Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 60 The Butterfly Effect on Premiere Night
The ending theme song of "The Heirs" gradually faded out on the TV screen.

The preview for the next episode is starting to emerge.

Jiang Zaixun sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding the remote control in his hand, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at Li Jingcheng.

"How about it?"

He held it in for the entire episode and finally couldn't help but speak.

Lee Sung-kyung peeled the orange slowly and methodically, without even raising her eyelids:

"How about what?"

"The acting, the sense of the camera, the rhythm of the lines—"

Jiang Zaixun tried hard to pretend that the question was casual.

Li Jingjing finally opened her eyelids and her gaze lingered on his expectant face for two seconds:
"Better than the toilet plunger god."

"...Lee Sung Kyung, you're actually my anti, right?"

"Would Anti watch such a boring TV show?"

Jiang Jae-hoon was choked and speechless.

Just as the preview of the next episode on TV finished playing, it cut to Yoona's skincare product advertisement.

Her porcelain-white face is almost transparent under the soft light filter, and the slow motion of her fingertips sliding across her cheek is accompanied by the slogan "The touch of first love".

"Yoona's skin is indeed..."

Jiang Zaixun was halfway through his words when he suddenly realized the danger.

Li Jingjing put the orange at her lips:

"Really what?"

"nothing!"

Jiang Zaixun suddenly grabbed the remote control and frantically changed channels, but found that every channel was playing variety show specials related to "The Heirs".

SBS’s publicity efforts seem to be trying to weld this drama into the national memory.

"Change to this."

Lee Sung-kyung suddenly grabbed the remote control and turned to an animal documentary.

On the African grasslands, a cheetah is hunting an antelope.

Jiang Zaixun stared at the cheetah's taut back muscles and suddenly an idea came to him:

"Is the Bible a disguised way of praising me for my good figure?"

"... Stop flattering yourself."

Li Jingcheng picked up an orange peel and hit him in the face:
"I'm going to bed."

Jiang Zaixun took off the orange peel that was covering his eyes and checked the time:
"It's only half past ten."

"I have an early flight tomorrow. Remember to sort your trash, crush the cans, and tie the bags tightly around your food waste."

"understood--"

The alarm clock rang suddenly in the darkness.

Jiang Jae-hoon jumped up from the sofa with a start and turned off his phone in a hurry.

Outside the window was still immersed in thick darkness.

He walked barefoot on the cold floor and groped his way to the kitchen. The dull sound of his knees hitting the corner of the coffee table was particularly clear in the silence.

The refrigerator door was carefully opened.

The cold light illuminated Jiang Zaixun's messy hair.

Kimchi from the refrigerator, instant porridge, rice balls - these are not things Lee Sung-kyung would eat.

He hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and searched for "models' diet before a fashion show."

——Low salt, high protein, easy to digest.

When Jiang Zaixun packed the rice rolls in a plastic box, there was a slight click from the master bedroom door lock.

Lee Sung-kyung came out dragging her suitcase, her face still cold from sleepiness, but she stopped when she saw the light from the kitchen.

"you……"

"I, I got up to go to the bathroom!"

Jiang Jae-hoon stuffed the lunch box into her hand.

Li Jingcheng bowed his head——

The fresh-keeping box is filled with seaweed rolls of varying thicknesses, some of which even have their fillings exposed.

"Bought it at a convenience store?"

"I did it."

Jiang Zaixun pointed at the ugliest one:

"There was too much rice here so it exploded."

“…Security will confiscate it.”

"Ah? Let's eat now?"

"You're eating kimbap at four in the morning?"

Jiang Zaixun opened his mouth and suddenly changed the subject:
"Did you bring your passport?"

"Ah."

"A converter?"

"……Um."

Jiang Zaixun scratched his head, then suddenly remembered something and rushed back to his room. When he came out, he had a gray-blue scarf in his hand.

"The temperature in Shanghai has dropped."

"There's no room for the suitcase—"

The scarf was already wrapped around her neck. Jiang Zaixun's fingers clumsily tied a knot, and the wool material brushed against Li Jingjing's chin, with a faint scent of softener.

"..."

