"I honestly can't act. Jun Yilan is the one that can," Taeyeon smiled gently.
As for the reason why the couple managed to film the scene in one take? It was because Taeyeon had helped Tiffany rehearse while the drama was still going through its preparation stage.
"I'm going to make you pay when we get home!" Tiffany said in a dissatisfied tone.
Taeyeon simply replied with a loving smile.
"Haha, this time we will definitely win against the other drama!" the staff were extra excited.
As Taeyeon was now a part of the cast, everyone was experiencing an emotional high and were exceptionally excited. When the other cast members finished filming their parts, they stuck around to watch Tiffany and Taeyeon act.
The feeling created by watching two formidable forces up against each other, let everyone learn the art of acting as well as experience the feeling of heartbreak.
They were like viewers behind a television screen. When they witnessed sweet scenes between Tiffany and Taeyeon, they would laugh like crazy. But, when they filmed heartbreaking scenes, they would find themselves crying tears of sadness.
"Oh God, I can't wait for the edited version."
"But the other drama has already been completed halfway."
"Who cares about them? They started way ahead of us. With our rate of progression, I'm sure we will catch up very soon."
"Watching Tiffany and Taeyeon acting together is so satisfying."
Of course, all this happened on the set of the drama because everything was kept confidential and nothing was leaked to the public. Whenever Taeyeon had no scenes to film, he would appear at Crown Empire and appear in front of the public like he had no involvement with filming. But, in reality, he quite enjoyed acting with Tiffany. 'The Forensic Concubine' was quite enjoyable because the love and hate between Jun Yilan and Qing Lan made the drama feel complete.
During this time, there was endless news about 'Concubine Ning'.
Kang Yong-Ji couldn't find any information on 'The Forensic Concubine', so she couldn't eat nor sleep.
Her photo had already lost to Tiffany, she wasn't going to lose in anything else.
So, she hired a professional paparazzi and instructed him to sneak into the filming studio to find out who the male lead of 'The Forensic Concubine' was. But, unbeknownst to them, the crew of 'The Forensic Concubine' were carefully selected and had gone through specific training. So, when someone came to get information, one of the staff simply smiled and replied, "We hired a new actor who has never acted before."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. You don't believe me? Everyone on set knows this."
The paparazzi returned to Kang Yong-Ji with the information he had gathered and Kang Yong-Ji slammed her hands on the table in response, "That's great! Taeyeon is indeed tricky. He was afraid that the public would disagree with him hiring a rookie, so he kept the entire filming under wraps, forcing the public to accept it after filming is complete."
They did indeed hire a new actor and he had indeed never filmed anything before...
But...
...Kang Yong-Ji did not suspect that anything was weird.
Soon, the rumor that 'The Forensic Concubine' had hired a rookie and was too afraid to reveal it to the public, was leaked to the outside world. This, of course, attracted objection from fans of the novel. They loved the character of Jun Yilan too deeply, so there was no way they'd let it be ruined.
_"If it's an actor with no experience - we refuse to watch it!"
_"Exactly! Our Jun Yilan is a pitiful yet powerful man. I don't want someone to end up portraying him like a stupid and sweet boy."
_"I refuse! I refuse! I strongly request for the crew to announce the name of the male lead."
"Such a small scheme was enough to put 'The Forensic Concubine' into a crisis. What a joke! These fans have no brains," Kang Yong-Ji scoffed after seeing the comments left on 'The Forensic Concubine' website.
"This President Kim is quite stupid. Even if he had no choice, he shouldn't have gone with this option."
"Yong-Ji unnie is smart for throwing the other crew into a crisis."
But, it wasn't that they didn't want to announce the male lead. They were afraid that if they announced it, they'd shock everyone to death!
So, even with everything that was happening, 'The Forensic Concubine' took on the pressures and continued to film into the night.
But, because of provocation from Kang Yong-Ji, Crown Empire's PR became extremely passive. So, news quickly spread on set that the situation had escalated to a point where fans were attacking the author, Tang Xiao.
Taeyeon immediately gave Chanyeol a phone call, "Settle the fans."
After Huangfu Shuo heard that the incident definitely had something to do with Kang Yong-Ji, his entire body boiled in anger. It was bad enough that she was pretentious, she even tried to hurt others. He really wanted to tear off her mask.
