Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 969 South Korean Movies in a Barbecue Restaurant

August 28th.

After spending a few days with the pregnant Akina Nakamori in Sendai, Hideki Hanyu hurriedly boarded a plane to South Korea.

During his last supply chain inspection, Hideki Hanyu did not include a trip to South Korea.

The main reason is that South Korea has other industries that can be dealt with together, so we waited until now.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that South Korea's main suppliers are large companies like Samsung, which at least won't cause all sorts of trouble like smaller factories.

In fact, during this period, Foxconn, based in Taiwan, had already been established in China and had begun to engage in international OEM business. It had been actively contacting Elf Entertainment, wanting to join Elf's supply chain.

Even Mr. Guo joined the "Hongtu Club," but Hideki Yuzuru's companies did not cooperate much with either Hon Hai or Foxconn in mainland China.

As for the reason, it's simply that Hideki Hanyu didn't have a good impression of the other party.

Therefore, whether it's Elf Entertainment or other technology companies where Hideki Hanyu has made significant investments and officially joined the board of directors, Hanyu would rather personally invest and support them, and cooperate with domestic contract manufacturers, than choose to cooperate with Mr. Guo.

Bringing his thoughts back, just three hours after leaving Sendai, Hideki Hanyu was already in his mansion in Itaewon.

Looking out the window at the dim evening sky, Hideki Yuzuru got out of bed, stretched lazily, and stretched his still unsatisfied body.

Soon, a pair of fair arms embraced Hideki Hanyu from behind.

"Sorry, it's all my fault for not being able to satisfy you."

The speaker was none other than Lee Fu-jung, the heiress of Samsung, who had personally gone to Gimpo Airport that afternoon to pick her up.

After leaving Gimpo International Airport, the two went directly back to Itaewon in Seoul.

After a long separation, their passion ignited immediately upon entering the room, and they fought fiercely until Lee Fu-jung was unable to resist any longer.

How could Lee Fu-jung possibly handle a scumbag who had once again broken through physical barriers? Naturally, the Samsung heiress was extremely satisfied, leaving the scumbag to finish hastily and unsatisfied.

However, Hideki Hanyu is already used to this situation.

These days, whenever someone is alone with a woman, this is always the outcome.

Hideki Yuzuru patted the hand of the Samsung heiress and immediately delivered a scumbag's sweet talk, "It's okay, I'm happy just to be with you, even if it's a little painful, it doesn't matter."

Seeing how gentle and considerate the scumbag was, Lee Fu-jung's love for him grew even stronger. She wished she could end her studies immediately and spend every day with her beloved.

"It's so kind of you……"

After giving Hideki Hanyu a tight hug, Lee Tomie asked with concern, "Are you hungry? Why don't we go out and get something to eat?"

Hideki Hanyu looked doubtful. "You still have the strength to go out?"

Lee Fu-jung's pretty face flushed slightly. "I still have a little strength left."

"Then let's go eat barbecue."

Hideki Hanyu had absolutely no interest in other South Korean foods.

Moreover, fried chicken is currently the most popular food in South Korea, especially among young people.

This thing entered South Korea in the 1960s and 70s, flourished in the mid-1980s, and has been popular in South Korea ever since.

Although Hideki Hanyu has a special constitution that allows him to eat fried chicken without worrying about calories, he still wouldn't categorize it as a delicacy.

Then, the two drove away from the mansion and headed towards a shop recommended by Lee Fu-jung.

According to Lee Fu-jung, the owner of this restaurant was originally the head chef of the Shilla Hotel. He started his own barbecue restaurant, and the ingredients, cooking skills, and environment are incomparable to ordinary small shops.

As evening falls, the streets of Seoul are ablaze with neon lights and teeming with people, a vibrant and bustling scene befitting the status of South Korea's capital.

Although more than 30 years later, when Chinese tourists visit South Korea, they have a lukewarm impression of Seoul, which has been renamed. Judging from the level of urban construction and infrastructure, it feels like a third-tier city in China.

But at this time, South Korea is in a phase of rapid development, and its capital city is considered one of the most prosperous in Asia.

Even though Hideki Yuzuru harbored deep contempt for this country and its people, he would not let his subjective emotions cloud his judgment of objective facts.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entered South Korea so early to lay the groundwork and prepare to fleece the people there.

On their way to the restaurant, their car attracted a lot of attention, drawing the stares of countless passersby.

The reason is simple: the car they were driving was a limited edition Lamborghini, a birthday gift from Hideki Hanyu to Tomiyo Lee last October.

The car body is a unique, officially designated dark red color, personally selected by Lee Fu-jung; there is only one of its kind in the world.

