A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 59
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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 59
* * *
Kim Ra-un’s casting confirmation was announced, and the internet went crazy.
-Are they really doing it? Officially?
-Yeah, it’s D.P official.
-Wow, look at that nerve ㅋㅋㅋ You need at least this much guts to be a broker, don’t you think?
-How much money did they take to release this article right after the public opinion settled down a bit?
-Just how much did you get paid lol
It was the expected reaction.
The article broke right after the kickback allegations died down.
Rather, there was still a lingering smell of money that Tivic had burned, so it felt somewhat defensive.
Fewer articles came out than I expected.
But on the other hand, there were people who believed in me.
-Isn’t this totally Accomplice Season 2?
-This guy’s default seems to be starting after getting unfairly criticized.
-Logically, if they had taken money, they would have released the article much later; it’s not like making a drama takes just a day or two.
-The whole idea that they cast Kim Ra-un because they took money is baseless criticism; there’s no logic at all;
-An esports drama? It’s definitely going to be ROR, right? My heart is fucking racing
-I can’t even guess what the content will be… Do gaming dramas work?
-But can a director gain this much recognition? I don’t know anyone except Dohyeon-u.
-It is unusual. At first he got linked with Kim Ra-un as fellow actors, gave bold interviews, and even appeared on variety shows.
-And he’s good-looking too hahahaha
-It’s also because the Accomplices team mentions it whenever we’re about to forget. The director and all the actors keep saying there would be no Accomplices without Do Hyun-woo ㅇㅇ
-Some say Dohyeon-u and Kim Ra-un broke up and got back together…
-Here they come again. The “some say” trolls.
-Just eat some ramen, damn it
But I didn’t have time to worry about public opinion.
I had to move busily to sign appearance contracts with the actors.
The budget hadn’t been allocated yet, but the Manager told me to proceed with 10 billion won.
I’m glad Kim Ra-un’s price went down.
If it were during his S-grade treatment days, negotiations would have started at 400 million, so Kim Ra-un alone would be 6.4 billion.
Should I thank PD Oh Ji-tae?
During those times, I both protected and lost actors.
Fortunately, I kept Min Jae-ryul for Lee Yeong-han’s role, which I thought was irreplaceable.
Surfer Entertainment decided to put their hopes on Oh Ha-eun.
But there were roles I couldn’t protect.
Han Guk-yeong’s role, Jeong Gi-jun.
Samoyon’s role, Lee Min-seon.
Pidoseon’s role, Choi Ha-il.
They all hurt.
Coldly speaking, Jeong Gi-jun and Lee Min-seon weren’t irreplaceable.
Both were characters in their 40s.
It’s an age group with many actors who step down from leading roles and burn with passion.
While I worried about whether the characters I wanted would emerge, there were no acting quality issues.
But Pidoseon, whom Choi Ha-il was going to play, was different.
Pidoseon is a character who became a pro gamer under a mother who treats her child like a trophy, and is only 18 years old in the story.
In other words, a minor.
A 30-year-old actor playing a 20-year-old feels different from a 20-year-old actor playing a teenager.
To play Pidoseon, a young actor was needed.
So Choi Ha-il, who’s twenty this year, was the perfect fit…
But he was stolen by Ju Yeong-hun.
What was absurd was that in the 【Oxygen Alert】 I saw, there was no role suitable for Choi Ha-il.
They probably lowered the age of a specific role or created a new character…
Do they hate me that much?
Or did they lose their confidence that much, as President Yun said?
Whatever it was, it wasn’t pleasant.
But I wasn’t just taking it lying down either.
I stole an important talent.
Namely.
“Director, I love you.”
“Ah, I already regret it. People shouldn’t try to keep every word they say when drunk.”
It was Art Director Jo Tae-seok.
Strictly speaking, Director Jo Tae-seok isn’t an SSK employee, so I can’t say I stole him.
But each CL team has a network pool they’ve maintained for a long time.
Art Director Jo is at the pinnacle of Team 3’s network pool.
Art directors themselves are rare, but also because of the wide connections formed around Director Jo Tae-seok.
Just bringing Director Jo Tae-seok would bring a flood of outsourced studios following along.
Looking at it this way, Chae Seo-hui did a really good job during Accomplice.
Actually, the persuasion process itself wasn’t much.
I just kept visiting him.
Making requests, acting cute, and recalling good memories from Accomplice.
I often played videos of Director Jo Tae-seok getting completely drunk and shouting about working on the next project together.
Nevertheless, the odds weren’t high.
He acknowledged that Accomplice was one of the top works in his career, but what mattered was the volume of filming.
Making one masterpiece doesn’t put food on the table for the art team staff.
“Director, I joined as an assistant CE last year, and now I’m temporarily working as head CE.”
“Even if we lose money immediately, we’ll catch up once Team 4’s location shoots get going.”
“We really had fun working together.”
But ultimately, what moved Director Jo Tae-seok’s heart wasn’t me, but Ju Yeong-hun.
I don’t know what happened, but it seems Ju Yeong-hun tried to strong-arm Director Jo Tae-seok by presenting 【Oxygen Alert】.
And in doing so, he touched his pride.
One day the director came and asked.
“Hey, do you really think that will do well?”
“Yes.”
“More than Accomplice?”
“Yes.”
“More than Oxygen Alert?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck, let’s do it.”
That was the end.
As soon as word spread that Director Jo Tae-seok chose Team 4, Sound Director O Jun-jae also came to my side.
