Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 64 The Butterfly Effect of Princess Hug
10 month 17 day.

The atmosphere in the SBS production team's meeting room was so tense that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

“The first broadcast was the peak, and then it continued to decline.”

This sentence hovered over everyone's head like a curse.

The third episode aired last night had a viewership rating of 10.6%.

It only rose by 0.1% compared to the second episode, which is almost negligible.

Negative reviews online are becoming more and more sharp——

[Did Kim Eun-sook really fail this time? ]

[Park Shin Hye's acting has remained the same for ten years, with no improvement.]

Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye's CP feeling is not as good as the convenience store couple advertisement.

[It is suggested to change the name to "The Heirs: Whoever Sees It Will Be Embarrassed"]

……

The atmosphere on the set was more depressing than in the previous few days.

Park Shin-hye's agent even began to restrict her from reading online comments; Lee Min-ho's team also began to adjust its publicity strategy, trying to downplay the controversy of "lack of CP feeling".

Two scenes of Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung were temporarily added to the film.

But even so, the production team is still worried.

If the ratings don't improve in the next few episodes, the show may be canceled by the TV station.

However, no one expected it.

The ratings for episode 04 the next day will see a dramatic reversal - 12.5%!

A surge of 1.9 percentage points from the previous day!

The production team quickly checked the ratings curve and found that the peak of 16.3% occurred during the hugging scene between Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung during their music show.

In that scene.

Krystal Jung flew into Kang Jae-hoon's arms like a happy little bird.

The two's impromptu line of "I miss you so much", coupled with Kang Jae-hoon's bewildered but gentle response to her, made countless viewers cover their mouths and scream in front of the screen.

With less than 10 minutes of screen time, they boosted the ratings of the entire drama.

What is this? A counterattack by a functional character?

Kim Eun-sook stared at the data report with a subtle expression.

It’s not like she hasn’t written a hit sub-plot CP before.

Oscar & Yoon Seul from "Secret Garden" and Lim Tae San & Hong Se Ra from "Gentleman's Dignity" have both sparked enthusiasm among audiences.

But this is the first time that the supporting CP of the third male and third female directly crushes the male and female protagonists.

Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na were originally just functional roles to promote the emotional line between the male and female protagonists.

Their settings can't even be called complex.

The gentle academic master and the arrogant daughter - the standard template for idol drama subplots.

Why are they so popular?

The answer is simple: it all depends on the comparison with peers.

Park Shin-hye's "looks controversy" has been a hot topic since the show premiered, with viewers reacting with rebelliousness: "Since the male and female leads can't be swayed, then who can be swayed?"

And Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung happen to provide the only clear sugar supply.

Just like when a person is extremely hungry, even white rice tastes sweet.

"A functional character becomes a ratings ace. This is the first time in writer Kim's works, right?"

The publicity team leader said half-jokingly.

Kim Eun-sook turned to the screenwriter team——

Behind her sat five assistant screenwriters, each responsible for a different subplot.

The scenes with Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na were originally played by the youngest actress, Lee Soo-yeon, but now all eyes are on her.

"senior……"

Li Xiuyan rubbed her fingers nervously:
"I wrote according to the outline, just the usual jealousy and coquettish scenes."

"The problem wasn't the script, it was the hormones overflowing outside the camera."

Kim Eun-sook suddenly laughed:
"Starting tomorrow, I'll personally direct their love story. I'll keep the rooftop date, and add a rain scene and their first kiss."

The conference room suddenly became quiet.

"Senior, what should I do..."

Li Xiuyan raised her hand weakly and asked.

"You should improve the relationship between the two of them and make the characters more three-dimensional."

"Inside."

Director Fu Shengzhe suddenly interrupted:
"Since Editor Jin is personally in charge of the production, shouldn't we also arrange exclusive background music for their segments?"

In the Korean drama industry system, high-quality OST can double the appeal of the plot.

As soon as a melody sounds, the audience can instantly get into the mood - this is the ultimate weapon that makes Korean dramas sweep across Asia.

Jin Enshu nodded: "Okay, who should sing?"

"Baek Ji-young?"

"Lyn?"

"Kim Taeyeon?"

"Punch?"

"..."

There are different opinions about the choice of singer.

Director Fu Shengzhe twirled his pen and suggested:
"How about letting them sing on their own? Crystal is an active idol, and Kang Jae-hoon's vocals are so good that SBS is able to give him his own FM show. That should be fine, right?"

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Everyone exchanged glances - this suggestion was indeed clever.

Park Shin Hye has already sung the insert song "Story", Lee Min Ho recorded "Heartbreaking Love", and even Choi Jin Hyuk contributed "Don't Look Back".

Having all the main actors participate in the OST was one of the marketing strategies of "The Heirs" - even though their singing was not very good.

"Yes, the song should be as sweet as IU's 'See You Friday', which makes people smile when they hear the prelude."

