Amidst the mounting suspicions, articles started circulating, connecting me, Moon Suyeon, and Heavenly Yuah.
The fact that the three actors from the previous work—who were also under the same company—ended up becoming leads in competing projects was quite the interesting topic of conversation.
Because my name was being mentioned alongside Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon, my name value was gradually increasing.
Of course, there were also people who felt dissatisfied.
“How can a rookie actor even be compared to Heavenly Yuah?”
People were suggesting things like, “Isn’t this a planned campaign by the company?”
To me, it was the truth, so I let it slide with a thought of, “Oh, how did you figure that out?” However, Heavenly Yuah didn’t let it slide and even went as far as giving a separate interview.
Heavenly Yuah mentioned that White Siu was a perfectly qualified actor to have his name mentioned next to hers.
She added that even though I was a rookie, my acting was so mature that I shouldn’t be thought of as one, so it was okay to look forward to my performance.
Heavenly Yuah is an actress who usually doesn’t engage in activities outside of her works.
In fact, she was known for avoiding interviews as much as possible.
Therefore, when she went so far as to comment this way, the audience was quick to agree that it was truly remarkable.
Common sense dictates that this kind of statement wouldn’t hold true unless Heavenly Yuah honestly acknowledged it herself, no matter how much the company might try to artificially inflate someone’s reputation.
In this way, Heavenly Yuah, Moon Suyeon, and I were linked together as one. With all three of us leading separate competing projects, interest in the works we were involved in also grew.
However, the teaser we announced looked that way, so it would have been odd if the drama-related communities didn’t become inflamed.
And in such a situation, the ‘Restaurant Promo’ production team created another odd situation.
“A, we’re skipping the press conference…”
“Wasn’t the situation a bit like that? It’s better to just start with the first episode.”
“If you’re curious, just watch the first episode.”
“Sounds about right?”
It was the decision to skip the press conference entirely.
The journalists who aimed to find out as much as possible about what the public would be curious about during the press conference were caught off guard.
Actually, there was a good reason for this decision.
Our schedule was extremely tight to begin with.
We still have scripting issues; Writer Ok is currently grappling with these problems.
The transition from a restaurant romance to a melodramatic romantic thriller has already wasted a lot of time.
And with the air date set but the script still problematic, there was no chance but to be busy.
Even worse, there were still questions about whether this script was the right one, and the production company had started to raise objections.
However, it was too late.
Writer Ok, having awakened to the appeal of melodramas, was pushing her script with fervor.
But the production side wasn’t sitting idly by either; they promised to push back if any issues arose, keeping their eyes sharp.
The situation was even more chaotic than the script itself.
We had to temporarily set aside the press conference due to our tight shooting schedule, but other dramas had already set their schedules firmly.
As it’s the unspoken rule in this industry for competing projects to avoid overlapping press conferences, the date selection became awkward, so the idea surfaced to skip the press conference altogether.
And since the PDs or actors themselves didn’t even know how the drama would unfold, it seemed like a logical decision to bypass the press conference and further stimulate the audience’s curiosity.
Certainly, the rough outline had been established.
But the truth is that if journalists were to ask detailed questions about the work, the answers would be quite vague.
The script is still changing in real-time anyway.
For instance, in a recent draft of the script, Minji, played by Lee Hyerin, was added as a Federation Security Officer dispatched from the Galactic Federation.
Apparently, upon realizing that Earth’s cheese was being smuggled into Cheese-Pia, they sent an officer to Earth.
At this point, I myself am curious about where all this will lead.
The production company checking multiple times whether this was really acceptable is somewhat understandable.
If the PDs or actors themselves cannot explain the direction of this piece, it seems like a reasonable choice to skip the press conference entirely.
*
Time passed, and the first episode’s airing day arrived.
For this drama’s premiere, we had decided to watch together with company people, specifically Moon Suyeon and Heavenly Yuah.
When I asked how we were supposed to watch the same premiere on the same day and time collectively, a very simple and brute force conclusion was offered: we’d just put up three monitors and watch them side by side.
Honestly, why go through all this just to watch together?
It seemed like these two women were arranging this kind of time just to tease each other while claiming victory in advance.
After all, both Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon were firmly confident in their victories.
“Isn’t it a bit more complicated than that?”
Since I had planned to watch the premiere live anyway, I just told them I knew.
After all, I was also curious to see what the other two dramas would do.
Be it the Heavenly Yuah and Yoon Ju-won team or the Moon Suyeon and Yang Yuli team, both pairs would never settle for making something mediocre.
As someone who’s both an actor and a drama enthusiast, I certainly wouldn’t want to miss those two dramas.
“Hey, was this… invited by Suyeon Ma’am?”
“Yeah, it’s hers. Why would I have someone else if I’m there?”
The drama hadn’t even started, but the one that caught my eye first was ‘Mother’s Song’ starring Moon Suyeon.
The OST was sung by a rather familiar voice; turns out it was her own performance.
Though anyone could expect her to sing the OST for this work, the reason I was surprised was…
“…Isn’t this Trot? I mean, does Suyeon Ma’am also sing Trot?”
It turned out the drama’s OST was a Trot song.
It wasn’t the typical joyous festival style Trot but a rather lyrical and emotional one, which matched perfectly with her smoky voice.
Seriously? How does this ballad-dance singer bend genres this well?
Apparently, people who sing well at everything seem to sing everything well.
“Of course. The first song I ever sang was Trot.”
“…Trot?”
“Yeah, when I was hungry, I’d sing at the market, and the aunts would give me bread. Back then, I depended on them quite a bit.”
