[He has descended.]
A post went up on a community.
It had only been a single day since <Haru> aired.
Starting with that one post, more and more posts kept pouring in.
「[Isn’t this seriously insane?]
I watched <Haru> after it got uploaded yesterday.
Seriously, I watched the whole thing holding my breath.
It’s not even like I’m the one being chased, but I got so insanely immersed, you know?
Han Seongtae—what the hell, why is he acting this well?
All I can do is admire it.
Honestly, the directing is the directing, sure.
But this was carried by Han Seongtae’s acting.
I can’t even imagine Choi Deoksu being played by anyone other than Han Seongtae.
Ah… Just thinking about it makes me feel like I pissed myself.
I should go to the bathroom.」
―Tongtong: Han Seongtae’s acting really was nuts. Who would’ve known? That the guy who played Ji Yeonwoo would play a psychopathic serial killer this well.
―Sep: Who would know that? No one would. At this level, there’s definitely something going on with Han Seongtae. Otherwise, there’s no way a person can act this well. And not just one genre; He’s pulling off every genre.
―WearAMask: Han Seongtae is a god Han Seongtae is a god Han Seongtae is a god Han Seongtae is a god.
Everyone who watched <Haru> didn’t hesitate to praise Han Seongtae’s acting.
They said the work’s atmosphere came alive because of his acting.
And they left rave reviews all over the community.
「[Han Seongtae’s connections are crazy.]
I knew Han Seongtae’s been doing well lately.
But I was a little shocked seeing other actors posting about it on OnStar this time.
Most of them are people you can’t not know if you’re Korean.
They even had Yumi post.
And right now, Han Seongtae’s OnStar followers are exploding too.」
―FallsFast: Honestly, if it’s Han Seongtae, it’s expected. Just look at what he’s done in one year. He’s straight-up going berserk. He even won an award just one year after starting acting. At that point, everyone and their mom would be trying to get close to him.
―Lemon: If you look at the people posting on OnStar right now, most of them are people who acted with Han Seongtae. From <Rampage> all the way to <Haru>. Isn’t this just because Han Seongtae normally behaves well? Especially someone like Ma Seokdong—he doesn’t post much. Only people he genuinely likes show up.
―SleepIsHitting: I know someone in broadcasting. Han Seongtae’s reputation is insane. Some say he’s an actor obsessed with practice, others say he’s the type who panics because he can’t stop working harder. The thing you hear the most is that he’s incredibly kind. They say he takes really good care of the people around him. Like, even though he acts well, they’ve never seen him look down on others.
―CandySweet: He’s a real person, huh. Usually guys who get popular this fast start acting like they’re hot stuff. Even Dispatch doesn’t talk trash about Han Seongtae. No, it’s more like they can’t. They say his routes are literally just home, set, and the company, so even if they tail him there’s nothing to get.
―Drugs: Ah, I saw that too. They say Dispatch followed Han Seongtae and then spat like, what kind of guy even is this, and left. I laughed my ass off when I saw that.
There were also people talking about Han Seongtae’s connections.
That was how big it was—people that impressive had promoted <Haru>.
All they did was post a single OnStar update.
But every one of those actions drew people’s attention.
―OpenTheWindow: Sounds like <Haru> is really fun? I haven’t watched it yet. Worth it?
―Greg: Yeah. You have to watch it. Watch it twice. No, ten times. If you don’t keep up with it, you’re wasting your life.
―Vector: Bring spare underwear or diapers when you watch. You can’t not piss yourself watching this. I changed underwear like three times.
―Candy: I’ll agree on that. I didn’t bring anything and I just threw my underwear out.
―Storm: You can tell from the trailer. It’s ten times more pants-wetting than the trailer. When you watch the actual episodes… Ugh… You’ll know for sure when you see it yourself instead of just hearing about it.
―D-Day: Storm’s right. You have to watch it no matter what. The trailer is literally just the prologue, so if you don’t watch the actual show, there’s no way you’d know.
People’s reactions were incredibly positive.
Those who came in after seeing the trailer were amazed when they watched the main episodes, which were even better than the trailer.
「[Hey, hey, hey! Has anyone seen the MiTube video Netflix uploaded?]
Holy shit.
Netflix uploaded a video with the <Haru> actors, okay?
Han Seongtae and Seo Harin and people like that show up.
But seriously… I was doubting whether that was even the Choi Deoksu I know.
Seriously, go in and watch it once.」
―Spatula: What is this? What is this, why is my heart fluttering. Wow, Han Seongtae is just insane. Is that what he’s like normally? Look at him taking care of everyone. He’s way too sweet.
―Lawn: He’s completely different from how he is in <Haru>. Like, he’s literally a totally different person. In the MiTube video he’s just this innocent golden retriever. How does someone like that act something like Choi Deoksu?
―Potato: Is this what a real actor is? If you can act that well, how is someone this different as a person? Seriously insane. When he’s just hanging out, he’s basically a puppy. Then when he acts, he becomes a different person. That’s cool.
Not long after <Haru> was released, the MiTube video was released as well.
People were shocked watching MiTube’s Han Seongtae and <Haru>’s Han Seongtae side by side.
Normally he looked innocent like a puppy, but the moment he acted, he became a different person—more than enough to draw a fervent response from people.
They marveled at how incredible Han Seongtae’s acting was.
And the community was filled with nothing but talk about Han Seongtae.
In the middle of all that attention…
[Hey. <Haru> just hit #1 on the popularity rankings!]
