Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 211

It was early April. A warm spring breeze gently moved through the city, carrying the fresh smell of new flowers.

was ready to film. All the sets were built, and the drama production started properly.

was planned to be 21 episodes long. They decided to film the entire drama before showing it on TV, which is called ‘pre-production’.

Now that filming was starting, CEO Kang So-jeong got to work seriously.

Kang So-jeong used her network. She knew Woo Min-cheol, who used to be in charge of dramas at a big TV station and now worked at Media Tree. Through him, she quickly got a time slot to show the drama on TV.

“Hello, Director. Did the meeting go okay?”

[Yes, CEO, it went great!]

“And the TV slot…?”

[I think I’ve got us December. It might be a bit close to the deadline… Is that going to work for you?]

“Perfect! December is perfect!”

Now she had a TV slot and a cast of actors. Using the money and help from her investors, she started to work hard to make sure would be a big success.

“Chairman, hello. Got a quick minute?”

[Ah, CEO Kang! Are you finally ready to go?]

“Yes, we are!”

[Good news! Someone from KOCCA – that’s the Korea Creative Content Agency, they help Korean shows go overseas – called me yesterday. They want some information to show their international team.]

“Do you mean the posters and things to promote ?”

[Exactly.]

“Okay, I’ll email you the simple stuff we have now.”

[‘Simple stuff’ meaning…?]

“Well, I think the pictures and videos will look much better once we start filming properly. So, I’ll send you what we have ready now, first.”

[Ah, I see. Yes, please send the rest to the team later.]

“Yes, Chairman!”

Because of all the business deals she had made since last year, was becoming a much bigger project than she first thought.

First, they were doing all the usual marketing for a big drama.

Plus, they were getting help from the government and organizations like the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Seoul Design Foundation. These groups were helping to promote Korean culture and design.

It’s true in any business – the more marketing you do, the better the results. When you do a lot of marketing, everything works together to make a bigger impact.

Even people who weren’t interested at first would start to notice if they kept seeing the ads.

Also, wouldn’t just be advertised as a drama. It would be shown at big international events, like fairs about living and Korean content.

Nobody knew just how powerful all this marketing would be right from the beginning.

Kang So-jeong, always sharp when it came to business, immediately realized what a huge chance this was for her.

‘This drama, I have to make it a success no matter what. It’s an opportunity that won’t come again in my life.’

Woo-jin had finished building the drama sets, which was his main job for the project. But he was still busy with other things, like getting ready for the Living Fair.

Also, Woo-jin had invested money in , so he owned a part of the drama.

“We started filming yesterday, CEO Seo,” Woo-jin said.

So-jeong had come to Seongsu-dong after work to meet him. They were in a stylish cocktail bar, part of a modern building complex near Seoul Forest. This was the same building where Woo-jin and his brother Seok-jung lived.

“We started filming yesterday, CEO Seo,” Woo-jin said, taking a sip of his cocktail.

So-jeong smiled. “That’s sooner than I expected.”

“Yes,” Woo-jin nodded.

“Because it’s scheduled for December,” So-jeong explained casually.

Woo-jin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “December…?”

“What’s wrong? Why are you so surprised?” So-jeong asked, noticing his reaction.

“No, it’s just… that’s very fast.” Woo-jin said, a little taken aback.

“I grabbed the slot as soon as it became available,” So-jeong said, pleased. “And it’s a great time slot – weekend evenings at 10.”

Woo-jin frowned slightly. “Is there enough time to film everything properly?”

So-jeong admitted, “Honestly, not really. If we had started filming even a week later, we wouldn’t have made it. But it’s doable. Don’t worry.”

Woo-jin didn’t show it outwardly, but he was quite surprised that was scheduled for December. He remembered that in his past, the drama was supposed to air later in 2013, maybe in the summer or autumn. This was much earlier than he remembered.

He knew it was good to air the drama sooner to connect with the Living Fair and the Korean Wave Content Fair – events to promote Korean culture around the world. But he hadn’t expected it to be this early.

*‘I hope this doesn’t hurt the drama’s chances of being a hit?’* he thought, a flicker of worry in his mind.

*‘Anyway, I wasn’t planning to just depend on knowing the future forever,’* he reminded himself.

A small, slightly sad smile touched his lips. The fact that the future was changing so much showed that he was becoming more powerful, more able to influence things. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Woo-jin took another sip of his cocktail. “You’re really good at this, So-jeong. Getting a TV schedule on a big channel so quickly.”

So-jeong pretended to be annoyed, making a face. “Well, with amazing investors like you pushing me… I *have* to get things done easily, right?”

Woo-jin chuckled. “Hehe, thanks to you, I’m getting a piece of the pie too.”

So-jeong shrugged playfully. “A piece of the pie?”

“Yeah?” Woo-jin tilted his head.

“Are you saying you’re one of the ‘amazing investors’ I was talking about, CEO Seo?” So-jeong teased.

“Oh, come on!” Woo-jin laughed.

