“Please keep it clean. Simple, without much color makeup.”
It hadn’t even been a few days since Hong Suryeon and Eun Baekhap — two top actresses of their generation — had dominated public attention with overwhelming visuals.
Which made Do Gyeoul’s request all the more baffling.
“But why?”
Her agency manager lightly patted her shoulder, silently trying to persuade her not to do this. But Do Gyeoul had no intention of changing her mind.
“I’ll tie my hair back simply too. A low ponytail. Just define the texture of my eyebrows a little.”
“Gyeoul-ah... still, shouldn’t we at least—”
“If I look different once filming starts compared to the script reading visuals, people will talk about that too. Please trust , Manager.”
Do Gyeoul refused to bend.
Styled completely differently from her usual image, she stared at herself in the mirror.
She quietly observed the woman gazing back at her with cold eyes.
At this exact mont.
The mont she had waited for so desperately had finally arrived.
“This is the only one without a love line, right?”
Reporter Wi asked his senior while attending the reading session. In this project, Do Gyeoul would be acting opposite a veteran senior actor nearly twenty years older than her.
“Looking at the cast lineup... who was it again? Ah, Baek Mingyu’s in it too, but he’ll probably just appear as another supporting character at the sa law firm.”
“Then this one’s way more about the case than chemistry....”
After Han Yeoreum’s shocking visuals, Yoo Jiuk and Hong Suryeon’s shocking visuals in an entirely different sense, and Eun Baekhap’s shocking lines, anticipation for what Do Gyeoul would bring reached its peak.
PR 1 understood that perfectly well.
But no matter what exploded in the competing projects, they remained calm.
“Why my father?”
Because they had seen Do Gyeoul act.
“Ah....”
A sudden situation where her father had been arrested.
What followed was a line that felt subtly wrong for the kind of reaction any normal daughter — any high-school-aged girl — would naturally show.
Tilting her head just slightly sideways, Do Gyeoul spoke indifferently.
“I have finals starting tomorrow.”
Her tone sounded more annoyed that such an inconvenient problem had happened now of all tis.
The chilling, unsettling way Do Gyeoul delivered that single sentence transford the atmosphere instantly.
Director Kwak Shinseong opened his mouth and read out the stage directions.
“She checks her phone for a mont, then looks over her exam schedule. Afterward, she sits at her desk. She opens her workbook and picks up her chanical pencil. The only sound filling the room is the scratching of her solving problems.”
The image ford vividly in everyone’s minds.
A daughter who regarded even her own father as just another expendable part of life.
There were emotions people normally expected within family relationships.
Sympathy toward one’s mother.
Love and resentnt toward one’s father.
Complaints toward younger siblings.
Reliance on older brothers.
Affection toward older sisters.
Longing tied to grandmothers.
Fear felt before grandfathers.
Family was, above all else, the relationship where humans experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness most intensely.
And yet in those relationships capable of reaching emotional extres, what Do Gyeoul displayed was indifference.
Even without explicit narration, the reporters could tell.
In 〈Dear Judge〉, Do Gyeoul’s character would never visit her father until after her exams ended.
If he got released before then, great.
If not, whatever.
Because what mattered right now wasn’t the father who had derailed from the smooth road her life was supposed to follow.
It was taking first place on her upcoming finals.
“Please just let make one phone call! My daughter’s ho alone right now! She’s still a minor! She’s young! So young! Officer, don’t you have children too? Huh?!”
The father’s desperate pleading spread through the script reading hall.
A primal sense of fear crawled over everyone present.
A daughter who didn’t show even the slightest concern after her father was arrested.
Who rely found it annoying and pushed it aside for later.
A daughter who had supposedly been close with him.
A [N O V E L I G H T] genius who treated even blood-related family like interchangeable parts defined solely by usefulness and necessity.
“...What’s the password to your bank account?”
That was the first thing Do Gyeoul said upon visiting her father.
Inside the visitation room overflowing with disorganized words about whether she was eating properly, whether she was scared, pleas asking her to trust him—
“I need to pay my application fees.”
What PR 1 trusted most were the reporters attending the scene.
Industry professionals who had genuinely gotten chills from the acting would beco the best source material possible.
