Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 243

The August sun beat down like a hammer, making the city streets shimmer. But inside the cool halls of the International Living Fair, a different kind of heat was building – the buzz of excitement.

Mixing ‘media’ and ‘living’ seemed strange at first, like oil and water. But at this fair, they blended together beautifully. Imagine walking through a real-life movie set in a furniture store – that’s the magic they created.

The person behind this success? Seo Woo-jin, the talented CEO and designer of WJ Studio.

The drama, “The Millennium’s You,” had a huge budget of over 10 billion won, and every episode was filmed in advance.

A part of the drama’s set was shown at the Living Fair’s main area. This set was designed by Seo Woo-jin himself.

The exhibition was packed. People moved like a river, shoulder to shoulder, all eager to see the drama set.

“It’s really amazing! I never thought I’d see something like this at the Living Fair,” one visitor exclaimed.

“It’s fantastic! The way they’ve taken traditional beauty and made it modern is just incredible.”

“I heard designer Seo Woo-jin created this. Just seeing it makes standing in line for two hours worth it.”

The drama set showed a story that jumped between the past and present. It mixed the smooth, clean lines of modern buildings with the curved, elegant roofs of older designs.

The air buzzed with chatter and laughter. The smell of coffee and street food mixed with the scent of new furniture. Everywhere you looked, people were taking photos and pointing at the amazing sets.

On the afternoon of the opening, the drama’s stars, Sung Ha-young and Min-woo, visited the set. They were excited to see the set and greet their fans.

“I’m so thankful to CEO Seo Woo-jin for designing our drama’s set. Thanks to him, the drama looks incredible!” said Sung Ha-young.

“Seo Woo-jin is like an older brother to me. He’s so busy, I don’t get to see him much… Haha. We’re planning to watch the first episode together,” added Min-woo.

Experts in the entertainment industry also praised the exhibition.

“There’s no limit to what you can do with content. Content is culture, and culture is everywhere. This exhibition tried something new, and it was more beautiful than any fair I’ve seen recently. I applaud the organizers and all the companies that made it so great.”

The Living Fair was open for a week, from August 4th to August 10th.

Ahn Jung-muk, head of the Seoul Design Foundation, guessed that over 500,000 people would visit the fair, which would be a record.

The Living Fair was a big success for Woo-jin. It was even bigger than he had imagined.

Over 500,000 people visited the fair, and 10% of them were from other countries.

The fair was even featured on the evening news.

Woo-jin believed that the success was because of the mix of media and living. Without the media, it would have been hard to get so much attention, no matter how good the designs were.

As the last visitors streamed out of the Living Fair on Friday evening, a happy weariness settled over Woo-jin. He pulled out his phone and texted So-jeong. “Drinks to celebrate?” Minutes later, he was sliding into a booth at ‘The Cozy Corner’ in Seongsu-dong, their usual haunt. So-jeong was already there, a bright pink cocktail swirling in her glass.

“You must be exhausted,” she said, taking a sip. “But it was incredible, right? All those people…”

Woo-jin leaned back, the soft jazz music washing over him. “They definitely wandered over to the drama set. Anyone there for the K-Wave stuff couldn’t miss it.”

“Exactly! It all flowed together so well,” So-jeong agreed. “And Ha-young showing up? That was a masterstroke. I knew Min-woo was coming, but Ha-young was a fantastic surprise.” She grinned. “The news went crazy for it.”

They were both in a great mood.

Woo-jin had put a lot of effort into the Living Fair, and he was happy to see it succeed.

So-jeong’s drama, “The Millennium’s You,” was finally taking off, and she was just as happy as Woo-jin.

“I think it was a hit because everyone worked so hard,” Woo-jin said.

“So, now the drama just has to be amazing, right?”

“I trust you, CEO So-jeong.”

“Ugh… This is too much pressure!” So-jeong said.

“Why are you acting weak all of a sudden? You’re usually so confident,” Woo-jin teased.

“Well, if the drama isn’t good, I won’t have any excuses.”

“Hehe. That’s right,” Woo-jin replied.

Woo-jin smiled. He could tell that So-jeong was half-joking, half-serious.

‘She must be nervous. This is a big moment for CEO So-jeong,’ he thought.

