This drama is different from what I expected.It has a bit of a cheap vibe, but still...Jo Ha-rin is really pretty. Is she the main character?No, she''s the secondary lead.???? No sense at all.

    The first broadcast of Dream Future was met with an unexpectedly positive reception, garnering a 15% viewership rating. This was an exceptionally encouraging result, as only two other dramas this year had achieved such ratings.

    Considering that those two dramas had significantly higher budgets and star-studded casts, Dream Future''s success was nothing short of a shock, even causing the higher-ups to take notice.

    "Is this really happening?"

    That statement perfectly captured the situation. Director Kim Pil-seok, who had initially been perceived as a competent but relatively young director, now found his reputation significantly enhanced.

    He had always been regarded as a capable director among the younger generation, but now...

    "He''s the problem solver, isn''t he?" "Absolutely. Nobody wanted to take on this project." "Well, it''s a youth romance, a genre that''s practically obsolete..." "To be honest, I was skeptical when I first saw the proposal."

    These were the kinds of discussions taking place within the broadcasting station.

    "But more than anything else..."

    There was another person who had caught the attention of the drama team at the broadcasting station.

    "It''s that girl again." "That girl? Ah, right..."

    The KMB drama team, especially the long-serving members, couldn’t forget one particular "girl."

    Ju Seoyeon.

    The child actress who had once shaken the entire broadcasting station with her performance in The Moon That Hid the Sun. She had made a dazzling comeback, making her name known again.

    "Whenever Seoyeon is involved, something changes." "Yeah, I know. There''s just a different feeling."

    A few members of the drama team remarked on this as they reviewed the first episode of Dream Future.

    "Usually, the highlight at the end of an episode gets the highest ratings." "Right, but I heard that Jo Ha-rin''s audition scene had even higher ratings?" "Yes, by about 2%."

    Director Kim Pil-seok had personally put extra effort into that scene. It was a slightly altered version of the original script. While he had discussed it with the writer, it had felt like a gamble.

    The focus should have been on the main leads in the first episode, but he had decided to give some attention to Jo Ha-rin as well. The result was a massive success.

    "This is a real headache for Cha Na-hee, who plays Song So-ha." "She''s probably feeling the pressure, especially since she''s an idol."

    In fact, fans of Cha Na-hee’s girl group were already voicing their concerns. They were upset that her screen time seemed to have been reduced.

    "But it’s not like Jo Ha-rin’s screen time was significantly increased. Her scenes barely added up to 10 minutes, even when you count all the cutscenes together." "Yeah, and Song So-ha had more than double that amount."

    In truth, Jo Ha-rin’s screen time wasn’t much different from the other supporting characters, aside from Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha. Her total screen time amounted to about 10 minutes, which included the shared cutscenes. Her personal scenes were even shorter, consisting mainly of her introduction and the audition scene.

    Yet, despite having far less screen time than Song So-ha, Jo Ha-rin made a much stronger impression on the viewers.

    It wasn''t that Jo Ha-rin did anything wrong. The only change in the script was that she passed the audition with her singing instead of dancing.

    So why did this happen?

    It was all about the acting. The impact of Jo Ha-rin’s scenes was so much greater than Song So-ha’s that viewers were left with the impression that Jo Ha-rin had appeared more frequently.

    After watching the drama, when people talked about it, they would inevitably mention the most memorable scenes. This was a significant advantage for Dream Future''s early success, but not everyone was happy about it.

    "This shouldn’t have been allowed."

    Writer Im Jin-ha muttered with a tone of irritation.

    "Oh, come on, Writer Im! It’s a hit, isn’t that great?" "......"@@@@

    Baek Tae-soo, a PD from the drama department who had a good relationship with Im Jin-ha, tried to console him. Baek Tae-soo was one of the senior PDs at KMB. Many expected him to be the next head of the drama department within a few years.

    He had had a chance before, but unfortunately, someone much more capable than him had taken the position, leaving him no choice but to step aside.

    "She couldn’t sing in the variety show." "Yeah, I saw that. Ju Seoyeon, right? She wasn’t good." "Exactly. That’s why I agreed to it... but I was completely fooled."

    Had that been acting too? How could she have sung so impressively in that scene? Im Jin-ha was not pleased.

    ‘I don’t like this.’

    Jo Ha-rin had originally been a character added out of necessity. She was meant to be a seasoning to the main dish, added to spice up the storyline between Song So-ha and Kim Si-hwan. But now, this seasoning was overshadowing the main course.

    In some ways, it wasn’t entirely wrong to think that way. A minor character shouldn’t overshadow the main characters. But Im Jin-ha’s dissatisfaction ran deeper.

    ‘What’s her relationship with Park Jung-woo?’

