By morning, online news articles were already up about the drama.

    "The Star''s Secret'' Leaves Viewers Breathless With Episode 3 Cliffhanger."

    "From Seoul to Jeju: Episode 3 Delivers Stunning Shift In Pace And Emotion."

    "Minjae And Yura''s Subtle Chemistry Ignites The Internet."

    "Webflix''s Most-Watched Drama Of The Night Isn''t What You Expected."

    And the public''s reaction? They were everywhere.

    Comment sections on drama forums, streaming platforms, and even local entertainment news sites were flooded by fans.

    "That episode changed the entire vibe of the series and I''m not mad about it."

    "I literally watched it twice in a row. The acting, the pacing, the visuals?? Hello? Hi????"

    "Minjae smiling at the end finally sabe me from all his sad scenes."

    "Yura''s scene was like watching peace. She didn''t even need lines. Just her existing in that café gave the episode some soul."

    "I heard that café is really famous in Jeju"

    ''Really?"

    "Is it just me or was Seojin''s bread-baking scene deeply therapeutic? Makes me want to try to bake too."

    "This show is becoming my emotional support series. Like… I need it."

    Bloggers and influencers also didn''t waste any time. With the hype around the drama, they knew that they need to ride that opportunity. By mid-morning, reviews and reactions were posted across Ustube and Liklok.

    One popular drama reviewer, known for being tough on romantic pacing, posted a 10-minute reaction breakdown titled:

    "Why The Star''s Secret Might Be the Turning Point of 2024 K-Dramas"

    In the video, she said:

    "I really like episode 3. The decision to not have Minjae''s character enter the café right away was genius. It left the audience hanging—but in the best way. It made us feel how he feels: hesitant, uncertain, almost scared to step into something peaceful after years of pressure."

    Another Liklok creator, a travel and lifestyle vlogger, posted a split-screen reaction:

    Left side: Her watching Minjae stare into the café.

    Right side: Real-time tears.

    Caption: "I didn''t come here to cry. But I cried."

    A local lifestyle blog titled "Healing Through Drama" released a write-up that read:

    "It''s not just a story about idols and fame anymore. Episode 3 offered something else—something deeper. The contrast between Seoul and Jeju, between chaos and calm, between fame and anonymity… this drama is making people reflect."

    Even small café owners in Jeju started jumping on the trend:

    "We''re not Coastal Café, but we do serve orange honey tea. Come cry here after watching ep3 ???? #TheStarsSecret"

    And then, there were memes.

    Screenshots of Minjae staring through the café window became reaction images everywhere.

    "Me looking at my peace through life''s glass window"

    "When you''re emotionally ready but your anxiety says ''let''s just wait outside''"

    "Taeyung at the café window is the new ''guy staring out the rainy window'' meme."

    - - -

    Inside Global Studios, the mood was unlike anything the team had experienced before.

    While coffee machines hummed in the background and staff moved through the halls with scripts and call sheets in their hands, a sound of disbelief and cautious excitement filled the air.

    The producers'' group chat had exploded the night before as the third episode aired, and by morning, several of the higher-ups had shown up early, despite it being a weekend, to monitor the data of the drama firsthand.

    In one of the main production conference rooms, a small team had already gathered in front of a large screen projecting real-time analytics.

    This has become a routine every day, though they weren''t as anxious as the first few days.

    "Woah… is that number real?" one assistant PD asked, blinking at the graph that was slowly rising in directon. It was their first time seeing the data again since yesterday morning.

    "It is," the studio''s data analyst said, zooming into the spike. "Look at this—Webflix traffic between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. last night. The Star''s Secret had a 37% increase in concurrent viewers compared to Episode 2. That''s massive."

    "And… the ratings?" the line producer leaned in.

    The head of digital promotions turned his laptop toward them. "4.5% domestic jump overnight. And internationally, we''re being talked about in 12 major countries, not just the usual ones."

    Everyone stared in stunned silence for a second.

    Then the director finally broke it, whispering under his breath.

    "Damn …this is insane."

    On another screen, the Festival Real-Time Rankings dashboard was open. It now read:

    Chasing Dreams

    2. The Star''s Secret

    3. Kill Me Kindly

    But what drew everyone''s attention wasn''t just the position. It was the narrowing margin between #1 and #2.

