Chapter 81

Villain Only Acts 081

Tradition and Trendy (5)

The third episode recorded a 19.9% viewership, narrowly missing the 20% mark.

However, since the highest viewership was maintained consistently during the last 20 minutes, it left room for anticipation of the fourth episode.

The next day, the fourth episode started with a 20.1% viewership.

-Will you work for me?

Struggling to survive may be considered treason against the royal will, but it cannot be considered a rebellion against heaven.

The Grand Prince was very pleased with these words.

Perhaps it was because he had harbored a fear of death since childhood.

-I am willing to dedicate my life to you.

-Thank you. How should I address you?

-Just call me Han Amugae, Your Highness.

The Grand Prince handed him some money and instructed him to come to the capital.

When he returned to the capital after completing his original schedule, the shaman was already there, having arrived before the Grand Prince and taken his seat.

-You came quickly.

-How could I dare to keep you waiting, sir?

-Now, tell me. What must I do to survive?

-We must eliminate the source of the curse.

-Where is it? Can it be found?

-It will be in the deepest part of the palace. With your power alone, it cannot be done. That's why you must become the king.

-Can I become the king?

-You must. That is the only way for you.

Realistically, there is only one way for the Grand Prince to become king.

-Overthrow the Crown Prince and take his place, sir.

The Grand Prince was stunned by the words, which seemed to have pierced his mind.

The more he bowed his head, the more the Crown Prince's brotherly affection for his younger brother grew.

Secretly eyeing the weak neck of the Crown Prince, the Grand Prince suddenly imagined how much strength it would take to break it.

And he was startled and scolded himself.

-How can I have such disrespectful thoughts! Do you want to kill your brother to survive?

It is almost impossible to depose the Crown Prince, who is intelligent and has no blemish in his conduct.

But if he could kill him in an accident without anyone knowing...

-Youya. Are you going hunting again tomorrow?

-Yes, Your Highness.

-Oh, call me brother when it's just the two of us.

-Yes, brother.

The Grand Prince began to gradually instill the joy of hunting into the Crown Prince, like a light rain soaking through clothes.

The thrill of accurately hitting a small target like a mountain rabbit with an arrow.

The exhilaration of chasing a swift deer on horseback and piercing its neck.

The satisfaction of surrounding a large tiger with his men and finally ending its life...

He slowly and secretly infused these primitive pleasures into the Crown Prince's mind.

-Down with the Tyrant quietly broke 20%

-It's the first time a show broke 20% so quietly in just four episodes

-This is the kind of atmosphere where 20% is expected

-lol I shouldn't be excited, but I was a bit thrilled by the Grand Prince's gaze when he was secretly looking at the Crown Prince's neck, wondering how much strength it would take to break it. Imagine him looking at me like that! 😂

-Really creepy for a moment, thought Jin Wook was possessed by the Grand Prince

-Can't forget the line 'While committing suicide, I killed one more bad guy' 😂😂😂

The Down with the Tyrant viewer board was relatively calm.

There were no excessive praises, mostly plain comments.

Mostly calm observations.

-It's not bad so far.

-Still, the calm before the storm seems too long. I hope the big plot unfolds soon. Only 26 episodes left.

-While the drama about Taejong has already started its full sprint, are we going to keep warming up? Let's pick up the pace.

-It's inevitable to compare this to the drama about Taejong and Sejo. Moreover, since this is about Sejo, who undermined the foundation of the Joseon Dynasty, it's even more disadvantageous in terms of reception.

-We shouldn't have included leprosy. In a historical drama, fictional imagination should only fill in the gaps of historical records.

-I was quite worried about the lead actor being a newcomer, but I'm relieved. Still, it's hard to shake off the thought that he's a modern drama actor in a historical drama. 😂

Serious historical drama enthusiasts frequently appeared on the Jeong Seohoon fan community and the Be Rap site.

However, the fans paid no attention to them at all.

The view count could be anything, but the comment count was always 0.

The Be Rap fan community enjoyed themselves, bickering and teasing each other.

-I thought Han Seohi's acting was bad, but it was my mistake 😂

-Really, the chemistry with the scholar is amazing. Watching the double shot feels like looking at a photo album 😂😂😂

-They're such a handsome couple, I don't even feel jealous. 😘

-But isn't there a subtle difference in her acting when she's with the scholar and when she's not?

-Yeah, I feel that too.

-With a face like that, I'd grit my teeth and put in all my effort to act too. 😂

***

Jeong Seohoon went to school once a week.

This was because he decided to substitute all his classes with assignments and papers. Of course, he still had to take midterms and finals.

Recently, some of his schoolmates started requesting autographs.

Jeong Seohoon, following Ha Tae-su's advice, kindly gave them autographs.

Mostly, they were freshmen.

"I couldn't focus on my studies last year because I was busy watching Illegals. I barely passed."

"Still, you managed to get into our school."

"I really studied hard to be in the same school as you, senior!"

"Oh, really? Good job."

The ratio of female students among last year's freshmen was less than 10%.

But this year, it was as high as 40%.

It was such a big deal that the 'All male students in the Electrical Engineering department are extinct!' rumor dominated the school's bamboo forest for a while.

"But I'm finishing this semester."

"What? Weren't you planning to go to graduate school?"

"Didn't I hear that you're going to be a professor while running a lab?"

"We're planning to go to graduate school if you set up a lab and become a professor."

"I haven't really thought about graduate school. Where did you hear that?"

"It's a rumor that spread among the freshmen in our department."

"Anyway, I haven't decided about graduate school yet."

The freshmen female juniors couldn't hide their disappointment. They must have been looking forward to it.

"I dreamed of pursuing my master's and doctorate under a professor like you..."

"It's a great loss to the country that someone as cerebral as you isn't becoming a professor! But that doesn't mean you should quit acting."

