Chapter 85

Villain Only Acting Chapter 85

Is the fandom funny? (2)

The two works, "Haegyak" and "Taesong's Garden," alternately visited living rooms on Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday-Thursday, capturing the attention of viewers.

"Haegyak" had steadily maintained a viewing rate in the low 20s, drawing a gentle upward curve.

In contrast, "Taesong's Garden" maintained a fluctuation within 2-3% in the low 10s.

[Taesong's Garden, this episode's highest viewing rate reaches 14%!]

[Haegyak, watch out!]

[Breathless chase, the busy Haegyak, when will it be tripped?]

[The production team of Taesong's Garden, “We think competition between works with different airing dates is meaningless. We are just humbly moving forward on the path we must take.”]

[Haegyak, feeling the heat on the back, how likely is it that the top runner will stumble in a long-distance marathon without a pacemaker?]

—Just let them fail

—Cable channels hit them mercilessly

—With a 10% difference in average ratings, what competition and what rival? Haha

—Yeah, you're just jealous

—The outrage is cute

—Originally, the champion doesn't care who the challenger is

—I made a love scandal clip about Lee Seo-hyun & Jung Seo-hoon, give me some feedback

—Why did you make this?

—We need to take the lead before the scumbags jump in

—Very creative, hahaha

—Let's take the lead in the scandal issue

—Proceed!

—Okay, I'll post it. I'll delete this post and upload a new one

The fan who made the love scandal clip deleted the post and uploaded the newly created scandal clip.

It wasn't an ordinary clip but a file staged to look like a screenshot of an internet news article.

[Haegyak, shocking scandal!]

Starting from the provocative title, the post was a screenshot of a scandal article that seemed to be from an in-depth investigation, spewing out intriguing speculations.

Precisely, it was designed that way.

The newspaper name was a parody of a major newspaper, the journalist's email was @fuckyou.com, and the journalist's name was 'Na-re-gi.'

The file was a disguised screenshot with obvious Easter eggs indicating it was a fake article.

The V-lab fans, who had been waiting, started posting witty comments.

—It's all over the portals

—Haha, the scumbags got trolled

—What's C++ Daily? Is it a phone newspaper?

—Yes, it's a fake article. Copy and paste 'it'

When the rebuttal materials, including the original false file, were unleashed with merciless firepower, the journalists who hastily posted the articles were shocked.

Once the journalists realized the truth, they quietly removed all the scandal articles without a word of apology.

The portals were now so clean that no scandal articles could be found anywhere.

—Yeah, I archived them all

—I also uploaded PDFs, hahaha

—Wow, they fell for it, impressive

—Stop the scumbags from flapping their wings

The false scandal incident, which seemed to be a fleeting moment, left the journalists severely reprimanded by their editors, while the V-lab fandom enjoyed their victory triumphantly.

—But, isn't this going to harm the actor?

—Why would it harm him? This is all for the actor

—Now, even if a real scandal breaks out with Lee Seo-hyun or Han Seo-hee, no one will believe it, hahaha

—We've given a strong preventive shot, so the actor can freely spread his pheromones, sniff

—It's an alpha mail, but what can you do if female actors are drawn to him? It's a passive skill he can't control

—Oh, I see, a preventive shot

—Yeah, now there will be no more scandals for Haegyak

—Even if a scandal breaks out later, no one will believe it

—Mission complete, like the boy who cried wolf

—This is the top-level political skill honed on the stone board

—Never underestimate V-lab again

***

Ha Tae-soo was amazed at the V-lab community's reaction.

"Wow, when the Lee Seo-hyun scandal first broke, I was scared. I thought, 'Did he take another photo with the professors while drinking?'"

Jeong Su-yeon giggled and asked.

"Is the fandom's combat power good?"

"I felt it when the Cha Ji-hyun scandal broke; their combat power is no joke."

"They've rolled around on the stone board. You can't underestimate them. If you send them to Yoido, they'll do better than politicians."

"Is it that serious?"

"The most intense political intrigue in Korea happens on the stone board. It's a battlefield where they use all sorts of schemes and tactics to make their team the best, against other fans, agencies, broadcasters, and the public."

"I've worked in the idol industry, but I didn't know the stone fans were this level."

"What about you, Seo-hoon?"

Jung Seo-hoon was also impressed by the fandom's combat power and political skills.

"Each one is worth a hundred. At this level, they could handle the role of a war command public relations officer and do a great job. I'm really impressed."

"Oh, this is the first time I've seen you sincerely praise them."

"They're my fans. Of course, I'm impressed and moved by what they did for me."

