Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 30

Drama and Movie Adaptations (3)

* * *

Inside the elevator descending to the lobby, CEO Tae Jong-beom and Director Kim Ryul blinked, speechless.

They had expected some fanfare, but they never imagined they would receive such a grand welcome.

On top of that, the budget was increased by an additional 1 billion won from the target of 3 billion won.

Considering CEO Noh Joong-man’s 3 billion won investment, along with individual investors and investment firms joining in after the crank-in [the start of filming], their pockets were overflowing.

“…What on earth happened?”

“I’m not sure. They must be very close.”

CEO Tae flared his nostrils and looked up at the elevator ceiling.

“Did he buy some land that CEO Noh told him to and hit the jackpot? That Noh Joong-man has always been rumored to have an uncanny sense…”

“What does that matter? As you said, Mr. CEO, we just need to make a good movie.”

“That’s right, that’s right! And bringing in that angel investor…”

Tae Jong-beom’s honeyed gaze was fixed on Geon, who was standing in front of the buttons.

“Park Geon…!”

“You don’t have to be so grateful.”

“No, come over here! I’m just so thankful. Should I give you a piggyback ride? Or maybe a toss in the air with Director Kim?”

Just then, the elevator doors opened. Stepping out to avoid the clinging CEO Tae, Geon thought.

‘The benefits aren’t bad.’

Noh Joong-man promised three things.

First, full support for future activities.

Second, freedom to choose works and advertisements.

Third, a guaranteed exclusive manager for Park Seon and full coverage of staff expenses.

-What are staff expenses? I haven’t used them separately until now.

-Hair, makeup, skincare, even hair transplants, it all costs money here. You’ll have more and more to set up in the future, and if you keep opening your wallet every time, it’s easy to get soaked in the drizzle [gradually spending a lot of money without realizing it].

-Then my sister…

-Of course, she’ll have an exclusive manager. Once she gains experience, she can contract with the company and take care of other celebrities.

-Is that really okay?

-If she wants to. But exclusive managers tend to get stuck with the image of the actors they’ve worked with, so celebrities might refuse.

That alone is enough. The goal from the start was to eliminate obstacles to working together, not to force my sister into the agency with my influence.

The issue of movie investment costs was also resolved smoothly.

-Million Venture Partners. I’ll contact them, so go there. It’s been a while since I’ve seen CEO Wang… they’ll be able to provide enough for the production costs.

So the company they visited poured in money to the point where it wasn’t just providing production costs.

A total of 4 billion won. If you add up the money they pulled in here and there, and other funds, it’s roughly 4.5 billion… If they’re lucky, they might secure up to 5 billion won.

He didn’t know much about movie production costs, but judging from the reactions of the production team, the ammunition was fully loaded [they had plenty of resources].

‘The source of the investment seems legitimate too.’

After watching CEO Wang closely, there was nothing particularly suspicious.

He could only guess that he had benefited from Noh Joong-man, or some advice from Noh Joong-man.

His sister’s reaction to hearing about the sudden contract was also surprisingly calm.

-Brother, I’m really okay. Team Leader Oh isn’t there anymore, and Roman is really reasonable. It might be better than going to another large entertainment company.

The contract did include a clause that stipulated full payment of advertising penalties and termination of the contract in the event of ‘socially disgraceful acts that damage the image.’

‘That won’t happen. I used to be a Yongsan after all [referring to his past, implying he knows how to handle difficult situations].’

Just as they didn’t hesitate to invest, he wasn’t afraid of privacy issues. Geon signed without hesitation.

Now, all that’s left is to prepare for the movie’s crank-in.

CEO Tae Jong-beom, who had come out of the building, rubbed his hands together.

“Director Kim, from now on, it’s our flow [we’re in control]. Let’s put out the audition announcement right away and send the script to the actors. With 4 billion won, we can attract most of the acting powerhouses.”

“Well. I’m not sure.”

Although he had secured more than enough investment money, Director Kim Ryul’s expression was not cheerful.

“Why again, why! What’s the problem?”

“The problem starts now. I’m worried about how to cast the remaining supporting roles.”

“Is it because of the audition? We have money, a good script, a talented director, and even an actor; it smells like money [attracts people], what are you worried about?”

Director Kim Ryul looked at Park Geon, then at CEO Tae, and then down at his own chest.

The next words seemed to contain a hint of self-deprecation.

“That’s why I’m even more worried. I’m afraid the others won’t come.”

*

Park Geon’s move to Roman was official.

[‘Supernova’ Park Geon, heads to Roman… Into the arms of Noh Joong-man]

[New actor joins after 221 days, Roman Entertainment finally draws its sword]

[Roman, with Park Geon joining, a thicker lineup]

[First agency is a major entertainment company… What’s next for the mega rookie?]

[Park Geon X Gu Shin-seung X Choi Phillip all under one roof. Will a meeting of ‘face geniuses’ be held?]

He finally went to a large agency [Korean slang expressing surprise and excitement] ㄷㄷ

ㄴIf he had waited a little longer, he would have gone to DG or Joinus? He would have gotten offers for sure

ㄴAre you underestimating D and J ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Their artists are veterans who have trained for at least 5 years

ㄴIs it the same as proving acting skills through street scouting and picking kids who look promising and training them?

ㄴFact) Still needs more proof

But why didn’t he go to C&J? They’re gathering all the celebrities and creators these days

ㄴIt’s a big company with a lot of capital, so it can be a bit conservative ㅇㅇ Especially for actors, it’s safer to bring in top-tier actors than to invest in rookies

ㄴTrue, he’s only had one successful drama so far…

Ignoring the haters, Roman is ㄱㅊ [Korean slang for ‘good’ or ‘decent’]. The actors are doing well and the push is solid

ㄴSo what’s his next project?

