Episode 69

Unlike when cider filled the glasses during ‘Summer Promise’, Yeon-woo held up a glass brimming with beer.

“We will strive to create a drama that will be remembered in history. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses in response to the enthusiastic declaration of the drama’s protagonist.

Jin Yu-han, who usually didn’t mingle well with others on set except for Yeon-woo, also attended the dinner after finishing the overseas location shoot and raised his glass, joining in the toast.

However, only one person, Park Kyung-wan, who was increasingly to disliked Ryu Yeon-woo due to his unfounded sense of victimization, pursed his lips.

As they ate and chatted, Saturday night approached, and on the large monitor tuned to KBC1 channel, alongside instructions regarding broadcast regulations, the logo appeared.

[The Star Beyond the River].

Finally, the first broadcast of the drama.

It began with scenes of veteran actors filmed in advance, discussing sword-fighting action scenes in a gymnasium before Yeon-woo and Yoo Han went into filming.

King Gwangjong poured alcohol into three cups made of gold placed before him.

“As an official working day and night for the country, I will pour for you today.”

“The king’s grace is boundless.”

However, Seo Pil did not touch the cup of alcohol poured by King Gwangjong, keeping his head bowed.

Perceiving this strangely, the King spoke up.

“Why do you not accept my gesture? Do you not like the alcohol I poured or the cup?”

Seo Pil bowed his head in response to his words.

“Your Majesty, how could that be? If a subject uses a gold cup, what cup will Your Majesty use in the future?”

Gwangjong laughed heartily at Seo Pil’s words.

“You do not consider the gold cup as a treasure, but I will henceforth consider your words as treasures.”

Taking the cup of alcohol poured by Seo Pil, King Gwangjong drank from it.

“Today is a joyous day, so I shall grant a name to your son. Let him be called Hee, so that he may grow up to become a shining star of Goryeo.”

Thus, Seo Yeom-yoon, Seo Pil’s eldest son, was renamed Seo Hee in his youth, bestowed with the name by King Gwangjong.

Watching TV, Seo Ji-eun, sitting next to Kim Jin-joo, the writer, asked, “Wow, is that story really true?”

It was a scene not written in the script received during the script reading, so Yeon-woo became curious and glanced at Kim Jin-joo.

“Oh, no, Ji-eun. There are separate records of King Gwangjong bestowing a gold cup and Seo Hee’s name being changed in his youth. I just combined the two to create the story.”

Oh.

As the surrounding actors nodded in agreement, acknowledging the writer’s talent.

Kim Jin-joo, the writer, blushed unexpectedly at the praise.

Han So-hyeon also tuned in to watch ‘The Star Beyond the River’, starring Ryu Yeon-woo, with her mother, sitting on the sofa at the right time.

As Ryu Yeon-woo’s face appeared with the logo, the drama began.

“So-hyeon, your friend is so cute. And he speaks really well.”

“Yeah, Mom. After working on two projects together, it feels like he’s become like a little brother.”

Then, after some contemplation, Han So-hyeon added with a smile.

“Or maybe more like an older brother?”

As the drama began, scenes of veteran actors with gold cups appeared, followed by a scene showing Seo Hee busy at Seo Pil’s house.

[Oh my, it’s work every morning.]

Then, with the sound of creaking hinges, Ryu Yeon-woo entered, swinging the door open with a flourish.

With his fair face, large eyes, and sculpted features, he looked quite impressive as the protagonist in this drama’s first scene due to his appearance.

“Oh, your friend is really good-looking every time I see him. So-hyeon, when will you bring him home for dinner? Whether he’s like a little brother or an older brother, he’s not my son, anyway.”

So-hyeon laughed at her mother’s joke.

At that moment, Ryu Yeon-woo on screen began delivering his lines.

[What are you doing, gathering all these things?]

[Oh my, young master, how could I refuse when you ask me to write a letter to the ladies expressing your affection?]

Then, the scene transitioned to Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun’s first encounter on the street.

[Are you okay?]

[Ouch, my butt!? No, how could you do such thing to a lady like this?]

[Am I at fault? I was just standing here quietly, and you…]

As Seo Ji-eun stumbled, Ryu Yeon-woo’s moment of hesitation as he contemplated before bending down to help her up was comically edited in slow motion, followed by their playful banter, which erupted in laughter.

“Oh, they really suit each other. It’s a perfect match. I’m getting excited.”

“You should meet a man too. You’re still young.”

“Oh, Mom, what are you saying to an actress?”

So-hyeon’s mother chuckled as she looked at her daughter.

“That actress is thirty.”

“Oh, Mom!”

So-hyeon glanced at her mother with a hint of annoyance at the mention of thirty.

Meanwhile, in a luxurious and modern interior with marble floors, Kim Joo-seong, the CEO of LN Entertainment, sat on the sofa in blue pajamas, enjoying chicken and beer alone.

Kim Joo-seong, who established LN Entertainment from the ground up, focusing more on mutual benefits than financial gain, was known for his friendly attitude towards artists, starting from his days as a manager.

“Hmm, the screen transitioned smoothly.”

Kim Joo-seong, the CEO, nodded as he watched ‘The Star Beyond the River’ on TV. While he usually maintained a sharp appearance with slicked-back pomade hair and suits outside, at home, he casually picked up a piece of chicken from the table and ate it with a fork.

his favorite hobby was to watch alone the performances of his company’s actors on the CRT and screen.

[He kicked my butt when I wasn’t even married…]

[That’s not true.]

[Your toes block it into the corner..]

[Not at all]

As Jin Yu-han, who played Lee Ji-baek, tried to interject between the banter, the conversation flowed like a tail biting into itself.

