Chapter 13: Short Film (2)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The goateed Song Man-woo PD, who took a seat, started to order right away.

“If you come to a chicken feet restaurant, you should order chicken feet.”

Then he poured soju into the empty glass of the square-chinned director sitting across from him.

“It’s true that people are products of their environment. If you’re miserable, your life becomes miserable.”

The square-chinned director scratched his head in embarrassment.

“You already know, hyung. My life is miserable right now, why pretend it’s not?”

“You crazy bastard. Hey, Shin Dong-chun. Has your personality died too?”

Song Man-woo PD and director Shin Dong-chun. The two were very close friends and former colleagues from the SBC Drama Department. While Shin Dong-chun wasn’t as successful as Song Man-woo PD, he was also a respectable director with a decent filmography at the time. However, Director Shin Dong-chun always had a dream.

Making a movie.

However, despite the apparent similarities, dramas and movies are clearly different areas. It’s common for drama PDs to go to the film industry or film directors to move into dramas, but in reality, the number of failures far outweighs the successful cases.

It was by no means an easy path. It was a rough career change.

However, Director Shin Dong-chun bravely chose the path of film. Perhaps he was bold because he was in a relatively stable period in his career as a drama PD. Or maybe because he was single. Regardless, despite dissuasion from those around him, Director Shin Dong-chun embarked on screenplay writing. Of course, this was after he left SBC.

The screenplay he completed through this work was ‘Exorcism’.

Fast forward 2 years. Director Shin Dong-chun’s ‘Exorcism’ had been drifting aimlessly for about 2 years, hitting the wall of reality. In the film industry, the immediate production of a short or independent film was close to a miracle, so it became a long hiatus. Unfortunately, during this time, he faced misfortune. He was swindled by someone from a film company, and there was a situation where his parents’ guarantee went wrong.

In the end, Director Shin Dong-chun became penniless. Misfortunes piled up and struck him all at once.

In fact, he was still sane deserved praise from others. Is it finally seeing the light? Fortunately, Director Shin Dong-chun’s ‘Exorcism’ has just barely received funding.

Of course, there’s a problem because there’s a whiff of foul play associated with the funding.

Anyway, as the ordered chicken feet were being set up, Director Shin Dong-chun asked Song Man-woo PD, who was filling his glass.

“By the way, is writer Park doing well?”

“Of course, She is busy writing the script.”

“Now that you are in the middle of casting for ‘Profiler Hanryang’. How many parts of the script have been written?”

“Roughly- about 2, 3 parts.”

“You’ll be doing script readings and starting filming soon.”

“By tomorrow, there should be news articles about confirmed details.”

Around this time, Song Man-woo PD casually continued the conversation while holding a piece of chicken foot.

“Hey, how’s your ‘Exorcism’ short film coming along?”

“It’s still tough.”

“If it’s that tough, why don’t you quit and join our drama B team? If I talk to C-Blue Studio, it’s entirely possible to have you as an external PD.”

Normally, being a drama B team PD carries various meanings. It could refer to a substitute or a PD who has caused problems, among other things. It has a negative connotation. But if it’s heavyweight Song Man-woo PD’s B team, that’s a different story. It would definitely be a hit. Given the current situation, it’s a huge opportunity.

Despite this, Director Shin Dong-chun shook his head.

“If I did that, the staff would talk behind my back. Why should you get blamed for taking pity on me?”

“You idiot, you have to survive first. Look at yourself. You’re just half of what you used to be. So what’s going on now? Tell me.”

Soon, after a long sigh, Director Shin Dong-chun explained his current situation in a condensed form.

“I got lucky and found an investor.”

“Wasn’t the production cost of that movie about 30 million? That’s good news, isn’t it? But…”

“It’s 40 million. And that’s not even confirmed. It could go up. Despite being a short film, it’s about 50 minutes long. Anyway, that investor is from the entertainment industry. They say that in exchange for the investment, they want to confirm one of their own actors.”

“···Well, that’s something that often happened even when you were a PD. No big deal.”

“The actor they want us to include as the main lead among the new faces is Park Jung-hyuk.”

At that moment, Song Man-woo PD furrowed his brows.

“That drunkard? The one who messed up his career because of a fight? So that investor is from GGO Entertainment.”

“Exactly.”

Upon hearing the situation, Song Man-woo PD immediately gave his response. As a director, he was at the top of the food chain in the entertainment industry.

“They’re trying to whitewash his image. They’re spending 40-50 million to redeem Park Jung-hyuk and revive his career. It’s a profitable business if they can do it.”

After harshly downing a shot of soju, Director Shin Dong-chun laughed bitterly.

“But the stage for that profitable business is ‘Exorcism’… It’s just… I didn’t spend years struggling to whitewash a guy like Park Jung-hyuk.”

“······”

If they were to push an actor with a past of a major assault case as the male lead, the clarity of ‘Exorcism’, even if it’s a short film, ‘Exorcism’ would be tarnished. Of course, there are ways for it to turn out well, but the stigma of being a ‘whitewashing’ project would not disappear.

Moreover, the efforts and patience of Director Shin Dong-chun, who had been working hard for years, would all be invalidated.

