A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 35

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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 35

Since Youngpal was still filming, I thought there wouldn’t be any chance of running into them…

Kim Ra-un bowed his head with a slightly surprised expression, and Director Jang stepped forward.

“Long time no see, Dohyeon-u. Has it been a little over six months?”

“I think that’s about right.”

“You made a good drama, didn’t you?”

“I also enjoyed watching Youngpal. Ra-un’s acting was outstanding too.”

“Oh my, you’ve become a real director? Evaluating acting right off the bat when we meet.”

This is why meeting Director Jang is exhausting.

He has a talent for steering whatever you say in a direction that’s favorable to him.

“It wasn’t an evaluation, it was admiration. I’ll be going now. Ra-un, you do well with your filming too.”

“I’m really curious, what the hell are you thinking?”

I stopped in my tracks at Director Jang’s voice as I was about to leave.

“Why are you throwing Accomplice out there just to put some scratches on Youngpal?”

This is somewhat interesting.

Everyone sees the current situation as coincidence, but only Director Jang is asking about my intentions.

“Throwing it out there?”

“Isn’t that right? You ruined the work’s image just to get some opening ratings, didn’t you?”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Seong Tae jumps in.

“I was going to stay quiet because of Ra-un, but this is a sight to behold. Why do you think those opening ratings happened? Isn’t it because you pestered Hyeon-u?”

Director Jang chuckled.

“Does that look like a good thing to you, General Manager? I wouldn’t have done that.”

“…”

“If it were me, I would have promoted Accomplice as a higher-dimensional drama. Since it’s actually a well-made drama. And I would have filmed a documentary variety show with the unknown actors. Something that would make people cry, but also laugh.”

I was slightly surprised.

Because I had thought exactly the same thing.

If CEO Han Seong-hun hadn’t supported my aggressive approach, that would have been my backup plan.

“I could have raised the level with critical acclaim and support from enthusiasts, then brought in neutral viewers with emotional appeal…”

Director Jang’s gaze turned to me.

“But you threw it into the marketplace, didn’t you? Covered it with all sorts of provocative issues.”

“Director Jang seems to think our drama won’t do well.”

“Commercial art starts with commerciality, and artistic works start with artistry.”

Director Jang clicked his tongue.

“Do you think the public is going crazy right now because of the work? It’s because of the issues. Episodes 1 and 2 at least had strong suspense, but what about episode 3? Episode 4?”

“…”

“A thriller that follows human nature? An ensemble drama that digs into the human psyche? How long do you think that will last? Has there ever been a single successful drama like that in Korean history? Only enthusiasts go crazy for that stuff.”

It’s an undeniable point.

There are dramas like 【The Glory】 or 【My Mister】 that succeeded despite having dark genre tones.

But even these dramas ultimately tell stories of achievement like revenge or salvation.

They’re different from Accomplice.

It’s not that there are no dramas with similar tones, but the reality was that they received praise from critics and enthusiasts but failed at the box office.

“Critics are watching and waiting, and enthusiasts are turning away, right? What do you call them, hipsters? Those guys are contrarians who turn away when the whole world is talking about something.”

“…”

“So how can I not be curious? Why did Dohyeon-u give up bone to gain flesh? Did I perhaps overestimate you?”

Director Jang asked with a sly smile.

“Won’t you give me an answer?”

It’s obvious why this guy is doing this here.

It’s probably to comfort Kim Ra-un’s mental state.

Something like ‘Look, Dohyeon-u who rejected you is such a stupid fool.’

There’s probably some venting involved too.

No matter what he says, the fact remains that I ruined the scheme Director Jang had set up.

Honestly, there’s a lot I want to say to him.

I want to argue that all of this started because of him, and I want to ask back whether I should have just stayed still.

A documentary?

If I had filmed that, would Director Jang have stayed quiet?

But trivial words aren’t needed in this situation.

“Do you think I didn’t know?”

“What?”

“Do you think I didn’t know what would happen if I went after Youngpal?”

Let me say it again, the strategies Director Jang mentioned were my backup plans.

I had considered them all.

It’s just that my decision never changed.

“You chose that path knowing this would happen?”

“Yes.”

“What did you trust in?”

“The writer, director, and actors you tried to ruin. And the work they would create.”

【Joker】 won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Although it was a superhero comic book movie that prestigious film festivals had long ignored, their art had power.