“The chemistry is good.”

Kim Joo-seong nodded as he watched Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun on the screen.

Seo Hee, intrigued by the unexpected appearance of Hong Ui-yeon, found her interesting despite his initial impression of her being a bit eccentric.

Originally from Seokyeong, there was no peer of her age who was more knowledgeable than Hong Ui-yeon, and others was jealous of her, calling her a woman, but when she came to Gaegyeong and saw Seo Hee and Lee Ji-baek, who were able to solve problems that she could not answer, Hong Ui-yeon gradually opened her heart.

The drama continued to captivate viewers with its lively dialogue, highlighting the characteristics of the main characters.

Before they knew it, an hour had passed, and the first episode of ‘The Star Beyond the River’ concluded, followed by a preview.

As soon as the first broadcast ended, Kim Joo-seong, holding his smartphone, eagerly refreshed the page, waiting for the viewership ratings.

[KBC 1 ‘The Star Beyond the River’ Episode 1 Rating [13.7%]]

[MBS ‘Valdor’ Episode 3 Rating [19.8%]]

[Compared to the competing show that aired a week earlier, it was still lagging behind in ratings.]

However, considering that ‘Valdor’ had surpassed 24% in ratings for its second episode the previous week, it seemed to have stolen quite a few viewers.

As Kim Joo-seong checked the production and investment details of the rival show ‘Valdor’ on his smartphone, he frowned.

“Hmm, this company?”

He stroked his chin, leaning back deeper into the sofa.

“There’s something fishy about this.”

In recent years, there had been frequent incidents of drug scandals and sponsorship issues in the entertainment industry, and Kim Joo-seong had witnessed many signs of certain forces trying to shake up the entertainment industry for their own interests.

The investment company behind ‘Valdor’ was one of them.

Although it was currently lagging behind the competition, if the ratings were to reverse, he didn’t know what dirty tricks they might resort to in order to recover their investment.

To prevent such dirty tricks in advance, Kim Joo-seong picked up his smartphone and made a call somewhere.

Internet reactions began to form, mainly from younger demographics.

====

***

====

Comments began to increase, seeming to dispel concerns about whether the show would appeal to younger audiences given its airing on KBC 1.

[Seems like I’m liking Seo Hee Oppa.]

ㄴSeo Hee was born in 942.

ㄴ 42 is just right. There’s only a 1060-year age difference between me and Oppa.

[I also want to send a letter to Young master. Where should I send it?]

ㄴYes. At the entrance cut by servant Dallyeong.

[I’m definitely watching the live broadcast from today. Oh my, I’m so excited.]

Meanwhile, there was a bustling atmosphere at a restaurant, whether they were aware of these internet reactions or not.

Yeon-woo quietly smiled as he watched the staff discussing the ratings with excitement after the first broadcast ended during the dinner gathering. While it would be a lie to say he didn’t care about ratings or box office performance, Yeon-woo, who decided to become an actor simply because he enjoyed acting, didn’t overly fixate on them.

‘Still, it’s nice to see everyone happy after all the hard work.’

The rival show currently airing on MBS had been heavily promoted even before its broadcast, and it was a blockbuster that had poured in a lot of money. So, when the production team felt slightly discouraged even before filming began, hearing the staff’s conversations now made Yeon-woo realize that they had managed to take away quite a bit of the ratings.

Looking to his side, Yeon-woo saw Jin Yu-han quietly eating meat after the drama ended.

‘He seems like the type who doesn’t care much about ratings either.’

Having spent time together, Yeon-woo knew that Jin Yu-han was just a fool for acting.

This time, when Yeon-woo looked to his left, he saw Seo Ji-eun holding hands and laughing with Kim Jin-joo, the writer. Kim Jin-joo, who had been busy with writing, rarely showed her face on set, but she and the always cheerful Seo Ji-eun seemed to have become close already.

“Director, with this much, can’t we reduce the gap? It’s getting more interesting as we go along.”

“Ah, indeed!”

The atmosphere at the table behind them was also lively, with the director and staff cheering. As the night grew deeper, it wasn’t until one in the morning that the dinner gathering ended.

During the dinner, Yeon-woo had received several calls after the first broadcast, causing his smartphone’s battery to drain completely.

“Hmm, I need to contact Min-soo hyung, but I need to borrow a phone.”

As Yeon-woo pondered, Min-soo’s car arrived in front of the store, making his concerns seem unnecessary.

“How did hyung manage to come right on time? My phone battery died while I was at the dinner.”

“I thought it might be ending around this time. Still, it’s fortunate that we have a two-day break starting tomorrow. You haven’t been able to sleep well lately due to night shoots.”

Yeon-woo joked, raising the corners of his lips in response to Min-soo’s concern.

“But if I’m on break, won’t Min-soo hyung have to go to the office for work?”

Knowing that Min-soo hated office work more than anyone else, Yeon-woo joked, but Min-soo just smiled at Yeon-woo’s joke.

“I also took a vacation. I’ll take a break with you to match your schedule.”

“Oh, really? Then I can relax comfortably.”

“What will you do during your vacation, Yeon-woo?”

“I’m going back to my hometown.”

Min-soo nodded in response to Yeon-woo’s answer.

“It’s been almost three months since you went down there, right?”

“It’s already been that long.”

Since the camping trip with Ma Seok-do and Jeong Soo-yeon and picking up his younger sister, it had been quite a while.

“It’s only a few days off, but I’ll go down this time and watch the second episode with my family tomorrow. I also want to visit the special set.”

“The special set? So, it’s finally all set up?”