Chapter 638

Good news piled on top of good news. Expectations kept soaring with no end in sight. People wondered aloud what her next project would be.

And so, there was only one actress the Korean public was waiting for more than anyone else right now.

[Drama/Film/Actors TALK/ I'm so fucking hyped for Code Name. Ha, what kind of fun shit did Han Yeoreum bring us this time? lololol]

I'm definitely watching it live.

-Anonymous 1: Ja Sokhwan's kids + Han Yeoreum, they're basically grabbing us by the collar and forcing us to watch at this point.

-Anonymous 4: I'm a little worried about Han Yohan being the male lead... but I'll probably at least sample the premiere too T_T

-Anonymous 7: I wish they'd go with a full-on two-top setup like Unfair Trade? Like a buddy story? That'd be perfect for squeezing every last drop of romance out of it.

?Anonymous 12: fr somebody please tell Han Yohan that serious, full-fledged romance isn't his thing

[Drama/Film/Actors TALK/ No matter how badly Han Yohan screws up romance, I trust Han Yeoreum]

She was literally born to do romance. Put anyone next to her and she has fucking amazing chemistry with them. I'm not even trying to ship her with people, Yeoreum spoon-feeds it to me herself.

She literally just sat there on the runway and boom, instant Taeseok-Huijae. You can even feast on a Dongdaemun Romance AU with Seo Eden just because he's sitting nearby;

-Anonymous 1: Ah fuck LMAOOOO if you look closely, he really does kinda look like a Love Fool going crazy because Pyeonghwa's next to another man

-Anonymous 4: Beopsun says it's true

-Anonymous 6: I've felt this since Faster Than the Law 1 too. There's basically no male actor Han Yeoreum can't make work, fr

It was Han Yeoreum and Han Yeoreum alone.

The atmosphere at the MBS Drama Center, which had been monitoring all this, was practically that of a funeral home.

Even photos of Han Yeoreum departing JFK Airport, which had only surfaced a few hours ago, were already climbing the real-time trends.

While the Korean public was already wondering what she would look like when she arrived at the airport back home, the MBS Drama Center employees could only despair at the buzz-generating bomber that would soon return to the country.

Between Han Yeoreum, LMVH, Erno, T-fany, the seven-billion-won diamond, Riley, and Vanessa, no one was talking about <Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story> or <Class 1-1>.

Literally,

"We got buried...."

"We seriously got swept away without a trace...."

"Hey! Gam Dajeong! Seriously, goddammit.... Why is the variety team coming into the Drama Center and making a scene?!"

"I didn't even say anything wrong, but you're getting awfully worked up...."

"How pitiful...."

A rift opened within the MBS Drama Center.

Their strategy of using Heo Haena's variety show appearances to fend off at least some of the attention pouring toward Han Yeoreum was already on the verge of complete failure.

The articles about Heo Haena's project that they had been releasing little by little as teasers were all pushed aside by Han Yeoreum.

"But what can you do.... This is basically a natural disaster, isn't it?"

Exactly. The tsunami Han Yeoreum had created was closer to a disaster beyond human control.

All the MBS Drama Center employees, the production company behind <Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story>, and the publicity team could do was shed tears as they took the full brunt of the ordeal.

"Another network's pride and joy...."

The head of the MBS Drama Center sat dazed in the middle of the office, which had descended into chaos.

"Yeoreum...."

Happy memories of his time with Han Yeoreum flashed through his mind.

Only half a year ago, there had been those beautiful days when <Dongdaemun Romance> had crushed the other networks and he'd laughed his ass off about it.

"If your house gets washed away, you should be thinking about rebuilding it."

MBS's irreplaceable treasure.

But Lee Saerok, the center head who would at least consider things whenever KBC, SBC, or JTBS made the first offer, refused to give up and rose from his seat.

"As long as Jegal Rok doesn't stab us in the back, we've still got a chance."

"Feels like he's going to...."

"Shut up and upload the trailer!"

Far ahead of its originally scheduled date, the trailer for <Class 1-1> was released.

INTUBE

[Teaser 1 I'm telling you, the real college admissions race starts in first grade. High school? No. Elementary school! ?<Class 1-1>]

01:28

The dark screen brightened to the sound of a cold, classical violin.

The dazzling yet densely packed nightscape of the academy district in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, spread out below. Through the windows, students could be seen filling the academies to capacity.

"You can't let your guard down. Everyone here is seriously grinding their teeth and giving it everything they've got. That friend next to you? Think they're going home to sleep? They don't sleep. They don't. One person has to fail for another person to get in, so how can you even think about sleeping?"

A star instructor shouted as he flawlessly filled the board with notes.

"You're only first-years, right? Think the CSAT is still ages away? It's not. You blink, and suddenly there are only a hundred days left until the CSAT."

