Chapter 47: An Unexpected Invitation
The first week of February.
More materials than usual covered the large conference table at TS ENM.
A synopsis and character introductions for The Night the King Died.
Profiles of the confirmed cast.
Even the expected filming schedule and current production status had been translated into Japanese.
Geonwoo turned through the documents in front of him.
Two representatives from a Japanese distribution company sat across the table.
An interpreter sat beside them.
On Geonwoo’s side were the producer, a member of the overseas-sales team, and a contracts representative.
It was Geonwoo’s first time attending a meeting like this.
Before the meeting began, the overseas-sales employee quietly told him,
“Director, we’ll handle the contract terms and rights scope.”
“Yes. Please do.”
“Most questions directed at you will probably be about the film or actors.”
“Understood.”
Geonwoo nodded.
A moment later, introductions began through the interpreter.
The first thing the Japanese representatives wanted to confirm was casting.
They asked whether Han Eunchae’s appearance had truly been finalized.
The overseas-sales employee answered immediately.
“Yes. The contract has already been signed.”
The prepared presentation moved to the next page.
Military Officer Yoon Jaehyuk.
Princess Yeonhwi, Han Eunchae.
Historian Min Jaeha.
Deposed Crown Prince Nam Giheon.
When Nam Giheon’s profile appeared, one of the Japanese representatives looked up.
The two exchanged a few words.
The interpreter explained,
“They say this is the first time they’ve heard that Actor Nam Giheon is also appearing.”
The producer smiled.
“His contract only finished recently, so it hasn’t been officially announced yet.”
The interpreter translated.
The Japanese representatives looked back at the screen.
They had originally contacted TS ENM because of Han Eunchae’s name.
In the meantime, the full casting of the four leads had been completed.
After several more questions, the conversation naturally shifted to contract terms.
Japanese theatrical distribution rights.
Local release timing.
Delivery schedule for the completed film.
The scope of promotional materials.
Even the possibility of the actors and director participating in local promotion.
Whenever the Japanese side proposed a condition, the contract representative checked the documents beside him.
The discussion continued for some time before one of the Japanese representatives looked at Geonwoo.
The interpreter translated the question.
“They’re asking whether Japanese audiences unfamiliar with Korean history will have any trouble understanding the story.”
“I don’t think it’ll be a major issue.”
The interpreter immediately translated.
“This isn’t a movie where you need prior knowledge of an actual historical event to understand what’s happening.”
Geonwoo opened the character introduction in front of him.
“It’s a story about four people choosing what they need to protect over the course of a single night after the King dies.”
The Japanese representative focused on Geonwoo.
“The historian tries to protect the record.”
“The military officer moves because of that record.”
“Princess Yeonhwi tries to protect her family.”
Geonwoo’s hand stopped at the last character.
“And the deposed Crown Prince tries to stop more people from dying because of him.”
The interpreter translated each sentence.
“The Joseon setting is important, but as long as audiences follow why each character makes those choices, I don’t think they’ll have difficulty understanding the story.”
The Japanese representatives nodded.
The next question concerned genre.
Was it a political drama?
An action movie?
Geonwoo answered,
“I think it’s closer to a chase thriller.”
“A chase thriller?”
“Yes.”
Geonwoo pointed to the palace layout on the screen.
“One side is trying to protect the royal decree.”
“The other is trying to take it.”
“The characters who begin moving in different locations all converge in the same place by the end.”
The later palace routes they had discussed with the art department were already reflected in the material.
One of the Japanese representatives leaned closer to the layout and asked several more questions.
After more than an hour, they took a brief break.
Geonwoo drank some water.
The producer spoke beside him.
“How is it?”
“Your first overseas-rights meeting?”
“It’s more interesting than I expected.”
The producer laughed.
A short while later, the meeting resumed.
This time, they discussed local promotion in Japan.
Which lead actors might be available to visit Japan?
Could the director participate in interviews and stage greetings?
The movie hadn’t even begun shooting yet.
The producer said,
“We won’t be able to give a definite answer regarding actor promotions until the filming and Korean release schedule is finalized.”
The interpreter translated.
The Japanese representative nodded in understanding.
Then he looked at Geonwoo and said something else.
The interpreter briefly laughed.
Geonwoo looked at him.
“Why are you laughing?”
“They say they especially want the director to attend.”
“Me too?”
The Japanese representative immediately added something.
The interpreter continued,
“They thought you were young when they saw your articles, but in person, you look much younger than they expected.”
Geonwoo laughed.
“I hear that often.”
The interpreter translated.
But the Japanese representative shook his head.
He looked Geonwoo up and down once more and added something.
The corners of the interpreter’s mouth rose again.
“They say that’s not the only thing.”
“Then what?”
“They say you’re tall and extremely handsome.”
“They thought you were an actor.”
The producer burst out laughing.
Geonwoo was briefly speechless.
“We were talking about the movie, and suddenly we’re talking about my face.”
The interpreter translated it exactly.
Laughter came from the Japanese side too.
The representative added one more comment.
“They think you’ll attract quite a lot of attention when the movie is released in Japan.”
The interpreter delivered the last line.
“They say you look like you could become a star director.”
Geonwoo smiled awkwardly.
“I need to make a good movie first.”
The Japanese representatives laughed and nodded after hearing the translation.
The briefly relaxed atmosphere returned to contract matters.
“Will the main feature be the same version released in Korea?”
The overseas-sales employee confirmed with the Japanese side.
The interpreter relayed the answer.
“They don’t plan to separately edit the feature.”
“Only the Japanese trailer, subtitles, and promotional materials will be produced separately.”
Geonwoo nodded.
“Then that’s fine.”
The meeting continued for some time.
At the end, both sides reviewed the agreed conditions once more.
There were no major disagreements.
The Japanese representative stood and held out his hand.
The interpreter said,
“They’ll send over a draft contract based on today’s agreement.”
The TS ENM contract representative answered,
“We’ll organize our revisions and send them back.”
Geonwoo stood too.
He shook hands with the Japanese representative.
“We’re looking forward to a good film.”
After hearing the translation, Geonwoo bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
The conference-room door closed.
Geonwoo sat again.
The producer and employees quickly began clearing the materials from the table.
“If there are no major issues, this should be finished within the week.”
The producer smiled.
“Congratulations, Director. This will be The Night the King Died’s first overseas-rights contract.”
Geonwoo looked at the terms sheet for a moment.
They hadn’t even started filming yet.
And already, there were people in another country waiting for the movie.
A faint smile appeared on Geonwoo’s face.
Three days later.
Geonwoo was walking down a TS ENM hallway when an overseas-sales employee came out of an office.
“Director.”
Geonwoo stopped.
“Yes?”
“The Japanese contract is finalized.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
