A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 16

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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 16

* * *

The production labels under Tivic do the same work, but if you look closely, they can be classified into two categories.

Namely, subsidiaries and affiliates.

Subsidiaries were literally companies created with Tivic’s money.

Labels where Tivic owns 51% or more of the company shares.

In contrast, affiliates refer to companies that have no equity relationship (or very little), but have signed exclusive supply contracts after receiving large advance payments.

SSK, where Dohyeon-u belonged, was the latter.

Since it wasn’t a subsidiary, it meant the company had to operate with independence in mind to some degree.

That’s why the 2028 annual lineup review conducted in early February was proceeding in a rather tense atmosphere.

“Then Team 2 will proceed that way… Team 3 Leader?”

At Manager Gong Seok-jun’s call, Senior CE Ju Yeong-hun opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

“Gyeongseong Bakery opens next week, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“What kind of performance are you targeting?”

“We’re targeting top 25% for initial entry speed and mid-to-late 60% range for completion rate.”

“That’s equivalent to 10-15% viewership on terrestrial TV.”

“If we convert it precisely to viewership ratings, it might be lower than 15%, but we expect a high share among our target demographic of women in their 20s and 40s.”

“Hmm, yes. Good. What does the Research Team Leader think about this opinion?”

“We’re also looking at similar projected data. A work with a similar concept was…”

After that, Manager Gong Seok-jun threw questions related to Gyeongseong Bakery’s marketing, and Senior Ju Yeong-hun answered without hesitation.

The PR Team Leader and Finance Team Leader also joined in when necessary to help with answers.

The problem was the next work.

As soon as they turned the page of the materials, the title that appeared was ‘Accomplice’.

“Accomplice…”

When a groan came from the manager’s mouth, the team leaders tried to manage their expressions.

It was a work that had been talked about internally for a while.

To be precise…

“This casting list looks like some Daehangno theater performance.”

The main and supporting cast casting was controversial.

“420 million… Should I say this is good because it’s cheap?”

Discussions for S-grade actors’ appearances usually start at 400 million per episode.

However, Accomplice’s total appearance fee was 420 million.

Not the total appearance fee per episode, but the total appearance fee from episodes 1 to 8 was 420 million.

It was a truly ridiculous amount.

Thinking the manager had opened the floodgates, the CL 1 Team Leader and Team 2 Leader added their words.

“There’s a limit to rookie casting too, honestly I’m more than a little worried.”

“I understand the production cost burden is low because it’s a contest work, but at this level, won’t Tivic be upset about the quality?”

On the surface it seemed like they were criticizing Dohyeon-u’s choice, but in reality they were targeting Senior Ju Yeong-hun, the Team 3 Leader.

It’s good to step on competitors when you can step on them.

At first they were awkward because of his image as a regional director, but as CL 3 Team’s performance climbed up, everyone was feeling a sense of crisis.

However, Ju Yeong-hun had a powerful countermeasure.

“I think the same, but despite discussing it with CE Dohyeon-u several times, he was stubborn.”

F.E.M.

Accomplice was Dohyeon-u’s work alone.

“Did the director say nothing?”

“He was a bit bewildered, but since he’s someone who cut his teeth in the independent film scene, he seems to just go with it.”

“What about the writers?”

“The writers’ stance is to leave it entirely to CE Do’s judgment.”p>

“Good grief. His luck with people is amazing. Any decent director-writer would normally raise hell about not wanting to ruin their filmography.”

The manager muttered as if he had a headache, then changed his tone.

“Let’s be honest here. Did everyone read the script?”

“I did. It was well-paced.”

“It was a script that actor Kim Ra-un would covet.”

The reason the CL team seniors read Accomplice, which they didn’t need to see, was because of Kim Ra-un.

What words Dohyeon-u used to reject Kim Ra-un was huge gossip that swept through SSK for a while.

So much so that some employees even pushed the Kim Ra-un-Dohyeon-u romance theory.

That the two had dated at one point, but Dohyeon-u must have dumped her.

That what looked like a conversation about work was actually a story about a finished love.

Of course, no one seriously believed this, but it was also true that it was hard to understand without that level of reason.

“So everyone thinks the script is good but it’ll fail because of the casting?”

“Of course. There’s no one trustworthy to watch.”

“What if actor Kim Ra-un had appeared?”

“Wouldn’t the story be completely different? Thrillers are a genre that needs luck, but I think it could have been in the top 10% of the genre.”

“I think the same as the Research Team Leader. Honestly, it’s also uncertain how much actors from supporting roles can express the script, isn’t it?”

At that moment, Ju Yeong-hun read a subtle expression that crossed the manager’s face.

It was a fragment of emotion closer to pleasure, not displeasure or worry.

‘Why?’

