PD Yoon Byeongseon was slightly startled by what the head writer said. The PDs gathered around him tilted their heads in confusion, and the head of the variety department standing beside Yoon Byeongseon spoke up.
"Wh-what is it? Did something happen?"
They had just been about to celebrate breaking the 20% ratings mark. But the moment PD Yoon Byeongseon's expression turned serious, the chief manager and department head began to worry that some unexpected problem had come up. After all, the entertainment world was unpredictable by nature.
On the other hand—
"...No, no."
After exchanging looks with the head writer for a moment, PD Yoon Byeongseon smiled again.
"It's fine. I'm just a little surprised."
He calmed the general manager, the department head, and the other executives. Even so, the executives did not easily let go of their serious expressions.
"What is it?"
Naturally, PD Yoon Byeongseon did not answer right away. Instead, he led the head writer and production team out of the variety department.
"Later, later—"
The issue he had just heard from the writer was deeply connected to Our Table, but the urgent matter was not content diversity.
Still—
Swish.
As they headed to the conference room dedicated to Our Table, PD Yoon Byeongseon left the noisy variety department behind and asked the head writer walking beside him once more,
"The food company contacted you directly?"
The writer, who was pressing the elevator button, shook her head.
"No, they emailed us first, then called after we confirmed it. I think they wanted to check with us before contacting Mr. Woojin."
"Ah, really? Which food company is it?"
"Nongshin."
"Nongshin? That's a huge company."
"It seems they sensed the sales potential and moved immediately."
PD Yoon Byeongseon slowly nodded and stepped into the elevator that had just arrived. It was only natural that a company would take notice. First, there was the popularity of Our Table, which had broken past 20% viewership. Then there was Kang Woojin's cooking skill, which had even amazed people in America. And on top of that, there was the seaweed flake makguksu recipe Kang Woojin had developed.
Those three elements alone were enough to make anyone salivate.
"...That seaweed flake makguksu really is insanely good."
The head writer nodded quickly in agreement.
"Seriously, that seaweed flake makguksu is crazy."
The surrounding staff members reacted the same way.
"Ah, I can't deny that."
"That lightly nutty taste, the spice, and that distinct salty kick from the seaweed flakes… hahaha, suddenly I want to eat it again."
"Honestly, it probably wouldn't taste exactly like the one Mr. Woojin made, but if they sold it, I'd buy it at least once a week."
While the team swallowed down their cravings, PD Yoon Byeongseon recalled the very first time he had tried the seaweed flake makguksu.
To be honest, it had been a real shock.
He had asked Kang Woojin to develop a dish, and what he brought back had been flawless. What did it taste like? Heavenly. It would not have been an exaggeration to say it was on the level of a professional chef's cooking.
Cases like that were not common.
There had been precedents, yes, but they were extremely rare. These days, thanks to YouTube and the like, similar cases had become more common, but most of those involved active chefs or former chefs.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that Kang Woojin was the first actor to attempt something like this.
At that moment, after stepping out of the elevator, PD Yoon Byeongseon thought of Kang Woojin's current rise. He was Kang Woojin, the man who constantly stirred up headlines and turned every project he appeared in into a mega hit.
"If it's launched… it'll definitely sell like crazy."
That alone would become a new issue in itself.
"Still, it's really amazing. If a dish made by Mr. Woojin comes out—"
"The public will accept it properly. Mr. Woojin really is on a different level."
And if seaweed flake makguksu with Kang Woojin's name on it were distributed nationwide, it would make him even more familiar to the public. From a branding standpoint, it was an absolute advantage for Kang Woojin.
If it became a huge success, it would write a new chapter in history.
Soon—
"The commercialization ad for seaweed flake makguksu has to be made by Our Table first."
PD Yoon Byeongseon spoke directly to the head writer, his smile deepening.
"For now, call Mr. Woojin immediately."
──────────
At that very moment.
Amid all kinds of issues flooding the internet, and especially among the many articles surrounding Leech, a new piece of news began to spread.
『[This Week's Pick] Our Table wins over even the tastes of people in LA, surpassing the once-impossible 20% ratings mark!』
『Netflix confirms global release of Beneficial Evil… promises a production with no regrets』
Right as Our Table broke the 20% mark for the first time, Beneficial Evil was officially announced almost at the same time. Thanks to its provocative keywords alone, Beneficial Evil quickly became a hot topic.
It was the first time this had happened.
『Netizens curious about Kang Woojin-led Beneficial Evil: "Is it an action film?"』
The challenge ahead was considerable, but the talent of the people participating as actors was astonishingly strong. Naturally, the public's expectations soared.
