The moment I entered the grand ballroom on the first floor of Daechon Hotel, holding Miso's hand, I found complete chaos.
PD Ju Se-Hyung of SBC was discussing countermeasures with his staff, while hotel employees hurriedly carried the food laid out in the ballroom back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the three SBC News reporters who had come to cover the event were loudly calling entertainment reporters attending the A Life Lived Twice production presentation at HK Hotel.
"Hey! Reporter Choi! You promised you'd come right up until this afternoon! What is this? Is the galbitang over there really that good? Are you out of your mind?"
"The galbitang broth is amazing, you say? Hey! The galbitang here is even better!"
Finally, Reporter Choi So-Hye of Star Exclusive, who had actually come, was outright cursing at the others over the phone.
"Reporter Park, you little bastard. Can you handle the consequences? I don't care if your owner gave the order. If you don't show up, you're not only screwing over SBC, you're screwing over Daechon Inc. too! Got it, you idiot?"
Seeing the commotion caused by the reporters' absence, Writer Lee Ji-Yeon spoke to me. "Yoon-Ho. Leave Miso with me and go talk to the producer. Hurry."
"Thank you, Mrs. Lee."
I handed Miso over to Lee Ji-Yeon and immediately approached Ju Se-Hyung, who was in the middle of a meeting.
"Mr. Ju!"
Ju Se-Hyung spotted me and raised a hand. "Oh, Chief Jung. You heard?"
I nodded. "Yes. The entertainment reporters are carrying out a group boycott."
"That's right. Which is why... I think we'll have to postpone the production presentation for two days."
Delaying it by two days wouldn't actually solve anything, but I wondered if SBC had some sort of plan, so I asked carefully, "If we postpone it for two days, will the reporters come then?"
"No, not exactly... The president said he'd figure something out by then."
In other words, they still didn't have a solution. And that meant there was room for me to step in.
"Mr. Ju. Then would you be willing to leave today's production presentation to me? I have an idea."
Ju Se-Hyung's eyes lit up. "What? Do you have some trick for bringing the reporters here?"
"No. Even if we force the reporters to come, they'll just write negative articles."
"Huh? Then what?"
"I'd like to invite drama-focused MeTubers and hold an online production presentation. So just postpone it for one hour. If you do, I guarantee one hundred thousand live viewers and one million views within twenty-four hours."
The numbers were so outrageous that Ju Se-Hyung and the staff could only blink in disbelief.
Then a deep, serious voice came from the rear entrance of the ballroom. "Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
I turned and saw who it was. It was none other than Kim Gab-Soo, President of SBC. Behind him stood the recently promoted Director Lee Gi-Do of the Drama Department and Drama Department Head Jung Sam-Ryong, who had also recently been promoted.
I bowed politely, but Kim Gab-Soo waved away the greeting. "Forget the formalities. Chief Jung. Are you really confident about one hundred thousand live viewers and one million views in twenty-four hours? How?"
I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. So I answered without hesitation.
"We contact major MeTubers and influencers and simultaneously stream the production presentation through Miso's Instargem account."
A large number of Korea's movie and drama review MeTubers belonged to an MCN called Utopia Network. An MCN—Multi Channel Network—was essentially a management company for MeTubers and influencers, providing various support services for creators in the age of one-person media.
And Yoo Song-Hak, the president of Utopia Network, happened to be Hoop Entertainment's Team Lead Kim Mi-Hye's high school classmate. One phone call would be enough to secure support from the MeTubers.
"Hmm. Aren't you being a little too confident?"
"I'm saying it because I'm confident."
Kim Gab-Soo thought for a moment before speaking to me. "Okay. Then show me what you've got. Show everyone that you can succeed perfectly well without those damn reporters!"
"Yes, sir!"
To make today's production presentation a success, I immediately called Kim Mi-Hye.
***
Current time was 7:10 p.m.
[Team Lead Kim Mi-Hye: Sending the list of streamers available to broadcast the online production presentation at 8 p.m. today.
Some of them left for the venue immediately after receiving the call.
-Land of Happiness Online Production Presentation Participants:
Drama Teller (2.02 million subscribers), Drama Boy (1.2 million subscribers), Little Reviewer (1.08 million subscribers), Potato Chip (930,000 subscribers)...
