Chapter 644

“Oh. The email I was waiting for is here. Haha.”

Manager Na shouted.

“You can’t go back to Korea right now!”

Only then did Myeong Jeha’s gaze, which had been fixed on the tablet, turn toward Manager Na. Trembling inwardly, Manager Na forced himself to put on a stern expression.

“Why would I go to Korea? What a strange thing to say....”

“A-Aren’t you... going to visit Yeoreum in the hospital?”

“Yeoreum is coming to me.”

Myeong Jeha smiled after saying something incomprehensible.

“But would she come if I collapsed?”

“Jeha,what kind of mentally unstable thing are you talking about?”

“Haha.”

Myeong Jeha’s gentle smile only heightened Manager Na’s fear.

“Anyway, put my passport back where it belongs. If you damage it or lose it while doing this, things will get complicated in all sorts of ways.”

You bastard. You have to explain what you mean. How did you know she collapsed, and what do you mean Yeoreum is coming to you now? Do you think your schedule is a joke? You’ve spent years rejecting every script that came in, over and over again, and now you’ve finally started consistently accepting work after all this time, but if you do this, seriously....

“Okay... I understand....”

“That’s it?”

I can’t.... Right...?

“Sorry....”

Manager Na held back tears. He had plenty he wanted to say, but somehow he felt like he shouldn’t say any of it. Manager Na was still far too weak to defy Myeong Jeha.

“Yes. Don’t do it again.”

“Okay... I got ahead of myself....”

Whether he understood Manager Na’s feelings or not, Myeong Jeha calmly nodded.

“I’m not in very good condition right now either, so I don’t want any more things to worry about. At least you do your job properly, Manager Na.”

Myeong Jeha’s gaze lingered briefly on the calendar hanging on the wall before he left.

Left alone to mull over his words, Manager Na groaned.

“No, but why the hell is he not in good condition? Ah, if anyone’s supposed to be in bad condition, it should be me.”

Manager Na slumped down, uneasy because he still hadn’t figured out what the email Myeong Jeha had been waiting for was about.

“It’s not like he even has that many schedules here, and he already filmed all his variety shows back in Korea!”

Manager Na was about to throw another angry punch while praying, ‘Please, just never let a dating scandal break out,’ when something suddenly occurred to him.

“Oh... come to think of it....”

The moment Manager Na had been waiting for most was almost here.

* * *

Heo Haena was confident.

‘I just haven’t talked about it until now, but look where I’m from.’

That was right. Heo Haena had been a Daechi kid from birth. From the moment she first received the script, she had been confident about the pre-broadcast promotion.

The differences between Mok-dong and Daechi-dong, Heo Haena’s school days, her mindset when she chose to major in acting despite graduating from a foreign language high school, her passion for acting.

Everything was intricately woven together. You could practically say <First Year, Class One> was a project made specifically for Heo Haena.

With a slightly nervous and shy expression, Heo Haena looked at the camera.

“Eeeing... What if they don’t remember me...? It’s been sooo long since I graduated....”

Of course, that was a lie.

The captions would once again point out the age of Baby Morning Bread, who was under the delusion that it had been a long time since she graduated, and the MC and other panelists in the studio watching her would make a huge fuss.

“Ah, then what does that make us?”

“Do you perhaps not know what ‘it’s been a long time since I graduated’ means?”

“My high school teachers have already retired.”

A strategy of repeatedly insisting that she wasn’t a baby, thereby making herself look even cuter.

It would likely appeal to the public in a way similar to what Han Yeoreum had shown when she appeared on <M Couple>.

Just as Han Yeoreum had looked cute when she was caught deliberately trying to stage everything, Heo Haena predicted that deliberately adopting the concept of insisting she was all grown up would result in everyone seeing her as a baby instead.

A heroine who, through no choice of her own, regardless of her own wishes, simply ended up being loved—a heroine people couldn’t help but love.

That was the place Heo Haena rightfully deserved to occupy.

“Teacherrr!”

“Haena, you’re here?”

Heo Haena’s filming went smoothly. Everything went according to plan.

‘Because the world is on my side.’

And before long, Heo Haena’s episode of <M Couple> naturally became a hot topic.

