Chapter 184
At Hayes’s sudden question, I quickly recalled how the Korean media and netizens had reacted to Network Flex’s launch.
[Network Flex Enters Korean Market, Chances of Success? ‘Questionable’ - News Wave]
[“The world’s largest video streaming service, Network Flex, officially launched service in Korea at dawn on the 7th, Korean time... (omitted) However, with a still-limited content library and relatively high pricing... opinions remain divided over whether it can succeed....”]
[↳ Oh, it’s finally here. American drama addicts, scream!]
[↳ Tch, the monthly fee is almost ten thousand won. Why would anyone pay when you can turn on the TV and watch stuff for free? I bet they pull out of Korea within a few months.]
[↳ More importantly, are the subtitles any good? That’s what matters most.]
[↳ There aren’t even any Korean dramas. Why bother entering Korea? Watcher is way better. It has Korean movies too.]
[↳ Honestly, there isn’t that much to watch. Since the first month is free, I’ll binge everything and cancel before it ends.]
For now, there were still far more negative reactions than positive ones.
But I had no intention of telling Hayes every single complaint in detail.
Besides, in a few years, the situation would change completely.
“As for the reaction, I’d say it’s about half and half right now.”
“Some people are excited that they can finally watch Network Flex original dramas they’d only heard about through word of mouth.”
“But others say there isn’t as much content as they expected.”
“And?”
“More than anything, some people are disappointed that even though you’re targeting the Korean market, there are no Korean dramas or films available.”
“I suppose that makes sense....”
Reid Hayes fell silent for a moment, looking thoughtful.
Then his expression became noticeably serious.
“Hearing it directly from someone in the local industry really does make the problems and areas for improvement much clearer.”
I quickly spoke again, not wanting the atmosphere to become too heavy.
“I’m sorry. There are plenty of positive reactions too, but I feel like I’ve only told you the bad parts.”
“I just thought pointing out what could be improved would be more useful.”
Hayes quickly smiled.
“Of course.”
“And actually... since we’re talking about this, there’s something I should tell you.”
“The reason I decided to target the global market this quickly, and this aggressively, was partly because of the last thing you said to me when we parted at Cannes.”
The last thing I said to him?
While I tried to remember, Hayes continued.
“You told me that the internet was already breaking down borders.”
“That if you simply provided the platform, content would flow on its own.”
“Those words stayed in my head after that day.”
He smiled faintly.
“I had always planned to expand beyond the American market and eventually move into the global market.”
“But I suppose you could say you moved that starting point forward for me. Hahaha.”
For a moment, goosebumps ran across my entire body.
The CEO of a global OTT company was telling me that a single thing I had said years ago had accelerated his worldwide strategy.
“You also told me something else back then at Cannes.”
Hayes looked at me.
“You said that when we eventually expanded globally, Asia, and Korea in particular, would become one of the most important footholds.”
“Yes.”
“I remember.”
I smiled calmly, doing my best to hide the turmoil inside me.
“And just as you said, Korea really has become an extremely important market for us.”
“It has world-class internet infrastructure, extraordinarily high content consumption...”
Hayes paused.
“And above all...”
“The quality of Korean dramas and films has already gone beyond Asia.”
“Though Kingdom of Crime at Cannes already proved that.”
Once again, a chill ran through me.
Reid Hayes remembered almost everything I had told him at Cannes.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of Korean content.”
Hayes smiled with satisfaction.
“That’s why I decided we needed to move away from an America-centered content strategy as quickly as possible and start producing original content in each country.”
“And right now, we’re looking for partners in different countries who can produce that original content.”
As expected.
This is exactly what I thought.
Reid Hayes is about to offer me a partnership.
I had already grasped the situation, but I pretended otherwise and waited for him to continue.
Then Hayes leaned closer toward me and lowered his voice.
“So, Director Min...”
“We would like to recruit you as the executive producer in charge of content production for Network Flex Korea.”
W-Wait.
He’s offering me the CP position for Network Flex Korea?!
This was nothing like what I had expected.
He wasn’t merely thinking of me as the head of a Korean production company that could create original content for Network Flex.
He wanted to bring me directly into Network Flex Korea as its content chief.
Noticing my surprise, Hayes smiled understandingly.
“I know this is sudden, so I imagine you’re quite shocked.”
“And I’m not asking you to decide immediately.”
“We haven’t even formally established the Korean branch yet, so there’s still time.”
“You can think about it slowly.”
My mind raced.
Damn.
How do I turn this down without being rude?
Before arriving at the restaurant that morning, I had already thought about what I would do if Reid Hayes offered me a partnership.
Network Flex would eventually become a competitor.
But that was still at least two or three years away.
And before my regression, no matter what anyone said, Network Flex had been one of the biggest forces behind spreading Korean content across the world and igniting the global K-drama boom.
That meant that for at least the next two or three years, we needed to maintain a cooperative relationship with Network Flex.
It was the best possible partner for proving that Korean content could succeed in the global market.
Under those circumstances, I couldn’t completely reject Network Flex.
But I couldn’t accept this offer either.
Right.
For now, I’ll have to handle this carefully.
I spoke calmly.
“I’m extremely grateful for such an extraordinary offer.”
“But... I think I’ll have to decline.”
Hayes’s eyes changed slightly, clearly not expecting that answer.
I continued before he could say anything.
