* * *

Starting with the teaser for 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉, the other dramas quickly followed suit.

A first teaser usually edits together material from episodes one through four.

From four entire hours of footage, they gathered every scene capable of catching public attention and compressed it into a single one-minute highlight reel.

It was the drama’s first greeting.

At the same time, it was basically shouting:

Please watch our drama instead of every other series in this timeslot.

Which was why one thing absolutely had to be prepared.

A single hook powerful enough to unconsciously seize the public during that one minute.

Drama addicts immediately checked every teaser the moment they were uploaded.

* * *

INTUBE

[Love Thy Neighbor 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 Teaser ⎮ Yoo Jiuk Hong Suryeon] 00:56

The teaser for 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 began with Hong Suryeon getting ready for work.

Curling her hair.

Applying lip gloss.

She looked exactly like the Hong Suryeon everyone already knew.

Light, bouncy music played in the background.

Matching the rhythm, she checked her reflection in the mirror by the entrance one last time before boarding the elevator.

Ding—.

“Hello~.”

One day, there was Yoo Jiuk in comfortable clothes, smiling warmly and playfully.

“Yes~ hello.”

Ding—.

“....”

Another day, Yoo Jiuk ignored her completely while staring at his phone as though she didn’t exist.

“Um, hello?”

Unable to endure the silence in the elevator, Hong Suryeon spoke first.

Yoo Jiuk, dressed in a suit, answered flatly.

“? Yes.”

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Yoo Jiuk walked straight ahead without the slightest hesitation.

Left behind alone, Hong Suryeon awkwardly froze in place for a moment.

Caption:

A strange neighbor lives upstairs

As the elevator doors closed, Hong Suryeon punched the air.

“Yesterday he greeted me first—!”

Furious, Hong Suryeon frantically pressed the open-door button.

The opening and closing elevator doors naturally transitioned scene after scene.

Next came a sharply dressed Yoo Jiuk.

When the doors opened, he smiled kindly at her, but Hong Suryeon coldly turned her head away.

Even when he dressed casually, things stayed the same.

Then another scene.

Hong Suryeon hugged a box filled with mysterious bottles while waiting for the elevator doors to open.

“....”

Dangerous music began playing.

Unsettling.

Sinister.

Everything black.

A man wrapped so completely in dark clothing that only his silhouette was visible.

Instead of entering the elevator, he walked down the stairs.

One hand rested on the railing as he stared silently at Hong Suryeon.

Without saying anything.

Not “Go ahead first.”

Not “Please wait a moment.”

Just silently staring.

“....”

“....”

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Then—

sirens.

Caption:

And a suspicious neighbor too.

A notice about stalking and assault cases appeared inside the officetel.

The man from earlier was shown in the attached photo.

Hong Suryeon covered her mouth in shock.

After that, she began using the stairs.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Late one night, after returning home exhausted and hesitating in front of the first-floor elevator—

“Not getting in?”

For the first time ever, his voice sounded welcome.

The rude upstairs neighbor was getting off work at the same time.

Hong Suryeon immediately stepped into the elevator.

While silence lingered between them, the elevator suddenly lost power.

Flicker flicker—

the lights blinked a few times before dying completely.

A little later, the two sat on the floor.

But something had changed compared to before.

Hong Suryeon wore Yoo Jiuk’s jacket over herself while glancing away shyly.

Caption:

Can neighbors really get along well?

Scenes flashed rapidly of Hong Suryeon blending perfumes in front of countless bottles.

Then Yoo Jiuk, dressed casually, spoke from her left.

“Let’s use that ability together.”

Another Yoo Jiuk, dressed neatly in a suit, spoke from her right.

“We need that ability.”

Caption:

At the end of fragrance lies the clue

Caption:

Both the culprit... and the neighbor!

Hong Suryeon crossed her arms and stared ahead seriously.

A look of deliberation crossed her face as she considered both of their requests.

Standing alone in the frame, Hong Suryeon was soon joined by the two men walking in from either side.

All three appeared in the same frame.

Caption:

Premiering September 12th!

The teaser ended with smiling faces.

-Holy shit the teaser’s finally out TT_TT

-HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT ONE WTF

-Yoo Jiuk in comfy clothes is literally my type T_T He looks like if you got close he’d smell faintly like soap and instead of gym muscles he’d have real-life basketball-and-soccer-with-friends muscles under that hoodie

↳ You understand the character perfectly

↳ Seriously who cast Yoo Jiuk in this role... may you receive blessings forever T_T

-Hong Suryeon my actress I love you ♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

It contained everything audiences wanted from a romantic comedy.