Then the drone camera sped through the forest of buildings in Daechi-dong.

Its destination was somewhere else.

It crossed the Han River and swept in an instant over the apartment complexes of Mokdong and its forest of academy buildings.

The scene changed to an upscale consulting room in Mokdong.

An admissions consultant addressed the assembled VVIPs.

"Daechi sending the most students to Seoul National University is a thing of the past now. You mothers know that too, don't you?"

The impeccably dressed mothers nodded as though they already knew. Their eyes were filled with absolute conviction.

"Now... it's Mokdong."

At the admissions consultant's words, the camera moved again. This time, the setting was a school.

"I'm telling you, the real college admissions race starts in first grade. High school? No. Elementary school!"

Heo Haena appeared in her school uniform, completely absorbed in club activities. The students with her were all immersed to an almost eerie degree.

What they were doing wasn't seventeen-year-olds enjoying school life.

Under the name of "club activities," it was closer to résumé building designed to squeeze one more line onto their academic records.

"So—the conclusion is, if you want better school grades, Mokdong is better than Daechi."

Heo Haena's hand moved quickly as she held her pen and filled out her club activity report. ?? (Original source) The music gradually swelled. The camera slowly zoomed in as though being sucked toward her.

Across the white sheet, cute handwriting described what activities she had done and what sense of fulfillment she had gained from them.

Drip-. Drip-.

Drops of blood fell.

"Mokdong is the answer."

Heo Haena wiped her nosebleed roughly with the back of her hand, as though this sort of thing had long since become routine.

Her eyes held the distinctive clarity of someone relentlessly pursuing a goal.

<Class 1-1>

March 18

Wednesday Premiere

* * *

"These bastards, seriously...."

SBC was the first to notice MBS's surprise attack.

The dramas released immediately after the Actress Holy Grail War ended had all performed poorly. <Seoul Metropolitan City> had sucked up all the buzz.

Naturally, viewers who had drifted away were bound to regain interest in this quarter's dramas when Han Yeoreum—the victor of that Holy Grail War—was appearing in one of them.

The first trailer released by MBS immediately captured the public's interest.

[HOT/ MBS's new drama <Class 1-1> getting a great response the second its trailer dropped.jpg]

(Trailer screenshot.jpg)

("College admissions aren't about Daechi anymore, they're about Mokdong" dialogue.jpg)

(Heo Haena close-up.jpg)

A Mokdong college admissions story starring Baby Morning Bread

If this feels really familiar, you're right

(Screenshot of famous scene from past hit <Top Grade>.jpg)

Debut project from the main assistant to the writer of Top Grade, the show that gave everyone an academic-prestige complex

People are already losing it saying this looks insanely fun LMAOO

-Anonymous 1: Holy shit, Top Grade was so fucking good

-Anonymous 4: Heo Haena can really act.. That's exactly the look the top-ranked kid in my class used to have LMAOOO

?Anonymous 7: fr smart kids even have different eyes

-Anonymous 8: Fuck, if it's the Top Grade writer's assistant, that's an automatic watch fuck I have to see this TT_TT

Eun Baekhap had scored two consecutive hits with <The Great Garland> followed by <Tamhok>.

And the public's hearts raced when <Class 1-1> was promoted as a work similar to <Top Grade>, the drama that had gone head-to-head with Eun Baekhap and defeated her with downright brutal decisiveness.

College admissions.

For any Korean, it was a hellish course they had to walk at least once in their lives. In a country where even planes were grounded when the exam began, there could hardly be a better subject for generating universal empathy.

On top of that, it was February.

The crossroads between additional admissions and preparing to retake the entrance exam.

[Anonymous Chat Board/ I only watched the beginning of the Class 1-1 trailer before panic-closing it;]

I'm gonna cry fuck TT__TT I think I seriously have to retake the exam...

-Anonymous 1: If your scores aren't absolutely terrible, just go wherever you got accepted..? T_T

-Anonymous 3: if you got in somewhere, go there first and either prep to retake while enrolled or try transferring. spending a whole year doing nothing but retaking is fucking brutal seriously

SBC's Drama Department went stone-faced at how perfectly MBS had chosen its timing.

Clatterclatterclatterclatter.

The teacup of herbal tea in the hand of SBC's Drama Director—an elite among elites who maintained a blank expression as though nothing bothered him—rattled noisily against its saucer.

"Director. Should we move our date up too?"

"..."

The SBC Drama Director, whose number-one rule was stability and smooth sailing, remained silent for a moment.

Herbal tea streamed from the tilted cup. Maintaining his expression despite his now-damp wrist, he finally set it down.

"...When is KBC uploading their trailer?"

"According to the timetable, the end of February."

There were roughly two weeks left. Judging from how long they were taking to prepare the trailer, they had probably scheduled it around Han Yeoreum's availability.

