Chapter 190
The moment Song Jaehyun reached for his coffee, his hand stopped in midair.
“...CEO?”
I explained that Hanshin Media and Big Picture would soon undergo major restructuring.
CEO Kim Eunkyung would move to Hanshin Media as an Executive Director.
And I would be moving to Hanshin Media as well.
“Even so...”
Song Jaehyun waved his hands repeatedly, looking completely bewildered.
“I’m a filmmaker.”
“What do I know about management or business?”
It was exactly the reaction I had expected.
I nodded, showing that I understood.
“I know.”
“That’s why Executive Director Baek Seonghan will handle the actual management work.”
Song Jaehyun still tilted his head in confusion.
“Then wouldn’t it make more sense to just make Executive Director Baek the CEO from the beginning?”
I paused for a moment before answering seriously.
“At first, we considered exactly that.”
“Either Executive Director Baek or an outside professional manager.”
“But the reason we want you as CEO is because you’re the person who can best represent what Big Picture stands for.”
Song Jaehyun’s expression hardened slightly.
“So you’re saying you want me as a figurehead?”
There was discomfort in his voice.
His pride as a creator had clearly been touched.
I immediately shook my head.
“No.”
“Not a figurehead.”
“I want you to become the spirit of Big Picture.”
“...The spirit?”
I emphasized that Song Jaehyun was more than a Palme d’Or winner or a director with a ten-million-admission film.
He was a craftsman who pursued the perfect balance between artistry and commercial appeal.
If someone with those values became the head of Big Picture, that alone would send a symbolic message to the entire industry about where Big Picture intended to go.
Song Jaehyun fell into deep thought for a long time.
“Kibaek.”
“Yes, Director.”
“If it’s something you ask of me, I want to agree to almost anything.”
“I only made it this far because of you.”
“But....”
Song Jaehyun looked troubled and couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Director.”
“I want Big Picture to become a fortress for creators.”
“A place where projects are judged by their value, not pushed around by capital.”
“No.”
“I’m going to make sure it becomes that kind of place.”
Song Jaehyun’s eyes trembled.
I took a tablet from my bag and handed it to him.
On the screen was Big Picture’s roadmap for the next ten years.
“This is...?”
“This is the future I envision for Big Picture.”
“Not just a production company making films and dramas.”
“A global studio that changes the roots of Korean content itself.”
Cooperation with Network Flex.
Expansion into the OTT platform business.
Even bringing the web novel platform New Moon under Hanshin Media as a label.
Song Jaehyun swiped through the material on the tablet.
Then his finger suddenly stopped on one page.
His eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me this is...?!”
“Director.”
“You remember, don’t you?”
Clearly written on the screen were the words:
[Big Picture Creative Academy: Incubating System]
It was the dream Song Jaehyun used to talk about constantly when he was still unknown and shooting his first independent film, Home Sweet Home.
“You used to say that one day, once you became famous and made enough money, you wanted to build an incubation system for new directors and writers.”
“You wanted to provide production funding and a proper system for talented creators who simply never got the chance.”
Song Jaehyun couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.
I continued.
“I never once thought that dream of yours was empty talk.”
“That’s why I built this entire plan.”
“I want to make it real.”
Song Jaehyun slowly looked at me.
“Kibaek.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Thank you....”
Creating an environment where directors could focus purely on their work without worrying about box office numbers or money.
Song Jaehyun’s eyes had already reddened from gratitude toward the junior who had treasured his dream so deeply.
I took a breath and continued.
“Director, if we want to make this real, you need to become the CEO of Big Picture.”
“No.”
“You need to become its symbol.”
“That’s what will give this dream authenticity.”
A long silence followed.
Finally, Song Jaehyun let out a deep breath.
“Yeah.”
“If it’s you...”
“I feel like you might actually pull this off.”
He handed the tablet back to me.
“All right.”
“Let’s do it.”
“But you and Seonghan sunbae are going to handle the actual management work properly.”
“I’m really only going to be the figurehead.”
“Got it?”
“Yes, Director.”
“Don’t worry.”
“We’ll support you perfectly so you can focus entirely on your work.”
“Good.”
“I’m trusting you.”
Time passed quickly.
During that time, Big Picture spun off its VFX Business Division into an independent company called B&V.
Hanshin Media acquired an 80 percent stake in B&V, bringing it under Hanshin Media as a label.
Hanshin Media also acquired 32 percent of Big Picture and became its largest shareholder.
With that, Big Picture officially became part of the massive vessel called Hanshin Media.
As soon as the legal procedures were complete, Big Picture began reorganizing in earnest.
All employees gathered in the first-floor lounge for the official personnel announcement.
“As of today, I will be moving to Hanshin Media.”
CEO Kim Eunkyung stood before the employees.
“And replacing me as the new CEO who will lead Big Picture is Director Song Jaehyun.”
For a moment, the lounge fell completely silent.
Then thunderous applause erupted.
Rumors had already spread throughout the company that CEO Kim and I, along with several other key employees, would be moving to headquarters.
But everyone still seemed stunned that her successor would be none other than Song Jaehyun.
