Chapter 64: The Butterfly Effect of a Bridal Carry

October 17th.

The atmosphere in the SBS production team's conference room was so heavy it felt as though water could be wrung out of it.

"Peak at the premiere, then a steady decline."

This sentence hovered above everyone's head like a curse.

The rating for episode 3, broadcasted last night—10.6%.

It was only a 0.1% increase from the second episode, an almost negligible amount.

The negative reviews online grew increasingly sharp—

[Has Kim Eun-sook really derailed this time?]
[Park Shin-hye's acting has been the same for a decade with zero improvement.]
[The chemistry between Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye is worse than a convenience store couple commercial.]
[Suggest renaming the show to "The Heirs: Who Cares, Who Cringe".]
……

The atmosphere on the set was even more oppressive than the previous few days.

Park Shin-hye's manager even began restricting her from checking online comments; Lee Min-ho's team also started adjusting their promotional strategy, attempting to downplay the controversy over their "lack of chemistry."

Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung's scenes were temporarily expanded by two shoots.

Yet even so, the production team remained deeply anxious.

If the ratings for subsequent episodes failed to pick up, this drama was very likely to be axed by the broadcasting station.

However, no one anticipated what would happen next.

The ratings for episode 4 the following day would experience a dramatic reversal—12.5%!

A skyrocketing surge of 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous day!

The production team urgently pulled up the rating curve and discovered that the peak of 16.3% occurred precisely during Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung's music show stage hugging scene.

In that scene.

Krystal Jung crashed into Kang Jae-hoon's arms like a cheerful little bird.

Their improvised line, "I miss you so, so much," paired with Kang Jae-hoon's flustered yet tender reaction as he caught her, caused countless viewers to cover their mouths and scream in front of their screens.

With less than 10 minutes of screen time, they single-handedly pulled up the ratings of the entire show.

——What was this considered? A functional character counterattack?

Kim Eun-sook stared at the data report with a subtle expression.

It wasn't as if she had never written hit secondary couple storylines.

Oscar & Yoon Se-ra from *Secret Garden*, and Im Tae-san & Hong Se-ra from *A Gentleman's Dignity*, had all previously sparked fanatical responses from viewers.

However, this was the first time that the third male and third female's sub-couple directly crushed the main leads.

Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na were originally merely functional characters intended to propel the romantic storyline of the male and female leads.

Their setups weren't even particularly complex.

The gentle top student and the arrogant heiress—a standard idol drama secondary storyline template.

Why on earth were they the ones blowing up?

The answer was simple: entirely thanks to the contrast provided by their peers.

Park Shin-hye's "visual controversy" had been debated since the broadcast began, triggering a rebellious psychology among viewers—"Since the main leads have no chemistry, who else is there to ship?"

And Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung happened to provide the only clear supply of sweetness.

Just like someone starving to the extreme, even plain white rice could taste sweet.

"A functional character counterattacking into a ratings trump card—this must be a first in Writer Kim's works, right?"

The PR team leader joked half-jokingly.

Kim Eun-sook turned to the scriptwriting team—

Sitting behind her were five assistant writers, each responsible for a different sub-line.

The scenes for Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na were originally handled by the youngest, Lee Soo-yeon, and now all eyes were focused on her.

"Senior..."

Lee Soo-yeon rubbed her fingers nervously:

"I wrote it according to the outline, just ordinary jealousy and aegyo scenes..."

"The problem isn't the script; the hormones are overflowing off-screen."

Kim Eun-sook suddenly smiled:

"Starting tomorrow, I will personally handle their romance storyline. The rooftop date stays, and we'll add a rain scene and... a first kiss."

The conference room instantly went quiet.

"Senior, then what do I do..."

Lee Soo-yeon raised her hand weakly and asked.

"Optimise their family storyline to make the characters more dimensional."

"Understood."

Director Boo Sung-chul suddenly chimed in:

"Since Writer Kim is personally taking the reins, shouldn't we also arrange a dedicated background music track for their segments?"

Within the K-drama industrial system, a high-quality OST could double the emotional impact of a plot.

The moment a melody played, viewers could instantly immerse themselves in the emotion—this was the ultimate weapon with which K-dramas swept across Asia.

Kim Eun-sook nodded: "We can. Who should we get to sing it?"

"Baek Ji-young?"
"Lyn?"
"Kim Taeyeon?"
"Punch?"
"..."

Opinions varied regarding the choice of singer.

Director Boo Sung-chul twirled his pen after listening and suggested:

"How about letting them sing it themselves? Soo-jung is an active idol, and Kang Jae-hoon's vocal tone is good enough for SBS to hold a solo fan meeting for him; surely that should be fine?"

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone exchanged glances—this suggestion was indeed ingenious.

Park Shin-hye had already contributed the insert track *Story*, Lee Min-ho recorded *Painful Love*, and even Choi Jin-hyuk contributed *Don't Look Back*.

Having the main cast members participate in the OST was already part of *The Heirs*' marketing strategy—even if none of them sang particularly well.

"Alright, let the sweetness of the song be like IU's *Friday*, something that makes the corners of people's mouths turn upward the moment they hear the intro."

