Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Anonymous Author An Yu-chun: "I'm here."

As soon as Lee Gwan-han opened the office door and entered, a loud voice erupted.

"Are you crazy?"

"Why are you doing this again?"

"Why? You really don't know?"

"Since I don't know, I'm asking, right?"

"Hey! What kind of contract did you make like this?"

"Oh, it's because of the contract."

"Brat, you know everything and still going to act like this?"

Park Tae-hyuk glared with his eyes and shouted.

However, Lee Gwan-han, who had already made up his mind, replied confidently without being intimidated.

"Did I make the contract alone? Didn't we agree on it together?"

"Did I say to pay the money in one lump sum?"

"It was because of the situation... What, the situation was tough?"

"Because of the debt, I was about to end up on the street, and I couldn't ignore the plea."

Lee Gwan-han pulled out the answers he had prepared while at the sauna, one by one.

"Ah, really, you're going to drive me crazy. What if you can't get the investment? What will you do then?"

"Loss of 100 million won."

"What? Is it so easy for you to say that it's not your money?"

"That's why I need to get the investment."

"What?"

"I will take full responsibility and get the investment, and make the movie a hit."

Lee Gwan-han spoke loudly.

However, Park Tae-hyuk's expression did not brighten up.

"Then why did you change the title again? 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal' sounds better than 'Three Generations Family Story.'"

"Since you've decided to trust me, trust me to the end."

"How can I trust you? You took the corporate card and spent money like water, saying it wasn't your money."

"I didn't spend it like water."

Lee Gwan-han looked aggrieved.

The drinking session with Kang Hyung-jin had indeed gone on for a long time. However, Lee Gwan-han mostly paid with his own card, not the corporate card, anticipating that Park Tae-hyuk would get angry.

"You spent more than 50,000 won."

"These days, prices are so high. 58,000 won for a meal and drinks is actually quite cheap."

"Hey, you promised to use the development budget sparingly!"

Park Tae-hyuk snorted, and instead of arguing, Lee Gwan-han thought to himself.

'That's enough!'

Through this conversation with Park Tae-hyuk, Lee Gwan-han had firmly made up his mind.

Lee Gwan-han decided to end his relationship with Park Tae-hyuk after 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal' for two reasons.

First, he was annoyed by Park Tae-hyuk's petty reaction to the 58,000 won spent on the corporate card. Second, Park Tae-hyuk's suggestion that 'Three Generations Family Story' was a better title than 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal' proved that he lacked taste.

Hiding his true feelings, Lee Gwan-han said,

"First, please deposit the money into Director Kang Hyung-jin's account. The situation seems very urgent."

"I already did."

"Already?"

"Since I had to pay it anyway, I sent it quickly."

'Good job!'

Thinking this, Lee Gwan-han quietly stood up.

He knew that staying any longer wouldn't lead to any good words.

"Where are you going right after work?"

"I have an appointment."

"What kind of appointment?"

"To work hard and get the investment quickly."

Zing, zing.

Just then, Lee Gwan-han's phone vibrated.

"Looks like they're calling because you're not here yet. I need to go quickly."

Holding up his vibrating phone, Lee Gwan-han hurried to leave the office.

"Kwan-han!"

Park Tae-hyuk called out.

"What is it now?"

"This movie must succeed."

"I'll really work hard."

Lee Gwan-han answered immediately.

This was not a temporary answer to avoid the situation.

Lee Gwan-han was determined to get the investment for this movie and make it a hit, but not for Park Tae-hyuk's sake.

The call to Lee Gwan-han was from Director Kang Hyung-jin, and Lee Gwan-han could easily guess the reason for the call.

'He must have confirmed the deposit!'

Kang Hyung-jin's situation was very urgent.

He probably kept checking if the deposit had been made since he woke up that morning. As soon as he confirmed that the agreed amount had been deposited in full, he must have called.

"Director, did everything go well yesterday?"

"Yes, thanks to you, I had a great time after a long time."

"I also had a great time after a long time."

"Mr. PD, I confirmed the deposit in my account."

"Ah, you've confirmed it."

"I will never forget this favor."

Kang Hyung-jin said with a slightly trembling voice.

"It's not my money; it's from our CEO."

"But you made the contract."

"That's true, but..."

"I've been in the film industry for a long time. I know about the reputation of Lamp Entertainment's CEO Park Tae-hyuk. I'm not so clueless that I don't know how much effort you put into getting the script and director fees paid in one lump sum."