Meanwhile, Chanyeol had not contacted the fans of the novel yet. After all, he had nothing to subdue them with and even if he did, every fan had a different ideal for Jun Yilan. His only choice was to reveal the truth, otherwise, it was too difficult to make them settle down.
But, if he really couldn't subdue a few simple fans, then he wasn't Chanyeol.
So, he did not personally mention the male lead. Instead, he indirectly used Tang Xiao to talk to the fans,
"'The Forensic Concubine' has suffered many obstacles. Due to manipulation from a particular person, every single male lead candidate ended up rejecting the role. Because of this, I had already suffered a setback. But, I never expected that my fans would also become my enemy's weapon."
"I have faith in Crown Empire and the production. So, why can't you guys have faith in me?"
"I created Jun Yilan, one word at a time. Don't you think that I'd care about him more than you? Since it's an actor that even I acknowledge, then it must mean the truth is unlike the rumors. As my fans, have you not considered my situation? By causing a commotion, how do you expect me to react? After all that you've done, who do you think is the final benefactor?"
"I offered this script without accepting any money for it. So, don't you dare say that I got paid out."
"Also, Tiffany accepted this role as a friend. We simply want to bring 'The Forensic Concubine'to life. I never expected my fans to end up opposing me."
"Shouldn't you know who my true opposition is?"
It was the crew of 'Concubine Ning'!
After Tang Xiao's reminder, most of the fans finally came to their senses and realized that they shouldn't allow themselves to be used. Crown Empire definitely had a reason for their actions. Plus, knowing that everyone was putting so much effort into producing the drama, they realized that they shouldn't act as obstructions if they were truly fans.
"When the time is right, Crown Empire will naturally announce the male lead. I can make a small revelation: he is better than the male lead in our opposition's drama and is even better than the two previous candidates. If the result is not according to what I've said, I will immediately withdraw from the webnovel industry and never write again!"
With Tang Xiao's guarantee, the fans immediately regained their confidence in the drama.
In fact, they began to ridicule the opposing drama,
_"The oppositions sure are evil and shameless. They even tried to drive a wedge between the production and its fans."
_"Isn't this because my forensic concubine made them nervous? So, they did something so disgusting and shameless."
_"Forget about it. I have faith in the drama. Since Xiaoxiao said that the male lead is his dream man, then he must be perfect..."
.....
Over the next few days, 'The Best Ex-girlfriend' ended up holding a celebration for the completion of their filming. Throughout the entire filming process, Irene's change left the deepest impression on the director.
After an entire film's worth of training, she was now a lot more natural in front of the cameras; she did not disappoint as Taeyeon's sister. It was as if her fate was destined to be tied to the entertainment industry because her ability to adapt to different situations was not something the average person could compare to.
"Irene, keep up the good work. Continue with your current attitude. Since your whole family is involved with the entertainment industry and you are working in it, you should make a name for yourself. That way you won't humiliate your brother. Plus, you have a great manager that you should appreciate..."
During the celebration, Director Wang drank a little too much, so he spoke a lot more than usual. However, his words were extremely sincere and moved Irene.
After the celebration, Suho leaned over and whispered in Irene's ear, "Let's go. We should go home to get some rest."
Irene quickly bid farewell to the crew and left the hotel with Suho. However, as soon as she stepped off the lift, she noticed a familiar figure at the reception desk. Even though the woman had a face mask on, Irene had clashed with her so many times that it was impossible for her not to recognize her. It was Kang Jung-hwa, and next to her was a man.
"I was wondering why Kang Jung-hwa hasn't been causing trouble lately. It turns out, she's in a relationship."
"Is that Kang Jung-hwa?" Suho looked at the couple in detail.
"I'm certain."
"But, if I'm correct, that man is Kang Yong-Ji's husband," Suho raised his eyebrows at Irene.
"Are you saying...?" Irene covered her mouth, "Are you saying that Kang Jung-hwa is having an affair with Kang Yong-Ji's husband?"
"Looking at their sneaky expressions and how intimate they are, I'm afraid that may be the case."
"Isn't that too ridiculous? Why don't we follow them and take some photos? Hasn't Kang Yong-Ji been bothering Fany unnie a lot lately? If news of this gets out..." Irene immediately tried to follow the couple, but Suho stopped her.