INTUBE

[It’s been so long since I graduated~ Baby Morning Bread Heo Haena was actually an XX Foreign Language High School student? A true perfect daughter visits her alma mater] 05:11

327,114 views

-She’s cute enough already and she’s got brains too~ T_T I can’t help rooting for her... Don’t know how she ended up becoming an actress though haha fighting

-Holy shit what is this she has everything LMAO

-She only just barely became an adult and she’s already saying it’s been so long since she graduated T_T LMAO seriously such a baby

?Exactly. Actual fossils subtly use international age just in case people figure out how old they are, while actual babies are like LMAO

[HOT/ Heo Haena unexpectedly turned out to be a genuine perfect daughter.jpg]

Former student council president

(M Couple Heo Haena episode screenshot.jpg)

Worked her ass off in clubs too

(Awards Heo Haena received.jpg)

And a graduation photo with absolutely zero humiliation

(Heo Haena’s foreign language high school graduation photo.jpg)

And holy shit the last one

(Heo Haena’s report card.jpg)

Is this actually insane

-Anonymous 1: LMAO there’s not a single STEM feature on her face holy shit that’s amazing

-Anonymous 4: She looks like a baby but apparently her brain was the teacher...

-Anonymous 9: I do not know how not to love a woman like this the gap is fucking insane T_T

?Anonymous 15: 2222 a chubby-cheeked baby who memorizes math formulas by heart? fuck I just love her

Since <M Couple> currently generated the most buzz of any variety show, dozens of clips were produced. Not only Yousta Rolls, but Intube Shorts as well.

[Issue Board/ The difference between a Mok-dong mom and a Daechi mom explained by a real Daechi kid.jpg]

[Today’s BEST/ Entrance-exam drama <First Year, Class One>, starring a Daechi kid + foreign language high school graduate]

[DramaFilmActor TALK/ acting out entrance-exam insanity...? if she went to a foreign language high school I feel like she’ll pull it off like she’s possessed so I’m looking forward to it T_T LOLOLL]

Management H stepped up its viral marketing. Thanks to Heo Haena’s buzz, public attention naturally turned toward <First Year, Class One>.

And around that time.

INTUBE

[A sweet guy appears at Soft and Fluffy Kindergarten... (? ‘?’ ? ) Is Noh Seungchan oppa or uncle? Obviously oppa!] 01:22

Since they were airing on the same day, the <Assistant Manager Kim’s Survival Guide> team immediately followed suit. As soon as <Soft and Fluffy Kindergarten>, which had a solid core audience, released its preview, reactions began pouring in.

-What the hell is with Noh Seungchan’s face...? TT_TT he looks legendary

-He seriously feels like the kind of oppa you’d actually know so it makes me happy.. loves babies and lets women win at everything LMAO

I’m grinning because I totally get what they mean.

-It would be sooo nice to have a son-in-law like that..^^ He’s a little awkward holding the baby. But you can see how much he adores them~

SBC had an ace up its sleeve.

“Our variety shows are available for replay too. On NetHolics.”

That was right. SBC hadn’t signed a contract for dramas alone. It had also handed NetHolics simultaneous streaming rights for its variety shows.

As it happened, SBC had one variety show with an insanely large overseas fandom, and thanks to that, it was reaping the benefits of the global spillover effect. Before anyone realized it, SBC was catching up to MBS, which had the second-largest number of Intube subscribers after JC ENM.

“And now we add the actual broadcast.”

[Noh Seungchan, a Huge Success at Capturing Women’s Hearts? <Soft and Fluffy Kindergarten> Hits 12.7% Peak Ratings]

[The Combination of a Baby and a Handsome Man Is Always Right... Noh Seungchan’s Radiant Smile on <Soft and Fluffy Kindergarten>]

[Noh Seungchan, Back on Top? Perfect Chemistry with the Babies on <Soft and Fluffy Kindergarten>]

Once the actual episode aired, the response grew even better. SBC had gritted its teeth and engineered plenty of flattering scenes.

They had given him the character of a novice dad for a day, making it perfect for the public to fall for.

And <Assistant Manager Kim’s Survival Guide> had one more person in its arsenal.

“Back then, we really... didn’t even have bus fare, so we walked for about three hours.”

“But because the three of us were walking together, it didn’t feel cold at all.”

“Looking back now, I don’t know how we managed it. We were young. That’s why. Because we were young.”

They had unleashed Goo Minho on a talk show.

He happened to have gone through a period of obscurity himself, and with his fellow actors there to back him up, the story came together into something deeply moving.

“Winter’s almost over now.”

And Goo Minho knew how television worked.

“So... spring really will come.”

It happened to be the season when the last cold snap before spring was raging.

The sight of Goo Minho saying those words to the colleagues who had endured his unknown years alongside him created a huge ripple in a very short time.

Yousta

[Everyone’s going crazy saying Goo Minho is genuinely such a good guy.mp4]

-Fuck I’m crying

-It’s here... my cure for mental breakdowns....TT_TT

-It’s so comforting hearing someone who really went through years of obscurity say that yeah once I get through this tunnel spring will be waiting on the other side I just don’t know it yet everyone reading this comment I hope you’re happy today too

?Why are you so nice

?Let’s stay strong!!! TT___TT

?Thank you ??

