Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 593 Seeing You in Black Stockings (5.8k)

Upon returning to Seoul, Kwon Heonhyuk immediately headed to Netflix headquarters.

The moment Kwon Heonhyuk appeared at the entrance of Netflix's Korean headquarters building, an unspoken sense of attention filled the air.

The receptionist's greeting and the restrained glances from passing employees all demonstrated his significant influence within the South Korean branch of this global streaming giant.

This is entirely due to the immense fame that "The Squid Game" has earned worldwide.

He was led by his assistant and walked steadily toward the high-level conference room.

Through the glass curtain wall of the conference room, you can overlook the bustling streets of Seoul in the winter, which are slightly chilly but still full of traffic.

Inside the meeting room, Netflix Korea President Kim Min-young and several core executives were already seated. As he entered, they all stood up, and Kim Min-young's face lit up with a warm smile.

Kim Min-young extended her hand proactively, with an appreciative look as if she were looking at her own money tree, saying, "You must be tired from the long journey back from the film set."

Every collaboration he has had has brought good things and benefits. How could Netflix not value him, especially since he has become a top-tier figure through his collaboration with Netflix?

"Now that we have such a great opportunity, let's sit down and have a chat."

"First and foremost, of course, is the second season of 'DP: The Fugitive'. The huge success of the first season and the praise from both inside and outside the industry have made us very much looking forward to the original cast, especially your continued participation."

Now, Kim Min-young is personally communicating with him to show that she values ​​him. Kwon Hyun-hyuk is clearly a future superstar and will be a guest of honor on any platform.

"The script outline is almost complete, and the writing team hopes to communicate with you in advance to spark even more exciting ideas. I wonder about Xuanhe's schedule..." She looked at Quan Xuanhe with eager anticipation, after all, Quan Xuanhe's salary and choices are now vastly different from what they used to be.

A second season is definitely a no-brainer; a show with such a good reputation should naturally have a second season.

The problem is that Kwon Heonhyuk is unavailable this year.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk picked up the water glass in front of him, took a small sip, and said without hesitation, "Don't worry, CEO Kim, the second season is fine, but the problem is that my schedule is very tight this year."

It's common knowledge how busy Kwon Heonhyuk is right now.

With two movies starting filming simultaneously, and another one, Dark Glory, and yet another, The Doctor 2, still undecided, DP will have to wait until next year.

Kim Min-young and the others were not surprised by this question and nodded in agreement.

"There's no problem with that. What we need to do now is formally confirm the subsequent cooperation to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."

It may seem like a long time has passed, but in reality, it has only been three months since Quan Xuanhe rose to fame globally from the Squid Game. He is currently at the peak of his popularity and is extremely sought after.

Quan Xuanhe nodded, naturally having no objection.

Netflix will remain the biggest financial backer of the South Korean film and television industry for the next few years, perhaps even dominating half of it, so naturally, they will continue their close partnership.

"Also, I have something to say."

"Looking at the current schedule, '20th Century Girl' can definitely be released within the year. The filming is progressing very quickly right now, and it won't be long before filming is finished."

Quan Xuanhe wasn't just a producer for nothing; he kept track of the filming progress every day.

Kim Min-young nodded slightly. "I will have my team coordinate it."

The matter was settled in just a few words. The scheduling is a problem that many celebrities face after filming Netflix series, but it was not an issue for him at all.

In addition, the two sides then held friendly talks, and everything went smoothly without any unexpected incidents.

"By the way, aren't screenwriter Kim Eun-sook and Hyun Hyuk-ssi going to meet?"

Kim Min-young asked with a smile.

"Correct."

"Why didn't you choose another project?"

The other project Kim Min-young mentioned is called "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family".

Given Quan Xuanhe's current popularity and status, this script was naturally given to him first. As the leading figure of the new generation, any excellent script with a similar age range would be given to him for review first.

He's gradually becoming what Leonardo DiCaprio is known as the number one male star in Hollywood.

Furthermore, he is more in line with the character's personality in the drama. After all, he is still young, while Song Joong-ki is almost forty years old. It would be difficult for him to play a teenager in his early teens.

The two production teams are quite similar, not in terms of plot, but in terms of subject matter and style.

The original works, "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol" and "Dark Glory," were considered by the media to be a showdown between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, the two ex-girlfriends, and the media hyped up the antagonism between them.

From the platform to the cast to the subject matter, and so on.

Initially, "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol" was the winner, achieving a national viewership rating of 26.9% and a metropolitan area rating of 30.1% during its broadcast in South Korea.

