Chapter 118

Chapter 117

Han Taesung looked at me with a deep, unreadable gaze.

“Are you upset?”

The corner of Han Taesung’s mouth curled up in a strange smile.

“Upset? Well... I’m starting to wonder if I raised a tiger cub.”

“You were the one who advised me that even if it was only a formal title, I should still have the position of co-CEO.”

At my answer, which refused to back down even an inch, Han Taesung’s brows narrowed for a moment.

Then he suddenly laughed as though he found it amusing.

“Haha. That’s true. Maybe I ended up bringing this on myself. Hahaha.”

As if trying to break the strangely sharp atmosphere, Kim Eunkyung gave a short cough.

Han Taesung’s smile faded, and he spoke again.

“Fine. Then let’s talk CEO to CEO.”

He looked directly at me.

“I’m rejecting your proposal.”

It was completely unexpected.

What? Why?

If Han Taesung had recognized the value of Kingdom of Crime, there was no way he should have rejected the proposal so quickly.

I tried to hide my surprise.

“May I ask why you’re rejecting it?”

“Of course.”

Han Taesung answered calmly.

“It sounds nice when you call it a co-production, but in reality, Big Picture would provide the capital while New Wave simply makes the movie.”

He leaned back slightly.

“Isn’t that basically the same as us subcontracting production to New Wave?”

Then he added,

“And if New Wave still takes thirty percent of the profit under those conditions, wouldn’t that be a bad deal for me?”

Han Taesung pointed out that New Wave was still a new film production company.

Director Song Jaehyun’s previous work, Timeless, had been a box-office success.

However, that alone wasn’t enough for New Wave to have enough name value to attract investment on its own.

In other words, wasn’t I ultimately trying to use Big Picture?

Of course, Han Taesung wasn’t wrong.

As expected... Song Jaehyun’s name value and my judgment alone aren’t enough.

Then...

My mind began moving quickly.

At that moment, the documents Han Taesung had just signed regarding the VFX business caught my eye.

“Then how about this?”

Han Taesung looked at me.

“I’ll solve the problem that’s been worrying you.”

“And in return, you invest in Director Song’s movie.”

“My problem?”

Han Taesung tilted his head, clearly wondering what I meant.

I continued.

“Yes.”

“The VFX team’s sales performance.”

“I’ll solve it.”

Han Taesung’s eyes immediately shook.

“Are you saying you have some kind of secret method for increasing the VFX team’s sales performance?”

His gaze was full of suspicion.

“I can’t guarantee it one hundred percent.”

I answered honestly.

“But I do have a method that has a reasonable chance of working.”

“What exactly is this method?”

This time, Kim Eunkyung couldn’t hold back her curiosity and pressed me for an answer.

“I’ll tell you after CEO Han accepts my proposal.”

“Ha... as expected.”

Han Taesung burst into laughter.

“I really did raise a tiger. Hahaha.”

After laughing for a while, he finally spoke.

“Fine.”

He nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

Han Taesung went even further.

If I could improve the VFX team’s sales performance, he would not only invest in Director Song’s movie but would also give me five percent of the VFX team’s operating profit as an incentive.

Five percent of the operating profit?!

Han Taesung smiled at my surprised expression.

“The entire VFX business might disappear soon anyway.”

“What does five percent in performance incentives matter if you can save it?”

Then he leaned slightly forward.

“Now tell me.”

“How exactly are you planning to improve the VFX team’s performance?”

I shrugged slightly at the unexpected incentive and answered.

“We enter Hollywood.”

For a moment, Han Taesung stared at me.

His expression went beyond surprise.

He looked as though what I had said was completely absurd.

The truth was, even though I had spoken confidently, I couldn’t guarantee the result either.

However, according to my memories from before regression, this was around the time when Hollywood blockbuster production companies began showing interest in Korean VFX companies.

And this was also around the time when several Korean VFX companies actually began receiving subcontracting work from major Hollywood studios.

Knowing that trend, I thought that rather than waiting, we might have a chance if we reached out to Hollywood production companies first.

Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung stared blankly at me for a while.

Then, almost at the same time, both of them burst out laughing.

“Hahaha. Enter Hollywood?”

Han Taesung shook his head.

“I’ll admit your confidence and ambition are impressive, but Hollywood?”

Kim Eunkyung laughed too.

“That was a little too much, Team Leader Min. Hohoho.”

I calmly waited for their laughter to stop.

Only then did they realize that I wasn’t joking.

Their expressions changed again.

“You’re serious.”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Han Taesung’s expression immediately became serious.

I continued.

“The domestic VFX industry is currently evaluated as having grown in scale, but structurally it’s still unstable.”

In reality, around 2012, Korea’s VFX industry had already received recognition for major technical improvements through films such as Monster, Dragon War, Representative of the Nation, and Sector 8.

However, the market itself was still small.

Most VFX companies barely survived by depending on outsourced work from domestic films and dramas.

Because of that, the common belief in the industry was simple.

We have the technology, but there’s no money in it.

“Are you aware that a Korean VFX company participated as an outside contractor in the upcoming Robot Transformers?”

“Of course I know.”

Han Taesung nodded.

“But that situation can only be described as good luck.”