    "We''re less than 10 percent behind Chasing Dreams," one staff member breathed.

    "That''s the closest anyone''s gotten to them since the festival started," another added. "They were untouchable for days."

    A stunned silence fell again, but it was quickly followed by celebration.

    "Holy crap. We''re really in this now."

    "I told you the Jeju episode would work. It was an emotional payoff! Plus, the pacing? Chef''s kiss."

    "We need to double down on this. Clip the ending scene. Push out a teaser for Episode 4 today. Capitalize on that window moment!"

    The executive producer nodded quickly. "Yes. Do it. And prepare a press release with the updated viewership stats. This is our chance."

    Meanwhile, staff from social media and PR were already clipping fan reactions, creating edit-friendly assets, and working with platforms like Webflix to feature the drama on their front pages again.

    Even interns had their eyes glued to their phones, collecting quotes and viral tweets to include in Global Studio''s next community update.

    One of them couldn''t help but smile. "We really went from being the underdog… to nearly overtaking the biggest drama of the season."

    It was true.

    Global Studios had been proud of The Star''s Secret from the start, but no one—no one—had expected this kind of momentum. Well, not this fast.

    The staff had worked late nights and tight timelines. The cast were all rising names, not superstars. The script, while heartfelt, wasn''t originally expected to be the kind of something to climb to the top.

    But then came the fan event.

    Then Episode 3.

    "Let''s not jinx it, but… this is the best I''ve felt since we started," one of the assistant producers grinned as they leaned back in their chairs.

    "Same. Who would''ve thought episode three would become a turning point like this?" another added, still staring at the real-time numbers projected on the screen.

    The director smiled, lifting his coffee cup in the air. "Well then—here''s to the team. To the cast. And to everyone who didn''t sleep to make this happen." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Cheers!" echoed through the room as the others raised their cups too, clinking them mid-air in celebration.

    "But we still need to keep going," the executive producer reminded with a firm nod. "Let''s stay grounded, alright? If we maintain this momentum into episode four, then maybe we can actually win." He determinedly uttered as he glanced over at the rankings once again.

    A wave of excitement rippled across the room.

    "Yup! Let''s keep it up, everyone! No slowing down for us!."

    "Let''s push a teaser clip!"

    "Make it the one where Minjae and Yura would bump into each other!"

    "Also, get fan engagement running on our channels, too!"

    "Ask the PR team to post one of the behind-the-scenes shoot of Minjae and Yura having fun. Let''s make the fans happy."

    "Right. Also post a picture of them on our social media aaccount."

    As energy buzzed throughout Global Studios, across the city, a high-rise building in Gangnam had a different atmosphere.

    Inside the towering glass headquarters of BLK Studio—one of South Korea''s biggest production companies and the proud creators of Chasing Dreams, a meeting room was filled with executives and department heads that was sitting in tight silence.

    The numbers weren''t terrible. In fact, Chasing Dreams still held the number one spot in the festival.

    But the real issue?

    The gap was closing real fast.

    "Let me be very clear," the CEO of BLK said, standing at the front of the room. His tone was clipped, sharp. "If we keep this trajectory, The Star''s Secret will overtake us by next week."

    All eyes flicked to the massive screen behind him, where live dashboards and graphs flickered in red and yellow lines. One line representing The Star''s Secret was climbing with alarming consistency.

    "Our engagement is steady, but theirs is explosive," the head of digital strategy admitted. "And episode three? It''s all over every platform. Memes, reviews, watch parties, trending tags—global and domestic."

    "They got lucky with that fan event," someone muttered.

    "No," the CEO snapped. "They got smart."

    Silence fell again on them.

    "Do we have anything in place?" the head of content asked cautiously. "Any press junkets, interviews, mini behind-the-scenes footage?"

    "Nothing that''ll make a dent like this," a coordinator admitted with a sigh.

    The CEO slowly walked to the center of the room. "

    Then get to work. We''re BLK Studio. We don''t let anyone—even rising titles—snatch our crown without a fight."

    The room was surrounded with urgency, staff opened their laptops and phones, already scrambling to draft emergency campaigns, social posts, and strategy shifts.

    "Use Jihyun''s popularity. Ask him and his group to also do a free event. We''ll do it by the end of the week."