Bedroom Genius Actor - Chapter 108

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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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Episode 108

‘But they wouldn’t have pulled this ridiculous stunt just because they don’t get along.’

PD Seo Min-sik viewed this situation coldly.

This wasn’t something the Drama Department’s Finance Team would do on their own discretion.

‘Someone else just used that as an excuse.’

PD Seo Min-sik had been in the industry for over 20 years. Having seen all kinds of situations, both good and bad, he could maintain his composure even in circumstances like this.

‘The problem is figuring out who pulled this stunt.’

He suspected it was the work of other departments.

They had openly shown hostility at the last department head meeting.

‘Plus, the Finance Team leader was the most likely candidate for the next Drama Department head, so they would have been easy to manipulate.’

The in-house production team had indeed become nothing but a money pit.

So from the Finance Team’s perspective, they were bound to be a thorn in their side.

“I’ll go talk to the Finance Team first.”

***

As soon as he entered the office, he could see everyone glaring at him.

“Oh~ Is this Team Leader Seo Min-sik who ruined the Drama Department?”

“….”

Finance Team Leader Ma Jae-gil sneered.

PD Seo Min-sik had never gotten along well with the Finance Team.

To be precise, the Finance Team looked down on PD Seo Min-sik.

The production team belonged to the creative realm, while the Finance Team belonged to the management realm.

Though they had to coexist, PD Seo Min-sik’s creative spirit was so strong that he was one of the people the Finance Team hated most.

PD Seo Min-sik asked calmly.

“Why did the production budget fall through this time?”

“Why? Don’t you know? It’s because you ruined your project.”

“When I submitted the production budget, it was approved, and we secured more sponsorship than expected. It doesn’t make sense for it to fall through now.”

“We just did what we always do. If you spend a lot of money and then ruin everything? Who’s going to take responsibility then? Us?”

“The responsibility lies with me and the department head.”

So Finance Team Leader Ma Jae-gil snorted.

“That’s different. How nice it would be if you just disbanded the team when we told you to. But then you say you want to make another project.”

PD Seo Min-sik thought as he listened to those words.

‘I can’t exactly punch this bastard.’

Shouldn’t they at least follow through on what was already decided? Wasn’t that basic business ethics?

‘If Deok-chil hyung steps in, it might work, but….’

That would only create more resentment. If things got worse than now, it would be troublesome for everyone.

‘Then we’d have to handle everything from start to finish on our own. Tsk.’

First, he needed to understand why this guy was acting this way.

Ma Jae-gil was cowardly.

In other words, he wasn’t the type to pull something like this on his own.

Plus, he had quite a wide network. He apparently attended various social gatherings with school seniors, people in finance, and other strange connections.

‘The fact that this guy is being so bold means he’s likely conspiring with department heads from other areas.’

Maybe he was waiting for Department Head Kim Deok-chil to step in.

‘So how do I handle this….’

PD Seo Min-sik pondered for a moment, then said to Ma Jae-gil.

“Are you really not going to help us?”

“It’s not that we won’t help. We can’t help. For the company’s sake.”

“Fine then.”

PD Seo Min-sik turned around and left the Finance Team office.

After Seo Min-sik left, the Finance Team employees cautiously asked Ma Jae-gil.

“Um… do you think PD Seo Min-sik might have a separate plan?”

“What plan could he have? He left because there’s nothing he can do since we said no.”

Ma Jae-gil chuckled as he looked at where PD Seo Min-sik had exited.

“You won’t have any options this time either, Seo Min-sik.”

***

When PD Seo Min-sik returned, the other staff members asked.

“How did it go?”

“Did they agree to help?”

PD Seo Min-sik shook his head.

“It looks like we’ll have to solve this on our own.”

All the staff members were shocked.

“We’re short 30%! How can we fill that gap!”

“No matter how much we cut… 30% is….”

“Should we all go together right now and apologize…?”

PD Seo Min-sik shook his head.

“Do you think they’d help us even if we did that?”

“We have to do something! We even managed to bring Ji-hu here….”