Upon hearing this, the production assistant quickly pulled up the Melon list.

IU's new song "See You on Friday" is dominating the charts of all music platforms with an all-kill momentum.

The brisk guitar prelude flowed out, and the sweet yet not greasy melody instantly filled the conference room.

The assistant quickly wrote down the key words in his notebook:
【Heartbeat-inducing piano prelude】

[Add whistle sound effect to the chorus]

[The lyrics should contain a riff on "I miss you so much"]

……

When Jiang Zaixun pushed open the door of the lounge, he found that his seat had been moved from the corner to the central area.

There was also a glass of iced American coffee and a handwritten card on the table:

[Canrongxi, please do your best today~ by the styling team]

What surprised him even more was that next to the lonely school uniform on the hanger, there were suddenly three new costumes.

A light grey knitted cardigan, a dark blue preppy coat, and even a set of pajamas.

"We've become the ratings savior~"

Krystal's voice suddenly came from behind, with a hint of pride that could not be concealed.

She had a new hairstyle today, with a strawberry hairpin on her bangs, and looked more lively and cute than usual.

Jiang Zaixun quickly raised his index finger to his lips:
"Shh-"

"If this gets out..."

Zheng Xiujing curled her lips, but still lowered her voice:

"It's true if it gets out~"

She picked up the iced American coffee on the table and took a sip. When she realized she had picked the wrong one, her ears suddenly felt hot and she put it back as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Zaixun lowered his head and flipped through the script, pretending not to notice.

"Knock Knock-"

The groundskeeper poked his head in: "You all here? That saves us from having to make two trips."

"what happened?"

They both turned their heads in unison.

"We decided to add an exclusive OST for you guys at the meeting this morning, and—"

The stagehand deliberately dragged out his tone: "You will sing it yourself."

Zheng Xiujing's eyes suddenly lit up:

"Shall we sing a chorus?"

"Yes, someone has already made the song. After you finish singing, it will be edited into episodes 05 and 06."

"that……"

Jiang Zaixun raised his hand weakly: "My singing is a little off-key"

Zheng Xiujing looked surprised:
"Huh? If he could even voice Gru in Despicable Me 2, how bad can his singing be?"

"Speech production and vocal performance are two different things..."

Zheng Xiujing immediately became interested:
"Really? Can you sing a few lines for me?"

Under the two people's scorching gazes, Jiang Zaixun gritted his teeth and hummed a piece of "Says" from "The Heirs".

He missed two notes after singing only three sentences, and the last high note directly broke into a bubbling sound.

Field staff pain mask.jpg.

Krystal's expert ears immediately made the judgment—the pitch deviation was within a controllable range, slightly off-key but able to distinguish the pitch correctly. If she trained for an hour every day...

"Starting today, I'll teach you vocal lessons myself after work every day!"

"Ah? Actually, I..."

Zheng Xiujing interrupted him with her chin raised:
"Teacher Jiang wants to disappoint the audience who support us?"

"……All right."

The stagehand looked at this and that, and suddenly felt like a 2000-watt light bulb. He quietly left and considerately closed the door.

The door to the lounge closed gently.

The ceiling lights in the corridor suddenly dimmed for a moment and switched to a soft light mode specially designed for photography, stretching the shadows of the staff passing by.

The crisp sound of the clapperboard hitting the wall penetrated the wall, like some kind of secret signal -

"Prepare for Game 32!"

"Action!"

Amid the crisp clatter of the clapperboard, Park Shin-hye staggered back half a step.

Kim Woo Bin loosened his tie and approached her with the oppressive feeling of a predator, and the veins on Lee Min Ho's arm bulged as he inserted it.

The tense atmosphere between the two made the extras in the corridor hold their breath.

"Come with me."

Kang Jae-hoon suddenly rushed out from the crowd, grabbed Park Shin-hye's wrist and took her away from the center of the storm.

The camera follows his back until——

"Ah! Yin! Chan! Young!"

Zheng Xiujing rushed forward in her high heels, her cheeks puffed up like a little pufferfish:

"Don't let go!?"

Jiang Zaixun quickly let go of Park Shin Hye, and when he turned around, his face still had a serious expression that he hadn't had time to put away, but the moment he saw Zheng Xiujing, his expression softened:

"Bona, this is a special case."

"Humph!"

Krystal glared at Park Shin Hye and turned away.

Kang Jae-hoon looked at Park Shin-hye, who gestured for him to go after her and said that she was fine.

"Click."

The director called out after watching the replay.

Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung moved outdoors to film their additional scenes.

"Bona."

"Ok?"

She tilted her face up to let the makeup artist apply loose powder on her, and her eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a resting butterfly.

"I'd like to add an impromptu segment later, changing the support to a princess hug, so be prepared."

The air froze for two seconds.