-Homemaker-Focused MeTubers:
Gangneung Wife (220,000 subscribers), Taek's Culture Life (550,000 subscribers)...]
Thanks to Kim Mi-Hye's relationship with the president of Utopia Network, we were able to recruit major drama-review MeTubers.
After checking the list, I called her again.
"Thank you for your hard work. But who's actually coming to the venue?"
-Almost everyone living in Seoul has already headed over.
"We only have an hour."
-Yes. The moment they heard reporters hadn't shown up, they said it was perfect MeTube content and left immediately. It also helped that it's a project being run by Hoop Entertainment.
Drama-review MeTubers were more sensitive to trends than anyone else. They were also hyenas constantly starving for content that could pull in views. That was why, the moment they heard reporters had boycotted the event and that Hoop Entertainment was involved, they rushed straight to the venue.
"Understood. But I don't see channels like Living Room Ghost, Neighborhood Video Theater, or Ghost Bride on the list."
Those were channels I had previously told her to keep an eye on, and Kim Mi-Hye explained why they hadn't been contacted.
-Ah, those channels have fewer than ten thousand subscribers, so we didn't reach out. They're not part of Utopia Network either, so they're difficult to contact.
"Contact them immediately anyway. Their reviews are exceptionally professional. In the long run, they'll be a huge help."
There was a reason I specifically singled out those three. Right now, they all had fewer than ten thousand subscribers. Five years from now, however, each of them would become one of the top movie and drama reviewers in Korea, with more than two million subscribers. No matter how urgent things were, I wasn't about to give up the advantage of being a regressor.
-Understood, Mr. Jung. I'll contact them right away and tell them to come if they can.
"Thank you."
The moment I ended the call, the rear door of the ballroom opened.
Thunk.
Choi So-Hye walked in, humming cheerfully after finishing interviews with the actors and Lee Ji-Yeon in the waiting room. Beside her, however, Jang Moon-Ki trudged along with a face full of dissatisfaction.
I looked at the two of them and asked, "Why do you both look like that?"
Choi So-Hye grinned and held up her camera. "Because I'm the only one who got the interviews and exclusive footage! Look at this."
On the LCD screen, a video of Miso playing cat's cradle with Lee Ji-Yeon was playing.
-That's right. Like that, Miso.
-Like this?
-Good. Perfect. Now hand it to So-Yeon.
-Okay~
Miso carefully passed the completed string figure to Jang So-Yeon. Lee Ji-Yeon watched her with a gentle smile.
"I bet viewers have never seen the great Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon look at someone this affectionately before. This is a total scoop. A real scoop!"
The more delighted Choi So-Hye became, the more deeply Jang Moon-Ki sighed. "This is driving me insane. Having to just sit here and watch at a production presentation for a Jung Yoon-Ho pick..."
Choi So-Hye was thoroughly enjoying the benefits of being the only entertainment reporter who had shown up.
It was then that the articles being posted by the reporters at HK Hotel started pouring out in earnest.
[(Exclusive) KBC Daily Drama A Life Lived Twice Production Presentation Successfully Concludes]
[A Life Lived Twice, the ambitious new project from Queen of Daily Dramas Writer Nam Jong-Ok. Confident of victory in the ratings battle against the godmother of Korean dramas, Lee Ji-Yeon.]
[Land of Happiness. Production presentation scheduled for 7 p.m. abruptly postponed without notice. Chaos at Daechon Hotel?]
...
The reporters who hadn't even shown up were all busy praising KBC's A Life Lived Twice while portraying Land of Happiness as though it were on the verge of collapse.
However, I didn't even blink. For us, things were only just beginning.
'Let's see how this turns out.'
Meanwhile, preparations for the reporter-free production presentation of Land of Happiness moved forward smoothly.
***
7:30 p.m.
Lee Jong-Hwan, owner of the MeTube channel Drama Teller with 2.02 million subscribers, arrived with no fewer than ten staff members.
"Hello."
The staff carried reflectors, cameras, microphones, and tablets. Among them were Yoo Hak-Jong and Sun Ye-Hee, former SBC producers.
Seeing the scene, Kim Gab-Soo looked astonished. "Why are there so many people?"
"Large MeTubers are basically one-person media companies these days, sir."
Major MeTubers often employed former producers, assistant directors, writers, advertising managers, and scheduling staff.
