Chapter 67

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 67

Chapter Title: Podcast

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Before heading to the Comic Friends podcast where they'd be appearing the next day...

Shin Yi-han was on his way to Newflix headquarters with Baek Eun-won.

After a brief greeting with Jennifer Kim and Brian in the lobby, they were led on a tour of the Newflix building.

"Whoa! Come on in!"

"The stars of Hell of Others are actually here?!"

"You said today?!"

Even the employees they passed on the way were giving them a warm welcome.

"Congrats on hitting number one in Asia!"

"America's next! Go for the top spot!"

Thank you! Shin Yi-han smiled and returned their thanks.

He'd wondered if anyone would recognize him abroad.

The immigration officer had, for one.

But inside Newflix, word had spread even faster thanks to the internal preview screening for part 1.

"We told you it was awesome, right?!"

"Can't wait for part 2! Gonna binge it the second it drops!"

"I'm a total fan now!"

Each little comment lifted his spirits.

"Looks like everyone here's watched it."

"Yeah. Almost all of them are saying hi."

As they wandered the building, Shin Yi-han chatted idly with Baek Eun-won, a smile tugging at his lips.

Honestly, he'd visited the Newflix building in his previous life too.

What made it more fun this time was the employees' reactions. Everyone they met seemed genuinely thrilled.

"Right? Hell of Others is super popular here!"

Jennifer Kim, who'd overheard their conversation, beamed with pride.

"Only some of the staff caught it at the internal screening—the rest hunted it down on their own."

She naturally pointed to a massive digital billboard.

"And it's not just inside the company, you know."

The screen cycled through Newflix's original dramas.

A hall of fame, of sorts.

Only the hottest ones got featured there.

And naturally, Hell of Others was right in the mix.

"Plus, nothing represents part 1 better than your two faces."

Jennifer Kim grinned as she explained.

The protagonist Ban Gi-hyeok and the sub-villain Geum Seong-je.

The screen showed the moment Geum Seong-je had finally dragged Ban Gi-hyeok up to the second floor of Lucky House.

"Whoa, gotta snap a pic of this...!"

Manager Na Seon-yong hurried to take commemorative shots from behind.

Shin Yi-han just tilted his head back and stared at the billboard.

It's huge, as expected.

He let out a quiet sigh of admiration without realizing it.

Already up there.

His previous life's work hadn't made it here, which made it all the sweeter.

Back then, it'd only blown up domestically.

He remembered overseas audiences largely ignoring it because it was a "Korean thriller."

But now...

It really is different. The results.

Proof hung there plain as day.

And his previous self—a hotshot writer—had never gotten a film up there either.

Of course, the first project he'd collaborated on with Newflix...

That was the one being filmed right when he regressed from the past.

So he just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't seen the outcome.

Wonder how that one turned out.

Up until regression day, he'd stared at that set with total dissatisfaction...

Did it end up here?

Shin Yi-han felt a flicker of curiosity.

But even if it had...

He probably wouldn't have been satisfied. Not truly happy.

That was his previous self's style with every project.

He'd have looked at the hero's face on that screen and still scowled.

Found some excuse to hate it.

Too busy envying actors who made it there—places he couldn't reach.

He'd have turned away, his scarred face burning.

But now...

...Everything's great.

It really was.

Because now he could change it all. He already was—and he would keep going.

Shin Yi-han let a small smile slip.

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

He couldn't wait to get back to acting.

A short while later, things wrapped up at Newflix.

The HQ tour ended with a quick meeting.

They covered Comic Friends details, how much of part 2 they could spoil, and the like.

After resting at the hotel Newflix had booked, the next day arrived.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Shin Yi-han headed out with Baek Eun-won, looking forward to the podcast in his own way.

It was about 30 minutes before recording.

Newflix employee Jennifer Kim joined midway, and they arrived at the Comic Friends office.

Bobby Park and James Garfield welcomed them.

"Great to meet you all!"

"Whassup, guys!"

Classic comedian energy, sky-high.

Bobby and James had even rewatched all of part 1 just for this.

Impossible not to feel even more welcome.

"The protagonist, Mr. Ban!"

"And!"

But when their eyes shifted from Baek Eun-won to Shin Yi-han...

They both froze.

"Mr. Geum...?"

Bobby Park especially.

He mostly did comedy these days, but he was always passionate about films and actors—often mentioning his director roots on the pod.

He'd called him "Mr. Gold" over and over while geeking out because the performance was just that good.

That skin-crawling smile...

But now, face-to-face with the man himself.

"Whoa."

Longer hair? Different clothes? Nah, the vibe was totally opposite.

"This is nothing like the image in my head?!"

Bobby couldn't help but marvel.

The real thing was so far off expectations.

This guy's the same as the Geum Seong-je I binged so hard?

This friendly-looking handsome dude?!

No way that actor pulled off Hell of Others' brutal menace.

Of course, acting and real life were different...

But this gap was insane!

"How the hell did you pull that off? Nuts!"

Bobby's voice pitched up on its own.

"Heh."

Shin Yi-han burst out laughing and teased back.

"Did some dieting, cut my hair, and really buckled down on the acting."

All in English, naturally.

Question marks popped up over Bobby Park and James Garfield's heads.

"?"

"Huh?"

Yi-han and Baek had solid enough English for the pod, he'd heard.

"Hold up. What? Your accent's better than mine?!"

"Are you a kyopo? Korean-American?"

Bobby and James gaped.

Jennifer Kim and the managers cracked up. Totally relatable reaction.

"Where'd you study abroad or something?!"

"Uh... not really."

"Then?"

