Chapter 12

On Friday, it was the day scheduled to meet with Gao Zuodong from TUBE Entertainment to discuss a collaboration. Zhang Dongguo accompanied again, and Kim Tae-hee still clung to his back.

Ding Ling Ling, the phone rang. The three people in the car looked at each other as if they had a tacit understanding, then they all smiled.

Lee Jung-hi took out his phone from his pocket and answered. A strange voice came from the other end, "Hello, are you Mr. Lee, the writer of 'Blue生死恋' (Blue Love and Death)? I'm sorry to disturb you, I'm Zheng Xuntuo, the director of sidus Entertainment. If you have time, I would like to invite you for a casual meal…."

Another call from a talent agency director. Lee Jung-hi had received countless such calls over the past few days, all with various excuses to have dinner, drink coffee, or entertain at a club, with one goal: to recommend their artists. He didn't know who had leaked his phone number, but it was clear that everyone knew his position in the 'Blue Love and Death' production team.

Lee Jung-hi was also helpless, but he couldn't ignore them. This was the most normal public relations method in the industry. A talent agency, with so many artists, although they usually exploit them, they also work hard to help their artists find various opportunities for appearances, endorsements, and commercial performances.

However, he also knew his limits. The selection of the main creative team needed the approval of Park Dong-jeom and Yoon Seok-ho. Most importantly, he didn't want any other factors to cause the show to have any unexpected issues, as it was related to the game, and this game was not a joke, it could make him disappear in an instant.

Therefore, he always declined with, "Thank you for your kind invitation. The selection of actors is mainly decided by Mr. Park and Director Yoon. Of course, if there is an appropriate opportunity, I will suggest it to them!" This polite and firm approach left no room for complaint.

Of course, this didn't include the wild Kim Tae-hee in front of him. After he hung up the phone again, her bright eyes stared at him. Although she admired his current popularity, she wrinkled her nose and huffed, "Look at you, getting so proud, just because you're a writer…!"

If it were before his rebirth, Lee Jung-hi would definitely have countered to drive her crazy, but now he just smiled. However, he didn't realize that this made Kim Tae-hee even more frustrated and depressed, and in the end, she could only pinch his leg to vent her anger.

Jongno, a name with a resounding reputation, is known for its numerous film production companies, shooting locations, and cinemas, making it a symbol of the Korean film industry and even the cultural industry. Therefore, Korean filmmakers consider being from Jongno a source of pride.

Today, the meeting with Gao Zuodong from TUBE Entertainment was at 3rd Street here, which is also a well-known gathering place for film production companies.

"Hello," in the TUBE Entertainment reception room, the tall and thin Gao Zuodong extended his hand to Lee Jung-hi and smiled, "Mr. Lee, you are now a famous writer, you must have been very busy these days!"

This was not a sarcastic remark about their two-day delay in meeting, but rather an acknowledgment that he knew about Lee Jung-hi's collaboration with KBS. This was not surprising, as Seoul is not very big, and the entertainment industry is even smaller, which made Gao Zuodong even more confident in Lee Jung-hi.

After Lee Jung-hi politely responded, Gao Zuodong pointed to a man with glasses beside him and introduced him, "This is Director Ahn Byung-ki. It was he who fell in love with your script and recommended it to me…."

Ahn Byung-ki, of course, Lee Jung-hi knew him. This future master of Asian horror films, known as the "Midas touch" of Korean horror cinema, was a very capable person. Not only was he an excellent director, but he was also a great producer, with films like "Speed Scandal" and "Sunny" under his belt.

After receiving the game reward for the script of "Curse," Lee Jung-hi had specifically researched this film and knew that, without the game's intervention, the scriptwriter of this film was actually Ahn Byung-ki himself. Perhaps this was why he liked the script.

"Hello, Director Ahn Byung-ki, it's an honor to meet you!" Lee Jung-hi greeted him politely, "I am very grateful for your appreciation of this script, and I hope to learn from you in the future!"

He then introduced Zhang Dongguo and Kim Tae-hee, but this time, he did not mention that Kim Tae-hee was his cousin.

"Empire Entertainment!" Gao Zuodong clearly paused when he heard the name, "Is that the Empire Entertainment company?"

Lee Jung-hi and Zhang Dongguo both felt the urge to roll their eyes. This was a question they had discovered later, but neither of them wanted to change it.

"No, it's just Empire Entertainment!" Zhang Dongguo smiled and handed over his business card, saying half-jokingly, "We are a new company, but we have confidence that in the future, people will think of us first!"

Such words naturally didn't matter much to Gao Zuodong. After the initial pleasantries, they moved on to the main topic, finalizing the script, which included the tone and style.

