A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 4

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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 4

This is the story up to the middle of Part 2, and from the second half of Part 2, the narrator changes to multiple perspectives.

It shows various parts of the mountain lodge from the perspectives of third parties…

This is the moment when suspicion begins to bloom in the viewers’ hearts.

Perhaps the culprit might be Hyeon-tae.

After that, the drama deduces the murderer until the final episode, Part 8.

But what’s important in this drama isn’t the identity of the murderer.

Of course, it’s a curious part, but more than that, the message is the human depths shown through past recollections.

How shallow is human trust?

How self-serving is human memory?

How ugly is the true face of humanity?

When they finally reach the identity of the killer.

They realize the truth.

That we are accomplices.

That’s why the title was “Accomplices.”

It’s a good script.

The problem is still…

“It’s not interesting.”

Chae Seo-hui’s words were accurate.

Like an art film, it deconstructs the characters down to the smallest units, but that’s boring.

Critics would give it perfect scores, but it’s a work that would get 0% viewership ratings.

At least Parts 1 and 2 have strong suspense and are thrilling, so if we secure as many viewers as possible by Part 2, we might reach up to 3% viewership…

Ah, this is OTT.

Then it’s even more disadvantageous.

No matter how I look at it, this work doesn’t seem likely to have a high completion rate.

After pondering for a long time, I closed my eyes.

Let me imagine the entire drama.

What elements should I add to make the drama successful?

* * *

“Good morning.”

“Ugh, cold.”

“You went on location over the weekend, right? How was Gangwon-do?”

“Ugh, cold.”

“That was an excellent answer.”

I ran into Chae Seo-hui in the lobby, and we’ve now reached the point where we can exchange jokes.

Today marks exactly one week since I joined the company.

Since the weekend was included, I worked for 5 days, and now it’s a new Monday morning again.

For the past week, I’ve been obsessed with “Accomplices.”

I put in a request to the Script Team and received feedback from multiple people, and I watched 24 similar thriller genre dramas.

I still haven’t been to a filming site, so I don’t know exactly what a CE’s job entails, but it’s nice being able to watch dramas freely at the company.

Originally, my hobby was watching dramas and movies anyway.

“Hyeonwoo, we’re meeting the writers of ‘Accomplices’ today, right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you organized your opinions?”

“I’m going back and forth.”

I’ve come up with good ideas, but I’m confused about what to include and how.

However, I feel like I’m almost there.

It feels like I could reach a conclusion with just a tiny hint.

That’s why I decided to meet with the writers.

Originally, I planned to reach my own conclusion before meeting them, but I thought I might get inspiration from the writers.

However, after hearing my story, Chae Seo-hui had a lukewarm reaction.

“That’s too typical.”

“What is?”

“It’s the excuse that CEs who can’t find direction always make. Even saying you’ll go meet the writers at the end is perfect.”

“…But I’m serious.”

“I was serious too. Until I returned to the company with no results.”

Was she talking about her own experience?

“Anyway, don’t say things like that during the weekly meeting. You’ll get scolded by the senior.”

But whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Senior Ju Yeong-hun wasn’t interested in my progress.

He seemed to have a firm belief that it would fail anyway.

“So, you’re going out for a writer meeting this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“To revise the script?”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“It’s all the same, all the same. I thought the general manager’s recommended hire would be different somehow.”

General manager, general manager at the end of every sentence.

What a CE can do during the script development stage is the same, what else could be different?

During my first week, I wasn’t angry because daily life didn’t feel real, but maybe I’ve already adapted because I’m starting to get annoyed.

Moreover, according to what I heard from Chae Seo-hui, they don’t usually assign projects to new assistant CEs so recklessly.

Originally, the project’s direction is agreed upon between the senior CE and CE, and the assistant CE is dispatched to the site with opinions.

But Senior Ju Yeong-hun made a declaration.

He won’t interfere at all, so show your abilities to your heart’s content.

“If you have any abilities, that is.”

Within the company, some said it was too harsh, but on the other hand, there was an atmosphere of “well, it’s ‘Accomplices,’ so whatever.”

Since countless CEs had already tried and failed, if it was going to fail anyway, wouldn’t it be better to fail efficiently without wasting manpower?

While I was thinking about this, one word that popped out of the senior’s mouth caught my attention.

“…repeat sign!”

“What did you just say?”

“What? Are you talking back to me now?”

“No, no. What did you just say?”

“I said repeat sign!”

Repeat sign?

Going back to the beginning?

At an unexpected timing, fireworks exploded in my head.

The last piece of the idea to save “Accomplices.”

