Translator: Dreamscribe
“At Woojin’s first appearance scene…… the momentary peak viewership rate hit 19.1%”
The assistant director’s words slightly surprised the PD of ‘Freezing Love’.
Soon, the entire production team, including him, checked the screen of the laptop placed in front of the assistant director. The figures were unmistakable. The overall viewership rate for ‘Freezing Love’ was 12.8%, and the momentarily peak viewership rate occurred at Kang Woojin’s first appearance. Of course, the directing PD and the production staff had somewhat anticipated this.
However.
“Wow- W, Woojin is so hot right now, I thought there would be a lot of interest…… but this much.”
“That’s incredible. You can tell where Woojin appeared just by looking at the viewership rate segments.”
“Exactly. It really brings home how popular Woojin is.”
The figures exceeded expectations by a wide margin. This attracted the attention of KBC Drama Department PDs who crowded around like spectators, each adding their comment.
“Gosh, that’s quite a difference from the overall rate??”
“It’s not just ‘quite’; it’s a lot. I’ve never seen such a difference before.”
“A peak viewership rate of 19.1% – that’s crazy. Do I have to cast Kang Woojin in my next project?”
“Hey, PD Kim, do you think Kang Woojin would come just because you called him? He’s definitely going to turn you down.”
“But even in ‘Hanryang’, when Kang Woojin was there, it hit 25%, right? And then it dropped by about 5% after he left. Wow- Kang Woojin, does he really have that ticket power??”
The PDs shifted their conversation from ‘Freezing Love’ to focusing on Kang Woojin. Regardless, the PD of ‘Freezing Love’ composed himself.
‘The performance is quite satisfactory.’
This year’s KBC dramas have been rather lackluster. There were hardly any dramas that exceeded the 10% mark. Looking at it, ‘Freezing Love’ belongs to the top tier. However, the top drama of the year was still ‘Hanryang’, and the media had set up a rivalry between writer Park Eun-mi and Lee Wol-seon.
Because of this, the PD felt a bit of disappointment while holding his phone.
But still.
“Ah, yes. Writer-nim.”
The main PD had to inform Lee Wol-seon, who was waiting, about the overall viewership rate.
“The overall viewership rate has been released.”
Lee Wol-seon’s relatively calm voice came through the phone.
“How did it go?”
“···It went well! It can be considered the best this year.”
“How much?”
“The overall viewership rate was 12.8%.”
After hearing the results, Lee Wol-seon was silent for a moment before muttering softly.
“Tsk, I lost.”
The main PD quickly interjected.
“Writer-nim! You can ignore the viewership rate competition! The genres are different to begin with!”
“It’s okay. Just talking to myself. By the way, which scene was the momentary peak viewership rate for the first episode?”
“Uh? Ah- The momentary peak viewership rate was 19.1%, and it was the scene where Kang Woojin first appeared.”
Then, Lee Wol-seon’s voice, mixed with laughter, came through the phone.
“19.1%? This proves Woojin’s ticket power.”
An hour later.
The official viewership rate for the first episode of ‘Freezing Love’, which was aired last night, was announced on the internet.
『[Official] Writer Lee Wol-seon’s ‘Freezing Love’ First Broadcast Viewership Rate 12.8%』
『’Freezing Love’ Exceeds 12% on First Broadcast, But a Slightly Disappointing Performance』
Articles circulated by KBC Drama Department or the media itself were combined.
『The first broadcast of ‘Freezing Love’ hit 12.8%, a respectable performance but lacked impact』
Unfortunately, it didn’t have the explosiveness of ‘Profiler Hanryang’. It was to be expected. After all, ‘Hanryang’ had the highest viewership rate of the year. With the proliferation of content and the recent overall shrinkage in domestic viewership rates, 12.8% was still a respectable figure. It wouldn’t have been strange for KBC Drama Department to set off fireworks.
But the media still adds stimulation for clicks.
『[Issue Pick] The War of Star Writers… Among Park Eun-mi and Lee Wol-seon, the Winner is ‘Hanryang’』
『Park Eun-mi vs Lee Wol-seon, The One Smiling is Park Eun-mi』
The winners and losers among the two star writers are determined. Articles spread declaring that writer Lee Wol-seon has lost to Park Eun-mi. It was an inevitable phenomenon among the heavyweights of the writing community. Nevertheless, there were quite a few articles that accurately grasped the content of ‘Freezing Love’.
And as expected.
『[Instant Photo] Kang Woojin appearing early in ‘Freezing Love’/ Photo』
The drama media did not omit discussions about Kang Woojin.
