WTR-L
Amidst the harmonious atmosphere, Kwon Hyun Hyuk pondered the information flowing through his mind.
Because the previously acquired information was fragmented, containing only snippets about works and some details of the individuals involved, he didn't clearly and explicitly know what would happen in 2020.
However, from these two individuals, it seemed as if he finally pieced together the previously unnoticed details, realizing the biggest and most impactful event of the future.
A global pandemic had plunged the South Korean entertainment industry into unprecedented turmoil; the film industry, currently infinitely bright and flourishing like fire cooking oil, suddenly plummeted into winter, and the television industry's survival space also changed.
It was a continuous string of bad news.
The entertainment industry remained in a slump, only slowly recovering several years later.
This news was too shocking and not suitable for immediate contemplation; it was better to focus on the current meal first.
As for the so-called personal future information of Park Ji-hyo, there was nothing worth paying too much attention to.
For people he wasn't very concerned about at the moment, and with whom he had no deeper relationship, Kwon Hyun Hyuk always received information as an observer.
If he were to receive information about someone and then interfere in their future, or act like a compassionate saint who meddled in everyone's business, he might as well not live; he would only take action when it was beneficial to him or a matter of convenience.
"Kwon Hyun Hyuk is the same age as you two; only I am one year older."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk came back to his senses and turned to see Kim Ro-woon smiling and saying to them.
"Then let's drop the honorifics, since we're all the same age."
Park Ji-hyo said casually.
"No problem, I'm not used to using honorifics with people who aren't much different in age anyway."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk nodded.
The few of them drank and chatted; Kwon Hyun Hyuk's alcohol tolerance was astonishing. He had attended many parties in college to socialize and drank a lot, so this amount was nothing to him now.
Coincidentally, Park Ji-hyo also enjoyed drinking, so the two naturally went back and forth, their glasses constantly emptying.
"Kwon Hyun Hyuk grew up abroad."
Kim Ro-woon added from the side, and their curious gazes also came over, waiting for Kwon Hyun Hyuk to explain.
"Middle school in China, university in America."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk explained.
"Which university?"
"Columbia."
The halo of a prestigious university was simply crushing in this idol circle where middle schoolers were everywhere, naturally drawing exclamations.
Surprise showed on their beautiful faces under their exquisite makeup, especially Park Ji-hyo, whose large eyes were wide and round.
"But if you were in China for middle school, you must speak Chinese too, right?"
Park Ji-hyo then asked him excitedly.
An actor with similar experience was Kim Go-eun, who grew up in China and stayed for ten years, so his experience of growing up in China was not unique.
"Communication is no problem."
"That's great! Then you can get to know Tzuyu and chat in Chinese."
Park Ji-hyo said with a casual smile.
"If there's an opportunity, of course, no problem. I'd also really like to get to know Tzuyu."
Unexpectedly, she brought it up herself, and Kwon Hyun Hyuk followed her words, mentioning it proactively, smiling very warmly, showing no ulterior motives.
"Really?"
Park Ji-hyo scrutinized him for a few moments, and only when she felt he wasn't saying it intentionally did she lower her guard.
It wasn't that she was sensitive.
It was just that Tzuyu was indeed pursued by many people, too popular.
Simply put, just looking at her appearance could scare off some, but her personality was relatively simple and straightforward, which made many people feel they had a chance, feeling they could pursue her without much effort.
This ultimately attracted even more suitors.
There were even cases of people wanting to meet Tzuyu through them, and this was Tzuyu, who was revered as a goddess by Koreans, being made a joke of.
"Of course, who wouldn't want to meet someone so beautiful?"
Kwon Hyun Hyuk responded candidly, his eyes clear, speaking openly and honestly, which, combined with his own exceptionally outstanding and popular looks, made it very convincing.
"You can meet her if there's a chance in the future."
Park Ji-hyo casually changed the subject, ending the small interlude and not mentioning it again.
