The comments came flooding in because no one had expected Pyeonghwa to just feed it to him straight to his face like that.

“...Don’t take what they said earlier too seriously. If you keep things like that bottled up, you’ll only get hurt.”

Daniel, who had gone to the storage room with Pyeonghwa, spoke up. Pyeonghwa unfolded the jacket and checked it over before answering cleanly.

“I’m from Dongdaemun, you know.”

“Ah....”

“If I lived my life dwelling on every little thing people said, I would’ve fallen apart ages ago.”

Pyeonghwa, who had been silently working, suddenly spoke as though something had just occurred to her.

“If I keep dressing like this... would it hurt the company?”

At that, Daniel let out a groan.

“I mean, everyone has their own individuality, so it’s hard for me to say anything, but... our entire profession basically revolves around preaching the importance of outward appearance, right?”

“Hmm....”

“And as you know, our CEO has enemies everywhere. Even the tiniest flaw gets blown way out of proportion the moment someone grabs onto it.”

“....”

Nam Pyeonghwa thought of Jeon Segye.

A man who wore suits like armor, whose hair was always perfectly in place, who strode forward every single day with confident steps supported by gleaming dress shoes.

Maybe everything about him had needed to be perfect, which was exactly why it had become perfect.

“Ahem....”

Emily, whom nobody had even realized was standing outside the storage room, cleared her throat to announce herself.

“I got them as birthday gifts, but the colors really don’t suit my personal palette, so I have some completely brand-new cosmetics just sitting around....”

“If you want to give them to me as a gift, just say so.”

“Who said that? I’m saying I don’t have anywhere to store them. It’s not like I have a ton of friends.”

-LOL Emily is so cute T_T

-She’s so sweet, I love her T_T

-Wasn’t actress Emily friends with Han Yeoreum originally? I think I saw her in that Park Sehee episode of <EmBubu>

-Yeah yeah, that’s right. They did theater together

The one who interrupted Emily was Jeon Segye.

“You don’t need to do that. Don’t pay attention to what they said earlier. It was nonsense.”

Having come into the storage room, Jeon Segye looked directly at Nam Pyeonghwa as he spoke.

“You’re fine exactly the way you are, Ms. Nam Pyeonghwa.”

It was the first time she had ever heard words like that.

* * *

Before anyone realized it, Episode 2 of <Dongdaemun Romance> was already nearing its end. That night, as Jeon Segye lay in bed preparing to sleep, Little Segye appeared by his pillow.

“What should I wear tomorrow? Mother might come rushing over when she hears those bastards showed up again, so maybe the limited edition piece they flew in from Milan last time would be best. She’ll probably tear up with worry again.”

“What did she say earlier? She said she could only see my face! I need glasses that really emphasize my nose bridge.”

“She... said something like that for the first time....”

Analysis Segye and Arrogant Segye both whipped their heads toward Self-Esteem Segye.

“She said she could only see me....”

Nam Pyeonghwa’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“So everyone here trusts only you, CEO. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Analysis Segye, Arrogant Segye, and Self-Esteem Segye all blushed red.

“....”

The real Segye, lying in bed, did too.

The next day, Nam Pyeonghwa stood before a mirror.

She turned on a curling iron and lined up the cosmetics Emily had given her yesterday.

Music that felt like something was about to change began to play.

Bright lighting poured over Pyeonghwa.

Soft lipstick glided across her lips.

Instead of her usual comfortable clothes, Pyeonghwa reached for something pretty.

-Holy shit

-The makeover already?????

-I’m losing my mind waiting for this

-Pyeonghwa TT_TT

And then, only the back of the transformed Pyeonghwa was shown.

As Pyeonghwa entered the B-bly building, she caught the elevator doors before they closed.

“...”

“...”

Inside stood a stunned Jeon Segye.

-DON’T CUT IT THERE

-Fuck, now we have to wait till next week

-Please just let us see Pyeonghwa’s face. Just once. Just her face.

-TT_TT It’s already over

The preview rolled alongside the music.

The two of them went shopping at a department store. Jeon Segye looked genuinely shocked. Even his ears were red.

“I was gonna pretend not to notice, but are you aware that Intern Nam has been unusually excited since earlier?”

After showing a date scene in a luxurious lounge—

“I figured out the kind of clothes PinkJoo would really want to wear.”

Nam Pyeonghwa appeared hard at work in full professional mode, followed by a shot of a sleek office covered with countless fabric samples.

And finally—

“It’s your first time!”

Jeon Segye stared blankly at the Little Segyes.

“With kissing!”

-???

-They already have a kiss scene????

-When???

-Fuck, show us before you leave

-Hey you crazy bastards

Episode 2 of <Dongdaemun Romance> came to an end.

* * *

“Not bad.”

Director Ja, who had stopped by the set and watched the broadcast, said that casually.

I was startled by his clean-cut evaluation.

“Really?”

“Why are you so shocked?”

Anyone else would’ve been one thing, but hearing that from Director Ja himself was enough to surprise me. Not only the staff around me, but even Seo Eden had edged closer.

Nobody said it out loud, but the tension on set was at its peak right now. Because this was where the pre-filmed episodes ended.

Starting next week, there were three different productions preparing to come charging after us.

“E-especially what part? Maybe my Little Segyes...?”

“Your instincts are dulling. Here, got a pen or something?”

The moment Director Ja spoke, someone immediately handed over a pen and paper as though they had been waiting.

“A standard romance usually looks like this.”

Female lead: poor

Male lead: prince

Premise: therefore they cannot be together

“Then you introduce external enemies.”

Villainess: princess

Female lead: (self-esteem shattered)

Male lead’s mother: vicious

Female lead: (feels miserable)

“You know the type, right? The female lead sees the male lead with the villainess from afar, realizes they belong to different worlds, and cries while walking away. Then the mother calls the female lead over and hands her an envelope full of money.”

