The moonlight disappeared behind the clouds in the deep hours of the morning.
Dozens of strange figures were secretly approaching the restaurant Promo.
Having safely made it to the back door of the establishment, the intruders carefully tampered with the door lock at that moment.
-Click.
“…?”
-Bang!
The booby trap installed on the door lock shot flames, turning the area into a sea of fire.
Thrown into confusion by the sudden explosion, the intruders dispersed in panic.
And in that very moment, a group was prepared to ambush the intruders.
There stood the muscular head chef Kang Min (White Siu), wielding two Junsik knives.
Assistant chef Minji (Lee Hyerin) held a frying pan in one hand and a large ladle in the other.
Lastly, assistant chef Hyekyung (Yoon Yeonhee) was hurling stainless steel chopsticks like javelins.
“Attack!!!”
The employees of Restaurant Promo had become the Earth warriors defending Chef Kang Min’s cheese sauce recipe against the alien invaders of Cheesepia.
Indeed.
Restaurant Promo had shifted its direction, transforming into a full-blown action melodrama.
That was because action was the most direct and certain means to captivate the audience.
Although I had no great desire for action scenes in this drama, the circumstances left no room for refusal.
In fact, I had even pushed more heavily for action scenes, as it felt like the situation needed something drastic to prevent getting completely overshadowed.
“This is some calamity. This isn’t what this show was about.”
“Romance and cooking drama, they said…”
The two actresses, suddenly thrust into lead roles in an action spectacle, sighed and gripped their heads as they checked the script, but there was nothing to be done.
So long as ratings continued to climb, the writer was a god.
With the active support of another lead actor—me—and given the atmosphere that no one, not even the PD, could go against the writer’s wishes, the action scene was created mobilizing dozens of extras.
“Absolutely. We must break through. There’s no time. Charge!”
As for you, Tae-kyu.
You’re over there doing your usual ‘Tae-kyu’ act, all fired up again today.
Though this was an actor who was glad to see the inclusion of the action scene.
Thinking about it now, the transformation of this drama into a melodrama after Tae-kyu’s casting might have been an unexpected boon.
If Tae-kyu were a ‘normal’ actor, this would’ve remained a mild romantic thriller, and it’s unlikely we’d be holding our own against the two other shows now.
Truly, the world is unpredictable.
“Alright! Now it’s time to pull out the final hidden card!”
“Are there any cards left to use?”
“Well, this is what we’ve been preparing for from the start by introducing the aliens.”
“…?!”
“We’re launching a space battleship in the final episode!”
Thus, the great action scene was orchestrated by Writer Ok.
But this was just the beginning of Writer Ok’s larger vision.
Determined to burn everything with the passion for the project, Writer Ok decided to involve a space battleship.
Here’s the story.
A warning had already been issued by the alien Heavenly Yuah to Juon.
If they continued to postpone their deadlines, the mother planet might step in directly.
Juon asked for more time, while Heavenly Yuah warned that time was running out.
True.
The time promised had now passed, and the mother planet of Cheesepia made its decision.
A space battleship would appear in the skies of Seoul, signifying the beginning of the final episode.
Is Writer Ok divine?
This means Writer Ok had this grand picture in mind since casting Heavenly Yuah in a cameo as an alien.
“…If a space battleship… then we have a chance.”
Honestly, with both sides showing such overwhelming force, I had just about given up.
Once a well-made drama gained momentum, it was impossible to combat with regular methods.
Just before the final week, the viewing rates of the three dramas stood at 17.9%, 19.1%, and 19.9%.
Our drama was at 17.9%, lowest of the three.
Then KTD, riding the wave after a drug scandal, hit 19.9%, while Mother’s Song, rebounding thanks to a young star, stood at 19.1%.
It was an extremely nerve-wracking situation.
17.9% is indeed an incredibly high viewing rate.
In fact, it also set a new career record for Writer Ok.
But with such strong opponents, our efforts simply paled in comparison.
“To begin with, the TV ratings themselves have gone insane.”
Typically, the combined viewing rate for dramas airing on Monday and Tuesday nights at 10 PM is around 40-50%.
This is the total for the four channels’ drama ratings.
One crazy drama needs to appear for the total to even reach 50%, but now the combined total of the four shows exceeds 60%.
It was a catastrophe caused by three dramas going insane.
Meanwhile, KBC is struggling at around 5%, but that’s just their bad luck.
Had this not been a scenario where three dramas were creating a ‘Three Kingdoms’ situation,
Had there only been a single insane drama,
Would that one drama have even surpassed 30%?
Thinking back, it’s truly baffling.
Regardless, both sides were certain to surpass 20% in the final episode, so we also needed one final push.
And what if that push was a space battleship, drawing attention with its appearance in the preview?
Our drama could possibly turn the tables.
Thus, my hope rested solely on that decisive weapon, the space battleship.
I placed all my expectations on the space battleship obliterating everything and ending this battle.
*
“…”
“Is this real?!”
“What am I seeing?!”
“A space battleship… here?”
“Isn’t this crazy?”
Our strategy of leading with the space battleship was relatively successful, as the attention scattered between rivals began returning to our side.
“But…”
“Is this all?”
“How anti-climactic…”
But it ended there.
Something crucial was missing from our drama.
