Chapter 589
* * *
“Wow....”
“What is this?”
“My God.”
Manager Ma was not the only one shocked. The entertainment reporters could not believe it either.
“Breaking into America with a Korean drama, does that even make....”
People who hated subtitles to an extreme degree, and who had no reason to go out of their way to watch works from another culture, especially Asian works.
“It worked...?”
Even with people like that, the power possessed had gotten through.
The reporters who received the news all busily wrote and uploaded articles, but they were the same in that this side was also lagging as it tried to accept the situation.
“This really isn’t media play, but for real?”
“For now, judging by the current time, it seems right, but... it might drop in rank again after an hour.”
“That’s how it looks to me. A flash in the pan!”
“Even if it’s a flash in the pan, American number one is still American number one. You can milk this for the rest of your life.”
[Star Cut Cut⎜Han Yeoreum with adorable dumpling hair... “I’m five years old”]
[The secret of a baby octopus restaurant that churns out 400 servings a day... ‘Working Holysh!tday’ Lee Gukmin also marvels at the dignity of a ‘truly delicious restaurant’]
[Even delivery is lovely, Do Gyeoul’s one-day part-time work experience... “Thank you to the staff” tear-jerking ending]
[I want to become a baby octopus... the reason women screamed because of Myeong Jeha]
At some point, had reached the point where it never disappeared from portal-site entertainment news. No, it was fair to say it had practically occupied it.
The public’s goodwill and curiosity did not turn anywhere else. It was focused only on one place, .
“How is it right now?”
“Once the word America got involved, wow... the click count is no joke.”
The public’s reaction was even hotter than when the giant OTT service NetHolics entered Korea. Naturally so, because it was perfect for feeling pride.
The fact that Korea had reached America from Korea in reverse was more thrilling than America entering Korea to provide its service.
Korean content spreading out into the world.
At some point, it had spread to Japan and China, and across all of Asia. Because K-Pop and K-Drama had allowed them to taste popularity.
But America.
Everyone knew that they had always had to drink bitter defeat before that high wall, so the meaning held this time was different.
“Will it maintain its ranking even after time passes? Will it really?”
“Hey. Even hitting number one once is amazing, you punk.”
“Isn’t this the first? For a Korean drama to achieve results like this in America.”
The reporters, who knew that fact better than anyone, were also excited.
If asked to list the reasons K-Drama did not work in America, they could give over a hundred. Because there were that many works that had failed to export.
‘Yeoreum....’
Among the reporters all chattering away, Wi Jaehwi could not say anything.
Because he could not believe that Han Yeoreum, who had debuted through a web drama, had reached America before he knew it.
An absurdly vast world.
Just the fact that she had taken her first step there made his heart tremble so much he felt like he might die.
[HOT/ Seoul Metropolitan City supposedly hit number one on American NetHolics right now.jpg]
(American ranking screenshot.jpg)
(Korean ranking screenshot.jpg)
Flutter-
-Anonymous 1: Hul, for real?????
-Anonymous 5: Crazy crazy crazy
-Anonymous 9: What is this, it’s not manipulated??
-Anonymous 12: Even when it entered the top 10 in America, I kept thinking no way, no way, but it finally hit number one 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
-Anonymous 19: Shutter
˪Anonymous 23: Lower it!!!!!!!! Wow, fuck
-Anonymous 27: Jumo...
˪Anonymous 42: Fresh Leaf Soju here. Shaken, not stirred.
˪Anonymous 59: LOLOLOLOL Ah, what is this, let’s go with First Dew
-Anonymous 72: This is insane TT_TT I hope it gets popular in Europe too... It’ll be really hard there, though
-Anonymous 101: Hey Chinese bastards, are you watching? This is the drama you missed because of the Korean content ban lololol
˪Anonymous 115: For real, hurry up and become a regretful male lead and cling to us
At the words that it had succeeded in entering America, the public could not hide their excitement. The reactions were heated not only in all kinds of communities, but across every SNS.
The comments were heading toward a thousand, and reposts easily exceeded ten thousand.
“Hey! Refresh it!”
Someone shouted that.
Click.
American NetHolics. The ranking after an hour had passed.
“...It’s still there...!”
It had not changed. The name located at the very top was the same.
1. Seoul Special City
And that name, even when the next day came, and then the day after that, and then the day after that again.
[A K-drama is number one in America...? The reason conquered NetHolics]
[America instead of China~ The drama industry’s ‘warm smile’ at the “new Korean wave”]
[Now it’s America! “Korean-style apocalypse” properly worked in the American market, who’s next?]