Screenshots of Goo Minho and his colleagues crying soon filled the portal sites.

[Goo Minho Reveals Why He Shed Tears with His Colleagues... “Back When We Were Poor, Stepping onto the Stage Made Me Feel Rich” Honest Confession]

[Turns Out He Really Was a Good Guy~ What Do His Seniors and Juniors Say About Actor Goo Minho?]

[Honest and Easygoing... Goo Minho Shows His Down-to-Earth Charm... “A Truly Great Man” Is He About to Become the No. 1 Candidate for Husband and Son-in-Law Material?]

Thanks to that, Heo Haena’s buzz was soon swept away.

The advantage tilted toward <Assistant Manager Kim’s Survival Guide>.

* * *

‘Ha... No matter how far I scroll down my timeline.’

Eunnyangi had already blocked the names Goo Minho and Noh Seungchan, but their ability to infiltrate her feed was truly formidable.

Gong Baek @kkkkk123

(Goo Minho screenshot.jpg)

People who really climbed up from rock bottom just have a different mindset fuck I need to work my fucking ass off too (of course this person will be crying about not wanting to go to work again tomorrow)

12K Retrits 24K Likes

Picking Up Whatever @just_watching

(Goo Minho clip.mp4)

after watching celebrities go to luxury brand events and laugh it up drinking expensive booze nobody’s ever fucking heard of before getting paid for it, hearing a story about people getting into a huge fucking fight over ramen feels more like it and calms my revolutionary urges a little

15K Retrits 26K Likes

?Upvote for relatability

?that entire industry is just so fucking bizarre let’s all stop giving them attention

Eunnyangi closed her eyes for a moment.

‘Fuck, this is gonna last at least six months....’

They would obviously squeeze every last drop out of Goo Minho’s tragic backstory for a solid six months, then keep milking it thinly but steadily for another three or four years.

‘I hate looking at this shit.’

With the portal sites filled with the faces of Goo Minho and Noh Seungchan, Eunnyangi, who had grown up privileged enough to look only at Eun Baekhap’s face, was finding it difficult to endure.

‘What is Han Yeoreum doing?’

<Code Name: Time Seven> was airing a week later, and because of Han Yeoreum’s current condition, they couldn’t pack the promotional schedule as tightly as they otherwise would have. That made Eunnyangi a little anxious.

‘There’s been nothing since the trailer dropped...’

She gritted her teeth for a moment at the thought that attention might shift toward Noh Seungchan, Goo Minho, and Heo Haena.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, an ultra-high-resolution photo appeared on the portal site.

* * *

JC ENM’s new headquarters.

Wait at Ease for the Weary Enemy

Preserve your strength while at ease, wait for the enemy to exhaust themselves, then claim victory.

“Blow....”

Watching how things had unfolded so far, Director Hong briefly closed his eyes and murmured.

Watch the Fire from Across the River

Watch the fire from across the river.

“East wind....”

Han Yeoreum wasn’t the only natural disaster capable of bringing SBC and MBS to their knees.

[‘Sexy Brain’ Myeong Jeha Appears on <Only One Game>... Coming Soon to NetHolics]

[Myeong Jeha, Can He Hold His Own Among Mensa Members with IQs of 160... Anticipation Builds for <Only One Game>]

[The Dark Horse Among the Formidable Cast Is OOO? Why NetHolics Is Going Wild]

It was Myeong Jeha.

“Good thing we checked his schedule in advance, right?”

“Right. If our girl’s going to rest anyway, it’s better to give her some time.”

There was one reason <Code Name: Time Seven> hadn’t gone all-out with promotion this time.

“You don’t see Myeong Jeha on variety shows often.”

If their opponents were Goo Minho, Noh Seungchan, and Heo Haena, they could bulldoze them whenever they wanted. But the typhoon currently making landfall was Myeong Jeha.

At times like this, it was better to simply shut the windows and rest for a while.

“Gotta conserve our buzz.”

“Right....”

“Still, thank god his military variety show hasn’t aired yet.”

“When that airs, we’re dead.”

JC ENM’s PR team smiled brightly. All the attention that <First Year, Class One> and <Assistant Manager Kim’s Survival Guide> had painstakingly built up by grinding through money, time, and manpower was being blown away.

Dark Side-Lead Hunter @s2ndlover

(Brain game Myeong Jeha clip.mp4)

this is how a million women all awaken as man-crazy and fly away screeching

12K Retrits 37K Likes

?literally nothing comes out of my mouth except fucking hell

?what even is this man.. there’s no explanation except that he’s a plague released by the government to maintain the heterosexual system

?fuck this country is not that advanced

SBC and MBS were horrified.

“W-We’ve got something scheduled about Heo Haena’s grades, right? Release it now!”

