A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 7

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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 7

Chae Seo-hui shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking.

“It is strange though. How did things end up like this?”

“Is it really that strange?”

Since I’ve been working like this from my first day, I’m not even sure what’s weird anymore.

“Think about it, no matter how tight the production budget is, 8 episodes would easily exceed 2 billion, no, 2.5 billion won. And the person responsible is an assistant CE.”

“The actual responsibility would fall on General Manager Kim Seong-tae.”

“Right. Because of those political issues, this ridiculous situation happened.”

I hadn’t thought deeply about it until now, but Seo-hui is definitely right.

Something’s wrong with this.

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

But looking at the results alone, the current situation can produce much better work.

Seong Tae and I will share those benefits.

“Just know that this is the first time since OTT’s launch that assistant CEs have full responsibility for a project.”

I was about to nod thoughtlessly but stopped.

“CE’S’?”

“I tried to elegantly say I’d help you.”

“What about the bomb?”

“You know that Hyeon-u asks me whenever he doesn’t know something anyway, right? That’s what a mentor is for.”

It sounds like whether the bomb explodes 10 meters away or 100 meters away, it’s the same.

“Will you be okay?”

“Since we’ve already decided to do it, there’s no way it won’t be okay… If you’re asking about peace of mind, can I answer after seeing the revised script?”

“Then just wait one week.”

“One week?”

Chae Seo-hui narrowed her eyes.

“My trust in you just dropped significantly.”

“Well, you’ll be shocked.”

Because the writers’ enthusiastic expressions were genuine.

“What’s with this confidence?”

“You’ve been speaking casually to me since last time, how old are you, CE Chae Seo-hui?”

“Since it’s Hyeon-u’s project, you’ll decide the casting yourself, right?”

“Are you changing the subject?”

“The timing is perfect. I need about ten days to finish up Gyeongseong Bakery too.”

“You’re not just changing the subject, you’re ignoring me?”

* * *

One week flew by like an arrow.

During that time, I searched desperately for Hyeon-tae from the script, but there were no results.

How frustrated must Go Team Leader have been to give up after rolling up his sleeves to help?

“No, you need to know where you saw him so we can narrow down the search area!”

“I don’t know. It was someone I saw in passing.”

“Ugh!”

“Are you treating me harshly now because I’m someone else’s kid… If only I had acted a little better…”

“Ah, this isn’t what you learned crying acting for!”

Even though I’m not an entertainment company employee, I looked at an enormous number of rookie actor profiles, and thinking he might just have a young-looking face, I also searched through veteran rookies from theater companies.

Just in case, I even checked the musical side.

But there was nothing.

Not even someone who looked similar, let alone someone confusing.

‘Could he be an idol?’

If he’s a famous idol, it’s not impossible for him to take on a drama’s main character.

While it’s not common to start with the main character right away, Accomplice is a small-scale work.

If he had the popularity to sell overseas rights immediately, it would be entirely possible.

‘Wait, does that mean capitalist logic entered into supernatural casting?’

With some confusion, I checked most profiles of boy groups active domestically, but there were no results.

Even when I turned my attention to second-tier groups instead of the commonly called first-tier ones, it was the same.

At this point, anxiety began to sprout that he might be an ordinary person.

If he’s an ordinary person, it’s impossible to identify and find him.

It’s not like I can draw a composite sketch and put out a nationwide wanted notice.

While I was wandering through third-tier boy group algorithms with that frustrated feeling, I got a call from the writers.

The writers I met after a week looked like they had been kidnapped and released.

But their eyes were bright and sharp.

“It really took exactly one week?”

“Technically, today is the eighth day.”

“If you exclude the meeting day, it’s exactly one week.”

At my words, writers Gil Sanghun and Go Yeongtae smiled.

“Actually, we finished the work at dawn. We thought about sending it by email… but we wanted to see your live reaction.”

Writer Gil Sanghun held out 8 copies of the script, neatly bound as if done at a print shop.