Logically, there was no reason to be happy while talking about Accomplice.

Even though it was a contest work so less company money went into it, if the work failed, at least 1 billion would be lost.

For OTT, the number of works is an asset, but a work with absolutely no star actors like this would have traffic converging to zero if it failed.

It would literally become data trash.

Having thought that far, Ju Yeong-hun thought he had seen wrong.

Manager Gong Seok-jun was a person with a cheerful disposition, so he might laugh in front of troublesome problems.

But his thoughts changed with the following words.

“Today is Accomplice’s script reading day, right?”

Knowing about the script reading that wasn’t written in the materials meant he was personally interested, didn’t it?

“That’s right.”

“PR Team Leader. How will you proceed with pre-marketing?”

“Since the public won’t be interested anyway, we decided to proceed with everything privately except for the production announcement. It’s a matter we discussed with CE Do.”

“Are there no reporters at today’s reading?”

“No.”

“Hmm, should I say that’s fortunate?”

At the manager’s light muttering, the Finance Team Leader asked back.

“What do you mean?”

“The CEO is planning to observe the script reading.”

“The Accomplice reading? Why would the CEO…”

“He’s visiting while he has business nearby… He seems anxious. As you said, the quality of contest works can’t be too terrible.”

Everyone made “ah” sounds.

It’s well known that CEO Han Seong-hun monitors not only SSK but all of Tivic’s new works.

He had never participated in script readings before, but considering Accomplice’s situation, it wasn’t impossible.

“Is there a possibility it could be scrapped if the CEO thinks it’s really not good?”

“If the casting is too terrible, scrapping it wouldn’t be impossible, would it?”

At the manager’s answer, greed appeared on the CL team leaders’ faces.

The fantasy of taking Accomplice dropped from Dohyeon-u’s hands and attaching Kim Ra-un was quite sweet.

“Conversely, if the reading is too excellent, we could provide marketing support at the company level.”

No one paid attention to the manager’s following words.

They just thought of it as rhetoric to emphasize that SSK was fair.

‘Is there something I don’t know?’

Except for Ju Yeong-hun, who was sensing something subtle.

* * *

I was an actor who went back and forth between minor supporting roles and bit parts with lines, but it’s not like I never played a substantial supporting role even once.

I had played up to second lead roles in independent films, and I had taken on fairly substantial supporting roles twice in small-scale cable dramas.

Sadly, the dramas where I played supporting roles crashed and burned spectacularly.

No, should I not describe it as sad?

Honestly, I could tell they would flop just from reading the scripts.

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Being able to pick and choose the works you want to shoot is something you can only do when you’ve built up name value as an actor.

I’m getting a bit off track, but what I’m trying to say is.

I also had experience with script readings attended only by main and supporting cast.

So I could say with confidence.

“….”

“….”

“….”

There couldn’t be a script reading scene in the world this quiet and awkward.

It’s not that the actors had bad relationships with each other.

Rather, perhaps because they were all cast in similar circumstances, the relationships between the actors were quite good.

It just looked surreal.

Like new recruits receiving their first unit assignment, they just sat quietly with faces that said ‘Is this really where I belong?’

Surprisingly, among the eight actors who would lead Accomplice, not a single one had script reading experience.

In that case, I should step up and make small talk, encourage introductions.

“….”

The words wouldn’t come out easily.

Because the SSK president I had met once before was standing among the staff, smiling.

No, why exactly did he come?

We weren’t calling any reporters and were proceeding privately.

Surely he wasn’t planning to change the casting if the reading didn’t satisfy him?

‘I’ve really become a corporate employee.’

When I was at D.P, I seemed to treat President Yun like a neighborhood aunt, but I don’t know why the SSK president makes me so uncomfortable.

Then the door opened and the director and writers entered.

They said they had a personal friendship, so it looked like they had come back from lunch together, but the writers hesitated then hurried over to me.

“Sorry. We must have gotten the time wrong.”

“Pardon?”

“Weren’t you in the middle of script reading?”

“No. We haven’t started yet.”

“But why is it so quiet?”

“Well, um, everyone seems to be getting into character.”

“Ah, professional!”

Writer Gil Sanghun’s exclamation pricked my conscience slightly, but I looked away.

It seemed we’d have to proceed faster than the scheduled time.

“…Hello. I’m Eum Seong-hyeon, playing the role of Hyeon-tae.”

“I’m So Jeong-hun, playing Jeong-hun.”

“I’m Park Seong-won, playing Su-cheol.”

After those brief introductions, the full-scale script reading began.

* * *

“Get it together!”

“It’s, it’s the police! Quickly do something!”

We were screwed.

Completely screwed.

Everyone was floundering in tension and unfamiliarity, unable to show even half of their actual acting ability.

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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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