"Can't you do both? I think you can."

"Um, but do you often attend the departmental MTs?"

"Departmental MTs? I didn't know we had such things..."

Every time he visited the school to meet professors, the freshmen juniors would somehow know and gather.

Fortunately, they only followed him to the front of the professor's office and then dispersed.

"Jeong, you're here. I hear you're quite popular among the female freshmen these days?"

"The freshmen these days seem to follow the dramas closely. It's different from my time."

After all, the age difference between the freshmen and Jeong Seohoon was only two years.

"Thanks to your two works last year, the competition for our department this year was quite high. When you become a professor, getting graduate students will be a breeze. They'll all come voluntarily, ready to be your slaves."

"Professor, the young generation is also looking for a place in the lab. I think it will take more time to properly set up a lab."

After a brief review of the thesis draft, Lee Sejong changed the topic.

"But is the reception of Down with the Tyrant not good these days?"

"It's not bad. It's currently the top-rated drama among all the ongoing shows."

"I looked at some viewer reactions, and they all seem to be criticizing it."

"Both the director and the writer have achieved so much that everyone's expectations are high. They seem to think 20% is a given."

"Hmm, I can understand that. Anyway, there's no problem with the drama, right?"

"Yes, Professor."

Jeong Seohoon heard a very small murmur, 'This is troublesome...'

If his senses hadn't sharpened daily after the encounter with the comet, he wouldn't have heard it at all.

"Then my investment is safe."

"It will be completely safe. Don't worry."

"Actually, it wouldn't matter much if it were lost. I was more concerned about your reputation. I hope you don't lose to the traditional historical dramas."

"It seems the core fans of traditional historical dramas are looking at our drama with a cynical eye."

"Traditional historical dramas? Is Down with the Tyrant not a historical drama?"

"No, we call it a trendy historical drama..."

Jeong Seohoon gave a brief explanation, and Lee Sejong's eyes lit up with interest.

"It's like the debate over the Copenhagen interpretation."

"Come to think of it, the structure is similar."

"Then, as time goes on, the production team of Down with the Tyrant will solidify their victory. The younger generation seems more lenient towards broad fictional imagination."

"Unless it's malicious historical distortion, the younger generation seems to be more open-minded."

"Maybe they don't know much about it, but ultimately, they will win the battle of influence."

Lee Sejong talked a lot about dramas.

The thesis review was a bonus, and it felt like he had called Jeong Seohoon mainly to ask about the drama.

What was the atmosphere on set? How was the filming done? What was the process for rating calculations? What equipment was used for filming?

There were no questions about investment returns, mostly about the drama production environment.

When Jeong Seohoon mentioned the Paju Studio, Lee Sejong's eyes changed.

"Oh, so the chase scene in the mountains was actually filmed indoors with a large LED wall as the background?"

"Yes."

"Amazing. I never imagined it. I thought it was really filmed in the mountains."

"Shots from one direction can be directed without limit."

"I've worked on a few research projects and acquired a few startups related to micro-LED technology. I never thought it would be used like this. The world is small, isn't it?"

"I also thought of the LED wall first when I saw it. I was amazed to see how it's used in the media industry."

"Can you show me the Paju Studio sometime? I really want to see that LED wall."

"Of course, Professor. Just let me know when you want to go."

"Got it."

A 300 billion investor wanting to see the filming site, the director would welcome him with a deep bow and open arms.

Before leaving, Lee Sejong warned him.

"Don't lose to traditional historical dramas."

"I mean, it's not about who's right or wrong, but about different goals."

"About Taejong's Circle. I mean, don't lose in the ratings."

"Yes, I won't lose."

After finishing his school schedule, Jeong Seohoon headed straight to the Paju Studio.

While crossing the Han River Bridge, he received a call from Ha Tae-su.

-Seohoon, another scandal article came out? Man, why do the reporters do this?

"Who this time?"

-Chae Ji-hyun. The photos seem to be from a CF shoot. You didn't do anything, right?

"Nothing at all."

-Then I'll trust you and have some contacts spread the word. If there's anything, you must tell me.

"Really nothing. We just had dinner once after I sent my brother off last time. The manager was there the whole time."

-Oh, that? Man, they wrote it like you had a secret meeting in a hotel. Still, the internet comments are pretty clean. Looks like your fandom is supporting you.

"Really?"

-Your fandom is amazing. There have been three scandals so far, but they've all supported you without wavering.

"Except for the one with the older sister. That was just a minor incident. I'll hang up now, I'm driving."

Jeong Seohoon could hear the rest of the story from Ha Tae-su when he arrived at the Paju Studio.

"We released a clarification article, and all the scandal articles were taken down. I checked the Be Rap community, and everyone seemed unfazed. They all laughed it off as a minor incident."

"My fans have become quite solid."

-Yeah, they're really strong. They even started calling you a 'female actor killer.' Some are speculating about a love triangle with Han Seohi and Lee Seohyun, and they're all gearing up for a war.

Ha Tae-su showed him a few of the fandom reactions he had saved.

-We need to change our perspective

-If scandals break out with different female actors in each work, doesn't that mean he has a fatal charm?

-Yeah, that's true.

-It's more strange if the female actors don't fall for him, given his looks. 😂

-One scandal for one person.

Ten scandals make you a femme fatale.

A hundred scandals make you an alpha male.

Let's frame it this way!

-If he doesn't fall for the scholar, isn't the problem with the female actor?

-We really need to frame this well to avoid being swayed by the yellow journalists.

-It shows the solid combat power honed in the troll board.

-All the entertainment reporters are dead now. ^|^

Ha Tae-su was amazed at how quickly the situation was resolved, despite being worried about the scandal article.

"Man, when did our little fandom grow into such a strong high school girl fandom? They're really powerful."