Everyone nodded at the words of the king of rage-bait directors.

“Then you add more obstacles.”

Female lead’s younger sibling and mother:

(sick, a delinquent, or dead in an accident)

“The female lead accepts the money because she desperately needs her mother’s cancer surgery fees. The villainess tells her she already paid off the younger brother’s debts, so if she truly cares about the male lead, she should leave him. Then the female lead’s father gets killed in a hit-and-run caused by the male lead’s father’s drunk-driving chauffeur.”

One familiar cliché after another came pouring out.

“You explode it, twist it, exaggerate it, and bam, sixteen episodes done. They love each other, but they can’t be together. They can’t, but they love each other anyway.”

The romance-drama-savvy staff nodded rapidly.

“And the thing that drives the flow of the story most is, of course, the emotions between the two leads—.”

Male lead: (doesn’t give reassurance, asshole)

Female lead: (uncertain, hurt...)

“Can’t, can, can’t, can, can’t, can. Do you love me? Do you not? Do you? Do you not? That constant back-and-forth. Sure, there’s a certain delicious tension in that too, but <Dongdaemun Romance> is like this.”

Male lead:

(pretends not to reassure her but actually gives her everything;

he’s basically the one more in love. The loser.)

Female lead:

(confident, basically the one in power)

“You know how it is.”

Director Ja smiled.

“The psychology of someone who wants to drag out the flirting phase as long as possible when they’re the one holding the upper hand.”

Jeon Segye was a transparent person.

He was a man whose confusion from experiencing these feelings for the first time was written all over his face.

There was almost nothing more satisfying than watching a man who was obviously hopelessly in love pretend he wasn’t.

This was the “my man” moment Seo Eden had been prepared for by top writer Hwang Boseok.

That pure-hearted sincerity. The clumsy fumbling of someone struggling alone. And on top of that, the enormous lovestruck filter that made him adore her even when she was completely comfortable around him.

Nothing captured viewers’ hearts more powerfully than straightforward emotions charging directly ahead.

By the time we noticed the staff gathering around, Director Byeon Juhwa had already approached.

“As expected of Director Ja. You really know your stuff.”

The fluttery excitement from hearing Jeon Segye’s inner thoughts through the Little Segyes, anticipation for Nam Pyeonghwa’s growth, the solidarity of B-bly standing together against outside enemies, and the vicarious thrill of the glamorous fashion world—

All of it combined together.

“Because the first-love card is unbeatable.”

That was what would firmly secure <Dongdaemun Romance>’s viewer base.

I looked over at the coffee truck Director Ja had brought with him.

[Ja Sokhwan supports Dongdaemun Romance]

(Especially Baby Melon Bread)

My face was plastered huge across the pale-green banner.

Director Ja’s favoritism was painfully obvious.

“Anyway, even if this thing somehow crashes and burns, I’ll drag you back up by the collar later, so don’t feel too pressured.”

“You fucking psychopath, who comes to someone else’s set and says shit like that?”

“Hurry up and grow bigger and come over already, Melon Bread.”

Before Director Byeon could explode with anger, Director Ja wrapped one hand around my head with a thump and left.

Touching the spot his hand had rested on, I made myself a promise.

‘I’ll make this a success first. Then I’ll come.’

* * *

<Dongdaemun Romance> did everything it possibly could.

The Episode 3 preview was uploaded immediately, and they properly released behind-the-scenes footage from ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the set too.

[Dongdaemun Romance Minor Gallery]

[Segye’s actor uploaded a four-cut photo of the two of them.jpg]

Are we getting one of these every week now? I’m already hyped

Anonymous (17.1) Let’s just start demanding it first, maybe they’ll listen

Anonymous (23.322) When the actors are close in real life, the content drops are insane... this is sweet as fuck

Anonymous (4.20) They’re so damn cute

Seo Eden really showed his idol veteran experience.

He uploaded a previously taken two-shot with Nam Pyeonghwa to his SNS story, generously feeding the viewers even more material to obsess over.

[<Dongdaemun Romance> continues advancing through the Actress Holy Grail War... Episode 2 achieves 11.2% ratings]

[“Already a kiss scene?” <Dongdaemun Romance> Episode 2 preview ignites viewers]

[The Segye-Pyeonghwa couple has arrived... Han Yeoreum and Seo Eden’s perfect chemistry in <Dongdaemun Romance>]

Before long, the core romcom audience had become so attached that Jeon Segye and Nam Pyeonghwa already had a ship name.

[HOT / The Dongdaemun Romance couple already booked for terminal lovesick insanity.jpg]

(Little Segye screenshot.jpg)

(Preview screenshot.jpg)

This phone-call couple gives off such “first relationship ever” loser vibes that I’m getting embarrassed too

-“Phone-call couple” is so cute LMAO

-Weird. I swear they used to be called the UN Couple

-Fuck that, there are way too many romance scammers pretending to be UN doctors, the gallery voted to absolutely ban it

-Holy shit LMAOOOOOOOOOO

-Are UN doctor romance scams really something that should be associated with romcom dramas? T_T LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

-(“Please become a UN Couple with me” romance scammer reaction image.jpg)

-Fuck, get that away from me

-Their chemistry is good though... seriously, you never know till you actually watch it

The ratings hit double digits in just two episodes.

The related clips were pulling huge view counts.

The overall atmosphere was full of praise.

“This ends soon enough.”

The KBC director inhaled deeply while monitoring the situation.

“We’re coming.”

Today was Wednesday.

<Tamhok>, 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉, and 〈Dear Judge〉—all three productions were premiering Episode 1 today alongside their press conferences.