『[Issue Check]’Freezing Love’ also hit a 19% viewership rate, Kang Woojin’s entrance scene reaches a peak viewership of 19.1%』
『Did viewers flock to see ‘Kang Woojin using sign language’? Proving Kang Woojin’s ticket power/ Photo』
The bait and topics of interest were endless.
『”Was it worth the hype?” Public pours praise upon seeing Kang Woojin’s sign language acting』 Sign Language Acting
Kang Woojin’s popularity and energy, his sign language acting, comparisons with ‘Hanryang’, etc. Therefore, among the YouTube videos uploaded by the ‘Freezing Love’ team for the first broadcast, the edited version of Kang Woojin’s ‘Mysterious Man Next Door’ attracted astonishing attention.
What was unique.
-The drama was fun, but I was moved by actor Kang Woojin’s sign language skills….Thank you so much
Many viewers’ reactions included personal stories or expressions of being moved. It was said that Woojin’s sign language acting comforted many hearts.
At this time.
“Woojin.”
News also reached the ‘Island of the Missing’ shooting set in Buyeo. Some actors and staff chatted about ‘Freezing Love’ in a casual conversation. Meanwhile, Kang Woojin, whose military uniform was torn to the point of disrepair, thought:
‘Viewership rate of 12.8%? Hmm- I get the picture.’
He accepted it calmly while preparing for the next scene. He had received the viewership rates in the morning, but Woojin had known the outcome for months, specifically the rating. Naturally, thanks to the ability of the void space.
-[5/Script (Title: Freezing Love), Grade B+]
So, while he was pleased, he was not particularly moved. He just entered the grade into his mind.
However, Woojin’s team was exceptional.
“Oppa, have you seen the YouTube comments?? Your sign language acting is getting rave reviews!”
“Already, videos edited just for your sign language acting are flooding in??”
Meanwhile, Choi Sung-gun, who had been relatively calm, guessed something else about the situation and whispered to Kang Woojin before shooting.
“Woojin, you saw the momentary peak viewership rate, right? It’s because of you.”
“Yes, CEO~nim.”
“From previous works to ‘Drug Dealer’, ‘Hanryang’, and now ‘Freezing Love’. The viewership rates have fluctuated with your presence, you know? You understand what this means, right? Your ticket power is incredible.”
Choi Sung-gun continued to explain enthusiastically.
“Plus, all of them had good performance, right? No failures. To the public, you’re obviously an actor they can trust, and to these jungle-like entertainment industry insiders, your status skyrockets. The difference with and without you is clearly visible.”
“······”
“So, what goes up?”
Choi Sung-gun’s smile deepened excessively.
“Your value soars.”
The next day, Saturday night.
The second episode of ‘Freezing Love’ was broadcasted. Of course, due to the aftermath of the first episode, the viewer’s forum was more chaotic, and the waiting reporters also significantly increased.
『Episode 2 of ‘Freezing Love’ that surpassed 12% begins… Can it achieve higher viewership rating than the first episode?』
Thanks to this, the second episode attracted more attention than the first. Episode 2 of ‘Freezing Love’ was filled with resolving conflicts from episode 1, adding new characters, and introducing new events, gradually deepening the plot.
In these intervals, Kang Woojin perfectly played the role of a special addition.
Though he didn’t appear in many cuts, his single appearance captivated the viewers. Such was the level of his acting and impact. The next day, Sunday morning, the overall viewership rate for episode 2 of ‘Freezing Love’ was announced.
『[Official] ‘Freezing Love’ Episode 2 Viewership Rate 13.3%』
It was an increase from episode 1, and this time too, the momentary peak viewership was due to Kang Woojin. With this, a solid affirmation that no one could dispute spread widely.
『Kang Woojin has solidified his position as a trusted actor, netizens say, “If Kang Woojin appears, we must watch!”』
Kang Woojin’s ticket power, that is. Anyway, the entertainment industry pages on Sunday morning were bustling with talk about ‘Freezing Love’. However, by the afternoon of the same day, other issues also joined in. For example, the current situation of Bulldog Seo Gu-seob.
『Walking into the interrogation room with his head down, ‘Seo Gu-seob’/ Photo』
Even ‘Drug Dealer’, which almost relinquished its spot as number one at the box office.
『’Drug Dealer’s 7 million viewers, difficult to reach 8 million? Likely to finish around 7.6 million』
It was a week mixed with many issues, but as such, the weekend disappeared quickly, and before long, the morning of November 30th, Monday, dawned.
Already the last day of November.
Tomorrow would be December, and the real end-of-year and Christmas season. Everywhere was hectic, whether in the entertainment industry, domestically, or abroad.
Naturally, Japan was no exception.
Among them, a large animation production company located near Tokyo Station. It was quite large. It occupied a four-story building entirely. Several giant posters of hit anime produced by the company were hung on the exterior walls of the building, and various character models and small posters filled the lobby on the first floor.