The blue chip [valuable asset] of the drama scene went to Roman.

The large agencies that were watching and waiting without throwing their cards, and the small and medium-sized agencies that were trying to buy low [acquire him cheaply], swallowed their disappointment.

If he goes there, they can’t touch him.

Roman’s CEO Noh Joong-man responds with zero tolerance to all the tricks aimed at his affiliated celebrities.

The hyenas who underestimated Roman, which was a small agency in its early days, and tried to bite it, had their own flesh torn off in a fierce counterattack.

The fact that a latecomer, who was suffering from all sorts of rumors and checks, rose to just below the top 2 entertainment companies is by no means luck.

Therefore, the only two ways to take away an artist are to terminate the contract with internal agreement, or to cause an accident and have Roman kick them out.

“He went after all.”

A Benz with red lights on its eyelids [referring to the car’s headlights] runs along the Gangbyeon North Road. Cha In-hyuk, who was looking at an iPad in the back seat, muttered.

“I was a step late. I should have thrown chili powder at the persimmon I couldn’t eat [Korean idiom for expressing jealousy and spite].”

The female secretary who was driving replied immediately.

“I’m sorry. There was a time when I missed CEO Noh’s movements, and he had a meeting on Dosan-daero at that time…”

“It’s okay. If I expected that much from you, I would have paid you more or fired you.”

Cha In-hyuk, who casually insulted his subordinate, scrolled down the articles on the screen.

[Hit Maker Park Geon], [New Midas Touch Born], [Aiming for Consecutive Home Runs]

The titles, which were full of praise, were swept away under a contemptuous gesture.

“He just got lucky. At best, he’s a 1 billion won a year guy, who will do a couple of projects before the bubble bursts and he’s stuck doing home shopping.”

It’s not exactly a secret that DG’s young director estimates people as soon as he sees them.

He’s worth a maximum of 500 million, he’s worth 300 million at best, and that friend from earlier is worth 1 billion if he has a long run.

He is a slave trader who ruthlessly calculates the current price and the highest price, and extracts only the optimal profit.

“But they’re calling him Midas, God’s Hand, and all that crap. He just got lucky by sucking up to the writer and director.”

The female secretary concentrated on driving without saying a word. On the surface, it seems that her position and the title of young Midas are threatened, making her feel unpleasant.

But she knows. When celebrities who are not affiliated with DG have consecutive hits, her boss is the one who orders the private PR team to release spam articles with similar keywords.

The neatly shaved mouth opened.

“He can’t get into a blockbuster anyway. Noh Joong-man doesn’t like risk betting, so he’ll try to put him on a terrestrial channel rather than cable, in the safest Monday-Tuesday or Wednesday-Thursday drama.”

“MBS has Kim Ji-an’s Wednesday-Thursday drama, and YTS has the Gong siblings’ weekend drama. They are stable leading/supporting roles without a big image change.”

“Pick three or four similar or slightly higher-level roles and push them into the audition. He won’t take risks, so if we just don’t let him build a foundation, it’ll be fine.”

Acting skills don’t improve rapidly in a short period of time just because you’re receiving intensive training.

Since he started as an action supporting actor, he’s likely to get into a role that’s easy to interpret and advantageous for appealing to his charm.

“I understand. Should I look into movies too?”

“Movies?”

Cha In-hyuk asked back as if he had heard a stupid question.

The hair, styled with pomade and water wax, swept back so that not a single strand came out, tilted mockingly.

“He can’t go there. A rootless guy starting without roots [lacking connections and background].”

*

On the day of the audition, Keunbeom Studio was bustling from the morning.

When they filmed with Park Geon, they just roughly installed filming equipment on one side of the office, but that was only possible because it was a sudden audition.

They can’t do that when they’re setting up a formal recruitment of actors.

“PD Han, how long did they say we could use it?”

“Until 11 PM. The president of the movie audition said he was very happy because it was a movie audition? He said we can use it as much as we want, even if we stay up all night.”
The assistant director replied while holding the phone to CEO Tae’s words.

They even booked a new studio near the headquarters to hold the auditions. Soon, when the auditions start, it will be filled with actors who have applied.

“Good… very good.”

Now that the ammunition is full, they also called actors who were worth using without hesitation.

It was a week ago that they sent the script with the cast, director, and production team specified.

Quite a few actors, including the main and supporting roles, responded, and since they even set the date for the audition on a rare Tuesday, it’s worth looking forward to the appearance of gems [talented individuals].

“The place is ready… the people are ready… there’s plenty of time… How long has it been since we opened an audition with our pockets full like this, huh?”

CEO Tae, who was folding his fingers one by one, suddenly asked as if he had remembered something.

“Where’s Director Kim? Did he say he’d go ahead?”

“Yes. He left with the staff to check the site. He should have arrived a long time ago, right?”

Large production companies have teams that are subdivided, but small productions have to block all kinds of tasks with a small number of elites [handle many tasks with few people].

Assistant director Han Seong-hoon has also been busy for the past few days, juggling the roles of production PD [production director], including schedule management, actor casting, and on-site inspection.

“Okay, let’s move slowly too. Tell Hyunsik and Jungseok to pack the rest of the luggage and stick with us.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll go down and start the engine.”

The audition is in two hours.

They need to go in advance to check the atmosphere and prepare by looking at the profiles of the actors who are coming today with the production team.

Arriving at the first basement floor of the studio.

CEO Tae’s eyes widened as he got out of the elevator.

“What is this?”