Hanryang took the No. 1 spot immediately after its release on Netflix Japan. Hearing the news, Choi Sunggeon, seated in the passenger seat, turned his head toward Kang Woojin.
Their eyes met through the rearview. A smile spread across Choi Sunggeon's lips without him realizing it. Woojin, on the other hand, kept a blank face, though inside he was quietly thrilled.
'Oh, No. 1? That's impressive. It climbed that fast?'
He did not really understand how the system worked, but No. 1 was good news regardless. Some reporters had questioned the show's outlook over the past few days, but those doubts would likely disappear now. As Woojin thought that to himself, Choi Sunggeon spoke.
"You can be a little more excited. Come on, let's high-five."
Woojin wanted to high-five him several times, but showing too much enthusiasm did not fit his concept, so he calmly met the offered hand. At the same time, Choi Sunggeon was already giving instructions over the phone.
"Understood. Please gather reactions to Hanryang from Japan and send them over. Yes."
After ending the call, Han Yejung, her hair newly dyed purple, showed Woojin her phone.
"It's real. It's first place."
On her screen was a blogger's page. The blogger, known for updating Netflix Japan rankings weekly, had just uploaded a new chart, and Profiler Hanryang was clearly sitting at No. 1.
『Japan Real-Time Top 10 Content』
Profiler Hanryang
Tokyo Flood 2
Cyberpunk Spy
Mr. Tetsuya's Table
Steel Road
…
..
.
Seeing the ranking himself, Woojin's surprise deepened. People in another country were watching a drama he appeared in, and it was even No. 1. His curiosity grew.
'What about the reviews? Are there a lot of negative comments?'
How had Japanese viewers received Hanryang? What did they think of Assistant Manager Park, the role he played?
Right then—
"Well, maybe it was a bit of a gamble, but for a first overseas step, this is pretty successful, don't you think?"
Choi Sunggeon's smile widened as he checked a message on his phone.
"The reaction in Japan is really strong, Woojin."
At the same time, just as Choi Sunggeon said, Profiler Hanryang's popularity in Japan was no joke. Even before its release, it had already become a hot topic on social media.
There had been growing buzz about a drama that achieved major success in Korea finally being introduced to Japan.
The initial wave came from Japanese fans of Hallyu, but with actors like Ryu Jungmin and Hong Hyeyeon attached, word spread quickly.
As a result, it reached No. 1 immediately upon release.
Netflix Japan already had a large amount of Korean content, but Hanryang was the first to reach the top in such a short time. Not only among dramas, but across all content.
The response to Profiler Hanryang was explosive.
Most of the discussion unfolded across Japanese community sites and portals.
[Online reactions]
[Profiler Hanryang! I watched the new Korean show on Netflix and it was so good!]
[The villains' acting... I feel like I won't be able to sleep.]
[Korea is definitely ahead of Japan in content. You can really feel the difference, especially in acting.]
[Ryu Jungmin's perm hairstyle is so cute.]
[Hanryang was great. Hong Hyeyeon did really well as a detective too. But who was that villain at the start? He was memorable.]
[It wasn't as fun as I expected... but the acting was still excellent.]
[Does anyone know the Korean actor who played Assistant Manager Park?]
[I looked it up. He's a rookie named Kang Woojin.]
[I didn't really like it.]
[You mean his face? Look in a mirror.]
[I love mystery dramas. It was a bit long at 16 episodes, but I binged it overnight.]
[All the villains were scary, but Assistant Manager Park from episodes 1 to 4 was really... handsome.]
[Does anyone know more about this rookie Kang Woojin?]
…
..
.
There was also heavy discussion on social media.
[@rrruu_45652]
[New Netflix drama! Profiler Hanryang! Everyone should watch it. (Link) It's really good! Especially up to episode 4, I couldn't look away.]
Japanese and Korean drama styles were clearly different, but Japanese audiences were deeply drawn to Hanryang. There were several reasons, but the strongest factor was likely the atmosphere. The story unfolded through four episodes, each centered on a different villain, built around deduction and investigation.
Though unintended, Hanryang felt familiar to Japanese viewers.
Mystery and detective dramas remained consistently popular in Japan. The Hallyu wave only amplified that appeal. In that sense, its success almost felt inevitable.
What stood out was this.
[Online reactions]
[The first villain in Hanryang is terrifying when he smiles. Why do I get chills?]
[I thought the same. It's scary, but I watched it multiple times.]
[You know why? Because he's handsome.]
Among Japanese viewers, Assistant Manager Park was mentioned frequently. Kang Woojin's name appeared just as often.
[Online reactions]
[I found Kang Woojin's SNS. I'm going to follow him from now on.]
Whether driven by expectation or curiosity, Assistant Manager Park clearly left a strong impression on Japanese viewers.
Perhaps because of that, the number of Japanese comments on Hanryang-related YouTube videos noticeably increased.
In particular, there were many edited clips focusing on Assistant Manager Park. While still small overall, the upward trend was clear. After all, only a few days had passed since its release on Netflix Japan.
Soon after—
『[Official] Profiler Hanryang takes No. 1 on Netflix Japan, proving its strong overseas popularity』
Domestic media quickly picked up the story and began reporting on Japan's response.
『Profiler Hanryang reaches No. 1 immediately after release on Netflix Japan, continuing its overseas success』
And then—
@Wooji_n
Posts: 58
Followers: 1.02 million
Following: 7
Kang Woojin's followers surpassed one million. Compared to just days ago, the growth was noticeably faster.
[Online reactions]
[I love you! Really love you! I'll keep supporting you!]
Japanese-language comments, which had not been seen before, began to increase.
