Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 254

The first day of broadcast, the viewership rating hit 33 percent.

Woo-jin couldn’t remember the exact first-day rating from his past life, but he knew one thing for sure: the current rating was at least 1.5 times higher.

No drama from 2012 that Woo-jin knew of had ever started with a 3.

‘Not even the highest rating, but the *first-day* rating… The buzz is really working,’ he thought.

Talking to CEO So-jeong on the phone, Woo-jin felt a jolt of surprise, but he kept his face calm. ’33 percent?’ he thought, a small smile starting to form despite himself.

So-jeong’s excitement was clear in her voice. “We did it! We really did it!”

“Yes, well. To reach this level on the first day…” Woo-jin replied.

Despite Woo-jin’s calm tone, So-jeong’s energy didn’t fade. “Thank you, CEO Seo. Without you, this huge success would have been impossible.”

“It was nothing. I didn’t do anything, really,” Woo-jin said.

“No need to be so modest… The whole nation knows what you did, CEO!” So-jeong’s voice was so loud and happy it almost hurt Woo-jin’s ear through the phone.

“How much influence can a set have on a drama?”

“It’s not just *any* set, you know! It’s *your* set!”

“Haha,” Woo-jin chuckled.

“By the way, it seems you won the bet, CEO?”

“Bet? Ah…!” Woo-jin, reminded of the first-airing viewership bet, wore an awkward expression. He had won a bet he thought he was very likely to lose, so now he had another thing to think about.

“I’ll grant you almost anything, so think hard about what you want from me!”

“I’ll consider it,” Woo-jin replied.

So-jeong continued to excitedly chatter for almost five minutes afterward. And as if that wasn’t enough, she spoke again.

“I’m leaving work now and heading straight to Seongsu.”

“Seongsu? Why Seongsu…” Woo-jin asked.

“We have to celebrate a day like today. You’re not thinking of backing out, are you?”

“Uh, well… It’s not that, but…”

“See you in an hour! I’ll stop by oppa’s house briefly and then come down to the first floor!”

“Okay, then, see you in a bit…”

Beep- Beep- Beep-

Woo-jin wore a dumbfounded expression as he watched So-jeong, who had quickly said her piece and hung up.

‘She must be really happy,’ he thought.

In fact, it would be strange if she weren’t happy.

Today’s viewership rating was a figure that even Woo-jin, who knew the future, hadn’t imagined.

Woo-jin, his excitement slightly subsided, turned over some thoughts in his mind. ‘In my past life, started with viewership ratings below 20 percent, recorded ratings over 30 percent, and nearly doubled that for the highest viewership rating.’

He knew that a strong start like this was like a loud shout, grabbing everyone’s attention. If the first episode was this popular, the rest of the drama had a great chance to be even bigger.

Attracting viewers through buzz is important, as is the visual appeal that can captivate those viewers. Finally, the story and direction, which make viewers inevitably curious about the next episode, are also extremely important.

‘And no matter what else… there’s really no need to worry about the story or direction,’ he mused.

The first start was much higher than in his past life, and there’s no reason why the subsequent parts should be inferior to the that was produced in his past life.

Of course, data can’t be simply multiplied, but if you were to calculate it roughly, it wouldn’t be strange for the highest viewership rating to exceed 50 percent.

A national drama-level viewership rating, which everyone in the early 2000s knew, could be seen in 2012.

If that happened, the seeds that Woo-jin had sown would not only bear sweet fruit but also turn into a mountain of gold.

‘Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. It’s true that things are going well, but we should always think conservatively,’ Woo-jin thought. But deep down, a thrill of excitement was starting to bubble up. Could this really be even bigger than he imagined?

Woo-jin, who was turning over in his mind what to do with the money he would earn along with the recovery of his investment, shook his head and snapped out of it.

And Min-woo, who had been listening to Woo-jin’s phone call from the side, cautiously asked Woo-jin.

“Hyung, I think that was our CEO… right?”

“Right,” Woo-jin confirmed.

“What did she say?”

“About what?” Woo-jin asked back.

“Well, I think I heard something about viewership ratings…”

At Min-woo’s words, the gazes of the others, who were laughing and drinking beer, also gathered toward Woo-jin’s mouth. Since they were all involved in the entertainment industry, they couldn’t help but be curious about the viewership ratings of this drama, whether they were involved or not.

The beer bottles and laughter suddenly stopped. All eyes were on Woo-jin, waiting. The room felt still for a heartbeat before…

“It’s 33 percent,” Woo-jin announced.

“Pardon?”

“The highest real-time viewership rating today.”

“…?!”

“It hit 33 percent.”

Min-woo, who had been frozen in shock for a moment, had no choice but to raise both hands and cheer.

Thursday morning in the Icheon City Culture Department was a whirlwind. Phones rang, printers whirred, and the air buzzed with hurried footsteps. Director Jo Yong-hyun’s voice, sharp and efficient, cut through the usual office sounds.

Wednesday evening passed, and Thursday morning arrived.

Thursday was already a busy day, but the employees of the Icheon City Culture Department were moving even more busily than usual. Just yesterday, the project they had been working on recently had finally produced tangible results.

“Jae-yeong, is the report finished?” Director Jo asked.

“J-just a moment, Director. Within 10 minutes…”

“Did I or did I not tell you that I’m meeting with the Mayor today?”

“I’m sorry! I’ll give it to you right away.”

“Don’t exceed ten minutes! If you can’t submit the report today, it’ll be pushed back to next Monday!”

