Chapter 199
“The Instagram follower counts of the cast have skyrocketed.”
“Not just lead actor Moon Hyunbin, but even supporting actors and minor roles have gained anywhere from one or two hundred thousand followers to two or three million.”
“Even the bit-part actors?”
Kim Eunkyung looked more puzzled than surprised.
This time, Team Leader Ju Hanyoung answered.
“Ah, I heard about that too.”
“You remember the little kid who appeared briefly in Episode 5? Seungchan?”
“Apparently his official Nutube channel gained a million subscribers in just one week.”
“And almost all of them are foreigners.”
“What?”
Baek Seonghan shook his head with a laugh.
“At this rate, that kid might end up in Hollywood soon. Hahaha.”
I quickly moved on to the next set of data.
“And the OST is performing well too.”
“It has entered the top fifty on the Billboard World Chart and is also ranking near the top of Spotify’s global chart.”
“That’s really unexpected.”
“It’s fairly quiet in Korea....”
“Well, interest in Korean music has already been rising thanks to K-pop.”
Ju Hanyoung explained,
“It seems Kingdom of Blood naturally rode that wave.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Oh, and the Korea Tourism Organization sent us a cooperation proposal.”
I changed the slide.
“They suggested developing the filming locations from Kingdom of Blood into a tourism complex, something like a theme park.”
The Tourism Organization had apparently been receiving hundreds, sometimes thousands, of inquiries from foreign tourists every day.
That was why they had approached us.
Everyone around the table exchanged stunned looks.
Then Han Taesung burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
“A theme park?”
“If that isn’t proof that our drama has become a global hit, then what is?”
“Yes.”
I smiled.
“And I saved the most important news for last.”
At the words most important, every eye in the conference room turned toward me.
Their expressions seemed to say that we already had more good news than we could possibly handle.
“Network Flex has offered to double the production budget for Season 2 when they announce the release schedule.”
“Double the budget?!”
Baek Seonghan shouted.
“Yes.”
“After seeing Season 1’s success, they want Season 2 on a much larger scale.”
“And they also proposed confirming Season 3 in advance.”
Cheers erupted throughout the conference room.
A few days later, Han Taesung and I were heading toward the top floor of Hanshin Media headquarters.
“Director Min.”
“You ready?”
Han Taesung’s expression was filled with confidence.
I smiled back.
“Of course.”
At my answer, the elevator stopped on the top floor.
Ding.
The doors opened.
Han Taesung and I walked down the now-familiar marble hallway until we reached the chairman’s office.
The secretarial staff at the front desk greeted him.
“CEO Han, you’re here.”
“The Chairwoman is inside, right?”
Chief Jeon, head of the secretarial office, nodded and quickly approached the door.
“She’s already waiting for you.”
“Oh, Chief Jeon.”
Han Taesung added naturally,
“Coffee for both of us, please.”
After even placing his drink order like it was routine, he entered the chairman’s office.
When we stepped inside, Chairwoman Han Myunghee was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a newspaper.
“Chairwoman, we’re here.”
Han Taesung greeted her.
“I know.”
“I have eyes.”
“Come sit down.”
She was as prickly as ever.
Once we sat, Han Myunghee put the newspaper down on the table.
“Hand over whatever you brought.”
Han Taesung, clearly used to this kind of treatment, simply glanced at me.
I took a file containing Hanshin Media’s quarterly financial results from my briefcase and handed it to her.
Han Myunghee slowly went through the documents.
“I heard that OTT drama you made reached fifth place on Network Flex’s global chart.”
“Yes.”
Han Taesung smiled.
“You already knew?”
“Do you think my ears are decorative?”
“Of course I heard.”
“I thought you’d come running the moment it entered the global top ten.”
I answered this time.
“It only took another week to climb from the top ten to the top five.”
“We had a few things to take care of first.”
“Tch.”
Han Myunghee clicked her tongue.
“Arrogant brat.”
She still pouted, but she didn’t look displeased.
“So when are you launching that OTT platform?”
She meant New Wave.
Han Taesung answered shamelessly,
“We can launch once you give us the rest of the money.”
Han Myunghee shook her head as though she couldn’t stand the sight of him.
“If I release the money, can you really start right away?”
At her gruff question, the corner of Han Taesung’s mouth lifted again.
“We’re almost finished.”
“If things move quickly, we could launch during the Christmas season in the second half of this year.”
“Or, at the latest, around the Lunar New Year holiday in the first half of next year.”
Han Myunghee fell silent for a while.
Then she asked slowly,
“You’re sure it’ll succeed?”
Han Taesung’s gaze naturally shifted toward me.
“Yes.”
I met Han Myunghee’s eyes without the slightest hesitation.
“Within two years, we will recover one hundred percent of the investment and establish stable revenue.”
Han Myunghee studied me for a moment, then nodded.