Aside from the paint color, this car, like the supercars that Hideki Hanyu customized for himself, features Lee Tomie's signature logo prominently displayed inside and outside the vehicle, all of which proves that this car is special.

However, because Miss Samsung's legs were a little weak, Hideki Hanyu was driving the car at this time.

As for the fact that Hideki Hanyu does not have a South Korean driver's license, neither Hideki Hanyu nor Lee Tomie cares at all.

Soon, the Lamborghini arrived at the restaurant that Lee Fu-jung had mentioned.

Located in Apgujeong, the restaurant appears to be a small two-story building from the outside, but its exquisite courtyard-style decor makes it more upscale than ordinary restaurants.

As soon as Hideki Yuzuru parked the car on the side of the road and he and Tomi-jung Lee got out, they saw a well-off middle-aged man with a big smile coming up to them.

"Ms. Li, Mr. Yuzuru, welcome, it's an honor."

"Chef Jin, you're too kind."

Lee Fu-jung gave a casual reply, then turned to Hideki Yuzuru and introduced him, "This is Chef Kim, formerly the head chef of the Shilla Hotel. He used to cook for me at home when I was a child."

Hideki Hanyu nodded slightly. "Hello, Chef Kim."

Chef Kim came here specifically to greet Lee Fu-jung after receiving her call.

He clearly knew who Hideki Hanyu was, and seeing that this internationally renowned author and the world's richest man was greeting him so politely, his big face immediately couldn't hide his excitement.

"Please come in, both of you..."

Led by Chef Kim, Hideki Hanyu and Tomie Lee entered the restaurant.

Although this barbecue restaurant is geared towards the finer things and doesn't have many seats, the entire first floor was already full because it was the evening peak dining season.

The guests looked well-dressed and were clearly not low-income individuals.

However, when Hideki Hanyu and Tomiyoshi Lee walked in with a group of entourage, and with the store manager personally leading them, they immediately attracted the attention of the customers on the first floor.

Although Lee Fu-jung is the heiress of Samsung, no one recognized her identity because she was not publicly identified.

On the contrary, Hideki Hanyu has appeared in Forbes magazine several times. As the world's richest man and a famous author, he has been featured in numerous reports even in South Korea.

In addition, his handsome face, which seemed to have been filtered with a beauty filter, was so distinctive that female customers couldn't take their eyes off him and quickly recognized him.

In an instant, murmurs and exclamations erupted inside the barbecue restaurant.

However, before the guests' emotions could escalate further, Hideki Hanyu and his group were led by Chef Kim to the second floor for their meal.

This barbecue restaurant is nicely decorated, but it doesn't have any private rooms.

Seemingly to accommodate Hideki Hanyu and Tomiyoshi Lee, several separate spaces were specially partitioned off with screens for their use.

Although the meal started smoothly, not long after it began, Lee Fu-jung was called away by a phone call.

The caller was Lee Tomie's mother. While calling Lee Tomie away, she also invited Hideki Yuzuru to visit her home sometime.

Hideki Hanyu did not immediately agree, because the trip was time-sensitive. He had to leave for Gyeonggi Province early the next morning for an inspection, and there would be a lot of work to do after he returned.

So he didn't know if he had the time.

However, it doesn't really matter whether we go to Lee Fu-jeong's house or not, because Lee Geon-hee will be accompanying him when we go to Gyeonggi Province tomorrow.

Currently in South Korea, although due to his cooperation with people like America, Hideki Hanyu's biggest business partner is the Sunkyung Group, which refines oil together in the Middle East.

However, in terms of the earliest cooperation, the widest scope of cooperation, the greatest future potential, and the most promising development prospects, it has to be the Samsung Group.

The investment cooperation between the two parties, ranging from OEM manufacturing to component supply, from semiconductors to communications, and from the retail industry to the media industry, can definitely be described as a strategic partnership.

With their interests intertwined, the relationship between Hideki Yuzuru and Li Jianxi is self-evident.

Of course, this refers to now; when everyone is working together and striving, everything is negotiable.

As for whether things will change in the future, no one thinks about it now.

After all, there is no such thing as eternal friendship in this world, only eternal interests.

Hideki Hanyu has never believed in the idea that friendships last forever; he only believes that interests will endure.

After only one person was left to eat, Hideki Yuzuru, wanting to liven things up, simply called over Marco and several bodyguards. The group of men drank heartily and ate meat with gusto, making it much more lively than when Lee Tomie was there.

However, just as Hideki Hanyu was engrossed in his conversation, the chef, Kim, cautiously approached him and asked him a question.

"Mr. Yuzuru, some guests who made reservations in advance want to dine here, but there are no seats available on the first floor right now. Fortunately, there are seats available on the second floor, which is where they originally booked. I wonder..."

