Chapter 98
Inside the hotel’s grand banquet hall, a massive poster banner for the drama The Woman’s Garden stood proudly behind the stage set up on one side of the spacious hall.
All around the banquet hall, event staff from both Big Picture and MBS hurried around, checking every last detail before the production press conference began.
The event was scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
But even an hour before that, the area outside the banquet hall was already bustling with reporters arriving one after another.
With only ten days left until the first broadcast, we were holding the drama’s production press conference according to our promotional schedule.
I checked the time on the phone in my hand, then walked toward the long table set up toward the back.
There, an engineer from MBS and Lee Hyun-woo from Big Picture’s planning team were skillfully operating computers connected to several cameras, preparing for the live internet coverage.
“Hyun-woo, how does everything look?”
Lee Hyun-woo answered with a slightly excited expression.
“Everything’s ready on our side!”
For the first time in drama history, this production press conference would be covered live through MBS’s official Twister account, using both photos and videos.
Fifteen days earlier, we had learned that Big Fish, a drama being produced by our competitor SBC, would hold its own production press conference on exactly the same day and at exactly the same time as ours.
“Ha... What should we do? Their drama is getting a huge amount of attention too. If we’re not careful, they might completely overshadow us at the production press conference...”
Kang Ju-young frowned.
Lee Hyun-woo looked equally troubled.
“But isn’t their production company going too far? They obviously knew we were holding ours that day, yet they deliberately picked the exact same date...”
I quickly began thinking.
I had already planned to work with Lee Hyun-woo someday to promote the dramas and movies made by our production company through NewTube.
But that was supposed to be a plan for the distant future.
With things turning out like this, however, I needed to use whatever method I could to win this promotional battle against our competitor.
“Hyun-woo, is there any way we can use the NewTube channel where you used to upload movie reviews?”
“NewTube?”
Caught off guard by my sudden suggestion, Lee Hyun-woo thought for a moment.
He explained that NewTube still didn’t have many users in Korea, so there probably wouldn’t be much advantage in using it for promotion.
“Instead, how about Twister? These days, a lot of promotions are done using hashtags and videos on Twister...”
Ah, Twister...
Right. Twister is probably the hottest social media platform these days.
Even when I was younger, I had never been the type to use social media much.
I had absolutely no instinct for things like this.
But right now, I was in a position where I had to develop that instinct whether I had it or not.
“Good. Then let’s find a way to promote it through Twister.”
And that was how we came up with the idea of covering the production press conference live on Twister.
Of course, when I said “live,” it wasn’t as if we possessed the technology to stream everything truly live like people could in 2024.
Instead, we would take photos and videos at the venue and upload them to Twister almost immediately.
Fortunately, MBS reacted very positively to the idea.
That was how we ended up broadcasting the event through MBS’s official Twister account.
After hearing that all preparations for the live coverage were complete, I picked up the radio in my hand and called Kang Ju-young.
“Ju-young, can you hear me?”
A moment later, a short beep— sounded, followed by Kang Ju-young’s voice through my earpiece.
—Yes, Team Leader. Go ahead.
“Are you in the actors’ waiting room right now?”
—No. I’m out in front of the banquet hall handing seat assignments to the reporters.
“Oh, really? Leave that to someone else and head to the actors’ waiting room. Check their preparation status. We’re letting the reporters into the hall in five minutes.”
—Ah, yes! I’ll check right away.
Not long afterward, Kang Ju-young reported that all the actors were ready as well.
I walked over to Jung Chul-woo, the CP of the drama, and Director Choi Kyung-min, who were gathered near the stage.
“We have thirty minutes left, so I’ll start letting the reporters in.”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
“We’ll begin exactly at two.”
Lastly, I approached the host, who was standing at the podium checking the event schedule, and reminded him of several precautions.
Then I radioed the event staff and ordered them to let the reporters waiting outside into the banquet hall.
Soon, the doors opened.
Reporters carrying cameras and all sorts of equipment poured inside.
Among them were the production crew of Midnight Entertainment News as well as Gu Yang-mo, a reporter from Hanju Ilbo.
Since SBC was holding the press conference for Big Fish on the same day, I had expected the reporters to split between the two events.
However, perhaps because of writer Hong Yeon-hee’s reputation and the popularity of the leads Seo Ji-su and Jang Se-won, far more reporters had come than I expected.
I was briefly surprised by the number.
The reporters took their assigned seats and immediately began checking their cameras and equipment, thoroughly preparing themselves for the press conference.
I checked the time once again.
Two o’clock.
After watching the situation from beside the stage for a moment, I spoke into my radio to the staff in the control tower responsible for the lighting and sound equipment.
“Control tower, can you hear me? We’re starting now.”
—Yes. Starting now.
The response came through my earpiece.
A moment later, every light in the banquet hall slowly went dark.
Then, on the enormous screens installed on both sides of the stage, the drama’s first teaser began playing alongside majestic, grand music.
Whenever an actor delivered an impressive line or scene on screen—
Click, click, click, click!
The sounds of camera shutters continuously echoed from the reporters’ seats.
After the short thirty-second teaser ended, the banquet hall brightened once more.
Following the host’s introduction, CP Jung Chul-woo stepped onto the stage and briefly explained the drama’s story.