[Wow, isn't this the first time they're aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release as a Netflix original?]
[Info: PD Song Manwoo directed Hanryang.]
[Assistant Manager Park... no, Lee Sangman... no, just Kang Woojin's form is insane...]
[Hahaha, there's no way a K-drama will succeed overseas, right]
[Whether it works or not, the attempt itself still has meaning, you idiot.]
[Useful evil! Isn't the title interesting? Is it action?]
[But doesn't the rumor that Kang Woojin has a twin sound pretty believable?? I think I saw an article about Leech yesterday??? Is this schedule even possible??]
[Oh my god!!! In Hanryang, oppa Woojin was only a supporting role! This time he's the sole lead!! And now he's expanding overseas too!!]
[Action? Can Kang Woojin even do action acting?]
[↑ Didn't you see him saving Hwarin? He was basically special-forces level.]
[Looks like Netflix really is the trend now?? Anyway, since it's Kang Woojin, I'm not worried about the acting... I just hope it won't feel cheesy...]
Meanwhile, there were also those who objected to the flood of articles.
『After the huge success of Hanryang, PD Song Manwoo turns his eyes to the global market. Was it really the right decision?』
Some of them were from broadcasting stations that had participated in the bidding for Beneficial Evil.
"Director, did you see? PD Song chose Netflix instead of a domestic broadcaster."
"I saw. Hmm, what a shame. A real shame."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, so we just have to let it go. But doesn't PD Song have a poor sense of reality? Challenging the global market this suddenly."
"He got greedy."
"I understand it, but to be honest, Korean dramas are still hard to make succeed overseas, aren't they? Thanks to Kang Woojin's backing, domestic success is more or less guaranteed, but I think it would've been better to air it in Korea first and then move it to Netflix afterward."
"I also think the chances of success are slim. Whether it's a challenging project or not, if it fails, it just turns into a useless result."
There was a certain discomfort in their evaluation, mixed with realism, and a trace of bitterness from being left out as well.
"Relying on Netflix and going for a global release is premature."
"Exactly... No matter how explosive a rookie Kang Woojin may be, he's still only been around for a little over a year, and outside Korea and Japan, he still hasn't built name recognition overseas."
"And there still hasn't been any confirmed fact about that Hollywood screen test from before, right?"
"Yes, yes. It's gone quiet."
"Hmm, what a shame."
In truth, it was not only the rejected broadcasters. The industry as a whole held similar views. Various production companies and media outlets were the same.
『[Feature] Beneficial Evil aims for the global market through a partnership with Netflix, but industry figures dismiss it as "premature"』
Most of the reactions were skeptical about its chances of success. No matter how talented the PD, the writer, and the actors were, they were still barely known overseas.
At this point, it seemed inevitable that PD Song Manwoo would find out about it.
But the busy PD Song Manwoo—
"Busybodies."
—did not care at all. He did not waver in the slightest. He had no room to worry about such things. Now that Beneficial Evil had shifted into pre-production, it needed to reach twice the level of completion compared to a regular production.
That very afternoon.
"Great work today, Mr. Woojin!"
"Excellent work."
"Thank you so much for singing the listener-requested song live. Honestly, I didn't expect you to do it on the spot."
"It wasn't difficult."
After finishing his radio appearance, Woojin was walking down the hallway toward his next schedule.
"Woojin."
With a faint smile, Choi Sunggeon murmured,
"The meeting with Nongshin has been scheduled."
Nongshin?
That was a very familiar company to Kang Woojin. The reason was simple. His favorite ramyeon brand was from Nongshin. The fact that his favorite ramyeon company had reached out gave him a slight sense of pleasure, but even so, he kept up his cynical attitude and asked,
"For an advertisement?"
"Similar, but not exactly the same. They want to launch a product using your cooking recipe."
"······"
Woojin did not immediately understand what that meant. So he stayed silent, and Choi Sunggeon, who had no idea about that, continued explaining as they got into the car.
"You know, that seaweed flake makguksu*. Nongshin wants to commercialize it, and I think they decided to move fast because the viewer response was so good."*
Slightly excited because it was such a first for him, Choi Sunggeon continued his briefing. The long explanation boiled down to this: the meeting with Nongshin was set for tomorrow morning, and Nongshin intended to turn seaweed flake makguksu into a cup noodle product.
Kang Woojin quietly muttered to himself with a dark expression.
'Wow, that's really something.'
He had never imagined a situation like this. Of course, his cooking skill had been a gift from the void, but he had never once expected it to lead to an actual product.
'I only knew how to make it for eating, and now there's going to be a cup noodle with my name on it? Seriously?'
