How a Loan Shark Survives as an Actor Chapter 40

Chapter 40

 

The ratings for Episodes 3 and 4 of ‘Our Space’ were noticeably higher than those of the previous episodes.

The numbers were high enough to be called a miracle by terrestrial broadcast standards.

The debate surrounding Yoo Seulho’s acting skills also died down quickly.

Everyone had seen it with their own eyes through this week’s broadcast.

Whether Yoo Seulho could act or not.

‘It was the kind of performance that could no longer be debated.’

The production staff already knew.

The moment people became convinced that Yoo Seulho was actually a good actor, public interest would drop sharply.

‘After all, the drama only blew up because of Yoo Seulho in the first place.’

And the investors knew it too.

Since they all understood exactly how the industry worked, some of them even proposed:

“Let’s release NG scenes for only Yoo Seulho’s parts at a 50% ratio.”

The fortunate thing for Yoo Seulho was that PD Jang Mingu, the director of ‘Your and My Space’, wasn’t a rookie.

If he had been a complete newcomer making his directorial debut, maybe things would’ve been different.

But from Director Jang’s perspective, the suggestion was utterly ridiculous.

‘Are these people insane?!’

Although he had been forced into the status of a “filler drama” because he insisted on using his own script instead of following orders from above, Director Jang was still a fairly well-known PD within the industry.

Furious, he exploded.

“You want me to release a failed product to the public just to attract some attention?!”

And thanks to his outrage, the NG footage leak was stopped.

‘We need something else to attract attention.’

Now that Yoo Seulho’s acting could no longer be used for viral marketing, they needed another strategy.

And the production team’s hope rested on one thing:

Woo Junseo’s massive fanbase.

He was an actor tremendously popular among women in their twenties and thirties, and he was famous for excellent fan service.

People even mocked him by saying:

“He’s probably the only actor who built a fanbase using an idol-style parasocial dating image.”

By pure accident, supporting actor Yoo Seulho had generated enormous interest in the drama.

Now it was time for the lead actor, Woo Junseo, to take the baton.

The production team wasn’t even asking him to raise the ratings further.

Their stance was simple:

‘At least maintain the attention that the supporting actor brought in!’

The problem started there.

 

***

 

➝Why does the drama become so boring whenever Woo Junseo appears?

↳ I thought I was the only one TT

 

There wasn’t a single scene this week that made viewers feel the male lead’s charm.

It wasn’t because he lacked screen time.

Woo Junseo actually had more screen time than the female lead, Choi Ran.

Even Yoo Seulho, who had become the biggest topic of discussion, only had more scenes compared to Episodes 1 and 2.

Overall, his total screen time was still small and remained at the level of a supporting actor.

Woo Junseo had plenty of scenes where he could have shown off his appeal.

Yet somehow viewers couldn’t stay engaged.

The lack of chemistry between the leads also played a role.

‘Of course, the drama itself wasn’t the problem.’

The leads looked good together.

The dialogue was appropriately cheesy.

The acting was solid.

‘Our Space’ fulfilled exactly what viewers expected from a youth drama.

But there was nothing beyond that.

Nothing to make people obsess over it.

In short:

There was nothing to chew on.

 

➝Starved again today…

➝Maybe they’ll finally give us something next episode…

➝I couldn’t find anything to watch, so I looked up the behind-the-scenes clips and immediately regretted it;;

➝Damn, I almost ate rotten food because I was hungry.

↳ Better to starve to death than watch that.

 

Even the behind-the-scenes videos, which were practically mandatory content for romance dramas, were being avoided.

Warning posts circulated telling viewers never to watch the behind-the-scenes footage if they wanted to stay emotionally invested.

What nobody knew was that the production team had already filtered the footage as much as possible.

They had carefully selected only the scenes where the two leads appeared friendly together.

Ironically, the person who received the spotlight once again through those videos was Yoo Seulho.

In the behind-the-scenes clips, where he actually had more screen time than the leads, Yoo Seulho came across as a very charming actor.

The editing was so blatant that people even joked that Director Jang was secretly sponsoring Yoo Seulho.

‘But what were we supposed to do?’

The staff were human too.

Wasn’t it natural to want to show actors who treated them well in a more favorable light?

Woo Junseo had become increasingly sensitive, to the point where people joked he needed a rabies shot.

Choi Ran was polite, but she always felt distant.

Not exactly the kind of celebrity who felt approachable.

Meanwhile, Yoo Seulho constantly bought coffee for the staff, paid attention to the atmosphere on set, and moved quickly whenever something needed to be done.

‘Of course we’re going to like him more…’

‘No, forget that! If we don’t include Yoo Seulho, we won’t have any behind-the-scenes footage at all, you idiots!!!!!’

The production staff felt like they were dying from frustration.

The two leads had essentially signed a treaty that said:

“Outside of filming, let’s pretend the other person doesn’t exist.”

What exactly were the staff supposed to do with that?

In any case, the conclusion was simple.

 

➝Maybe I’m getting old…

➝This isn’t exciting at all.

➝#1 Most Boring Male Lead in History

➝Look how quiet Woo Junseo’s fan café is lol

➝Even his fans seem uninterested.

 

The production team’s hope in “Woo Junseo’s star power” produced very little effect.

As a result, Episode 5’s ratings dropped compared to the previous week.

The drop wasn’t catastrophic.

But everyone started groaning:

 

➝”If this is happening at Episode 5, what are we supposed to do until Episode 12?”

 

At this rate, ‘Our Space’ would become:

 

➝”Oh, that drama with Yoo Seulho in it?”

 

And nothing more.

While the production team fell into despair, one person entered a state of complete fury.

