A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 3

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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 3

After spending a long time comforting the mentally broken Chae Seo-hui, I became puzzled.

Wait, I’m a new employee who just started work today, so why am I comforting my supervisor?

“Even if that project doesn’t do well, I won’t quit. You don’t need to worry so much.”

“What are you talking about? If that doesn’t work out, the senior will somehow try to terminate Hyeonwoo’s contract.”

They would go that far?

“And then they’ll say ‘See? It’s best when we do it among ourselves,’ making it impossible to even mention the word ‘recruitment.'”

“Is office politics originally this blatant?”

“The senior used to be the general manager’s boss.”

“What?”

“Originally at Tivic, Senior Ju Yeong-hun was Kim Seong-tae’s superior. According to rumors, when the senior was demoted from head office, the general manager played a decisive role. They’re enemies. Enemies.”

“Ah…”

“And since it’s a team meeting, they can say things like that. Outside, they wouldn’t dare say it. Not to the Korea general manager.”

No wonder something felt strange.

They were pressuring me on purpose for me to hear.

“Could you tell me about the work called ‘Accomplice’?”

The explanation that followed was simpler than I thought.

Two years ago, when Tivic entered Korea, they held a contest.

They selected a total of 3 works, with the condition that winning entries would be 100% adapted into video.

One of them was 【Accomplice】.

In other words, from Tivic’s perspective, it was a work that absolutely had to be adapted for the company’s credibility.

“It was a work co-written by two engineering students from prestigious universities. There were probably quite a few articles about it in their alma mater.”

“That’s unusual.”

“To be honest, it might not have been selected without that background.”

“Why?”

“The Korean market is extremely hot in the global OTT industry, you know?”

I know.

From Squid Game to Kingdom.

“So there was an intention to appeal to young Korean creators. Korean drama writer hopefuls only look at Netflix.”

“Then what does CE Chae see as the problem with Accomplice?”

“It’s written too well.”

“What?”

“It sharply dissects human nature, and honestly, reading the script only brings admiration. Especially the flashbacks – each one holds the story’s structure together like bolts and nuts.”

“That’s tremendous praise.”

“If you add just one more sentence after this, it becomes a perfect insult.”

“What is it?”

“So it’s damn boring.”

I got the feeling immediately.

A work that’s excellent in completion and message but boring because it’s obscure or difficult.

“It’s too difficult to touch. Adding anything feels like adding unnecessary parts, and removing anything ruins the story’s density. Honestly, the only options are to film it exactly as the script is, or not film it at all.”

“In this situation, do we have to force ourselves into filming?”

“Head office is planning to proceed with a second contest. Once we start filming this, it means we’ve fulfilled all the promises of the first contest. Even if filming gets delayed, we absolutely have to start setting up within this year.”

“Ah.”

“Probably, the highest chance is that they’ll say ‘whatever’ and go with the scenario from when it won the contest. It’s obvious it’ll fail, but the script is too tight.”

I understood completely.

I understood the difficulties, and I also understood why Senior Ju Yeong-hun assigned it to me.

It’s something that has to be filmed, but it’s obviously going to fail.

If it’s already scheduled as CL 3 Team’s loss, he wants to put that loss in front of my name.

I can’t let that happen, so I have to somehow make the work interesting…

“Should I tell you something even worse? This absolutely has to exceed the break-even point.”

“What?”

“It’s a contest work. And it’s from the first major contest that Tivic held when entering Korea. The higher-ups are pressuring us.”

So there are budget issues too.

“Where can I see the script?”

“I told the script team. Go and get it…”

I left Chae Seo-hui, who was acting like her dream was to become a bound spirit, and got up from my seat.

Whether it’s despair or hope, I should feel it after seeing the work.

* * *

It’s embarrassing to say with my own mouth, but I’m quite handsome.

So my mother was very wary of me getting carried away and losing my sense of reality.

Probably the things I heard most from my mother were…

“That expression right now is very arrogant.”

“Son, are you perhaps intoxicated with yourself right now?”

“It’s disgusting to look at.”

“That’s a pose that girls would really hate, isn’t it?”

Hmm, no.

Saying it like this makes my mother seem like a bad person.

To be precise, these were things I heard intensively from middle school second year to high school second year.

It was a turbulent adolescence.

Anyway, thanks to that experience, I have a habit of not overestimating myself.

According to Sung Tae-chang and Go Team Leader, I even underestimate myself.

But even someone like me has one ability I’m confident about.

Namely, visualization.

No matter what script I read, a completed video immediately comes to mind.

But if that video suddenly stops in my head?

Then there’s a problem with the script.

Either the character’s actions are off, emotions are off, or the setting itself is wrong.

From that perspective.

【Accomplice_Tvictory Contest Submission】

This script is perfect.

To be precise, the version first submitted to the contest is perfect.

After that, it seems various directors tried to make modifications.

【Accomplice_V2_Revision 13】

Version 2, which went to the 13th revision, ruined the original version.

【Accomplice_V3_Revision 7】

Version 3, which went to the 7th revision, lost the story’s distinctive character.

It felt like a generic mystery thriller with all the difficult parts removed?

【Accomplice_V4 Revision 3】

The fourth version from 6 months ago was somewhat better, but still disappointing compared to the original version.

Thanks to this, I gained conviction.

I shouldn’t touch the narrative and characters of the original version.

Rather, I should add something.