At the staff’s voices, PD Seo Min-sik raised his hand as if he understood.

“I’m already contacting more sponsors. There are still sponsors we haven’t met with, so we should be able to fill some of the gap. And if we cut the production budget a bit, there won’t be any problems, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“As expected of our PD! You predicted this too!”

The staff members breathed sighs of relief.

However.

“What do we do about this….”

“…Will you be okay?”

Three people gathered after the schedule ended.

It was PD Seo Min-sik, Jo Gi-hyeok, and….

“Should I really be hearing about this?”

Kim Ji-hu.

They were essentially the core members of this project and the leaders driving this work forward.

Perhaps because they were already in the same boat, PD Seo Min-sik informed these two of the situation first.

“Is there anything I can do to help….”

“I’m still thinking about it. Sigh… I’m sorry. You trusted me and came here…. Instead of creating a good acting environment, I’m causing problems like this.”

“No, not at all. If we think about it together and stay strong, things will get better.”

However, Kim Ji-hu couldn’t think of any solutions either.

‘I should have paid more attention to things like this….’

Kim Ji-hu was completely clueless about such matters.

He simply enjoyed watching productions, but had no interest in production budgets or how to navigate office politics.

But now it was different. Kim Ji-hu’s life depended on it.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘Should I ask President Baek for help….’

But he immediately dismissed the idea. Wouldn’t that be too shameless?

Baek Do-kyung would help if asked, but that would essentially mean Hanbit Entertainment was going all-in on this project.

The company’s survival would depend on whether this project succeeded or failed.

‘Especially since I won’t be able to act anymore if I fail too….’

Then Kim Ji-hu would lose any way to repay Baek Do-kyung.

‘Isn’t there somewhere else.’

Among the places Kim Ji-hu knew that could make such an investment. Especially a place that had great faith in Kim Ji-hu.

“Ah….”

Though Kim Ji-hu’s network was narrow, there was still one place that came to mind.

Kim Ji-hu spoke.

“Um… PD-nim, should I try to find a sponsor?”

“Ji-hu, you?”

That’s why Jo Gi-hyeok, who was beside them, was also surprised.

“Ji-hu… would that be possible for you? That amount of money isn’t something an individual could cover…”

“It is a company though… I’ll try it once and see if it’s possible.”

***

“If you’re planning to do something strange to get it, you don’t have to. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll even cancel the contract by mutual agreement.”

PD Seo Min-sik said that much.

That made him even more motivated.

‘Contract cancellation has no meaning for me anyway.’

Since the mission was already set, he had to go with this work.

PD Seo Min-sik would make this work even without Kim Ji-hu himself.

There was no law saying the mission couldn’t change again next time.

‘The System’s whims are quite severe after all.’

Moreover, this work was the first to make him want to try acting directly.

So he had no intention of giving up.

In any case, Kim Ji-hu had two methods available.

One was to find a sponsor himself.

And the other was.

‘Using a question ticket.’

Kim Ji-hu still had two question tickets remaining.

If he asked the question ticket for a way to solve this matter, he would be able to get an answer.

But this was a last resort.

Since he didn’t know what might happen after this, he planned to save the question tickets until the very last moment.

So right now, finding a suitable sponsor was the urgent priority.

And Kim Ji-hu had exactly one company that was perfect for this.

“I didn’t expect you to be the first to ask to meet me. This is quite interesting.”

A shabby recording studio.

An old man with a stubborn appearance sitting in the center.

It was Jo Pil-sik, the CEO of RT Entertainment.

“A-as I mentioned, I came to ask for sponsorship of my work.”

RT Entertainment had strong enough cash flow that 1 or 2 billion could easily change hands.

Moreover, from what he found out, they were investing quite a bit in drama and movie production.

“Hmm… I did come out because it looked interesting, but I don’t see why I should do that.”

But soon he grinned and opened his mouth.

“However, it would be different if you became one of our company’s actors. I looked into it roughly, and the amount isn’t difficult enough to be a problem. If you join, I’ll do it for you.”