At this point.

“Hmm-”

Song Man-woo PD, who was sitting across with his arms crossed, suddenly spoke up while looking at Director Shin Dong-chun.

“Shall I introduce an actor to you?”

“Huh? Aren’t all the actors around you top-tier?”

“Even so. Just because they’re top-tier doesn’t mean they don’t look at indie, short film scripts. Even Hong-star still takes indie scripts.”

“Well, that makes sense if we’re talking about Hong Hye-yeon, who is so passionate about acting.”

“But the one I’m about to introduce is not one of those top stars, it’s someone else, I’m not sure if he would be interested though.”

“······Who?”

In response, Song Man-woo PD remembered the quirky actor with whom he had negotiated a contract a few days ago.

“He’s been cast in our drama. It wasn’t easy to get him. His name is Kang Woojin, he’s pretty new, so you probably don’t know him.”

“Kang Woojin? I see, it’s my first time hearing about him. Seems like a promising rookie. But no, if he’s already involved in your drama, he must be busy with that. Would such a person be interested in doing a short film with nothing?”

“Well… Once our drama airs, he’ll definitely blow up. If you catch him now, you might get a new investor. Why not give it a try?”

Upon this, Director Shin Dong-chun sighed deeply.

“For two, no, almost three years. As you know, a lot happened to me during that time. I’m tired of my film ‘Exorcism’ being disregarded.”

He took a rough gulp of soju.

“I’m tired of it, hyung.”

***

The next day.

As Tuesday morning dawned, entertainment news was bustling. They were revealing the finalized details of the anticipated project that had been confirmed over the past few days.

『[Issue pick] Hit-maker, Star-writer Park Eunmi’s new work, all set』

『Will Writer Park Eunmi and Song Man-woo PD succeed again? The dazzling cast line-up for their new drama』

It was about ‘Profiler Hanryang’. Kang Woojin was confirmed to play the role of Park Dae-ri about 5 days ago. Since then, Song Man-woo PD had picked up the pace.

『Top Hit-writer Park Eun-mi’s upcoming work already excites viewers/photo』

With Hong Hye-yeon as the main lead from the beginning, the blueprint for the supporting actors was clear, and what was left was mostly related to contract negotiations. C-BLUE Studio is using what has been confirmed for their promotion.

In other words, the promotion of ‘Profiler Hanryang’ officially kicked off.

『[Exclusive] Writer Park Eunmi’s new work’s line-up revealed… ‘Ryu Jung-min, Hong Hye-yeon’  as leads』

『Ryu Jung-min, Hong Hye-yeon, Jang Tae-san, Lee Do-jong and more, new line-up for ‘Writer Park Eunmi’s’ new work!』

Also,

『[Entertainment Issue] Writer Park Eunmi’s new work may premiere as early as May, production crew “The early script has already been written”』

They ambiguously leaked the premiere date, stirring up the curiosity of the public. Among those, an article that sparked a bit of curiosity showed up.

『’Writer Park Eunmi’, gives a cryptic declaration in an interview “There will be a real scene-stealer actor in this work.”』

Anyway, from Tuesday morning, the entertainment articles were aflame with ‘Profiler Hanryang’, and the curiosity and expectations of the public were at an all-time high.

PD Song Man-woo’s influence was certainly there, but to the public, the Hit-maker, writer Park Eunmi was the main draw.

In fact, in any hit drama, the writer is more important than the director. But this is a natural progression. Therefore, the media also emphasized that it’s Writer Park Eunmi, who has released numerous hit works.

By early lunchtime on the same day, the official drama title was released.

『Ryu Jung-min, Hong Hye-yeon, Jang Tae-san, Lee Do-jong, and others join Writer Park Eunmi’s new work… the title is ‘Profiler Hanryang’』

This news quickly spread to various areas. SNS, YouTube, etc. Even on YouTube, it was enough to climb the real-time video rankings. They were videos from so-called ‘Reaction YouTubers’ covering the issue.

And just by looking at the comments on these videos, you could feel the level of expectation from the public.

-“I’ve been waiting for this drama since the rumors started, finally!!!”

-“Ryu Jung-min, Hong Hye-yeon as leads… but the writer is Park Eunmi? It’s already epic… when is the premiere?”

-“I heard that writer Park Eunmi mentioned a scene-stealer actor in her interview. I wonder what kind of surprise she’s going to give us this time…”

-“Park Eunmi’s new work…? It won’t be an ordinary drama, can’t wait to watch it”

-“What? The director is Song Man-woo with writer Park Eunmi?? And the leads are Ryu Jung-min and Hong Hye-yeon???? This is going to be a smash hit right from the start.”

-“But why is Hong Hye-yeon getting prettier as time goes by?????”

-“The line-up of supporting actors in this is also crazy!”

-“My beloved writer! Always cheering for you!”

.

.

.

Sure enough, the project that brought together heavyweights attracted tremendous attention in a short time. And then.

『Interest pours in as ‘Profiler Hanryang’ promotion begins… Will it be this year’s best drama?』

This was just the beginning of the promotion.

On the same day, in the early afternoon. Blue Vision Film Company.