The independent documentary 【Old Partner】 made 20 billion won in revenue with a production budget of 100 million won and drew 3 million viewers.

There was no complex reasoning there.

There was only the work.

“I wanted to put it in front of as many people as possible, and Director Jang helped me with that. I’m secretly grateful. You moved exactly as I expected.”

“…Interesting. It’s so Peter Pan-like that it’s bewildering. But did you use Ra-un for that noble romanticism of yours?”

Kim Ra-un, who had been silent throughout, looks at me.

His eyes were strange.

It seemed like there was no emotion, but also like he resented me.

“We’re even.”

“Even?”

“When Director Jang cornered me with false accusations, you would have stayed silent beside him.”

“…”

I understand.

I don’t even dislike him.

Kim Ra-un is the type who doesn’t sleep or eat when a work’s release date approaches because he’s so worried.

Even knowing Director Jang was scheming, he would have shut his eyes tight.

Maybe he even misunderstands that I rejected him because of personal feelings.

But…

“Ra-un. After your first audition, you said to me, didn’t you? That there are too many bad people in the world.”

“…”

It wasn’t just me who was caught up in this.

Kim Ra-un’s appearance when he said that years ago is now Eum Seong-hyeon, So Jeong-hun, and Park Seong-won.

As Kim Ra-un bit his lip, Director Jang interrupted.

“Let’s see. What will happen when the bubble bursts and the reality of that precious art is revealed.”

Director Jang and Kim Ra-un passed by us.

When they were no longer visible, Seong Tae spoke up.

“Our bubble is unbelievable, you bastard.”

“That’s out of fashion, hyung.”

“That bastard is annoying every time I see him, right?”

“He’s the kind of annoying face that never goes out of style.”

Seong Tae let out a sigh.

“But Director Jang’s words aren’t entirely wrong. Listening to this story makes me feel a bit uneasy.”

“Because we interpreted the situation too favorably for us?”

“Yeah. The critics are actually being cautious right now. They’re worried that praising Accomplice might be seen as an attack on Youngpal.”

“What’s the overseas outlook like?”

“It hasn’t been released yet, but we don’t have high expectations. It’s a work that’s hard to relate to unless you understand Korea’s unique school-age sentiments.”

In the end, whether it succeeds or fails, we have to fight within the domestic major viewing pie.

Given our work’s characteristics, the support of enthusiasts is crucial.

“But the enthusiasts are turning away from Accomplice right now. It’s exactly the kind of drama they’d love… These contrarians.”

I chuckled at Seong Tae’s sigh.

“Hyung. Whether they’re enthusiasts or critics, they’re all on our side in the end.”

“How do you know that?”

“Have you ever met anyone who’s more of a drama enthusiast than me?”

“No?”

“Then wait three days… No, just two days.”

Seong Tae tilted his head.

“Two days?”

“Because analyzing dramas also requires physical time.”

“What kind of analysis?”

“Just wait and you’ll see.”

* * *

The YouTuber on screen continues with a serious voice.

[What particularly surprised me was the rope used in the first crime.]

The screen zooms in on the orange rope that strangled Jeong-hun’s neck, then transitions.

Early part of Episode 1.

A scene where Hyeon-tae and other police officers grumble while organizing equipment due to an emergency equipment inspection.

[Can you see it? This thing among Hyeon-tae’s equipment. The rope.]

With keyboard typing sound effects, the video zooms in and contrasts it with the rope from Jeong-hun’s death scene.

[It’s definitely the same item.]

[That means this rope belongs to Hyeon-tae.]

[Of course, it could be a coincidence.]

[A farce caused by the staff’s prop recycling.]

[But…]

The scene where Hyeon-tae unties the rope from Jeong-hun’s neck is shown in close-up.

[Bowline knot.]

[It’s not exclusively used by police, but it’s not easy for ordinary people without training to use.]

[Could this really be a coincidence?]

The screen transitions to show the YouTuber’s face.

[So is Hyeon-tae really the culprit?]

[If you’ve watched the drama, you’ll know the director consistently leads us to suspect Hyeon-tae.]

[And he hid clues that the murder weapon belonged to Hyeon-tae.]

[But here’s the thing. Can only Hyeon-tae use Hyeon-tae’s belongings?]

The screen transitions again.

The police station exterior from the early part of Episode 1.