“All right.”
“Next, we’ll hear a few words from our new CEO, Song Jaehyun.”
Amid the employees’ cheers, Song Jaehyun stepped forward.
He looked embarrassed, but bowed politely.
“Hello.”
“I’m Song Jaehyun.”
“I know I have many shortcomings, but I’ll do my best to help Big Picture bring even better works into the world.”
The remaining appointments were focused on practical operations.
Replacing me as the executive overseeing the IP Business Division, Production Business Division, and Management Support Business Division, Production Business Division Manager Won Sanghyo was promoted to Head of Production.
To fill Won Sanghyo’s previous position, Cha Seungjoon became the new head of the Production Business Division.
At first, Cha Seungjoon had strongly refused the position.
He insisted that he wanted to keep working in the field rather than sit behind a desk.
What changed his mind was a single sentence from Song Jaehyun.
“Hey, Seungjoon.”
“You need to stay beside me at the company.”
“If you keep running around outside, who’s going to support me?”
And just like that, the new structure took shape.
Meanwhile, Kang Jooyoung, Joo Youngjae, and Lee Hyunyoung from the IP Business Division would leave Big Picture with me and join Hanshin Media’s newly established OTT Platform Business Department.
Once all the personnel transfers had been finalized, Song Jaehyun, Kim Eunkyung, Baek Seonghan, and I headed to the CEO’s office.
Kim Eunkyung’s belongings had already been completely packed away.
“Why don’t you replace the desk and chair?”
At Kim Eunkyung’s suggestion, Song Jaehyun quickly waved his hands.
“No, no.”
“These still look practically new.”
“There’s no reason to replace them.”
“So you start at Hanshin Media tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Kim Eunkyung smiled.
“To be honest, I think the real war begins at Hanshin headquarters tomorrow.”
Song Jaehyun tilted his head, unsure whether she was joking.
“Why?”
“Things feel festive here.”
“But Hanshin Media is going through organizational restructuring and business-unit reorganization at the same time.”
“Everyone there is going to be confused and unsettled for a while.”
Baek Seonghan added in a deliberately worried tone,
“I’m actually more concerned about whether they’ll give us a hard time for being outsiders.”
Song Jaehyun looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it.”
“They’re already losing their minds over restructuring and reorganization.”
“And now a bunch of people they’ve never seen before are coming in and taking important positions.”
Only then did Song Jaehyun seem to realize the seriousness of the situation.
He looked toward me worriedly.
“Now that you put it like that, I can see it.”
“Kibaek... no, Director Min.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Don’t worry.”
“In the current situation, there may actually be more people happy to see us.”
“Happy?”
“Why?”
After Executive Director Bang Seongsik was expelled from Hanshin Group, the people he had planted inside Hanshin Media had all left the company as well.
Most of those departures were executives.
As a result, the employees still remaining at Hanshin Media felt like passengers aboard a plane without a pilot.
And now people were arriving to take control of the cockpit.
If anything, that could make them feel more secure.
“Yes.”
Kim Eunkyung smiled calmly.
“I think the same.”
“Some of them may actually be thinking, Please, just let someone come in and sort out this mess.”
“Anyway.”
I turned toward Baek Seonghan.
“Now that the personnel transfers are mostly settled, please focus on building the working team that will communicate with Network Flex.”
Baek Seonghan nodded confidently.
“Sure.”
“Ju Hanyoung is going to handle the practical work personally.”
“It’s his first project on this scale too, so he seems pretty excited.”
“Good.”
“Then share the team structure with me as soon as it’s ready.”
“Network Flex said they’ll send people directly to Korea soon to finalize the contract.”
The moment I finished, Baek Seonghan’s eyes widened.
The fact that they were sending people themselves was proof that Network Flex considered this project important too.
“Really?”
“Got it.”
“I’ll finish organizing the team within this week and let you know immediately.”
The following afternoon.
The main auditorium at Hanshin Media headquarters.
More than a hundred employees filled the room.
The atmosphere was as tense as the calm before a storm.
Low whispers rose and faded throughout the auditorium like waves.
“Did you hear?”
“They’re selling all the channels and completely dissolving the cable team....”
One employee whispered to the person beside him, his face pale.
A woman sitting in the row ahead nervously bit her fingernail.
“Seriously?”
“Then is that why they called everyone here today?”
“To announce restructuring?”
“What does that mean?”
“Are we all getting fired?!”
Someone finally snapped in a nervous voice.
Everyone nearby turned toward them at once.
Their expressions were filled with a mixture of fear and anger.
“No.”
“That can’t be it.”
“When the theater business team was sold, everyone thought they’d be fired too.”
“But after the sale, the corporation was only separated and their employment was carried over.”
“I don’t know.”
“Isn’t this different from back then?”
“Ah, damn it.”
“I still have years left on my car loan....”
The anxious murmurs of people standing at a crossroads in their livelihoods filled every corner of the auditorium.
Then,
Scrrrch.
A harsh burst of static came through the auditorium’s massive speakers.
At the same moment, the lights over the stage all came on.
