NoveLight ™
The first broadcast of Dream Future was met with an unexpectedly positive reception, garnering a 15% viewership rating. This was an exceptionally encouraging result, as only two other dramas this year had achieved such ratings.
Considering that those two dramas had significantly higher budgets and star-studded casts, Dream Future's success was nothing short of a shock, even causing the higher-ups to take notice.
"Is this really happening?"
That statement perfectly captured the situation. Director Kim Pil-seok, who had initially been perceived as a competent but relatively young director, now found his reputation significantly enhanced.
He had always been regarded as a capable director among the younger generation, but now...
"He's the problem solver, isn't he?" "Absolutely. Nobody wanted to take on this project." "Well, it's a youth romance, a genre that's practically obsolete..." "To be honest, I was skeptical when I first saw the proposal."
These were the kinds of discussions taking place within the broadcasting station.
"But more than anything else..."
There was another person who had caught the attention of the drama team at the broadcasting station.
"It's that girl again." "That girl? Ah, right..."
The KMB drama team, especially the long-serving members, couldn’t forget one particular "girl."
Ju Seoyeon.
The child actress who had once shaken the entire broadcasting station with her performance in The Moon That Hid the Sun. She had made a dazzling comeback, making her name known again.
"Whenever Seoyeon is involved, something changes." "Yeah, I know. There's just a different feeling."
A few members of the drama team remarked on this as they reviewed the first episode of Dream Future.
"Usually, the highlight at the end of an episode gets the highest ratings." "Right, but I heard that Jo Ha-rin's audition scene had even higher ratings?" "Yes, by about 2%."
Director Kim Pil-seok had personally put extra effort into that scene. It was a slightly altered version of the original script. While he had discussed it with the writer, it had felt like a gamble.
The focus should have been on the main leads in the first episode, but he had decided to give some attention to Jo Ha-rin as well. The result was a massive success.
"This is a real headache for Cha Na-hee, who plays Song So-ha." "She's probably feeling the pressure, especially since she's an idol."
In fact, fans of Cha Na-hee’s girl group were already voicing their concerns. They were upset that her screen time seemed to have been reduced.
"But it’s not like Jo Ha-rin’s screen time was significantly increased. Her scenes barely added up to 10 minutes, even when you count all the cutscenes together." "Yeah, and Song So-ha had more than double that amount."
In truth, Jo Ha-rin’s screen time wasn’t much different from the other supporting characters, aside from Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha. Her total screen time amounted to about 10 minutes, which included the shared cutscenes. Her personal scenes were even shorter, consisting mainly of her introduction and the audition scene.
Yet, despite having far less screen time than Song So-ha, Jo Ha-rin made a much stronger impression on the viewers.
It wasn't that Jo Ha-rin did anything wrong. The only change in the script was that she passed the audition with her singing instead of dancing.
So why did this happen?
It was all about the acting. The impact of Jo Ha-rin’s scenes was so much greater than Song So-ha’s that viewers were left with the impression that Jo Ha-rin had appeared more frequently.
After watching the drama, when people talked about it, they would inevitably mention the most memorable scenes. This was a significant advantage for Dream Future's early success, but not everyone was happy about it.
"This shouldn’t have been allowed."
Writer Im Jin-ha muttered with a tone of irritation.
"Oh, come on, Writer Im! It’s a hit, isn’t that great?" "......"
Baek Tae-soo, a PD from the drama department who had a good relationship with Im Jin-ha, tried to console him. Baek Tae-soo was one of the senior PDs at KMB. Many expected him to be the next head of the drama department within a few years.
He had had a chance before, but unfortunately, someone much more capable than him had taken the position, leaving him no choice but to step aside.
"She couldn’t sing in the variety show." "Yeah, I saw that. Ju Seoyeon, right? She wasn’t good." "Exactly. That’s why I agreed to it... but I was completely fooled."
Had that been acting too? How could she have sung so impressively in that scene? Im Jin-ha was not pleased.
