Chapter 127
One after another, the others began making up their minds as well.
“I’m in too. Remember what we used to joke about whenever we gathered? That we’d be happy if someone paid even one hundred won to read our work. But now that could actually happen. Hahaha.”
“Ha... making money just by serializing novels online... Just thinking about it is exciting.”
“Exactly. What’s life anyway? We might as well give it a try. Hahaha.”
I watched them laughing brightly and thought to myself.
Could any of them possibly imagine it?
That this thing they were starting with nothing more than a casual, What the hell, let’s give it a shot, would one day be described with the grand phrase:
The starting point of the K-Web Novel phenomenon that shook the world.
Not long afterward, all of us became founding members of the web novel platform New Moon.
In exchange for funding the entire initial investment required for the platform business, I received forty-four percent of the total shares and became the largest shareholder.
Woo Seungcheol, who became the CEO, distributed two percent each to the administrators.
Other than matters related to investment and funding, I tried not to interfere too much in the web novel platform business.
Actually, at first, I considered using my knowledge as a regressor to guide them in a few broad directions.
But I soon realized there was no need.
They had spent years operating New Moon, going through countless trials and errors and obsessively thinking through problems.
And the solutions they had already begun arriving at naturally converged toward the same structure as the web novel platforms I remembered from the future.
While New Moon prepared for its new challenge as a web novel platform, Writer Do Kijeong and Director Choi Kyungmin’s MBS drama Father, In Your Name reached its grand finale with a strong peak rating of 28.7 percent.
The days flew by.
Before I knew it, 2012 had already entered its middle stretch.
Meanwhile, YTBS’s Monday-Tuesday drama Let’s Get Married, which had secured an October slot, began filming.
Director Song Jaehyun’s movie was also moving forward smoothly toward a September start date after finalizing its lead actors and key staff.
“Team Leader? Didn’t you take today off?”
Early in the morning, Lee Hana from the planning team looked confused when she saw me entering the office.
“Ah, yes. I did. I left something behind.”
I looked at her.
“You’re here early too.”
“Yes. I have to visit the filming site this afternoon, but there are some PPL matters I need to handle before I go.”
“Ah, right. Joongwang Daily is coming to cover the set today, aren’t they?”
I asked,
“Then are you and Hyunwoo going together?”
“Originally, yes. I was going with PD Hyunwoo, but he suddenly got a meeting about Writer So Yijin’s contract today, so I asked PD Hyunyoung to help me instead.”
“Ah, good call.”
I gathered several documents from my desk, put them into my bag, and turned around again.
“Then keep up the good work. I need to head out now because of my schedule.”
After giving her a light nod, I left the office and waited for the elevator.
When the doors opened, Baek Seonghan appeared inside.
“Oh? PD Baek, why are you here?”
I looked at him.
“Aren’t you attending the audition today?”
Baek Seonghan immediately shot back,
“What about you, Team Leader Min? I thought you said you were attending the audition too.”
“Ah, I came by because I needed to pick something up. I was just about to leave.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I had something to deal with here before going too. Then we can head over together.”
Today was the audition for minor roles in Director Song Jaehyun’s movie Kingdom of Crime.
Baek Seonghan glanced at me as we headed out.
“By the way, you finally managed to make time today despite being so busy?”
“Ah, I took a day off.”
“A day off?”
Baek Seonghan tilted his head at that.
I ended up riding to the New Wave office in his car.
Now that Director Song Jaehyun’s film had entered full production, New Wave had moved out of its cramped one-room officetel and relocated to Hapjeong-dong.
The new office was a two-story detached house with a yard that had been converted for office use.
The first floor operated as a coffee shop, while New Wave used the second floor.
Baek Seonghan glanced at me.
“But seriously, what got into you? Why did you suddenly say you wanted to attend the audition?”
“Huh? Well...”
I laughed awkwardly.
“I’m technically one of the producers for this movie. It’d look bad if I seemed like I wasn’t doing anything at all.”
“A producer’s job is to create the environment so the film can be made properly. Once you’ve done that, your job is done.”
Baek Seonghan chuckled.
“But is that really the only reason?”
He sounded as though he were probing me.
Well, his reaction was understandable.
Because I was younger and held the title of CEO, I had deliberately avoided interfering too much.
I felt that barging into every little detail wouldn’t be respectful toward Baek Seonghan or Cha Seungjoon.
So except for a few situations where I had to make decisions as a representative, I hadn’t involved myself in the film at all.
And yet now, I had even taken a day off just to attend an audition for minor roles, not even supporting roles.
Of course Baek Seonghan would find it suspicious.
But the truth was...
There was a desperate reason I absolutely had to attend today’s audition no matter what.
Before my regression, two incidents would remain permanent stains on this film.
And I had to prevent one of them.
While I was briefly lost in thought, Baek Seonghan and I arrived in front of the New Wave office.
“What the hell...”
I couldn’t hide my shock.
“Don’t tell me all these people are here for the audition.”
The open yard, which had no fence around it, was packed so tightly with people that there was barely room to step.
“Seriously. What happened here?”
Baek Seonghan looked just as surprised.
We pushed our way through the crowd and hurried upstairs to figure out what was going on.
That was when I saw Assistant Director Woo Jungin berating Park Taesoo from the directing team near one side of the second-floor veranda.
“Hey, Park Taesoo! Are you seriously going to handle things like this?!”
She was furious.
“You and I have already worked under Director Song three times!”
She pointed downstairs.
“Do you see those people down there?”
“Are you planning to make them stand outside like that for the entire audition?!”
“I’m sorry.”
Park Taesoo looked miserable.
“Ha... I don’t know what happened.”
“I definitely sent the email saying five people every hour starting from ten...”
“Hey! What kind of excuse is that supposed to be?!”
Woo Jungin, who had been chewing him out, spotted Baek Seonghan and me coming up the stairs.
She immediately hurried over.
“PD Baek, you’re here?”
