Chapter 116

Chapter 116

“Writer Seo Kyunghee’s drama ends next week, right?”

Director Song Jaehyun had called me to the office of his production company, New Wave, for the first time in a long while.

“So does that mean you’ll finally get some breathing room?”

“Not really.”

I shook my head.

“Director Choi Kyungmin’s MBS drama hasn’t even started airing yet.”

“Oh, right.”

Song Jaehyun remembered.

“When does Director Choi’s drama premiere?”

“The Wednesday-Thursday slot the week immediately after Writer Seo’s drama ends.”

“We actually finished the production presentation recently, so we’re right in the middle of promotion.”

“I see...”

Song Jaehyun looked strangely cautious.

“Then you’re going to stay busy.”

Seeing him watching my expression, I quickly spoke.

“Come on. I’m not that busy.”

“All the actual work is done by the people under me, so I have plenty of free time.”

Then I changed the subject.

“How’s the screenplay going?”

“Seungjoon hyung and I have been waiting forever for you to finish it.”

The moment I mentioned the screenplay, Song Jaehyun’s eyes lit up as though he had been waiting for that exact question.

He immediately placed a printed screenplay in front of me.

The title on the first page read:

Kingdom of Crime

I stared at it.

“Don’t tell me...”

I looked at him.

“You finished revising it?”

“Kibaek.”

Song Jaehyun smiled awkwardly.

“No, I suppose I should say CEO of New Wave.”

“You’re the first person I’m showing it to.”

There was a strange nervousness on his face.

I accepted the screenplay with genuine emotion.

The truth was...

I already knew this screenplay extremely well.

It was Kingdom of Crime, the first film in Director Song Jaehyun’s famous Contradiction Trilogy.

Before my regression, Song Jaehyun had released Kingdom of Crime almost six years after his first independent feature film, Home Sweet Home.

Kingdom of Crime was praised for achieving both commercial success and artistic quality.

It was the film that truly engraved Song Jaehyun’s name into the public consciousness.

After that, he would release the other two films in what came to be called the Contradiction Trilogy.

I Can See the Money.

Dirty Man.

Both became major hits.

And I Can See the Money and Dirty Man caused huge waves not only in Korea but at overseas film festivals as well.

They eventually became films that represented Korean cinema internationally.

But among all three...

I especially loved Kingdom of Crime.

Actually...

If someone asked me to name the greatest Korean movie of my life, I would choose Kingdom of Crime without hesitation.

And now...

I was the first person in the world to read Song Jaehyun’s screenplay for Kingdom of Crime.

The emotion of that moment was so overwhelming that I almost felt like crying.

I read the entire screenplay without leaving my seat.

Kingdom of Crime was my favorite Korean movie.

But at the same time, it had always felt like a painful memory to me.

Not only for me.

For countless people who loved movies.

There was one reason.

Unlike I Can See the Money and Dirty Man, which became huge sensations in Korea and overseas...

For some strange reason, Kingdom of Crime never achieved international recognition.

Years later, people discovered why.

It was because of the careless attitude of the production company that had made the movie.

And once that story became public, countless film fans were furious.

The company that originally produced Kingdom of Crime was a small production company called Fantastic.

In reality, Fantastic focused far more heavily on game production than movies.

Its film business existed almost as decoration, something that made the company look more impressive.

The problem was that Song Jaehyun somehow signed with that company.

The result was predictable.

The company had little interest in producing the movie.

The budget was always tight.

This only became known later, but apparently Song Jaehyun had clashed with the production company throughout the entire filmmaking process.

Even so, he refused to give up.

He completed post-production and even prepared to submit the film to overseas festivals.

However...

The production company claimed it had no money left to spend on the movie.

They repeatedly delayed translation and subtitle work needed for festival submissions.

Worse, they hid that fact from Song Jaehyun and pretended they had submitted the film anyway.

By the time Song Jaehyun finally discovered the truth and became furious...

It was already too late.

Even the domestic theatrical release was delayed for a long time because of the production company’s slow and careless handling.

Years later, when I Can See the Money and Dirty Man received major international attention, Kingdom of Crime was finally rediscovered.

Many directors and critics began praising it.

No.

It went beyond simple praise.

Jean Dumont, a famous and highly respected French director, once said that the fact Kingdom of Crime had never received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival could only be called a cruel joke by God.

I felt the same way as Jean Dumont.

Every time I watched Kingdom of Crime, I had always felt disappointed and frustrated.

But now...

I finally had my chance.

A chance for me to produce the movie that could become Korea’s first Palme d’Or winner at Cannes.

I turned the final page of the screenplay and let out a short breath.

“How is it?”

Song Jaehyun looked extremely nervous.

It had been almost three years since he had released a work after Timeless.

“Do I even need to say it?”

I smiled brightly.

“It’s incredible.”

Only then did Song Jaehyun relax and rub his chest in relief.

“Kibaek...”

He hesitated.

“I know you’re busy, but... I really want you to handle this one.”

I immediately leaned forward.

“Of course.”

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?”

I grinned.

“And I’m a co-CEO of New Wave.”

