Chapter 72
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 072
Chapter Title: Others' Hell Part 2 (1)
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Two days before the premiere of Others' Hell Part 2—and counting.
In truth, Jennifer Kim and Brian had no choice but to keep darting in and out of the server room.
No, it was more accurate to say they were practically camped out there.
There was no better spot to track viewer trends in real time.
"J-jeez."
They couldn't tear their eyes away from the graph that was already shooting straight up.
"Are they all binge-watching ahead of Part 2...?"
"At this rate? Definitely."
Brian nodded along with his own dazed voice. Jennifer couldn't help but let her tone grow more excited by the second.
"Right?! And it's not just the new viewers pouring in—look at that second-watch ratio! It means we've got a solid fanbase locked down!"
It was exactly as she said. The closer they got to Part 2's release, the more viewers surged.
It was an unbelievably positive trend.
'And the reason we can pull this off...'
Not only had word-of-mouth about Part 1 being a blast spread like wildfire.
Bobby Park's podcast Comic Friends had gone way more viral than expected.
'Honestly, we could say it's almost all thanks to actor Shin Yi-han!'
Shin Yi-han and Bobby Park's back-and-forth had landed perfectly even on NewTube.
Starting with the short clips,
[Comic Friends | Others' Hell is Actually Hilarious LOL]
Views: 3.37 Million
(In just one day—unbelievable! And the full podcast is spreading worldwide in real time.)
The edited upload alone proved its explosive power.
A view count that was hard to believe had climbed in just one day.
And the podcast videos were spreading across the globe in real time.
Especially with the spoiler that Geum Seong-je appears in Part 2, drawing even more attention.
Jennifer Kim couldn't stop her lips from curling into a grin.
And the good news didn't end there.
Do you know what just happened?
This drama that had been stuck at No. 4 on Newflix's top American shows, no matter how hard they pushed...
"This is insane."
Riding this momentum, it had climbed yet another rung.
"Already No. 3 in the US?!"
It had cracked the Top 3 right before Part 2 dropped. An Eastern thriller drama, in America, no less.
'And this is before it even starts.'
'What'll happen on launch day...!'
Jennifer Kim's heart started pounding fiercely.
Part 2's premiere was exciting—too exciting.
And the next day.
D-Day had finally arrived.
Brimming with anticipation, Jennifer Kim and Brian headed straight to the server room for "work."
When the moment of Others' Hell Part 2's release arrived...
An outcome no one could have predicted unfolded.
They'd thought it would do well, sure.
"Uh..."
"Wh-what the...?"
Jennifer Kim and Brian's jaws dropped.
"...The numbers look off."
"Or maybe my eyes are."
They double- and triple-checked the figures in disbelief.
They hadn't expected Others' Hell's popularity to hit this level.
"No way... Huh? It's real. This."
And right after Part 2 went live. They never imagined this was possible.
"Come on, this is basically hitting the jackpot..."
"Holy crap. Yeah! It's real!"
In the end, Brian shot to his feet, yelling at the top of his lungs.
"It's real!"
The graph rocketed toward the ceiling without stopping.
Even the other Newflix staff at HQ were going nuts.
"J-Jennifer! What the hell did you guys do?!"
They swarmed the server room. It was an unprecedented record after so long.
"Newflix's total users just spiked!"
"And it's all Others' Hell viewers, you know that?!"
"That's like five times the influx from Part 1!"
Regardless of whose project it was, everyone dove into analyzing user trends, buzzing with excitement.
"And in the US..."
America was the only English-speaking country that hadn't hit No. 1 yet.
But.
"It's flooding into yourOthers' Hell just like everywhere else...?"
This trend was on another level.
"Exactly."
Jennifer Kim replied to the other staff, still in disbelief.
Honestly, at this rate.
For real.
Not only was it a massive blockbuster out of Korea after ages.
"We're insane."
It might even claim No. 1... in every country.
In America, the situation was exactly like that.
'Holy shit! It's finally out!'
'Others' Hell!'
'Ugh, I was dying of curiosity!'
Countless people had been waiting for Part 2 amid the steadily spreading buzz.
