"You must become friends with her, my son."
Lee Hyuk-soo, a professor in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Korea's Baekyeon University Hospital.
His wife, Gil Su-jin, stroked her son's head and spoke in a gentle voice.
"It's all for your own good. Look. At all the things you can gain just by being friends with that girl."
She showed a photo of Lee Yoo-joo to her son, Lee Min-hyuk, and said.
"The daughter of a ruined college admissions coordinator. But inside her head is her older brother's entire portfolio. She knows how to study, and she knows what it takes to snatch the top spot at Baekyeon University's Medical School."
"Mom, I..."
"I know, my son. That you don't really like this girl. I heard from Min-seo. You fought today? Go and apologize to her tomorrow for sure."
"Mom!!"
Lee Min-hyuk finally couldn't hold back and yelled.
But to her son's outcry, his mother, Gil Su-jin, only looked at him quietly.
At that serene demeanor, Min-hyuk's angry voice gradually grew smaller.
"Then, you should have done a little better, shouldn't you?"
The hand that was stroking his head slowly descended and gripped Min-hyuk's shoulder tightly.
"If you had worked hard enough that I wouldn't have to do this. If you had worked hard enough that I wouldn't have to interfere like this, how nice would that have been? You should be ashamed. I heard she hasn't missed first place even once until now. That's the kind of girl she is. Can our son win against a girl like that?"
Even the middle school Lee Yoo-joo came from was inside this
It was a middle school roughly similar in level to Baekyeon Middle School.
A person who never missed first place even once in a place like that.
"I heard even the incoming student representative was Lee Yoo-joo."
In other words, he had lost completely in terms of grades.
At his mother's words, Min-hyuk felt as if his breath had stopped.
"You must become a doctor. Son."
At his mother's words, Min-hyuk's head very slowly.
Slowly nodded once, slightly.
"That's a good boy. Make sure to apologize tomorrow. I'll tell Min-seo as well."
Saying that, Gil Su-jin turned her back.
Leaving her son glaring at the floor behind her.
"Just do like Min-seo. Got it?"
The second child, whose grades were slightly lower than his, but with a good personality.
Lee Min-seo was already sticking closely to Lee Yoo-joo's side.
'Shameless bitch.'
Min-hyuk muttered that inwardly and turned around.
And the next day.
Min-hyuk went to the class of that female student he had bumped into on the first day.
Lee Yoo-joo's class.
Seeing his twin sister, Lee Min-seo, already sticking closely by her side, he smirked and strode over to say,
"I'm sorry."
Only then did Lee Yoo-joo's gaze move.
At first, bewilderment.
And then, realizing the reason, the corners of Lee Yoo-joo's eyes curved.
And the sneer that formed at the corners of her mouth.
"For what?"
"Yesterday, for telling you that you don't belong here. I didn't know you were the incoming student representative."
Lee Yoo-joo was an anomaly in this Baekyeon High School.
This place referred to as
The chosen ones.
The top 0.1 percent of South Korea.
Those who possess money, honor, and power—everything—reside here.
In the midst of that, a new student from the outside.
Naturally, it was only natural that most didn't view her kindly.
In this world where classes don't exist.
They looked at her like a commoner, as if classes did exist.
Nevertheless, there were people who approached her.
Like Min-seo.
The reason was obvious.
"I won't tell you."
Lee Yoo-joo stood up slowly and pressed her index finger against Min-hyuk's chest as she spoke.
"My older brother's portfolio."
At those words, Min-hyuk's eyes widened.
It was visible that Min-seo, who was beside them, also covered her mouth and stole a glance.
"That's why you're apologizing to me, isn't it?"
Saying that, Lee Yoo-joo removed the finger that was pressing against Min-hyuk's chest.
And smiled radiantly.
"So I won't tell you."
"You!!"
"But."
Lee Yoo-joo surveyed the people looking at her and said.
"It's not like I'm keeping it a complete secret."
Everyone here was a competitor.
They were all people studying for their families while bearing the expectations of their parents on their shoulders.
Of course, among them there would be some mediocres.
But, at least the motives of those looking at her so intensely were obvious.
"I'm very fickle, you see."
In Lee Yoo-joo's words, Min-hyuk saw his mother, Gil Su-jin, overlapping.
Because of that, he felt like he knew what she was going to say next.
