NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 116: You mean to strike first?
Chapter 116 < You mean to strike first? >
(If you don’t mind, I’d like you to do something for me…)
“Yes, please send it to me.”
(Okay. But don’t feel too pressured. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.)
“I don’t mind. I’ll let you know after I see it.”
As time went by, JSENM started to invest a lot of money to increase its market share in the OTT industry.
So, like other OTT platforms, they were scooping up IPs to create original content. They said they had taken all the good scenarios from ‘Film Night’.
But even if they had good scenarios, they were useless if they didn’t have any appeal to attract people. JSENM was desperate to get top stars that everyone knew, and Yoo Yeon Seo, who had a high stock price these days, was on their list.
“Mother?”
“Huh.”
It couldn’t be that the busy vice president personally took notice of the script. He must have contacted me on purpose to make an excuse to talk to me.
Yoo Yeon Seo stared at his brother who was drying his hair.
“Are you not busy, hyung? You’re coming home early these days.”
“I’m not busy.”
“Really?”
Was it true or was he leaving work early because of me…? It was annoying. I couldn’t synchronize my memories because of Yoo Eun-ho.
<That’s a good sign. You still have a long way to go to recover.>
Even the machine was saying that… There was no one on my side in this world.
When Yoo Yeon Seo looked at him with doubtful eyes, Yoo Eun-ho slapped his forehead.
“Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“Ow.”
Ever since he was caught vomiting blood, Yoo Eun-ho had become more aggressive. He didn’t hit him hard, but it hurt his feelings.
Well, at least he felt less cautious than when he was worried that his brother would make a fuss. He felt more relaxed now.
“Hyung, why are you treating me like this? You’re different from before.”
“You keep making me angry.”
Oh, come on. There’s a reason for this. You don’t understand me, do you? Huh? Yoo Yeon Seo felt frustrated and pounded his chest.
“Do you want to go to America?”
“Suddenly?”
“Let’s get a thorough check-up there.”
“No thanks. I don’t have time. You said there’s nothing wrong with the test anyway.”
That’s why it was weirder… Yoo Eun-ho was worried that he might have some incurable disease that the doctor couldn’t find, and Yoo Yeon Seo was frustrated because he had a reason but he couldn’t explain it.
“So, what is that?”
“Probably the work I’m going to do.”
He slowly read the synopsis and summary that Choi Yoo-jin had sent him.
National Bird (tentative title)
Synopsis
The constitutional monarchy of South Korea in 2021.
The writer is quite well-known in the romance genre, and the director has done more than three works with experience. The constitutional monarchy setting? Interesting. But…
‘Romance…’
Can I do it well? I’ve seen a lot, but… Should I read more?
The only princess, Lee Seo-eun, and the second son of Cheon-o Group, Sung Hyun-woo, suddenly get engaged, and South Korea is in an uproar over the scandal of the century. But this engagement is…
“You need me to inherit the throne, and I need your power to secure my unstable position.”
“So?”
“Let’s make a contract.”
It was a well-made contract for their mutual benefit.
A contract marriage between the royal family and the chaebol in the constitutional monarchy setting? Cliché. But nothing is more fun than a well-written cliché.
‘There’s a story.’
After quickly skimming through the brief introductions of the main characters, Yoo Yeon Seo turned the document to the next chapter.
‘The female lead who was nominated is…’
Shin Ye-won. The person he saw when he visited Jin Soo-ho’s filming site. One of the top three actresses. It must have been hard to cast her, and he could feel that the company had made an effort.
‘Me here?’
He didn’t understand. Shin Ye-won and Yoo Yeon Seo hadn’t met in any work, but they were a combination that many people agreed on their face match. They were also a pair that was often linked in the so-called ‘fanfic’ where drama fans played with the characters of each work.
But, to put me in a work that Shin Ye-won was nominated for as the lead?
‘That would be fun.’
It was a perfect situation to cause a stir. He texted Choi Yoo-jin that he would do it and closed his eyes. When he saw the brief introductions of the two main characters in ‘National Bird’, he felt ironically that they were quite similar to his brothers.
“Do you remember everything that happened that day, hyung?”
“Roughly.”
“Then you might have seen the culprit too, right?”
“Well… you were interested in people, and I was different.”
Yoo Eun-ho had a tremendous curiosity for knowledge, so he liked to read books. On the other hand, Yoo Yeon Seo enjoyed the attention of people, so he was more interested in the surrounding situation.
“If you think about it, you’re perfect for being a celebrity.”
“That’s right.”
***
[Hey, good news. Jang Ye-jun contacted us and said he really wants to do your work.]
[Really?]
[Yes, the investors will be on board soon and we’ll start filming right away.]
Lee Jung-hoon, who had just thrown his hat in the ring as a director, was elated by the dream of making his debut as a director.
Jang Ye-jun was an actor in the top tier. Naturally, the investment was secured, and the production company was pushing for the crank-in.
[Jang Ye-jun got the investment quickly, but the director is weak. Right?]
[Even if he’s from Cheon Seong-min’s adaptation, his power as a director is weak.]
[Is the scenario okay? Let’s use this one.]
But there was a problem. The production company and the investors notified him to leave the project.
[So now… you’re going to replace the director with my synopsis?]
[Writer, I mean director, you don’t have a name value, do you?]
[This is the scenario I’ve been writing for years…]
[Hey, why are you doing this to someone you know.]
It was a dark side of the film industry that a small-time director who wrote a good scenario was replaced by the production company and the investors who took only the synopsis.
But he didn’t know he would be the one.
“Sigh…”
Lee Jung-hoon sat down on the building’s flower bed and sighed deeply.
He expected to lose some of the running guarantee stipulated in the contract when the movie was made. But he never imagined that he wouldn’t be able to participate in the work at all.