Yi-han scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin at their direct questions.

Why was his English so good? No special reason.

"Guess I just pick up mimicry pretty well."

Basic acting skill, really.

"Speech patterns and languages kinda fall into that too..."

Shin Yi-han smiled awkwardly.

What, so he's just a genius?! Their reactions intensified.

"My Korean's trash, and a Korean out-English-es me?!"

Korean-American Bobby Park hammed up his outrage.

"You know Bobby's Korean, right?"

Of course. Shin Yi-han chuckled at James's words.

"Yeah, I caught you guys saying my name on the last pod."

The situation was hilarious. He tossed out a casual jab.

Kwee-say-oo-jay.

Mimicking the mangled pronunciation of "Geum Seong-je" from their previous episode, just for fun.

And that was the moment.

"...?"

"...?!"

Bobby Park and James Garfield locked eyes.

Laughter exploded between them.

"What the—insane!"

"Spot on! You really are good at impressions?"

Puhahaha! Full-on belly laughs.

"Dude! Do it again!"

Bobby and James were already fans—not of Geum Seong-je's actor, but of Shin Yi-han himself.

"No, save it for the show! Your voice matches Bobby's perfectly—hilarious!"

Yi-han couldn't stop laughing at their hysterics.

The whole office was in stitches—no one left out.

Even Jennifer Kim from Newflix.

They just clicked, somehow. Better vibe than expected right from the jump.

Huh. This broadcast might be... smooth sailing.

Honestly, low expectations since it was promo.

Could be pretty fun?

Jennifer Kim suddenly felt excited.

And then broadcast time rolled around.

Today's format: video podcast.

Streaming video on Nutube alongside the audio—otherwise same as usual.

Except viewers seeing the guests live would freak even harder.

"Alright. Let's have some fun, everyone!"

Bobby Park signaled the staff like a pro.

Ding!

The broadcast was live for real.

"Whassup!"

"Welcome, everyone!"

Bobby Park and James Garfield waved at the influx of viewers.

The viewers lost it spotting the two guests up front.

"Knew you'd say that. But I'm American at heart, kids?"

"Calm down, whoa whoa! You get me without me saying it!"

Bobby and James joked with the chat, grinning.

Pfft. Shin Yi-han laughed with Baek Eun-won as he read the scrolling comments.

Comic Friends lived up to the name.

Viewers were hilarious from the start.

"Man, the same people who called our faces fish-like before."

"No joke."

"Why so many viewers today?!"

"Record-breaking. For real."

The hosts' eyes widened at the flood of people.

Word had spread—way more viewers than usual.

Once most had piled in...

"Whoa, think we're good now?"

"Looks like it?"

The hosts smoothly introduced the guests.

"Alright! You all know already, but these two played the protagonist and sub-villain in Hell of Others!"

"They'll intro themselves. Last time I tried, y'all roasted my pronunciation...!"

"No?!"

"Ugh, fine. I'll do it if you stop begging—after they intro!"

Bobby Park, besieged by requests, turned to Baek Eun-won to hurry his intro.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Baek Eun-won, who played protagonist Ban Gi-hyeok in Hell of Others."

Baek Eun-won smiled and introduced himself smoothly.

Topic shifted instantly. Solid English had everyone chatting.

"Hello."

Shin Yi-han's turn.

"It's Kwee-say-oo-jay."

Shin Yi-han delivered Bobby Park's pronunciation instead.

?!

At the unexpected timing, Bobby and James lost it harder.

"Puhahaha! Crazy! Didn't even ask and he does it?! Timing god-tier!"

"Thought I said it myself for a sec!"

Viewers were no different.

Not just sloppy mimicry—dead-on, hence the laughs.

"Killing it from the start!"

"This funny? Join the Friends crew!"

"Actors can multitask, right?"

"Hahaha! Obviously! We're proof!"

Energy skyrocketed early.

The pod rolled on in that vibe.

Bobby Park got even more hyped seeing viewers explode beyond expectations.

Thought it'd just be fanboy chat.

But this funny? Today's historic.

Hell of Others talk got even livelier.

Baek Eun-won's casual quips became laugh points.

And the chem between Shin Yi-han, Bobby Park...

Flawless Korean mimicking a non-Korean Korean-American? Comedy gold.

Before they knew it, the end was near.

In the great mood, part 2 talk came up.

"Oh yeah. Spill already."

Bobby Park's gaze slid slyly to Shin Yi-han.

"We all know everyone's waiting for part 2, right?"

Thanks to Bobby and James hyping it, most viewers had binged part 1 and were dying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for 2.

Chat reignited.

"Especially Mr. Gold."

The question predictably went to Shin Yi-han.

"Mr. Gold's gone for good now, right?"

"Such a perfect exit... but still bummed! No Mr. Gold in 2?!"

The impact had been that huge.

"Ah."

Shin Yi-han naturally dove into part 2 talk.

"They said one thing's safe to spoil."

"Ooh...!"

Hype was unreal.

"Part 2's gonna be even better."

"...Aw!"

"Lame!"

"And."

Shin Yi-han grinned like it was a tease.

"I did film for it."

With that, Shin Yi-han flashed a cryptic smile.

"Part 2 footage."

The recent part 2 trailer hadn't mentioned Geum Seong-je at all.

And with his perfect death at part 1's end, no one expected him back.

"Wha—?!"

"For real?!"

Bobby and James had to double-take.

Filmed?! Insane!

Means he's in it! Geum Seong-je!

Chat went nuclear—scrolling too fast to read.

And this spoil dropped two days before part 2.

Perfect promo.