A Genius Director Who Dominates OTT Platforms - Chapter 96

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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 96

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“PD Oh Ji-tae started developing Push and Pull Season 2.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It seems like he’s spreading rumors everywhere that he took what Hyeon-u wanted to do.”

Chae Seo-hui’s information network isn’t surprising anymore.

No, wait.

Isn’t this exactly the time to properly interrogate her?

“Just tell me. Really, please tell me now.”

“How I found out?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a trade secret.”

“I’m going crazy with curiosity.”

“Will you get Choi Jae-hyeok and Seo Jae-yeon for my project?”

“Don’t say ridiculous things.”

“Then what about Jeon So-ra and Kim Ra-un?”

“I’m leaving. The Manager just texted me.”

I was getting up from my seat thinking I wouldn’t hear it today either, when Chae Seo-hui whispered.

“My sister is a reporter.”

“What? Really?”

“Secret.”

At that moment, a name flashed through my mind.

“Reporter Chae Seo-yeong?”

“…How did you know?”

“I remember her because she wrote good articles every time I released a project. She even took my side when I was getting criticized about Youngpal.”

“Surprisingly, my sister probably didn’t take sides.”

“Then?”

“She interviewed me and wrote articles based on what she judged to be right.”

Isn’t that the same thing?

Chae Seo-hui would have taken my side.

“I thought she was doing paparazzi work as a side job…”

“Paparazzi, what. Anyway, it’s a secret.”

“I’ll keep it, but is there a specific reason it needs to be secret?”

“It would be annoying if people asked for favor articles.”

True.

If I had known Chae Seo-hui’s sister was a reporter when I was in Team 3, Ju Yeong-hun would have worked her to death.

“Why do you look like that?”

“I’m a bit deflated.”

“What’s deflating about it?”

“I thought there was some more amazing secret.”

Should I remove the unmeasurable hearing and record it as connections +10?

After solving that long-standing mystery, I walked up to the Manager’s office with light steps.

Unlike me, the Manager had a seriously grave expression.

“Why do you look so bright?”

“There’s no reason to look gloomy.”

“So carefree, so carefree. SBX has been testing the waters? Saying let’s work well together from now on.”

“Really?”

Although terrestrial broadcasting’s status has declined significantly, since SSK left Tivic’s umbrella, it’s definitely one of the big players.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we have to unconditionally bow to SBX.

In the past, terrestrial broadcasters colluded well, so once you were blacklisted it was over, but that’s impossible these days.

It was a relationship where it’s good if everyone gets along with each other.

“Do I need to be mindful of SBX?”

“You don’t represent SSK, so why would you need to be mindful?”

“Then I can do whatever I want?”

“Yeah. If problems arise, we can just blame it on individual employee misconduct and cut ties.”

The Manager, who threw out that terrifying joke, asked.

“You don’t think SBX will allow the rights?”

“No. Probably not.”

I was a bit confused, but seeing them call PD Oh Ji-tae to bluff made me certain.

The SBX Director believes I’ll come in with my head bowed.

Or he thinks there’s no need to be obsessed with Push and Pull Season 2 if that’s not the case.

It could be both.

“Should I help?”

“How?”

“There are many ways. He’s not the SBX president, just the Drama Department director. We don’t even need to go up to the President’s level.”

True, if you look at just SBX’s Drama Department, it’s smaller than SSK.

Even if the Drama Department is bigger, the director is just an employee of the broadcasting station.

It varies slightly by broadcasting station, but directors are more often not executives.

If the Manager decides to move, we can immediately enter negotiation mode.

But…

“I’ll handle it myself.”

I shook my head.

Of course, it would be easier with help from the Manager or President.

“There will be no production budget calculation before SSK creates a reason to invest there.”

However, the President’s words remain in my ears.

I don’t want help at the stage of creating a reason to invest.

It’s not like there’s no way to solve it.

“How will you do it?”

“For that reason too, it would be better if SSK kept some distance from me. I’m thinking of solving it rather aggressively.”

“You’re worried about the company in the midst of all this?”

“I have to. If it goes under, I won’t get paid.”

“If it goes under, you’ll just fly off to Netflix.”

“That is the most likely option.”

Still, SSK has gotten a bit better since filming Handtip Crawl.

I didn’t expect them to say nothing when I completely crushed all the Team A and Team B directors with unknowns.

Moreover, when the supporting actors rebelled against Director Im Un-jae, reports would have gone up the chain.

Despite all that, neither the President nor the Manager said anything to me.

They showed trust.

Oh, right. The incentive was generous too.

Wouldn’t it be strange not to think about the company at this point?

“Now tell me. What’s this method you thought of?”

“I think…”

When all the talking was finished, the Manager spoke up.