Even the unusual combination of romcom and horror was enough to excite the public.

“Did you see Yoo Jiuk? Ah, seriously... he’s so handsome....”

“I wish a guy like that would move into the apartment upstairs from me.”

Like always, office workers listened to lunchtime small talk about dramas.

“Hong Suryeon romcoms are definitely fun. I watched her previous one too, what was the title again?”

“The one she did with 〈Unfair Trade〉...”

“Ah, 〈Stop Meeting Him〉! That one was fun.”

Yoo Jiuk’s dual-role performance captured women’s hearts.

Then Hong Suryeon’s familiar, reliable romcom energy secured the public.

Soon after, the teaser for 〈Tamhok〉 was released as well.

INTUBE

[I Want to Ruin Everything With My Own Hands 〈Tamhok〉 Teaser ⎮ Lee Yeongyu Eun Baekhap] 00:53

The teaser opened with the harmony of a ballerina dancing beautifully onstage and solemn classical music.

Trophies.

Bright smiles.

Spotlights shining over the happiest moments.

All shown in slow motion.

-Isn’t it funny?

Screeeech—!

Eun Baekhap was struck by a car and slammed onto the pavement.

-Watching the daughter of a mistress pretend to be elegant.

Wearing a hospital gown, Eun Baekhap forced herself to smile while listening to the doctor.

As though she still believed she would become the miracle case.

But then she overheard the conversation between her mother and the perpetrator.

“Think of it as punishment for acting all classy with my father’s money. They say sins pass down through generations, right? What’s so unfair about a daughter paying for her mother’s sins?”

Leaning against the wall, Eun Baekhap stared blankly into space before biting her lip hard.

She tried desperately not to cry.

But failed.

Her jaw trembled violently.

Tears streamed down her face.

And then she collapsed completely.

Caption:

A woman whose love was destroyed because of love

A glimpse of a once-happy family appeared.

The perpetrator.

Her young daughter.

Her loving husband.

The perpetrator, smiling proudly while watching her daughter in a ballet outfit, suddenly froze in disbelief.

This time, the narration belonged not to the perpetrator—

but to Eun Baekhap, whose voice had grown calm and detached.

-I was just... curious.

With her hair elegantly tied up, Eun Baekhap had become a ballet teacher for children.

Gentle eyes.

Kind demeanor.

-What kind of face that woman would make...

The perpetrator’s husband slowly turned his gaze toward Eun Baekhap.

-...when her own love starts falling apart too.

Eun Baekhap manipulated countless people. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Rich elderly men.

Lonely middle-aged women.

Young men consumed by work.

Even children.

-I’m not going to stop.

Someone slapped Eun Baekhap across the face, turning her head sharply.

Standing opposite her, Kim Eunyoung stared at her with disgust.

For a moment, the two simply breathed in silence.

Then, without even turning her head back properly, Eun Baekhap met the other woman’s eyes—

and smiled.

Sweetly.

Caption:

〈Tamhok〉

Premiering September 12th

The final caption appeared as though revealing the meaning behind the title itself.

Then the teaser ended.

-Wow it’s even darker than expected LOLOL

-That last scene literally hypnotized me holy shit the title fits perfectly

↳ Same T_T I feel like even if Eun Baekhap approached me just to manipulate me I’d still knowingly fall for it

-To the point I can’t even remember Huijae anymore~^^ She’s seriously going all-in with this vicious acting! The teaser alone’s overflowing with dopamine, I’m sooo excited.. If this happened to my own family I’d lose my mind but that’s the charm of crazy melodramas LOOOL

-Somebody PLEASE cast Eun Baekhap as a gumiho just once... please I’m begging

Eun Baekhap’s side unleashed article after article as though finally making up for all the time they couldn’t properly push viral marketing because of spoilers.

[No stunt double... Netizens stunned by “100% Eun Baekhap” teaser reveal: “She really looks like a real ballerina~”]

[HOT/ Eun Baekhap Ballet Teacher YoustaStory.jpg]

[Issue Board/ Everyone’s freaking out saying Eun Baekhap is literally a real ballerina.jpg]

Her overwhelming beauty sparked curiosity in viewers.

More and more people declared they would absolutely watch the first episode just to see the elegant chaos Eun Baekhap would deliver.

“Ah, unnie!!!”

Eunnyangi screamed dramatically.

The moment the teaser uploaded, Team Eun Baekhap flooded the 〈Tamhok〉 minor gallery.

They instantly began creating reaction gifs of every single frame of Eun Baekhap down to the nanosecond.

“I’m seriously putting all my faith in unnie....”