In the background that appeared for maybe a second on screen, there was something unusual.

A truck parked at an angle in front of the cafeteria, not in the parking lot.

It was a food supply delivery vehicle with the logo ‘Daeseong Distribution’.

[Daeseong Distribution.]

[Don’t you feel like you’ve seen this logo and text somewhere before?]

The screen splits.

The truck’s logo.

The logo on the boxes the friends are carrying.

[That’s right. It’s the name on all the boxes that Yeong-su, who runs his own business, brought.]

[In other words, Yeong-su is connected to the company that supplies food to Hyeon-tae’s police station.]

[Whether he’s just a business partner or an insider is unknown… but it means it’s not impossible for Yeong-su to enter and exit the police station.]

[Ridiculously, this isn’t the end.]

[While not direct evidence, there’s proof that Kang Cheol and Tae-su can also access the police station.]

“…”

Kang Min-jae. 29 years old.

A movie buff and drama enthusiast.

Though he vehemently denies it, in others’ eyes he’s a hipster suffering from terminal Hongdae syndrome for life.

He worships Wong Kar-wai and Jim Jarmusch, and won’t even look at dramas below Joanna Hogg’s level, but…

“Ah, I can’t resist this one.”

This time was an exception.

* * *

“Ah, Hyeon-tae is the culprit. I watched the analysis video too, but it seemed like they were forcing connections? He just used his own stuff, right?”

Casual talk from a general gaming YouTuber.

[This is just for fun, but the pills Seon-ho takes are likely benzodiazepine-based tranquilizers.

In other words, he could be a PTSD patient.]

A pharmacist YouTuber’s side venture.

[When Hyeon-tae dies, look at the wrist of the person strangling his neck.

There’s an old leather watch, right?

None of the friends wear this kind of watch.

Since it can’t be an outsider’s doing, they deliberately put on the watch before committing the crime.

There must be clues about the leather watch in later episodes…]

Once analysis videos started, countless creators began following suit.

-Look at the details lol They’re insane

-What a sight to see. A drama like this coming out of Korea.

-What are you talking about? K-drama quality was already top-tier.

-That’s true, but limited to the thriller genre, it was a bit weak. The public doesn’t really like this stuff.

-Yeah, all our country’s thrillers are physical thrillers.

-What’s a physical thriller?

-Investigation (physical), resolution (physical)

-For real lol Isn’t beating up thugs to get clues the national rule?

And finally, the critics moved.

[The director’s persistent mise-en-scène meets a tight script that refuses waste.

The actors’ impressive performance racing over it is noteworthy.]

There were relatively ordinary reviews.

[Perfectionism that doesn’t waste a single frame. Beyond this year’s discovery, it’s this year’s shock.

However, this is under the premise that it’s sustainable until the final episode.]

There were also rave reviews.

Among them was a problematic review.

[A chilling pleasure. A work that has no reason to be compared with flashy entertainment.]

The content wasn’t particularly unusual.

‘Flashy entertainment’ is a commonly used expression when referring to big-budget blockbusters.

But considering the current situation, that wasn’t the case.

The expression ‘flashy entertainment’ seemed to specifically refer to 【Algorithm of 0%】.

At this point, the tense public opinion tilted toward Accomplice.

-Isn’t Accomplice better?

-Yeah, Youngpal is fun too, but Accomplice seems to be on a higher level.

It was just the reaction of the internet.

Youngpal’s viewing support base was still solid.

However, there were those who were displeased with this situation.

These were the people who had been attacking Accomplice for their own reasons.

They knew they couldn’t overturn the current public opinion.

So they reframed it.

Not about the ‘work’ but about the ‘acting’.

-Accomplice was well made, but that doesn’t mean Dohyeon-u’s wrongdoing disappears lol

-Yeah, it’s a fact that he dissed Kim Ra-un because of his inferiority complex.

-I found Accomplice more interesting than Youngpal, but while watching I thought it would have been good if Kim Ra-un had acted in it.

-Someone saw the AI-generated version, and it was no joke?

The response wasn’t nonexistent.

But it wasn’t enough to reverse public opinion.

-Isn’t Dohyeon-u smart? The pay difference would be 100 times lol

-I would use Hyeon-tae too if I were him. He’s not even a bad actor.

That’s when it happened.

Information that could change public opinion was released.

“Jackpot. Hyeon-tae was an idol?”

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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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