Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

32. Eyes

Director Kim Do-hoon, still brimming with excitement, looked at Lee Kyung-sung, who had already composed himself and was walking towards him, his eyes filled with admiration. His voice was steady, yet couldn't hide his satisfaction. "Kyung-sung-ssi, thank you for your hard work. This take was excellent, one take."

He turned to Minister Park and Jin Xiuwan, who were equally engrossed in their performance, and added in a more professional tone, "The emotional intensity, the precision of control, and the sense of rhythm all exceeded the scope of an audition. This can be directly archived as an important performance reference clip."

Minister Park, after all, is in charge of publicity and viewership ratings, so his perspective is more focused on actual results and market response.

He looked at Kim Min-joo, completely relieved, and smiled, "Minister Kim, it seems our previous assessment of Kyung-sung was too conservative. With such performance as a foundation, there's much more room for maneuver in many things."

Kim Min-joo maintained her polite and reserved smile, her gaze gently falling on Lee Kyung-sung, her tone calm, "Kyung-sung has always worked very hard and has his own ideas about the role. He deserves the recognition from Director Kim and everyone else."

"However, the most important takeaway today is perhaps not just seeing Kyung Sung's potential as Lee Hwon." Kim Min-joo's gaze swept over Park Jung-ho and Kim Do-hoon, "but more importantly, through these auditions, we've validated some new ideas. For example, the unique appeal and potential for dissemination of scenes where actors showcase the core traits and emotional tension of a character."

Park Jung-ho immediately understood and replied, "What Representative Kim means is that we can try combining these 'high-concentration character clips' with traditional trailers and behind-the-scenes footage to create a more layered promotional material combination that can better showcase the character's charm?"

"Yes," Kim Min-joo nodded. "We can start by selecting a few of the most representative moments from today's footage, such as the subtle tension between Lee Hwon and Heo Yeon-woo's first encounter, or the restrained majesty on the throne. We can then carefully edit and package these moments as part of the character development before the premiere, releasing them gradually. The focus is on showcasing the actors' chemistry with their roles, as well as the sincerity and quality of the drama's performances."

Director Kim Do-hoon stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded slowly. "This approach is convincing. Letting the performances speak for themselves is always the most powerful thing. When the audience sees something tangible, many unnecessary distractions will naturally disappear." As a director, he was naturally happy to see promotional resources tilted towards highlighting the quality of the drama and the actors' performances.

Although screenwriter Chen Xiuwan wasn't particularly concerned with specific promotional strategies, she immediately agreed when she heard about focusing on showcasing the character's charm. "That's right! Letting the audience see Lee Hwon like this first will naturally make them look forward to the plot and the story of Lee Hwon and Heo Yeon-woo! This is much better than simply creating hype!"

Seeing that everyone had reached a basic consensus, Kim Min-joo summarized the situation, her tone as calm as ever yet carrying a decisive weight: "So, I'll leave the specific material selection and editing direction to Director Kim and Minister Park. CJ's overseas promotional channels will fully cooperate to ensure that this high-quality content reaches a wider potential audience. We will proceed steadily, using the works and performances themselves to win the attention they deserve."

Park Jung-ho understood immediately and nodded repeatedly: "Understood, Representative Kim. We will come up with a few editing proposals as soon as possible, and then communicate with you to finalize the draft."

A publicity stunt that could have been too high-profile, or even backfired, was subtly transformed under Kim Min-joo's guidance into a strategy that maximized the use of Lee Kyung-sung's stunning audition performance to eliminate some unnecessary risks.

Lee Kyung-sung stood quietly to the side, listening to the discussion, but he didn't seem to care at all. With CJ backing him up and his debut work already chosen, he was just waiting to be carried to success.

Soon after, Director Kim Do-hoon announced that all the auditions and confidential filming for the day had concluded, thanking everyone for their hard work. Han Ga-in and Lee Kyung-sung needed to take their costume fitting photos, as requested by Director Park. The subsequent publicity might refocus on their on-screen couple image.

Kim Min-joo has no objections; actors aren't idols. However, Kyung-sung's fans probably won't let Han Ga-in off the hook. But as the story unfolds, those who criticize her the most are more likely to become fans of the couple.