Something shocking happened.
Han Seongtae was sitting in Actor Team 2’s meeting room.
Across from him, Min Najung and Jung Dusik sat together, speaking.
“Did you see the reactions? Everyone’s talking about <Haru> right now.”
“I know, right? The popularity is insanely good. All anyone does is praise it.”
Watching Min Najung and Jung Dusik talk excitedly, Seongtae let a small smile slip.
He already knew what kind of response <Haru> was getting.
―Seo Harin: <Haru> hit #1 right now!
―Yoo Beomsan: Wow… They say our MiTube video is already past 400,000? Are we seriously going to hit a million?
Even now, people kept asking him for information related to <Haru>.
It was to the point he didn’t even need to check.
“But still, even if it’s just for one day. It’s kind of amazing that we hit #1. It’s not easy to hit #1 on Netflix.”
“That’s why they said even the director was shocked. He didn’t think it would do this well.”
<Haru> managed to take #1 on Netflix’s Korean popularity ranking—exactly one day after it aired.
Of course, the very next day it immediately dropped to #4.
But what mattered was that it hit #1.
It meant it ranked first among countless works.
Proof that it had drawn that much attention.
“It was big that Yumi mentioned it. That really boosted traffic too. I think Yumi’s follower count is 500,000. Am I right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And other actors helped a lot too. Influencers like Kim Mucheol and Ma Seokdong promoted it like crazy. Seongtae definitely seems like he’s good at navigating social life.”
“Right. If one actor hadn’t done their part properly, something like this wouldn’t have happened.”
Min Najung and Jung Dusik’s eyes fixed on Seongtae.
Their gazes were filled with clear goodwill.
Seongtae gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
He didn’t think the current results were solely his doing.
As much as he worked hard, the people around him helped a lot too.
“It’s thanks to everyone treating me well. All I did was act.”
“That’s what’s amazing.”
“Seongtae, if you hadn’t acted well, none of this would’ve happened. And it’s not like you practice a little, either. You do it like you’re crazy. You need to have confidence.”
At their words, Seongtae couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
The things they said so matter-of-factly were a huge encouragement to Seongtae.
I need to work even harder from here on out.
“The MiTube upload is getting a great response too. It’s already at 400,000, so at this pace, we might hit a million in less than a week.”
“And beyond that?”
“That might be… a bit. A million feels doable somehow, but as time passes, interest naturally has to drop. So I don’t think it’ll be easy.”
“Yeah. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
Seongtae could see Min Najung tapping her pen lightly against the desk.
She looked like she was thinking about the schedule going forward.
Seongtae didn’t interrupt the two of them.
Instead, he was checking people’s reactions on his phone.
There were more funny comments than he expected, and he found himself smiling.
As Seongtae’s finger flicked through the scroll, it suddenly paused.
‘Huh?’
One comment caught his eye.
―Leaf: I heard Han Seongtae met with Britton Lee. Anyone know anything about this?
A comment saying he’d had a meeting with Britton Lee.
And he could see the replies beneath it too.
―Dongdong: He met Britton Lee? That guy’s the director of <Instinctive Rush>. Why would Han Seongtae meet Britton Lee?
―Ttwie-un: Why do you think? If you’ve got a brain, try thinking. How many reasons would an actor and a director have to meet?
―Cool: Oh? Then is Han Seongtae going overseas? What reason would an actor have to meet a director besides a project?
―Water: Holy crap. Is <Instinctive Rush 7> really happening? This is insane. I’m a huge fan.
―OneDrink: Han Seongtae’s wild too. If he’s in <Instinctive Rush>, that’s Hollywood. Is he going to be Korea’s youngest Hollywood actor or what?
―Hashio: Come on. How does that make sense? Han Seongtae acts well, sure, but he’s not Hollywood-level. Britton Lee is close with a Netflix executive, so it was probably just a coincidence.
―ComeOn: Is that so? I mean… He probably doesn’t have the time to go overseas for filming yet. Still, it’s a shame. Watching <Haru>, his acting seems good enough.
―DontDrink: Let’s not get our hopes up. Still, it would be nice if <Instinctive Rush 7> came out.
Seeing those comments, Seongtae couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
The place he met Britton Lee was inside the Netflix building.
He met him in a place completely out of the public eye.
How in the world were they figuring things like this out?
“Seongtae, did you pack all your luggage?”
“Yes, I packed it all.”
At Min Najung’s question, Seongtae nodded right away.
He had finished all his schedules in Korea, and soon he would have to leave the country.
He’d prepared his luggage in advance, and now he was just waiting to depart.
“And you, Dusik-ssi?”
“I need to go pack now. Team Leader, did you get everything ready?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not sure whether I’m going or not.”
“Why? Team Leader, you should be coming with us.”
“Someone at team-leader level does need to go, but… I guess we’ll know once we see how things play out.”
Min Najung looked at Jung Dusik with a strange smile.
There were too many unclear parts to what she was saying, making it hard to understand.
Seongtae looked at Jung Dusik, and Jung Dusik looked back at him.
‘Do you know what she means?’
‘No, I don’t know either.’
Even Jung Dusik didn’t know.
Seongtae was curious, but he didn’t ask further.
It was already a given that Jung Dusik would be coming along.
Seongtae thought it wouldn’t be bad even if it was just the two of them.
Still, he couldn’t help but be a little curious.
That question was answered the next day.
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