After all, if they released the trailer to build curiosity but the lead actress couldn't participate in promotional schedules, they wouldn't be able to properly capitalize on the momentum.

She had to attend schedules related to <Faster Than the Law 3>, which was setting new records after her return from America, and from what he'd heard, several more commercial shoots had been added as well.

There was no shortage of things she needed to finish before the drama aired.

"We still have time."

That meant they could race against the clock until <Code Name: Time Seven> finally lifted its veil.

"Upload ours too."

SBC immediately followed suit and uploaded its own trailer.

INTUBE

[Teaser Every single day is just a war. A war. I thought I'd be able to buy a house when I grew up. I really did ?<Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story>]

00:45

Beep, beep, beep.

Beepbeepbeepbeep.

Click-.

Someone's hand switched off an alarm clock, and the editing rapidly moved on. A different clock. A different phone alarm. A tiny exam-room tenant pounding on the wall because of the noise. A mother yanking away someone's blanket. Then an office worker who was already awake and drying his hair belatedly switching off his alarm.

To the sound of upbeat music, different office workers began their days.

-This stop is Gyodae Station, Gyodae Station. The doors will open on your right.

People lined up all the way to the subway stairs, shoving against one another. An express train they couldn't catch even after running for their lives. Office workers squeezing themselves into elevators.

<Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story> showed exactly what its title promised: survival. Without any particularly notable dialogue, it showed them battling their way to work, traveling, climbing yet another flight of stairs, and finally beginning the day the instant they sat down at their desks.

In time with the upbeat music, Goo Minho's hands began moving faster at his desk.

Ding.

[RE:RE:RE] Request for Re-Review of On-Site Logistics Expenditure Approval]

Ding.

[URGENT: Change to This Week's Weekly Work Report Format and Daily Performance Entry Requirements]

Ding.

[FW] [URGENT] Please Resend Revised Executive Director Report Materials Within 10 Minutes]

[Request for Written Explanation Regarding Incorrect Entry in Materials Procurement Log, Logistics Team 3]

[Safety Management Team Assistant Manager Lee: We've got a serious problem; Have you seen this?]

[RE:RE:RE] Please Confirm Budget Overrun Regarding Additional On-Site Material Deployment]

Along with the email notifications, an endless stream of alerts appeared over the smartwatch on Goo Minho's wrist. Society simply refused to leave a person alone.

Bzzzt, bzzzt.

Something came spitting out of the copier,

Riiing-. Riiing-.

And the desk phone kept ringing so relentlessly it made him want to cry.

Crack-.

Still, at least the sound of a soju bottle being opened at the evening company dinner was cheerful. So was the clinking of glasses.

Then the scene shifted to a dark apartment.

Goo Minho stumbled inside and pulled his phone from his pocket.

Just to habitually check whether, by some chance, tomorrow morning's alarm had been turned off.

Mon-Fri

6:00 [Alarm]

After checking it, he sighed. It was the first voice heard in the entire video.

"Ha...."

The long-awaited voice naturally drew everyone's attention. Goo Minho lay down on the floor of his cramped studio apartment and muttered,

"Why is making a living so damn hard...?"

<Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story>

March 18

Wednesday Premiere

The rapid editing, the painfully relatable composition, and above all, the exhausted, miserable voice of an office worker woven into the sounds of everyday life.

ScreenDaze (UK Drama Community) @ScreenDaze

(Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story Trailer.mp4)

Please stop abusing office workers I beg you

11K Retweets 23K Likes

?you were told to make a drama, who told you to make a documentary

?where the fuck do all those humans at Gyodae Station even come from? I'm genuinely asking why are there so fucking many

?work in Seoul for six months and you'll immediately understand why there are so many psychiatric hospitals... fuck

<Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story> also succeeded in generating an explosion of buzz.

[HOT/ Office workers collectively accusing SBC's new drama of plagiarizing their lives.jpg]

(Assistant Manager Kim's Survival Story trailer screenshot.jpg)

(Screenshot of Goo Minho's dead-fish eyes.jpg)

(Screenshots of comments under the Intube video.jpg)

-Anonymous 1: Fuck, this is literally my life.. I can't even laugh...

?Anonymous 12: 22222 it drives you fucking insane, every day on the subway I want to swing an umbrella around and scream at everyone to get the fuck out of my way

?Anonymous 24: if you take Line 1 you might actually get to try that

?Anonymous 35: is this participatory art or what fuck LMAOOO

-Anonymous 56: The Intube comments are making me cry T_T I thought making 100 million won a year would be easy once I became an adult too..

?Anonymous 78: no house no car all I've got is debt

?Anonymous 89: LMAOOOOO at least you have a job...

And so, within mere hours of uploading their trailers, both productions successfully captured the public's anticipation.

It was a successful start.