The Living Fair had made “The Millennium’s You” famous. This was a very good sign for the drama.

But if the drama wasn’t good, it could backfire. People had high expectations, and if the drama failed, it would be a big disappointment.

‘I can’t just tell her not to worry. Geez…’ Woo-jin thought.

He took another sip of his cocktail and then turned to So-jeong.

“CEO,” he said.

“Yes?”

“Let’s make a bet.”

“What kind of bet?” So-jeong asked.

Woo-jin smiled. “About our drama. When does the first episode air?”

“December 5th, Wednesday,” So-jeong answered quickly.

“Oh, has the schedule changed a bit?”

“Anyway, that’s not important. Why did you ask? You said you wanted to make a bet?” So-jeong’s eyes lit up.

Woo-jin chuckled. “It’s nothing special. I was thinking we could bet on the first episode’s ratings.”

“Oh… That sounds fun!” So-jeong said.

Woo-jin thought back to his past life. ‘What were the ratings for “The Millennium’s You”? Around 20%?’

He asked, “What ratings are considered a big hit these days?”

“Over 10% is good. If it’s a big hit… about 15%?” So-jeong replied.

In the 2020s, TV dramas weren’t as popular as before. Streaming services like Netflix had taken over. It was rare for a drama to get over 10% ratings for its first episode.

But in 2012, ratings over 20% were possible. Woo-jin remembered that “The Millennium’s You” had gotten close to 20%.

‘It was around 18 or 19%, I think… But there was no Living Fair back then, so there wasn’t as much hype,’ he thought.

The story, characters, and crew were all the same. Maybe the ratings would be similar. But the first episode had a lot of marketing behind it.

It was clear that “The Millennium’s You” was more popular now than it had been in Woo-jin’s past life.

“I’ll bet 25%,” Woo-jin said.

“25%?” So-jeong asked, surprised.

“Yes. Why?”

“Did you misunderstand me?”

“Um…?”

“Even if it’s a big hit, it’s 15%. Even 20% is amazing!”

“Is that so?”

“25% sounds like you’re letting me win the bet…” So-jeong said.

Woo-jin smiled and shrugged. “Well, I’m still betting 25%. But I don’t plan on letting you win.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, what percentage are you betting, CEO So-jeong?”

So-jeong smiled, happy to hear the number 25%, even if it was just a bet. “Then I’ll do 24%.”

Woo-jin looked at her, surprised. “Wow, that’s sneaky!”

“What’s sneaky about it?”

“If you do that, you’ll win no matter what, even if the ratings are just a little lower than 25%.”

“Then why did you get so excited?”

“Wait, can I change my mind?”

“Are you going back on your word?” So-jeong teased.

“Well, I’m going to win anyway. Deal!” Woo-jin said confidently.

Even though he knew the future, he couldn’t be sure about a 25% rating. It was much higher than the original ratings of “The Millennium’s You.”

‘But I still think I have a good chance of winning…’ he thought.

So, he added a condition to the bet. “Okay! What are we betting on?”

“If I lose, I’ll design a new building for KSJ Entertainment for free,” Woo-jin offered.

“Wow, really?” So-jeong asked.

“Of course, you have to pay for the building costs. I’m just giving you the design for free.”

“Wow, that’s great!”

“Then what about you, CEO So-jeong?”

“I’ll think about it. I can’t think of anything right now.”

“Can I look forward to it?”

“Well, I think I’m going to win anyway… No, I hope you win. Even if I lose the bet, I’ll be happy if the first episode gets 25% ratings.”

So-jeong was in a great mood. She was having positive thoughts.

Seeing her happy, Woo-jin felt better too.

“The bet is on, but let’s have another toast,” Woo-jin said.

“Sounds good!” So-jeong replied.

They clinked their glasses and talked about various things. They talked about personal stuff, but mostly about the future of their businesses.

“CEO So-jeong, when does ‘Why Did You Come to My House’ air?” Woo-jin asked.

“The filming went well… I think it’s next week,” So-jeong answered.

“You’ll have to get ready for that too,” Woo-jin said.

“What am I going to do? Our marketing team will be running around,” So-jeong replied.

The two friends talked about their plans for after “The Millennium’s You” became a hit, until late into the night.