Soon, only Park Jung-ho, Kim Do-hoon, Kim Min-joo, their manager Na Yong-ho, and their driver Wang Zi-lu remained in the rehearsal room.

"Let's go." Kim Min-joo said no more and walked towards the door first.

The corridor was brightly lit, a stark contrast to the deliberately created atmosphere in the rehearsal room.

Lee Kyung-sung turned his head slightly and, through the glass window of the corridor, could still see most of the fans still gathered outside the MBC building.

As requested by the photographer, the two stood side by side for a couple photo shoot to be used for future promotional purposes.

"Teachers, we're about to start taking some couple photos, mainly for later character promotion and possible couple-themed posters. Don't be nervous, try to find that... well, restrained yet subtly passionate feeling between Li Xuan and Yan Yu in the drama." The photographer tried to guide the mood.

Lee Kyung-sung and Han Ga-in changed into another set of exquisite costumes for the promotional photos. Lee Kyung-sung wore a long robe of sky blue embroidered with silver cloud patterns after rain, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, tall and elegant, his face even more handsome and refined under the lights, exuding a noble and refined air.

Han Ga-in wore a light mauve embroidered hanbok, her hair was delicately styled, and her makeup was fresh and gentle. Standing next to him, she had a slender figure.

In the first few photos, the two stood side by side as instructed, slightly turned to the side, with perfect smiles and graceful postures.

But there always seems to be a layer between them; they are standard stills from a drama, rather than photos of a couple with a story.

The cameraman looked at the monitor, stroked his chin, and said, "Lee Kyung-sung, Han Ga-in, you could relax a bit more and have more interaction. You're the male and female leads, after all, and you have quite a few intimate scenes to film later."

Upon hearing this, Han Jiaren subconsciously glanced at Li Jingcheng beside her. He was also turning his head slightly to look at her, seemingly considering how to adjust his position.

Their eyes met inadvertently in mid-air.

Just then, Lee Kyung-sung seemed to have an idea. He suddenly leaned forward and whispered to Han Ga-in, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear, "Senior, I'm sorry for being rude."

Han Jiaren felt a surge of heat and before she could react to what he was about to do, she saw Li Jingcheng raise a hand very naturally. Instead of touching her, the hand hovered in mid-air a short distance behind and to the side of her hair bun, his fingertips seemingly about to brush away a non-existent, mischievous strand of hair.

His movements were light and restrained; he didn't even actually touch her. But his posture, the way he leaned slightly forward and focused his gaze on the side profile of her temple, instantly broke the stiffness of their side-by-side standing.

Li Jingcheng's gaze changed as well. It was no longer the slightly formulaic gentleness he displayed when taking photos. Instead, it became calm and focused, carrying a deep, focused tenderness, as if he were truly gazing at a priceless treasure that he dared not touch lightly. The emotion in his eyes was a mixture of appreciation and restrained excitement, much like the look Li Xuan would have when looking at Yan Yu.

In order to leave work early, Li Jingcheng did not hesitate to adopt Li Xuan's perspective.

Han Jia's heart trembled slightly as she was instantly captivated by his deep, affectionate eyes. Slowly, she was drawn into the scene. Instead of flinching, she followed his movements, tilting her head slightly as if she could truly feel the breeze from his fingertips. Her eyelids drooped, and her long eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyes. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

It wasn't shyness, but rather a subtle ripple of emotion and helplessness arising from being treated so gently. A soft, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corners of her lips, a mixture of joy and reproach.

There was no physical contact, only a short distance between them, a hovering gesture, a deep exchange of glances. Yet, the atmosphere of the entire scene instantly came alive!

The air seemed to be filled with a silent, surging undercurrent, the emotions that were desperately suppressed under the strictures of etiquette but still leaked from the corners of their eyes and brows, the unconscious stirrings of their hearts at the beginning of their intertwined destinies.

The photographer's eyes lit up, and the shutter clicked rapidly like a whirlwind, capturing this perfect moment. He didn't even dare to speak, afraid of breaking the tender, lingering atmosphere.