Upon hearing this, the production assistant quickly pulled up the Melon chart.

IU's new song *Friday* was dominating the top spots of all music streaming platforms with an All-Kill momentum.

The brisk guitar intro flowed out, and the sweet-yet-not-cloying melody instantly filled the conference room.

The assistant rapidly jotted down keywords in a notebook:

[Heart-pounding piano intro]
[Add whistling effects to the chorus]
[Lyrics must include the improvised catchphrase "Miss you so, so much"]
……

When Kang Jae-hoon pushed open the door to the dressing room, he discovered that his seat had been moved from the corner to the central area.

On the table sat an extra cup of iced Americano and a handwritten card:

[Chan-young-xi, hwaiting today too~ by the styling team]

What surprised him even more was that beside the previously lonely school uniform on the rack, three brand-new costumes had suddenly appeared—

A light gray knit cardigan, a deep blue preppy coat, and even a pair of pajamas.

"We've become the ratings saviors~"

Krystal Jung's voice suddenly came from behind, carrying an uncontainable hint of smugness.

She had changed her hairstyle today, with a strawberry hairpin pinning back her bangs, making her look even livelier and cuter than usual.

Kang Jae-hoon hurriedly raised his index finger to press against his lips:

"Shh—"

"If this gets out..."

Krystal Jung pouted, yet obediently lowered her tone:

"Even if it gets out, it's still a fact~"

She casually picked up the iced Americano on the table and took a sip, but realizing she had grabbed the wrong cup, her earlobes instantly flushed red before she nonchalantly put it back.

Kang Jae-hoon lowered his head to flip through the script, pretending not to notice.

"Knock, knock—"

A floor staff member poked their head in: "You're both here? Perfect, that saves us making two trips."

"What is it?"

The two turned their heads in unison.

"The morning meeting decided to add a dedicated OST for you two, and—"

The staff member deliberately dragged out their tone:

"You'll be singing it yourselves."

Krystal Jung's eyes lit up abruptly:

"A duet?"

"Yes, the song has already been arranged. Once you finish recording it, it'll be edited right into episodes 5 and 6."

"Um..."

Kang Jae-hoon raised his hand timidly:

"I'm a bit tone-deaf when it comes to singing..."

Krystal Jung wore a look of utter astonishment:

"Ha? You managed Gru's voice acting in *Despicable Me 2* to perfection, how bad could your singing possibly be?"

"Spoken vocalisation and vocal performance are two entirely different things..."

Krystal Jung instantly grew interested:

"Really? Sing a couple of lines for me to hear."

Under the scorching gaze of both, Kang Jae-hoon bit the bullet and hummed a segment of the insert track *Love Is* from *The Heirs*.

He went off-key just three notes in, and the final high note directly cracked into a breathy squeak.

*Staff member's internal pain:* .jpg

Krystal Jung's professional little ears immediately made an assessment—the pitch deviation was within a controllable range, belonging to the type of person with mild tone-deafness who could still correctly distinguish pitches.

If given one hour of intensive training every day...

"Starting today, after wrap-up every day, we're having a vocal training session. I'll teach you myself!"

"Ah? Actually, I..."

Krystal Jung lifted her chin and cut him off:

"Does Teacher Kang want to let down the viewers who support us?"

"......Fine."

The staff member looked at one, then at the other, suddenly feeling like a 2000-watt lightbulb, and quietly retreated while thoughtfully pulling the door shut.

The dressing room door gently closed.

The overhead hallway light dimmed for a fraction of a second, switching to a soft-focus mode exclusive for filming, stretching the shadows of the passing staff members long.

The crisp sound of the clapboard striking pierced through the wall like some kind of secret signal—

"Scene 32, get ready!"
"Action!"

Amidst the crisp collision sound of the clapboard, Park Shin-hye staggered backward half a step.

Kim Woo-bin loosened his tie, closing in on her with the predatory oppressiveness of a hunter, while Lee Min-ho's intervening arm bulged with strained veins.

The tense atmosphere between the two made even the background extras in the hallway hold their breath.

"Come with me."

Kang Jae-hoon suddenly broke through the crowd, grabbing Park Shin-hye by the wrist and pulling her away from the center of the storm.

The camera chased his retreating figure until—

"Yah! Yoon! Chan! Young!"

Krystal Jung clicked over in her high heels, rushing forward with her cheeks puffed out like a little puffer fish:

"Let go of her right now!?"

Kang Jae-hoon hurriedly released Park Shin-hye. When he turned around, the serious expression he hadn't yet managed to wipe away softened the instant he saw Krystal Jung:

"Bo-na-ah, this was a special circumstance..."

"Hmph!"

Krystal Jung shot Park Shin-hye a fierce glare and turned on her heel to walk away.

Kang Jae-hoon looked at Park Shin-hye, who signaled him to go chase her and that she was fine.

"Cut."

After reviewing the playback, the director called it a wrap.

Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung transitioned outdoors to shoot their newly added scenes.

"Bo-na-ah."
"Hmm?"

She tilted her face up to let the makeup artist apply loose powder, her eyelashes fluttering like resting butterfly wings.

