“…23%? Did I just hear that right?”
A bewildered voice broke the silence.
“Special Mobile Unit 808 ratings are at 23%?”
“Really?”
“PD, this isn’t a joke, right?”
Producer Choi Hee-won opened his mouth once more.
“You heard correctly. 23%.”
And then, chaos broke loose.
“First episode! The first one, and it’s already at 23%! Is this even real?!”
“Aaaaaah!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! I’ll grab more beers!”
Inside the restaurant, the once calm environment was now unbearably loud. Not just loud — people were jumping around like their feet were on fire.
“Toasting time! Toast to it!”
“I’m losing my mind! I really can’t believe this!”
They had worked tirelessly every night, sacrificing sleep and rest. And now, this number was the best reward they could ask for. Their collective efforts deserved a celebration.
And this was only the beginning.
Only the actors and those sitting near the producer had heard the news so far. But soon, others began to gather, curious about the commotion.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
“Viewership ratings! Are the ratings out?”
When the staggering figure reached those individuals,
“…23%?”
The joy and excitement spread like waves.
“23% in this day and age… Is that even possible?”
“Exactly. Isn’t this the era when people barely watch TV?”
Producer Choi Hee-won smiled faintly.
“It seems the online communities and media coverage played a big role. Remember the provocative article? It definitely drew a lot of attention. People wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.”
At that moment, Kim I-seo nodded.
“In the end, it was an effective noise marketing campaign. Sometimes, these things work. I think it started with Kim Sun-a of Star Catch? We should thank her later.”
That’s when Sua felt a twinge of guilt.
Why, indeed? Because the article in question had been written by her! She hadn’t even known about noise marketing. She just wanted to be praised….
Suddenly, Wi Ji-hye muttered, amused.
“It actually worked?”
“Even a broken clock is right twice.”
“Sua is more like a clock that doesn’t have any hands…”
“What are they talking about?”
Sua shook her head to shake off the thoughts.
A gentle touch on her shoulder. It was Seo Yeon-joo.
“Sua, sorry. PD asked me your question, so I answered for you. The number just seemed so unbelievable.”
“No worries.”
Sua replied lightly. The most important thing was the ratings, not who answered the question — although her arithmetic was a bit slow.
“Anyway,”
Producer Choi Hee-won spoke again after downing a glass of soju.
“Though these are real-time statistics, they won’t change drastically. Let’s look forward to tomorrow’s airing.”
Shifting his gaze to Sua,
“Public opinion will shift in our favor tomorrow, and people will watch with anticipation rather than doubt. Sua, your contribution was significant. Kim Yu-han did a great job of fulfilling the key role.”
The joyous looks of all the others turned toward Sua. Their happiness shifted into gratitude, directed toward her.
Voices began to call out to her.
“Hail Kim Yu-han! Hail Kim Yu-han!”
“Let’s not forget, Kim Yu-han is just Sua, right? These numbers are only fitting. Tomorrow’s scenes will be even bigger!”
“Sua! Say something! PD called you earlier, but you didn’t reply. We’re curious about your reaction!”
The crowd mistook Sua’s stillness for calm, but in truth, her brain had frozen.
“23%, that’s almost one out of every five people, right?”
Inwardly, tiny versions of Sua sighed in relief. At least you can calculate probabilities, they murmured.
But relief was fleeting.
Sua, as well as the smaller versions of herself, were still in shock.
“Unbelievable. They said surpassing 10% was already crazy!”
A packed baseball stadium might fit around 20,000 people. If 23% of the population watched, how many people does that translate to? It was incomprehensible.
“I’m losing it! First episode, 23%?!”
Even someone ignorant like Sua could recognize the significance of these numbers.
After all, there used to be articles celebrating a mere 10%. And she had done twice that!
Sua glanced at her abilities again.
[Special Mobile Unit 808]
▶ Elements fully brought to life.
▶ Rank 1.
‘No wonder it’s rank 1.’
She was in awe again.
Impressed by the discernment of her special ability and proud of herself for elevating a grade 2 piece to grade 1.
Expectations swelled in her heart.
This was her first drama, only the first episode. Could something even bigger happen?
Mystic’s veteran support actor Hwang Myung-pil burst into laughter.
“Director Kim I-seo must have hit the jackpot, working with such a rookie. Quite a filmography for a newcomer, right?”
“That’s true. Mystic has been blessed. Winning awards with ‘Sword’ and launching two dramas with a 23% rating? And both of them star Sua!”
Seo Yeon-joo shrugged at this.
“What did I tell you before? You remember? I said Sua is like Yu-seong.”
“Oh, right! She’s some kind of shooting star granting wishes!”
Sua finally understood why people were treating her like a charm. Seo Yeon-joo had spread rumors.
There was only one problem.
Sua noticed a shift in the atmosphere.
You could see it in people’s eyes.
Before, it was more playful, now it was serious. Thoughtful expressions.
Kim I-seo spoke up.
“Rescuing Director Na-rak, completing unfinished works, one big award, and now a 23% rating. It’s one of two things: either you only pick winners, or everything you touch turns to gold.”
Everyone’s eyes widened even more.
While Sua remained inwardly reflective, watching tiny versions of herself stand confidently, looking up at her.
‘Right. This is thanks to all of you.’
The power of her abilities and the advice from her smaller selves had brought her to this point. She, technically, had just added a little something called effort.
The crowd, unaware of this, remained solemn.
Writer Lee Geum-sook’s eyes were glistening.
“Choosing my script was like divine guidance. Sua, let me emphasize this again. Thank you.”
And it began.
“I didn’t wish earlier! Let me do it again!”
“Wish now! Grant me the courage to confess my feelings!”
“Please form a line!”
“I wish for long life!”
“Help me with hair loss!”
◈◈◈◈◈
Finally, the after-party came to an end.
About two hours had passed after the first episode aired.
“Woooh….”
After taking a bath, Sua sprawled out on her bed. So much had happened today, and the exhaustion was finally catching up.
“I wanted to stretch my legs and sleep in peace today…”
At the restaurant, she had determined that with both Kim Yu-han’s success and the start of Special Mobile Unit 808 successfully underway, she’d go to sleep happy.
But once she lied down, her emotions were tangled.
Happiness, excitement, even fear…
All this was because she had a new wish: for episode 2 to receive a positive response, for her progress to continue. While Sua hadn’t yet grasped this entirely, she knew what she wanted to do next.
To work hard and preserve this excitement.
And then it happened.
Wooong—
Her phone rang unexpectedly.
“Huh?”
It was a text message. On identifying the sender, Sua furrowed her brows. It wasn’t from someone she expected.
[Sender: Lina Pilates Kim Soo-young]
▶ Sua, have you started acting?
▶ I usually watch dramas consistently. There’s this new intriguing one, so I was looking up related articles when I came across one about you from a short film.
▶ Is that really you? Seriously?
“Oh, this is because of the short film.”
Sua understood.
Articles tied to her short film had been circulating, and people familiar with her were recognizing her.
It was interesting.
“Kim Soo-young? We were never close.”
This person was no Pilates instructor—they were only one of the many students she had classes with.
Why contact her now? Should she respond?
But then,
Wooong—
Her phone buzzed again.
[Sender: Chef]
This new message acted as a signal.
“What, what is it? What’s happening?”
Wooong—
Wooong—
Wooong—
[Sender: Trainer Park Ho-yoon]
[Sender: Japanese Tutor]
[Sender: Dance Instructor]
And then, as if on cue, the messages poured in.
“Huuuum…?”
Wooong—
Wooong—
Before long, Sua’s phone became the crybaby it was destined to be.
