A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 78

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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 78

Action 10. Caught at Fingertips

SSK’s marketing team became noisy from the morning.

“Wow, damn. He didn’t beat the senior with rock-paper-scissors.”

“What are you talking about. He’s from regional management.”

“Come to think of it, aside from Gyeongseong Bakery, Senior Ju Yeong-hun hasn’t really screwed up anything big.”

“His personality is picky, but he probably has ability, right?”

It was because of the first trailer for 【Oxygen Alert】 that was released yesterday afternoon.

Actually, it’s funny for production company employees to make a fuss over one trailer.

After all, trailers are just collections of the good and interesting parts.

But this time was an exception.

The Oxygen Alert trailer recorded the highest 24-hour view count among all Tivic trailers in history.

In other words, limited to Tivic, no other work’s trailer had received as much attention as Oxygen Alert.

The indicators showing subscribers’ viewing intentions also had graphs hitting the ceiling.

It was a well-made trailer and amazing casting.

“Tae-ung’s influence seems incredible, right? It was plastered all over the real-time trends.”

“That makes sense. When he came up from the water, I really gasped involuntarily.”

“I heard his personality is good too.”

“Anyway, if we’re going to pay a lot of guarantee to the lead, we should use actors like that.”

That was the moment.

The marketing team employees who had been chatting excitedly suddenly shut their mouths.

“Good morning.”

It was because Dohyeon-u passed by them with a smiling face.

“He looks happy?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that guy look intimidated. It was the same in Team 3. Even when Ju Yeong-hun threw a fit, he stayed calm.”

“Isn’t it acting? He’s from an acting background.”

“But honestly, Oxygen Alert has nothing to do with Dohyeon-u, right? As long as Fingertips goes well, that’s all that matters.”

“Would it work out that cleanly? Ju Yeong-hun went after all the actors Dohyeon-u had his eye on.”

“But Dohyeon-u caught Kim Ra-un instead.”

“Kim Ra-un instead of Tae-ung, so isn’t that a huge gain?”

“If you put it that way, it’s Jeon So-ra instead of Lee Min-seon. This side is more of a huge gain.”

“Is that so?”

The employee who tilted their head looked at the corridor where Dohyeon-u had disappeared and said.

“Whatever it is, wouldn’t he be worried?”

* * *

I’m worried to death.

About the gazes of employees who come to check what my expression looks like.

CL Team 4 uses the 4th floor together with the marketing team, and CEs who come down to the marketing team for business always stop by the restroom.

They have to pass by the supply closet next to our team to get to the restroom.

In other words, they want to see my face.

So…

“Why are you frowning like that?”

“I was trying to make a nervous expression.”

“That?”

“Don’t I look nervous?”

“That’s the expression you make when you accidentally pour cold water into the last coffee mix during overtime.”

Has my acting ability declined?

Well, I’m not an actor anymore.

To be honest, I’m not thinking about anything.

It was natural that the Oxygen Alert trailer would turn out well.

Go Hak-su may be lacking as a human being, but he shoots scenes well, and Hong Hee-yeong is undoubtedly a top-level writer.

With Tae-ung attached to that, wouldn’t it be strange to think it wouldn’t go well?

Of course, this was just my opinion.

The company people seemed to want to see me have a showdown with Oxygen Alert.

It wasn’t even just the company.

【Master’s Experience vs Rookie’s Spirit? Who Will Win the OTT War?】

A few days after the trailer was released, a crappy article came out.

It included a photo of me and Director Go Hak-su glaring at each other, taken at the production announcement for 【The CEO I Made】.

Naturally, people’s reactions weren’t good.

From opinions that Dohyeon-u was overreaching since he’s not even a director, to people saying I was arrogant, and others saying Go Hak-su was like an old fogey.

I have no idea why that article came out.

Nobody benefited from it.

Oh, the view count was good, so maybe the media company was happy?

Anyway, one thing was certain: even reporters were recognizing Oxygen Alert and Fingertips as competing works.