It would be good if some setting that could provide a kick was attached…

Bang bang!

When I went out at the sound of knocking on the door, Seong Tae was standing there.

“As expected, it’s Sung Tae-chang. Seeing how you appear when needed without being called.”

“…”

Those weren’t my words.

Those were words that Seong Tae said with his own mouth.

“Did you drink?”

“I didn’t drink. My nose is red because it’s cold.”

“That’s what happens when you wear short sleeves at the end of October.”

“I took off my suit.”

Seong Tae, who entered like it was his own home, saw the script on the desk and smirked.

“Oh, working after hours? Accomplices?”

“You know this?”

“Of course. A script that looks beautiful but is ugly to make.”

“If you know that, why threaten me to exceed the break-even point?”

“Did I do it? Head Office did. I’m also just a common citizen receiving orders from Head Office.”

Seong Tae suddenly looked shocked.

“Wait, why is this in your hands? Don’t tell me you’re in charge of this? No way, right?”

“I ended up taking it on.”

“What? Why? How did that happen!”

When I told him the story related to Senior Ju Yeong-hun, Seong Tae frowned deeply.

“That’s Ju’s problem. He only does politics, not work. You should do work well and then do politics, but he sees work as part of politics too.”

“Didn’t you make a political judgment when you offered me the job?”

“Would I? Among the people I know, you were just the one who would do best at SSK. I was just adding manpower to an organization that was obviously going to be overloaded.”

Looking at his face, it’s 100% pure sincerity.

Then Senior Ju Yeong-hun is really shadow boxing by himself.

“And President Yun asked me to as well.”

“What? Really?”

“It’s nothing special. President Yun told me you retired, so the timing worked out. I would have contacted you anyway once I knew you became unemployed.”

Still, I’m grateful for what I’m grateful for.

I should visit President Yun when I get my first paycheck.

“Then what about that? The thing about Senior Ju Yeong-hun being pushed out from Head Office because of you.”

“You already heard about that? A woman, right? You heard it from a woman, didn’t you?”

“…She’s my mentor.”

“So a woman?”

“…”

“If you were born in the spy era, you would have become the director of the National Intelligence Service. If you were born during Japanese occupation, you would have done independence movements with your face.”

Is that an insult or a compliment?

Then the doorbell rang and the delivery arrived.

I’m used to Seong Tae ordering delivery on his own and barging into my house – it’s not the first or second time.

As I was setting up the food, Seong Tae casually threw out:

“I just couldn’t stand it because Ju Yeong-hun crossed the line.”

“The line?”

“Should I tell you the first virtue of being a director?”

“What is it?”

“Not controlling, but making things shine.”

“Making what shine?”

“Anything. Whether it’s the work, the director… or the actors.”

Seong Tae pointed to the script of 【Accomplices】 on the desk.

“Make it shine.”

“I’m trying.”

“Come to think of it, Ju caught a mouse by walking backwards?”

“A mouse?”

“No matter how I think about it, you seem to be the only person who can save that work.”

* * *

I glanced at Seong Tae sleeping and snoring, then picked up the script.

【Accomplices】.

The content itself isn’t that complicated.

Eight close friends go on a trip to a cabin in Gangwon-do.

To celebrate a friend who had been worried about not finding a job until late, finally passing the civil service exam at age 32.

“Wow, we’re all working adults now.”

They were together in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

Some even went to the same university.

How enjoyable it must have been for such friends to spend time away from society?

The protagonist Hyeon-tae gets drunk talking about memories with his friends and falls asleep, but wakes up at dawn because he’s thirsty.

And he discovers an unbelievable scene.

“…!”

One friend was dead.

Hanging from a tree in front of the cabin.

“Jeong-hun! Jeong-hun!!”

Friends wake up startled by Hyeon-tae’s scream, and they try to call the police, but the phone doesn’t work.

But then signs of resistance are visible on the corpse.

Hyeon-tae could tell because his job was police officer.

These are marks that appear when an acquaintance strangles someone from behind when they’re off guard.

In other words, it’s not suicide but murder.

And if it’s an acquaintance…

‘Could there really be a murderer among us?’

Because it was unbelievable, because he didn’t want to believe it, he starts investigating the situation to find evidence that his friends are innocent…

What is going on?

All six of them are suspicious.

Even his friends seem to suspect the well-built Hyeon-tae.

“L-let’s go back to Seoul!”

But the only road is blocked.

They have no choice but to face a second evening at the cabin.

Sleep doesn’t come, and just as Hyeon-tae, who was searching around the cabin just in case, discovers a clue about the murderer.

Thwack!

He gets hit with a baseball bat and faints.

He thought he was going to die like this, but surprisingly.

When he opens his eyes, he’s lying in bed.

“Su-cheol!”

In the cabin’s living room, another victim is hanging by the neck.

Terror, suspicion, tension, anxiety.

Amid all these emotions swirling around, the remaining six friends agree to monitor each other.

They even go to the bathroom together, forming a community where they perfectly monitor each other.

Moreover, to narrow down people with ‘motive for the crime,’ they start digging up past events one by one.

“Stop talking nonsense! I wasn’t the one who said that back then!”

“Then what? If not you, who else would have known that?”

“Hyeon-tae! Hyeon-tae knew about it too!”

As the past, which they thought were only beautiful memories, gradually becomes twisted and corrupted.

Other sides of these people, whom they thought were irreplaceable friends, are discovered.

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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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