"Silly, there are security cameras...Go home and get some rest. I'll handle this matter."
"Awww...but, it's so exciting," Irene couldn't hide her excitement.
Suho looked at her in a helplessly doting way. After escorting her to the car, he made her wait half an hour before they returned home. As soon as they walked in through the front door, Irene immediately pounced upon Suho and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Did you get the evidence?"
"What do you think?" Suho asked as he pinched her on the bottom.
"Why don't we do something exciting too?"
Suho knew what she was thinking, so he immediately rejected her, "You're still young..."
"I'm already 20-years-old..."
"Go get some rest. I'm going to speak to Tiffany about what to do with the security footage of Kang Jung-hwa cheating with her brother-in-law."
"Fine, you have serious matters to tend to. Kang Yong-Ji is going to suffer..." After speaking, Irene slid off Suho's body.
Suho patted her on the head as a bitter smile appeared on his face. This woman didn't seem to understand the dangers of rubbing against his body. Worst of all, he was finding it more and more difficult to control himself. If he could no longer endure one day and actually slept with her, what would he do?
Suho sighed and turned around to return to his study room. He then gave Tiffany a phone call. But, the person to pick up was Taeyeon.
"Errr...I didn't mean to call Tiffany so late at night, but there's something that I really want to share with her."
"Uh huh, I guess you're a qualified girlfriend of hers," Taeyeon said as he raised an eyebrow.
Suho held his head helplessly. Although he didn't want to admit that he was like a woman in Taeyeon's mind, in front of Taeyeon, he had to admit defeat.
"Keke, well...Irene and I attended a celebration dinner today. But, we ran into Kang Jung-hwa and Kang Yong-Ji's husband having an affair at the hotel. Due to the fact that Kang Yong-Ji has been clinging to Tiffany, I thought this information would be of use to you guys. So, I went to the security office and secured a copy of the surveillance footage."
......... (blah blah)........
"What did Suho say?" Tiffany was actually standing by Taeyeon's side feeding the babies.
"He discovered Kang Jung-hwa having an affair with Kang Yong-Ji's husband," Taeyeon said as he put down his phone.
Tiffany was a little stunned but quickly accepted it, "It doesn't really come as a surprise. Kang Jung-hwa is young and beautiful, whereas Kang Yong-Ji is ambitious and ruthless. Any man would go for the first option."
"I wouldn't," Taeyeon looked at Tiffany seriously. "My every choice is you."
Recently, Tiffany discovered that she had turned into Taeyeon's fangirl. She had become a lot more obsessed with this man. Everytime she discovered something new about him, she would wonder if there was anything that he couldn't do.
After putting down her babies, Tiffany tugged on Taeyeon's shirt and pulled him closer to her, "I still have a debt to collect."
Taeyeon smiled as he followed Tiffany into their bedroom.
"How many other things have you not told me?" Tiffany asked as she pressed Taeyeon against the wall. "After marrying you for so long, I've realized that there is still so much to discover about you. Mr. Kim, you sure know how to surprise and delight me."
"Doesn't it make you more attracted to me?" Taeyeon asked with a smile. "But that can't be right Mrs Kim, I feel like the thing that attracts you the most about me is something else..."
"You..." Before Tiffany could finish talking, Taeyeon lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed.
"Mrs Kim, I can't hear a word you're saying at the moment. All I can think about...is having you."
Throughout their day of filming, especially when they acted alongside each other, the majority of their scenes were heartbreaking. It was a combination of love and hate; of being in love, but not being able to be together. Everytime she experienced scenes like this, Tiffany would reflect on herself and be even more grateful for the man before her and their family.
...
'The Forensic Concubine' ended up filming for a good few months and remained under wraps the entire time. At this point, there were still a few big scenes that had not been filmed yet.
Perhaps to speed up the progress, after causing trouble between Crown Empire and fans of the novel, Kang Yong-Ji went under the radar for a while and placed her focus on 'Concubine Ning'. Actually, when it came to acting, she really wasn't bad. However, she acted kind while playing vicious tricks, which was much too disgusting.