It’s natural for works that come out around the same time to be treated as competitors, but it felt like something more than that.

Is there something I don’t know?

I found out the reason thanks to Chae Seo-hui.

“Director Go Hak-su has been badmouthing Hyeon-u in front of industry insiders.”

“What exactly?”

“That’s why reporters are putting out articles thinking there must be something there.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Seo-hui, what exactly are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where do you hear such information? This isn’t even SSK information.”

“It’s a secret.”

Don’t tell me she’s doing something like paparazzi as a side job?

Anyway, with reporters stirring things up, the public also started recognizing Fingertips and Oxygen Alert as competing works.

-If it turns out as good as the trailer, wouldn’t Oxygen Alert be a landslide victory?

-I’ll make one prediction about Oxygen Alert. Male lead? He’ll run out of oxygen because he’s out of water. Female lead? She’ll give him mouth-to-mouth to save him. Me? I’ll flip out.

-hahahahahahahaha

-Way more people around me are looking forward to Fingertips though?

-Isn’t that because you’re a game nerd? Birds of a feather flock together.

-Shit, that was it.

-When does the Fingertips trailer come out?

-The launch is 2 weeks apart, so the trailer should be 2 weeks later too, right?

Of course, it’s not a sinister issue like Youngpal and Accomplice, but a normal and healthy competitive atmosphere.

But… did I get too steeped in schemes and conspiracies from my first work?

Why is it so bewildering when people innocently ask ‘which will be more interesting?’

It’s not that there are no malicious comments toward actors or works, but those are like taxes.

Time steadily passed in this public opinion, and I had my first formal interview with a reporter since becoming a CE.

It’s not that there were no proposals before, but I didn’t feel the need to do them…

-Come by 3 o’clock tomorrow!

I couldn’t refuse Reporter Moon’s manly summons.

If it were the entertainment section, I wouldn’t bother with an interview, but since it’s the E-sports section, it would help the drama, right?

I did the interview with that mindset, and it was more fun than I thought.

“Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to E-sports fans?”

“I recently lost my sense of romance while playing TOOL.”

“Romance?”

“People tried to kill me just because I played the game a bit poorly.”

“Ah, that can happen. It’s common in this field.”

“No. I can’t do that. So please repay that lost romance by watching.”

“Usually, isn’t it the producer who says they’ll repay with their work?”

“Our work is already worthy of repaying E-sports fans. You just need to watch.”

“Hahaha.”

Reporter Moon smiled broadly, saying the article would turn out interesting.

However, while leaving the media company, I encountered an unexpected person.

Actually, maybe not so unexpected.

He would receive far more interview requests than me.

“Oh my, doing interviews too?”

It was Director Go Hak-su.

“I have a reporter friend.”

“Weren’t you a C-grade actor who couldn’t even make B-grade? And you have reporter friends?”

Why is he so desperate to get under my skin?

“Should I thank you? What would have happened if you hadn’t taken Kim Ra-un? We had no idea an SS-grade would fall into our arms.”

SS-grade? What is this, a comic book?

Regardless of Director Go’s childish behavior, I was surprised to hear he got Tae-ung instead of Kim Ra-un.

I didn’t know Tae-ung would immediately join a new project, and I didn’t know Ju Yeong-hun would snag him.

I heard Taeung Entertainment Agency demanded an enormous fee, but Tivic agreed after much deliberation.

The influence of “Caught at Fingertips” probably played a part.

While I was thinking this, Go Hak-su continued with a smirking face.

“I was going to use Kim Ra-un a bit because of my connection with Director Jang… but honestly, I wasn’t that impressed. That type can’t recover once their popularity dies.”

Use him?

“How does it feel to ruin him with your own hands and bury him completely in a coffin?”

“A coffin?”

“What? Are you still holding onto hope? Oh, did you deliberately not check the trailer performance?”

If two trailers do well, he’ll drown in his own premature celebration.

“Director Go.”

“What?”

“Saying someone ruined someone else isn’t used in situations like this. Actors act, directors film, and directors create sets. If it doesn’t work out, it’s disappointing, not ruined.”

