Chapter 153

Chapter 153

The next morning, I called Director Hwang Donghyuk.

“I’ll appear on Movie Talk.”

“Really? Good, good. You made the right decision.”

“But Director Hwang, if it weren’t for you, I never would’ve agreed.”

“I absolutely hate putting my face out there in public.”

“I’m only doing this because of my loyalty to you, so please remember that.”

Of course, Hwang Donghyuk wasn’t really the reason I had decided to appear on the show.

But if I had to go on television anyway, I might as well use the situation in whatever way benefited me most.

And judging by his reaction, that strategy worked.

“I know, I know. I know Team Leader Min is loyal.”

“Let’s stay together for a long time, all right?”

“And stop by the Drama Department sometime soon.”

“I’ll buy you a proper meal.”

Once I agreed to appear on Movie Talk, everything moved quickly.

The recording was scheduled for that very Saturday.

Then, the day before filming, CEO Han Taesung returned from his overseas business trip with some incredible news.

“183 countries?!”

I couldn’t close my mouth after hearing the number.

Han Taesung laughed.

“Looks like Team Leader Min is pretty shocked. Hahaha.”

Kim Eunkyung also seemed amused by my reaction.

“Well, it is an unprecedented sales record in Korean film history.”

No matter how prestigious the Palme d’Or was, selling distribution rights to 183 countries was still something without precedent.

Of course, more than half of those territories had already been sold through the Cannes Film Market.

But Han Taesung had personally secured the remaining half.

I couldn’t help but feel genuine admiration.

“Out of those, theatrical releases are confirmed in thirty countries.”

Han Taesung continued.

“If possible, it would be good to coordinate their release dates with Korea and launch simultaneously.”

“Have you thought about the domestic release date yet?”

“Yes.”

I answered immediately.

“I actually met with Distributor L yesterday.”

“I think we should strike while the iron is hot, so I’m considering the July summer peak season.”

“Summer peak season.”

Han Taesung nodded.

“Good.”

“So Distributor L is your choice for domestic distribution?”

“Yes.”

“They offered the largest number of screens for the summer season.”

“And more importantly, they were the only distributor willing to fully cover the P&A costs even under the condition that we retain overseas distribution and secondary rights.”

Han Taesung looked slightly surprised.

“They agreed to cover all the P&A under those terms?”

“You’re not giving them an unusually high revenue share or distribution fee, are you?”

“No.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I think they’re confident enough in the film’s commercial performance that they believe theatrical revenue alone will justify it.”

“Hmm... I see.”

Han Taesung nodded.

“Well, that certainly works in our favor.”

I nodded.

Then he changed the subject.

“By the way, I heard you’re appearing on television tomorrow.”

“Executive Director Kim told me roughly what happened.”

“Yes.”

I smiled awkwardly.

“Things somehow ended up that way.”

“To be honest, if your situation were different, I probably wouldn’t recommend appearing on television either.”

“But since it’s come to this, I hope you use the appearance in whatever way benefits you the most.”

Kim Eunkyung smirked while Han Taesung took a sip of coffee.

“You two really do resemble each other in some strange ways.”

Han Taesung tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Team Leader Min said exactly the same thing.”

“If he has to appear on television anyway, he wants to find some way to turn it to his advantage.”

“Really?”

Han Taesung burst out laughing.

“Hahaha. That does sound like Team Leader Min.”

He looked at me with open curiosity.

“So how exactly are you planning to benefit from it?”

The moment I decided to appear on television, the calculator in my head had started running nonstop.

Having my face become publicly known was a double-edged sword for a businessman.

It could bring fame.

But it would also create more things to be careful about and more headaches to deal with.

If I had to accept that risk anyway, then the return needed to be large enough to outweigh it.

“For starters...”

I smiled.

“I’m thinking of using it to attract people.”

Han Taesung looked puzzled.

“Attract people?”

“Yes.”

He was still confused.

“You’re already fairly well known in this industry.”

“If you mean investors or business partners, you don’t need television to attract them.”

“There are already plenty of people who want to work with you, or whom you could approach yourself.”

I nodded leisurely.

“That’s true.”

“But the people I want to attract aren’t investors or business partners.”

At that, Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung exchanged looks.

If not investors or business partners, then who?

Their gazes returned to me.

So I revealed my hand.

“Writers.”

“Writers?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to announce a drama script competition under New Wave’s name on the broadcast.”

The moment I finished speaking, Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung both froze.

Then Han Taesung burst out laughing in disbelief.

“Hahaha.”

“You really... how do you even come up with ideas like that?”

In truth, I had been considering a competition to discover writers for quite some time.

There was simply one practical reason I hadn’t acted on it yet.

Competitions run by ordinary production companies were one of the things writers distrusted most.

There were plenty of shady companies that exploited powerless writers through plagiarism, stolen ideas, and hijacked concepts.

