Chapter 123: The First Episode, A Hit
by Gideon“What’s with the pickles? I could’ve given you one!”
Do-won brandished a chicken leg like a weapon, his voice laced with mock betrayal.
“Calm down, sunbae. Just calm down. I’ll feed you, so just sit.”
Actor Park, his focus broken, pulled Do-won down by the arm and stuffed several pickles into his mouth.
“As expected, only you understand me, Chan-gyu. I’m switching to you now. Do Zion is canceled.”
Wait, aren’t we live? This can’t be edited out.
Jubin couldn’t tell if the situation had been handled naturally or if they were in trouble. Anxiety flooded him.
The story continued to unfold, and the once-beautiful tale of Segyeom and Hyeonseo took a shocking turn just as the first episode drew to a close.
The scene focused on Hyeonseo, isolated in a solitary cell, his spirit withering as he screamed in despair. Meanwhile, the montage of Segyeom’s descent into a tyrant accelerated.
The episode ended with a flashback to their first meeting, closing on Hyeonseo’s radiant smile as he looked at Segyeom.
The rapid-fire editing of that final sequence had created an incredible sense of immersion.
As the credits rolled and the teaser for the next episode began, the rookie PD, who had been monitoring the live chat, announced some shocking news.
“The premiere ratings are through the roof! We’re already #1 on the OTT charts! Nutview’s trending page is exploding, and the comments are insane!”
The entire crew erupted in cheers.
“The live viewer count is—wait, what? It just crashed.”
This was beyond a success.
The moment the premiere ended, a massive wave of viewers flooded in to watch the live stream, instantly overloading the servers.
It crashed. The first episode crashed!
“Director Bae, can’t you get the server back up?” Do-won asked, his expression grave.
Director Bae Eun-hye had just finished an emergency meeting with her staff, but her own face was grim as she replied, “There are too many concurrent viewers. We never expected this many people. We need to promote the PPL, so could the cast please stand by for a moment?”
When the director tells you to wait, you wait. Jubin intentionally stopped eating, worried they might run out of the chicken they were supposed to promote later.
“Do Zion’s influence is truly something else…” Do-won marveled, tearing into a piece of the remaining chicken. “But people seemed more drawn to you when you appeared, Jubin-hyung.”
Could there be any higher praise than this? Zion naturally deflected Do-won’s flattery, giving the credit to Jubin.
“I think people are watching because the show itself is just that good,” Jubin said, modestly deflecting the praise.
In truth, the constant, hyper-focused self-censorship during the broadcast had kept him on edge the entire time. Was my acting too jarring? Did I get in the way? Was this the kind of performance the director and the audience wanted?
The desire to do well was there, but it was overshadowed by a more crushing compulsion: the need to ensure he didn’t cause any problems.
Jubin quietly watched the comments flood in in real-time.
Found him. My love! I hope you two love each other forever!!! Big sister is rooting for you!!! I heard this was the place to be. A masterpiece of storytelling. Hyeonseo, I’ve waited so long for you. Grandma’s coming for you. The acting from the Snow Leaf actors is insane. Where does the director find all these hidden gems? His eye for talent is spot on.
Fortunately, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and Jubin breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to fully enjoy the moment like his fellow actors, but he couldn’t afford to.
I’m just lucky right now, he thought. Someday, this will all be over.
I could have done better…
Refusing to believe this was the peak of his success, Jubin knew not to mistake this fleeting moment for everything. For him, the best mindset was to silently prepare for whatever came next.
That day, a compilation of Jubin’s past photos started circulating on social media and online communities. When they were spliced together with scenes from Snowy Leaf, the “Imperial Concubine” meme was born.
The image of Hyeonseo, the character Jubin played, struck a chord with the public, and his popularity skyrocketed, far surpassing even Do Zion’s.
At first, it was just a low murmur.
A massive crowd had gathered, but I thought they were all staying in their places, keeping it orderly…
Then, in an instant, the airport erupted. The air shattered with screams of excitement and fans shouting their names at the top of their lungs.
“Oppa!!!”
“Jubin, look over here! Over here!!”
“Do Zion’s face is insane. They look so good together!!”
What the hell is happening…
“Cha Jubin! Look this way!”
Because of the early flight, we’d rushed into the van with Zion at the crack of dawn. Since they were sharing the same location schedule starting today, both managers had ridden along.