Even now, Woojin's home was overflowing with ramyeon. Soon, a cup noodle he himself had created would be added to that pile. It gave him a strange feeling.
There was no reason to refuse, was there?
If anything, he wanted to see the real product as soon as possible.
So—
"I think it sounds fine."
Suppressing the excitement surging inside him as much as possible, Kang Woojin gave a calm okay.
The next morning, the 9th, came quickly.
Around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Woojin was inside a spacious conference room at the headquarters of the major company Nongshin. Sitting beside him were Choi Sunggeon and around six people from bw Entertainment's marketing team, while about six Nongshin employees sat across from them.
It was a fairly large meeting.
As expected, it began with the Nongshin employees showering Kang Woojin with praise. In fact, the hallway outside the conference room was already crowded with Nongshin employees who had gathered just to see him.
"Wow, Kang Woojin looks so handsome in person??"
"I only caught a glimpse of him going in earlier, but his proportions are amazing too."
"He's seriously gorgeous. Honestly, before seeing Kang Woojin, I never understood what people meant by 'an actor's face.'"
"The atmosphere around him really is different... He looked so cool in that long coat. But why is his face so small?"
Even so, the meeting between Nongshin and Woojin moved forward smoothly.
"Mr. Woojin, as we mentioned before, our goal is to commercialize seaweed flake makguksu as quickly as possible."
Of course, this project was not being pushed forward recklessly. The discussion was detailed and complex. Woojin wore a solemn expression and pretended to understand while giving off an air of firmness, but in reality, that was not the case at all.
'This is so uncomfortable. I want to run away.'
To be honest, his head was throbbing. Still, the long and winding meeting essentially came down to this: We will handle the production, so when the time comes, Mr. Kang Woojin, please take charge of all the promotion.
"As you can see from the initial design, Mr. Woojin's image will be included on the product."
In return, he would need to provide the recipe to Nongshin. Woojin really only remembered the promotion part and the fact that he had to hand over the recipe. In any case, the financial matters would be handled entirely by Choi Sunggeon, and the contract itself would be managed by bw Entertainment.
Kang Woojin only had to say one solemn line.
"I'm happy to work together."
That single sentence became the starting point for the commercialization of seaweed flake makguksu.
──────────
The next day, Wednesday the 10th. Tokyo, Japan.
Near Tokyo Station, where stories about Kang Woojin had spread as something far beyond a simple act of kindness, there stood a gray building over ten stories tall with statues of famous animation characters at its entrance.
A10 Studio.
It was the building of A10 Studio, one of the three biggest animation production companies in the world. Inside A10 Studio, there was a mid-sized recording studio. Despite it being such a huge animation company, the inside of the recording studio actually felt rather ordinary. The only thing that stood out were the life-size character stands placed around the booth.
And there—
"······"
A woman who looked to be in her forties, with dark brown hair tied back and a gentle expression, sat on the sofa in the recording room, looking down at her phone.
She was a familiar face.
It was the famous voice actress Asami Sayaka, who had recently crossed paths with Kang Woojin because of the piano performance.
Left alone, Sayaka was looking at social media. In Japanese, she spoke with a worried expression.
"Ha, this got way too big. I hope I didn't cause trouble for Mr. Woojin."
Her daughter, Asami Yusako, had been overjoyed, but Sayaka herself felt uneasy. The fact that there had been no word at all from Kang Woojin's side only made her more anxious.
'Should I send a DM?'
Right at that moment—
Swish.
The thick door to the recording studio opened, and three A10 Studio employees entered. Leading them was the female team leader from the planning department of the anime Boy Friend: Remake. After exchanging simple greetings and discussing progress with Sayaka, the team leader handed her a tablet and got straight to the point.
"Ms. Sayaka, we are currently preparing a new animation project. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but we're in the middle of casting the voice actors, and there is a role we would like Ms. Sayaka to take."
It was a voice acting offer.
Since Sayaka had participated in many hit works, she had expected that A10 Studio might request a meeting, but she had recently finished another project and was currently resting. On top of that, she had already agreed to take part in a different animation project that had been offered to her earlier.
"Hmm, I'm sorry. I don't think I'll have time right now."
"Ah, is that so? That's a shame. Actually, Mr. Kang Woojin has been decided as the male lead voice actor for this new project."
Sayaka's expression changed instantly.
"Who? Mr. Woojin?"
"Yes. We thought the two of you would create excellent synergy, but if you don't have the time, then that can't be helped."
"No."
Without even looking back, Sayaka suddenly changed her attitude.
"I'll do this project. I really want to."