    Im Jin-ha was a fan of Park Jung-woo. He had wanted Park Jung-woo for the lead role from the start, and seeing Seoyeon getting close to him rubbed him the wrong way.

    ‘Yes, that’s what I should do.’

    Even so, there wasn’t much a drama writer could do.

    Drama writers, especially those with careers as relatively short as Im Jin-ha''s, often had limited power.

    If it weren’t for Baek Tae-soo PD and the one hit under his belt, Im Jin-ha wouldn’t have been able to say a word. But conversely, this meant that now he could.

    "I think I’ll reduce her screen time a bit more." "Hmm? Why? Things are going well right now..." "She’s overshadowing the main character." "Well, that’s true."

    Even though it was Ju Seoyeon who had significantly boosted the ratings for Dream Future, reducing her screen time might not be a bad idea...

    ‘But a drama where the lead gets overshadowed isn’t likely to succeed.’

    Even though the drama had taken off thanks to Ju Seoyeon, no one knew how long that would last. Giving more emphasis to Cha Na-hee might be a good move. While Ju Seoyeon’s acting had shone brightly, Baek Tae-soo didn’t think Cha Na-hee’s acting was bad either.

    Is that Ma Yeon-woo playing Park Min-yul?Wasn’t his character supposed to be upbeat and friendly?Friendly??? That sounds more like Ma Yeon-woo’s real personality.What kind of vibe is this?Ugh.Why are they doing the audition mission on the street in the first place?Why not? It’s possible.?Wait, no way...Is this for real?Oh my god...Turn on your blinker before you enter...Ah, I almost forgot this was that kind of drama after the first episode.I’m losing my mind!!!I think I’m going crazy.Who wrote this script?Ah...Please, just stop.Wait, hold on.Did they all get hypnotized?If you wanted to ruin the drama, you should’ve just said so.I recommended this drama to a friend...And they didn’t unfriend you? Your friend is too kind.But they’re actually doing well.The song is unexpectedly good.I’m going to keep watching just to see what happens next.It’s surprisingly watchable.The songs are good, too.But didn’t Jo Ha-rin seem to have less screen time this episode?She didn’t really have any scenes to appear in.That’s true.

    It felt like Jo Ha-rin, who had made a strong impact in the first episode, had her screen time reduced in this one. Most people attributed it to the nature of the episode.

    "Good."

    Writer Im Jin-ha smiled as he observed the reactions on various online communities.

    It wasn’t that he had made significant changes to the script or altered many scenes.

    He had simply removed a few lines.

    That was enough.

    ‘If I keep reducing her role like this...’

    By the time they reached the eighth episode, she would barely be visible.

    Im Jin-ha laughed at the thought.

    But there was one thing Im Jin-ha hadn’t considered.

    The third trailer for The Chaser that was released that evening.

    The second trailer for The Chaser hadn’t been much different from the first.

    Two detectives searching for the killer.

    Brutally murdered victims.

    A chase with the killer in a raincoat.

    The only difference was that there were more shots of Cha Seo-ah, the convenience store clerk.

    Why do they keep showing this extra character’s face so often?They’re probably trying to capitalize on her recent rise in popularity.Hmm...

    Such comments were common.

    As discussions about The Chaser started to gain traction, the final third trailer was released just before the premiere.

    The cinematography is definitely impressive.But there don’t seem to be any new scenes?

    The trailer was about two minutes long.

    It combined the key scenes from the first and second trailers.

    Ju Seoyeon, who had been criticized for her role as the convenience store clerk, barely appeared. Most viewers assumed that her role had been cut after the backlash from the second trailer.

    But then...

    Drip, drip, drip.

    The sound of rain falling.

    It was the same scene that had appeared frequently in the second trailer.

    The chase scene with the two detectives.

    In the previous trailer, it had always ended with them losing the killer.

    Now, the camera focused on the small figure of the killer standing still in a yellow raincoat.

    Clang.

    A fire axe held by the killer dropped to the ground.

    Thump, thump, thump.

    The heartbeat-like background music grew louder as the killer’s hand slowly moved.

    The viewers watching all thought, "No way."

    Was the killer’s face finally going to be revealed?

    Rustle.

    The hood of the raincoat slowly came down, revealing long, black hair.

    Slowly.

    Very slowly, the camera panned up, showing a sharp jawline and pale, rain-soaked skin.

    Finally.

    Red eyes.

    Glowing red eyes in the darkness.

    Cha Seo-ah.

    The woman who had been seen as nothing more than a convenience store clerk.

    The screen went black as her face was revealed.

    As if to say, everything had been shown.

    Quietly, the title The Chaser appeared on the now completely dark screen.

    Afterward, it was no surprise that movie communities exploded with discussions.