It won the Mini-Series Award in the International Competition category at the 2023 Seoul International Drama Festival and was nominated for the Film/TV category at the 51st International Emmy Awards.

In a December 2022 survey conducted by the authoritative South Korean research firm GOODDATE, "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol" received 16.6% of the votes, ranking first among all South Korean television programs and setting a new record for the highest vote rate in the survey's ten-year history.

It's undoubtedly a super popular show.

Unfortunately, it ended up being a complete disaster, ruining its good reputation and destroying its momentum. As a result, more people knew about "Dark Glory" than the similar "The Little Son of a Tycoon".

The male protagonist was given a second chance to take revenge, but the ending revealed that it was all a dream and all his efforts were in vain.

Even the best plot will be met with a barrage of criticism if it ends like this. You're showing me a revenge thriller, and then you tell me it's all fake.

What's worse than a eunuch is a poorly written ending.

The male lead's character in the drama is a good fit for Kwon Soon-hyuk, and it's a male-centric drama, so he should have no reason to refuse.

As everyone knows, the script selection stage involves the scripts of the first few episodes. It's impossible to provide a complete script for selection during the selection stage, otherwise anyone could plagiarize and rewrite it.

Judging from the first few episodes, the script is certainly outstanding, and the cast is impeccable.

With veteran actor Lee Sung-min in a supporting role, that's sure to elevate the show's status.

But Kwon Hyun-hyuk refused.

That's certainly intriguing.

"How will this script be written in the end? The first few episodes are very good, but the important thing is how to bring it to life in the end."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk mentioned it briefly and then didn't say anything more about it; this project was no longer related to him.

"Is that so? So it's a consideration for the subsequent plot?"

He nodded again, and then said no more.

The matter had been discussed to a near conclusion, and after a short rest, we arrived at the content presentation meeting that was about to begin.

There are quite a few celebrities in attendance tonight.

Some of the lead actors in the projects expected to air this year, as well as executives from the cooperating production companies, etc.

The South Korean industry is paying close attention to this, and Netflix's pace partly reflects the future direction of the South Korean film and television industry.

The venue was packed with people, making it resemble a miniature world of fame and fortune within the Korean film and television industry.

"Xuanhe!"

Lee Do-hyun spotted Kwon Hyun-hyuk from afar, came up to greet him, and then said with a smile, "As expected, you're indispensable here."

Quan Xuanhe smiled and nodded, "Isn't it because you're here?"

Although Lee Do-hyun's drama "Melancholia" didn't have great ratings, his acting was highly praised, so it wasn't a complete loss.

The two chatted inside the venue, and Kwon Heonhyuk also noticed some of the celebrities present.

Netflix's upcoming film "Unbanned Men and Women," starring Girls' Generation's Seohyun, is set to air next month. It's surprising that Seohyun, once known for her pure and innocent maknae image, is now actually starring in an SM-themed movie. As expected of someone from SM Entertainment, she truly lives up to her reputation.

The persona portrayed in front of the camera is indeed just for fun.

Song Kang, the former Netflix star, was also present. He starred alongside Park Min-young in "Weather Man: The Cruel History of Love in the Company".

If you haven't heard of the show's title before, it means it wasn't broadcast very well.

And Netflix's "Zombie School," which will air at the end of January this year, is a major production that has been two years in the making.

Of course, the biggest investment and most anticipated work this year has to be "Suriname," a six-episode drama with an investment of 35 billion Korean won.

The cast is incredibly strong: Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Park Hae-soo.

Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk's "Twenty-Five Twenty-One".

Lee Do-hyun and Kim Se-jeong's "Company-Style Blind Date"

Yoo Ah-in and Go Kyung-joo's *Operation Seoul*

Starring Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Yoon-jin, Park Hae-soo, and Jeon Jong-seo, the Korean version of "Money Heist".

Son Ye-jin in "Thirty-Nine"

Kim Hee-sun and Kim Ro-woon, *Tomorrow*

Etc., etc.

This is just a partial list of films and TV shows, which gives a glimpse into the scale of Netflix's investment and production in South Korea, encompassing almost half of the South Korean film and television industry.

Everyone who had time came to today's presentation, not to offend Netflix, but also to take this opportunity to meet some new people.

Quan Xuanhe didn't try to be all things to all people or make connections everywhere. He simply greeted some acquaintances he had worked with before, and then, seeing that it was almost time, he took his seat in the hall.

The lights in the venue were dimmed as Kim Min-young stepped onto the stage, and the presentation officially began.

The giant screen showcased Netflix's major projects for the coming year in turn.

