Chapter 113: A Miracle for Everyone (2)

“…23%? Did you just say that?”

Someone’s bewildered voice was the start.

“Special Task Force 808’s rating alone is 23%?”

“Really?”

“PD-nim, you’re not joking, right?”

PD Choi Heewon simply opened his mouth once more.

“You heard correctly. 23%.”

Then, chaos immediately erupted.

“Episode 1! It’s episode 1 and it’s 23%! Does that even make sense!”

“Uwaaaah!”

“Crazy! I’ll go get more beer!”

The inside of the restaurant became unbelievably rowdy, making it hard to believe it had been quiet just moments before.

They weren’t just shouting.

They were running around wildly as if their feet were on fire.

“Cheers! Cheers!”

“This is crazy! I’m really going crazy!”

They had worked through the nights, skipping sleep and meals every day.

So, could there be a more valuable reward than this number?

Because they had all suffered together, they could all rejoice together.

Only those seated near the actors and the PD had heard the news so far.

Soon, those who noticed the commotion gathered one by one.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“The ratings! Did the ratings come out!”

The shocking number was soon conveyed to them as well.

“…23%?”

Joy and frenzy began to spread like a wave.

“23% in this day and age, is that possible?”

“I know, right. The younger generation doesn’t even watch TV much these days?”

Then, PD Choi Heewon smiled faintly.

“It seems the opinions from communities and articles had an impact. Sua-ssi’s provocative article gathered immense attention, didn’t it? Everyone probably came to see how good she really was.”

It was then that Kim Yi-seo nodded.

“It turned out to be successful noise marketing in the end. It’s necessary sometimes. Wasn’t it Reporter Kim Sun-ah from StarCatch who started it? I should thank her sometime later.”

Around that time, Sua flinched.

Why else? Because Sua actually wrote that article! She didn’t even know what noise marketing was. She just wanted to be praised…

Suddenly, Wi Ji-hye muttered as if finding it absurd.

• –Did that truly have an effect?
• –Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
• –Sua is closer to a clock with no hour or minute hands….

‘What are these things saying?’

Sua shook her head vigorously to dispel the thoughts.

A hand gently touched her shoulder. It was Seo Yeon-ju.

“Sua, sorry. The PD asked you, but I answered instead, didn’t I? The number that came out was just so unbelievable.”

“It’s alright.”

Sua replied lightly.

What mattered was the rating, not who answered.

Her mental arithmetic was a bit slow anyway.

“Anyway.”

PD Choi Heewon, having already downed a shot of soju, spoke.

“It’s a real-time tally, so it’s not exact, but it won’t change much from here either. Let’s look forward to tomorrow’s broadcast even more.”

He shifted his gaze to Sua.

“By tomorrow, public opinion will likely flip, and then people will watch with anticipation rather than suspicion. Sua-ssi played a huge role. You did well performing the core role as Kim Yuhan.”

Thanks to him, the gazes of the people who had been purely rejoicing also shifted to Sua.

It was accompanied by a change in their eyes.

Their joy and elation transformed into gratitude towards Sua.

Soon, various words poured towards Sua as well.

“Kim Yuhan, hurray! Kim Yuhan, hurray!”

“Isn’t she Kim Yuhan herself, playing Lee Sua’s role? This kind of result is only natural. Tomorrow’s scene is even more amazing.”

“Sua-ssi! Please say something. The PD called you earlier but you didn’t answer, and we’re most curious about Sua-ssi’s reaction!”

Everyone seemed to mistake Sua’s frozen state for composure, but the reality was different.

Her brain had simply shut down.

‘23%, isn’t that almost 1/5?’

Then, the little Suas inside felt relieved.

Accompanied by murmurs like ‘At least she knows how to calculate simple probabilities.’

But the relief was short-lived.

Because whether it was Sua or the little Suas, it was time to be greatly surprised.

‘No way. They said even just over 10% is crazy!’

Even a fully packed baseball stadium holds around 20,000 people.

But with a 23% rating, just how many people watched?

It was impossible to grasp.

‘Crazy, crazy! What kind of rating for the first episode!’

It was a number that even the clueless Sua could feel the magnitude of.

She had seen articles pouring out before, saying even just exceeding 10% was amazing.

But hers was double that!

Sua looked at the special ability again.

[ Special Task Force 808 ]
▶ Sufficient implementation elements.
▶ Grade 1.

‘Grade 1 isn’t called Grade 1 for nothing.’

She was surprised again and again.