"But why use war command, public relations officer, and propaganda as metaphors? You've been out of the military for a while, haven't you?"

"My body is discharged, but my heart is still there."

"You're just sitting there laughing."

"Since they've been given a strong preventive shot, there won't be any worries about scandals during Haegyak's run."

"Why do you think there will be scandals?"

"It's been that way so far, so I thought it might be the same this time."

"......"

Jeong Su-yeon chuckled and scrolled down the browser, then patted her brother's back.

"Once Haegyak is over, do a fan meeting if you have time. You should show your appreciation to the fans who did this much for you."

"What do you think, brother?"

"I think it's a good idea to have a grand fan meeting. But if too many people come, it could be a problem, so let's pick 50 people by lottery."

"Let's go with that. It's hard right now, but we'll do it when we have time."

"Yeah, focus on the drama now. If people find out you're doing fan meetings instead of filming, you'll get criticized by the viewers."

Fans and viewers have an intersection, but they are not the same group.

"I'll go to the van first. Both of you get ready and come out."

"Got it."

Ha Tae-soo stood up, and with the two of them left, Jung Seo-hoon poked his sister's side.

"Speak up."

"About what?"

"You, right? Did you plan this?"

"Me? This? No way. It's not me."

"It's exactly your style. Just tell the truth."

"Hey, I'm your sister. The fandom already knows everything. But if I planned this, it would be a big problem if it got out."

"Sister, you'd leave obvious traces, thinking you wouldn't get caught."

The colonel's sharp gaze read her pupil size, eyebrow tremors, lip spasms, skin temperature, and breathing regularity in detail.

'It doesn't seem like a lie.'

"Sister, you get caught easily when you lie. I just thought maybe."

"Ouch. I've been in this industry for a long time. I only tell lies that can be handled well if they get out later."

"Got it. Let's go."

***

Haegyak continued to sail smoothly.

Perhaps because of the KBC Taesong historical drama, entertainment reporters didn't promote Haegyak as much as expected.

The entertainment news titles made it seem like Taesong's Garden was the top-rated historical drama.

However, you can't hide the sky with your palm.

Haegyak finally surpassed a 25% viewing rate and began preparing for a higher leap step by step.

The Crown Prince, who should focus on his studies, was persuaded to go hunting, but faced opposition from the ministers.

They argued that it would be problematic for the Crown Prince to indulge in such frivolous pleasures.

However, the King overruled the ministers' objections, citing the need for exercise, and the Crown Prince and the Grand Prince went hunting together.

The Grand Prince didn't clumsily try to kill the Crown Prince but naturally plotted a path in his mind that could lead to the Crown Prince's death, as if it were training.

'It's not easy to disguise an accident while avoiding the eyes of the royal guards.'

The royal guards were strict in protecting the Crown Prince.

To disguise an accident during the hunt, he had to avoid the guards' gaze, but that would leave obvious traces.

If an accident really happened, the Grand Prince would be the most suspected.

A shaman named Park Su gave advice.

'Soon, heavy rain will fall for four days and then stop. When the sun is at its highest, visit the hunting grounds the Crown Prince usually frequents.'

'Can I kill the Crown Prince and make it look like an accident?'

'That day is not the end of the Crown Prince's destiny. Remember this.'

Sure enough, heavy rain fell for four days and then stopped as if nothing had happened.

The Grand Prince and the Crown Prince headed to their usual hunting grounds, and when the sun was at its highest...

-It's a tiger! A tiger has appeared!

-Protect the Crown Prince!

-Call the armored guards! Hurry!

A tiger as big as a house pounced with agile movements.

The horses were startled by the tiger's low-frequency roar, causing chaos, and the royal guards fell off their horses, sustaining injuries.

It was a scene of utter pandemonium.

-Protect the Crown Prince!

As the frightened horse bucked, the Crown Prince fell off, and the Grand Prince reflexively leaped to catch him.

In the process, the Grand Prince's calf was trampled by a horse's hoof, and the pain shot up to his thigh.

The armored guards quickly drove the tiger away, and the royal guards tended to the Crown Prince and the Grand Prince urgently.

'Kill him, Crown Prince!'

'No, I'm fine. Please take care of my brother.'

The Grand Prince was seriously injured.

He broke a rib protecting the Crown Prince, and one of his legs was trampled by a horse, requiring a period of recovery.

He also lost a significant amount of blood.

"Thank you, Yu-ya. You saved my life at the risk of your own. I will never forget this."

From the Crown Prince's bright smile, the Grand Prince recalled the shaman's advice.

'It is not the end of the Crown Prince's destiny.'