As the PowerPoint presentation flipped to the concept art for the trailer of "20th Century Girl," Kim Min-young's voice came through the microphone, clearly introducing the unique charm and high anticipation of the film.

Sitting in the front row, Quan Xuanhe could vaguely feel the gazes falling on him from different directions—this top representative of the new generation who had never made a mistake and had succeeded one after another was undoubtedly one of the most dazzling focuses of the event.

The production companies, including talent agencies, are the most eager to get their hands on the prize.

When Kim Min-young mentioned him, her admiration was undisguised: "We are very honored to work with Hyunhyuk again and showcase his amazing new side..."

Those words are quite flattering.

The presentation concluded successfully amidst applause. The lights came back on, and the room buzzed with excitement as attendees rose to their feet, exchanging greetings and congratulations.

Just as Kwon Seonhyuk finished exchanging pleasantries with several familiar producers beside him, his phone vibrated in the inside pocket of his suit.

He took out his phone, and the screen displayed a name he knew all too well—Liu Zhimin.

He was just about to reply when someone stopped him, speaking in a warm tone.

"Xuanhe-xi, do you still remember me?"

Upon hearing this, Quan Xuanhe put away his phone and looked at the person who had come in. After observing him for a while, memories slowly surfaced in his mind.

这 是
A long time ago, even back in 2020, someone from a production company had struck up a conversation with him, giving him their business card and extending an invitation.

But he didn't care at all at the time.

"Hello."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk gave a polite smile, then made up an excuse to gloss over the matter.

"Shall we chat? We've waited so long, and our project has Choi Min-sik on board."

Seeing that Quan Xuanhe was about to leave, Luo Changmin stopped him in his tracks with a single sentence.

“This is our script. We’ve had it for a while, but there hasn’t been an opportunity. The project was in the early stages of preparation recently, and now we’re missing a lead actor who can work alongside Choi Min-sik.”

Quan Xuanhe discerned Luo Changmin's words, but did not take them too seriously.

Korean cinema is now practically dead. Every few days, film industry professionals come out and say, "We need to save Korean cinema! We're doomed!" Many professional media outlets have also analyzed the dramatic decline in the survival status of Korean cinema since the pandemic.

It's not just the domestic film market that has suffered since the pandemic; in fact, the whole world is in the same boat. Many people have analyzed the reasons, but no one has a definitive answer.

A very alarming number.

In 2021, only 11 South Korean films made it into the top 30 of the South Korean annual box office rankings. Even more alarming, only 3 South Korean films were profitable throughout the year.

Only three movies made money in an entire year—that's suffocating just to hear about it.

As the South Korean film market slumps, financial capital has begun to leave the domestic film industry and flow into the streaming media industry.

The streaming market, represented by Netflix, invests tens of billions of dollars in each film and takes away well-known directors and actors.

Capital is quite shrewd; when making movies can no longer generate the same profits as before, it will naturally withdraw its investment.

Therefore, there are currently almost no new projects being initiated and receiving investment, unless it's a top-notch production team, otherwise forget about it.

The dismal performance of Korean films thus became a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, Quan Xuanhe was not impressed by Luo Changmin's words.

"Our director is Jang Jae-hyun, you should know him, right? He has famous works such as 'Avatamsaka' and 'The Priest'."

This cheered Kwon Hyun-hyuk up a little, but not much.

Niche themes are harder to profit from, and although there may have been successful works in the past, they are no longer a plus in the present day.

"This is our script; you can take it back and take a look."

Luo Changmin carried a briefcase with him. Seeing that Quan Xuanhe was not swayed, he hurriedly took out the script from the briefcase and handed it to him.

Although Kwon Hyun-hyuk was not optimistic about it, he was still polite on the surface and readily accepted the script.

The moment he touched the script, the information that flooded his mind made him pause for a moment, a reaction he hadn't had in a long time.

[Over 1000 million viewers in 31 days! Korean cinema is reborn!]

[Total box office surpasses 114 billion Korean won, global box office reaches 88 million US dollars!!!]

[The first film to gross over 10 million yuan in 2024!]

[Becoming the 23rd Korean film to surpass 10 million viewers!]

[Horror movie surpasses 10 million viewers for the first time!!!]

[Even faster than "Seoul Spring" reaching 10 million views in 32 days!!]

Is this a windfall that fell right into his mouth?

Quan Xuanhe never expected that he would receive such a good notebook so casually.

The reason he heard Choi Min-sik wasn't excited earlier was actually quite simple: Choi Min-sik hadn't made a profitable film since "The Admiral: Roaring Currents," losing money on every movie he made.

Even the strongest of the three pillars, no matter how powerful, cannot continuously attract capital and other actors.