After Suho handed the evidence of Kang Jung-hwa cheating with Kang Yong-Ji's husband to Taeyeon, Taeyeon was in no rush to put it to use. After all, President Kim had always been black-bellied. He knew that good things should be used where they made the biggest impact because that was the most effective way to utilize a resource.
Before anyone knew it, the time of year with the most award ceremonies came around again.
"'Concubine Ning' is scheduled for the 15th of the new year. Their aim is to be released before 'The Forensic Concubine'. Whenever two ancient dramas are released around the same time, the one to be released first always holds the advantage. Firstly, viewers always favor whoever comes first. Secondly, when two similar things follow each other, the viewer will easily get bored. Moreover, 'Concubine Ning' has secured a place on the best channel and is due to be broadcast during primetime. This is definitely not beneficial for us."
During a meeting at Crown Empire, an executive in charge of operations began to voice his opinion.
"Kang Yong-Ji has always had a good relationship with the public and her image has been well-maintained. Even though she previously had a falling out with us, when we look at the bigger picture, the crew of 'Concubine Ning' has kept everything under control."
"Most importantly, we have yet to reveal our male lead. After the first round of promotions, the anticipation for 'Concubine Ning' has doubled in comparison to us."
"President Kim, 'The Forensic Concubine' hasn't finished filming yet. What should we do? Are we going to vie for a vacation release instead? If that's the case, we will miss out on this year's Fei Tian Awards."
"Who said that we will have a later release date than 'Concubine Ning'?" Taeyeon asked the people in the room. "'Concubine Ning' has indeed secured a place on the best channel during primetime, but they are merely occupying the weekday time slots. What about Saturday and Sunday?"
"Weekends are ruled by variety shows..."
"What about after the variety shows are over?"
"Is President Kim trying to say that we will take the weekend time slot?"
Taeyeon was going to let 'Concubine Ning' promote in whatever way they wanted. After all, he had plenty of explosive information in his hands. If he was to reveal it, 'Concubine Ning' would become nothing. Most importantly, he had evidence that Kang Jung-hwa was cheating with Kang Yong-Ji's husband. But the thing was, since Kang Yong-Ji was the victim, he couldn't reveal it to the public; he had to deal with it in private. Because, he knew that if he was to reveal it to the public, Kang Yong-Ji would end up gaining sympathy.
It was during this decisive stage that something big happened to the crew of 'The Forensic Concubine'.
Due to the weather and the negligence of the production crew, Director Chen Feng ended up getting into an accident during filming and was sent directly to the hospital.
Soon, news of this was leaked and a variety of speculations began to form.
_"I heard that Director Chen Feng fell off a cliff and died..."
_"I heard that the location where 'The Forensic Concubine' was filmed is cursed. There have already been multiple deaths there."
_"Oh no, how unlucky..."
_"I also heard that when Director Chen Feng died, his head was separated from his body. How terrifying!"
Regardless of the rumors, one thing was for sure: 'The Forensic Concubine' would need to be suspended and its progress delayed.
Actually, regarding a matter like this, all Crown Empire had to do was step forward and clarify the situation and the truth would be revealed. But, the distressing thing was, Director Chen Feng's legs were currently not very convenient to do so.
...
"Even God is on my side," Kang Yong-Ji sneered after reading the news. "Let's see how long this tattered crew can hold on."
"There's actually no need to be worried, Yong-Ji unnie. The ratingswill eventually prove who the real winner is," her assistant comforted.
"In that case, help me keep a close eye on the competition. 'Concubine Ning' is almost due for release, I don't want any accidents to happen," Kang Yong-Ji instructed coldly.
As Tiffany was aware of the history between Kang Yong-Ji and Huangfu Shuo, she decided to tell him that Kang Jung-hwa and Kang Yong-Ji's husband were having an affair to help him relieve his anger. But, after Huangfu Shuo finished listening to Tiffany, he did not feel as satisfied as he would have before. It wasn't because he didn't hate Kang Yong-Ji, it was because he understood one thing: no matter how badly Kang Yong-Ji treated him in the past, he had to control himself. He knew that everything Kang Yong-Ji owed him would eventually be returned.
Due to the accident on the set of 'The Forensic Concubine', Taeyeon gave the entire crew a break. During this time, Huangfu Shuo came across Kang Yong-Ji at a hotel. As he looked at her husband standing beside her, he couldn't help but feel a sense of ridicule.