──────────
Around late lunchtime, the production company's meeting room was busy. Dozens of staff members moved quickly, preparing something.
"Good! Set up the drinks and snacks!"
"We're short on chairs! Where are the extras?!"
"Outside! In the hallway!"
"I'll prepare the name tags!"
A sheet of paper was attached to the glass door.
Boy Friend script reading room
The meeting room was being transformed into the script reading venue for Boy Friend. The director, writer, and actors would sit at a U-shaped table, while dozens of chairs arranged around them were for Netflix staff, production crew, and managers.
A few minutes later, as preparations neared completion, actors began arriving.
"Hello!!"
A very energetic rookie.
"Hello."
And supporting actors with some recognition.
A total of thirteen actors, including Kang Woojin and Hwarin, were set to attend the Boy Friend script reading. About half were rookies. Overall, the lineup was not especially star-heavy.
Even Kang Woojin, the male lead, was still essentially a rookie.
Considering it was a short series, this lineup was expected. From the beginning, it was unusual enough that a top actress like Hwarin had joined.
Still, something felt off.
"Hello, I'm the manager for rookie Goo Sanghyun. He's over there."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Manager Songhee."
"Haha. Looks like you're in a good mood lately, Songhee."
"Not compared to the lead actor here."
"Kang Woojin? Yes, he's incredible. Our Sanghyun is also a rookie, but the difference is just... wow."
"Doesn't everyone start the same? But working with Director Kwon Gitaek and PD Yoon Byungseon within months of debut? That's unbelievable."
"On the way here, I saw Hanryang hit No. 1 on Netflix Japan."
Among the managers filling the seats, talk about Kang Woojin far outweighed talk about Hwarin.
"Have you seen Kang Woojin in person?"
"No, today's my first time. I'll try talking to him during the break."
"I wish he'd share some of that luck, haha."
"I heard he's not easy to approach."
"Well, he's dominated the industry since debut, so a bit of arrogance would make sense."
In terms of experience, Woojin was far below Hwarin, but his reputation had grown immensely.
"Putting The Private Investigator aside, this is his first commercial lead, right?"
"I heard it's his first romantic comedy."
"I wonder why Hwarin chose this. She could have picked much bigger projects."
"I don't know. It feels like it might not work. Hwarin and Kang Woojin? Are they even close?"
"I heard they're not."
The actors felt the same.
They were not close yet, so conversations were limited, but everyone kept an eye on the lead roles. Jealousy and curiosity were natural. They wondered what kind of person Kang Woojin was, how good his acting was, and what made him different.
'What exactly is different about him?'
As the room grew more crowded, each actor formed their own image of Kang Woojin. Though he had the least experience, he was the most impactful rookie, shaking the industry in just months.
Right then—
"Hello-"
A woman's voice echoed through the room. It was a casual greeting, but it drew every gaze.
Hwarin had arrived, her long hair tied back, wearing a fitted T-shirt and loose jeans.
All attention shifted to her instantly.
As she entered, she greeted a few people.
'This feels a bit awkward.'
They barely knew each other, so it was natural.
'The atmosphere is heavy. Where's Woojin?'
She lightly scratched near the mole under her eye and began searching.
Then—
She sensed someone behind her.
A low voice followed.
"Hello, Hwarin."
Startled, she quickly turned.
Kang Woojin stood there, expressionless. A faint smile formed on her lips without her realizing it.
"Ah, hm."
She tried to calm her slightly nervous, fan-like feelings.
"You've arrived?"
Recently, Hwarin had become completely captivated by Woojin's voice.
'His voice sounds like music.'
Since the OST recording, that feeling had only deepened.
Then she spoke again.
"I heard Hanryang ranked first on Netflix Japan?"
"Yes."
"That's great. You suddenly became popular in Japan too..."
Her voice trailed off as she realized everyone in the room was watching Woojin.
"Ah, I'm talking too much."
"No."
Woojin tilted his head slightly and scanned the room.
His face remained blank, but inside—
'Why is everyone staring at me? Should I greet them properly?'
Turning his growing tension into controlled energy, Woojin gave a light bow.
"Hello. I'm Kang Woojin."
His calm, deep voice filled the room.
No one reacted immediately.
It was not disregard. They had simply frozen at his presence.
'He really feels different.'
'What is that aura?'
'He looks overwhelming.'
Meanwhile—
'Their reaction is kind of weak... why?'
The tension broke when a familiar voice spoke.
"Why is everyone standing?"
Director Shin Dongchun entered, followed by writer Choi Nana.
The atmosphere loosened.
"Is everyone here? Woojin, Hwarin, please take your seats. We'll begin."
The director moved to the head of the table.
Hwarin took the first seat on the right.
-[Role of Lee Bomin: Hwarin]
Woojin sat at the first seat on the left, but paused when he saw his nameplate.
-[Role of Han Inho: Kang Woojin]
A sudden emotion rose inside him.
'Ryu Jungmin sat in this position too.'
The most important seat.
The lead's place.
Even so—
He suppressed it and sat down.
"Before we begin, there's something I want to say."
Director Shin Dongchun spoke.
"You know Boy Friend starts with a kissing scene, right? Not in filming yet, but it's in the script. I'm thinking of adjusting that part."
Woojin's expression shifted slightly.
Hwarin reacted first.
"What?! Why?"
Realizing her raised voice, she glanced at Woojin.
'Did I overreact?'
She cleared her throat.
"Why? That's sudden. Are you removing it?"
The director shook his head.
"No. We want to emphasize the characters' emotions more and portray them in greater detail."
He met her eyes again.
"We're considering a deeper approach."