As the film A Man Who Lives with the King is on the verge of surpassing 10 million viewers, attention is now focused on whether director Jang Hangjun will fulfill the "10 million promise" he made in the past.

According to distributor Showbox on March 5, Director Jang will hold a coffee truck event for citizens at noon on March 12 at the Seoul Newspaper Square in Jung-gu, Seoul. Jang Hangjun himself is scheduled to attend, serving drinks and engaging directly with the audience.

This event has been prepared as an expression of gratitude for the movie's success. Previously, ahead of the film’s release, Director Jang jokingly pledged during a radio broadcast that if the audience count surpassed 10 million, he would ▲change his name ▲get plastic surgery ▲and hold a cruise party. At the time, such remarks were made in the belief that reaching 10 million viewers would be nearly impossible, but the film’s unexpected box office performance has changed the situation. In fact, A Man Who Lives with the King has now surpassed 9.59 million cumulative viewers, making it highly likely that the 10 million milestone will be reached this week.

At the press conference for the film "A Man Who Lives with the King" held on January 21 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul at Megabox COEX, the director and actors posed for photos. From the left: Director Jang Hangjun, actors Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Min, Jeon Mi-do, Park Ji-hoon, and Yoo Hae-jin. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

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In a recent recording of SBS Radio’s "Bae Sungjae’s Ten," Director Jang confessed, "The audience turnout on the first day was lower than expected, so my comment was meant to be funny, simply hoping we would at least break even. Now that 10 million viewers are actually within reach, I am truly embarrassed." He added, "I've received hundreds of joking messages from acquaintances saying, 'This is my last greeting before you change your name and phone number.' As for plastic surgery, it would require a total reconstruction rather than minor tweaks, so it’s not something I can handle," he said with a laugh.

Jang Wonseok, CEO of production company BA Entertainment, who appeared on the show with Jang Hangjun, also remarked, "We made the joke because we truly never imagined reaching 10 million viewers; if there had been even a slight chance, we would never have said that with a clear mind." Director Jang explained that, as a realistic alternative, he decided to hold a coffee truck event for citizens instead. He concluded, "Who in this world actually keeps every promise they make? I simply wanted to express my gratitude to the audience, which is why I prepared the coffee truck event."

Meanwhile, A Man Who Lives with the King is a historical drama set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, telling the story of a village chief who voluntarily chooses exile for the revival of his village and a young dethroned king. Riding on word of mouth and a growing trend of repeat viewings, the film has become the biggest box office hit of the year, heralding the birth of a new 10 million-viewer movie.