Li Jingcheng's ears turned red under the cover of her scarf. She turned her face away and coughed lightly:
"It's so ugly." "I'll take you down."

Jiang Zaixun grinned, picked up her suitcase and walked downstairs.

Lee Sung-kyung silently stuffed the lunch box into her tote bag and followed him.

Neither of them spoke as they walked up the stairs to the fifth floor.

Only the sound of footsteps echoed in the narrow space.

Outside the unit door, the agent's nanny car had already turned on its double flash lights.

Jiang Zaixun handed the suitcase to his assistant and turned around and said:
"Bible, can you please send me the flight number?"

"what?"

"Just...check the weather."

Li Jingjing stared at his messy hair for three seconds, then suddenly picked up his phone and pressed a few buttons. The phone in Jiang Zaixun's pocket vibrated immediately.

【KE895 Incheon-Pudong 06:45】

"gone."

She turned and got into her agent's car without looking back.

Jiang Jae-hoon stood there, watching the taillights of the car disappear around the corner of the alley.

The morning breeze was a little chilly, and he realized belatedly that—

He ran out wearing only slippers.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

When Jiang Zaixun arrived at the set and opened the door of the lounge, the low pressure that hit him made him pause.

The makeup artists were silently organizing their tools, while the assistants were looking down at their phones.

Lee Min Ho leaned on the sofa in the corner, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed;

Park Shin Hye held the script but didn't turn a page for a long time.

"Did they have a quarrel?"

Jiang Zaixun whispered to the stylist beside him.

"The premiere ratings are out."

The stylist lowered his voice: "11.6%."

Jiang Jae-hoon blinked:
"Isn't this nice?"

"But this is screenwriter Kim Eun-sook's new work!"

Jiang Zaixun finally reacted——

An 11.6% viewership rating is a satisfactory score for any TV station, but it is particularly glaring when applied to Kim Eun-sook's golden name.

This time, SBS bet all its autumn prime time and publicity resources on "The Heirs", but the premiere did not even beat KBS's "Secret" (12.4%) in the same time slot.

Although the premiere ratings do not represent the final results, the blow to the morale of the production team is real.

"The directors' faces were all black during the meeting this morning."

The stylist continued to mutter, "I heard that screenwriter Jin is going to change the script."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zaixun took out his phone and looked at the Naver trending search list——

#TheHeirsFirstAir# is still ranked third in the entertainment section, but a glaring headline has already appeared in the real-time discussion area:
[Kim Eun-sook is dethroned?]

[Lee Min Ho + Park Shin Hye couldn't beat Ji Sung alone? ]

On the decline of Mary Sue dramas

……

"Zai Xunxi."

The stagehand knocked on the door of the lounge: "Writer Jin wants to see you."

"it is good."

The air pressure in the conference room is one third higher than that in the lounge.

"sit."

Kim Eun-sook pushed a data sheet towards Kang Jae-hoon.

"Last night, the peak ratings came during the segment with you and Bo Na, with an instantaneous rating of 14.1%."

Jiang Zaixun's fingertips paused on the data sheet—

The combined screen time of him and Krystal in the first episode was less than five minutes.

It’s actually the peak ratings?
"Audience feedback says that your style is different from other actors."

Jin Enshu suddenly smiled: "I'm praising you for being like a warm man who exists in real life."

"..."

Jiang Zaixun did not comment on this evaluation.

But if Lee Sung-kyung heard it, she would probably sneer in disdain.

"From today on, you and Bona will have two more scenes together in each episode."

Kim Eun-sook pushed the new script in front of him:

"Hold it well. The audience wants to see chemistry that makes them smile."

Jiang Zaixun opened the script and found that Yin Canrong's role had almost doubled.

Tutoring in the library, having lunch dates on the rooftop, and even a scene where he carries Li Baona home.

"Thank you, screenwriter nim. I will try my best."

Jiang Jae-hoon closed the script and bowed to leave.

When he walked out of the meeting room, the set had returned to its busy pace.

Kang Jae-hoon looked at Krystal Jung who was being touched up by the stylists.

Krystal seemed to sense something and blinked when her eyes met his through the makeup mirror.

(End of this chapter)