A New Project
Representative Jeong Hyeok took the report Gong Min-jeong had submitted and went down to the third-floor café with Yeon-woo.
With quitting time approaching, the café was quiet.
They claimed a corner table, and Jeong Hyeok began reading through the report.
That was when Kim Ju-seong appeared with freshly blended fruit juices, set them down in front of Yeon-woo and Jeong Hyeok, and took a seat himself.
"Looks like Actor Ryu is planning his next project?"
Yeon-woo looked over at Representative Kim Ju-seong's words.
"How did you know?"
"It's the first time the two of you have come down to the café alone."
Jeong Hyeok turned to Kim Ju-seong with a grumble.
"Come on, Representative. When I come down you tell me it's a bother and to hurry back upstairs, but the second Actor Ryu shows up you plant yourself at the table."
"Then don't come down when the café is busy. If you do come down, at least wash some dishes while you ask."
Having teased for nothing and gotten nothing in return, Jeong Hyeok smoothly redirected his gaze to the report once more.
The report explained Actor Ryu Yeon-woo's success by drawing parallels to corporate theory.
"First mover and fast follower..."
As Jeong Hyeok read and nodded, Representative Kim Ju-seong asked,
"Isn't that business theory?"
"Yes, exactly. I told a newly hired employee to analyze why Actor Ryu's works have been so successful."
Kim Ju-seong propped his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Makes sense."
"You haven't even read the report yet."
"You just said it yourself, Hyeok. First mover."
"You figured out the entire report from that alone?"
In truth, Yeon-woo had also roughly grasped the report's contents from those words alone.
First mover, huh...
Yeon-woo recalled the story of the penguins.
Antarctic penguins eventually have to dive into the sea if they want to find food. But the water is full of seals and other predators waiting for them, so entering it takes real resolve. Most of the flock hesitates on the edge, unable to decide whether to go in or not. Then one penguin throws itself into the sea first—and countless others follow in a rush.
That first penguin to dive in is called the "first penguin."
In business theory, the "first mover" plays the role of that first penguin. When it risks everything and successfully opens a new market, the fast followers come pouring in after it. When a company develops the first smartphone, for instance, other companies spring up like mushrooms and leap into the same market.
This report was almost certainly explaining Yeon-woo's career by comparing it to that first mover.
"Do you think so too, Representative Kim?"
"I think it has plenty of merit. Every time Actor Ryu succeeds with a new attempt, countless fast followers copy similar genres and similar approaches. But the one who always reaps the greatest success is the first mover."
Hearing that, Jeong Hyeok added,
"Looking at Actor Ryu's career, it really has been one challenge after another, hasn't it?"
He had tried a fusion historical drama laced with romance—Star Beyond the River—on KBC1, whose core audience was older. When he had become a fairly successful actor, he had begun filming a low-budget independent movie about overseas adoptees, a social minority. Then came a domestic fantasy drama that everyone opposed and considered almost certain to fail. And now, even after becoming an actor Hollywood itself was seeking out, he had chosen the stage of a small theater.
Looking at Yeon-woo, Kim Ju-seong smiled.
"Viewers absorb not only the content of the film or drama itself, but also the adversities faced from the production stage onward—and the courage to take the first step into the unknown—as one grand narrative."
And that was precisely why Kim Ju-seong had trusted the actor named Ryu Yeon-woo enough to begin a new chapter called Saebyeol.
Representative Kim Ju-seong regarded Yeon-woo with intrigued eyes.
"But Yeon-woo."
"Yes."
"Is there still any market left worth pioneering? I was starting to think the time to shine as a first mover might already be over."
It was true—there were almost no new markets left now. Yeon-woo had never chosen these paths in order to open new markets. He had simply picked the works that spoke to him.
"Well... I'll have to think about that."
At Yeon-woo's answer, Jeong Hyeok nodded.
"I'll put some serious thought into it with Director Yoon Mi-yeon as well."
From that day on, Yeon-woo came down to the third-floor café every day, claimed a corner seat, and watched people.
Even during his years as an operative, whenever he hit a dead end tracking a target or needed a creative spark, he would go somewhere crowded and simply listen to other people's conversations.
"Isn't there that one PD in SBC's variety department..."
"Unnie, that guy I said I was meeting last time..."
"Did you see the stock I recommended last time go up? Whoa, my instincts these days..."
Countless stories drifted into Yeon-woo's ears—everything from work talk to personal chatter.
Strangely enough, a café is an open space where anyone who wants to listen can easily overhear, yet because so many people are talking at once, a layer of ambient noise settles over everything and people feel their privacy is protected. That is why they spill personal stories more freely. Listening in like this often brought conversations that broke free of Yeon-woo's usual patterns of thought and living, and new ideas would surface.
"I ordered that coat. How is it?"
"Wow, pretty. But I have something similar."
