A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Director Who Dominates OTT

Episode 13

I let out a sigh while looking into Kim Ra-un’s eyes.

“Ra-un. It’s really funny that I’m criticizing you. You’re one of Korea’s top actors, and I’m a failed, retired actor.”

“When Jae-hyeok hyung gets stuck analyzing scripts, you’re the first person he calls. Same goes for Jae-yeon. And in terms of acting ability, what do you lack compared to me?”

“….”

“I don’t understand. If you had said you were taking the Hyeon-tae role yourself, I would have stepped down. Your script analysis would be better than mine. You’d have different competitive acting strengths… Various reasons come to mind.”

Kim Ra-un looks at me.

“But I can’t think of any reason why this Eum Seong-hyeon person was chosen.”

I know Kim Ra-un is more desperate about acting than I thought.

I also know he has a strong desire to be recognized for his acting.

So did he notice my true feelings?

I thought I wasn’t showing it…

After thinking for a moment, I made up my mind.

Even if it might ruin my relationship with Kim Ra-un forever, I felt I should tell him for his future.

Looking at how he chooses projects, it seemed like he didn’t know.

“Hyeon-tae is a role you can’t play.”

“….”

Kim Ra-un’s eyes widen.

He seems somewhat shocked too.

To be honest, even if Eum Seong-hyeon wasn’t predetermined, I wouldn’t have cast Kim Ra-un.

“I’m not saying you can’t act. You act well.”

“…Then?”

“You have a habit.”

When Kim Ra-un gets into a role, he has an almost obsessive habit of trying to completely own that character.

Simply put, he tries to prove his acting ability through ‘acting that only Kim Ra-un can do.’

So…

Kim Ra-un seeps into the character.

This isn’t necessarily a bad habit.

Rather, it was one of the acting methodologies that swept through the entire acting industry at one time.

But it can be fatal poison for certain special works…

“Accomplice is like that.”

In Accomplice, the actor must not be visible even slightly.

It digs very deeply into the inner lives of ordinary people, and if the actor shows through, everything collapses.

The same went for supporting roles.

So the writers’ judgment that ‘any actor is okay as long as they don’t have a fixed image’ was accurate.

They probably unconsciously realized that famous actors wouldn’t suit their work.

“I don’t know if you’ll understand, but that’s the only reason.”

“Then what about Eum Seong-hyeon? By that logic, any good unknown actor could play the role, so why specifically choose Eum Seong-hyeon?”

“Because Eum Seong-hyeon won’t be acting.”

A story an actor has wanted to tell his whole life.

A story he’s kept pressed deep in his heart.

He’ll bring that out through the character.

That depth is something that can never be imitated through acting, and only with that can the perfect work I envision come out.

I don’t know how he understood my words, but Kim Ra-un’s face hardened.

Then a rough voice interrupted.

“What bullshit… Ra-un, you’re not actually being influenced by this crap, are you?”

“….”

“This is ridiculous. All of this was because of some stupid acting theory? Not because you took money from Eum Seong-hyeon, not because you’re showing off to me?”

“Director Jang. I think my opinion has been conveyed at this point. Do I need to persuade you further?”

“So you’re saying Eum Seong-hyeon’s acting is better than Kim Ra-un’s?”

“Limited to Accomplice, yes.”

Director Jang let out a hollow laugh.

“This guy’s completely insane. It’s your business if you want to crash your own life, but you’re going to crash the company’s money too? With that pathetic eye for talent?”

“Time will tell whether it’s pathetic or not.”

“So you’d be confident even if we go to a competing project?”

“That’s pretty childish.”

“We were already choosing a drama to start in the first half of next year anyway, so it’s not that childish, is it?”

He’ll boost Kim Ra-un’s motivation like that and make him choose his next project from within his own network.

Maybe Director Jang isn’t that displeased with today’s rejection.

Even now, he’s not actually angry, just pretending to be angry.

“Do as you please. I can’t interfere with a manager and actor choosing their projects.”

“How confident. You got lucky and grabbed a good script, is that it?”

It wasn’t exactly luck.

“There are no secrets in this industry. Word will spread about who you dissed and who you used.”

“That sounds like you’re threatening to spread rumors around the neighborhood.”

“Let’s see again after the work comes out. Whether you’ll have the same attitude then.”

Director Jang shot up from his seat, but Kim Ra-un didn’t get up.

“Kim Ra-un. Get up. Is there any reason for you to be treated like this?”

Kim Ra-un, who had been looking back and forth between Director Jang and me, slowly stood up and spoke his final words.

“Fine, let’s say the acting part is true.”

“What do you mean let’s say it’s true! Ra-un, don’t be swayed by that nonsense!”

“Director Jang.”

At Kim Ra-un’s cold gaze, Director Jang rarely shut his mouth.

Kim Ra-un asks.

“Let’s say the acting part is true. But what about box office success?”

