The popularity of the drama is far from ordinary.
Simply looking at the result, Joseon Gold Rush, which is now gone, was also an extremely successful drama.
However, the response wasn’t as rapid as it is now.
An unknown actor, a novice writer, and an ambiguous production budget.
The beginning of Joseon Gold Rush was nothing more than just an ordinary Finesse original drama produced in Korea.
The success of Joseon Gold Rush started in North America.
It gradually climbed the ranks through word-of-mouth among the steampunk niche audience in North America.
Once it topped the charts in North America, the news traveled back to Korea, stimulating national pride and sparking an explosive response.
Once it gained popularity in Korea, it eventually spread to the entire Asian region, becoming a worldwide hit.
But our drama Gold Rush, Joseon has spread in an entirely different direction.
It instantly swept Korea and has been widely received in the Asian region as well.
It makes sense.
The Asian region is where Korean content is very popular, and Heavenly Yuah and Luna are both stars with unparalleled popularity in Asia.
With Leon and Nam Hyun-ho also being recognized across various directions, star marketing was achievable.
When fans see their favorite stars in a drama, they consume it without much concern for the content, and their numbers are immense.
And with viewers praising this drama, there’s been a constant influx of new viewers.
Unless it’s an abject failure, it’s practically impossible for this cast to fail in Asia.
On the other hand, the response from North America has been slower.
But North America is essentially Finesse’s stronghold.
Considering the overwhelming improvement in CG quality compared to the original Joseon Gold Rush…
And remembering that Joseon Gold Rush’s popularity originally started in North America, it’s only a matter of time before this one explodes in popularity there too.
Amidst the drama’s extraordinary popularity, its original soundtrack (OST) is also performing well.
Although ‘Nak Wol (Remake Ver),’ Wolhee’s death theme, has yet to be released…
‘The Night the Moon Flows,’ the main OST of the drama, which I played on the seven-string zither, has already surged into the top ranks of the music charts and is currently attempting to dominate.
The track ‘Shine,’ sung by Geo of Nuclear for Lee Myung’s theme, is also achieving commendable results.
And since the song is good, even people who haven’t watched the drama are enjoying it, so it seems this piece will be cherished for quite a while.
“Did you watch it?”
– Of course, I did. It was interesting. Our son is doing great.
“Is that so?”
As the drama’s popularity grows hotter, I received a congratulatory call from my father.
I’ve already decided to visit the family home on the next holiday, but he couldn’t wait and called.
Our father, you know…
But one curious thing is, his praise feels unusually tame.
Given my father’s nature, he should be making a hundred times more of a fuss here.
When I inquired about the reason, the reply, though a bit unexpected, was understandable enough.
– Well, everyone’s going berserk saying it’s good, but it’s just not my type. Too youthful, I guess? I’m not that young anymore.
“Ahh, that’s possible.”
Our father’s taste in drama is quite classical.
A mix of romance with modern tragicomedy.
A well-crafted steampunk action piece doesn’t fit his taste.
But that alone isn’t enough to lower my father’s excitement.
There must be another reason.
– And what’s more…
“Yes, go on.”
– These damn old folks won’t watch Finesse. They don’t even watch YouTube, how could they possibly watch OTT? No matter how much I tell them our son is an excellent actor, they clench their teeth and pretend not to know.
“You mean the elderly in the neighborhood?”
-It’s obvious but they keep pretending not to know, and it makes me want to explode.
Our father’s main customers are either his age or a generation older.
These folks don’t even deal with OTT or YouTube—these are die-hard broadcast TV fans.
So, mentioning our son’s success in an OTT drama to them doesn’t really excite them, does it?
And speaking of which, I remember one person among the elderly visiting our father’s shop has a bit of a mean streak.
It’s not a big deal.
The typical old folks boasting about their successful children and grandchildren?
If it stopped there, it wouldn’t be too bad, but some subtly boast about their children and grandchildren getting into prestigious universities while subtly ridiculing me and my failures.
It’s the kind of talk that you should just let slide, but our father struggles with that.
If he were skilled at handling such situations, he wouldn’t have left the large company where he worked and be frying chicken now.
Since the customer is always right, he’d manage to smile while responding, but I’m sure there was some buildup inside.
You might think, “Who are these customers anyway?” But that’s impractical.
In a neighborhood business, it’s impossible not to serve specific customers.
Simply put, you can’t run a neighborhood shop if you’re that picky.
That’s why our father wanted to brag about how good an actor his son is to these elders, but because it’s an OTT drama, the effect is minimal.
Even in this day and age, in their minds, TV appearance might only mean terrestrial channels and nothing else.
Their generation is generally inclined that way.
Anyway, it’s somewhat understandable why our father might feel a bit deflated.
So, his excitement in congratulating me feels a bit lukewarm.
