NOVEL WEB Chapter 112
Chapter 112
A few years into the near future.
There was one type of content that suddenly started trending.
It was none other than:
[Reverse Support Review].
After creating a challenge, the person who made that challenge trend would review it.
It happened as celebrities rapidly expanded their activities into internet video platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Especially in music.
[Ah, this person has taste.]
[They really know how to sing.]
[Alright, you did so well. As a reward, I’ll send you 20 Starbucks gift cards.]
The distance between celebrities and viewers grew closer.
[We’ll invite you to the studio. You’ve got to come sing karaoke with me sometime.]
They would invite people who covered their work to create new content together, and if they saw potential, they sometimes released songs with them outright.
Why was this particular form of content so prevalent and popular, more than any other?
The reason was incredibly simple.
“It doesn’t take much effort.”
It was because it required little to no time, effort, or cost.
All they needed to do was play a video and give an evaluation.
There wasn’t even any need for production funding.
“The only cost might be hiring an editor.”
Even that was simple.
Entertainment companies like JC had editors in abundance.
While intentionally creating such a trend was difficult, riding on an existing wave and fueling it was another matter entirely.
“Hmm, listening to you, Actor, the concept is very fresh. And more efficient than anything else.”
“Right?”
“I can feel the practicality of it.”
As Lee Min Ki explained, Manager Park Han Mo nodded in admiration.
“But there’s one part I’m skeptical about.”
“What is it?”
“I’m concerned about whether people will actually participate. There might be those who refuse to cooperate.”
It was a reasonable doubt.
If the other party didn’t cooperate in advance, it would be impossible.
However, there was no need to worry about it from the start.
“People who jump onto trends like these are usually chasing views. If I give them a boost, there’s no reason for them to refuse.”
It was obvious.
The success of this content was already set in stone.
The only question was how far it would go.
“Well then, let’s upload a challenge post. Say that Lee Min Ki will personally review it. We’ll need a demo, so I should also try a dance as a sample.”
“Where will you post it?”
“On SNS. I have a lot of followers, so that’s a good point. We’ll probably see results in about two days.”
As Lee Min Ki laid out the plan like he had been preparing it for a long time, Manager Park Han Mo let out a wry smile.
‘As expected, he’s a smart person.’
He wasn’t someone who just spouted delusions.
He knew how to plan, and he knew how to put that plan into action.
That’s why he succeeded.
‘It’s not all luck.’
Lately, there had been a saying spreading widely inside JC about Lee Min Ki.
It was:
[Actor Lee Min Ki? He’s insanely lucky.]
They said he was lucky.
[Like when he was eliminated from Daon, but then got an audition at JC because he happened to know Yoo Gyu Eon the designer. And that guy knew Director Seo Jung Woo.]
[He started as a minor role, then got a supporting role, and then a lead role.]
[When the Kim Do Ha scandal broke out, it looked like there’d be trouble, but instead, it improved his image. That gave me chills.]
[On his fourth project, he worked with Director Hwang Ui Seong? And when he participated in the fashion show, the editor of an international fashion magazine picked it up? That’s pure luck.]
It was, by all accounts, fantastically good luck.
To outsiders, it almost looked like the world was helping him no matter what he did.
But Manager Park Han Mo thought differently.
‘It only looks like luck.’
It was a matter of probability.
If something worked against him, he avoided it like a skilled skier, and he knew how to select the most advantageous options.
He made good choices often, and those choices accumulated to produce good results.
From a probability standpoint, it might seem like luck.
Why, they say even fortune-tellers rely on this.
[Your shoulder hurts these days, right? And your back is bothering you too.]
What modern person doesn’t have shoulder or back pain?
[You have something you want to say to your family, but you’re hiding it, aren’t you?]
Few people share everything with their families.
[You work at a company, right?]
If you’re a young person in Korea wearing a dress shirt, odds are you’re an office worker.
Like this, analyzing probability could create decision-making that appeared almost superstitious.
To outsiders who didn’t understand, it only looked like luck.
But as someone who always stayed by Lee Min Ki’s side, Manager Park Han Mo thought differently.
‘Every bit of it is his skill.’
It wasn’t luck, it was skill.
Even the recent [treatment] situation might have seemed like coincidence to others, but it was ultimately thanks to Lee Min Ki’s goodwill.
‘They say the world helps those who help themselves.’
Park Han Mo was caught up in these thoughts while watching Lee Min Ki tapping away at his laptop.
“Oh.”
Lee Min Ki suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Manager Park Han Mo.
“Manager, do you want to make a bet, just in case?”
“I refuse.”
The response came instantly, without a moment’s hesitation.
“I don’t even want to play Go-Stop with you. Actually, I’d even refuse Yut-nori.”
The answer fell like a knife.
No, just what kind of person did he think I was?
Sure, they said I was lucky, but did he really have to say it like that?
“How about rock-paper-scissors, at least?”
“I refuse.”
It hurt.
It really hurt.
As Bojana Olson’s [treatment] gained sudden popularity, the stock value of Lee Min Ki—its character and alleged co-planner (according to Bojana Olson)—was skyrocketing.
“This person dances really well.”
“I like how there’s this strange lack of soul to it.”
“This person even sang the song themselves.”
People trying to ride the wave through cover videos seemed to appear endlessly.
But as always, these covers often came about spontaneously, without expecting big rewards.
The videos were uploaded half as hobbies and half as light entertainment.
[Oh?]
In the midst of this, a bomb dropped.
[Hello, I’m Actor Lee Min Ki. Thank you to everyone who has shown love for Bojana Olson’s song treatment. This has been an unexpected experience for me, and I feel like I’m living in a dream every day.]
It began with a letter of gratitude.
Chapter 112
A few years later, in the near future.
There was a piece of content that suddenly started trending.