"Later on, I want to add an impromptu segment changing the support into a princess carry. Just mentally prepare yourself."

The air froze for two seconds.

The tips of Krystal Jung's ears turned red at a visible speed: "Y-You're only telling me now?"

"When you spontaneously threw yourself at me last week, you didn't give advance notice either, did you?"

"Yah!"

Krystal Jung turned to the makeup artist and said:

"Unnie, give him some more concealer! Cover his mouth up too, ideally!"

The makeup artist's powder puff hovered mid-air, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two before finally resting on Krystal Jung's burning red earlobes.

She abruptly dropped the powder case onto the vanity:

"I'm going to get the setting spray."

—She slipped away faster than a crew member dodging a camera.

Thinking back a month and a half ago.

Kang Jae-hoon used to repeatedly confirm the emphasis on his lines three times before daring to speak, terrified the director would yell at him for being a rookie messing with the script.

Now, he actually dared to propose changing the script five minutes before shooting.

Even he found this transformation subtle.

Actually, there was a method to ad-libbing as well.

The reason Krystal Jung's "flying tackle hug" from last week was kept fundamentally relied on her idol-derived physical expressiveness.

That beast-like rashness happened to fit Lee Bo-na's persona, and even if she flubbed the acting, she could brush it off as "character trait."

A princess carry was different.

This action required Krystal Jung to surrender control of her body to Kang Jae-hoon.

The moment she showed even a shred of stiffness, the camera would honestly present the awkward imagery of a "wooden beauty being transported."

"Hey."

Krystal Jung suddenly nudged his calf with the toe of her shoe, her voice lowered to the murmur of a mosquito:

"If you dare drop me, just wait to be hunted down by my sister."

"Rest assured, the heaviest person I've ever carried was Teacher Hwang Jung-min."

"......Pabo!"

"Actors in position!"

The director's shout rang out, and the two swiftly moved to their designated spots to prepare for filming.

"Remember to leave one camera recording continuously."

The director instructed after mapping out the camera movement route with the cinematographer.

"Understood."
"Get ready, 1, 2, 3—"
"Action!"

The clapboard snapped shut with a "clack."

Kang Jae-hoon's lips quickly curled into a helpless yet doting smile, lagging three steps behind Krystal Jung:

"Bo-na-ah, slow down—"
"Don't talk to me!"

Krystal Jung snapped back without turning her head.

"Click-clack, click-clack—"

The rhythm of her high heels striking the ground grew faster until she suddenly stumbled—

"Ouch!"

Kang Jae-hoon's smile instantly froze as he rushed forward in two strides:

"Did you twist your ankle?"
"Go find your Cha Eun-sang!"

Krystal Jung shook off his hand and stubbornly hopped forward a couple of steps, only to catch her breath sharply as her foot touched the ground.

Without another word, Kang Jae-hoon bent down and scooped her up by the knees—

"Yah!"

Krystal Jung let out a gasp of surprise as her entire body was suddenly suspended in the air.

Director Boo Sung-chul's brow twitched slightly the moment Kang Jae-hoon abruptly switched to a princess carry.

The original script clearly dictated: [Yoon Chan-young helps Lee Bo-na to a bench to rest]—a gentle, considerate yet restrained physical contact that fit Yoon Chan-young's introverted, top-student persona.

Yet in the frame right now—

The muscle lines of Kang Jae-hoon's arms strained into sharp arcs beneath the fabric of his school uniform, Krystal Jung's skirt fluttered as she was lifted entirely into the air, and their noses were practically touching.

That sudden aggressiveness was completely different from the mild-mannered Yoon Chan-young in the script, yet inexplicably made the air in front of the monitor feel several degrees warmer.

"Should we call Cut and retake?" the assistant director asked quietly.

Director Boo Sung-chul waved a hand, leaning forward to stare fixedly at the monitor:

"Wait a little longer."

In the monitor, Krystal Jung began pounding on Kang Jae-hoon's shoulder, her legs kicking flailingly in the air:

"Let me down!"
"Are you sure?"

Kang Jae-hoon feigned releasing her.

Krystal Jung instinctively wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, glanced back down at the distance to the ground, and glared at him fiercely:

"If you dare drop me, you're dead!"
"Even when our Bo-na gets angry, she's so pretty."

Kang Jae-hoon's voice was so tender it seemed capable of dripping water.

Director Boo Sung-chul suddenly grabbed the walkie-talkie:

"Camera position 3, push in for a close-up, catch Bo-na's micro-expressions!"

The camera pushed in for a close-up—

A flush rapidly blossomed across Krystal Jung's cheeks, the corners of her lips curved upward before she hastily suppressed them, and finally, she buried her face into his shoulder:

"......Who asked you to say that."
"Cut!"

The group crowded around the monitor to review the playback.

The tension-filled ad-lib completely defied character logic, yet it was damningly impossible to look away from.

"This segment..." the assistant director trailed off, hesitant.

"Keep it for now."

Director Boo Sung-chul drew a star on the storyboard script:

"Let Writer Kim take a look first."

Then, he pulled out his phone and messaged the editing room:

*【Prepare two versions: cut one according to the original script, and edit the princess carry into a special standalone version】.*