Post Title: Just watched The Chaser and I have a question

Post Content:
So, who would win in a fight, Hong Junghee or Cha Seo-ah????

Replies:

• Who is Hong Junghee?
  ㄴ She’s the character Ju Seoyeon played in a play.
• If Cha Seo-ah axes Hong Junghee in the head, she’s done for.
• You never know, Hong Junghee might have special forces training for people with disabilities.
  ㄴ Are you seriously messed up?
• I’m Cha Seo-ah, so I’d win.

As The Chaser continued its successful run, various memes began spreading in online communities.
Because Seoyeon had recently played a string of villainous roles, people started making jokes and memes about her.

Additionally, one of the most talked-about aspects of the movie was the scene with the convenience store lady.
Some argued about why she spoke up, while others countered that it would have been odd if she hadn’t, considering Cha Seo-ah was originally a part-time worker at the store.

• Still, it’s a good thing Han Yehwa survived.
• If she had died, I bet someone would have gone looking for the actress, lol.

Given how much buzz this movie generated in online communities, it was only natural that attention would turn to the actor who had garnered the most interest.

• Is it true that Ju Seoyeon’s screen time was cut in Dream Future?
• Do you believe everything you read? Maybe she didn’t have much screen time to begin with.
• But Ju Seoyeon was the one who carried the first episode’s buzz, right?
• But it’s true that Song So-ha has less screen time.
• Maybe it’s not the screen time that’s less but her presence that’s lacking?

As the episodes progressed, Jo Ha-rin’s, or rather Seoyeon’s, screen time decreased.
Mentions of this fact started to increase as well.

The peak of this discussion occurred with the airing of episodes 5 and 6, right after the release of The Chaser.
It was clear to viewers that the intention was to minimize Jo Ha-rin’s screen time as much as possible.
At this point, even the audience began to notice something strange.

• Wasn’t Jo Ha-rin supposed to be the female lead?
• They say the main character is Song So-ha... but is there really a need to reduce Jo Ha-rin’s screen time this much?

Posts like these began appearing on the drama’s official website, and of course, the chatter in other communities was even more intense.

And finally...

“I’m telling you, it’s obvious the drama’s writer cut her screen time on purpose.”

• Bongshik, there’s already an article about it.

“Yes, I’ve seen that too. But if you look into it, the method they used was really nasty. I did some digging at the broadcasting station, and it seems there’s talk about it internally. Apparently, the writer is being stubborn.”

• How can a drama writer be so stubborn? Aren’t they just another employee? Is the writer a big shot or something?

“I don’t know if she’s a big shot, but she definitely has some clout. There’s talk that she’s particularly fond of actor Park Jungwoo. And as you know, Ju Seoyeon often gets involved with Park Jungwoo in various roles. So, that might be part of the reason.”

And so, rumors about this began to spread, thanks to Han Bongshik, a YouTuber with 1.3 million subscribers.

“Wait, what? The writer is being replaced? Just like that?”
“It’s not as sudden as it seems, Writer Lim.”

Director Kim Pilseok sighed, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache.

“With all this talk going around, what do you expect?”

With The Chaser becoming a hot topic, discussions about Jo Ha-rin started popping up in online communities.
Okay, that was understandable.

Whenever an actor draws attention, it’s natural for their other roles to gain interest as well.
And since Jo Ha-rin had an image completely opposite to Cha Seo-ah’s, the curiosity was even greater.

However, that alone doesn’t cause a dramatic spike in ratings.
While a single actor’s influence can be significant, it’s not enough to sustain viewership on its own.

But when the article about power abuse allegations spread, it only drew more attention—mostly negative.

“PD Baek asked them not to remove you, but the higher-ups got involved. You heard about that, right?”
“I-I did hear something.”

Lim Jinha replied, her tone full of confusion.

“Yeah, well, even though PD Baek tried to keep you on, the idea of replacing the writer was seen as too risky to pursue easily… but what can you do when the higher-ups have made their decision? Did you do something to get on their bad side?”

Even as he said this, Lim Jinha had no idea what might have led to this.
All she could think about was the fact that she was being kicked off the drama.

“Well, it’s not the end of your career or anything… don’t take it too hard. This was bound to become an issue at some point.”

Director Kim Pilseok said this, but internally, he couldn’t help but smile.
It had been difficult to control Lim Jinha because she had PD Baek backing her, so in a way, this turn of events was a relief.

‘It’s not the end, after all.’

Current Drama Department Head Ha Taeo wasn’t the type to easily push someone into oblivion.
So this was an unusual case, but the reasoning behind it was understandable.

The viewers’ opinions.
The internal problems.
The consistently declining ratings.

All these issues combined led to the decision to replace her.

‘But because of this, Lim Jinha’s reputation as a drama writer will likely plummet.’

It would take a lot more effort for her to climb back up from this.
Could Lim Jinha even do that?
Considering the poor internal reputation she already had, it seemed unlikely.
Even if Ha Taeo hadn’t personally blacklisted her, Lim Jinha was already marked by many within the industry.

“So, take some time to relax and recover.”

Hearing this, Lim Jinha was left in a daze.
By the time she regained her senses, she was already home.

She couldn’t even remember how she got home.

Buzz, buzz.

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her hand.
Looking at the screen...

• Sorry, Writer Lim. It looks like this isn’t going to work out.

A message from PD Baek, belatedly apologizing.
As Lim Jinha read it, her phone slipped from her hand.

It felt like her last hope had been dashed.

Meanwhile, during all this chaos within KMB,
Seoyeon was finally taking a well-deserved rest at home.

“Our daughter is now a ten-million-viewer actress! By the time the next drama airs, you’ll have hit ten million viewers!”