* * *

After the two left, I fell into thought in the quiet meeting room.

“Let’s say the acting part is true. But what about box office success?”

It was something I’d been constantly worrying about too.

My power had definitely shown me a perfect work.

So beautiful and perfect that I couldn’t possibly ignore or reject it.

But I still don’t know if that perfection directly translates to box office success.

So what I put on the scales wasn’t Kim Ra-un versus Eum Seong-hyeon.

It was commercial appeal versus artistic completion.

Of course, I believe that if the artistic completion is overwhelming, commercial success will naturally follow.

Mediocre works might need star marketing, but I think overwhelming works need nothing else.

But I don’t completely rule out the possibility of exceptions.

Even a perfect work could fail, and I might not be able to make a proper work with Eum Seong-hyeon.

However…

“Seong Tae hyung wasn’t wrong.”

Didn’t Sung Tae-chang say that when he offered me the CE position?

That I loved the work itself, not the acting career.

Having seen such results, how could I compromise with mediocre commercial appeal?

If Kim Ra-un appeared, initial interest would be high, but ultimately the work’s completion would suffer.

Looking back again, my decision is still right.

With that somewhat lighter heart, I stood up from my seat.

‘I’m not going to get chewed out by the finance team and have to beg Director Jang, am I?’

As I was leaving the meeting room with my returned sense of reality…

“….”

“….”

I was startled.

Dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at me.

What? Did Director Jang curse me out as he left?

Then Chae Seo-hui came running over and whispered.

“Dohyeon-u, are you crazy?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, Kim Ra-un was begging like that and you rejected him? And what? Eum Seong-hyeon is a better actor than Kim Ra-un?”

“When did I ever say that?”

“That’s exactly what it sounded like…!”

She started yelling then lowered her voice again.

“But how did you hear all that, Seo-hui?”

Could it be that the +10 hearing I granted earlier was taking effect?

“Everything was audible from outside this meeting room.”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember? Last time you booked a team meeting here and got thoroughly scolded by the senior!”

That meeting room near the supply closet… is this one.

“They heard everything?”

“Not every single word, but almost everything.”

Ah, damn it.

What did I say again?

“But surely Jaeyeon and Jaehyuk aren’t Seo Jaeyeon and Choi Jaehyuk, right?”

“No. They’re Kim Jaeyeon and Kim Jaehyuk. Twin siblings who are theater actors.”

“Really not them, right?”

“No.”

“Then maybe they’ll make cameo appearances in our work…”

“I said no.”

* * *

“He really said that? Right to Kim Ra-un’s face?”

“Yes. They say the managing director was determined to compete and left quite upset.”

“Haha, interesting guy.”

At SSK President Han Seong-hun’s words, the manager frowned.

“President. This isn’t something to laugh about. Things could get bad with D.P, who has major actors.”

“That won’t happen.”

“What?”

“I’m quite close with President Yun from D.P. Besides, there’s history between CE Do and those people, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Then it’s just an extension of their history. It won’t spread to the company level.”

“Still, just in case, why don’t you have a drink with President Yun?”

“I’m not sure if that witch would drink with me. I’ll try contacting her.”

The manager let out a sigh of relief.

When the gentle-natured President Han Seong-hun called someone by a nickname, it meant they were really close.

“So what should we do? Should we reschedule the canceled finance team meeting for tomorrow?”

“No. Forget it.”

“Then should we just reject CE Do and toss it to another CE? While also keeping Kim Ra-un?”

“How can we do that? F.E.M fell through right in front of the regional director.”

Han Seong-hun tapped his fountain pen on the desk and spoke.

“But aren’t you curious? What exactly did Dohyeon-u see in that unknown idol?”

“What?”

“It’s clear now that it wasn’t a decision made out of spite, right? So couldn’t we trust him once?”

“Isn’t it the opposite? If it wasn’t spite and he made that decision sincerely, I trust him even less. How could he reject Kim Ra-un and think of using an unknown idol? Isn’t he crazy?”

“Haha, is that really how it is?”

President Han Seong-hun signed the documents on the table with the fountain pen he’d been fiddling with.

“President!”

“It’s a contest work anyway, so not much of our money goes into it, right?”

“Still, at least 1 billion, no, 1.5 billion will go in.”

“Perfect. Just the right cost to verify someone’s eye for talent.”

The manager let out a deep sigh.

In this atmosphere, there was no way President Han Seong-hun would reverse his decision.

“People should know. That we’re the kind of people who burn 1 billion just to verify an employee’s eye for talent.”

“Hm? What are you talking about? An employee’s eye for talent?”

“What?”

“I was saying I’d verify my own eye for talent.”

“Your eye for talent, President?”

“I had completely forgotten… but I’ve met CE Do before.”

“Really? When?”

“About 4 years ago? He was still an actor then, and after talking with him, I had this thought.”

President Han Seong-hun muttered.

“This guy would be really good as a director.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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