The tips of Zheng Xiujing's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye: "Now, now?"

"When you improvised and rushed over here last week, didn't you also report it in advance?"

"ah!"

Zheng Xiujing turned to the makeup artist and said:

"Unnie, give him some more concealer! It's better to cover his mouth too!"

The makeup artist's powder puff was suspended in the air, and her eyes swept back and forth between the two of them, finally stopping on Krystal's red earlobe.

She suddenly put the powder box on the dressing table:
"I'll get the setting spray."

——He slipped away faster than the stagehands did when they were hiding from the camera.

Think back to a month and a half ago.

Jiang Zaixun even had to check the emphasis of his lines three times before he dared to speak, for fear that the director would scold him, "Newcomer, don't add to the drama."

Now he actually dares to propose changing the script five minutes before filming begins.

Even he himself found this transformation subtle.

In fact, there is a saying about improvisation.

The reason why Krystal Jung’s “flying hug” last week was retained was essentially because she relied on her body language expressiveness as an idol.

That kind of animal-like recklessness fits Li Baona's personality perfectly. Even if she makes a mistake in her acting, she can explain it away by saying "character's personality".

But the princess hug is different.

This action requires Krystal to hand over control of her body to Kang Jae-hoon.

If she showed any stiffness, the camera would honestly present the awkward scene of a "wooden beauty being moved".

"Hey."

Zheng Xiujing suddenly kicked his calf with her toes, her voice as soft as a mosquito:
"If you dare to throw me down, you'll be hunted down by my sister."

"Don't worry, the heaviest person I've ever hugged is Mr. Hwang Jung-min."

".Pabhu!"

"The actors are in place!"

At the director's call, the two quickly went to the designated location to prepare for filming.

"Remember to keep a camera recording all the time."

The director gave instructions after demonstrating the camera movement route to the photographer.

"clear."

"Ready, 1, 2, 3—"

"Action!"

The clapperboard snapped shut.

Jiang Zaixun quickly put on a helpless yet doting smile and slowly followed Zheng Xiujing three steps away:

"Bona, slow down—"

"Don't talk to me!"

Krystal said this without even turning her head.

“Click, click—”

The rhythm of her high heels hitting the ground became faster and faster, and she suddenly stumbled -

"Ouch!"

Jiang Zaixun's smile froze instantly, and he rushed forward in two steps:

"Twisted your ankle?"

"Go find your Cha Eun-sang!"

Krystal shook off his hand and took two steps forward bravely, but she gasped when she landed.

Jiang Zaixun didn't say anything, he bent down and picked up her knees——

"ah!"

Krystal screamed and suddenly her whole body was suspended in the air.

Fu Shengzhe's brows raised slightly when Jiang Jae-hoon suddenly changed to a princess hug.

The original script clearly set up [Yin Chan-young helped Lee Bo-na to the bench to rest] - gentle and considerate but restrained physical contact, which is in line with Yin Chan-young's introverted academic personality.

But at this moment in the picture——

The muscles of Kang Jae-hoon's arms were stretched out in sharp curves under the school uniform fabric. The moment Krystal was lifted up, her skirt flew up, and the tips of their noses almost touched.

That sudden aggressiveness was completely different from the mild-mannered Yin Canrong in the script, but it inexplicably made the air in front of the monitor a little hotter.

"Do you want to ask Cut to do it again?" the assistant director asked in a low voice.

Director Fu Shengzhe waved his hand, leaned forward and stared at the monitor:
"hold on."

On the monitor, Krystal Jung began to hit Kang Jae-hoon's shoulders and kicked his legs in the air:

"Put me down!"

"you sure?"

Jiang Zaixun pretended to let go.

Zheng Xiujing subconsciously hugged his neck tightly, looked back at the distance between them and the ground, and glared at him fiercely:
"If you dare to let go, you're dead!"

"Our Bona looks so beautiful when she's angry."

Jiang Zaixun's voice was so gentle that it seemed like water could drip out of it.

Director Fu Shengzhe suddenly grabbed the walkie-talkie:

"Close-up shot from position 3, capturing Bona's micro-expressions!"

Zoom in close-up——

Zheng Xiujing's cheeks quickly flushed, the corners of her mouth secretly raised and then quickly lowered, and finally buried her face in his shoulder:

".You have to say it."

"Cut!"

A group of people gathered around the monitor to watch the replay.

The impromptu performance with full sexual tension completely goes against the logic of the character setting, but it is damn hard to look away.

"This part." The assistant director hesitated to speak.

"Keep it for now."

Fu Shengzhe drew an asterisk on the storyboard and said, "Let screenwriter Jin take a look at it first."

Then he took out his phone and sent a message to the editing room:
[Prepare two versions, one cut according to the original script, and a special version with the princess hug].

2 in 1——This chapter is in 4K.

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(End of this chapter)