“Hey, isn’t Seo Jin-taek and Lee Ha-eun appearing on Japeople?”
“Breaking News) Lee Ha-eun to appear on Japeople”
One week ago from now.
In the preview for the next episode of <Japeople>, the appearance of the guests caused a stir in the community.
Part of the reason was that <Japeople> had recently risen quickly to become a popular entertainment program.
However, the impact of Ha-eun, whose star power had soared even higher with <The Sunshines>, and Seo Jin-taek, a renowned actor nicknamed the “box office guarantee”, was more significant.
It was already a given that the guests appearing in this [Japeople – Zookeeper Special] were the main stars of the movie <The Veterans>.
– Didn’t Lee Ha-eun refresh his taste buds after seeing the caterpillars on a 2-night 3-day trip?
– Is this true?
– Yeah, they said something about caterpillars being good protein like Bear Grylls.
– Does Ha-eun look good in the zookeeper uniform?
– Ah, he’s so cute! T-T-T-T
– Crazy when he was holding the baby lion!
– Is it because Ha-eun is a Capricorn that he loves animals so much?
– Didn’t the Japeople aftershow post on Instagram yet?
– Yeah, seems like it’s still pending.
Strictly speaking, the news of the casting of the two actors had already come out a while ago.
But this was the first time the name <The Veterans> had been properly introduced.
Ha-eun’s second movie.
And his first villain role.
Such a combination made people interested in the movie <The Veterans>.
The biggest factor was that Ha-eun, who had made viewers cry with the sad ending of <The Sunshines>, was playing the villain Lee Yeo-seo.
– When I looked up the article, it said Ha-eun is playing a villain?
– Hmm?
– It says he’s playing a psycho tycoon’s third generation.
– Is Kim Jeong-hyun…dead?!?!?!
– Why bring up that person from last night here?
– Where do you live?
– Is the villain of the tycoon’s third generation someone who gets into fights when they’re drunk?
– ‘Seo Jin-taek & Yu Sung-jae face off with action’ <<<< Is this true?
- This time, Prince is really going to be stabbed by Yeom Wol, lol lol lol.
Speculations about Ha-eun's character Lee Yeo-seo from the community continued for quite a while.
Even on the day of the airing of [Japeople - Zookeeper Special], the speculations didn't stop.
However, right when the scene of Ha-eun wearing the zookeeper uniform started broadcasting,
More precisely,
"Whoosh!"
- Whoosh!
"Ha! Ha-eun Wins!"
"...Maybe I'm getting old..."
During the arm wrestling match to decide who would be in charge of feeding, Ha-eun's easy victory was broadcast.
- Wouldn't Seo Jin-taek's arm break?
- Lee Ha-eun breaking the arm of the senior actor is sick! Dd
- Did he really want to feed the elephants that much? lolololol
The story of <Japeople> took the forefront.
In any case, the joint appearance of Seo Jin-taek and Ha-eun on the variety show was in itself a hot topic of conversation.
Thus started the [Japeople – Zookeeper Special],
The first animal the cast of three encountered was the elephant.
Before long, the scene aired where Ha-eun, with curious eyes, fed the elephant.
“Hey, I heard a crunching sound!”
Not too long after, Ha-eun once again handed a fairly large head of cauliflower to the elephant with one hand.
The cauliflower, which obviously wasn’t light, yet the majority of the audience just took it all in stride due to the image he portrayed on <2-day 3-night> and <Infinite Challenge>.
“Wow, this would really make a successful eating show ASMR…”
– Is Lee Ha-eun doing eating shows these days?
– The elephant’s having a feast today.
– He really eats a lot, yeah.
Until then, the responses on the community or social media networks were pretty much normal.
The viewers’ reactions weren’t much different from when <2-day 3-night> or <Infinite Challenge> was airing.
Most of the viewers found value in Ha-eun’s zookeeper experience.
Rather than expecting something surprising or new, they were enjoying Ha-eun’s zookeeper experience while getting familiar with the honest and slightly animated expressions Ha-eun had shown on past TV shows.
When the viewers’ reactions began to deviate from the norm was a little while later.
“Now, it’s time for our Leo and Ray to drink milk.”
“Leo? Ray?”
“They’re the zoo’s baby lions. They’re super cute.”
Soon afterward, the two baby lions appeared in front of <Japeople>‘s cast, cradled in the arms of the zookeeper.