It was none other than.
[Reverse Tribute Reviews]
This involved the person who started a challenge reviewing others who followed it.
This trend arose as celebrities rapidly expanded their activities into internet video platforms like Yoube and Tikk, and particularly, there was a lot of singing.
[Ah, this person has the flavor.]
[This person knows how to sing.]
[Well, you did so well. I’ll reward you with 20 Starbucks gift cards.]
The distance between celebrities and viewers grew closer.
[We’ll invite you to the studio. We have to go to karaoke together sometime.]
They would call people who covered their work to shoot new content together, and if potential was seen, they might even release a song with them.
Why was it that this type of content was so particularly popular and trendy?
The reason was astonishingly simple.
“It doesn’t take much effort.”
It was because it didn’t require time, effort, or cost.
All they had to do was play a video and evaluate it while watching.
There wasn’t even any money needed for planning.
“If there’s anything extra involved, it’s just hiring an editor.”
That was simple, too.
Companies like JC Entertainment were overflowing with editors who had nothing to do.
While it was difficult to intentionally create a trend, there was nothing hard about riding an existing wave and promoting it further.
“Hmm, hearing you say this, Actor, I think the idea is quite novel. On top of that, it’s incredibly efficient.”
“Right?”
“I can sense the practical perspective.”
After listening to Lee Min Ki’s explanation, Manager Park Han Mo nodded with admiration.
“But there’s one part I find questionable.”
“What is it?”
“I’m concerned about whether people will actually participate. There may be people who are unwilling to cooperate.”
It was a valid concern.
If there wasn’t prior cooperation on their end, it would be impossible.
But it was also something that didn’t need to be worried about in the first place.
“People who jump on these trends usually want views, and if I personally promote them, there’s no real reason for them to refuse.”
It was obvious.
The success of this content was already guaranteed, and the only question was how far it would go.
“Then let’s post a challenge. Something like ‘Lee Min Ki will personally review your entry.’ I’ll need to give an example too, so I should prepare a sample dance.”
“Where will you post it?”
“On SNS. I have a lot of followers, so that’s useful. We’ll see the results in about two days, right?”
Manager Park Han Mo gave a bitter smile as he watched Lee Min Ki lay out a plan as if he had prepared it a long time ago, humming in excitement.
‘As expected, he’s a smart person.’
He wasn’t just someone who spouted ideas aimlessly.
He knew how to plan and how to execute those plans.
That’s why he succeeded.
‘It’s not all just luck.’
Recently, there was a widely circulating opinion within JC about Lee Min Ki.
It was none other than:
[Actor Lee Min Ki? His luck is just insane.]
It was talk about how lucky he was.
[He didn’t make it into Daon, but then during his audition at JC, he happened to know Yoo Gyu Eon the designer. And that designer knew Director Seo Jung Woo.]
[He started as an extra, became a supporting actor, and then rose to a lead role.]
[When the Kim Do Ha scandal happened, instead of harming his reputation, it actually improved his image—how creepy was that?]
[During his fourth project, he worked with Director Hwang Ui Seong? And then, after joining a fashion show, the editor of an overseas fashion magazine picked him up? If that’s not luck, what is?]
It was a string of truly fantastic luck.
To outsiders, it looked as if the world was helping him succeed effortlessly.
But Manager Park Han Mo thought differently.
‘The actor just looks lucky.’
It was a matter of probabilities.
He knew how to avoid unfavorable options like a skier navigating obstacles, and he picked advantageous options with precision.
He made many good choices, and those choices accumulated to produce good results.
It was a matter of probabilities.
Why, even fortune tellers did the same.
[Your shoulders hurt these days, right? Your back feels stiff too.]
Which modern person doesn’t suffer from shoulder or back pain?
[You have things you want to say to your family, but you’re hiding them, right?]
Who shares everything with their family?
[You work at a company, right?]
In Korea, most young people in dress shirts work at companies.
Like this, analyzing probabilities could give a person judgment that seemed almost supernatural.
To outsiders who didn’t know any better, it looked like luck.
But as someone constantly at Lee Min Ki’s side, Manager Park Han Mo saw it differently.
‘Everything is the actor’s skill.’
It wasn’t luck—it was skill.
Even this [treatment] incident, to outsiders, might seem like a coincidence, but ultimately, wasn’t it because Lee Min Ki showed goodwill?
‘Doesn’t the world help those who help themselves?’
That was what Manager Park Han Mo was thinking while watching Lee Min Ki typing away at his laptop.
“Ah.”
Lee Min Ki looked at Manager Park Han Mo as if he had just remembered something.
“Manager, do you want to make a bet just in case?”
“I’ll pass.”
The reply came back without even a second of hesitation.
“I don’t even want to play Go-Stop with you, let alone Yutnori.”
The words fell cold and sharp.
What did he think of me for him to say that?
Even if he’s lucky, there’s no need to go that far.
“How about rock-paper-scissors?”
“I refuse.”
It hurts.
It really hurts.
As Bojana Olson’s [treatment] gained sudden popularity, Lee Min Ki, who was both a character in the work and a co-planner (as claimed by Bojana Olson), was also riding a wave of skyrocketing fame.
“This person is such a good dancer.”
“There’s something nice about how it doesn’t feel soulful.”
“This person even sang the song himself.”
People hoping to ride the trend and gain views through cover videos seemed to pour in endlessly.
But as always.
Such covers often happened voluntarily, without expecting big rewards.
Videos were uploaded casually, half as a hobby.
[Oh?]
In the middle of it all, a bomb dropped.
[Hello, this is Actor Lee Min Ki. I’d like to thank everyone who loved Bojana Olson’s song treatment. This has been an unexpected experience for me as well, and it feels like I’m living in a dream every day.]
It started as a commentary.