Before Chef Kim could finish speaking, Hideki Yuzuru waved his hand and said, "I know what you want to say. First, tell me what they do."

Chef Kim replied, "It's a film crew shooting in Chungmuro." Hearing that it was a film crew, Hideki Hanyu didn't care anymore and gave Marco a wink, saying, "Send someone to check it out. If there are no problems, let them come up."

When the man Marco sent returned after he made the arrangements, he was accompanied by a short man who looked to be in his early thirties and wore glasses.

Before Hideki Hanyu could even ask who the man was, the man bowed deeply to him and then spoke in fluent Japanese.

"Chairman, I am Choi Yong-soo, the current Deputy Director of the Investment Department of the Peninsula Broadcasting Content Production Bureau. It is a great honor to meet you!"

Hideki Hanyu frowned and asked, "South Korean?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, Cui Yongshu, who was in front of him, was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and couldn't wait to explain.

"President, I am not from South Korea, I am from Japan. I was born and raised in Tokyo."

I came to South Korea last year to work with President Kobayashi. I was originally at PBS, but was later transferred to the content production department of Al Jazeera.

“I remember now, I saw your name on the list submitted by Masatoshi Kobayashi.”

Hideki Yuzuru realized that this guy was a South Korean immigrant like Masayoshi Son.

Moreover, he is a traitor who doesn't want to acknowledge South Korean identity from the bottom of his heart and is wholeheartedly loyal to Japan.

As the saying goes, "converts are fanatical," and these people are often more loyal to Japanese companies than regular Japanese employees.

Even in order to prove their loyalty, they turned against their fellow South Koreans, and were more ruthless than the actual Japanese.

Due to historical reasons, there are countless people like this in Japan.

Actually, not to mention Japan, even in South Korea itself, there are quite a few people who admire Japan.

As you can see, in later generations, South Korean presidential candidates have publicly stated that South Korea's ancestors were all Japanese.

This is what makes South Korea interesting: when ordinary people talk about Japan, they shout slogans, grit their teeth in hatred, and want to boycott everything.

However, among the upper-class elites, there are often many who fawn over Japan.

Hideki Hanyu neither liked nor disliked these South Korean immigrants living in Japan.

After all, while he despised South Korea, he also had no good feelings towards Japan.

"Why are you here?" Hideki Hanyu asked.

Choi Yong-soo quickly replied, "A movie that my department invested in did quite well at the box office after its release in South Korea, so I invited the crew over for dinner to celebrate. I never expected to run into the chairman."

Hideki Hanyu said, "Oh, so the person the boss was talking about for dinner was you."

Choi Yong-soo replied with a forced smile, "Yes, besides the department's subordinates, there's also the film director and several lead actors."

"Okay, I got it. Let's go eat."

Hideki Hanyu waved his hand, indicating that Choi Yong-soo could leave.

Perhaps for the South Korean entertainment industry, Al Jazeera's content production bureau, which is relatively new but has a terrifying background, abundant capital, and a hidden control over PBS television station, is a formidable force.

Choi Yong-soo, as the deputy head of the investment department of the content production bureau of Peninsula Broadcasting, holds a high position of power and is someone that people in the South Korean entertainment industry want to curry favor with.

However, for Hideki Hanyu, the Peninsula Broadcasting Content Production Bureau was merely a casual pawn in his game, with limited future development potential due to the size of the South Korean market.

As for Choi Yong-soo, a marginal figure "exiled" from the group to South Korea, Hideki Yuzuru probably wouldn't even remember his name if the other party hadn't reminded him.

Therefore, we can't expect Hideki Yuzuru to value this person much. The fact that he patiently said these few words is already a sign of respect.

Although Choi Yong-suk could tell that Hideki Yuzuru was trying to get rid of the guests, he still tentatively asked, "Chairman, the director of the movie we invested in is very eager to meet you after learning that you are here."

Hideki Hanyu asked, puzzled, "What do you want to see me for?"

Cui Yongshu replied, "He said he really likes your book."

Upon hearing that he was a book fan, Hideki Yuzuru asked another question, "Who is the director, and what is the name of the movie this time?"

"The director is Im Kwon-taek, and the film is made by the general's son," Choi Yong-soo replied.

Hideki Yuzuru suddenly realized, "Oh, it was him."

Im Kwon-taek, born in 1936, is hailed by the South Korean film industry as a godfather-like figure in South Korean film history. He is also the person who has made the most films in South Korea and can be called a living fossil of South Korean cinema.

The other party will win the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

This person was deeply influenced by Chinese culture in the art of film.

As for the director's skill...

That is, different people have different opinions.

In Hideki Hanyu's personal opinion, he is far behind the great Chinese film masters.