And not long after that, they dashed straight to Ha-eun and nestled into his arms.
“I, I think I want to raise these guys. No, I will raise them…!”
-Rumble…
“Ah? Di, did you hear that? They like me too!”
Ha-eun had never been this high-energy on any variety show he was on.
Although he was always actively engaged moment-to-moment, like any other variety show, but Ha-eun right now is what?
“Hey, can I pet them?”
“Yes. Please pet them gently.”
A more pure, more childlike innocence.
It was quite different from the serious demeanor Ha-eun had displayed in the various works he had been in until now.
– Are those really baby lions? They’re huge!
– It’s because Lee Ha-eun is small, does he even reach 160 cm?
– Never seen him this enthusiastic.
– He’s treating the lion like a cat, lololol.
So, you’d say, it was quite a twist.
It was quite surprising to see the usually sharp-edged Ha-eun disarmed and at a loss before the baby lions.
“….I really want to take them home and raise them…”
– No, that’s illegal, lololol.
– He’s completely smitten with the lions.
– What made those baby lions so adorable that he completely lost his mind?
– Touching jelly pads can make you lose it, yeah.
That way, as people’s attention was drawn to Ha-eun’s unfamiliar side, the ratings began to rise.
After saying goodbye to the baby lions and finishing the giraffe cage experience, the ratings noticeably trended upward as the desert fox cage experience began.
This was due to an active female actress feeding the desert fox.
That is, the rather stimulating content of handling mealyworms and other creepy crawlies.
“…I find this scene amazing every time I see it. How can a girl handle mealyworms so nonchalantly?”
“I agree. She’s really bold.”
Even the <Japeople> production crew, including director Shin Young-il, were amazed at the current appearance of Lee Ha-eun on the air.
After all, even grown men like Na Jae-hyeok or Seo Jin-taek had trouble with mealyworms.
– Whoosh.
– Clap.
“How many should I put in this can?”
He grabbed the wriggling mealyworm without flinching, then coolly dropped it into the feeder.
Such a scene from a high school girl actress was by no means common.
Hence,
The ratings for <Japeople> surged beyond mere success to a blockbuster level, considering the rapid decline in TV entertainment program ratings due to the influence of YouTube and OTT.
However, <Japeople>‘s ratings reached their peak 5 minutes later.
“H-Hey it’s coming closer?”
“It-It’s right in front of us!”
The moment was when the cast of <Japeople> was heading toward the enclosures of ferocious animals like bears or tigers.
Unlike Na Jae-hyeok and Seo Jin-taek who were panic-stricken by the approaching tiger to the vehicle they were riding, the youngest and the only female cast member, Lee Ha-eun,
“….Hmm, its nose looks so soft.”
murmured a completely unexpected monologue without a hint of fear.
Afterwards, Ha-eun maintained eye contact with the tiger for quite a long time.
“Hmm…”
-Ting.
[What are you looking at]
The two-word subtitle inserted by <Japeople>‘s production crew had a potent synergy with Ha-eun’s sharp gaze.
The ‘neigh’ sound effect as the tiger turned its head away from Ha-eun and walked back.
– Monkey D Ha-eun DdDdDd
– That’s Gear Second, isn’t it?
– World’s first actress to make a tiger cower, lol lol lol
– I’d lose a staring contest with Lee Ha-eun within a second.
Strictly speaking, the tiger and Ha-eun neither were hostile to each other nor were they scared of each other,
But the situation crafted by <Japeople>‘s production team through subtitles and sound effects, along with the interpretations of the viewers, led to an funny conclusion.
Even Da-yeon, who was watching <Japeople> with Ha-eun at a certain pet cafe, was no different.
Not long after, upon seeing Ha-eun’s figure that made even the bears lower their heads, Da-yeon started teasing Ha-eun:
“Hey Mr. Genius, you’re not going to emit laser beams from your eyes later, are you?”
“Well, am I superman?”
“That’s true, you’d win in arm wrestling even against Superman. Is there something stronger than Superman?”
“Too much…!”
A few days ago, Ha-eun’s staring down of fierce animals like bears or tigers was simply a job to maintain Lee Yeo-seo’s image.
Still, Da-yeon in front of him was telling Baek Seol that Ha-eun’s gaze is fierce,
So Ha-eun was repeatedly swallowing his frustration silently.