This was no accident. He had deliberately appeared at this hotel after finding out her whereabouts.
As usual, Kang Yong-Ji acted like she owned the world. So, as soon as she spotted Huangfu Shuo, she immediately stood in his path and prevented him from leaving, "I don't think I've introduced you to my husband, have I?"
"I don't think it's necessary. I have become quite familiar with him lately," Huangfu Shuo said with a deeper meaning.
"Since you're familiar with him, then you should know that I'm not someone you should offend," Kang Yong-Ji warned beside Huangfu Shuo's ear.
Huangfu Shuo felt Kang Yong-Ji was pitiful, but he did not think that she deserved sympathy.
"By the way, I heard that your crew has suspended filming. Poor things. You guys previously struggled to find a male lead, and this time, your director was injured. Your production has had its fair share of difficulties," Kang Yong-Ji's gaze contained a sense of joy. For some reason, underneath the neon lighting, she suddenly felt like a stranger, "Did you know that 'Concubine Ning' will be broadcasting after the new year? I hope you can contribute to the viewership ratings..."
"As for when your drama will make an appearance in front of the viewers, I can only wish you the best of luck!"
Huangfu Shuo crossed his arms as he faced Kang Yong-Ji's provocation and smiled, "Aren't you tired of putting on a mask in front of people?"
"Who told me to be an actress?"
"Kang Yong-Ji, I specifically came here to see what a joke you are. Sooner or later, you are going to discover that you are a stupid b*tch." After speaking, Huangfu Shuo pressed the lift button and disappeared from the couple's sight.
Kang Yong-Ji looked in the direction that Huangfu Shuo left and laughed in ridicule, "He's already reached this stage, yet he's trying to put up a front."
But, unfortunately for Kang Yong-Ji, Huangfu Shuo wasn't putting up a front. 'The Forensic Concubine' simply hadn't announced their intention.
Although they hadn't completed their filming, it wasn't going to affect their broadcast. It was a weekend drama; there could always be a season one and season two. How was this considered as facing difficulties?
Huangfu Shuo felt like he had a responsibility to tear off Kang Yong-Ji's mask in front of the public because it hurt his conscience. But, he was going to wait until after 'The Forensic Concubine' began broadcasting.
As for the affair between her sister and her husband. It would leave a deeper impression if she discovered it herself...
Kang Yong-Ji simply felt that Huangfu Shuo and Tiffany were the same: they both knew how to put on an act and were disgusting. So, during her next promotional event, she displayed her sympathy towards 'The Forensic Concubine'. She deliberately mentioned another drama as if she was generously sharing her popularity with them.
A little while later, Crown Empire updated the public on Director Chen Feng's condition and clarified all the previous rumors.
Apart from this, they also appeared ready to make a big move.
They were prepared to announce the male lead!
_"At this point, it doesn't matter who it is. Didn't they already stop filming?"
_"I know right. After so much time has passed, my level of anticipation has already disappeared."
_"I've already prepared myself to watch 'Concubine Ning'. As for 'The Forensic Concubine', let's just read the novel instead..."
The majority of the public had already become passive towards 'The Forensic Concubine'.
After its closed filming and long-term refusal to reveal their male lead, as well as propaganda from 'Concubine Ning', 'The Forensic Concubine' was now seen as just a drama that had come to a premature end and was considered a waste of Tang Xiao's masterpiece.
"Now that things have reached this point, I don't think they have any chance for a comeback," Kang Yong-Ji's assistant cheered after she compared the level of anticipation between the two dramas. "Yong-Ji unnie,our drama is about to start broadcasting. I'm sure, with your level of appeal, the results are going to be amazing. Just sit back and watch the ratingsgo through the roof."
"This kind of thingstill depends on luck. Fortunately, I have always been lucky in this regard," Kang Yong-Ji said to her assistant as she got changed in the change room.
"By the way, it's almost the new year. Can I go home early? My family is having a family reunion tonight..."
"You can go home after you drive me home," Kang Yong-Ji waved her hand generously. Unfortunately for her, Kang Jung-hwa was overseas and her husband had returned to the US. Who would have thought that she'd spend the new year all on her own in Korea? But, it didn't matter. Winning against Tiffany was already enough to make her happy.
