Chapter 134
“What are you talking about all of a sudden... You want us to replace the music director now?!”
We had been pulling all-nighters for days, completely buried in post-production, when CEO Han Taesung suddenly summoned us to Big Picture’s conference room.
Then he dropped a bombshell on us.
“Ha... you’re joking, right?”
Song Jaehyun looked beyond flustered. He looked outright dumbfounded as his eyes moved between Han Taesung and Executive Director Kim Eunkyung.
“We’ve already finished all the music work. And now you’re telling us to replace the music director?”
“Director Song.”
Baek Seonghan tried to calm him down.
“Let’s hear CEO Han out first.”
Song Jaehyun forced himself to settle down.
Han Taesung continued.
“Most of the people here already know this, but in order to secure the investment for Director Song’s film, I received outside funding from two investment companies.”
“Together, they provided forty-five percent of the total production budget.”
Out of the total production cost of 4.5 billion won, fifty-five percent had come from Big Picture’s own funds.
The remaining forty-five percent had been raised externally.
“And one of those investors is Golden Sound.”
Golden Sound had invested half of that forty-five percent in exchange for producing the OST for the film.
Song Jaehyun finally lost patience with the long explanation and cut Han Taesung off.
“We already know all of that.”
“And it’s common for record companies to invest in films or dramas under those kinds of conditions.”
His voice rose again.
“But what does producing the OST have to do with replacing our music director?!”
Before Han Taesung could answer, I spoke.
“Did Golden Sound bring up the idea of replacing the music director?”
Kim Eunkyung exchanged a glance with Han Taesung before nodding.
“Yes.”
She continued.
“Their position is that music is far too important to a film for them to trust some unknown rookie music director while investing their own money.”
Song Jaehyun immediately looked furious.
“What does it matter if she’s a rookie?”
“I’m the director, and I’m saying I like the music and that it fits our film!”
“Why should her lack of experience matter?”
Kim Eunkyung answered calmly.
“Article 29 of the investment agreement states that the casting of key staff members requires investor approval.”
Song Jaehyun bristled again.
“But isn’t that clause practically just a formality?”
Han Taesung finally spoke.
“That’s what makes the law frightening.”
His voice was calm, but firm.
The conference room immediately fell into a heavy silence.
What he meant was obvious.
Even if everyone had treated that clause as a formality until now, if Golden Sound chose to enforce it legally, we had no choice but to take it seriously.
Ha...
I really didn’t expect this.
Before my regression, I had heard that Fantastic, the production company that originally made Kingdom of Crime, had actually welcomed Song Jaehyun bringing in Choi Yujin, who was practically a rookie music director.
Why?
Because they were relieved they could get the music made for less money.
That made sense.
Fantastic had never been especially invested in Song Jaehyun’s film in the first place.
But things were different now.
Our budget was approaching five billion won.
From the investor’s perspective, it was only natural that they wouldn’t want to lose money and would try to exercise every right they had.
Even so...
We couldn’t simply give up on Music Director Choi Yujin.
The music Choi Yujin created for Kingdom of Crime wasn’t just an OST.
It blended into the characters on screen so completely that people later praised it as another living story within the film.
That was how important it was.
Without Choi Yujin’s music, I almost felt that Kingdom of Crime would no longer truly be Kingdom of Crime.
On top of that, before my regression, Choi Yujin had won the Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Music with Kingdom of Crime.
That was almost unheard of for a rookie music director.
The soundtrack had also received enormous public love, selling huge numbers of albums and recording massive download figures.
Knowing all that...
There was no way I could imagine removing Choi Yujin’s music from this film.
While I was lost in thought, the conversation continued around me.
“I fully understand why the director is upset.”
Kim Eunkyung spoke carefully.
“But from an investor’s perspective, their argument isn’t completely unreasonable.”
“And right now, we don’t have much justification for insisting on Music Director Choi Yujin.”
Song Jaehyun fell silent, clearly thinking hard.
Then, as though he had made a decision, he spoke.
“I’ll meet the people from Golden Sound myself.”
Kim Eunkyung looked at him.
“Meet them?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll convince them.”
He leaned forward.
“I guarantee they haven’t even properly listened to the music Choi Yujin made.”
“Once they really hear it, they’ll change their minds.”
Kim Eunkyung exchanged a troubled glance with Han Taesung.
I spoke.
“I agree with Director Song.”
“We can’t replace the music director like this.”
Han Taesung sighed.
“It won’t be easy.”
“Then we’ll do whatever we can.”
I looked at him.
“Whether we appeal to them emotionally, or make some other deal with Choi Yujin’s position on the line, we’ll find a way.”
Han Taesung thought quietly for a moment.
Then he finally spoke.
“Understood.”
“I’ll arrange the meeting as quickly as possible.”
A small live jazz bar in Gangnam.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
A drunk Song Jaehyun repeated himself yet again.
“This is where I first heard Yujin’s music.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Cha Seungjoon, who had joined us later, lazily humored him while sipping his beer.
“You said the moment you heard it, you thought, This is it!”
He sighed.
“How many times are you going to tell the same story?”
Song Jaehyun ignored him.
“I’d been stuck on the ending of the screenplay for months.”
“I couldn’t finish it.”
“But the moment I heard that music... the ending appeared in my head.”
He seemed to be reliving the moment he first heard Choi Yujin’s work.
About a year ago, Song Jaehyun had been struggling to finish the screenplay for Kingdom of Crime.
For months, he had been unable to settle on an ending.
One day, frustrated and exhausted, he came to this bar, a place he often visited, and drank alone.
Then an unfamiliar instrumental piece began playing through the speakers.
The moment Song Jaehyun heard it, he experienced a strange emotion unlike anything he had felt before.
It seemed sad...
Yet endlessly wistful and aching at the same time.
And in that exact moment, the ending he had been struggling with finally came to him.