"Really? I heard this style is trending again this S/S, so take it out and wear it."
Two employees talking about clothes while scrolling on their phones entered Yeon-woo's field of vision.
They were probably PR team staff from the LN days.
Completely unaware they were being watched, they remained absorbed in their conversation about clothes.
"The design is pretty similar, though I bought mine a few years ago."
"Come on, coats are fine. Trends always come back around."
Something clicked. Yeon-woo opened his laptop.
Trends come back around, huh.
He began searching.
Hmm... 90s domestic dramas, recent Japanese animations, webtoons and web novels.
While surveying trends on YouTube, Yeon-woo started pulling up articles.
Recently the number of pro-league fans among Korean women in their twenties has exploded...
Piecing the materials together, he began to form a rough understanding of the genre.
If I use this as the base and season it with current trends, it might turn out pretty well if done right.
Yeon-woo closed his laptop and stood.
On his way up to Representative Jeong Hyeok's office on the fourth floor, he took out his phone and called Director Yoon Mi-yeon.
Yes, Actor Ryu.
"Ah, Director Yoon. Would it be possible for the three of us—Representative Jeong Hyeok included—to have a short meeting?"
Director Yoon answered in a bright voice.
Have you found a project you want to do?
"No. I thought of a genre that might work well as a milestone for the company."
After hanging up, Yeon-woo went to Jeong Hyeok's office on the fourth floor. Director Yoon Mi-yeon arrived shortly after.
The three of them sat at the round table in the representative's office and exchanged glances. Jeong Hyeok spoke first.
"Actor Ryu. What is this genre?"
Yeon-woo picked up Gong Min-jeong's report from the side of the table.
"I've been thinking about first movers and fast followers."
The other two focused on him. Feeling their attention, Yeon-woo continued.
"How about a slow follower?"
"Pardon? A slow follower?"
At Director Yoon's question, Yeon-woo nodded.
"While I was sitting in the café, someone said that trends always come back around. When a fashion that hasn't been worn for years suddenly starts trending again, isn't it because someone first took that item out of the closet and put it on?"
Like the penguin that dives into the water first.
The two who understood what he meant thought for a moment, then nodded.
"So you're talking about a genre that used to be popular but hasn't been seen much lately?"
"Hmm, what would that be..."
Saebyeol Entertainment currently had a great many young actors. Romance, with its limited number of central roles, would be difficult for all of them to appear in together. And to minimize potential problems under Baeksol's threats, they needed a genre that could proceed while keeping outside actors to a minimum—so historical dramas and fantasy were also out.
A genre that could feature many actors and still make good use of the younger ones among them.
"A sports drama. Something with amateur volleyball or basketball as the material, for example—how does that sound?"
Jeong Hyeok understood at once.
"Ah—when I was young, basketball dramas were practically a phenomenon. Mid-nineties... already nearly thirty years ago."
Yeon-woo knew that well. His previous life had been his school years in that same era.
"Hmm, sports... Hearing it, those old basketball dramas come to mind and it sounds fun, but if we handle it wrong it could feel dated."
"Of course I don't plan to do a plain sports story. We'll need a refined scenario that matches today's sensibilities. Recently, Japanese animations with volleyball or basketball as their material have been quite popular among young people here—regardless of gender."
At Yeon-woo's words, Jeong Hyeok nodded as if something had clicked.
"Animation... I've seen related clips online myself."
"And before I came up, I did a little research in the café. Lately, pro basketball and pro volleyball have gotten quite popular among young Korean women."
Hearing that, Jeong Hyeok and Yoon Mi-yeon began seriously weighing the chances of success.
Then Yeon-woo spoke again.
"Separately from that, I have one more idea."
"Yes?"
"How about the company running a YouTube channel? Let's film our own YouTube variety content so the actors can get closer to one another. Feature all of them."
In truth, the actors currently gathered around Yeon-woo as their center had all met him on different projects, so a certain awkwardness still lingered among them. There were people like Han Byeol and Seo Ji-eun who had become close quickly, but actors such as Son Jin-uk and Jeong Su-yeon had barely interacted with the others.
"YouTube variety...?"
After a moment's thought, Director Yoon Mi-yeon spoke.
"From a sports drama to our own YouTube channel—both are completely outside anything I imagined."
"I didn't deliberately go looking for only those. I just wanted to try them."
Looking back and forth between their faces, Yeon-woo carefully added,
"And... I'd also like to do a film on my own."
At those words, Director Yoon Mi-yeon's voice rose and Representative Jeong Hyeok shook his head.
"What?! Drama, variety, and a movie?"
"No, Actor Ryu. Did you die from nothing but work in your previous life?"
Hearing Jeong Hyeok, Yeon-woo flinched.
I can't exactly say no to that. Still... "died from nothing but work"? That makes me a little sad...
Yeon-woo offered an awkward smile.