"You have to go to university. Yes, to the Baekyeon University you desire. As the top of the department."
"Nonsense. ......At best, you only know a little."
"A little?"
Lee Yoo-joo laughed out loud at those words.
And then, stopping that laughter abruptly, she said.
"I took the CSAT last year, you know. How much do you think I scored?"
Min-hyuk didn't answer.
Lee Yoo-joo brought her face close to his and smiled.
"A perfect score."
And slowly pulling away from him, she extended only her index finger from her clenched fist.
"Meaning, first in the nation."
In a strange tension, Min-hyuk gritted his teeth.
And with a trembling voice, he denied those words.
First in the nation.
Why would he believe such an absurd statement.
Anyone could spout words without showing any proof.
"That could be a lie."
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. You'll see it eventually anyway."
High schools have mock exams anyway.
If her grades were exactly as Lee Yoo-joo said, the school would never leave her alone.
Even if she tried to hide it, the teachers would make it known themselves.
"It's not just grades, you manage your internal records too. And do volunteer work, right?"
Those words felt as if she was appealing her value to the people here.
It felt like she was speaking of the things they could gain if they became close to her.
Min-hyuk realized.
Just as we are trying to extract grades from her.
She too had a purpose in coming here.
And that purpose was following her father's will.
Just like himself.
"So, let's."
Lee Yoo-joo smiled broadly and said to everyone.
"Let's be friends."
At her words, Min-hyuk couldn't answer.
However, there was one thing he could know.
For at least these 3 years.
That she was the king of this Baekyeon High School.
Thus.
Episode 1 of
***
- So what the hell is the plot even about?
- Why would rich people care about grades?? Guess they don't know real rich people's tendencies lol
- But rich people do obsess over their kids' grades though
- College admissions coordinator ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Make it make sense
After Episode 1 of
The aspect that the setting itself was too exaggerated.
There were many things that didn't make sense, and the majority opinion was that it was an overly exaggerated progression.
- It was still somewhat watchable though
- Lee Yoo-joo is so fucking obnoxious
- The acting is so good it makes it even more annoying lol
From the opinions of such communities.
- So who's the male lead???
- Lee Min-hyuk;; Don't tell me he's the male lead??
- Honestly, it doesn't seem like a drama fit for public broadcast.. It feels like a cartoon for kids
- The immersion is definitely there though.
- Hul;; Was I the only one who found it fun??? I really enjoyed it
Evaluations on SNS, where the main viewer demographic is large, were also considerably divided.
While there were opinions that it was fun, there were also posts saying it was childish or that they didn't like the male lead.
Naturally, the atmosphere in the KMB Drama Department, having seen such reviews, was quite gloomy.
"Ah, 6 percent."
Director Kim Il-soo's head was already throbbing.
Of all days, there was a shoot today, so he was scheduled to meet Seo-yeon.
'It might be a huge shock to Actress Joo Seo-yeon.'
Seo-yeon had never experienced failure so far.
There were many cases where young actresses had their mental state shattered by harsh criticism they received for the first time.
"Hyun-seok, get ahold of yourself. Are you not going to film then?"
"But...... Haa."
It was the same just looking at the other young actors who came for today's shoot.
Perhaps because they had already seen the internet reactions, they looked like their mental state was shattered even before hearing the viewership ratings.
'I should have adjusted the filming schedule a bit if I knew this would happen.'
Kim Il-soo let out a sigh already.
Episode 1 viewership rating of 6 percent.
It was by no means a low number.
At least slightly better than average.
The problem was that with this level of viewership, the probability of it dropping in the future was higher than it rising.
Word of mouth only spreads when people watch it.
6 percent was a number standing right on that borderline.
"Of all things,
"Right. It's impossible not to compare them."
It's quite not bad, but literally it's only 'not bad', not 'good'.
Producer Baek Tae-soo's
If there were no competing work, the probability of a rebound would be high, but there's a massive hit right beside them?
Naturally, everyone's attention had no choice but to focus there.
'Really, it's nothing but bad news.'
Kim Il-soo looked at Writer Min Se-hee, who had been half-fainting since earlier.
She came to hear the viewership ratings today, and as soon as she heard them, she slumped over and was in that state.
Min Se-hee had said, "I-I'm not expecting much," but it seemed she still couldn't endure the miserable ratings.
It was to the point where he worried that her already scarce confidence would be further broken.