...
Before she knew it, Tiffany's babies were already 6 months old. To spend the new year together, Tiffany gathered both the Hwang Family and Kim Family together. Even Yuri and Sooyeon attended.
Everyone fought to carry the babies and the two smiley rascals ended up receiving a large pile of red pockets because the elders loved them so much that they didn't want to let go.
"Fany unnie, is 'The Forensic Concubine' really going to lose to 'Concubine Ning'? The feedback I've seen from recent entertainment news hasn't been very good. What's going on?" Sooyeon's biggest concern was the topic that everyone was currently discussing within the industry. If they were simply discussing it, she would have let it slip. But she hated the fact that people were praising 'Concubine Ning' while stepping all over 'The Forensic Concubine'.
"Don't underestimate these two. If you have spare time to care about others, why don't you use that time to think about when you'll marry me," Yuri appeared from behind Sooyeon. After he was done talking to her, he turned to Tiffany and offered, "If you need help, just give me a call. Since I've won Best Actor before, I do hold a bit of authority in the industry."
"No need," Taeyeon's cold voice immediately drowned out Yuri's warm enthusiasm.
"Why must you be so proud?"
"At least I'm a father. What about you?"
Yuri: "..."
Yuri had even failed his marriage proposal. So, he had no choice but to look away to avoid the awkwardness.
Taeyeon let out a gentle laugh before he wrapped his arm around Tiffany and led her over to the elders so they could celebrate the new year together. Although in his 30 plus years of life, he had never spent the new year with so many people, it didn't seem like such a bad thing.
...
A few days later, there was another meeting at Crown Empire. The operations executive once again brought up the issue with 'The Forensic Concubine'. He felt that Taeyeon needed to make a decision soon because they were currently in a very difficult situation. 'Concubine Ning' had already climbed up the ranks and become the most anticipated drama, while 'The Forensic Concubine' wasn't even in the top 10.
"If President Kim doesn't come up with a plan soon, 'Concubine Ning' is going to crush us. It's almost time for them tobegin airing."
"Let them air then..." Taeyeon replied.
"But..."
"If I can't win this battle, then you can take over the position of CEO," Taeyeon said straightforwardly. "The meeting will end here. You can wait to see the next step of my plan."
Since Taeyeon had already made a promise like this, the man had nothing else he could say.
Seeing 'Concubine Ning's' stance, Taeyeon decided to change his strategy a little. Weekend broadcast? There was no need to show mercy in that way...
Since they were currently ranked number one as the most anticipated drama, he was going to let them go ahead and air it. He was going to let Kang Yong-Ji taste a little sweetness before she experienced failure and despair.
Of course, the fact that Crown Empire had not announced their male lead made Kang Yong-Ji assume that Crown Empire had given up fighting. This was good news for her. It meant she no longer had to waste any more energy.
...
['Concubine Ning' premiere receives a viewership rating of 2! Receives rave reviews from audience]
['Concubine Ning' premiere on fire! Kang Yong-Ji deserves the name of Viewership Queen!]
['Concubine Ning' continues to perform well on its second day. At its highest point, reaches a viewership rating of 2.6]
Soon, the opening of 'Concubine Ning' broke all previous viewership ratings. After just two days, everyone was filled with praise. While happily watching the broadcast of 'Concubine Ning', many people were reminded of a drama called 'The Forensic Concubine' which tried to pose as a competitor. Unfortunately, life was filled with ups and downs...So they assumed, by now, 'The Forensic Concubine' had already fallen to the depths of the abyss.
_"'Concubine Ning' is so good, it's honestly a good drama to watch."
_"The drama is of a high quality. I guess they have a conscience."
_"Tiffany previously claimed that the script had been changed. But, from the looks of it, it seems more like she was angry because her role had been stolen.
_"It's karma. Look at how the 'Forensic Concubine' has come to a standstill."
_"Pfft, I don't care. I like watching 'Concubine Ning' and I like Kang Yong-Ji."
After seeing the comments online, Kang Yong-Ji was prepared to pop a champagne to celebrate. As long as the viewership ratings remained at the current level, the FT Best Actress Award in February would definitely be hers.
"I never thought Taeyeon would become such a weakling."