Our drama was fundamentally small-scale, and the budget was woefully inadequate.
Even with the assistance of Yang Yuli’s influence that helped us get this far, it wasn’t enough for that final big moment.
“This doesn’t make sense! The production budget…”
“The set limit has been exceeded. The network seems satisfied with this.”
“Can’t we split the restaurant, have the ‘Mecha Cheese’ emerge?”
“…That’s impossible, right?”
“Then launch a rocket to infiltrate the ship, and wage a war inside the battleship?”
“What in the world have you been thinking, writer?”
“No… this won’t work!”
Well, that’s that.
If I were a broadcaster executive, I’d find a way to secure the necessary funds for a competitive showdown.
SBC seemed to think this was sufficient and firmly rejected any request for additional production funding.
Meanwhile, TS, unhappy with Tae-kyu’s role as an intergalactic warrior, also denied further production funds.
Due to these reasons, the perfect version of ‘Restaurant Promo’ envisioned by Writer Ok became impossible to create.
Although the appearance of the space battleship rallied our audience, the conclusion remained somewhat bland and typical of melodramas.
“…Writer Ok really is impressive. To devise such a story at this stage. Were you a Sci-Fi fan?”
Even in this situation, Writer Ok’s melodramatic ideas were stunning.
There were plans to launch ‘Mecha Cheese’ from Restaurant Promo.
If this had been realized, it would’ve caused quite a stir.
“Haa… It’s over. This is… hopeless.”
With the production budget issues causing Writer Ok’s ambitions to founder, my goal to triumph in this bet also disappeared.
As the viewers of Restaurant Promo, buoyed by the appearance of the space battleship, grew disillusioned with the anti-climactic development and tuned away to other channels, this was evident in real-time community reactions.
The moment Kang Min and Juon agreed to export the cheese sauce to Cheesepia, mentions of our drama began disappearing.
“Insane satisfaction!”
“Ga Young punch! Ga Young punch!”
On the other hand, KTD’s final episode, where the drug offender was acquitted and then met with a ‘Heavenly Demon punch’ in the courtroom, delivered a realistic satisfaction that resonated with many viewers.
Of course, this is a melodrama.
Having the criminal escape punishment in the final episode feels absurd.
Even more absurd is having a police officer meting out vigilante justice to acquitted offenders.
Yet, with the prevailing view that such a scenario is more ‘realistic’ than lawful punishment, this world truly is absurd.
Could the real culprits behind this drug scandal escape justice like in the drama?
If they did, it would stir up a major controversy.
“…What? Is it… over?”
And ‘Mother’s Song.’
It went beyond imagination.
Our beloved child character ultimately met a tragic d*ath.
Truly, a story without dreams or hope…
Amidst the sea of viewer affection for the child star, the drama community was on the brink of explosion.
The world was in shock. Yang Yuli…
What in the world is this? A d*ath ending here…
“Oh…no… My Eun-hye… My Eun-hye…”
“No, father. Please calm down first…”
“How could this happen?!”
And the most shocking revelation? My father was watching ‘Mother’s Song’ for the final episode.
I might ask how this could happen, but given its overwhelming presence among the middle-aged demographic, there wasn’t much to say.
Still, since my father had been faithfully watching our drama until the final episodes, it would be unreasonable to complain.
I, as a rising actor, had already proven my worth with a prestigious rookie award.
Had our budget been sufficient, we might’ve created a legendary melodrama to anchor my father’s channel choice.
After all, our downfall boiled down to the production budget issue.
Next time, I firmly resolved to only take roles in productions with ample funding.
“…So, to conclude…?”
With all the dramas wrapped up, only the final viewing rate announcements awaited.
I braced myself, drawing a deep breath.
My defeat was a foregone conclusion.
At this point, I only hoped to avoid the worst possible outcome.
‘Restaurant Promo’: 17.1%
‘k*ll The Drug’: 21.4%
‘Mother’s Song’: 22.4%
“…What? Dammit. ‘Mother’s Song’… in first place? Why not KTD? Didn’t our viewers switch over to them?”
This was unexpected.
My calm demeanor was based on the assumption that our viewers had shifted to KTD.
It was obvious that if our ratings fell, KTD, targeting the younger demographic like us, would naturally see a rise.
This meant avoiding the worst-case scenario.
However, more viewers switched to ‘Mother’s Song’ than KTD.
Once the news broke about the child character’s d*ath, many viewers switched channels, curious about what had happened.
Wait, does this mean… my next project…
“…Dark Spider?”
Really? A Dark Spider?
In the middle of my daze at this revelation, a deafening cheer erupted from the lounge.
“Whoo-hoo!! This is it!!”
Nam Hyun-ho, who had stepped back during our viewing rate battles, burst with a roar.
Nam Hyun-ho, who had kept silent since the release of ‘Brothers,’ focusing solely on promotion activities, revealed his triumph in the lounge.
Beside him stood Moon Suyeon and Heavenly Yuah, shaking their heads in a mix of relief and frustration.
-Nam Hyunho and Husu Sung’s ‘Brothers’ shatters records with over 9 million admissions!
While we were locked in fierce competition, this individual was quietly reaping the benefits.
Is this what being a ten-million-view actor feels like?
Our company’s troublemaker, Nam Hyun-ho, was about to become a ten-million-view actor.