“For that to work, the project would have to be incredibly good… Are you confident?”

Every time I’ve been asked this question before, I thought of the world within my supernatural ability, but not this time.

Still.

“Yes. I’m confident.”

The answer was the same.

* * *

An ordinary Tuesday.

A celebrity entered the Tivic Korea building.

“Wasn’t that just Dohyeon-u?”

“I think it was?”

“Why did he come here?”

It was Dohyeon-u from SSK.

Even though Dohyeon-u had appeared on broadcasts a few times, he wasn’t famous enough to be recognized on the street, but Tivic Korea was different.

He had created a mega hit with a work that Tivic had declared they couldn’t give a single penny for, and that led to SSK’s independence.

Before that, he had written a legend with an 8-episode thriller made with eight unknown actors.

With such a Dohyeon-u visiting the Production Line Team, it was impossible not to be interested.

Soon after Dohyeon-u started his meeting with the line producer, employees began gathering in small groups to chat.

“He’s asking for production budget, right? Did he come to persuade the LP (Line Producer)?”

“There’s no other reason besides that.”

“He must be really hooked on web dramas? Didn’t he already get rejected with the proposal?”

“The push and pull was interesting, but what can a web drama achieve?”

“He came all the way here because it’s not working out.”

When SSK had an exclusive supply contract with Tivic, seeing such scenes wasn’t that difficult.

Unless it was 100% SSK production, they needed budget approval from Tivic Korea’s LP (Line Producer) to secure production costs.

But things are different these days.

Tivic only has first look rights, so there’s no need to come directly and persuade the staff.

Nevertheless, taking action meant he was having difficulties with production.

Simply put, it meant there was nowhere else to get money, so he came to Tivic to beg.

“He really only gets hooked on weird things.”

“Isn’t this one the most extreme ever?”

“I heard the rights aren’t even sorted out.”

“Looking at how SSK isn’t stepping in to sort it out, even internally they must think it’s not worth it.”

While the employees were chatting like this, Dohyeon-u finished his meeting and came out of the Production Line Team’s door.

His face looked the same as usual, but those with keen eyes could sense that Dohyeon-u was disappointed.

His shoulders seemed to droop slightly too.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Dohyeon-u left Tivic with a smiling face.

The rumors spread quickly.

* * *

“I’m sorry. Our actor’s schedule doesn’t match.”

“We’re strictly managing their filmography right now. Web dramas are a bit difficult.”

“From what I heard, you haven’t secured the rights yet…”

How should I put it?

A blessing in disguise?

No, this is a bit strange…

Right, a feeling of generational change.

This seems like the right expression.

When I looked up exactly what it means, it says ‘a feeling of becoming a different generation due to drastic changes in a not-so-long period of time.’

Wow, that’s perfect.

It’s like a four-character idiom made after hearing my inner thoughts.

When Handtip Crawl started becoming a huge hit, I received over 100 entertainment company business cards.

I received that many even while gradually avoiding agency contacts.

What came out of their mouths when they handed me their cards was almost similar.

They would be so happy if I could consider their actors when casting for my next work.

Even if it’s a small role, if given the chance, they wouldn’t disappoint.

Now they would trust any work that Director Dohyeon-u makes without question, and so on.

I know these were words mixed with considerable lip service.

When I actually throw casting offers, they would also consider this and that before deciding.

But I didn’t expect to be treated so coldly.

There were three reasons.

First, the rights weren’t sorted out, second, it’s a web drama, and third, it has source material.

My response to this was one thing.

“The rights will be sorted out soon, and although it’s a web drama, we’re aiming to air it on OTT. Moreover, because it has source material, I think it will transcend the limitations of the web drama format.”

All of it was sincere truth without a single lie.

But no one listened to my story seriously, and some even mocked me.

Not openly mocking, but there’s a feeling to it.

Some even gave me advice.

Saying that if I want to do anything, shouldn’t I first humble my pride and communicate with SBX?

That young people shouldn’t be so rigid.

Just wait and see. I’ll remember this.

But how can people’s attitudes change this much?

It hasn’t been long since Handtip Crawl ended, and it’s still in Netflix’s TOP 10.

Does the afterglow of success fade this quickly?

I wasn’t saying this just because I was rejected.

Rejection is perfectly acceptable.

The problem was that the basis for rejection was treating my actions as recklessness or stubbornness.

“Does he think everything he makes will succeed?”

“Leave him be. Once someone gets high like that, they don’t come down until they fail.”

I heard managers talking among themselves.

I haven’t changed at all from when I made Accomplice or Handtip Crawl.

However, in this situation, there was one place that offered me an actor.

Surfer Entertainment, which has Oh Ha-eun and Min Jae-ryul.

Surprisingly, they entrusted Oh Ha-eun to me.

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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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