[Number one in America for a full week... Overseas audiences go wild for ]
It showed no sign of coming down from the number one spot.
The first.
It was the moment Han Yeoreum shone once again with that name.
What the consecutive successes said was clear. New wave. was opening an era unlike before.
* * *
At the historical scene where was continuing its solo run. Right in the middle of it, Aetami could not get herself together.
“What is this....”
Right now, Korea’s reaction was half national pride, half criticism.
[Drama Movie Actor TALK/ But I don’t think it’ll last long lool I don’t like how overly hyped up everyone is either]
It’s embarrassing secondhand shame when they act this loud like those national-pride videos old people watch, flutter-flutter and all. It’s obvious it’ll last a few days and then drop out of the rankings.. T_T There are probably tons of Americans who came in because Myeong Jeha is working with Director Eastwood
-Anonymous 1: Yeah, it doesn’t look good to overpraise it too much LMAO It’s not that much
-Anonymous 5: Huh, I live in America and that’s not true at all.. Director Eastwood is famous, sure, but Myeong Jeha got popular as the actor who plays Kim Kangil. It’s not really like, “That director picked him? Oh my God, I have to watch”
˪Anonymous 8: Exactly, if you look at Tintok right now, teenagers are tagging #Ddalbaeboy like crazy and uploading tons of videos saying the man in the helmet is their ideal type, what are you even talking about
-Anonymous 12: It’s going to pass anyway, but they’re praising it so cringe LMAOO
-Anonymous 16: How long are people going to keep eating up this “the world is going crazy and America is trembling” vibe? T_T LMAO Stop it.. Please stop...
-Anonymous 25: Someone living in America says they can feel its real-life popularity, so why is the home country acting like this lolol;
If there were people who were purely happy that it had broken into the American market, it was only natural that the opposite reaction telling them not to get carried away would follow.
But as if laughing at those people, remained strong.
[After America, even Japan... ’s terrifying solo run, will it open the second act of the Korean wave?]
[Tourist footsteps had gone silent... Tourist commercial districts that had been gloomy after the Korean content ban now bloom with smiles thanks to alone]
[“Is this Seoul Metropolitan City?” NetHolics Korea did it... Tourists up 110% compared to last year]
[“I like Korea” America united through NetHolics, following , even settles in TOP 10]
It had even pulled along with it.
The people who thought they would just watch one episode, like with , found themselves grabbed by the collar by Jeongan’s death, Seoryeong’s bright face, and Yeomga’s eerie figure overlapping over it, and began binge-watching.
[HOT/ Strange Tales is going crazy on Reddit right now.jpg]
-If you love occult stories, this is a work you absolutely have to watch. The CG quality is unbelievable!
-Personally, it’s one of the top three Asian works I’ve watched with interest. The level of completion is quite high, so I recommend it.
-K.K. That damn K! I’m really sick of it. Go say this crap somewhere else.
-What does Jihwa’s agency think about suing Marcus? It’s uncomfortable how he keeps calling her his daughter. Stop bullying such a kind and cute child, Marcus!!!
-When I saw Seoryeong running without even knowing Jeongan was dead, my heart was completely stolen. She reminded me of my dog at home :(
-Now you finally understand Junhyeok’s charm. He is a K-pop idol and the best man!
A flavor different from Hollywood content. Instead of grabbing viewers from the start with a kiss scene, Myungdo’s appearance as though protecting Seoryeong targeted romance fans, and the Eastern-style mise-en-scène gave visual pleasure, targeting the people who usually liked Asia.
And one more thing, the eerie ghosts shown in every chapter.
Fear and love. And beauty.
It was a work that made it impossible to resist going crazy.
And so, at present. The work’s own power alone was pushing away the negative reactions shouting for people to stop the national pride.
“Yeoreum is really going to America....”
She had no idea why she herself was tearing up.
Aetami remembered the day of the group screening for the final episode of . Han Yeoreum’s youthful face, meeting her eyes at the photo wall, was still vivid.
Those who had been with a drama from episode one to the final episode knew.
That unique joy felt when a work they loved succeeded perfectly in the end.
The inexplicable sense of achievement from having been with a great work from the very beginning.
The long afterglow that came from the feeling of being unable to let it go, even after the work had ended.
To Aetami, that was almost like Han Yeoreum herself.
Han Yeoreum, who had run without rest from her debut work until now. To Aetami, that image of Han Yeoreum was itself a great work that could not be compared to anything else.
Were these tears flowing now from the inexplicable sense of achievement of having been with Han Yeoreum from the beginning?