[Myeong Jeha, an Unstoppable Solo Run Even Mensa Members Can’t Halt...]

[Not Just His Face, but His Brain Is the ‘Real Deal’ Too—Myeong Jeha’s Hidden True Colors]

-Anonymous 101: Insane he just sees the problem and immediately gets the answer

-Anonymous 124: please stop Jeha women are suffering too much

-Anonymous 149: That guy’s the winner but holy shit lolol Myeong Jeha is just playing with him.. I’ve never even seen someone solve problems like that before;

Myeong Jeha cracked every answer as though he had spent his entire life playing brain games.

The public went wild over his unprecedented speed and accuracy. Thanks to him, Heo Haena’s Daechi Kid viral campaign was pulverized into dust and blown away.

“Release the preview for the variety show with Noh Seungchan and Goo Minho!”

“Emphasize their chemistry. Like senior mentor and rookie or something!”

SBC, which had tried to emphasize tear-jerking human warmth, suffered the same fate.

-Anonymous 187: Why are you making people cry during a brain game T_T

-Anonymous 201: Ah this is how you do it all that frustration I had is finally gone LMAO

The portal sites filled with stories about the panelists on the brain game: a comedian who had climbed up from obscurity, a reporter who had failed the journalism entrance exam countless times, their fight and reconciliation, and finally their candid confessions.

“No, but it’s just a brain game....”

“That’s strange? It normally wouldn’t get this much attention.”

SBC was flustered when the card they had prepared failed to work.

No matter how hot a brain game might be, conventional wisdom said it should still lose to a human-interest variety show in terms of mass appeal.

“But it’s Myeong Jeha....”

Every media outlet greedily milked the cheat code known as Myeong Jeha for views.

“His face! Pick a photo where you can see his face clearly!”

“Put his name in the headline three times!”

Management H launched another counterattack.

“King of Masked Singer, goooo!!!”

Heo Haena was a decent singer.

But there was something they had overlooked.

INTUBE

[Watch Out for Your Tear Ducts Before Clicking... You’ll Cry the Moment You Come In 8?8 March Forsythia VS Aori Apple?King of Masked Singer]

1,125,661 views

-The algorithm brought me back LMAO Han Yeoreum seriously sings so well

-I really wish she could’ve become Mask King T_T Cream Yellow Mouse was just way too formidable.. Hope she comes back on the show someday

-Anyone still listening?

Me me

LMAOOOO me too

Ended up here after listening to Huijae

Han Yeoreum had already appeared on <King of Masked Singer> before.

Thanks to all the viral marketing around Heo Haena’s Baby Morning Bread image, the Intube algorithm had been linking her content with Han Yeoreum’s.

People who saw Heo Haena in a thumbnail but simply scrolled past unconsciously clicked on Han Yeoreum instead.

Because choosing Han Yeoreum had never disappointed them before.

The trust she had built over the years since her debut moved the public.

INTUBE

[TOP 5 King of Masked Singer Contestants Who Left the Panel in Shock]

[Can’t You Just Become a Singer? Actors Who Appeared on King of Masked Singer]

[King of Masked Singer Performances Where the Rock Spirit Was Alive and Well]

And this was the age of short-form content.

The moment Han Yeoreum resurfaced in the <King of Masked Singer> algorithm, popular channels began uploading the performances of past contestants as short-form videos. And this was how people reacted after seeing Han Yeoreum before watching Heo Haena.

-LOLOL Baby Morning Bread needs to go learn singing from unnie

-Hmm.. after listening to Han Yeoreum and coming here this somehow feels kinda bland LOOLL

-She’s got that typical mannerism people have when they’re trying to show off? that they can sing well

“Aaaagh!”

The division head of Management H screamed.

* * *

“Good, good... This is it.”

I checked the variety shows that would be airing soon.

There were two major ones for now.

First, KBC’s popular variety show featuring Han Yohan and me.

[Anticipation Soars After News That Han Yohan?Han Yeoreum Will Appear on <Wait! Stay in Here>]

And the other was <After-School Quiz Show>, which it would almost feel strange not to appear on by now.

I looked at Han Yohan and Jo Eunnara, who would have to break through the Great Myeong Jeha Era.

‘Jo Eunnara is the killer move for this variety show.’

With the side of herself Jo Eunnara had shown on this variety show, it probably wouldn’t be difficult for her to hook all the buzz for herself.

‘And then I’ll take the next turn....’

Looking at Heo Haena, I saw that practically every article had attached the title Baby Morning Bread to her name.

I can no longer stand by and watch this bizarre phenomenon where Baby Morning Bread appears more often than Baby Melon Bread.

After all, I come from the homeland of attention-grabbing.

I’m JC ENM’s one and only signed actress.