Chapter 111
Seo Kyunghee stared at me as though she had gone beyond confusion and reached disbelief.
“I’m pretty sure you said earlier that you weren’t one of those people asking, ‘Do you believe in the Way?’”
She narrowed her eyes.
“So what kind of strange religion is this?”
“Ah, please don’t misunderstand.”
I quickly explained.
“The way I happened to see your Remember Me proposal, and the fact that I happened to meet you here today...”
I smiled awkwardly.
“It all feels too much like fate to me. Ahem.”
I told her what had happened.
I had gone to meet the MBS Drama Department Director and, by coincidence, overheard a discussion about programming for her project.
During that conversation, I had seen the proposal and part of the script.
I explained that I found the story incredibly fresh and fascinating.
And yet I had been forced to watch right there as the programming proposal was rejected.
I told her I simply couldn’t understand it.
“Ah...”
Seo Kyunghee nodded.
“So you saw it in Director Hwang’s office.”
She clicked her tongue.
“That’s exactly why I don’t like Donghyuk.”
She pouted slightly.
“He talks about things like that with employees from other production companies sitting right there without caring at all.”
Even after understanding how I learned about it, she still seemed annoyed with Hwang Donghyuk.
I repeatedly nodded, showing that I completely understood her feelings.
Then I raised my voice passionately.
“To be completely honest, I don’t think there was anything wrong with your project.”
Seo Kyunghee looked at me.
“I think the broadcasting station simply wasn’t capable of handling a project like yours!”
I practically worked myself into a rage.
A broadcasting station that couldn’t recognize such a fresh and attractive story was foolish.
And that kind of rigid attitude was exactly why terrestrial broadcasters never changed.
Watching me speak so passionately, Seo Kyunghee finally seemed to relax completely.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“To be honest, I think so too.”
She laughed.
“Those broadcasting people really don’t know how to recognize good work. Hoho.”
Then she smiled at me.
“Anyway, thank you for thinking so highly of my work.”
Her expression became curious again.
“But... did you stop me because you wanted to talk about my proposal?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Actually, I’m preparing for a new challenge right now.”
“A new challenge?”
Seo Kyunghee’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“Yes.”
I continued.
“Our production company may be given the first drama slot for the newly launching YTBS.”
“So we’ve been looking for a writer suitable for YTBS’s first drama.”
I looked directly at her.
“We can’t start by choosing an ordinary path.”
“It has to be bold.”
“It has to be fresh.”
“And in that sense...”
I smiled.
“I believe your Remember Me is exactly the kind of drama that belongs on that stage.”
“A general programming channel...”
Seo Kyunghee murmured quietly.
“Yes. A general programming channel.”
I nodded.
“I know public opinion about those channels isn’t particularly positive.”
“But at the same time, they’re also a stage where we can tell stories that terrestrial broadcasters might be too afraid to attempt.”
I leaned slightly forward.
“Your project deserves a chance to reach the world.”
“We want to create that chance.”
Seo Kyunghee remained silent for a while, apparently thinking.
Then she slowly looked at me.
“But Team Leader Min...”
Her eyes were sharp enough to see through a person.
“Was meeting me today really a coincidence?”
For a moment, her gaze caught me off guard.
But I quickly recovered.
“A coincidence?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
She looked surprised.
“This couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.”
I smiled.
“I already asked you before, didn’t I? Do you believe in fate?”
I spread my hands.
“If this isn’t fate, then what is? Hahaha.”
Hearing me continue talking about fate, Seo Kyunghee laughed as if genuinely amused.
“I do enjoy dramatic and fateful stories...”
She smiled.
“But somehow, when you talk about fate, it feels less dramatic and more funny. Hoho.”
I laughed along with her.
Then I became serious again.
“Writer Seo, would you give us a chance to work with you?”
Seeing my serious expression, Seo Kyunghee thought for a moment.
Then she spoke.
“But if you heard the programming discussion in Director Hwang’s office, then you should also know that Remember Me is already contracted with another production company.”
“Yes. I know.”
I nodded.
“I saw the production company’s name on the proposal.”
Then I spoke without hesitation.
“We’ll take responsibility for that issue as well.”
“What do you mean by responsibility?”
Seo Kyunghee looked surprised.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to pay the penalty fee to the other company.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Whether it’s a penalty fee or something else, we’ll pay it.”
“All you need to do is decide whether you want to work with us.”
Situations like this were rare, but they weren’t completely unheard of.
And because this was Seo Kyunghee, I believed accepting that much risk was worth it.
More importantly...
Seo Kyunghee’s Remember Me had never been produced before 2024 in my previous life anyway.
Seeing how serious I was, Seo Kyunghee laughed again.
“Well, fortunately, I don’t think you’ll need to pay any penalty.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
“No penalty?”
“Do you know Director Kang Daesun?”
She asked.
“He’s a director I’ve worked with for ten years.”
“The production company I’m currently under is actually a company Director Kang and I created together.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand.
“Anyway, I appreciate the offer.”
Seo Kyunghee’s expression became thoughtful.
“But this is very sudden. I need time to think.”
“And I need to discuss it with Director Kang.”
“Of course.”
I nodded.
“I expected that.”
Then I hesitated.
“But unfortunately... we’re very short on time.”
I explained that my meeting with YTBS was already scheduled for the following week.
If things went this way, we would also need to finalize an agreement not only with Writer Seo Kyunghee, but with Director Kang Daesun as well.
We didn’t have much time.