Many people came and went in the lobby.
Visitors taking photos of the posters or models, employees of the animation production company, and officials, etc. A busy meeting was underway in a medium-sized conference room on the third floor of such a company. The lighting in the conference room was slightly dim, and a prepared PPT was projected onto a small screen at the front using a projector.
People filled the ㄷ-shaped desk.
Half of them were executives of the animation production company, and the other half working-level staff. Among them, a woman in a suit standing next to the front screen spoke in Japanese to everyone.
“As such, our performance this second half has been poor. Not just viewership rates, but sales as well.”
An executive in front, balding, tapped his chin with a pen and asked.
“Why do you think that is?”
“Excluding the first quarter, the works of the second, third, and now fourth quarter are all hot-blooded actions… Compared to last year, we lost a significant portion of female viewers.”
“Hmm.”
Another executive, with his arms crossed, joined in.
“Then we need to add works that can attract female viewers and fans from the start of next year.”
“Yes, we’re already setting the direction for that.”
“Have you searched for works?”
“We have something prepared.”
The female employee who answered sent a glance to the male employee standing next to the projector. Soon, something else was projected on the front screen. Not animations, but original works to be made into animations.
Comics, novels, light novels, dramas, etc.
Mostly works focusing on romance and rom-com. However, although many works were listed, the expressions of the executives did not improve much. It seemed like they didn’t find anything particularly appealing. At this point, a middle-aged female executive wearing square glasses sighed softly and interjected in a low voice.
“Shouldn’t we add something fresh? These are similar to what we had last year or the year before, aren’t they?”
The other executives nodded in agreement as if to say they agreed.
“That’s right.”
“The number of animation production companies is increasing every year, and at this point, we also need to try something daring.”
Here, the female employee standing by the screen cleared her throat and then spoke up with emphasis in her voice.
“Then how about this? Instead of familiar tastes, we look for original works in Korea or China. However, since there are already quite a few Chinese originals, Korea would be better.”
“Hmm, the web novel and webtoon market there has indeed grown noticeably.”
At that moment.
“If we’re looking for a Korean original.”
The middle-aged female executive with square glasses interjected again.
“How about we go for a proven work?”
“Proven ? Like what?”
“Netflix’s ‘Male Friend’. Surely some of you have seen it, a four-part mini-drama, and the story itself is suitable for animation. As you all very well know, its popularity is very high. It’s still all the rage on SNS and communities.”
Making a drama into an animation already had precedents, but bringing a Korean work over to make into an animation was sufficiently challenging.
“With the original work being such a hit, we can aim to draw in fans of the original, and additionally, we can benefit from the power of the Hallyu wave.”
Most of the executives nodded, and the middle-aged female executive continued with what she was thinking.
“Adding to the freshness. It’s just my thought, but how about casting one of the actors from ‘Male Friend’ as a voice actor?”
Amid the murmuring, a familiar name was mentioned.
“Perhaps- Kang Woojin?”
“Are you talking about Kang Woojin?”
As if confirming the correct answer, the middle-aged female executive with her hands clasped together told everyone.
“Yes, Kang Woojin. His popularity has risen from ‘Hanryang’ to ‘Male Friend’ and now ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, and if you watch ‘Ame-talk Show!’ or his Youtube, his Japanese is at a native level, so there’s no problem.”
“Hmm, indeed, something involving Kang Woojin would be quite sensational.”
“Have you ever heard Kang Woojin sing? You would believe he’s a singer. It’s also the main content of his Youtube. Plus, during the fan signing event he held in Japan recently, he was talked about for his good deeds. So, he could also participate in the OST.”
The popularity of animation in Japan is beyond imagination. A steadfast top of the content market.
It would be fair to say that the content market in Japan is dominated by animation. With its tremendous popularity worldwide, what more is there to say? And now.
“If we consider the upcoming ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ as well. ‘Male Friend’ and Kang Woojin.”
An animation production company within the top three in Japan, known for many hit works, is discussing Kang Woojin.
“Isn’t it worth the challenge?”
The next day, December 1st. At Director Ahn Ga-bok’s house.
Director Ahn Ga-bok, dressed in comfortable pajamas, was sitting on the living room sofa. What was peculiar was that he was looking down at his phone with a somewhat strange smile.
What he was looking at was an article.
『[Exclusive] Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had not shown himself, suddenly spotted dining with top actor Sim Han-ho… Is Sim Han-ho selected for the lead in the legendary 100th film?/ Photo』
Then, as Director Ahn Ga-bok quietly scrolled through the article, a wrinkled smile spread across his lips.
“Oh my- there was a reporter there?”