NOVEL NEXT Episode 151
Episode 151
To cut to the chase…
It wasn’t just smooth sailing.
In just one week, it ranked first in the non-English drama category in all countries where Netflix provides service.
It was a historic record, and even Netflix was surprised by this fact and issued an official statement.
An unofficial record that only Netflix officials could know.
This was announced, and everyone was surprised.
It couldn’t be helped.
No one had imagined such an announcement would come out.
But from Netflix’s standpoint, it wasn’t a strange response.
In other words, to promote Netflix, there was a need to actively publicize the achievements of
And this strategy was effective, causing Netflix’s stock price to jump by over 30 trillion won again.
For Netflix, it was an achievement that could only make them smile broadly.
Moreover, Netflix wasn’t the only one whose stock price soared due to the success of
Festa Entertainment, which oversaw the production of
Now, Festa Entertainment was undoubtedly one of the top production companies in South Korea.
The company’s value reflected in the stock price was proving this fact.
But it wasn’t just the company’s value that indicated Festa Entertainment’s status.
It was more significant that Festa Entertainment had become the company that produced
Also, other works produced by Festa Entertainment achieved decent results.
Because of this, there was no longer anyone who doubted Festa Entertainment’s capabilities as a production company.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Festa Entertainment, which had shown potential as a production company through , had reached its peak with
Thus, the service of
With the new year, the craze for Korean traditional culture, which had slightly waned in recent months, began to reignite.
Korean traditional culture, which had been steadily loved, was approaching the world in a more advanced form.
First, it was basic for foreign tourists to flock to see Korea’s beautiful palaces.
More people were putting on hiking gear and climbing mountains to experience the beautiful landscapes that Yeon, Wi-rang, Seo-hee, and Yi-hyun had traversed in
Along with this, domestic hiking gear brands saw a large increase in sales, and Im Seung-hee, who played the role of Seo-hee, became an exclusive model for one of them.
This naturally led to Korea’s unique hiking culture, which can’t be easily experienced in any other country, becoming widely known.
My father, who likes hiking and visits mountains every weekend, was amazed that he now easily meets foreigners.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but be surprised again at the impact of
But Korean traditional culture didn’t just increase the number of foreign tourists.
As more people walked around in hanbok on the streets, hanbok rental businesses began to thrive in overseas cities like New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
Especially in the case of Festa Entertainment, they directly entered this business and arranged for official
It was an international business model that could yield enormous profits.
Not only that, but following Louis Vuitton, brands like Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Celine, Burberry, and Saint Laurent also started selling products infused with Korean traditional culture.
Particularly, Prada’s white bojagi-style bucket bag and Burberry’s ambitiously prepared durumagi-style trench coat were hugely popular.
Gucci’s shoes reminiscent of flower shoes with their unique logo also recorded quite high sales.
In this way, Korean traditional culture firmly established itself as a cultural trend.
Everyone unanimously praised that
For me, this alone felt like all the efforts so far were being rewarded.
But a week after the service of
* * *
There were various types of what we commonly call the “Emmy Awards”.
And what we attended was the “Primetime Emmy Awards”.
Usually, it’s this Primetime Emmy Awards that gets the nickname of the Academy Awards of the broadcasting industry.
This year too, the Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
As soon as I got out of the car, camera shutters poured down.
Click, click, click.
Click, click, click.
The response was more than I had thought.
The coverage seemed even more intense than at the Cannes Film Festival.
Certainly, back then, the possibility of winning an award wasn’t high.
The coverage couldn’t help but be less intense because of that.
But
Rather, it would be strange if the coverage wasn’t intense.
Along with the sound of camera shutters, my name was called out from here and there.
“Look over here please!”
“Mr. Lee Si-joon! New York Times here!”
“It’s BBC! You remember, right?”
“Gautier Fournier from Le Monde!”
These were calls from media outlets from around the world.