Sua, her mother, was speaking excitedly.

“Mom, I want to watch the movie that Sis was in.”

Suyeon, her younger sister, whined as she tugged on Sua’s skirt.
But even if she wanted to watch it, there was no way a kindergartener like Suyeon could watch The Chaser.

“We’ll wait until you’re older, okay?”
“Hmm.”

As she watched her little sister whine, Seoyeon felt a strange excitement in her heart.
A ten-million-viewer actress.

Honestly, it didn’t feel real yet.
For reference, Park Jungwoo had become a ten-million-viewer actor at an even younger age than her.

And perhaps that’s why Park Jungwoo had advised her...

“Your name is going to be in the spotlight for a while. And the reporters will be watching your every move.”

He suggested that she stick to a routine and only go to familiar places for the time being.
School, home, and the filming set.

For a while, even visiting her agency would be difficult.

“Seoyeon, did you know that actress Hwang Minhwa came to see you?”

Manager Park Eunha asked with an excited tone.
This was because Seoyeon had thoroughly crushed Hwang Minhwa’s film Utopia with The Chaser.
At this rate, Utopia would likely end with just 4 million viewers.

Since the break-even point was 4 million, it was on track to barely recoup its costs before disappearing from theaters.
It would be the first bitter failure in Hwang Minhwa’s career.

Knowing that this was all thanks to Seoyeon’s success with The Chaser, Park Eunha couldn’t help but smile.

“Let’s keep going strong, Seoyeon!”

Manager Park Eunha hugged Seoyeon tightly as she said this.
At first, it was unfamiliar, but after getting to know Seoyeon’s surprisingly puppy-like personality, she had made it a habit.

Because of this, she was even more determined to keep Seoyeon away from Hwang Minhwa.
No way was she letting that chihuahua-like woman, full of anger, anywhere near her retriever.

Anyway, because of all this, Seoyeon had been spending her downtime resting at home.
Aside from that, her usual outings were limited to the convenience store and the gym.

As for Jo Seohee...

[Congratulations, this will hit ten million.]

She had sent a congratulatory message.
Seoyeon thought it was uncharacteristically gentle.

[I'll visit you soon.]

This was followed by a very serious and somewhat ominous message.
Seoyeon stared at it for a moment, tilting her head in confusion.

She wondered if it had something to do with the movie they had discussed earlier.

“How did Mom and Dad feel about the movie?”
“Huh?”
“The movie I was in.”

At Seoyeon’s question, Sua recalled how she had gone to the cinema with her husband, Ju Youngbin, the other day.
Of course, they had watched The Chaser.

Youngbin had joked about watching Utopia instead, but had eventually agreed to watch The Chaser without complaint.

Afterward, when asked how they felt about the movie...

“I never imagined our daughter could act like that.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it made me feel oddly sad, to be honest.”

Cha Seo-ah was a character with "alexithymia," a condition that makes it difficult to express emotions.
While Seoyeon herself didn’t have that condition, she had experienced some emotional difficulties as a child.
Maybe that’s why...
Or perhaps it was because of the overwhelming emotions that Cha Seo-ah projected on screen.
Sua couldn’t help but shed a few tears.

It was definitely intense and suspenseful, making her grip her seat.
Though the movie was enjoyable, it left her with a heavy heart.

“...Really? Did Dad feel the same way?”
“Yes, he was really worried about you.”

Hearing this, Seoyeon felt a lump in her throat.
Though she often felt like smacking her dad when he teased her, she realized there was this other side to him as well.

“Oh, speaking of Dad, he got a package delivered earlier. Could you bring it inside for him?”
“Sure.”

With a somewhat heavy heart, Seoyeon went to the front door and saw the package.
As she lifted the fairly large box, she absentmindedly glanced at the label.

[Product Name: Anti-stab Vest!!]

“......”

She made a firm resolution to give her dad a good smack when he got home.

By the time The Chaser was on track to reach 8 million viewers,
the script for episodes 7 and 8 of Dream Future had been hastily rewritten due to the replacement of the drama’s writer.

Since they were filming content that would air this week, the entire crew was in a frenzy.

“Ah, hello. I’ll be handling the script for now...”

Seoyeon looked at the person bowing deeply to her.

‘She’s short.’

The woman was at least a head shorter than Seoyeon,
but she was at least six years older than her.

She had just graduated from college and was now a drama writer.

“Ah, this is Writer Min Sehee. She was an assistant writer on a film I was in before.”

Park Jungwoo explained on behalf of the stammering Min Sehee.

“And she’s also been working as an assistant writer on Dream Future.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”
“Yes, she’s a bit shy, as you can see.”

Indeed, Min Sehee seemed very timid, constantly glancing at Seoyeon for her reaction.

“But she’s very talented and ambitious. She could have taken on a lead writer position but asked to stay on as an assistant writer for Dream Future.”
“Ah, I see.”

Seoyeon’s reaction was ambiguous, making it unclear whether she was surprised or not.
Park Jungwoo chuckled at this.

For someone who had taken on the assistant writer role, Min Sehee hadn’t had much involvement in the script so far.
That was because of Lim Jinha.

Although she had agreed to let Min Sehee join as a favor to Park Jungwoo, it seemed she hadn’t been too thrilled about it.

“From what I’ve seen, the revised script is very good. You can look forward to it.”
“...Really?”
“Yes, your screen time has increased significantly. Of course, without overshadowing the main characters.”

“Is that so...”

Seoyeon felt a bit uneasy at Jungwoo’s words.

‘Why, though?’

Originally, Seoyeon’s filming for Dream Future was supposed to wrap up this week.
But now she was being told her screen time had increased.

‘...’

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
It didn’t seem like it was just a slight increase in screen time.