Of course, Choi Min-sik remains a top actor, just in terms of box office performance.

But Quan Xuanhe never expected that such a windfall would come his way.

Luo Changmin saw Quan Xuanhe put away the script, and then heard his next words: "No problem, I'll have my agent contact you as soon as I finish reading the script."

Luo Changmin was overjoyed and hurriedly handed him his business card. He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Quan Xuanhe leave.

They really couldn't attract any big investments anymore. The actors were all very pragmatic; seeing that it was a somewhat niche subject matter, and with Choi Min-sik having stumbled repeatedly in recent years, their interest waned considerably.

Recruiting new actors proved to be a dead end for their current investment predicament, so they initially thought they could only wait and see if there would be any opportunities.

He was just giving it one last try, hoping to get Quan Xuanhe involved so that their investment problems could be solved and they could get off to a smooth start.

Don't think it's an exaggeration; with Quan Xuanhe's golden statue right here, anyone would be superstitious.

After leaving, Kwon Heonhyuk returned to the van.

The script's prophetic success...

Quan Xuanhe closed his eyes.

Given the current dismal state of Korean films, if this were to succeed, it would no longer be a simple personal achievement, but rather the lifting of a heavy banner with symbolic significance.

Schedule...

With "20th Century Girl" and "Night Owl" airing in quick succession, and "Dark Glory" following closely behind... Quan Xuanhe quickly calculated the timeline in his mind, his brows furrowing slightly.

This project is a gold mine, but it's also a tough nut to crack that requires a lot of time and effort.

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone screen lit up; it was Liu Zhimin.

After gathering his thoughts, Quan Xuanhe casually answered the call from Liu Zhimin.

"Oppa, are you done yet? Why didn't you answer my call?" Her tone was a mix of coquettishness and slight dissatisfaction.

"I was just busy, where were you?"

Kwon Hyun-hyuk avoided her questions and asked her directly where they were meeting.

Liu Zhimin pursed her lips and told him the location, which happened to be not too far from here.

"Wait for me to come over."

He said that quickly and then hung up the phone.

Liu Zhimin paused, then couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.

If you're coming, then come. You can't keep calling. Why hang up?
When the nanny van arrived at the place Liu Zhimin had mentioned, Quan Xuanhe got out of the car alone and dialed the phone again.

Liu Zhimin had obviously been there for a while, and she was looking at Quan Xuanhe with a charming gaze.

She spotted him earlier than Quan Xuanhe and waved to him excitedly.

A well-tailored, off-white cashmere coat was left open, revealing a fitted light gray turtleneck underneath, which accentuated her slender neck and made her appear even more elegant.

The lower body is...
Black stockings?

No, it's so cold.

The chill of the winter night made her subconsciously tuck her chin into her soft scarf.

The scarf was loosely wrapped around her twice, and half of her face was almost buried in the scarf and her drooping black hair.

Upon seeing Kwon Seonhyuk, her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she naturally removed the black mask that had been covering most of her face.

Under the dim light of the streetlights, Liu Zhimin's face was clearly visible. Her fair skin, under the cool light, was almost like reflective porcelain. Her carefully applied nude makeup emphasized her delicate features.

Her naturally smooth, undyed, jet-black hair was tucked behind her ear on one side, revealing her beautifully curved earlobe and a small pearl stud earring.

The blush on her face, still fresh from waiting in the cold air, gave her a bright, charming smile when she saw him.

She took a few steps closer, and a faint, cool fragrance wafted over her; she had carefully applied perfume.

Liu Zhimin stared intently at Quan Xuanhe, her eyes clear and bright, filled with her unique enthusiasm and expectation, her purpose pure and direct—she had come to see him.

"Oppa!"

Liu Zhimin's voice was even sweeter and softer than it had been on the phone, carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance and the joy of finally meeting him.

"You just hung up on me, and I thought you were going to brush me off like you always do."

Quan Xuanhe revealed a gentle smile as he carefully examined Liu Zhimin in front of him.

She was indeed stunningly beautiful.

"I was busy with work and had to discuss project details with people. That's why I came out to see you as soon as I finished."

He brushed it off casually, his gaze sweeping over her, noticing the blush on her face, and asked with concern, "Have you been waiting long? Are you freezing?"

“A little…” Liu Zhimin pouted slightly, but then smiled again, the little emotion that arose from waiting was easily soothed by his appearance.

"But oppa, it's fine if you come here."

She spent almost three hours getting ready in order to squeeze out some time to meet him tonight, and the price she paid was simple: she didn't get any sleep.

(End of this chapter)