So-jeong met Woo-jin often, and not just because he was an investor. She thought Woo-jin was the smartest businessman she had ever met. Whenever she talked to him, he gave her new and surprising ideas. Plus, since he lived in the same building as her brother Seok-jung, it was easy to meet him for a drink after work. Seok-jung’s apartment was huge, with plenty of space. There was even a guest room where So-jeong could stay whenever she wanted. It was supposed to be a guest room, but everyone knew it had really become So-jeong’s room.

“Exactly ‘oh, come on’!” So-jeong laughed.

“You call me ‘amazing’ when my investment is only three percent?” Woo-jin joked.

“Does the size of the investment matter?” So-jeong asked, pretending to be serious.

“Of course!” Woo-jin said, playing along.

“Well, maybe you’re right,” So-jeong conceded with a chuckle. “Hehehe.”

They clinked their glasses together lightly, both smiling and relaxed. So-jeong watched Woo-jin as she took a sip of her drink, a small smile playing on her lips. *‘He’s really a mystery,’* she thought to herself. Woo-jin looked like any normal young man in his twenties, but from the moment she had started working with him, she had never thought of him as just a typical twenty-year-old. In fact, the most surprising thing about Woo-jin, out of all the surprising things she had learned about him, was simply that he was only in his twenties.

“These cocktails are really good,” So-jeong said, taking another sip.

“Aren’t they?” Woo-jin agreed.

“Maybe I should move to Seongsu too,” So-jeong joked.

“You practically live here already, don’t you?” Woo-jin teased back.

“Hehehe. Well, I am at my brother’s place a lot.”

Even though they were supposed to be meeting just to relax, their conversation kept drifting back to business. So-jeong sipped her sweet cocktail in silence for a moment, then glanced at Woo-jin. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” she asked, her voice curious.

Woo-jin shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. “Oh, nothing much. Just… the drama schedule is earlier than I expected, so I’m just thinking about a few things.”

“Thinking about…?” So-jeong prompted.

He wasn’t really thinking about anything specific, but Woo-jin smoothly changed the subject. “I need to get really busy once the drama starts airing.”

So-jeong looked confused. “Busy? Why?” She couldn’t see the connection between the drama airing and Woo-jin getting busy.

Then Woo-jin said something that made her eyes widen. “We need to open the drama set to the public in time.”

“Ah…!” So-jeong exclaimed, finally understanding.

“We need to make the most of this opportunity while we can,” Woo-jin finished, using a common saying.

was already filmed, so they wouldn’t be filming at the set when the drama was shown on TV. Woo-jin was planning to turn the set into a tourist attraction when the drama aired. He wanted to use the drama’s popularity to bring in visitors. He already had a detailed plan for this.

*‘I can’t wait,’* he thought excitedly. *‘If everything goes right, I’m going to make a lot of money.’* He wasn’t planning to charge a lot to get into the set. He knew that if many people visited, the entrance fees would add up, but that wasn’t his main goal.

Here was Woo-jin’s plan: First, buy as much land around the drama set as cheaply as possible, before started airing. Then, when the drama became a hit – and he was sure it would – he would talk to the local government of Icheon City. He would use the International Living Fair and the Korean Wave Content Fair as examples of how popular Korean culture was becoming. He would argue that the drama set could become a major tourist attraction. He wanted to convince Icheon City to declare the area around the set a special ‘tourism zone.’ If they did, the local government would give money and help to develop the area. He planned to create a lot of excitement and buzz about the drama and the set during the three months it was on TV. If he succeeded in making it a tourism zone, the land he had bought would become much more valuable, and the area would make a lot of money from tourism, bringing new life to the local market. wasn’t just going to be popular in Korea; Woo-jin believed it would be a huge hit all over the world.

So-jeong listened to Woo-jin’s plan, her eyes wide with amazement. She kept saying, “Wow…” over and over. “I knew you were planning something when you said you wanted to own the set…”

“Hehe,” Woo-jin chuckled. “Was it that obvious?”

“Obvious? How is this obvious?” So-jeong exclaimed. “You came up with this plan right from the start, when we first talked about the set, didn’t you?”

“Well, kind of,” Woo-jin admitted with a smile.

“I really wonder what goes on in your head sometimes, CEO,” So-jeong said, shaking her head in admiration.

“Is that a compliment?” Woo-jin asked, grinning.

“Of course, it’s a compliment!” So-jeong laughed.

“Haha.”

So-jeong’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she thought about Woo-jin’s business idea. Hearing this detailed plan made her even happier that she had given Woo-jin ownership of the set. After all, this whole plan was only possible because Woo-jin owned it. But So-jeong, always thinking like a businesswoman, immediately saw another opportunity for herself.

“I need to call a meeting about merchandise and souvenirs as soon as I get to work tomorrow,” she said, a wide smile spreading across her face.

So-jeong looked at Woo-jin and added, “Of course, the land is all yours, CEO Seo, but you’re not planning to put all the shops there yourself, are you?”

“Of course not,” Woo-jin replied.

“You know you have to give us the best spots for our shops, right?” So-jeong said, her eyes twinkling.

Woo-jin smiled warmly. “Of course, I know.”

*Clink!*

So-jeong clinked her glass against Woo-jin’s again and finished the rest of her cocktail. It wasn’t very strong, but her cheeks were slightly flushed now, as if she had had a bit too much to drink.

Golden Print