But, Kang Yong-Ji would have never imagined that after this snowy night, everything would change.
The next morning...
An explosive piece of news appeared in Korea. Taeyeon had announced that he was going to act!
That's right, Taeyeon was acting!
All of a sudden, the Big Boss of Entertainment stirred up a storm in the industry. Some were doubtful, some were shocked, some just wanted to follow the crowd and others were waiting to be pleasantly surprised. When everyone heard this news, their reactions were different.
When Kang Yong-Ji heard this news, she simply sneered, "What game is he trying to play this time?"
But, just as she was waiting to see how her viewership ratings would surpass her previous record, an interesting video began circulating in Korea...
It was a collaboration between Crown Empire and a famous browser. As soon as the netizens opened the browser, the video would automatically pop-up. As the video was of a high quality, it quickly attracted the attention of youngsters...
As for the content of the video, it was none other than a climactic scene from 'The Forensic Concubine': the scene where Jun Yilan was forced to abdicate his thrown on his wedding night with Qing Lan...
_"Hey, I saw a video today...I think it was related to 'The Forensic Concubine'!"
_"Me too!"
_"F*ck, to see this video, I repeatedly opened the browser. I tried so hard to see it. Did you guys notice who the actor playing Jun Yilan was...?"
_"My God! It's Taeyeon! I'm going to explode. Quick, let's tell everyone. It's f*cken so good that I want to cry!"
_"Oh dear God, it's Taeyeon; it really is Taeyeon; it's actually Taeyeon! I can't believe it! Have you guys seen it yet? If you haven't, you should hurry over and check it out..."
Soon, the video received a large number of views. In fact, a few detailed fans even noticed that clicking on the video would take them straight to the official website of 'The Forensic Concubine'.
This time, the official website was no longer plain and deserted. Because now, sitting in the spot where a question mark previously represented the male lead was a photo of Jun Yilan.
That's right, it was a photo of Jun Yilan from the drama!
And there, written on the top right hand side of the photo in beautiful ancient calligraphy were the words, Jun Yilan -- played by Taeyeon.
_"I'm going to go crazy! I've never seen an actor that is so accurate to the author's description. Taeyeon is perfect! Especially when he is dressed in armor. He looks powerful, but heartbreaking."
_"But, the problem is, can Taeyeon act?"
_"I don't care if he can act or not. Even if he just stands still and does nothing, I'm willing to sit through 80 episodes."
_"When will 'The Forensic Concubine' be aired? I really want to see Jun Yilan. I'm so excited!"
_"My heart has never felt so much suspense from a drama before. I hope Crown Empire announces their air date soon. Otherwise, a few snippets from the drama would be just as good..."
_"It's so good. Tiffany and Taeyeon are exactly what we wanted from Qing Lan and Jun Yilan. The vibe is perfect!"
...
There were plenty of cheers from the audience, especially from youngsters. Because anyone that watched the video were drawn in by the short 10 seconds of footage.
Since the youngsters were all focused on finding more information about 'The Forensic Concubine', the number of people sitting in front of the television diminished. Even though Kang Yong-Ji still had complete confidence in her drama.
"I refuse to believe that a short clip like that would be able to cause much of an impact."
Indeed, a short clip wasn't going to do much, but, the next day, the viewership ratings for 'Concubine Ning' still shocked the industry.
During its opening, the rating exceeded 2. But, after 2 days, it had already dropped to 1.4, all because of the simple video released by 'The Forensic Concubine'. 10 seconds was all it took to almost cut 'Concubine Ning's' viewership rating in half.
As for the fact that Taeyeon was acting as Jun Yilan, the entire industry was shocked.
After all, no one expected that Taeyeon could act.
Above all, plenty of experts doubted that he had any acting skills at all.
But, in the past, didn't Tiffany manage to change from a model to an actress?
Regardless, the most shocking thing was, the reaction towards Taeyeon acting as Jun Yilan was huge. For the entire day, the words 'Taeyeon Jun Yilan' sat at the top of search rankings. One could imagine that the amount of attention it attracted was frightening.
Taeyeon seized the moment. So, as if on purpose, that night at 8pm, during 'Concubine Ning's' broadcast, he released the latest trailer for 'The Forensic Concubine'. This time, the video lasted for 3 minutes!