* * *
Nice Production smiled in satisfaction.
There was a reason Yoo Jiuk was called one of the Three Legends.
INTUBE
[The Culprit Who Stole My Heart Is Right Here! 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 Script Reading ⎜ Yoo Jiuk Hong Suryeon] 05:42
Views 156,778
-Jiwook oppa ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎
-Truly the combination of people I love :) Perfect, and perfect again!
-I want to visit Korea soday just to see Jiwook oppa! Sending support and love from Singapore
-Yoo Jiuk rolled a natural six on face stats holy shit
└ Fr jackpot honestly
-Actor Yoo Jiuk~^^ You probably won’t rember haha.. but I was a fan who got your autograph on set years ago. I still cringe rembering how awkward I acted because you were SO unbelievably handso in real life♥︎ You even willingly took a photo with too! Seriously a hundred, no, a thousand tis more handso in person!
Not just dostic fans — his overseas fanbase was enormous too.
The fandom male actors possessed was sothing even top actresses couldn’t dare compete against.
And the core fanbase Yoo Jiuk had built was absurdly solid.
Only a few days after upload, the 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 script reading video already boasted the highest views and comnt count among the ongoing “Holy Grail War” productions.
Monitoring was ongoing even on the actual filming set of 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 after filming officially began.
After checking the explosive reactions across Trittter and Yousta, Yoo Jiuk smiled leisurely.
“What did I tell you? I said oppa would handle everything, didn’t I?”
With his hair naturally down and a gray hoodie on, Yoo Jiuk casually lifted his left leg onto his right thigh.
The way he lounged there crossing his long legs looked like soone fully aware of exactly how valuable he was.
“You just need to trust your man and follow along!”
“But you’re not just any mannn.”
“Exactly! Oppa’s not just any man!”
“You’re a dumb man, so how am I supposed to trust youuu?”
“You little brat sure yap a lot. Anyway, try grabbing my mouth and force-feeding green tea like last ti again. I swear I won’t let it slide anymore, got it? Honestly, you didn’t even need to go that far! Where exactly is my face gonna lose?”
Beside him, his manager, road manager, and coordinator all chid in.
“Oppa, but honestly, I think all the managent leading up to this was genius. The green tea on reading day was amazing too. I an, your thinking’s right obviously, I just personally think so.”
“Yeah. Jiuk’s not wrong either, but there’s nothing bad about proper maintenance. Jiuk really is smart, but still, right?”
“Our Jiuk’s thoughts are always right, buuut— maybe let’s think just a tiny bit more? What you’re doing now is already soooo good, but, you know? There’s that thing a top star needs to show people. THAT thing!”
“Exactly. Sothing only oppa can show.”
At those words, Yoo Jiuk cocked one sharply arched eyebrow.
Then he smiled lazily.
“Well. Actually, I was already thinking the sa thing too.”
That was Yoo Jiuk.
One of the Three Legends.
“Knew it, oppa!”
“You stayed quiet because you didn’t want us to feel embarrassed for not noticing sooner... right?”
“Ah... seriously, Jiuk... how are you even like this... I’ve never seen a man like you before. You’re seriously a man among n!”
As Hong Suryeon said, he really was kind of dumb.
Now thoroughly pleased with himself, Yoo Jiuk abruptly stood up, declaring he should go check rehearsal blocking.
Behind him, Hong Suryeon muttered quietly.
“See? He’s THAT dumb, so what exactly are we supposed to trust and follow...? Ah, my head hurts. It’s draining my energyyy.”
“Suryeon-ah, here’s a mirror.”
“So beautifuuul....”
After recovering from her dizziness by looking into the handheld mirror, Hong Suryeon instantly perked back up at the director’s call.
“〈There Is Only One Culprit〉! Starting filming now!”
* * *
INTUBE
[The 〈Tamhok〉 Script Reading That Will Drag Everyone Into Hell ⎮ Eun Baekhap Lee Eungyu] 05:27
Views 77,887
Eun Baekhap’s overseas fanbase was solid too, but no matter what, she still couldn’t beat Yoo Jiuk.