From the moment CEO Jo Pil-sik agreed to meet, he had predicted this would be said.

But Kim Ji-hu had a plan.

‘L-let’s speak confidently. Like PD Seo Min-sik did.’

Kim Ji-hu had gone to various meetings with PD Seo Min-sik to find sponsors.

So he knew what kind of attitude he should speak with.

“Th… the reason you want to sign me to your company is because you saw my talent, isn’t it…?”

“That’s right. You’re someone who really smells like money.”

“Then if you invest in this work, couldn’t you make big money?”

At those words, CEO Jo Pil-sik shrugged his shoulders.

“That and this are a bit different. I heard this work is being handled by PD Seo Min-sik, who had an early cancellation recently. Is that right?”

“That’s correct…”

“I’m looking at you long-term. Within that, one or two works might fail. But looking at the long run, I think you’ll eventually handle big money, so I want to bring you into the company.”

CEO Jo Pil-sik spoke calmly.

But Kim Ji-hu wasn’t discouraged either.

“How highly do you rate my abilities, CEO Jo Pil-sik?”

Jo Pil-sik answered that question immediately.

“First-rate. Beyond that. I think you’re someone who could grow big enough to change the company’s scale entirely.”

“Then what about me as the Armchair Reviewer?”

“…Honestly, I rate that part very highly too.”

“What if someone like that participated from the production stage?”

Kim Ji-hu carefully explained what he had been thinking.

“I’m getting involved from the early production stage. I’m teaching rookie actors, reviewing scripts, and I plan to participate in the editing process afterward too.”

“…”

“What do you think would happen to such a work?”

CEO Jo Pil-sik stared intently at Kim Ji-hu.

“Tell me more.”

“I… won’t bother telling you to trust PD Seo Min-sik. It’s true that his last work failed badly. So how about trusting me instead? Wouldn’t it be different if I held the center and produced the work?”

There was something PD Seo Min-sik always said when talking with sponsors. How about trusting Kim Ji-hu instead of himself.

That was the reason he kept bringing Kim Ji-hu along.

But in addition to that, if it was CEO Jo Pil-sik who knew both the Armchair Reviewer and himself as Kim Ji-hu.

Wouldn’t it be more persuasive?

“Heh heh… how interesting. Kim Ji-hu, isn’t language fascinating? Really, ‘ah’ is different from ‘uh.’ It’s actually the same thing I said before. But this time, I find myself being persuaded by your words.”

“…!”

“It makes sense. A work that combines the Armchair Reviewer’s skills with actor Kim Ji-hu’s abilities. I’d want to invest in such a work.”

Kim Ji-hu’s eyes widened.

“Th-thank you!”

“Of course, I’ll have to check the scale again. And have you changed your phone number now?”

“Pardon?”

“Your phone number was the same when you were the Armchair Reviewer and when you were Kim Ji-hu.”

It was something he had realized when giving his number to Yun Se-ra last time.

He couldn’t help but be startled that CEO Jo Pil-sik knew about it.

“I’m telling you this because the person I’m investing in can’t have problems. That’s exactly how I found out you were the Armchair Reviewer.”

“I-is that so.”

“It’s more amazing that other people haven’t caught on until now. Anyone could find out with just a little investigation.”

Kim Ji-hu scratched his head.

“Actually, I already realized that… I was thinking of getting another phone number…”

“Then that’s fortunate. Anyway, come meet with PD Seo Min-sik tomorrow. I want to have a talk with him too.”

CEO Jo Pil-sik said that and stood up from his seat.

Kim Ji-hu bowed his head to CEO Jo Pil-sik.

“Thank you…!”

“It’s fine. You did well by persuading me.”

CEO Jo Pil-sik went outside like that.

Only then could Kim Ji-hu feel relieved.

‘Then the sponsor problem is solved with this…!’

He thought it was really fortunate that it was resolved faster than expected.

And at the same time, one thing.

‘I… spoke with effort.’

Kim Ji-hu had clearly expressed his opinion.

Somehow, that part felt more satisfying than getting the sponsor.

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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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