haeun's ears perked up at Lee Hyungryul's words.

"I later found out that the person I was investigating was an agent of the National Security Agency."

"The National Security Agency, that's the...?"

"Yes, the National Intelligence Service."

The moment Han Haeun heard the words 'National Intelligence Service,' he felt a sharp pain in his head.

"Are you okay, Prosecutor?"

"Ah, yes. I'm fine. I suddenly got a headache."

Lee Hyungryul, who was worried about Han Haeun, raised his voice slightly.

"What if you collapse again like last time? You should take some time off."

Han Haeun smiled at Lee Hyungryul's genuine concern.

A few days passed, and the new development was that new memories, clearly not his own, began to appear in his dreams.

This time, a woman named 'Jeong Hye-min' and a young child who looked like her daughter.

And people he couldn't name but who treated him familiarly.

A considerable number of dreams kept appearing repeatedly every time he fell asleep.

"Damn, am I going crazy? But if it's a mental illness, why is 'Jeon Suhoon' a real person?"

If the other people in his dreams are also real, where should he start?

***

Time passed, and the weekend arrived, and as Director Kim had said, the final shoot was approaching.

The second episode's ratings were slightly higher than the first, settling in the 9% range. The station was hopeful that if this momentum continued, the drama might end in the mid-10% range.

Of course, with the emergence of other media, the share of TV viewers has gradually increased, and more people are watching in different ways. As a result, the importance and reliability of TV ratings measured by sample surveys are gradually decreasing. However, ratings are still the primary measure of a drama's success.

Given that JNBC's drama ratings are generally lower than those of other public broadcasters and that the average initial ratings of newly launched dramas are usually in the 3% to 5% range, 'Summer Wardrobe' was a huge success from the station's perspective.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere on the set of the final shoot was even more lively than usual.

The final scene, where Seojun and Yeon bless each other's futures and leave for Paris Fashion Week and New York, respectively, is the last scene of the drama.

However, due to the shooting schedule, the final scene was the one where Seojun, having made up his mind, confesses his feelings to Yeon.

"Cut! 'Summer Wardrobe' shooting is complete!"

At the restaurant rented for the shoot, Seojun's confession and Yeon's tearful okay sign marked the end of the shooting.