I slowly stepped onto the red carpet, smiled, and occasionally waved to journalists I was familiar with.
There was no need to be hung up on the size or prestige of media outlets anymore.
It was natural since the side wanting coverage had changed.
“Wow! Handsome as ever today!”
“His ability to pull off outfits is really something else, isn’t it?”
“Louis Vuitton’s outfit will sell the best this time too.”
“The title of best-dressed will go to Lee Si-joon without even having to consider others, right?”
After striking all the poses in the photo zone and entering the award ceremony hall, I heard people talking from one side.
I wasn’t sure, but they seemed to be officials from works nominated for Emmy Awards.
It was certain because this was a place where journalists couldn’t freely enter and exit.
So, my outfit that people were paying attention to.
My outfit was, of course, a work by Jean-Drulot Meyère.
Originally, I preferred Lee Si-hoo designer’s works for award ceremony outfits, but as I became Louis Vuitton’s ambassador, I couldn’t do that anymore.
I had to wear Louis Vuitton’s outfit.
Fortunately, I quite liked the outfit Jean-Drulot Meyère prepared this time.
Jean-Drulot Meyère also presented works that incorporated Korean traditional culture in line with recent trends.
The outfit I chose today was one of them.
Other luxury brands were also presenting decent works inspired by Korean traditional culture.
However, I hoped that Jean-Drulot Meyère’s works, which first attempted this, would achieve the best sales.
In that sense, I chose today’s outfit among several excellent works, and it was the same for my brother.
My brother was already in the ceremony hall wearing an outfit similar to mine but with a different feel.
“Hey! Over here!”
My brother, who spotted me, waved towards me.
All the main characters of
However, this didn’t erase the fact that they were main characters of
For reference, Director Kang Han-sung was nominated for Best Drama Series Director along with me, and my brother was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
As nominees, their invitation was natural.
‘It feels reassuring to have all the main team members gathered.’
As I was thinking this and about to approach my brother,
“Excuse me, are you Lee Si-joon?”
Someone addressed me in English, and I naturally turned my head.
And there, surprisingly, stood Michael Faulkner, considered one of America’s top actors.
“…Michael Faulkner?”
When I answered like this without realizing it, Michael Faulkner’s smile deepened.
He seemed pleased that I recognized him.
“You know me. I’m truly honored. If you’re not busy, could we chat for a moment?”
I glanced briefly at where my group was.
Fortunately, they were busy talking among themselves.
It didn’t seem difficult to spare a moment.
There was quite some time left until the ceremony started.
“Of course.”
“Ah, actually, I really enjoyed watching
Michael Faulkner then poured out his impressions of
I was quite surprised because I hadn’t expected to meet Michael Faulkner here and discuss
It reminded me of when Lee Jung-joon, the main male lead of
Certainly, Michael Faulkner was an actor no less than Jay DeGeneres.
Michael Faulkner, Jay DeGeneres, and Dave Moniz were incredible actors who dominated the era, nicknamed the Big Three of Hollywood.
Moreover, the influence of these three was among the most notable in Hollywood history.
‘This… If this news spreads, the media will be buzzing again tomorrow?’
But what was even more surprising was that Michael Faulkner wasn’t the only one showing interest in me.
Other American celebrities were also continuously flocking towards me, seemingly interested.
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by celebrities and couldn’t move until the ceremony started.
* * *
By chatting with Jimmy King, whom I met on
Finally joining my group, I found my seat, and at last, the Emmy Awards ceremony began with the special hosting of the Emmy host.
The uniquely cheerful atmosphere of American award ceremonies was impressive.
It was a different feeling from the solemn atmosphere of the Baeksang Arts Awards.
However, my brother didn’t laugh much, perhaps not matching the code.
He’s not someone who laughs easily anyway, so it wasn’t anything special.
But soon after.
My brother had something to laugh about.
Because his name was called as the winner of Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
And that was the beginning of the storm.