At this point, Eunnyangi only had eyes for Eun Baekhap.

Apparently her obsession with men had finally disappeared.

Thank god for that.

〈Dear Judge〉 quickly followed afterward.

The chase between dramas was becoming suffocating.

* * *

INTUBE

[A Dangerous Tug-of-War Between Corruption and Justice 〈Dear Judge〉 Teaser ⎮ Seo Jeongwon Do Gyeoul] 00:58

-The defendant claims the crime was unintentional,

The dark screen brightened.

A father preparing snacks for his studying daughter looked endlessly kind.

After placing the food on the table and leaving for an overnight shift job, the exhausted father collapsed from overwork.

At the same moment, a woman also fell to the floor.

In the darkness, someone’s silhouette stared down at her.

-However, given the meticulous attempt to destroy evidence immediately after the crime, the severity of the offense is extreme.

The next day, the father was led away in handcuffs.

Panicked.

Tearful.

Struggling desperately.

But it was already too late.

Standing before the judge, the father blankly stared ahead before slowly opening his mouth.

-I hereby sentence the defendant to life imprisonment.

The camera showed Do Gyeoul walking down a hallway from behind.

Students parted before her like the Red Sea.

Their whispering faces twisted with discomfort.

Unlike the people surrounding her, Do Gyeoul walked calmly as though nothing was wrong.

Expressionless.

She visited her father in prison.

Beyond the glass barrier, her father cried while she silently watched him.

First place.

First place.

First place.

Do Gyeoul continued taking first place.

Then graduated top of her university class.

Then became a successful lawyer.

As she exited the courtroom, someone approached her.

“Murderer’s daughter.”

Do Gyeoul turned her head slowly.

Her expression practically asked:

What the hell did you just say to me?

Caption:

Between corruption and justice

Only one path can be chosen

“Don’t you want to remove that label?”

Seo Jeongwon and Do Gyeoul stood facing each other like rivals.

Caption:

〈Dear Judge〉

Premiering September 12th

Aetami sighed deeply.

“This is bad....”

Compared to the other three dramas stuffing every possible highlight into their teasers, 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 felt far too weak.

Even though it had been released first, it now had the lowest views.

〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 remained number one thanks to its massive overseas and female fandoms.

〈Tamhok〉 ranked second after successfully generating outrage and intrigue.

〈Dear Judge〉 climbed to third as viewers became fascinated by Do Gyeoul’s chilling stare.

And finally—

〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 came fourth with its safe, textbook romcom formula.

After checking the reactions, Aetami sighed even harder.

[DramaMovieActor TALK / DongRo is way weaker than expected]

Even the teaser’s just way too ordinary... I had expectations because it’s Hwang Boseok but ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ honestly I think Woo Seungri’s finally gonna overtake him this time

-Anonymous 1: Same I watched all Hwang Boseok dramas live before but this one I’ll just catch the rerun

-Anonymous 2: The fun of romcoms is watching pretty faces and they ruined the female lead too badly T_T

↳ Anonymous 4: Honestly agreed. Who even watches loser romance stories

[DramaMovieActor TALK / I’ll watch Tamhok live and There Is Only One Culprit later]

DongRo feels like enough to just watch through clips uploaded here LOLOL My expectations are kinda low now.. what a shame T_T

-Anonymous 1: It’s just wayyyy too familiar and predictable

-Anonymous 4: I like the Name Couple but I’m not going out of my way to watch it live LOLOL

-Anonymous 9: I’m doing There Is Only One Culprit live and Tamhok rerun LOOL

[DramaMovieActor TALK / Still gonna watch DongRo during week one]

The other dramas all seem mediocre~decent anyway so I’ll at least check Hwang Boseok’s first episode

-Anonymous 1: Same T_T But why didn’t they properly show the transformation scene? So frustrating LOLOL

-Anonymous 3: Seo Eden’s acting was better than expected at the end of the teaser so I’ll watch too. His awkwardness actually worked well

↳ Anonymous 12: Yeah T_T It felt fresh and cute

The buzz generated by Han Yeoreum’s ordinary-girl styling only lasted briefly.

The other teasers were simply too powerful.

Now that the hidden bait had finally been revealed, drama addicts exploded with excitement and spread across the internet.

* * *

After checking the reactions, Manager Hong and Manager Ma quietly smiled.

Hide ability by appearing unable.

Even if you possess power, make it look like you do not.

〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 premiere D-7.

“Manager, you’re ready, right?”

“Always.”

Finally, the first week of promotional activities for Seo Eden and Han Yeoreum had begun.