At that moment, Kim Gab-Soo noticed Yoo Hak-Jong. "You couldn't possibly be..."
Former SBC producer Yoo Hak-Jong bowed politely. "It's been a long time, sir."
"Ah, right. PD Yoo? I heard you resigned last year. So this is where you ended up?"
"Yes. President Lee offered excellent treatment, so I made the move. I also have a lot more personal time doing this."
Lee Jong-Hwan grinned. "I stole some talent from SBC. My apologies."
"No, no. It's good as long as you're still working in the industry."
Kim Gab-Soo still looked unable to hide his surprise. The idea that a television producer had left a broadcasting station to work for a MeTuber seemed almost unbelievable to him.
Yet, these creators often paid significantly higher salaries and offered greater freedom than traditional broadcasters. As a result, many successful MeTubers had gathered talented former broadcasting professionals and were producing excellent content.
More importantly, they were better at attracting public attention than entertainment reporters. That was precisely why I had invited popular MeTubers today.
After exchanging greetings with Kim Gab-Soo, Lee Jong-Hwan came straight over to me. "Mr. Jung, we're not late, are we?"
"Not at all. Though I didn't expect you to bring your entire staff."
"Luckily, we were having dinner nearby. And three editors are already standing by at the studio. We'll cut highlights from today's livestream and upload videos first thing tomorrow."
"I'd appreciate that."
At that moment, Lee Jong-Hwan's eyes sparkled. "By the way, would it be possible to arrange an exclusive interview after the presentation? Especially with Miso?"
Since MeTubers earned money directly from views, Lee Jong-Hwan had come out aggressively from the start.
I nodded. "Of course."
"Then... would it be possible to do an interview before the presentation begins?"
"Why not? Let's do it."
Lee Jong-Hwan immediately turned toward his staff. "Get the equipment set up quickly. Other channels are coming too, and we need to film and upload before they arrive."
"Yes, sir!"
The speed with which they prepared for filming left Kim Gab-Soo, Lee Gi-Do, and Jung Sam-Ryong speechless.
Meanwhile, I pulled out my phone and called Lee Yung-Jin. "Yung-Jin, it's me. Bring the actors out from the waiting room. We're going to do some pre-event interviews."
-Yes. I'll bring them out right away.
Before I had even finished the call, Park Do-Jin, owner of the 1.2-million-subscriber channel Drama Boy, walked in with six staff members.
"Jong-Hwan hyung, aren't you supposed to take it easy once you hit two million subscribers? Leave some views for the rest of us~"
Lee Jong-Hwan immediately shot back. "Why would I do that?"
The tremendous energy radiating from the MeTubers began filling the venue with tension. And with it, the chances of today's production presentation succeeding continued to rise.
***
The MeTubers took turns conducting short pre-event interviews.
At one point, Park Do-Jin from Drama Boy sat beside Miso and said, "Miso, can you do a quick slogan before we start? Put on the hat, give a proper salute, and say, 'Dramas~ are best with Drama Boy!' Got it?"
Miso answered, "Yes! I know it!"
"Good. Here's a special Miso-only hat. It's a gift."
Park Do-Jin handed Miso a small green hat with little wings attached to the sides.
Wearing the hat, Miso beamed. "Thank you!"
"All right, together now. Dramas~ are best with Drama Boy!"
"...best with Drama Boy!"
Miso put on the tiny hat and perfectly copied Drama Boy's signature slogan and salute.
The staff behind the cameras immediately erupted.
"Wow, Miso's ridiculously cute. That's at least a hundred-thousand-view clip."
"A hundred thousand? That's a five-hundred-thousand-view clip!"
"Only if the thumbnail is good. Miso, look at the camera and give us a wink while saluting. Great. Now clasp your hands together and make an apologetic face."
Because Miso could immerse herself in a role instantly, her expressions changed in the blink of an eye.
"This is unreal... Miso, how do you switch expressions that fast?"
Miso smiled brightly and raised her hand. "It just happens!"
"'It just happens,' she says... Wow. That's insane."
The MeTubers cheered at the calm confidence of child acting prodigy Jung Miso.
By the time the interviews wrapped up, it was already 7:55 p.m. The official presentation had to begin in ten minutes, so I finally stopped the interviews.
"All right, everyone. You can interview them more after the event."