“You speak well?”

“‘Ruined’ is what you use for people who say things like ‘the driver’s fee is too expensive, so you drive.'”

Before I even finished speaking, Go Hak-su’s atmosphere completely changed.

From eyes that wanted to mock me no matter what, to eyes that wanted to kill me.

But I read the fear contained in those eyes.

“And Ra-un acts well. Much better than you think.”

“What? You think?”

Then with a ding sound, the elevator doors opened.

“Why don’t you go first? I feel like I’d be punished if we rode together.”

“This bastard…”

“Should I get on first?”

Go Hak-su, breathing roughly, got on the elevator and glared at me.

Until the doors completely closed.

That night at 8 PM.

The first trailer for “Caught at Fingertips” was released.

* * *

The protagonist of the first trailer was Kim Ra-un.

The content itself wasn’t anything spectacular.

–

Park Seong-hwa was a star on the court.

But he was a man who knew neither how to receive nor how to give.

Eventually, as a husband, as a director, as a human being, he faced failure…

-Seong-hwa Empire director. How about it?

He shakes hands with team owner Han Guk-yeong and enters a new world.

But there’s no way Park Seong-hwa, who looks down on E-sports pathetically, could adapt properly, and he conflicts with the players…

-I’m the same way, coach.

-What?

-I hate losing so much I could die. So much that I’d rather run away like a coward.

Gradually, desire blooms from deep within his heart.

Hoping that these kids—no, that we—would win.

–

Honestly, Park Seong-hwa’s story arc shown in the trailer was predictable.

It was the story of a failed director that could be found in any sports drama.

But there was a reason I structured the first trailer around Park Seong-hwa.

First, I didn’t want the E-sports genre to be received as too unfamiliar.

While this predictability was a problem in volleyball dramas, it could serve as a buffer for E-sports dramas.

But the real reason was the second one.

-Yo wtf Kim Ra-un is insane

-What is this. Kim Ra-un is there but I can’t see Kim Ra-un.

-Not just the acting but what’s with his voice? He seems like a completely different person???

-Wow what? He really looks like he’s in his 40s;

-The barrier to entry for acting is fucking high lol He’s acting old age lol

-Why are there only comments about age and voice. His acting is fucking amazing lol

-That’s what they’re saying, idiot.

-So a failed volleyball coach becomes a pro gamer coach?

-Yeah seems like it.

-It’s a bit predictable but… seems like it’ll be interesting?

-Is this a drama trailer or a Kim Ra-un trailer.

Because Kim Ra-un’s acting was insane.

* * *

Originally, Kim Ra-un was the type who couldn’t sleep or eat from nervousness until a drama aired after filming.

But strangely, “Caught at Fingertips” was different.

He slept well and his condition was incredibly good.

At first, he didn’t know why…

But watching the trailer, he thought he understood.

Because even if he went back to the first take, he couldn’t have done better than this.

Having done acting without a single regret for the first time in his life, there was no need to worry about “what if I had done this” or “what if I had done that.”

So Kim Ra-un watched the trailer endlessly.

Once, twice, three times…

Probably after more than ten times, he gained courage.

The courage to see people’s reactions.

There was a comment he couldn’t forget.

-He’s just a chaebol second-generation one-trick lol

-He’s not on the level to be grouped with Seo Jae-yeon and Choi Jae-hyeok, but his company is DP so he got pushed up.

A comment he saw when the Accomplice and Youngpal issue erupted.

A comment he couldn’t let go of no matter how much he tried to rationalize it away.

Maybe that’s why he had been snippy with Hyeon-u.

But now he felt like he could let it go.

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠI knew Raon oppa would do wellㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Wow really insane. This is what an actor is.

-Is this Kim Ra-un? That Youngpal Kim Ra-un? Wow…

-I asked them to film a trailer and they put together an acting power show;

From that day on, Kim Ra-un couldn’t sleep properly.

It wasn’t because he was anxious.

It was because he was excited.

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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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