“Director.”
He choked up when he saw the name on the screen. When he answered the phone, Cheon Seong-min, the director, asked in surprise.
(What’s wrong with your voice?)
“My scenario was stolen.”
(Hey, man. What are you talking about, you were a writer.)
“That’s not the problem right now.”
Lee Jung-hoon, who was in tears, complained. Even if he was from the adaptation of a master director, he had no power in the film industry. He ranted for a while about why the film industry was like this and how society was weird.
Cheon, the director, who was listening quietly, sighed and said.
(Sigh… Where are you? Can you come here?)
“It’s the bar you go to often, right? I’ll go first.”
(Okay, I’ll pay for the taxi, so take a taxi.)
Lee Jung-hoon, who got up from his seat, hailed a taxi with a weak gesture.
“Huh?”
“Hello.”
As he walked in trembling and went to where Cheon, the director, was, there was one more person. It was Yoo Yeon Seo.
“Uh… I would have met you next time if I knew you were here.”
“It’s okay. I was curious about the person who wrote the audition script. You know me, right? I’m Yoo Yeon Seo.”
“I’m Lee Jung-hoon.”
Yoo Yeon Seo poured soju for Lee Jung-hoon, who sat down awkwardly. He hesitated and drank it in one gulp.
“Kuh…”
“So, you were screwed by the investors and the production company?”
“Wow, you hit the bone as soon as you see me. Aren’t we strangers?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“…That’s right. That’s true.”
Cheon, the director, poured alcohol into the empty glass, and Lee Jung-hoon drank it again.
Yoo Yeon Seo observed him closely. Lee Jung-hoon’s state was closer to resignation than anger. He didn’t get angry even though his hard-earned synopsis was stolen?
“But this kind of thing happens a lot, right? You look very… familiar.”
“There are some. But I didn’t know I would be the one.”
“Don’t you feel wronged?”
“What else can I do?”
The film industry is closed. Even if someone like Lee Jung-hoon protested and sued, the one with the money, the one with the distribution rights, had the power. He had to be prepared to be buried in the industry and fight back. Even though it was a matter of finding his own rights…
“Hmm… Where is the production company?”
“It’s Movie Studio Goo-sang.”
“Wow.”
It wasn’t a company that would aim for a hit. ‘Movie Studio Goo-sang’ was a fairly old production company. He thought of the things he had learned from Cha Yoon-ho, his secretary, after he became the director of JSENM.
‘Should I raise him?’
He had a vague memory of what Lee Jung-hoon had made to prevent the butterfly effect. That meant two things. Either he became a hit director later or he disappeared from the film industry because of this.
Anyway, Director Cheon taught him how to direct himself, and the audition script was quite dense with both narration and dialogue.
“What can I do for you? Do you want me to bury your work somewhere in Changwon at dawn or midnight?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You could have met me next time, but you called me all the way here. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Lee Jeong-hoon was dumbfounded and opened his eyes wide, but Director Cheon coughed awkwardly. He knew there were some things like that, but he didn’t expect him to ask so bluntly.
“I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Hmm… Is that so? Well, I understand.”
Yoo Yeon Seo narrowed his eyes and stared at Director Cheon. Even if he said that, Director Cheon would feel indebted to him if he helped Lee Jeong-hoon. And Director Cheon was not shameless, so he would try to repay him somehow later.
“So, Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon. What do you want to do?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to make your directorial debut with a new synopsis? Or do you want to save that synopsis somehow?”
Is that possible? Lee Jeong-hoon, who was drunk, opened his mouth blankly. There was no chance, but he could dream, right?
“That synopsis was something I’ve been holding on to for years. Honestly, it’s a waste to throw it away like this… I wanted to make my directorial debut with it. I really wanted to make it…”
“Then it’s simple.”
Yoo Yeon Seo poured him more alcohol and raised his glass.
“Let’s make it and release it first.”
“Huh?”
“Mr. Lee Jeong-hoon, that’s not the final version of the synopsis, is it? You must have some lines that you don’t like. You can fix them, right?”
“Right…?”
It takes about three to five years to make a movie, and the only time a completed movie is canceled is when there is a controversial topic that coincides with the release date. Similarity that raises suspicion of plagiarism? They just ignore it and go ahead.
There are many scenarios in the world, and there are many overlapping themes. They were generous to similar things as long as the lines and situations did not match exactly. They’re similar to us? Well, they must have spent a lot of money too. They would pass it off like that.
“So… what you’re saying, Mr. Yu, is that we should strike first?”
“Yes.”
So it’s okay if the synopsis overlaps. As long as we make it and release it first, there’s no problem.
By the time ‘Movie Company Idea’ makes and releases the movie, Lee Jeong-hoon’s movie will have lost its originality. And the public will think that ‘Movie Company Idea’ plagiarized Lee Jeong-hoon’s work.
Of course, there is a condition that Lee Jeong-hoon has to make it well and make it a hit, but seeing Director Cheon sympathize and feel sorry for him as if it was his own business, he didn’t seem like he wouldn’t help him…
“Man, you can’t decide something like this over a few drinks.”
“Director, I have a lot of money.”
Just after he collapsed and got up, Chairman Yoo told him to rest and not work, and gave him some pocket money. That pocket money was actually far beyond the scale of ordinary people.
“Jang Ye-jun said he would do it no matter how much he paid for the synopsis. That means the scenario is really good. I can’t miss out on this.”
Above all, his sense of detecting money-making things was extraordinary. He smelled a jackpot.
Lee Jeong-hoon nodded blankly. But how did he know that Jang Ye-jun cut the guarantee? He must have a fast information network because he belongs to a large company.
“We’ll finish it in two years, no, a year and a half.”
‘The White Tiger Ship’ was called a miracle, right? Then we can do it again, right?