“Ah…”
They say that in the orphanage she was always hungry, so she would visit the market and sing there, receiving bread or milk in return.
Of course, when you’re starving, the person who gives you food is always the boss.
Naturally, you give them the kind of music they like. Back then, the women at the market were all into Trot.
Thus, Trot was a genre more familiar to Moon Suyeon than expected.
Still, why does this woman keep bringing such touching stories with whatever surfaces?
Though orphanage life isn’t easy, it’s awkward to respond to a story about being so hungry that you sang songs for bread.
“This market must still linger in your memories.”
“That’s right. To be honest, I did benefit a lot back then. I always thought I’d go back when I succeeded, but I never made it.”
“There’s no time with the hustle. How would you even visit that place?”
“Exactly. I don’t even know if they’re still around.”
“Still, they probably are. Let’s go sometime.”
“Sure, let’s. Would you join me, Siwoo? It’s just… I might be a little nervous.”
“…Alright. Let’s do it.”
It’s been over 10 years since then.
Given the amount of time passed, not everyone may still be there. However, given the habit of market vendors not to relocate easily once they establish themselves, at least a few teams should still remain.
Even if it’s been a long time, it’s still worth visiting now.
They would surely be surprised when they hear that the child who sang and received bread has become an incredible singer.
The people who remember her would probably be extremely pleased.
“And then… this one… they’re running from the start?”
Heavenly Yuah and Yoon Ju-won’s ‘Kill The Drug’ was off to an intense start.
The term “intense” here is literal, not figurative.
Heavenly Yuah was frantically chasing a criminal down a dark alley in a dramatic sequence.
In denim jeans, sneakers, and an olive bomber jacket, Heavenly Yuah looked like a wild horse.
Her dark-dyed hair, tied back in a high ponytail, added to this wild image.
After a long chase, Heavenly Yuah caught the criminal and hauled him to the police station, but got into trouble for damaging some objects while chasing the fugitive.
Heavenly Yuah, exhausted, is joined by Yoon Ju-won as the story officially kicks off.
A regional anti-drug task force, named KTD, was established, and the ‘crazy dog’ detective, Heavenly Yuah, joined the team.
Upon the formation of the investigation team, instructions came from above to start a drug investigation.
The focus was to identify the links between a few famous entertainers allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
“…Isn’t the pacing faster than expected?”
“Yeah. That’s the style of Han Writer.”
“Hmm…”
Clearly, this is the kind of style that fans of investigation dramas would enjoy.
Moreover, with Heavenly Yuah and Yoon Ju-won, two actors with top-notch acting skills and star power, it’s truly formidable.
“….This is Restaurant Promo.”
“…Isn’t the beginning too ordinary?”
While I was feeling a sense of crisis from watching ‘Kill The Drug,’ the two were observing ‘Restaurant Promo,’ the one I was in.
The start resembled a typical restaurant romance.
The scene was about Kang Min opening a new restaurant and recruiting staff.
However, the atmosphere changed when assistant chef Hyekyung (Yoon Yeonhee) appeared.
As Kang Min recalls past events upon seeing Hyekyung, the flashback scene showed…
“…What?”
“…What?”
Kang Min, shirtless, pushed Hyekyung against the wall for a wall kiss, then proceeded to passionately deepen the kiss.
This collaboration, intended to boost ratings at any cost, between male actors and female actors who were already bitter at each other, was surprisingly intense.
An overtly steamy scene, pushing the boundaries of the censorship guidelines, unfolded from the very beginning.
Yeah, you need to go this far to be professional. Watching this again, I feel proud.
“…Why do you two look like that? Are you shocked? Is this your first kiss scene?”
“…Is this supposed to be a kiss scene?”
“It’s… with the shirt off…”
“Wall kiss…”
“Deep… deep kiss…”
“Tongue… tongue…”
“Siwoo, are you joking?”
“Siwoo, do you want to die?”
“Did you reject Hollywood just for this?”
“What’s the difference between this and a frog?”
From the beginning of the kiss scene, the two were nervously fidgeting with their fingertips, and even after the scene was over, they were just staring at the screen as if it were a gaping hole.
Something seemed off.
When I inquired about why they were reacting this way, harsh attacks from both sides flew at me.
Well, what could this possibly be?
“But, it’s just a kiss scene. Why go so far…”
“Just a kiss scene? That… that obscene…”
“Even an ordinary kiss scene is irritating, but a shirtless deep kiss scene? Are you challenging us?”
“Let’s see who wins!”
“Hmph, we’ll see who wins!”
After enthusiastically attacking, they quickly disappeared, leaving just the phrase “Let’s see.”
So, why are these women reacting this way just because of acting?
I can understand Moon Suyeon’s unfamiliarity with acting, but it’s absurd for a nine-year veteran actress like Heavenly Yuah to react this way.
Could it be that she’s attributing some kind of meaning to just a kiss scene?
“…Now that I think about it, it hasn’t happened yet, has it? The kiss scene was from Yuah Ma’am’s side.”
This time around, there’s no kiss scene in her movie.
And if she chooses the Hollywood movie for the next project, it goes without saying that there will be a kiss scene.
The script she brought in had the male and female leads in a marital relationship.
Which means, her first kiss, whether acting or otherwise, would be with me…
“…Phew. This is… kind of cute, actually.”
A top-tier actress with nine years of experience attaching meaning to a first kiss scene.
It’s absurd, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Today’s Heavenly Yuah seemed as endearing as the younger version of Demon Heavenly from her childhood.
And Moon Suyeon too, of course.