“If it’s all right with you...”
I leaned forward.
“Would it be possible for me to meet Director Kang today and explain everything personally?”
My urgency came through before I could hide it.
Seo Kyunghee thought for a moment.
“You said your YTBS meeting is next Thursday, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do this.”
She nodded.
“I’ll make my decision before then.”
She explained that discussing it with Director Kang first was still the most important thing.
I had no choice but to agree.
After that, I anxiously waited for Seo Kyunghee to contact me.
And finally...
On the morning of today’s YTBS meeting, her message arrived.
[I just sent the proposal and the Episode 1 and 2 scripts to the email address on your business card.]
[This might have been a story that never saw the light of day.]
[Please take good care of it from now on.]
Yes!
I cheered silently.
“Team Leader?”
Kang Jooyoung’s voice pulled me back into reality.
“Team Leader!”
“Ah, sorry.”
I blinked.
“I was thinking about something.”
“We asked how you recruited Writer Seo Kyunghee.”
I obviously couldn’t tell them everything exactly as it happened.
So I gave them a simplified explanation.
I said I had happened to meet Writer Seo Kyunghee before.
Through that connection, I had spoken to her about the new general programming channels.
And since she only made her final decision this morning, I hadn’t had time to explain everything to them beforehand.
Fortunately, Kang Jooyoung and Lee Hyunwoo seemed to believe me.
“Still, that’s incredible, Team Leader.”
Kang Jooyoung looked impressed.
“You even prepared for something like this by thinking of a writer in advance and recruiting her.”
“Seriously.”
Lee Hyunwoo nodded.
“When Division Director Jung said, ‘You’re not planning to use some ordinary writer for our launch drama, are you?’ I immediately thought, We’re screwed.”
The two continued admiring me.
“If you were in my position, you probably would’ve thought about the same things.”
I waved them off.
“So stop praising me so much.”
Then I became serious.
“And you know the important part starts now, right?”
“Of course.”
Kang Jooyoung released a short nervous breath.
“But producing two dramas at once... no, actually three dramas...”
I smiled.
“Which means we’ll probably be living on overtime for a while.”
“Executive Director, shouldn’t we throw a celebration party or something?”
The next morning, during Big Picture’s company-wide meeting, PD Baek Seonghan repeatedly praised the drama team after hearing about what we had accomplished the previous day.
“You secured two launch dramas for YTBS at once.”
“That’s huge.”
Ju Hanyoung, team leader of the film team, looked at me with a slightly sulky expression.
“Team Leader Min, aren’t you doing a little too well?”
She jokingly complained.
“You’re making our film team look bad.”
Kim Eunkyung laughed.
“There’s no reason to be jealous, Team Leader Ju.”
“The film team is doing well too.”
She smiled.
“Still, PD Baek has a point. Let’s arrange a company dinner soon.”
Then she looked around the room.
“All right. Shall we start the meeting?”
The company-wide meeting took place once a month.
Team leaders and employees at PD level gathered to report the progress of each team to the CEO and Executive Director.
It was also a place to share what every team was working on and openly discuss various suggestions and requests.
However, CEO Han Taesung couldn’t attend today because of a personal matter.
Only Kim Eunkyung was present from the executive side.
“Then I’ll start with the film team today.”
Baek Seonghan began his report.
“As everyone already knows, the directing and production departments will start coming in from next Monday.”
“Our film officially enters full pre-production then.”
He then brought up another issue.
Once the drama production teams began coming in too, the ninth-floor office would likely become too crowded.
He suggested discussing the space problem.
“Actually, the drama planning team probably needs more staff too.”
Ju Hanyoung added.
“If that happens, the planning team on the twelfth floor will also run into a space issue.”
“Actually, I was already planning to discuss this during today’s meeting.”
Kim Eunkyung nodded.
“CEO Han and I talked about it yesterday.”
Baek Seonghan immediately reacted.
“You already discussed it?”
“What did the CEO say?”
“To give you the conclusion first...”
Kim Eunkyung paused.
“CEO Han is considering moving the company.”
Everyone stared at one another.
Moving?
Kim Eunkyung continued.
“Yes.”
“At first, we planned to rent more office space in this building if any became available.”
“But apparently there are no empty offices left.”
“So we’ve decided to move altogether.”
“Move where?”
Ju Hanyoung quickly asked.
“Have you already chosen somewhere?”
“Not yet.”
Kim Eunkyung shook her head.
“CEO Han only made the decision after the YTBS programming was finalized yesterday, so we haven’t chosen a location.”
She explained that Han Taesung was already looking for a new place.
If things moved quickly, we might relocate within a month.
“Moving... somehow that sounds exciting.”
“I don’t care much about anything else. I just want better bathrooms and transportation.”
“I want a big parking lot. Hahaha.”
Some people showed excitement.
Others had practical concerns.
But no one seemed unhappy about the idea.
“All right.”
Kim Eunkyung brought the meeting back on track.
“Everyone should prepare with that in mind.”
Then she looked toward me.
“What are you planning to do about additional staff for the drama team?”
“We’re putting out recruitment ads starting today.”
I answered.
“I plan to complete the interviews and final hiring process before the end of this month.”
Kim Eunkyung nodded.
Baek Seonghan grinned excitedly.
“Oh~ we’re getting new employees and moving offices.”
He looked around.
“It feels like Big Picture is entering its second major growth phase.”
At his words, anticipation and excitement appeared on everyone’s faces.