Go back to the beginning.

If it’s this…

I can solve everything, can’t I?

My face grew hot, and from deep in my chest, a desire to see the script right away surged up.

That was the moment.

Suddenly, the conference room scenery started spinning around and around.

At first, I thought it was dizziness, but I wasn’t dizzy.

The surrounding scenery was just spinning around and around, but my vision was clear and my cognitive abilities were fine.

‘What is this?’

The moment I was about to jump up from my seat in confusion, the world went dark.

‘Don’t tell me I’m going blind?’

All kinds of thoughts flashed through my mind, but fortunately, the light returned quickly.

At the same time, I smelled grass that you’d only find deep in the mountains…

“Wow, this looks good?”

“What? Our budget got us accommodations like this?”

A voice could be heard.

“Who made the reservation? Jeong-hun?”

Even from my own mouth, words flowed out against my will.

‘Accomplices?’

* * *

Chirp chirp- Chirp chirp-

Listening to the sound of insects, I thought.

‘It’s a dream.’

I must have fallen asleep while reading the script.

Going into the meeting was all a dream too.

Wow, Dohyeon-u. You’ve really become an office worker.

To dream about getting yelled at by a hateful boss.

Actually, dreaming about work content isn’t unusual.

My specialty is visualizing scripts, and when I get absorbed in it, it often carries over into dreams.

However, there was something strange about it.

I had experienced something similar to this recently.

On my first day at work, in the conference room.

Back then too, I heard insect sounds and smelled grass.

‘…It must be a coincidence.’

Maybe the wind blew and I smelled the conference room plant or something.

While I was thinking that, the characters from Accomplices started moving around busily.

Since I’m dreaming from a first-person perspective, I can’t see the face of ‘Hyeon-tae,’ the drama’s protagonist.

But whenever Hyeon-tae turns his head this way and that, I can see his friends’ appearances.

They were all actors.

Half were actors whose names I knew exactly.

Half were actors whose names I might confuse but whose faces I’d seen often.

Is this the casting my subconscious is recommending?

Not bad, subconscious.

They all fit their roles incredibly well.

If we’re limiting it to image alone, it’s not much different from the casting I’d been secretly considering…

“Oh, right. Did you bring the grill?”

With voice and gestures added, I became convinced this was better.

It seems like I’ll need to take notes as soon as I wake up from this dream.

‘The price range is appropriate too.’

With no famous actors, it was perfect for Accomplices’ situation where we need to meet the break-even point.

‘Doesn’t he look in a mirror even once?’

At this point I was curious about Hyeon-tae’s face too, but there was no opportunity to see it.

However, there was something different from my imagination.

“We have the grill, but where’s the charcoal?”

Since it’s a police role, I had imagined a somewhat bulky mid-to-low tone, but the voice is quite thin.

The forearms I glimpse are also slender.

‘This fits better?’

Considering the deficiency and behavioral motivation that the character Hyeon-tae has, this is better.

The complex he experienced since school days would have made him become a police officer.

I feel like I’m having an incredible dream.

I’ve often heard creators say they got hints from dreams – could this be one of those?

I began focusing on the dream with an interested attitude.

Praying that I wouldn’t wake up in the middle of it.

* * *

“Hyeon-u? Hyeon-u!”

“Ah…”

“Your face has gone completely pale… Are you sick somewhere?”

“I felt dizzy for a moment…”

“What a handful. Tsk tsk.”

The moment I saw Chae Seo-hui worrying about me and Senior Ju Yeong-hun clicking his tongue, reality came rushing back.

“You’re the one who killed him!!!!”

“N-no, it wasn’t me! Something that happened over 10 years ago…”

“Really? Then in 10 years you’ll be able to forget about today?”

The calm silence of the conference room erased the desperate voices of the ‘Accomplices’ characters.

“Are you really okay? You look terrible.”

“I have slight low blood pressure. How long was I gone, I mean, spaced out?”

“Uh, about 3 seconds?”

3 seconds?

That long time was?

“If you’re trying to use health as an excuse to drop out of the project…”

At Ju Yeong-hun’s words, I quickly raised my head.

Drop out of the project?

Me?

Does he know what I just saw?

“Absolutely not. I just felt dizzy for a moment.”

“So you’re going to do it? Are you confident you can fix the script well?”

If it had been just a few seconds ago, how would I have answered?

Wouldn’t I have said I was confident while still harboring some anxiety?

But now it’s different.

“Yes. I’m confident.”

“Huh, really. How bold.”

As if my reaction was unexpected, Senior Ju Yeong-hun started to say something, then stopped and turned his head away.

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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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