novellhall 83, Audition New World
83, Audition New World
The atmosphere was completely different in the living room of the villa on the other side.
Bae Joo-hyun deliberately finished her practice early and was watching "The Moon Embracing the Sun" with Lee Kyung-sung.
Lee Kyung-sung casually rested one hand on the back of the sofa, holding Bae Joo-hyun in his arms, while his other hand swiped rapidly across his phone screen without any restraint.
Bae Joo-hyun tilted her head slightly, a hint of undisguised jealousy hidden in her clear eyes. Her gaze was fixed on his phone screen as she muttered softly, "You seem very busy."
A smug, mischievous smile flashed in Lee Kyung-sung's eyes as he leaned down and breathed hot air into her ear: "Hyeri, Jisoo, Im Yoon-ah, Han Ga-in noona... I have to reply to a lot of messages."
Seeing the girl's cheeks puffing up with jealousy, his heart softened. He lowered his head slightly and gently pecked her soft, pink lips, his voice tender and indulgent, "But tonight, only Joo-hyun is by my side."
"cut."
A simple "I like you" instantly soothed Bae Joo-hyun's little emotions, and she couldn't help but smile sweetly again.
But while Bae Joo-hyun was seeing that handsome and domineering face in period costume on TV, she was actually analyzing something else entirely.
"It's normal for him to know Lee Hyeri, Im Yoon-a, Han Ga-in... but... who is Jisoo?"
She racked her brains but couldn't figure out the identity of this "Jisoo". Could she be a senior actress?
Suddenly, she felt the hand that was resting on her waist begin to move restlessly downwards.
"Hey!" Bae Joo-hyun blushed and slapped his mischievous hand. "Can't you just behave yourself?"
Lee Kyung-sung's deep, mischievous chuckle rang in her ears, as if he had guessed what she was thinking, with a hint of mockery, "What are you thinking? She's just a trainee I met in acting class."
Bae Joo-hyun snapped back to reality, raised her hand and gently slapped away his mischievous hand, her ears turning slightly red, and said stubbornly, "I didn't ask, why did you tell me on your own initiative?"
Her doubts subsided slightly, and she turned her gaze back to the television screen, abruptly changing the subject, "Jingcheng, what do you think the ratings will be for this premiere?"
"Starting at forty percent." Li Jingcheng put down his phone, focusing all his attention on his girlfriend in his arms. Giving her some information was enough; constantly replying to messages on his phone while she was beside him would be incredibly disrespectful.
"Forty? That's absolutely a huge hit drama!" Bae Joo-hyun's eyes lit up, genuinely happy for him, her eyebrows curving into a smile. "Congratulations, Oppa, your acting career has been completely launched."
"What's the big deal?" Li Jingcheng seemed indifferent, twirling his fingers around her hair. "I'd rather the company speed up the album releases later. I've already reserved a female lead for her."
"Oh?" Bae Joo-hyun's interest was instantly piqued. Although she already knew the answer, she deliberately feigned curiosity and asked, "So, who's the female lead?"
Li Jingcheng did not answer directly, but merely moved his lips slightly, looking at her with a half-smile.
Bae Joo-hyun's cheeks flushed instantly, but she still leaned in. After a long, lingering kiss, they slowly separated.
Her breathing was slightly erratic. She gently wiped her lips, her beautiful eye roll lacking any intimidation, and said in a coquettish tone, "Now you can tell me, right?"
"Haha, you idiot, it's you." Li Jingcheng couldn't help but chuckle, smelling her hair, his eyes full of tenderness and doting.
After a moment of silence, Bae Joo-hyun remembered that name again and asked softly, "What about Ji-soo, whom you just mentioned?"
Lee Kyung-sung reached out and pressed down on her fidgeting body, holding her tightly in his arms. After hesitating for a second, he simply spoke frankly, "Kim Ji-soo, just like you, we're both trainees, but she's in the acting department."
Bae Joo-hyun listened quietly, nodded gently, and didn't ask any further questions.
"She's a really nice person. She even sent me a support truck from the film crew before, so I was just helping her out," Li Jingcheng explained softly, then added, "Her family is well-off, and she's very hardworking. Besides, I never need these kinds of support campaigns. What I need is the support Joo-hyun gave me last night, which is what truly recharges me."
Recalling the sweetness and madness of last night, Bae Joo-hyun's fair and delicate cheeks instantly flushed pink, and she even forgot about Kim Ji-soo's presence for a moment.
The next second, she seemed to sense that the guy behind her had reacted again. She shifted her body slightly, her voice becoming soft and gentle, with a hint of coquettishness, "You're being silly again."
Just as the atmosphere between the two became increasingly intimate, the real-time viewership ratings data across the entire network were updated on time, instantly igniting the entire Korean internet and plunging all television stations and viewers into complete silence.
According to AGB Nielsen's real-time data, the premiere and finale of "The Moon Embracing the Sun," starring adult actor Lee Seon, saw its viewership ratings break records, with a national average rating of 46.2% and a peak instantaneous rating of 48.1%!
When this data was released, both MBC's own channel and the major TV stations competing at the same time fell into complete silence.
It's important to understand that this was the highest viewership rating for a Korean miniseries since 2005, a high wall that countless Korean dramas had been unable to surpass for decades.
It became an instant hit upon its premiere, with nearly half of the nation watching each episode. The terrifying data completely crushed all other dramas airing at the same time, leading the entire internet by a wide margin.
Almost instantly after the data was released, Korean online forums, social media trending topics, and comment sections were completely overwhelmed, with countless netizens flooding the screen with comments, and the top comments dominating the charts.
[Help! 46.2%?! Is this really the viewership rating for a Korean drama in 2012? It's a landslide victory over all other dramas airing at the same time!]
[I just randomly clicked to watch, but I was completely hooked after one episode! Not only are the actors' looks top-tier in period dramas, but their acting is also phenomenal, the emotional build-up is absolutely amazing!]
[What does a 48.1% viewership rating in a single minute mean? It's equivalent to half the South Korean population watching the drama! A true national hit drama has been born!]
[Previously, there were concerns that new actors couldn't carry a period drama, but now it seems those worries were unfounded. Li Jingcheng has proven his talent with the ratings!]
The night was gentle, and the warm yellow light from the floor lamp filled the entire apartment.
A pair of eyes were silently fixed on Li Jingcheng's character on the screen.
Park Hoon-jung slowly shifted his gaze, finally withdrawing his attention from the looping TV drama trailer.
Although this is just a period romance drama and not a serious drama, it still shows Li Jingcheng's acting skills.
What troubled him most was whether Lee Kyung-sung had the ability to steadily control the intense emotions and dramatic changes in Lee Ja-sung's character when he finally rebelled after a lifetime of forbearance and dormancy.
But after seeing Lee Kyung-sung's portrayal of Lee Hwon, many of his concerns dissipated. He just didn't know if his popularity would translate into box office success.
In addition, the cooperation terms offered by CJ Group are too generous, which is why he has temporarily stopped contacting Lee Jung-jae and has not yet finalized his role.
He reached for his phone, swiped his fingers, and felt he could confirm the audition time.