Because of Minjae and the others' appearance on 3 Days & 2 Nights, something unexpected happened.
Their drama teaser that had been buried under Kwon Jihyun's explosive debut was suddenly gaining attention again.
It was slow at first. With only a few fans uploading posts here and there about the chemistry that the guest showed in the variety show. However, curious comments flooded the posts, asking about what projects the rookies were in.
Then the engagement for those posts started growing, nonstop.
Clips of the variety episode featuring Minjae, Jihoon, Soojin, and Yura began circulating even more. The second episode showed them in a softer light, being funny, charming, and effortlessly relatable.
Their personalities shone on the show, and audiences who had only half-paid attention before now found themselves completely invested in the drama that they were about to release.
@kcrush: "Wait… these rookies are hilarious?? And they're all in the same drama? @mincharm_: "Just saw Minjae on 3D2N and I had to look him up. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME HE HAD A DRAMA COMING???"
@jjhlightz: "Okay but Jihoon's chaotic energy is everything. I'll surely watch their upcoming drama!
@mINSIki: I ignored their teaser at first because I was a fan of Jihyun oppa, but I watched it and it was actually good?"
@Bry.: Woah! I'll surely support them!"
People who hadn't paid attention to the teaser before were now clicking on it out of curiosity. Comments on the official upload began to shift from silence to excitement. They started praising the four cast.
- "Came here after watching 3 Days & 2 Nights. Minjae's vibe is totally different in this—WOW."
- "Didn't know this was the same Yura who kept a poker face while cooking. She's such a versatile actress."
- "Just realized all the rookies from the episode are starring here?? This drama might actually slap."
In less than 48 hours, the teaser views began to skyrocket.
From barely scratching 200k views in the first weeks, it suddenly passed the million mark overnight. The comments section was filling up. At the same time, people were creating edits pairing variety clips with scenes from the teaser, and drama review blogs started writing follow-up posts about the drama, too.
What made it more surprising was how sudden it all was.
Even the executives of Flex Entertainment were caught off guard.
They decided to lay low first, but now, with this one variety appearance from Minjae ant the others, the momentum of their new drama just shifted into a positive one.
"The Secret's Star" who was once ignored, was now being referred to as a "hidden gem" in discussions.
- "This drama actually looks GOOD???"
- "The teaser was so well shot. Why was no one talking about this before???"
- "Idol actors are great and all, but these four feel real."
- "Woah! They really shoot the scenes in Jeju!"
- "Damn. I can't believe they have so much budget for a debut drama."
- "The teaser looked incredibly nice.
More online users began comparing the vibe of the two dramas. Where Chasing Dreams was flashy and dramatic, while Minjae's drama felt light, warm, and peaceful.
Even some large Korean pages took notice of it.
The teaser was promoted again, and this time with a new banner highlighting the cast's appearance on 3 Days & 2 Nights.
At Flex Entertainment, the mood had greatly. Everyone was in awe and surprised at the suddenness of everything.
Chanhyuk could hardly believe it. When he opened the report that morning when he arrived at his office, the team immediately informed him of the sudden spike of engagement that thy were getting.
"This is it," Chanhyuk uttered, holding up his tablet. "This is our second chance."
He turned to Minjae, who had come in earlier after being called in on another emergency meeting.
"Let's not waste this momentum, Minjae-ssi."
Minjae, who was also surprised himself, nodded slowly.
He had seen the shift, too. People were commenting on his performance and reposting scenes from the teaser with captions like "the one who deserves more recognition."
Knowing that their efforts were now appreciated, felt good.
After days of feeling down, their drama's teaser has gotten the recognition it deserved.
Maybe it wouldn't overtake Jihyun's debut in numbers.
But it didn't have to.
Minjae just wanted to remind people that there was more than one name to watch out for. And it was them.
- - -
Meanwhile, at Jihyun's agency…
The atmosphere inside HY Entertainment's wasn't as good as they initially had. Instead, tension quietly settled in one of their meeting rooms as executives gathered to review the latest data of Chasing Dream's teaser.
The analytics team had just submitted a report detailing the sudden spike in online engagement. But it wasn't them. Instead, it was for someone else's drama.
"Why are they climbing up the charts again?" one executive asked, frowning as he skimmed through the numbers on the report given to them.
Jihyun's teaser was still performing well, dominating headlines and sitting comfortably on top of the trending lists—but the rise of Minjae's drama was unexpected.
It was subtle at first, but the sudden pace at which the numbers were growing now felt… threatening.
"They weren't performing that good," someone murmured. "We didn't even consider them as competition."
"It's that damn variety show. They're gaining favor with the public. People are calling them the 'hidden gem' of the festival." Another added, with a hint of annoyance on his voice.
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Jihyun's debut had been planned meticulously. They had months of preparation. They carefully thought of it, even making it a surprise. Everything was going according to plan. But now, out of nowhere, the rookies from "The Secret's Star" were becoming a threat to them.
A silent pressure settled on the shoulders of Jihyun's manager.
They knew exactly how dangerous public opinion could be. It was also the tool that they used, knowing that Jihyun was a respected and famous idol.
But now, they can't help but worry that someone else might steal the spotlight away from them