"Sales have increased slightly compared to last week."
"Well, looks like it did have an effect after all."
Kwak Hyun-woo, the team leader of the advertising planning departnt, let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that sponsoring Sky Garden might have been a mistake.
"I was pretty freaked out when the first episode only pulled a six percent rating."
"Yeah, but it bounced back the next day."
The other staff mbers shared excited smiles. After all, recent sales for A-Diz had risen quite a bit, largely thanks to the popularity of the "Ju Seoyeon Challenge."
Many fitness YouTubers had been using A-Diz chairs in their videos, which caught the attention of viewers. Especially with comnts like:
"The chair is sturdy and comfortable!"
"I can’t really explain it, but it feels like it supports my back really well!"
Positive reviews like these had painted the chair as "solid and durable" even before the new product launched. This was an image boost money couldn’t buy, as A-Diz's durability hadn’t always been highly regarded.
"Do you think Sky Garden will keep doing well? Honestly, even with this sales bump, I feel like it’s already worth it."
At Assistant Manager Kim's comnt, Kwak Hyun-woo nodded. It was only natural to want more; the sponsorship had already increased sales slightly, and they'd hit their yearly targets thanks to Ju Seoyeon as their model.
"It will do well," Kwak reassured. After all, he rembered sothing Seoyeon had said during the ad shoot.
"The best ti to release this ad would be after episode four of Sky Garden airs."
When he’d asked her why, she had replied, "Judging by the script, things are going to pick up around episode four."
It seed strange, but sohow, Seoyeon's words carried an undeniable sense of confidence, as if everything would go exactly as she’d said. That was the power of her presence.
"By the way, did you catch the rival drama on KMB? Episode three aired yesterday, right?"
"Ah, about that."
The other staff mbers exchanged awkward looks. Ideally, they hoped that The Grand Ga, the Monday-Tuesday drama, would perform poorly so Sky Garden could draw more viewers.
"It’s doing exceptionally well."
Assistant Manager Kim opened his phone and showed Kwak Hyun-woo the news.
[The Grand Ga sets new record with a stunning 15 percent rating!] [KMB Drama's Rapid Rise: Can The Grand Ga Beat Dream Future's All-Ti High?]
Fifteen percent. Even though Sky Garden had reached ten percent with episode two, it was still five percent short of The Grand Ga's performance.
"Congratulations, Mi-eun!"
"Looks like we’ve got a winner here."
"Thank you, everyone. It’s all thanks to your support."
The atmosphere on The Grand Ga set was jubilant. After all, a fifteen percent rating was sothing to celebrate.
"I was surprised by Sky Garden's episode two rating, but at this point, I think we’re in the clear."
"Yeah, there’s no way they’ll go higher."
The actors exchanged similar sentints, laughing together. Go Mi-eun smiled to herself, feeling victorious. With the script solid up to episode six, there was only one concern.
"It feels like there’s not enough romance," she had ntioned to the director.
"Don’t worry," the director had replied, patting her shoulder. "We’re in talks with the higher-ups about that."
Mi-eun had been surprised, worrying that it might sound like a complaint about the production. Still, the director reassured her that The Grand Ga wouldn’t change course for sothing as trivial as adding romance if it compromised the drama's quality.
As long as things stayed the way they were, Go Mi-eun felt confident of her success. She had no intention of losing to a strange drama like Sky Garden, nor to Ju Seoyeon.
At the sa ti, Seoyeon was preparing for her appearance on Masked Singer, a variety show where contestants sing with their identities hidden behind masks.
"Is it okay for you to be on a variety show while filming a drama?" Lee Ji-yeon asked, watching Seoyeon in amazent.
"It’s actually better to do variety shows while filming. It’s great exposure."
The variety show was a suggestion from the producers. Ji-yeon, who had only done drama filming, found it hard to imagine handling both at once. But Seoyeon had managed, just like Ji-yeon kept her other commitnts as her VTuber persona "Ramiel."
And now, Ramiel had even started promoting a new VTuber—a noble cat-eared villainess. Though Ji-yeon found the concept sowhat outdated, the execution was flawless. She wondered who the perforr was, recognizing the voice as familiar.
But for now, she had a more imdiate concern.
"By the way, you’re going up against 'Gray Crow,' right?"
"Probably. I think it’ll start next week."
If that was the case, it would an Seoyeon could face Gray Crow in the final showdown on Masked Singer.
Gray Crow, a fan-favorite masked singer, had already defended their title three tis, earning the chance to reveal their identity or stay masked.
Ji-yeon knew who Gray Crow was—she’d been following them all along. But now, facing Seoyeon, it seed she’d have to choose between rooting for her friend or her favorite masked singer.
She sighed, knowing Seoyeon would definitely sulk if she cheered for Gray Crow.
"So, did you pick a song?"
"Oh, Nah-hee unnie helped pick one."
The first song Seoyeon would perform was one from "Sumr Girl," a tribute to her favorite artist.
After that, who knew? She hadn’t prepared a second song. She assud she’d be out after round one, especially given how good Gray Crow was.
And as it turned out, Gray Crow was back at it, claiming yet another victory on Masked Singer. This ti, as Yeohui stood on the winner’s throne, her thoughts drifted to the mysterious contestant set to challenge her next.
"Yesterday, I ran into Ju Young-bin," she recalled, almost knocking over her drink. She realized now why Young-bin had given her a ticket to Masked Singer.
It must an one thing: Young-bin’s family mber was competing, and there was only one person it could be.
Ju Seoyeon.
Next week, the two of them would et on stage.
As the announcer introduced the new challenger, "Full-Level Rabbit," Yeohui nearly slipped from her throne. This season was about to get even more interesting.
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