Around 3 PM. Director Shin Dong-chun was sitting alone in the shabby Blue Vision Film Company office. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

While waiting, he said.

“This is impressive, truly impressive.”

He was checking out the articles related to ‘Profiler Hanryang’, which were creating quite a stir right now. He was both happy and envious about his close brother’s success.

But then.

“He said they’d be here at 3, why haven’t they come yet?”

Director Shin Dong-chun grumbled. According to the representative of the Blue View Film Company, investor GGO Entertainment’s Executive Director Park was supposed to arrive around 3 PM, bringing a few newbies with him. However, it was past 3:05 and there was still no sign of them.

With a hint of irritation, Director Shin Dong-chun sighed.

“They think they are the boss.”

15 minutes later, at 3:20 PM, the people who were supposed to come hadn’t arrived yet. Just when Director Shin Dong-chun was about to light a cigarette and get up,

– Knock, knock.

Finally, someone knocked. Thanks to this, he, who had just let out a sigh, opened the iron door, and a man with an indifferent face was standing at the door. Director Shin Dong-chun scanned the man up and down.

‘He’s tall. Decent enough…? Oh, he’s wearing a mask.’

The man looked over 180 cm tall, had a neat jawline, and short hair. However, his expression was a bit cynical. Anyway, Director Shin Dong-chun immediately realized that he was one of the newcomers that GGO Entertainment was supposed to bring. There was no one else who would come at this time.

“Weren’t you supposed to come at 3? You’re a bit late.”

Director Shin Dong-chun spoke with a forced smile. In contrast, the newcomer slightly tilted his head.

“Are you talking about me?”

“No, not you. But where’s Executive Director Park? Did he go to get coffee or something? Come in first.”

Like he was talking to himself, Director Shin Dong-chun guided the newcomer into the shabby film company. Soon, the newcomer also slowly followed him in.

Before they knew it, the two were–

-Whoosh.

Sitting face-to-face at a 4-person desk in the center. At the same time, Director Shin Dong-chun met eyes with the newcomer man across from him.

“The profile- Executive Director Park will show you.”

He checked the time again. Executive Director Park had said he would bring a few newcomers. If more newcomers were coming besides this one, Director Shin Dong-chun thought he could save some time.

Besides, the condition of the newcomer sitting in front of him was better than expected, but…

‘After all, the acting of the newcomers who are trained like factory workers is pretty much the same. This kid’s cool indifference has a heavy flavor, which is fine- but acting is a whole different story.’

His expectations for acting were very low. GGO Entertainment is large, but it is known for having a lot of bland newcomers. Therefore, Director Shin Dong-chun, casually made a request to the newcomer man across from him.

“While we’re waiting for Director Park, should we take a look at your acting? You’ve prepared something, right? I assume you didn’t just come here to show your face.”

At this, the poker-faced newcomer paused for a few seconds before nodding his head.

“I do have some acting to show you.”

“Okay. Then show me. It doesn’t matter if it’s short.”

Watching monotonous acting for a long time is just boring. This was what Director Shin Dong-chun was thinking at the moment.

However.

-Whoosh.

The twist was instant. As soon as the newcomer man across from him began his acting,

“······Hmm?”

Little by little.

“······??”

His eyes gradually widened.

“????”

By the time the newcomer man finished his acting, his expression had changed to a great shock. He was so surprised that he didn’t even notice his dilated eyes.

Just staring at the man sitting in front of him.

On the other hand.

“This is the end.”

The newcomer announced the end with a very solemn voice. However, Director Shin Dong-chun was still in shock.

‘What, what did I just… see?’

He had a lot of experience as a drama PD. He had seen many actors. But it was the first time he had been shocked by someone’s acting.

‘It was like seeing a character I wrote in front of me… or even more than that.’

It felt like a character from the script came out and started talking. The newcomer’s acting was more vivid than reality, a kind of acting he had never seen before.

Did GGO Entertainment really trained this guy? Can this be real??

Soon.

“······Um, you.”

With wide eyes, Director Shin Dong-chun finally opened his mouth.

“How long have you been at GGO Entertainment?”

At the same time,

-Clang!

The iron door of the film company opened with a bang. The man who opened the door was a bit chubby. Next to him were two young-looking men and women.

“Hahaha, Director Shin! I’m a bit late!”

The chubby man who shouted heartily. It seemed that he was the person called Executive Director Park. The people he brought were the newcomers. Anyway, Executive Director Park looked back and forth between Director Shin Dong-chun and the man sitting in front of him, and then shouted again.

“Oh my! Are you in a meeting? Who’s that guy in front? An actor?”

At this point, Director Shin Dong-chun, who had his brows furrowed, turned his gaze to the indifferent man across him.

“Director Park……you don’t know him?”

The man sitting in front of him remained expressionless.

“I don’t know him.”

“What? What do you mean?”

The man sitting in front of him spoke with a very cold tone.

“You seem to be mistaken.”

“Mistaken? Me?”

“Yes. I also don’t know that person.”

“···Yes? No, what do you mean. Then who are you?”

The man then recited in a very low and deep voice. His imposing presence was reminiscent of a heavyweight.

“My name is Kang Woojin.”