Still, Songwon Planning had done their job properly. The vicious lines Eun Baekhap delivered during the script reading were rapidly gaining montum.
Especially among hardcore drama addicts, who practically flooded the comnts.
-Those lines are seriously low-class lol. Feels exactly like sothing cable channels would make
-04:11 ca back just to hear that line again
└ Sa here..haha I’m an middle-aged woman with two kids, but sohow I wasn’t offended at all~ I was just impressed by Eun Baekhap’s delivery haha
└ How are you NOT offended as an middle-aged woman? The second I heard it I got emotionally crit’d
└ Once you get older... there are more important things than physical beauty^^ If soone offered to grant one wish and asked “Do you want to erase your wrinkles or keep your kids healthy?” I’d choose the second one haha
-I co here every day just to see unnie’s face. It’s sad I can only hit like once hahaha
-Team Eun Baekhap sends support and encouragent to her tiger-like spirit FUCK yeah unnie I love you!!!!
Wearing a pure white hospital gown, Eun Baekhap stood there with her arms crossed, sohow looking even more beautiful than she had during the script reading.
“Unnieee... I told you sooo. Everyone’s going crazyyy....”
〈Tamhok〉 also entered filming almost imdiately.
The schedule had been moved up earlier than planned, but Eun Baekhap wanted that too.
Waiting endlessly for filming day with a heart burning hot wasn’t her style.
“It was already like this during , but this ti everyone keeps comnting about how you’re reaching your visual peak for real....”
“...”
“Hong Suryeon and Do Gyeoul too, but honestly I bet Han Yeoreum’s side got completely shaken after seeing all this....”
At her coordinator’s words, Eun Baekhap — who had been standing there with crossed arms — slowly lifted her chin.
Every slight movent of her face radiated suffocating purity.
“The thing that shocks and pressures that bitch isn’t my face.”
Even with ssy hair and a loose patient gown, it was impossible to look away from her.
The corners of Eun Baekhap’s lips curled upward beautifully on her nearly bare face.
“I’m going to show her what it really ans... to act. Hehe....”
“As expected of unnieee... the second we got on set, even the way you talk completely changed.... How could Han Yeoreum possibly beat soone who lives and breathes acting like youuu....”
Eun Baekhap pressed harder into the smile lifting her lips.
“After watching this project, Han Yeoreum might end up clinging to unnie again like she did during , begging to hang out together.... Such a beautiful endinggg....”
“You fucking bitch, did you seriously sneak off to watch that?”
Eun Baekhap’s coordinator hurriedly turned her head away.
Right then, a staff mber shouted out.
“Starting filming for 〈Tamhok〉!”
* * *
And the professional critics’ response went to 〈Dear Judge〉.
PR 1 had intentionally split the script reading video in half. The remaining section simply displayed the script onscreen as-is.
To prove the statent everyone repeated wasn’t exaggerated at all.
Do Gyeoul — the ideal actress beloved by writers and directors alike.
The actress capable of digesting a script with one hundred percent precision.
INTUBE
[Breathless Tension 〈Dear Judge〉 Script Reading ⎮ Seo Jeongwon Do Gyeoul] 05:33
Views 66,771
-Gyeoul’s new drama... I’m really looking forward to it (´︶`*)
-I don’t know how NOT to love a genius psychopath lawyer TT_TT ahhhh THIS is it
-I’ve watched actress Do Gyeoul grow up since she was little.. her acting has beco incredible
└ Seriously, it’s absolutely insane~
-Gyeoul ans “Winter” in Korean. She speaks exactly as coldly as her na!
So people clicked on the video intending to nitpick it after seeing nothing but praise.
But no one could find anything to criticize.
Because it was the most overwhelming acting Do Gyeoul had shown so far.
Wearing a school uniform, Do Gyeoul tied her hair back neatly into a single ponytail.
Without even one loose strand falling out of place, the hairstyle was planned to function almost like a trademark throughout most of the drama.
Like Lee Seohae from 〈Unfair Trade〉.
“...”
Wearing a cheap wristwatch, Do Gyeoul checked the ti.
She slowly inhaled a deep breath before letting it out.
“Beginning filming for 〈Dear Judge〉!”