This was a necessary consideration before signing the contract. If the two parties did not agree, one side would have to make a concession, either by changing the script or by the production company following the scriptwriter's intentions. Only when both parties were satisfied would the contract be officially signed.

However, this was not a TV drama but a movie. In most cases, the scriptwriter would modify the script according to the intentions of the production company and the director, or even according to the requirements of the invited big-name stars. This was the difference between Korean movies and TV dramas, or rather, the difference in the status of TV scriptwriters and movie scriptwriters.

"The tone of this movie is resentment and guilt, which is the theme that runs throughout the film. The script contains all the plot elements, with a few scenes that are slightly eerie, but mostly scenes from daily life. The fear is rendered through the inner world of the characters, leading to their breakdown and madness…."

Lee Jung-hi had seriously studied the script and the movie and understood Ahn Byung-ki's intentions, but he only touched on the surface. After all, his expertise was limited. He concluded, "As for the choice of cinematography, makeup, lighting, and music, and how to arrange the scenes and use the actors' performances to render the fear, I think the director is much more skilled in these areas!"

Ahn Byung-ki and Gao Zuodong both smiled. Although Lee Jung-hi didn't say much, he had accurately captured the tone of the movie and cleverly pointed out the importance of cinematography, makeup, lighting, and music in a horror film, which are the most important means of rendering fear.

Clearly, Lee Jung-hi, the young genius who had already demonstrated his value in his collaboration with KBS, was not just a name.

At this point, Gao Zuodong looked at Ahn Byung-ki, who nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Lee's views are similar to mine. This movie is about stimulating the inner world of the characters, creating an uncontrollable fear from the inside out. This does not require many eerie scenes like other horror films. Instead, using scenes that are closest to our daily lives is more conducive to the audience's immersion…."

The tone is set in daily life, where the inner activities of the characters, including their deepest doubts, resentments, and fears, lead to hysterical surface behaviors, which in turn cause a series of bad outcomes. This is the basic structure of "Curse."

As for the specific plot, the selection of the main creative team, the choice of scenes, and the breakdown of shots, these are things to be considered later. For now, they were just finalizing the initial script in the pre-production stage.

"Alright, I think we can discuss the specific terms of cooperation!" After Ahn Byung-ki and Lee Jung-hi shared a common vision, and Gao Zuodong was satisfied, they naturally moved on to the specific terms of the contract.

This time, Zhang Dongguo was more direct. He politely glanced at the contract Gao Zuodong had handed over, then set it aside and said slowly, "Forgive me for being blunt, Director Gao, I wonder if you have heard about the contract we signed with KBS…."

Gao Zuodong knew that Zhang Dongguo was dissatisfied with the 5 million won they had offered for the script. The price of a movie script was naturally much higher than that of a single episode of a TV drama, and 5 million won was not a high price, even the lowest tier for movie scripts.

However, Lee Jung-hi was still a rookie, and even though he had started collaborating with KBS, he was still a rookie because he had not yet achieved any results. This price was just an initial offer, and naturally, there would be some back-and-forth negotiations.

"That's not news anymore," Gao Zuodong smiled and deliberately turned to look at Lee Jung-hi, "Actually, I'm curious, was this the idea of a Harvard economics Ph.D.….?"

Hearing him suddenly say this, Lee Jung-hi also smiled lightly, then glanced at Zhang Dongguo before shrugging and said half-jokingly, "Well, a bit. I discussed some related things when I signed the contract with Mr. Zhang."

Gao Zuodong had a look of "I knew it" and raised his eyebrows, "It seems you have a lot of confidence in yourself!"

"Sure, in any endeavor, having confidence in yourself is the most basic requirement," Lee Jung-hi shrugged, shifted his body to a more comfortable position, and continued, "And I think this also helps to motivate myself to do better, and at the same time, it is undoubtedly the most beneficial solution for both parties in the cooperation…."

Regardless of whether Gao Zuodong agreed with him, he did not contradict him but turned to look at Zhang Dongguo. Zhang Dongguo immediately understood and stated the terms, "It's simple. We will use the break-even point of this movie as the base. Below the break-even point, we don't want any payment. Conversely, if it exceeds the break-even point, for the first 100,000 viewers, we want 5% of the box office revenue after the break-even point. For 100,000 to 300,000 viewers, we want 10%, for 300,000 to 500,000 viewers, we want 15%, and so on, with a cap of 30%…. Finally, for the revenue from DVD and other distribution channels, we want 5%…."

PS: Tomorrow is the start of a new week, and the new book needs your support to climb the rankings. Also, if you haven't added it to your collection, please take the time to do so. Thank you!

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