With the release of this 3 minute trailer, the fans once again went crazy. After all...
...the Jun Yilan portrayed by Taeyeon was so handsome that even the Gods had to agree!
Everyone aimed to watch the trailer because of Taeyeon's handsomeness. But, they ended up being convinced by the 3 minute clip. They had to admit that the acting in the drama, especially Tiffany's was realistic and full of life. As for Taeyeon, he exceeded everyone's expectations. He completely looked like an experienced actor who handled every scene with ease.
_"Boo, this is no fun. I want to watch the real thing."
_"How is 3 minutes enough? Just release the real thing, Crown Empire!"
_"Wow, I originally thought that since Tiffany and Taeyeon were a couple, their acting would be lacking. But, as soon as they got into character...I couldn't find any trace of the real them."
_"I don't care. This is the Jun Yilan that I wanted! I'm extremely satisfied!"
Because of the 3 minute trailer, plenty of people ended up losing interest in 'Concubine Ning'. After all, it had only started airing for 2 days and they hadn't developed any sentimental feelings towards it yet. Above all, 'The Forensic Concubine' was an adaptation of a quality IP with fans that already felt deeply about it. So, with the addition of Taeyeon, the drama created quite a stir.
As a result, by the fourth day, the viewership ratings for 'Concubine Ning' dropped to 1.1. If it continued at the same rate, it was possible that it would even drop below 1. So, the crew of 'Concubine Ning' suddenly felt a sense of panic.
Meanwhile, Kang Yong-Ji was so angry that she smashed everything on the floor.
She never imagined that 'The Forensic Concubine' would make a comeback like that.
Her glory, her viewers and her chance to become the Queen!
Because of Taeyeon and Tiffany, she had lost it all.
In response, 'Concubine Ning' decided to host a few events to save the situation. But, trying to win back viewers that had already been lost was not an easy task to achieve.
As she watched Tiffany and Taeyeon's followers increase and 'Concubine Ning's' viewers decrease, Kang Yong-Ji finally felt it was impossible to make a comeback. Initially, she thought that she'd be able to take a breath after 'The Forensic Concubine' finished its first round of promotions. But, the thing that made her breakdown even further was the announcement that 'The Forensic Concubine' would be airing on an opposing channel during the exact same primetime slot.
Previously, when the channel that 'Concubine Ning' was airing on, saw that the popularity of 'The Forensic Concubine' was through the roof, they had contacted Taeyeon in private. At that time, Taeyeon simply said to them, "If you are willing to remove 'Concubine Ning' from your channel, then I'm happy to air 'The Forensic Concubine'. Otherwise, don't even mention it."
But, of course, the channel couldn't just remove 'Concubine Ning' for no reason. So, they had to regretfully give up on the right to air 'The Forensic Concubine'.
They must have never imagined that cooperating with 'Concubine Ning' was equivalent to offending Crown Empire and Taeyeon...
So, Taeyeon ended up cooperating with their biggest competitor and chose the same airing time.
This competition was exciting enough, wasn't it?
Although everyone expected 'Concubine Ning' to suffer a huge blow, when they actually saw the ratings, they were still shocked beyond belief.
0.59 vs 3.1.
The viewership ratings for 'Concubine Ning' was even worse than the morning news broadcast.
'Concubine Ning' was the perfect example of opening high and ending low.
But, in reality, everyone knew that the situation had changed because of Taeyeon's attack.
It was because he was a smart decision maker.
So, the first day of airing for 'The Forensic Concubine' resulted in rave reviews.
_"Haha, I'm so happy. Seeing Qing Lan and Jun Yilan together fills me with joy."
_"Their characters were once young and pure!"
_"Although we know that sadness awaits them, I still want to keep watching."
The audience were cold-hearted. Even though they appeared to be loyal on the surface, they had pretty much forgotten that they had previously said that they'd only support Kang Yong-Ji when they watched 'Concubine Ning'. Now, apart from 'The Forensic Concubine', they no longer had any intention to watch any other drama.
Meanwhile, Taeyeon used solid proof to show everyone, if they provoked Crown Empire, they would only end up like Kang Yong-Ji, regardless of how much they appeared to be at an advantage.
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(Big Boss take action 😏😅😏😅)