‘I don’t like this.’
Jo Ha-rin had originally been a character added out of necessity. She was meant to be a seasoning to the main dish, added to spice up the storyline between Song So-ha and Kim Si-hwan. But now, this seasoning was overshadowing the main course.
In some ways, it wasn’t entirely wrong to think that way. A minor character shouldn’t overshadow the main characters. But Im Jin-ha’s dissatisfaction ran deeper.
‘What’s her relationship with Park Jung-woo?’
Im Jin-ha was a fan of Park Jung-woo. He had wanted Park Jung-woo for the lead role from the start, and seeing Seoyeon getting close to him rubbed him the wrong way.
‘Yes, that’s what I should do.’
Even so, there wasn’t much a drama writer could do.
Drama writers, especially those with careers as relatively short as Im Jin-ha's, often had limited power.
If it weren’t for Baek Tae-soo PD and the one hit under his belt, Im Jin-ha wouldn’t have been able to say a word. But conversely, this meant that now he could.
"I think I’ll reduce her screen time a bit more." "Hmm? Why? Things are going well right now..." "She’s overshadowing the main character." "Well, that’s true."
Even though it was Ju Seoyeon who had significantly boosted the ratings for Dream Future, reducing her screen time might not be a bad idea...
‘But a drama where the lead gets overshadowed isn’t likely to succeed.’
Even though the drama had taken off thanks to Ju Seoyeon, no one knew how long that would last. Giving more emphasis to Cha Na-hee might be a good move. While Ju Seoyeon’s acting had shone brightly, Baek Tae-soo didn’t think Cha Na-hee’s acting was bad either.
With a little more focus on her, she might shine as the leading lady.
"Hmm, okay. I’ll talk to PD Shin Yoon and Director Kim about it." "Thank you. You know how much I appreciate you, PD Baek, right?" "Of course, I do."
Laughing heartily, PD Baek contacted PD Shin Yoon. He wasn’t necessarily asking for a revision of the script—just a friendly check-in.
Dream Future was a Monday-Tuesday drama. The second episode aired the following day, causing another stir, though for different reasons.
The audience, which had swelled after Jo Ha-rin’s live scene in the first episode, witnessed something quite shocking. The content itself was straightforward. The six main characters, who had successfully passed the audition, were all assigned to Group C.
Out of 200 participants, 100 had been eliminated in the first round.
Song So-ha, however, was feeling quite insecure. To make it to the finals, she needed to be placed in Group A, but she had barely made it into Group C.
Moreover, the other members of Group C were all formidable, which further eroded her confidence.
"If it’s too tough, just give up. Why are you even holding on?"
At that moment, a blond man with piercings said this. It was Park Min-yul, who had received praise for his rapping and dancing skills. He and Song So-ha didn’t get along well.
To make matters worse, the next mission required the six members to perform as a team. Song So-ha was lacking confidence.
Just as with the audience’s reaction to Park Min-yul, Ma Yeon-woo’s script had also been slightly altered. Since his acting had limitations as an idol, the role was adjusted to better fit his natural personality, a decision driven by Im Jin-ha’s fondness for Ma Yeon-woo.
The second episode focused on Song So-ha’s struggles.
She tried to work together with the team, but things didn’t go well. They fought, argued, and with just one day left before the final mission, they still couldn’t practice properly. Frustrated, Song So-ha went out alone to practice singing.
What is commonly called busking.
The next mission required the six members to perform a guerrilla stage on the street.
"Why are you going alone?"
Kim Si-hwan was the only one who followed after Song So-ha. With a small smile, the two of them headed out to the street to practice their live performance.
The script’s weaknesses were pointed out, and just as the live chat was about to flare up...
"See, no one’s watching."
Song So-ha said. Both Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha’s strengths were in singing, so there wasn’t much visual appeal.
Even though they sang earnestly, there wasn’t much of a performance. This wasn’t what Produce Star 200 had likely intended.