She admired the special ability’s insight, and felt proud of herself for raising a work that was Grade 2 when discovered all the way to Grade 1.

Afterward, anticipation filled her heart.

This was only Sua’s first drama, and only the first episode had aired.

Wouldn’t even greater things happen in the future?

Veteran supporting actor Hwang Myung-pil burst into hearty laughter.

“CEO Kim Yi-seo hit the jackpot, contracting with a meteor-like rookie. Her filmography is starting off differently, huh?”

“I know, right. Mystic is so lucky. Winning a Grand Prize with ‘Sword’, and the drama airing right after starts at 23%? Plus, Sua-ssi is the lead in both works, right?”

It was then that Seo Yeon-ju shrugged her shoulders.

“What did I tell you? I said Sua is a meteor.”

“Ri, right! She really is a wish-granting shooting star!”

Sua finally understood.

She wondered why people were suddenly treating her like a lucky charm; Seo Yeon-ju had been spreading it around.

“…?”

However, Sua sensed a change in the atmosphere compared to before.

You could tell by looking at their eyes.

Before, their expressions held a degree of playfulness, but now it was quite different.

How should one put it, faces contemplating seriously.

Kim Yi-seo opened her mouth.

“Pulling up a rock-bottom director, getting an unfinished work produced, one wins a Grand Prize, the other gets 23% ratings. This is one of two things. Either she only picks successes, or whatever she touches unconditionally succeeds.”

Everyone’s eyes widened even further.

Meanwhile, Sua only looked inward.

The little Suas were looking up at her with their chests puffed out proudly.

‘Alright, I get it. It’s thanks to you guys.’

Perhaps the special ability’s power and the little Suas’ advice created the current situation.

It was an indescribable grace.

When you think about it, Sua had merely added the spoon called ‘effort’.

The people around, unaware of these inner workings, had a serious atmosphere.

Writer Lee Geum-sook was almost teary-eyed.

“Sua choosing my script was almost like divine possession. Sua, I’ll emphasize it again. Thank you.”

That was the beginning.

“I couldn’t make a wish earlier! Again!”

“Making a wish now! Please let my confession succeed!”

“Line up! Line up!”

“I wish for a long and healthy life without illness!”

“Please do something about my hair loss!”

◈◈◈◈◈

Finally, the company dinner came to an end.

Perhaps about 2 hours had passed since the end of the first episode’s broadcast.

“Awoooo…”

After finishing her bath, Sua sprawled out on her bed.

Too many things happened today.

Fatigue belatedly washed over her.

‘I thought I could sleep soundly with my feet stretched out today…’

Sua had thought at the restaurant.

Since both Kim Yuhan and Special Task Force 808 had started successfully, she would definitely fall asleep happily.

However, actually lying down, her emotions were complicated again.

Happiness, excitement, fear, etc., tangled together wildly.

It was because a desire had formed within Sua.

The hope that episode 2 airing tomorrow would also receive a good response, the hope that things would get even better in the future.

Sua hadn’t grasped this concept yet, but she knew what she had to do next.

Let’s work hard.

To embrace this excitement in the future as well.

But it was then.

Woowoong—

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

“…Huh?”

It was some text message, and right after confirming the sender, Sua furrowed her brows.

The sender wasn’t someone within her expected range.

[ Sender : Lina Pilates Kim Soo-young ]
▶ Sua-ssi, did you perhaps start acting?

▶ I usually keep up with dramas. A work I’m interested in came up recently, so I was looking up related articles, and what do you know, there’s an article related to Sua-ssi from the short film side?

▶ Is this really Sua-ssi? Really?

‘Ah, because of the short film?’

Sua understood.

Articles related to the short film had poured out immensely, and it seemed people were starting to recognize Sua.

On the other hand, it was strange.

‘Lee Soo-young? Wasn’t she someone I wasn’t close to at all?’

This person wasn’t a Pilates instructor, just one of the members who took classes together.

But contacting me suddenly? Should I reply?

But it was then.

Woowoong—

The phone vibrated once more.

[ Sender : Head Chef-nim ]

Another text message arriving from someone else was the signal flare.

“What, what is it. What.”

Woowoong—
Woowoong—
Woowoong—

[ Sender : Trainer Park Ho-yoon ]
[ Sender : Japanese Tutor-ssaem ]
[ Sender : Dance Instructor ]

After that, due to the flood of messages arriving as if planned.

“Huaaaaah…?”

Woowoong—
Woowoong—

Sua’s phone soon became a crybaby.