'Nah, an Eastern thriller... Wouldn't the new Uncle Man series be more fun?'
'Exactly. They totally bombed the comedy this time. Why bother with a Korean drama?'
Even those with zero intention of watching found themselves plopped in front of their Newflix screens.
All because of the strong recommendations from those who'd seen it.
And the prime example of all those reactions was right here.
Bobby Park's movie studio, where he'd forcibly dragged in his friends.
"You guys have no idea how insane Yi-han's acting is! You have to watch this just for that!"
"Come on, who's this Yi-han anyway?"
"Ugh! You don't know Mr. Gold?!"
"Nope? I haven't seen Others' Hell..."
From the crew who'd shot the short film to all sorts of acquaintances—Bobby had called everyone to the studio.
The staff were thrilled at the news that Shin Yi-han appeared in Part 2.
"Don't freak out when you see it! It's on another level, I guarantee—me, who shot the short with him!"
Bobby grinned as he set up the massive screen for them to watch together.
They'd binge Part 1 right up to Part 2 on release.
"How much did you love it anyway?"
"Yeah, why'd you even shoot a short with a Korean actor?"
Only Bobby's acquaintances who hadn't seen it shrugged.
They'd come because he insisted, sure.
'Though he's covering beer and snacks, so might as well watch.'
'Free booze all night? Whatever.'
Honestly, expectations were low. They were too busy lounging on the sofas.
"Oh yeah, anyone need a blanket?!"
"Me!"
"Me too! Me!"
Pfft! What? Blankets?
They burst out laughing at their over-the-top friends.
"Psh, blankets in this weather?"
"Drinks are cold, goosebumps keep coming—totally necessary."
"Sometimes gotta cover your eyes too!"
Hahaha! Sure, sure!
They chugged beer, waving off the offered blankets.
'Goosebumps my ass.'
'I don't even watch foreign dramas 'cause subtitles are a pain.'
'Let's see how boring it is.'
And it wasn't long after Part 1 started playing.
They stared blankly at the screen for a moment.
'Uh, huh?'
Their slouched backs on the sofa slowly straightened.
'Hold up.'
'Why's the vibe hitting already...'
Geum Seong-je's murder spree had them hooked before they knew it, holding their breath in this tense uncertainty of when it'd strike.
They were stunned by Geum Seong-je's pure evil, slaughtering even cops.
'Crazy, crazy, crazy?!'
'What the hell?!'
They couldn't snap out of it as Geum Seong-je dragged the protagonist Ban Ki-hyuk into hell.
By the end of Part 1, all Bobby's friends could say was:
"Um..."
"Any spare blankets...?"
"I... I'm cold."
Faces utterly sucked into the drama, making the recommender beam with pride.
Hahaha! See? Fun, right? Thrilling, huh?
Laughter erupted around them, as expected.
"Guys, what're you doing?"
"Play the next ep already...!"
"Cliffhanger like this is cruel!"
His friends throwing a fit for the next episode was just as predictable.
What happens in Part 2? Does Mr. Gold really die?!
Curiosity had replaced all their earlier gripes.
And the best part?
Part 2 had just dropped, and they could hit next without restraint.
"Alright, alright. Straight to it?!"
"Yes! Please!"
"I'm dying here!"
And now, the real show began.
The moment everyone was dying to see.
Part 2 Episode 1 started playing.
Doong.
The signature Newflix chime rang out.
[Others' Hell 2]
From the Others' Hell logo in the opening scene.
Bobby Park and his friends couldn't look away.
The similar-yet-fresh background music, that signature bright-yet-oppressive vibe.
'Part 2's feel is insane too...'
'Murder right from the start?!'
They faced the story tense as hell.
Bam! Crunch-!
Part 2's opener belonged entirely to the protagonist, Ban Ki-hyuk.
As Geum Seong-je wished.
Ban Ki-hyuk held back no longer.
Crunch-!
Bones snapping, flesh tearing—the sound made Ban Ki-hyuk's lips curl into a grin.
There was no reason to hold back anymore.
- Fun.
It was fun.
- Ah!
- Fun!