"But it’s better than doing nothing."
With those words, they continued singing until the sun began to set. They were allowed two hours to perform on the street, and as time ran out, they grew increasingly tired.
Just then...
"Ha, these guys are really persistent."
Park Min-yul, who had earlier snubbed Song So-ha, appeared. He was holding a microphone.
The chat, which had been on the verge of erupting, suddenly caught fire in a different way.
Park Min-yul appeared with a microphone in hand.
Surely, it couldn’t be.
But just as everyone was thinking that...
Park Min-yul started rapping as he walked forward.
As Park Min-yul began rapping, more and more people started to pay attention to the group. Those who had shown little interest in Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha’s singing began to take notice.
But it didn’t end there.
Following Park Min-yul, the remaining three members of Group C—Ha Yoo-sung, Jo Ha-rin, and Jin Hye-min—started walking forward.
Ha Yoo-sung joined in the rapping with Park Min-yul.
The other two began dancing energetically as they approached.
"Hey, everyone!!"
Song So-ha shouted with a bright smile. And thus began Group C’s performance.
The surrounding audience gathered around them, cheering.
And so began Group C’s performance. Despite the absurdity of the scene, viewers couldn’t help but laugh.
Surprisingly, the performance was not bad at all. Despite the cringeworthy setup, the execution was impressive, with clear effort put into the song.
Thus ended the shocking and somewhat terrifying second episode of Dream Future.
The response on various forums was largely disbelief.
And sure enough, the ratings for the second episode came in at 13%, slightly lower than the first episode but still very high.
In particular, the group performance segment saw a peak viewership of 18%, which was remarkably high.
However...
It felt like Jo Ha-rin, who had made a strong impact in the first episode, had her screen time reduced in this one. Most people attributed it to the nature of the episode.
"Good."
Writer Im Jin-ha smiled as he observed the reactions on various online communities.
It wasn’t that he had made significant changes to the script or altered many scenes.
He had simply removed a few lines.
That was enough.
‘If I keep reducing her role like this...’
By the time they reached the eighth episode, she would barely be visible.
Im Jin-ha laughed at the thought.
But there was one thing Im Jin-ha hadn’t considered.
The third trailer for The Chaser that was released that evening.
The second trailer for The Chaser hadn’t been much different from the first.
Two detectives searching for the killer.
Brutally murdered victims.
A chase with the killer in a raincoat.
The only difference was that there were more shots of Cha Seo-ah, the convenience store clerk.
Such comments were common.
As discussions about The Chaser started to gain traction, the final third trailer was released just before the premiere.
The trailer was about two minutes long.
It combined the key scenes from the first and second trailers.
Ju Seoyeon, who had been criticized for her role as the convenience store clerk, barely appeared. Most viewers assumed that her role had been cut after the backlash from the second trailer.
But then...
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of rain falling.
It was the same scene that had appeared frequently in the second trailer.
The chase scene with the two detectives.
In the previous trailer, it had always ended with them losing the killer.
Now, the camera focused on the small figure of the killer standing still in a yellow raincoat.
Clang.
A fire axe held by the killer dropped to the ground.
Thump, thump, thump.
The heartbeat-like background music grew louder as the killer’s hand slowly moved.
The viewers watching all thought, "No way."
Was the killer’s face finally going to be revealed?
Rustle.
The hood of the raincoat slowly came down, revealing long, black hair.
Slowly.
Very slowly, the camera panned up, showing a sharp jawline and pale, rain-soaked skin.
Finally.
Red eyes.
Glowing red eyes in the darkness.
Cha Seo-ah.
The woman who had been seen as nothing more than a convenience store clerk.
The screen went black as her face was revealed.
As if to say, everything had been shown.
Quietly, the title The Chaser appeared on the now completely dark screen.
Afterward, it was no surprise that movie communities exploded with discussions.
Feel it!
Noice
Nice!
Nice
Nice
tftc