“Take your time reading. It’s fine if it takes a long time.”

“Then you two can comfortably use your phones. You don’t need to worry about me.”

The script I started reading was beyond expectations.

No matter how much detail a script covers, it can’t capture 100% of the actual scene.

That’s why a director is needed.

The director’s role is to transfer the world in the script to actual screens.

But didn’t I experience the actual situation, not just screens?

It would be impossible for the script to follow my experience, so I had resolved myself.

Don’t be greedy about details.

Leave that to the director.

But…

The script the writers revised presented a pleasant surprise.

I don’t mean it contained tremendous detail.

Rather, the story has the power to race forward.

Since what the protagonist experiences charges forward with such strong power, I’m not curious about the mountain lodge’s appearance.

Instead, I’m curious about Hyeon-tae’s expression.

A script that gives this feeling doesn’t lose power even if the surrounding environment is poorly done.

Conversely, if you put effort into mise-en-scène, it comes alive as much as you put effort into it.

After breaking through 8 episodes in 3 hours, I put down the script while rolling my stiff neck.

“…How is it?”

I didn’t realize because I was absorbed in the script, but both writers were just staring at me.

“I don’t know how to express it… I’m moved.”

“In what way?”

“Everything. The script being so interesting, my opinions being reflected, you two revising it perfectly, and even the reactions of people to come. I’m moved by everything.”

“Is the style change okay?”

“Yes. I love it. It feels like the story gained the power to race forward.”

The two writers’ original manuscript was the ultimate in detail.

How the furniture was arranged in the mountain lodge, what order the 8 friends stood in, who unconsciously wouldn’t stand next to whom, and who would awkwardly search for things to say when certain people were alone together.

But now it’s a bit different.

The depth itself seems to have become shallower, but that’s only because the current is faster.

When you actually examine it, the depth remains the same, and the story has gained the power to race forward.

“I think we should give the director the original script as reference for character relationships, and request direction based on the current script.”

As I said that, I realized something.

First, I should ask whether the creators were satisfied.

“How did you two find the script?”

“It was sad.”

“Pardon?”

“It feels like our debut work will be our peak. To write a script better than this…”

Writer Go Yeongtae stops mid-sentence and suddenly looks at me.

“If we work with Tivic again, will we be able to work with CE Dohyeon-u?”

“Of course.”

That’s what I want to ask them.

Because these people’s talent is real.

“If you help us, CE-nim, I think we could write even better works. Please don’t abandon us.”

“Haha. You’re being too modest. Shouldn’t I be the one begging people who wrote a script like this?”

There’s a prejudice that writers lack social skills, but seeing these two, it really seems like just a prejudice.

Even though they don’t need to flatter me or anything, they speak so kindly.

After we spent a while gilding each other’s faces, the topic shifted.

“The director has already been decided, right?”

“Yes. It’s the director who directed our university student contest work, Director Jeong Hee-su.”

I know him too.

He’s one of the top emerging directors among young directors, but his career is a bit unique.

In independent and commercial films, he achieved success with deep direction that earned critical acclaim + commercial success, but his dramas all flopped.

Though when I say “all,” he only made 2 of them.

But well, I think it’ll be fine.

Accomplice has more of a film feel than typical dramatization.

“CE-nim. Is casting in progress?”

“We haven’t contacted actors yet, we’re just making the first priority list. I’ll send it to you when we get back to the office.”

“I don’t know if you’ve been told, but we don’t really care about the actors. As long as they act well, and as long as they’re not overly famous.”

I heard that too.

As long as their image isn’t fixed by variety show appearances or long-term CFs, any actor is OK.

Among CEs, there was even talk that the only good thing about Accomplice was that the writers weren’t picky about casting.

“Yes. Thanks to that, I’m working comfortably.”

“Then the main character is…”

That was the moment.

Something truly absurd happened.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Wait, just a moment.”

I jumped up from my seat and approached the man ordering coffee.

Hyeon-tae from the script was standing there.

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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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