“After Accomplice, going to other sets was really fucking terrible. Is this what reverse culture shock feels like?”
“The actors can’t act but make excuses, and the directors can’t see shit but act all high and mighty…”
“Ugh! Drink up!”
Art and sound.
It was the moment when the two most important pillars, excluding the directing part, stood straight.
The next day, I heard that Ju Yeong-hun got so angry he threw documents around.
* * *
“President, are you going to keep it like this? Team 3 and Team 4 are too chaotic.”
At Gong Seok-jun’s words, Han Seong-hun put down the documents he was reading.
“Why? Is there a side you want to take?”
“I don’t know about taking sides, but shouldn’t we mediate? Tell them to work while keeping to the lines we’ve drawn.”
“Well… We’re the ones who draw the lines. Not the CL team.”
As Gong Seok-jun let out a sigh, Han Seong-hun smiled and continued.
“Still, it’s surprising, isn’t it? I didn’t expect Director Do to act to that extent.”
“Right. I was watching, thinking he’d call for SOS right away, but he’s come this far. Despite how he looks, he’s got some real guts, you know?”
“That’s a good thing. Unless he plans to end his career as a CE.”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Let’s leave him be until there are problems with the project. Let’s see how far he can go.”
Han Seong-hun tapped the stack of documents on his desk.
Tivic exclusive supply contract.
“We need to do our own work.”
* * *
During the days I was devoted to the production of 【Caught at Fingertips】, I took one day off.
Because I had a drinking appointment.
When I hurriedly opened the pub door and entered, those sitting at the group table let out cheers.
“Hey! Dohyeon-u!”
“He really came!”
I smiled and bowed.
“Sorry. Traffic was bad. Have you all been well?”
These were faces I hadn’t seen in a really long time.
They were seniors from Theater Troupe 【Exclamation】 that I belonged to before joining D.P.
That’s right.
Today was the day to keep my promise with senior Kang Min-sik whom I met at MBY.
“Wow, senior. You were always worried about hair loss, but you look so lush now. Oh, is it a wig?”
“Wow, senior Hee-yeon. You still look like you’re in your twenties… though I’m just flattering you.”
Not everything was always good at the theater troupe, and not everyone was a good person.
But at least there was a sense of camaraderie in looking toward the same place.
They were people who gathered because they loved acting, even if there was no money in it.
Perhaps because of that, meeting these people after such a long time didn’t feel awkward at all.
“Alright, now that Hyeon-u is here, we have to drink until we die, right?”
“What’s our theater troupe motto? We may lose at acting, but let’s not lose at drinking!”
“Let’s not lose!”
And so the drinking session began.
I moved around with my glass and spoon in hand.
I was the youngest among those gathered today, and except for me, they met occasionally.
It had been almost five years just for me.
“Why didn’t I know about gatherings like this?”
“We don’t contact the active ones. We’re afraid life might look bleak if they look at us.”
“Ah, right. Even I would be scared if my future looked like us.”
“Then when we see retired faces coming and going from broadcasting stations, we arrange a gathering like this.”
As the seniors giggled and exchanged beer and soju cocktails, I felt a strange sadness.
Looking closely, people who quickly realized reality and retired early were living better lives.
So much so that everyone said, “If I had known it would be like this, I would have quit sooner.”
It was natural.
Acquiring social status and establishing one’s position inevitably takes time.
But it was quite sad that the time we spent at the theater troupe was useless.
Having such thoughts, I came to my senses.
There was no reason to get sentimental.
After enjoying the drinking session for a while, I quietly sat at the table with seniors who worked in production.
Senior Kang Min-sik was there too.
“Um, seniors, do you know any good directors who are currently free?”
“Directors?”
“Yes. I need a director.”
Currently, 【Caught at Fingertips】 has no director.
It’s not because of Ju Yeong-hun’s interference.
Directors aren’t resources that a specific team can monopolize.
This happened because my network was shallow.
Of course, there are many directors waiting for directing opportunities, and many who would gladly take my hand if I reached out.
But the results from such people are all somewhat disappointing.
That said, I don’t have connections with star directors either.
Director Jeong Hee-su was my only connection, but she doesn’t match this project’s direction.
“Don’t you have many directors connected to your company?”
“We do, but they’re all somewhat disappointing.”
“Honestly, directors who are free are probably all similar? You should have been working on this from long ago.”
Another senior who was listening added.
“If a good director has an open schedule, it’s one of two things. Either they’ve earned enough to do some art, or they’re being exposed as pretenders.”
“Wow, that’s a wise saying.”
Is it really too much to look for a famous director now?
Should I consider the best option among those within reach?
That’s when senior Kang Min-sik said something unexpected.
“Why don’t you look for one yourself?”
“Pardon?”
“Whenever you watched independent films, you’d say ‘this director will make it big’ or ‘this director will fail,’ right? Your accuracy rate was pretty high.”
Discover a director?
I’ve thought about discovering writers or actors, but I’ve never thought about that.
Can I entrust a ten billion won project to a rookie director?
I was lost in deep thought about this sudden topic.
That’s when I saw the seniors sitting at the same table getting up.
I thought they were going out for a smoke and didn’t think much of it, but senior Kang Min-sik tapped my shoulder.
“Hey, Hyeon-u.”
“Yes?”
When I looked up, I saw an unfamiliar, no, familiar face.
It was the first time meeting him in person, but someone I’d seen very often.
It was actor Jeong Gi-jun.
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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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