However, the mood of teasing Ha-eun didn’t last long.
The reason is,
“People ask, how can I become more beautiful? How can I become prettier?”
Because right after <Japeople> ended, the first commercial of Lev Cosmetics featuring Ha-eun was revealed.
The image of Ha-eun in a pure white dress strolling through the woods captured Da-yeon’s gaze.
Her face was even more beautiful than what Da-yeon knew.
More mysterious and seductive. Such an image of profound beauty slowly closed Da-yeon’s mouth.
A few graceful steps followed.
The pure white dress that slowly walked through the quiet forest was soon surrounded by soft fireflies.
As the commercial zoomed in gradually.
It seemed for a moment that the corner of Ha-eun’s mouth curled upward with the approaching camera.
“Let me show you a dream. A sweet dream you’ll never wake up from in your entire life.”
Right after, Ha-eun’s intense gaze pierced through the camera.
The Lev commercial, which ended with the lines Ha-eun voiced, left a deep impression.
Especially, the gentle yet intense gaze of Ha-eun at the end of the commercial lingered.
Was this due to the intense focus on Ha-eun’s eyes during <Japeople>?
“…No, it’s not because of the variety show.”
Even to Da-yeon, the immersion level of the Lev commercial was far beyond comparison to any other commercial.
Of course, as it was a cosmetic commercial, a certain degree of staging and makeup had been added, including CG.
Still, the reason why the memory of Ha-eun in a pure white dress wouldn’t leave Da-yeon’s mind so easily,
“Bang!”
“!?’
Was because of a firework suddenly exploding right in front of Da-yeon not too long after,
And because of the birthday cake handed to Da-yeon not too long after.
“Happy birthday.”
“….Now I understand why you insisted on meeting me today.”
Because that day itself became an impressive memory for Da-yeon.
It’s unclear how other people felt about the Lev commercial, but at least to Da-yeon,
“Here’s your birthday gift.”
“Oh… It’s Lev stuff? Did you get it sponsored?”
“It’s my money, my purchase. It feels a bit weird to pass off a sponsored gift as a birthday present for a friend, doesn’t it?”
“…”
What a fool.
Da-yeon, whose eyes had been slightly reddened since when, said as much before gently blowing out the candles.
Soon after, Ha-eun softly held Baek Seol’s two feet and made Baek Seol clap her hands,
The celebration, which was strange yet quintessentially Ha-eun, elicited involuntary chuckles from Da-yeon.
*
The goal of Lev’s commercial was illusion.
As its name suggests—dream (Rêve)—its aim was to convey to consumers an unrealistic beauty through the products.
Since the commercial aired during a time when the afterglow of <The Sunshines> had not yet faded, its influence manifested immediately.
The reappearance of memories related to Kim Jeong-hyun, prompted by Ha-eun’s appearance on <Japeople>, had quite a significant impact as well.
This was also one of the reasons why the Lev commercial was scheduled ahead of time.
The intention was to incorporate the ‘Miss’ image created through <The Sunshines> and Ha-eun’s first album release into the commercial.
However, the original intention of Lev,
That is, the reason they signed a contract with Ha-eun even after knowing he was playing a villain in <The Veterans> was revealed shortly after <Japeople> aired.
<The Veterans> trailer was released.
Specifically, the scene that overturned the light and comedic mood that had persisted up until then.
“I’m sorry, sir. Someone’s calling me a lot today.”
With an icy charisma that immediately revealed itself.
Ha-eun’s presence, which could not be looked away from in a different way from just a few days ago.
Because it was his first villain role, he was doubted, and therefore the shock created by his coldness was even more intense.
The emotionless empty shell hidden within the face that always expressed deep emotions turned the doubt of people into fear.
However, the fear people felt towards Lee Yeo-seo was also indicative of Lee Yeo-seo’s presence.
“Director Hwang. They’re all sold out at all branches nationwide…”
“…As expected.”
The gaze of the unyielding cold-blooded man that refused to let himself be forgotten revealed once again the intensity of the gaze from Lev’s commercial.
The sudden shift in the image of Ha-eun within a few days directly affected the commercial.
Thus, a new record for a single-day sales was set.
The day Lee Yeo-seo was first disclosed was also the day when the Korean branch of Lev confirmed they made the right choice in selecting Ha-eun as the new commercial model.
