A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 54

Yoo Sang-jun felt a need to resolve this situation here. Whatever Junwoo was working on, if it were to be revealed, it had to be within this program. Having brought him this far, it was imperative to see it through here.

'What have I done?'

Fear gripped Yoo Sang-jun as the worst possible futures unfolded in his mind.

He remembered the words he had uttered just a few minutes ago.

'You know everything is being recorded for the broadcast.'

'If you continue with this attitude, it will be problematic.'

He had been so focused on the current turmoil that he had spoken without thinking.

He regretted his words, feeling he should have been appeasing Junwoo instead of potentially aggravating him further.

Yoo Sang-jun hesitated, his lips parting slightly.

An instinctive judgment flashed through his mind that any further interruption here would not be beneficial.

But he couldn't just walk away like this.

"Junwoo... let's forget what we just talked about. Can we start over?"

***

In the end, nothing changed.

On the day of the evaluation, watching Junwoo dominate the stage from a distance, Yoo Sang-jun felt all the energy drain from his body.

The reason was apparent. Under Junwoo's overwhelming presence, the other participants were delivering performances that were significantly worse compared to their previous missions.

The evaluation room lacked tension, ambition, or enthusiasm.

How could this be broadcast?

The hastily arranged substitute judge was also disheartened, overshadowed by the overwhelming talent on display.

Eventually, the month-long overseas schedule was swiftly concluded.

During the return to Korea, there was no conversation among the participants.

Finally, the first broadcast aired.

The morning of the broadcast, the headlines read:

[Actor's Kingdom: Birth of a Star, debuting tonight in a grand premiere. The production cost a whopping 200 billion won.]

The response was explosive, far beyond expectations.

On social media, portal sites, in the press, and on the news, comments about the first episode were pouring in continuously.

In the broadcasting station's meeting room, the production team gathered.

They were scrolling through the large screen, monitoring the real-time reactions pouring in.

The last scene of the first episode featured Junwoo conversing with Cheong Myeong during the first main stage performance.

Even under Cheong Myeong's attempts to draw out emotional responses, Junwoo spoke calmly and fluently about his past.

Scrolling down, one of the team members checked the comments.

The moment they had eagerly awaited. The excitement was short-lived as they now faced a bigger challenge.

The production team's faces were sombre in a moment that should have been like a grand celebration.

-"Wow, he's not even flinching against Cheong Myeong lol"