"B-But still, there's a YouTuber I've been watching recently. That YouTuber promoted it saying the latter half's potential is expected. So it's not the end yet. It's not the end!!"
Another staff member was eagerly giving Min Se-hee courage.
Of course, the fact that the basis was a mere YouTuber was funny though.
"Not a mere YouTuber, but a YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers!"
"1.4 million is quite a lot, isn't it?"
"R-Right, right. Originally, they're a fan of Actress Joo Seo-yeon, so they consistently review her works. On top of that, they almost predict the viewership ratings and audience numbers of the works Actress Joo Seo-yeon appeared in like a shaman......"
Well, was there anything to call a shaman.
The works Seo-yeon had appeared in so far were obviously going to be successful at a glance.
Just looking at them once, the results could be roughly estimated.
So calling them a shaman for predicting that was a bit......
'Still, I wish they were a bit right this time.'
Glancing over, the YouTube channel called 'Bongsik', for this quarter.
No, was explaining with spittle flying that this drama would become the hegemon of this year.
Saying that they couldn't understand the internet's harsh criticism.
- Oh my, Bongsik
- No matter what, Sky Garden over Grand Game????
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Real laugh out loud and leave
The reactions in the chat window weren't very good either.
There were even people pointing out that excessive fan spirit was instead poisonous.
Of course, Bongsik was saying absolutely not, that it just looked that way to him, but it was an atmosphere where it wasn't being taken seriously at all.
"Still, it's a relief there's a fan like that."
"Right."
Still, being a YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers, they were quite a reliable ally.
"Ah, I ran into Producer Baek on my way in today."
"Gasp! Did he perhaps not mock...... you?"
"No, rather he didn't look like he was in a good mood. Is something not going well?"
"No way. As far as I know, that side is almost in a festival atmosphere......"
Producer Baek Tae-soo didn't look like he was in a good mood?
This was another unexpected statement.
"Ah, Actress Joo Seo-yeon has arrived."
The words that Seo-yeon had arrived at the filming set followed immediately.
Naturally, the staff on the set waited for Seo-yeon with tense faces.
And, Seo-yeon who appeared on the set.
"Hello!!"
"?"
Somehow, she looked incredibly happy.
A greeting that would normally be calm, today was exceptionally buoyant.
'Huh?'
'She seems fine though?'
'No, beyond being fine, she looks way too happy??'
An incomprehensible situation.
Kim Il-soo couldn't help but be flustered by Seo-yeon's appearance going around greeting people as usual.
Had she not heard the viewership ratings yet?
Or was she denying reality due to the ratings being too low?
"U-Um, Actress Joo Seo-yeon. About the viewership ratings......"
"Ah, I heard it. They said 6 percent, right?"
But she heard it.
She heard it, but that reaction?
"M-Maybe she thought even 6 percent wouldn't come out with my script."
Min Se-hee, who had been shriveled up until now, crawled out and muttered such words.
Is that so?
No, how could that be?
She thought it was a script that would flop that badly, yet she participated in the production?
'No, that can't be.'
For that to be the case, Seo-yeon was sincere about this drama.
It looked like she had something else she wanted to achieve through this drama.
For Seo-yeon, it was a very large turning point.
She was absolutely not someone who would waste her first leading role in vain.
'What on earth is it?'
Doubts filled everyone's heads.
However, Seo-yeon was so bright that it made the problem they had been agonizing over until now feel like nothing.
"By any chance, does she think this level of viewership ratings can be completely overturned?"
"Come on, no way.
"If she overturns it, she's a god."
It was too big of a difference for one actor to overturn.
This wasn't an actor, but the script had to help.
But the script that was shattered in the most important Episode 1?
Everyone turned to Min Se-hee.
Receiving those gazes, Min Se-hee curled up again.
And fainted again, though.
'If Episode 1 is 6 percent, how much will Episode 2 get?'
Meanwhile, Seo-yeon, who had no idea what others were thinking, was just feeling good.
To the point where she had practiced her autograph all night yesterday.
'Originally, the viewership rating for Episode 2 was 4 percent.'
But now that it was already 6 percent, it was unknown how much it would get.
And.
Episode 2, which aired the next day.
[
[Chasing right behind
The reverse surge that would have originally started from Episode 4.
However, Seo-yeon realized after seeing the Episode 2 ratings.
That her