That person was…

 

➝”You guys are seriously unbelievable!

➝Huh?!

➝Can you even call yourselves fans?”

 

Woo Junseo.

The man who hadn’t received his rabies shot in time.

Less than a few hours after Episode 5 aired, he turned on a livestream.

And promptly lost his mind.

He forced his manager away, went alone to a private bar, and created a complete disaster.

 

➝”Why aren’t you watching my drama?!

➝What the hell are these ratings?!”

 

His agency and his fans both panicked.

But nobody nearby could stop him.

Eventually, his agency contacted the streaming platform and forcibly shut the broadcast down.

Until then, Woo Junseo had whined nonstop for one hour and forty-seven minutes.

Longer than most movies currently in theaters.

Even that wasn’t enough.

The moment the stream was forcibly terminated, he started another one and began filming an unwanted sequel.

 

➝”Are you all really going to act like this?

➝Yoo Seulho’s fans praise him all the time, so why don’t you…”

 

It was a second installment nobody wanted.

And it too was shut down after only a few minutes.

The impact of the livestream was enormous.

The next day, after sobering up, Woo Junseo posted a cute, playful apology through a private fan communication platform.

Many of his fans forgave him despite the half-hearted apology.

Some even apologized to him instead for making him feel stressed over the ratings.

The public reaction, however, was completely different.

Since Woo Junseo’s appeal had always centered around being a dependable and emotionally attractive man, many people said they were even more disappointed.

Yet even amid all this, people seemed more interested in Yoo Seulho’s fans than in criticizing Woo Junseo.

Because thanks to Woo Junseo, they had suddenly become known as:

“The people who suck up to Yoo Seulho.”

And they had embraced the title wholeheartedly.

They introduced themselves as:

Straws.

 

➝Seulho’s smile in this video is especially pretty TT

↳ Straw, state your rank and name.

↳ Salute! Private Kim ○○ reporting!

↳ Completed my 13th full rewatch as of this moment!

↳ Good work. Now go wash some rags.

 

➝Sergeant, I went on leave, and now the Straw Barracks are packed.

➝Why are there so many people?

↳ Can’t stop it.

↳ Seulho keeps smiling.

↳ LMAOOOOOO “Straw Barracks” TT

 

➝You idiots aren’t even embarrassed about worshipping a celebrity.

➝Seriously pathetic. Get a grip.

↳ Shut up if you don’t have a Straw License.

↳ If I get a grip, who’s taking responsibility?

↳ You?

↳ Are you gonna marry me?

↳ If I stick a straw into you the way I do with Yoo Seulho, are you gonna support me?

↳ Make me happy?

↳ Can you make me smile the way Seulho does?

↳ Then let’s stay together forever.

↳ Not even one second apart, honey.

↳ ……That’s terrifying.

↳ Original commenter probably pissed themselves.

↳ Seriously, why would you provoke Yoo Seulho fans?

↳ They’re obviously all crazy.

 

“Straw” wasn’t exactly a flattering nickname.

But they didn’t care.

These were the people who had supported Yoo Seulho when the entire nation disliked him.

They were the fans who survived underground, drinking from subterranean aquifers while everyone mocked them.

They weren’t normal to begin with.

And now those same people were cautiously emerging onto the surface.

Even if Seulho became unpopular again and they had to retreat underground, they still had a job to do.

‘If I don’t promote my actor, who will?’

‘Seulho, you focus on acting.’

‘I’ll handle the marketing.’

Possessed by the spirit of Han Seokbong’s mother, Yoo Seulho’s fans spent entire nights creating shorts, leaving comments, and attracting attention.

Soon, the fans themselves became content.

The more people watched their antics, the more interested they became.

And as interest grew, some people began getting nervous.

Most of them were Woo Junseo’s fans.

 

➝If Yoo Seulho didn’t have that face, his career would’ve failed ages ago, and he’d be busy getting sponsored by rich grandmas lol.

➝First time he’s ever become relevant in a twenty-year career, and he still couldn’t get the #1 ratings spot.

➝My condolences for your actor only being worth this much…

 

Some vicious insults appeared in anonymous message boxes on social media.

Yoo Seulho’s fans didn’t even flinch.

Instead, they responded with comments designed to shatter the other side’s mental state.

 

➝LOL.

➝We raised him ourselves while saying, “Just stay healthy, and we’ll be happy.”

➝Then he suddenly turns into a genius at his actual job and comes back with praise from everywhere.

➝And you’re expecting him to hit #1 ratings?

➝Is that how you raise children?

➝Damn, you’re harsh.

➝I get that your oppa broke your mental, but go collect some more insults.

➝Our boy already ate plenty of those and is in the middle of resurrecting.

➝As for your oppa…

➝Call us when the obituary comes out.

➝We’ll wipe away our tears.

↳ Straw, stop it. You’re making the kid cry.

↳ Seriously, I’m not Nielsen Ratings.

↳ Why are they suddenly talking to me about ratings?

↳ Of course I’m pissed.

↳ Calm down.

↳ (Honestly, this is hilarious.)

 

They were a fortress.

An iron wall.

Because they had spent years listening to every insult imaginable.

People constantly asked them:

 

➝”Out of all the celebrities in the world, why would you choose Yoo Seulho?”

 

And yet they had continued supporting him.

The tiny handful of fans forged in darkness had fully embraced their villain arc.

Now they roamed the surface proudly.

Everyone looked on in awe at their fearless march.

And thus, even Woo Junseo’s insane livestream was buried beneath the even crazier crusade of Yoo Seulho’s fans.

It was truly…

The Age of Yoo Seulho.