The MeTubers reluctantly stepped back. Miso hopped down from her chair and hurried over to me. Just a little while ago, she looked completely dejected. Now she was smiling from ear to ear.
"Miso. Feeling better?"
She leaned close and whispered excitedly into my ear, "Yep! I feel amazing! Uncle Yoon-Ho's the best!"
I smiled and whispered back, "I think Miso's the best too."
Miso puffed out her shoulders proudly before asking with sparkling eyes, "Uncle Yoon-Ho, when are we giving out the presents?"
"Want to do it now?"
"Yep!"
I immediately turned toward the gathered MeTubers. "Miso prepared some doll sets herself. We'll give three sets to each channel."
The moment I finished speaking, Park Do-Jin shouted, "Can we get five? We've got over a million subscribers. We need at least five for giveaway events."
"Hey! Forget subscriber counts. Let's go by average views per episode! If we're using that metric, we should get ten!"
In an instant, everyone started shouting their subscriber counts, average views, and twenty-four-hour view numbers. The thirty MeTubers and over one hundred staff members gathered at the venue immediately began arguing their cases, each trying to secure more of Miso's limited-edition doll sets.
Watching the scene unfold, Miso looked up at me with pure happiness on her face. "Uncle Yoon-Ho."
"Hm?"
"I think we need to tell them to form a line."
"Yeah. Then shall we say it together?"
"Yep!"
I immediately took Miso's hand and, together with her, shouted at the top of our lungs.
"Form a~ line!"
"Form a~ line!"
***
The online production presentation for Land of Happiness began. Displayed on the large screen behind the stage were the livestream feeds of all the participating MeTube channels.
[Drama Teller: 15,233 Live Viewers]
[Drama Boy: 10,293 Live Viewers]
...
[SBC Drama Department: 2,123 Live Viewers]
[Miso Angel Instargem: 30,123 Live Viewers]
...
[Total Live Viewers: 152,000]
SBC announcer Eun Sung-Soo could barely hide his excitement as he continued hosting the event while looking at the viewership numbers.
"Next, we'll hear from PD Ju Se-Hyung regarding the planning and vision behind the drama."
Far more viewers had tuned in than even I had expected. The production presentation was already proving to be a huge success.
At that moment, Kim Gab-Soo, who was standing with me at the very back of the hall, clicked his tongue in amazement. "Wow. It really has this much influence?"
"I kept my promise."
"You did. Good work, Chief Jung." Then Kim Gab-Soo suddenly turned to Lee Gi-Do and spoke bluntly. "By the way, Director Lee. Why are SBC's numbers so pathetic compared to that?"
Lee Gi-Do flinched. "Our viewer count isn't actually bad. It's just... Chief Jung brought in some ridiculously influential people."
"You call that an excuse?"
Lee Gi-Do lowered his head before shooting me a sideways glare.
'Chief Jung. Seriously?'
'Sorry...'
I bowed my head apologetically, but I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from rising. Videos from the Land of Happiness production presentation were already appearing among the top trending community posts.
[(BEST) Land of Happiness Online Production Presentation (120,000 Views)]
A production presentation with zero reporters... and yet a massive success?
(Comments)
-Every major Korean drama-review MeTuber is there.
-Wait, why aren't any reporters attending?
-Apparently, the media companies organized a boycott because Daechon is entering the broadcasting industry.
-Wow. That's unbelievably petty.
-Have you guys checked Drama Teller's channel? They're giving away doll sets personally wrapped and signed by Miso as event prizes. Go now!
...
A production presentation without a single reporter had become a story in itself. And when people learned that the limited-edition doll sets had been personally wrapped by Miso, the buzz only intensified.
Just as I became convinced that today's event was a complete success, voices suddenly began rising outside the ballroom's rear entrance.
"Why can't we go in?"
"Entertainment reporters aren't being admitted."
After listening to the situation through the intercom, Yoo Ye-Sung turned to me. "Mr. Jung. The entertainment reporters who boycotted the event have all gathered outside. They're asking to be let in now. What would you like us to do?"
"No." I shook my head. "I'll go greet my guests personally."
I turned and grasped the handle of the ballroom's rear door.
There was something I absolutely wanted to say to the reporters who had come running here only after a production presentation attended solely by MeTubers had become the talk of the town.