During production of Robot Transformers, the amount of VFX work had been so enormous that the production company, Paramountains, had no choice but to outsource work to VFX companies around the world.

One Korean VFX company had simply been lucky enough to receive part of that work.

“I know that luck played a big role this time.”

I nodded.

“But one thing is certain.”

“From now on, Hollywood will continue searching for more VFX technology companies.”

“So?”

Han Taesung narrowed his eyes.

“Are you telling me to blindly visit Hollywood production companies and start making sales pitches?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“We can make them come looking for us first.”

At my words, Han Taesung narrowed his brows as though he couldn’t believe it.

Kim Eunkyung looked worried.

“Team Leader Min...”

She spoke cautiously.

“I’m saying this because I’m genuinely worried.”

“You should understand that one wrong thing you say right now could permanently damage the trust CEO Han and I have in you.”

Even after hearing her warning, I remained calm.

“I understand exactly what both of you are worried about.”

Then I continued.

“But this might be something only CEO Han can do.”

I knew that Han Taesung had directly participated in importing and distributing numerous Hollywood films when he had worked at the S Video Business Division in the past.

During that time, he had built relationships with many people from Hollywood production companies.

I had also heard that he still kept in contact with many of them.

“Something only I can do?”

Han Taesung immediately understood what I was suggesting.

“Are you telling me to use my Hollywood connections?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“I remember hearing that you’ve maintained relationships for almost twenty years with people from Warner Sister and Marbling Comics.”

“And both companies announced blockbuster productions this year, didn’t they?”

“That’s true, but...”

Han Taesung suddenly looked disappointed.

“I’ve actually thought about something like that before.”

He looked at me.

“But do you know why I gave up on the idea?”

Han Taesung explained that he knew better than anyone that those people never did business that way.

In fact, if he had personally asked them for such a favor, their long-standing relationship might have ended right there.

“Still, it’s impressive that you thought that far.”

Han Taesung spoke as though trying to comfort me.

“CEO Han...”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“I clearly said earlier that I wasn’t suggesting that you ask for a favor.”

I continued.

“And I said we could make them come looking for us first.”

Confusion flashed across Han Taesung’s face.

“So you’re saying this isn’t what I think it is?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Your connections will still be necessary.”

“But this is neither a favor request nor a sales pitch.”

Then I calmly explained my plan.

After listening to the entire explanation, Han Taesung’s eyes widened with admiration.

“Ha...”

He stared at me.

“So what you’re saying is...”

“We offer them a technology investment?”

Normally, the phrase technology investment referred to a company that had capital but lacked technology investing in a smaller company that had technology but lacked capital.

The engineers received money.

The investors received a share of the fruits of innovation.

But the kind of technology investment I was talking about was slightly different.

Kim Eunkyung, who had quietly listened to our conversation from beginning to end, slowly spoke.

“So what Team Leader Min means is...”

She looked at me.

“We have VFX technology.”

“Hollywood production companies need VFX technology.”

“So instead of selling our technology to them, we provide it as an investment?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Of course, the results might be small.”

“Or if the movie fails badly at the box office, we might even have to bear some risk.”

I continued.

“But even if that happens...”

“Simply participating in a major Hollywood blockbuster would become a valuable career achievement for our VFX team.”

“So I don’t think it would be a losing deal.”

The truth was, I already knew that every one of those movies would become a worldwide box-office success.

But Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung didn’t know that.

So I added a cautious explanation for their sake.

“Not sales, but investment...”

Kim Eunkyung slowly nodded.

“CEO Han.”

She looked toward him.

“If it’s structured as an investment, they probably won’t think you’re asking them for a personal favor.”

Han Taesung remained silent, still thinking.

Kim Eunkyung continued.

“And they’re producing enormous blockbuster movies.”

“They’ll probably be desperate to reduce even a small part of their production costs.”

She looked more positive than before.

“If we approach them by offering our technical work as an investment, they may not be able to reject us easily.”

Unlike at the beginning, Kim Eunkyung’s reaction was gradually becoming more positive.

Han Taesung thought for a long time.

Then, as though he had finally made a decision, he nodded.

“Fine.”

He looked at me.

“Team Leader Min, let’s try it your way.”

Then he continued.

“And regardless of how the VFX team performs, Big Picture will participate in Director Song Jaehyun’s movie as a co-producer.”

I stared at him.

“Are you serious?”

“Didn’t I already tell you?”

Han Taesung smiled.

“I found Director Song’s new project interesting.”

He explained that from the moment he first read Song Jaehyun’s screenplay, he had felt that it had the scent of a major hit.

Then the corner of his mouth rose.

“If I refused to invest in a movie like this, it would be the same as admitting I lacked ability as both a producer and an investor.”

Then he laughed.

“To be honest, I rejected you at first because I wanted to see how you would react.”

I looked at him.

“So you were testing me?”

“Just a little.”

Han Taesung smiled.

“But thanks to that, we may have found a solution for the VFX team too.”

He looked at me with obvious amusement.

“Ha...”

Then he laughed.

“But you’re so good at your job that I’m starting to wonder whether I’ll ever be able to let you go easily.”

“What am I supposed to do with you? Hahahaha.”