Take, for example, the film "The General's Son" directed by Im Kwon-taek, which Choi Yong-soo mentioned. Released in 1990, the film uses gangster struggles to depict resistance against Japanese colonizers.

However, the story presented in the film fully exposes the Koreans' petty-mindedness in their inability to understand history.

The scenes are crude, the story is stiff, the plot is contrived, the story is childish, there are no details to speak of, it does not express any tragic ambition of national resistance at all, the visual presentation is so boring that it can put you to sleep, and the film's pacing is as bland as plain water.

In short, it's a terrible movie.

However, there are reasons why this movie is bad.

At this time, Hong Kong gangster action films are sweeping the South Korean market, with major Hong Kong film companies rushing to establish a foothold, leaving South Korean films utterly defeated.

The indignant South Korean film industry, naturally wanting to reclaim its lost ground, joined forces with other companies in the industry to prepare to shoot a gangster action film to compete with Hong Kong films.

Then the producer persuaded the master director, Im Kwon-taek, to take on the role of director.

After winning the Best Director Award at the Asian Film Festival in 1986 for "The Seed Woman", Im Kwon-taek had already faded out of the commercial film industry and only took on this job after being persuaded by his colleagues.

The result was a commercial film that tried to be both artistic and commercial, but with a convoluted plot and a bland pace.

However, due to the combination of numerous positive factors, and thanks to the film's promotion inciting patriotic sentiments and its slogan of opposing Hong Kong films, this terrible film achieved a very successful box office in the South Korean market.

Then, seeing the potential for profit, the investors quickly began filming sequels.

However, when a movie is released in theaters, audiences ultimately buy tickets based on quality. Stirring up emotions can only last for a while, and once the initial excitement wears off, it naturally loses its effectiveness.

Therefore, when "The General's Son 2" was released, its box office performance never reached the heights of the first film, and it was brutally beaten by the Hong Kong film "The King of Schemes".

When "The General's Son 3" was released, it completely disappeared without a trace.

Seeing that it couldn't compete, South Korea simply established a quota system oversight body to strictly enforce the film quota system and begin protecting the development of South Korean domestic films.

As for the gradual decline of Hong Kong cinema and the rise of South Korean cinema, that's another story, and it has nothing to do with Hideki Hanyu in this life.

Having already established his presence in Hong Kong and South Korea, he can profit from both the success of South Korean films and the prosperity of Hong Kong films.

As for why Hideki Hanyu knew all this, it was all because of a South Korean actor he liked in his previous life, Hwang Jung-min.

That's right, it's that elevator god, the creator of Seoul Spring.

Hwang Jung-min made his debut in this drama, "The General's Son," even though he only had a brief appearance of a dozen seconds.

Thinking of this, Hideki Yuzuru said to Yuki Choi, "In that case, let everyone come."

Regardless, as a senior figure in the art world, Hideki Hanyu still had to maintain his facade.

As for whether he will be able to meet Hwang Jung-min, Hideki Hanyu estimates it is impossible.

Hwang Jung-min is still an unknown nobody, so how could he possibly attend a dinner party of this caliber?

As expected, when Choi Yong-soo brought the group over, Hideki Yuzuru discovered that most of them were staff members from the Peninsula Broadcasting Content Production Bureau.

These people naturally showed great respect when they met the big investor behind PBS.

As for the crew, besides director Im Kwon-taek and two behind-the-scenes staff, there were only four actors: three men and one woman.

The three male actors include Hideki Hanyu, whom you might be familiar with, and Shin Hyun-joon, who played the second male lead in the hit Korean drama "Stairway to Heaven".

There's also Park Sang-min, a movie star who became famous for abusing his wife.

Another actor is Kim Seung-woo, a famous South Korean actor. Hideki Hanyu is not very familiar with him, but he is very familiar with his wife.

The other party's first wife, Lee Mi-yeon, was the one Hideki Yuzuru met through Choi Jin-sil, with whom he had already spent several nights of passion.

His second wife was Kim Nam-joo, a hugely popular actress in South China Sea in later years. This woman was constantly embroiled in scandals after her debut, including teacher-student relationships, being a third party, and being involved in unspoken rules. Hideki Yuzuru still has quite a few memories of her.

Thinking back, this scumbag guy seems to be decent-looking; I could collect a couple of photos of him once he debuts.

With that thought in mind, Hideki Yuzuru began to feel that Kim Seung-woo's hair was a bit green.

As for the only actress, she was a typical South Korean oval-faced beauty, but Hideki Hanyu couldn't recall who she was for the time being.

Furthermore, after meeting him, Lim Kwon-taek kept talking to him about creative work. When he turned around, the actors were no longer qualified to stay and had already quietly left to have dinner.

(End of this chapter)