Jo Yong-hyun, Director of the Culture Department, was a man who ran on deadlines and results. He tapped his pen impatiently on his desk, his mind already three steps ahead.

‘Now is the time. We have to push forward,’ he thought.

After the Living Fair became a big issue and the special of aired, the promotion of the tourism zone development centered around the Icheon set was rapidly building up.

From the rezoning of nearby land that he had discussed with Woo-jin to the preliminary work for designating a tourism zone candidate, thanks to Director Jo Yong-hyun’s quick actions, the draft had already been submitted.

However, despite this, the business plan was still adrift in the upper echelons, and the reason was simple: the practical results that superiors liked.

Until the drama aired yesterday, there was no such thing. It was true that interest in the drama had greatly increased as Seo Woo-jin and the set became a hot topic, but that was only a tangible result that could gauge the potential of this project. It wasn’t yet a practical result that could definitively speak to the drama’s success.

Of course, if it were a private company or a professional investment firm, they would have jumped at this level of achievement, but Icheon City was a national institution. It was a group that had no choice but to move more conservatively than any interest group.

But what if the viewership rating data was clearly available now? What if almost all media outlets were covering the drama, even without searching for the keyword on search portals?

In this case, the story would inevitably change. The results were bound to come out more than the budget and effort invested by Icheon City, so the speed of the project would be on a different level.

That was why Jo Yong-hyun thought it was the right time.

‘Now that the water has started to come in… I have to row like crazy from now on and create a rough picture before the drama ends,’ he thought.

was said to be roughly 20 episodes. A few extra episodes could be produced depending on viewer response, but as a pre-produced drama, there would be little change in the big picture.

Considering that it would be broadcast twice a week, it would take about 10 weeks to finish, so he had to finish at least the minimum preparations and be ready to receive tourists within that time.

The development plans he had discussed with Woo-jin would have to be carried out gradually over time, including basic road maintenance, parking facilities, and landscape maintenance.

Director Jo Yong-hyun’s goal was to complete the minimum facilities that could be efficiently created to accommodate tourists before the end of this year.

Jo Yong-hyun, who received the report that his subordinate had hurriedly compiled and printed, looked in the mirror and adjusted his clothes. It was because he had to go to the Mayor’s office to report.

“But, Director,” Jae-yeong said.

“Why?” Jo Yong-hyun asked.

“Well, I wrote it as you told me to, but… is this plan really possible?”

“What is?”

“The sale price.”

“Ah… the land?”

“Yes. No matter how well the drama does, isn’t this price higher than the land developed in downtown Icheon?”

Jo Yong-hyun chuckled as he listened to his subordinate’s story. As he said, the sale price set in the current report was far short of what was needed, considering the location of the land to be developed.

But this was a fully feasible plan, so Jo Yong-hyun didn’t explain further.

“I wrote it that way because it’s possible. In fact, that price is also conservatively set.”

“Wow,” Jae-yeong exclaimed.

“I’m going to report. I think I’ll have lunch with the Mayor, so take care of your own lunches.”

“Yes, Director!”

Jo Yong-hyun, who came out of the Culture Department in a good mood, began to walk toward the Mayor’s office. As he walked, Jo Yong-hyun remembered a phone call from weeks ago, a conversation that had planted a seed of doubt in his efficient plans.

[CEO Seo! The development approval has been granted!]

[Oh! Really? Already?]

[Haha. I moved a little quickly. The Mayor isn’t completely closed off, so he seems to have judged that the potential itself is definitely there.]

[It’s good because it’s fast. Then, has the land rezoning also been approved?]

[Not yet, but… it will have to proceed soon.]

[I guess so?]

[Yes, CEO. Anyway, for the land development to proceed smoothly… rezoning is closer to a necessity than a choice.]

Around the end of October, early November, Yong-hyun had a phone call with Woo-jin as the project gained momentum after the special of aired.

In order to successfully complete the large plan of designating a tourism zone, he had to work as closely as possible with Woo-jin, who held the core content in his hands.

[Then, what’s the next step now? We’ll have to wait for the rezoning approval….]

[Now, we need to collaborate with the City Planning Committee to create a land development plan and start preparing for the sale.]

[Ah, land sale?]

[Yes. I think the funds secured from the land sale will be used for the funds needed to designate the tourism zone.]

But in that phone call, Yong-hyun heard an unexpected story from Woo-jin.

[Then, when do you expect the land sale schedule to be, roughly?]

[We selected the design service company at the beginning, and the basic design is almost out….]

[You’re really fast.]

[If it’s fast, it’ll be at the end of this year. I was thinking it would be possible by January at the latest.]

Yong-hyun was a capable public official, and his quick work came from that ability. Woo-jin pointed out one thing that he had missed because he was only thinking about the systematic and quick work.

[Excuse me, Director.]

[Yes?]

[Wouldn’t it be possible to postpone the land sale schedule as much as possible?]

[Pardon?] Jo Yong-hyun stopped walking, his brow furrowed. “Postpone? But we’re trying to be as fast as possible. What do you mean by a loss?”

[I mean exactly that. It seems too fast at the end of this year, and I think there will be a big loss in January next year.] (Woo-jin hinted at something about market timing, but Yong-hyun hadn’t fully grasped it yet.)

[A loss?]

Fast project progress means saving budget and is a shortcut to project success. Woo-jin’s words were incomprehensible to Jo Yong-hyun, who had been thinking that way.

But as Woo-jin’s explanation began, Yong-hyun had no choice but to slap his knee. What Yong-hyun had missed was, in a way, a very simple principle.