When an ordinary production company announced a contest, many writers’ first thought would be:

What if they just steal my idea?

No matter how high the prize money was, without trust, writers wouldn’t submit their work.

But...

I was no longer just another production-company CEO.

After winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, I had earned credibility within the industry and public attention outside it.

And if someone like me personally announced the competition on television?

Would someone like that really use a contest as bait just to steal ideas?

Suspicion would turn into confidence.

Anxiety would become expectation.

And from the scripts and writers who entered, all I had to do was identify the ones who would succeed in the future.

“Well, since I’ve agreed to go on television anyway, shouldn’t I at least get this much out of it?”

Of course, Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung didn’t know all the calculations going through my head.

But they seemed to understand the broad intention behind my plan.

“As always, you go beyond the range of what I expect.”

Han Taesung laughed heartily.

I looked at him.

“Actually, I wanted to discuss this with both of you.”

“Would you like to run the competition together?”

Kim Eunkyung smirked.

“So this must be what you meant when you said you had something to discuss once CEO Han came back.”

I simply nodded.

Han Taesung looked at me again.

“Then what’s the specific plan for the competition?”

“This isn’t your first time at the MBS building, right?”

Writer Ki Jungtae asked while guiding me toward the waiting room.

“No.”

“But it is my first time around the studio area.”

“Oh, really?”

I had only ever spoken to Ki Jungtae over the phone before.

Meeting him in person for the first time, he looked younger than I had expected and had an easygoing, pleasant face.

“By the way, did you go through the question list we sent you?”

“Yes...”

“Were there any questions you felt uncomfortable with?”

“What? Ah, well...”

I gave a vague answer.

The truth was, several of the questions were pretty uncomfortable.

Things like:

[How do you keep choosing only successful projects?]

[Do you have some kind of special eye for good work?]

[How were you able to achieve so much when you’ve only just entered your thirties? What’s your secret?]

There was really only one truthful answer to all of them.

Oh, that’s because I’m a regressor. Hahaha.

But obviously, I couldn’t say that.

I had spent the entire night thinking about how to answer those questions naturally without revealing anything suspicious.

“Sometimes the host or panelists may ask questions that aren’t on the list.”

“But if something is too difficult to answer, you can just skip it.”

“This is a recorded program anyway, so we can edit things out.”

I nodded.

“And there should be a cue sheet waiting in the room.”

“Please look over it briefly before recording.”

“Thank you.”

When I arrived at the waiting room, Director Song Jaehyun, Baek Seonghan, and even Cha Seungjoon were already there.

“CEO Min, you’re here?”

“Huh? PD Baek, aren’t you on vacation?”

Baek Seonghan had been given a full week off after returning from Cannes.

“I was getting tired of rolling around at home.”

“So I came out.”

“Thought I’d look around the broadcasting station too.”

Cha Seungjoon shook his head.

“My God.”

“How does someone get tired of doing nothing?”

“I seriously don’t understand you.”

“And what do you mean, ‘look around the broadcasting station’?”

“You sound like a kid on a field trip.”

We exchanged light greetings.

Then Ki Jungtae spoke again.

“Recording starts at two.”

“Until then, get your makeup done.”

“I’ll send one of our junior writers to get you when it’s time, and you can come with her.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Ki Jungtae left the waiting room.

Our conversation resumed.

“Nervous?”

“Not really.”

I shrugged.

“Maybe it just doesn’t feel real yet.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The program’s producer and the main MC, Jeon Hyunggyu, entered to greet us.

“Nice to meet you, Director Song, CEO Min.”

“It’s a family honor to meet the glory of Cannes in person like this.”

He laughed warmly.

“And both of you look much younger and more handsome in person than you do on screen. Hahaha.”

“Thank you. Please take care of us today.”

“Don’t be too nervous.”

“Just relax and speak comfortably.”

“I’ll see you again during recording.”

Not long after that, the panelists also came by one by one to introduce themselves.

Film director Go Jinseong.

Singer-songwriter Woo Jonghyun.

And film critic Lee Sungwoo.

Director Go Jinseong, Director Song Jaehyun, and Baek Seonghan had attended the same university and were fairly close.

As recording time approached, a young woman who introduced herself as a junior writer came to escort us to the studio.

We passed through a thick soundproof door.

The moment we entered, dozens of broadcasting lights hanging from the high ceiling blasted the room with intense heat and brightness.

Thick cables sprawled across the floor like coiled snakes.

Staff members rushed between them, shouting signals back and forth.

“Please come this way.”

“Your seats are in the center.”

Following the junior writer’s guidance, we carefully moved forward.

And as we stepped farther inside...

The Movie Talk set I had only ever seen on television appeared before my eyes.

Then...

Thump. Thump.

My heart began to race.