Truly fun.
No fear, no frustration.
Just swing the axe in his hand, and everything was solved.
'...What the.'
Bobby Park and his friends had been frozen solid for ages.
'That smile—so like Geum Seong-je yet different.'
'Way too creepy...!'
The tension and thrill from Part 1 hit hard before the mercilessly gleeful murderer protagonist.
'Such brutal joy.'
'Liberation this horrific...?'
Ban Ki-hyuk growing freer with every spill of blood.
That happy smile absent from Part 1.
It twisted the viewers' guts.
Made them want to cheer for the protagonist despite everything.
- Am I finally scary?
- But oh well.
- I'm having too much fun.
They froze as the protagonist became the perfect villain.
But Part 2's highlight wasn't protagonist Ban Ki-hyuk's liberation.
Something even bigger lurked in the next episode.
What Part 2 focused on from the start.
Villain vs. villain.
And villain.
Their clash.
As the next episode kicked off.
The scene shifted naturally.
Eerie pink exterior walls, a nameplate on the verge of crumbling.
Squelch-!
To some, hell. To others, paradise.
Squelch!
Lucky House—the camera zoomed right in.
And this was the moment its secrets unraveled.
Starting with how this hell operated, which everyone wondered about.
Squelch!
- The blood-soaked floor.
On the second floor, whistling mixed with the sound of scrubbing the floorboards.
- Severed fingers.
- Lumpy giant torsos.
The being that created this place, the main villain.
- All mine.
Lucky House's landlord was cleaning up.
Stripping everything away so they could all run wild here.
That was Lucky House's first secret—and its key.
- Ah, of course.
And the second secret.
- Everyone here is, too.
Ughhh... Something corpse-like twitched before the landlord.
- Mine, right?
It scraped the floor with nails, struggling to escape. Thrashing to survive.
- Right?
- My pretty 105?
But the landlord's calm chat lasted only a moment.
Crunch!
He snapped its neck underfoot like it was nothing.
More precisely, the neck of someone who'd been a Lucky House tenant minutes ago.
- Can't answer, but.
Pfft! The landlord burst into laughter.
Like a hunter biting his prey's neck.
Grinning in ecstasy.
'......'
Before this main villain, Bobby Park and his friends squeezed their eyes shut.
'Shit!'
'What kind of character is this...?!'
A different brutality from Geum Seong-je chilled them to the bone.
'Wait. Isn't this that thing...'
'Yeah, that.'
Yes.
'A killer who hunts killers.'
Lucky House's second secret.
All tenants were prey raised by the landlord.
Like pigs, chickens, cows.
Livestock.
How to savor them best? After endless pondering.
Lucky House was born.
A slaughterhouse for idiots who could hunt but never dreamed of being hunted.
Their death-face expressions? Delicious.
Hahaha! The landlord didn't hold back his booming laugh.
- And among them, who knew there'd be something this fun.
Then, as the main villain landlord thudded down to the first floor.
The third secret revealed itself.
He entered the last room—his own.
Beep- Beep-
Blood stench mingled with heart monitor beeps.
Someone entirely bandaged lay on the bed.
At first, no one recognized him.
- Hm. Yeah, next up, Room 101 sounds fun.
But then the landlord spoke to him.
- What do you think?
And kindly named him.
- Seong-je?
Unlike other idiots busy killing.
This was the landlord's praise for the one who'd targeted his first kill himself.
Ban Ki-hyuk's hometown friend.
His first intended victim.
Praise for Geum Seong-je.
'What...?'
'What'd he just say...'
At those words.
Bobby Park and his friends were speechless.
'S-Seong-je?!'
'Did he just say Seong-je?!'
Doubt lasted a second. The camera finally revealed Geum Seong-je's face.
Confirming he was alive.
'...?!'
'It's really Geum Seong-je...!'
'H-He was actually alive?!'
'This clear?!'
Part 2's twist, its new direction.
And that.
'Insane, insane?!'
'What a welcome surprise! Geum Seong-je!'
'Geum Seong-je's back!'
'This fun allowed?!'
Became the spark igniting every viewer into a frenzy.