No, that was not it.
Youstagram
@midsummer
Followers 10m Following 0
Han Yeoreum, who had achieved ten million followers. The tears must have been flowing because she was even more excited for the world Han Yeoreum would show from now on.
Because before she even felt the afterglow of success, there would be the next leap, and then the one after that.
Because she knew Han Yeoreum would never let anyone judge this place as her peak.
She felt the certainty once again that Han Yeoreum really would go to a very distant place, one Aetami could not even imagine following.
Surely, if it was Han Yeoreum, she would do that.
Aetami could not have any other doubt.
* * *
“This is seriously driving me insane.”
January. This month was the official cold season of the entertainment industry. It was fair to say it was literally a month for taking a break.
Once the year-end terrestrial broadcasting award ceremonies ended in late December, the atmosphere loosened for everyone.
Even large agencies did not usually schedule comebacks in January because music-chart and broadcast attention dropped.
That was why top celebrities’ scandals on January 1st had been devised.
In an entertainment industry with no other bait for the whole month, they milked quite a lot of views out of those scandals. Broadcast stations and entertainment reporters also went through so-called hard labor at the end of the year.
In the new year, all they could do was release regular broadcast-related press releases or upload tiny bits here and there.
But now, things were different.
“Daily Media is asking for just one Han Yeoreum interview. They’re saying there’s affection from having watched her since the beginning of her debut.”
“We sent them ! Tell them no.”
“I think we’ll have to invite a few reporters to the set of here and there during filming. These guys don’t look like they’ll stay still.”
“We keep getting questions asking whether Han Yeoreum will attend the premiere for , so should we upload her schedule first and see?”
“Keep that one. Look at her schedule right now. The kid might collapse, so we can’t announce too quickly.”
NetHolics Korea’s first launch. And then, the success of entering America. This was making the entertainment reporters go insane.
The solo run of , which they had thought would end as a flash-in-the-pan number one, was still continuing even now, two weeks later.
Its momentum was so terrifying that even the trailer for , which had recorded a double ten-million hit, had been buried.
Bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz.
JC ENM’s PR team was being tormented by broadcasting stations and reporters by the second. Cell phones and fax machines made noise at the same time, and there were unusually many people who had supposedly “dropped by while passing.”
“I’m remembering ....”
“Ah... PTSD....”
The JC ENM PR team, which had been tormented by all sorts of places during the Joseon scum incident, smiled with distant eyes.
Of course, since they knew that had been an ultimate attack, they had not suffered damage to their hearts, but now it was at a level that could truly damage their hearts.
“Red days....”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Magpie, magpie, it’s New Year’s....”
“If they tell you to grind, you grind.”
At a time when the giant wave called Han Yeoreum had swept over JC ENM. They would be fools not to row.
The JC ENM PR team, who now looked like they would be working without rest even through the approaching holiday, swallowed their tears.
“But honestly, isn’t it definitely fun?”
Assistant Manager Shin, who had been a new employee when Han Yeoreum debuted and had now become an assistant manager, said with a smile.
“The dopamine just rushes in.”
It was not at a level that could merely be called “the public.” The reaction coming in was at a level that should be called “the nation.”
The work called was no longer being consumed only by people in their teens to forties, the demographic that mainly consumed certain generations and cultures.
Because it had reached the level where every Korean citizen, completely transcending generation, gender, and region, had heard its name at least once.
-Korean content has once again shaken the American market, the center of global popular culture. A domestically produced drama has recorded number one on American NetHolics for the first time in history. Our K-Drama has completely risen past the aftermath of the Korean content ban from a few years ago.
-The fever for has not cooled for a week. It has recorded its name on chart after chart beyond America. Japan, as well as Hong Kong, Singapore....
-, which has maintained number one on American NetHolics for ten days. It is an opportunity to widely promote the unique charm of K-Drama to the world....
Because it was being reported day after day on the news. Even so-called national-pride-specialist Intubers had properly ridden the coin.
No one could stop the popularity spreading through SNS and the media.
K-content spreading out into the world.
The citizens had been captivated by that sentence.
And since even , created by TVM and JC ENM, was said to be gaining popularity in America after , made by NetHolics, there was no way they would not get drunk on patriotism.
Manager Hong smiled. His face did not look like that of a person who had been tormented by work every day.
Because the thrilling pride that they were shaking not only Korea, but even America, made him move.
“Tell them to handle today’s reports properly.”
Today was finally the day Han Yeoreum would appear on , where only celebrities who had reached the summit, and even among them only an extremely small portion, could appear.