“If the CEO doesn’t produce the movie, who will? Hahaha.”

Song Jaehyun’s eyes shook.

“Thank you, Kibaek.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I should be thanking you, Director.”

“So don’t worry about anything.”

“Just focus on directing.”

“I’ll take care of everything else.”

Then I smiled.

“And Director...”

He looked at me.

“My goal is the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.”

“The Palme d’Or?”

Song Jaehyun laughed.

“Hahaha. Fine. Why not? Let’s win the thing. Hahaha.”

He clearly thought I was joking.

But...

What kind of expression would Song Jaehyun make when that joke became reality?

The thought made the corner of my mouth rise.

When I entered CEO Han Taesung’s office, Han Taesung and Executive Director Kim Eunkyung were reviewing last year’s performance report from the VFX team.

Both looked worried.

And understandably so.

It had been more than two years since Han Taesung acquired the VFX team.

Yet it had produced very little meaningful performance and continued running at a loss.

“You’re here?”

Kim Eunkyung looked toward me.

“Could you sit over there and wait a moment?”

“If you’re busy, I can come back later.”

“No.”

Han Taesung waved it off.

“There’s no need to make you come twice. We just need to finish this.”

I nodded and sat on the sofa across from Kim Eunkyung.

While waiting, my thoughts drifted.

Before my regression, I already knew that Big Picture had once entered the VFX business and failed.

That was why I had shown some concern when Han Taesung first decided to acquire a VFX company.

I had even suggested that instead of buying the company immediately, perhaps it would be better to invest and acquire a partial stake first.

But Han Taesung’s determination to grow the VFX industry had been stronger than I expected.

It seemed he believed a full acquisition was necessary if he wanted direct control over management.

Unfortunately...

Even the commercials and music videos that had provided work in the beginning gradually disappeared.

After two straight years of losses, Han Taesung’s concerns had only grown.

“Ha...”

Han Taesung finished signing a document and placed the file on the table.

“Maybe I should’ve listened to your advice back then.”

“When I acquired it, I didn’t realize there would be so many problems.”

“Don’t worry too much.”

I reassured him.

“The upcoming film Final Weapon Bow was produced using one hundred percent domestic VFX technology.”

“And demand for Korean VFX technology will continue increasing.”

The truth was...

Even though Han Taesung had failed in the VFX business in my previous life, I knew that Korea’s VFX industry itself had a bright future.

Within ten years, Korean VFX technology would be considered close to Hollywood level.

The market size would also continue growing rapidly every year.

On top of that, Korean companies had cost advantages.

Labor was cheaper compared to the United States and Europe.

That meant collaborations, outsourcing, and subcontracting from overseas productions would continue increasing.

“Do you really think so?”

Kim Eunkyung looked doubtful.

“I hope what you’re saying isn’t just ordinary comforting words.”

She glanced toward Han Taesung.

“I’m worried that before we even get the chance to seize that opportunity, we might have to close the business.”

“You don’t need to watch my reaction like that.”

Han Taesung gave her a bitter smile.

In reality, Han Taesung was under pressure from directors and shareholders.

If the VFX team failed to escape losses again this year, they wanted him to shut down the business.

I decided to change the mood.

So I brought up the real reason I had asked to meet them today.

“By the way, did both of you read the screenplay?”

Han Taesung’s eyes immediately brightened.

“I did.”

He nodded.

“It was interesting.”

As expected.

I had believed Han Taesung would recognize the value of the screenplay.

“Good.”

Han Taesung leaned back.

“Then tell me what you really want.”

He smiled.

“If all you wanted was for Big Picture to produce Director Song Jaehyun’s movie, there would’ve been no reason to ask for a separate meeting like this.”

Han Taesung had immediately understood that I had another intention.

If he already knows, there’s no point in talking around it.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“If all I wanted was to bring Director Song’s screenplay to Big Picture, I could’ve simply handed it to Executive Director Kim or Team Leader Ju Hanyoung from the film team.”

“Exactly.”

Han Taesung chuckled.

“So tell me what you want.”

I took a short breath.

“A co-production.”

“A co-production?”

Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung exchanged puzzled looks.

I calmly explained.

“As both of you know, Director Song Jaehyun already has his own production company, New Wave.”

“And New Wave already has enough internal staff to handle production on its own.”

Han Taesung already knew that.

When I had helped create New Wave with Song Jaehyun in the past, I had once asked Han Taesung for advice regarding investment.

Back then, Han Taesung had advised me that rather than simply holding shares, having even a formal title like co-CEO would make it easier for me to participate in management later.

Kim Eunkyung still looked confused.

“Then why propose a co-production?”

Han Taesung smiled faintly.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

He looked at me.

“What he really means is that he wants us to invest.”

“Right, Team Leader Min?”

“Well... there’s a slight difference in nuance.”

I smiled.

“But yes.”

I proposed that Big Picture provide all of the investment money.

In exchange, Big Picture would receive seventy percent of the net profit.

Han Taesung stared at me.

“So today, you came here not as an employee of Big Picture...”

His smile deepened.

“But as the co-CEO of New Wave.”