“I’ll try to choose my next project more carefully. Ideally, for terrestrial broadcasts.”
-… Would you really?
“Yes, you can trust me, dad.”
-Yeah, I trust you, son. Still, don’t push yourself too hard.
He says not to push myself too hard, but his tone has clearly lifted.
That’s pretty much our dad.
“I haven’t thought much about my next project yet, but should I aim for terrestrial TV next? Maybe one of dad’s favorite drama types?”
One of the things I re-committed to when I returned to the present was to truly take good care of my family.
So, I’m making an effort now.
Now, some might criticize me saying, “Why did you throw feces like pentazocine at your mom and sister?” But simply not retaliating when they insult me is already taking good care of them.
Anyway, given the situation, participating in a drama that aligns with our father’s tastes for his pride and pleasure doesn’t sound so bad.
Our father, the only family member with a flowery disposition, is a treasure we must all protect.
*
As the drama’s popularity surges, more people seem to be overly immersed in it.
It wouldn’t be an issue if we had released all 12 episodes at once, but we’ve only put out half, six episodes.
So-called drama experts have started a 100-minute discourse about speculations on the remaining six episodes’ storyline.
It’s understandable.
After all, that’s part of the fun of drama-watching.
“But, isn’t this a completely different story?”
What’s surprising is the dissent concerning the romance line.
It’s already established that Lee Myung and Wolhee meet early in the series and form a couple, but there are surprisingly many people objecting to this.
– Wait, is there a new heroine? Isn’t Violet supposed to pair with Lee Myung?
– Wolhee feels a little shady. There seems to be something hidden.
– I strongly support Violet and Lee Myung (Vyo-couple).
The supporters of the Vyo-couple believe that Wolhee is a fake heroine and Violet is the true heroine.
– What garbage? The romance has already been set. Haven’t you seen the famous scene where Lee Myung plays the seven-string zither? That was Luna. Would she just fly away like that?
– Violet and Lee Myung have a partnership, not a romance.
– I support the Wol Myung (Wolhee + Lee Myung) couple absolutely.
This side is rather straightforward.
The established romance between Wolhee and Lee Myung is the only romance, and Violet and Lee Myung are merely colleagues.
With the legendary scene where Lee Myung plays the zither, Violet doesn’t stand a chance to intervene.
This group argues that romance line changes or even triangular romances are unacceptable.
“Completely meaningless. Seriously.”
“Right? I also feel the same.”
“Coming from you, Hyun-ho, is surprisingly straightforward.”
“It’s not that, but I’m more interested in this.”
– What the heck is this guy, White Siu? Is he just getting a first lead role and already landing a two-way romance with Heavenly Yuah and Luna?
– Is he a Turtle Ship catcher? Or a fisherman?
– If any love rumor arises, I’ll kill him!
“Man, this is ridiculous…”
There are people who envy the romantic entanglements between Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon.
Is Hyun-ho crazy for pointing out this stuff? Or are the users leaving these comments crazy?
Anyway, it’s a bizarre world.
“Hm, it’s unpleasant.”
“What is it?”
“See, the romance line between Lee Myung and Wolhee is clearly over. So why is this kind of story cropping up?”
“Is that true?”
“Isn’t it?”
What bothers me more than people’s reactions are those from within.
Moon Suyeon, who’s already a supporter of the Wol Myung couple, has been hinting at something.
Apparently, according to her, a team-up like the Vyo-couple would be an unimaginable atrocity.
At this point, it’s fine.
The problem arises when Heavenly Yuah steps into the scene, as a clash between them would start again.
That Heavenly Yuah is about to make a move is as clear as day.
Right now, it may seem like a Wol Myung couple, but Wolhee eventually dies, leaving the Vyo-couple as the remaining romance for season 2.
Thus, the only romance in this work is the Vyo-couple.
And as I predicted…
“…Whatever, I don’t care. It’s just annoying.”
…Not at all. She just smirked and returned to her room.
“…What?”
It’s such an unexpected situation that it leaves me speechless.
“Something’s off. Do you understand why Ms. Heavenly Yuah acts like this, Mr. Siu?”
“…It’s normal behavior, but…”
“Hasn’t she been like this before?”
“…That’s the problem.”
This is normal behavior.
Why would actors argue over the Vyo-couple or Wol Myung couple?
But Heavenly Yuah has been acting strangely like this repeatedly.
That’s why this sudden response feels odd.
It’s so strange that even Moon Suyeon is tilting her head, concerned about Heavenly Yuah.
“This must mean something.”
Of course, it’s a relief that there’s no conflict between Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon for some unknown reason.
Still, it’s worth identifying the reason behind this mood shift.
After all, Heavenly Yuah remains my boss, the owner of our company.
When she behaves like this, it brings back old memories, triggering PTSD.