Of course, with Zion’s popularity being on another level right after the first episode of Leaf on Snow, we’d expected fans and reporters to be waiting. But there was one thing SUB Entertainment had completely overlooked.
Jubin’s fame had exploded overnight.
“Hyung, stay close to me.”
Zion’s strong arm wrapped around Jubin’s shoulders, pulling him in.
Security guards formed a tight circle around them as they moved slowly through the crowd. The airport was a chaotic mess, packed with travelers and fans alike.
As the crowd surged around them, Jubin felt a wave of dissociation.
If I’d known this many people would show up, I wouldn’t have stuffed myself with chicken and pizza yesterday. I should’ve worn makeup instead of a hat. I should’ve dressed up more…
A stream of regrets flooded his mind.
Airport staff intervened, instructing them to move to a different gate for their own safety. Even the staff stared at Jubin and Zion with wide-eyed curiosity, commenting on how unusual the situation was.
Sightings of Zion and Jubin were flooding social media in real time.
[ I’m the part-timer who saw them at the horror movie last summer. They’re both insanely handsome and seemed super close. Popcorn was scattered all over the floor like stars, but I was happy even while cleaning it up. ]
[ I’m a diving student, and I ran into Cha Jubin and Do Zion in the locker room. They’re both tall, have tiny faces, and their voices are literally god-tier. ]
[ Everyone who saw Do Zion swoop in like a knight to save Cha Jubin and Kim Do-won from a drunk guy on the street, come out. I know there are at least one or two other people who saw it besides me. ]
[ The fact that Do Zion got a commendation for catching an attempted murderer is actually thanks to Cha Jubin. Why does nobody know that Cha Jubin helped stop him too? ]
Not only that, but a flood of articles linking Zion and Jubin also poured out. Among them were cleverly mixed-in pieces hinting at a romance, half-joking, half-serious.
Do Zion and Cha Jubin, a hint of romance on Snow Leaf Live? Do Zion and Cha Jubin, eating at the same table. It’s finally happened. Is Cha Jubin the only one Do Zion has ever called “Sunbae”?
While Jubin was grateful for the interest, especially compared to other articles, he felt suffocated every time the word “romance” appeared.
He sensed that the time had come to have a serious conversation with Zion before that inevitable future arrived.
He’ll be busy filming in the United States, but I’ll have to find an opening.
“Team Iconic Mood, please board!”
With a heavy heart, Jubin stepped onto the plane.
Spring in the United States was milder and sunnier than in Korea.
The real problems, however, were the jet lag and the food.
Jubin was a light eater who preferred Korean cuisine. The overwhelming portions and the cloyingly sweet, salty, and heavy American dishes were a nightmare to digest. It was an endless onslaught of calories.
“Hyung, are you done?”
“Yeah, I’ve had enough.”
He had to maintain his weight, so he ate just enough to stave off hunger before setting his utensils down.
The filming environment in the U.S. was completely different from Korea. While Korean schedules were notoriously tight and centered around the shoot, the U.S. followed a strict plan, meaning filming times were precise.
Though the jet lag left him exhausted, the lack of last-minute schedule changes allowed him to catch up on sleep.
Whenever the shoot paused, he was always with his manager and the local coordinator, leaving him with virtually no personal time. Even when he did have a moment, sharing a room with Joo-won meant there were limits to any time he could spend alone with Zion.
“Jubin-hyung, did you see the articles today? The portal sites are completely covered in stories about you. The fans have even made fan-made videos, and your feed is exploding.”
“Really? It still doesn’t feel real.”
Though Korea was buzzing over Leaf Resting on the Snow day after day, Jubin was filming in a distant foreign land, too far away to truly grasp the scale of the frenzy.
And just like that, two weeks flew by.
“That’s a wrap.”
The final shoot on location was over.
Zion rushed off to his next appointment, leaving the set behind.
Jubin watched his retreating figure, the question he wanted to ask left unspoken.
Do you really have to go to that party the Dominic family is hosting? The person you’re rumored to be dating will be there. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Zion, but…
“…I’m anxious,” Jubin murmured.
He couldn’t stop worrying. What if they spent too much time together in the same room? What if someone commented on how well they looked together over drinks? He knew it was probably nothing, but a restless storm continued to brew in a corner of his heart.
The feeling was so intense it made him crave a cigarette for the first time in a long while.
His mind understood, but his heart felt otherwise.
Their two weeks in the United States had been spent working side-by-side, yet it ended with the lingering regret of Jubin’s own endless imaginings.
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