"I can speak a little Chinese."
Minnie, on the side, slowly spoke these few words to him, one by one.
"Really? Your pronunciation is very authentic."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk heard her, smiled, and replied to her in Chinese, then continued to ask her, "How long have you been learning Chinese?"
"I studied for four years, but I've forgotten some and can't speak them anymore."
As she spoke, she occasionally paused to think for a while.
"But Yuqi is Chinese; you can talk to her and test your Chinese level."
Minnie gave up on continuing to speak Chinese and instead explained to her in Korean.
Kwon Hyun Hyuk knew which groups existed, but asking him to remember all the members of all the famous groups on the market was asking too much of him.
Moreover, (G)I-DLE had only debuted for a year, and he didn't know Yuqi, whom she mentioned.
"I can meet her if there's a chance."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk nodded in agreement, speaking politely.
The meal was lively, harmonious, and pleasant. Kim Ro-woon and Park Ji-hyo were more familiar and chatted more, while Minnie and Kwon Hyun Hyuk, both new, also had plenty to talk about.
From her, Kwon Hyun Hyuk learned that they were currently participating in a girl group competition program hosted by Mnet.
He also learned that there was another member in the group, born in 1997, named Jo Miyeon.
When this name was mentioned, Kwon Hyun Hyuk vaguely remembered her; she seemed to be the visual, very beautiful.
Finally, considering they had to film early the next morning, they finished at one in the morning.
When the get-together ended, Park Ji-hyo's face was flushed, her eyes showed some signs of drunkenness, and she was holding her phone, talking to someone.
From the snippets of conversation and her tone, one could guess she was talking to her boyfriend, Kang Daniel.
"Don't work too hard; remember to rest more during breaks."
"It's okay if you don't have time to talk to me; you're busy right now, aren't you?"
Park Ji-hyo was on the phone with one hand and tidying her clothes with the other. A gust of wind came from who knows where, and her body swayed a bit.
Her head spun, she lost her footing, and her body swayed towards Kwon Hyun Hyuk, who was standing nearby.
A soft, substantial weight landed on him, and Kwon Hyun Hyuk pretended as if nothing had happened, supporting her, while Minnie also quickly stepped in to help.
Park Ji-hyo felt something amiss, looked up at him, saw no change in his expression, and didn't pay it much mind herself.
Kwon Hyun Hyuk was completely unfazed by this; he wasn't interested in Park Ji-hyo's type.
"We're leaving now."
The two got into a taxi and waved goodbye to the two standing on the street.
"Bye-bye, remember to send a message when you get back."
This simple gathering held a significant meaning for Kwon Hyun Hyuk.
Adding their contact information was secondary; the main thing was that the information he gained in that instant connected all the previously unnoticed pieces.
Why hadn't he noticed it when he had previously interacted with Han Hyo-joo and Kim Hye-yoon from the crew?
Touching a script provided very detailed information, but after touching people, the macroscopic timeline of information was broad, yet the information itself was too fragmented.
Kwon Hyun Hyuk's eyes flickered with thought, and his expression became uncertain.
"Let's go."
Kim Ro-woon said to him.
"Mm."
Kwon Hyun Hyuk responded, his eyes constantly deep in thought.
If this were the case, the future ecosystem of the film and television industry would undergo major changes.
Television stations would no longer hold their previously unshakable dominant position; online streaming platforms, or OTTs, would rise rapidly at an unimaginable speed.
Some OTT platforms were already developing quickly, and with a pandemic as a catalyst, it would be unimaginable.
Changes in platforms would naturally further affect changes in the industry.
Kwon Hyun Hyuk was in this industry and existed as one of its links.
He knew the opportune moment ahead of time, so he naturally had to place his bets early, act early, and seize the general trend.
And from this, he also thought of something he hadn't expected and didn't want to think about.
In the information from countless people in the future, his existence was nowhere to be found.