* * *
Views and comnts:
〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 Winner
Drama-fan reactions and buzz:
〈Tamhok〉 Winner
Professional response:
〈Dear Judge〉 Winner
Among all of them, there wasn’t a single category 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 held firmly by itself.
But JC ENM had thrown out excellent bait.
And everyone bit.
Over the past few days, Hong Suryeon’s side and Eun Baekhap’s side had released endless derivative articles focused on visuals.
Because ordinary people rarely bothered actually reading drama-related articles in full.
Visual-centered articles that were simple, instantly eye-catching, and explosively impactful received exactly the kind of heated response everyone expected.
“Do Gyeoul’s side feels a little weaker, right?”
“Yeah. She intentionally toned things down.... Though compared to us, they still dressed her up a lot too. I think we should place her first.”
Once the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the 〈Dear Judge〉 script reading rolled in and all the uploaded script-reading videos began gaining traction, JC ENM finally released the arrow they had prepared in advance.
As though they had been quietly waiting for the perfect timing.
“Let’s go.”
[HOT / Everyone’s losing their minds over these actresses’ visuals.jpg]
(Do Gyeoul from 〈Dear Judge〉.jpg)
Holy shit holy shit she looks almost barefaced but her features are fundantally insane
(Hong Suryeon from 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉.jpg)
She only smiled a little and my heart already hurts
(Eun Baekhap from 〈Tamhok〉.jpg)
This is literally nation-toppling beauty damn
(Han Yeoreum from 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉.jpg)
Need I even say more
-Fuck off stop sneaking weird shit in there LMAO
-Holy shit you coward T_T use Han Yeoreum’s script-reading photo too why are you bullying only one person
-I expected it before opening the post and I still fucking lost it at the last photo LMAOOOOO
└ 2222 fuck my legs gave out and I collapsed
-All those actresses who just slapped on hippie perms and glasses while calling themselves “ordinary” need to reflect imdiately..
└ Fr everyone line up beneath Queen Yeoreum
└ At this point the director and writer literally threatened her, fuck T_T save the actress
No matter how much the others tried creating buzz through visuals, the ending would still belong to Han Yeoreum.
Even without JC deliberately pushing viral marketing, photos from Han Yeoreum’s filming set kept spreading nonstop.
Since 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 had entered filming first, there were simply more photos available.
Every ti new bait dropped, everyone swallowed it whole.
As though the public themselves had made the choice.
ohrosyyy_ (OnlyEunBaekhap)
(Eun Baekhap photo.jpg)
This overwhelming aura through visuals alone — this is the woman called Eun Baekhap
Reposts 1.1K Likes 3.2K
└ giniginiginigini (GiniGini)
(Han Yeoreum photo.jpg)
Easily suppressed.
Reposts 17K Likes 21K
└ Fuck LMAO don’t suppress her like THIS
└ No matter how many tis I look, all I can do is admire her..
If Han Yeoreum fans barged into a post made by another fandom, it would normally turn into a fan war.
But this wasn’t that kind of situation.
Even when Eun Baekhap’s and Hong Suryeon’s fans got angry, they couldn’t properly argue back.
Because these people genuinely looked ordinary.
And the hottest topic right now was Han Yeoreum, who had abandoned the industry’s typical “fake ordinary girl” styling in favor of a “real ordinary girl” look.
kimbeyounggwan (Kim Byeonggwan Is That Really You)
Good work making it this far, losers. Unnie’s gonna show you what a real ordinary girl looks like
Reposts 31K Likes 33K
No matter how many spoiler-ready filming photos 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 and 〈Tamhok〉 released, attention kept swinging back toward 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉.
Before long, Hong Suryeon and Yoo Jiuk’s chemistry from the script reading, along with Eun Baekhap’s unrivaled visuals, were all being swallowed whole by Han Yeoreum.
Ride the wind and cut through the waves.
No matter how much Hong Suryeon’s agency, Eun Baekhap’s agency, KBC, SBC, Nice Production, and Songwon Planning tried to seize the initiative before airing—
JC ENM crushed them all effortlessly.
Pre-release buzz and public popularity.
〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 Winner.
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