Lee Gwan-han smiled faintly.

It was more about taking a lot of abuse than effort.

Still, he felt good.

Because Kang Hyung-jin recognized his hard work.

"It's something I should have done."

Suppressing the urge to take credit, Lee Gwan-han said.

"No, in the current film industry, things that should be done naturally often don't happen. That's why I'm even more grateful to you, Mr. PD."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"For this movie, you really need to do a great job directing."

"Of course."

"As I said earlier, in the current film industry, things that should be done naturally often don't happen."

Hearing Lee Gwan-han's words, Kang Hyung-jin asked,

"Then, what should I do now? Should I revise the script again?"

"What revision?"

"To get the investment, it would be better to have a casting script ready, right?"

The casting script Kang Hyung-jin mentioned was a script circulated to cast actors for the roles in the movie. The casting script usually focused on making the characters more appealing to attract actors who would want to play them.

'He's really enthusiastic!'

Lee Gwan-han smiled wryly.

Perhaps because the deposit had been made, Kang Hyung-jin was burning with enthusiasm to revise the script again.

"No, Director, you need to do something else."

His enthusiasm was very encouraging.

However, Lee Gwan-han had to put a stop to it.

"What should I do?"

"First, solve the urgent matters at home."

"What? But..."

"Isn't there a saying that a harmonious home leads to success in everything? Once your home is peaceful, you'll have more mental space, and you can direct the movie better, right?"

"Understood. I'll do that. And thank you for your thoughtful attention."

After finishing the call with Kang Hyung-jin, Lee Gwan-han headed to the coffee shop where he had met Kang Hyung-jin the day before.

He had another appointment.

"Long time no see, this guy."

A smile spread across Lee Gwan-han's face as he walked toward the meeting place.

Ding.

Lee Gwan-han opened the door and entered the coffee shop.

"Welcome."

The female staff greeted him upon seeing him enter.

Her voice was quite gruff. And there was a reason why she didn't greet him warmly, even though he was a regular customer who visited the coffee shop almost every day.

He would order a 2,500 won coffee and occupy a table all day, so it was no wonder she wasn't happy to see him.

"It's an honor to meet the most capable PD in the Korean film industry."

At that moment, An Yu-chun, who had arrived early and was waiting, stood up and bowed 90 degrees when he saw Lee Gwan-han.

"Why are you doing this?"

Lee Gwan-han felt embarrassed as he realized that all the customers in the coffee shop were looking at him.

He also noticed that the female staff's expression had changed.

'He really has a sense of style.'

As Lee Gwan-han approached, An Yu-chun said again,

"I respect you, Mr. PD."

"Did you eat something wrong?"

"I was hungry."

"Why were you hungry?"

"Because I thought you would buy me a meal."

Lee Gwan-han shook his head at An Yu-chun's confident response.

'I forgot, he's always been this shameless and funny.'

An Yu-chun was a scriptwriter, 25 years old.

After graduating from a local technical college, he came to Seoul with the dream of becoming a writer.

He supported himself with part-time jobs and consistently wrote scripts, but he hadn't achieved any significant success yet.

An unknown writer.

This was An Yu-chun's current position.

The reason Lee Gwan-han knew An Yu-chun, an unknown writer without any contest wins, was that he had submitted a script to Lamp Entertainment.

'The Trivial Story of That Night.'

This was the title of the script book An Yu-chun had brought to the office.

Originally, he would have thrown it into a deep drawer without reading it.

However, the reason Lee Gwan-han read the script was because of what An Yu-chun boldly said that day.

"I will give you the opportunity to produce a script that will attract ten million viewers."

Lee Gwan-han was impressed by An Yu-chun's boldness. After reading it, he thought, 'I was really fooled.'

The script was so bad that it would be hard to attract even ten thousand viewers, let alone ten million. It lacked a proper structure and the theme was too cliché.

Still, Lee Gwan-han gave An Yu-chun his business card.

It wasn't because of An Yu-chun's difficult situation.

It was because he saw potential in the script An Yu-chun had written.

100 million viewers producer

Polishing contract

"My stomach is sticking to my spine."

An Yu-chun exaggerated.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Of course, ribs."

"Ribs? In the middle of the day?"

"Ribs are best eaten during the day."

"Let's agree on rib soup."

"Rib soup?"

"I drank too much yesterday, so I want something with broth."

An Yu-chun looked disappointed.

"Don't like it? If you don't, just say so."

"When did I say I didn't like it? But..."

"But what?"

"Can I have two bowls?"

"Sure, have two bowls."

For 'Three Generations Family Story,' or 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal,' An Yu-chun was a crucial player in securing the investment.

But what was two bowls of rib soup?

Having successfully obtained what he wanted, An Yu-chun quietly opened his bag.

A moment later, he pulled out a script.

"Mr. PD, this is the script I wrote recently."

"Put it away."

"Why? At least take a look first..."

"I don't need to. It's a video."

An Yu-chun puffed out his cheeks at Lee Gwan-han's blunt response.

"Who watches videos these days? It's all about DVDs."

Lee Gwan-han asked the grumbling An Yu-chun,

"Do you want to make your debut soon?"

"Of course, no need to ask."

The main reason writers want to make their debut, i.e., have their work released, is to receive better treatment.

The treatment for new writers and experienced writers can be vastly different.

The same goes for An Yu-chun.

He wants to make a successful debut, quit his part-time job, and live as a full-time writer.

"I'll make you debut."

Lee Gwan-han confidently stated.

It wasn't just empty words.

As mentioned earlier, An Yu-chun has qualities as a writer.

Lee Gwan-han plans to instruct him to write a script that will maximize these qualities and make him debut in a short time.

However, not right away.

An Yu-chun, unaware of this, lit up with excitement.

"Mr. PD, you are truly the best film producer in Korea."

"Why am I the best producer?"

"You recognized my potential."

"That's not it. You only know me as a producer, so you call me the best, right?"

"Still, you are sharp."

Lee Gwan-han chuckled and pulled out a contract from his bag.

"I'm feeling nauseous and hungry, so let's get the contract done quickly."

"Script contract? How much will you pay as a deposit? 500? 1,000? Since you know my abilities, 2,000?"

"Yu-chun, don't drink the kimchi broth. This is a polishing contract, not a script contract."

"Polishing?"

There are two main types of script revisions.

Adaptation and polishing.

Adaptation involves changing major settings in the script or replacing characters.

Polishing, on the other hand, involves changing dialogues and descriptions without altering major settings, to make the characters more distinct.

Lee Gwan-han proposed a polishing contract to An Yu-chun because of his strengths as a writer.

An Yu-chun's strength.

He excels at maximizing the charm of characters.

His ability to deliver unexpected lines at the right moments makes him particularly strong in comedy films.

He is the ideal person to polish 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal,' a human comedy.

Moreover, since he is still an unknown writer, the payment for polishing would not be too expensive.

However, upon hearing that it was a polishing contract, not a script or adaptation contract, An Yu-chun's disappointment was evident.

"Why, don't you like it?"

"Not necessarily, but..."

"I'll give you 500."

"500?"

An Yu-chun's expression changed when he realized the polishing fee was more than expected.

"Is it a difficult job?"

"It's easy. With your skills, it should take a few days."

"Indeed, you recognize my abilities."

"Will you do it, or not?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it."

Perhaps he thought this was better than his part-time job.

The moment An Yu-chun agreed, Lee Gwan-han asked,

"Do you know Cha Tae-hoon?"

"Of course."

"What about Park Bo-yeon?"

"She's my favorite actress."

"Good."

"What's good?"

"These are the lead actors for this movie."

As Lee Gwan-han explained further, An Yu-chun's expression darkened.

"It's going to fail."

"What?"

"The age difference is too big for a romance."

"They're father and daughter."

"Huh?"

"They'll play father and daughter."

"Father and daughter?"

"You'll understand when you read the script."

Instead of explaining further, Lee Gwan-han handed An Yu-chun the script for 'Over-speeding Three Generations Scandal.'

"Can you do it in a week?"

"A week is too short, right? At least give me two weeks..."

"Just write it freely."

Lee Gwan-han added, seeing An Yu-chun's puzzled look.

"Your writing is better when you write freely."

- Film is the art of the director.

- Film is the art of detail.

- Film is the art of following rules thoroughly.

These were definitions of film.

Lee Gwan-han also agreed with these definitions.

However, the definition of film he most agreed with was this:

- Film is the art of waiting.

He wanted to produce and release a film quickly, show it to the audience, and receive good reviews.

This was the common desire of all film producers.

However, a film cannot be rushed and proceed smoothly just because one person is in a hurry.

To make a good film, one must learn to wait.

"I'll wait a week."

Lee Gwan-han would wait for An Yu-chun to finish the polishing, but waiting indefinitely for the polishing to be completed