Chapter 6

"The national average Nielsen rating for 'Blue生死恋' is less than thirty percent, and the per-episode fee is one million won. If it reaches thirty percent, it will be twenty-five million won per episode. After that, for every additional five percent in the average rating, the fee increases by five million won per episode. In addition, you will receive five percent of the overseas copyright revenue..."

At this moment, the remuneration clause in the contract in front of Lee Jung-hui was the result of negotiations lasting over ten days between the director of Empire Entertainment, Jang Dong-guk, and the head of KBS TV Production Department 2, Song Yong-jin, and others.

Since you are not satisfied with three million won per episode and want to set up some kind of performance-based agreement, Song Yong-jin also wanted to show Lee Jung-hui and his team a bit of his power, so he finally set the fee at one million won per episode.

However, the benchmark of a twenty percent Nielsen rating nationwide was not very secure, so Song Yong-jin had a thought and raised the benchmark directly to thirty percent.

A full ten percent increase, making this benchmark as high as the twenty percent benchmark from over a decade later, which was not just a little difficult to achieve; it required more than just luck.

However, what he did not expect was that the director of Empire Entertainment, Jang Dong-guk, actually agreed. However, on the original standard of twenty million won per episode for a thirty percent rating, he directly added another five million won per episode.

Since you raised the standard, it's fine for me to raise the price, so both sides, as if holding their breath, ended up reaching a consensus.

Then, after the KBS legal department drafted the specific contract and it was confirmed by Empire Entertainment's so-called "legal representative" with no issues, now, after the others signed, all that was needed was for Lee Jung-hui to sign, and the deal would be done.

"What's wrong, are you regretting it...," seeing that Lee Jung-hui had been staring at the contract for a while without signing, Park Dong-chan, who was beside him, teased him with a smile.

Unlike Song Yong-jin, Park Dong-chan was happy to see a good outcome, and the sooner, the better!

"If you keep saying that, I might really get scared away!" Lee Jung-hui, who was also happy to be close to Park Dong-chan, responded with a smile. As for the contract, he was very satisfied. Although he did not clearly remember the average Nielsen rating for 'Blue生死恋,' it was the top Korean drama of the year, with a peak rating of over fifty percent. Thus, an average of thirty percent was a sure thing.

Moreover, although in Korea, the revenue from TV reruns, DVDs, VCDs, and the like had nothing to do with him, Jang Dong-guk had secured five percent of the overseas copyright revenue. This was a great deal, especially considering that Song Yong-jin and others did not see it as very promising.

Of course, if calculated based on the ten achievement points Lee Jung-hui spent to get this screenwriter position, he was still at a loss, as ten achievement points were equivalent to one billion won. Now, even if the rating reached thirty percent or higher, after deducting taxes and the agent's share, he would only get about one-third of one billion won.

However, the screenwriter position for 'Blue生死恋' was not something that could be simply calculated by the per-episode fee.

Therefore, Lee Jung-hui signed the contract without hesitation. As he signed, a notification box suddenly appeared in his mind.

It was the notification box from the Devil Entertainment game, which was now integrated with his brain.

"Dear player, congratulations on completing the beginner's task. You will receive two achievement points as a reward, and the position of screenwriter for the excellent film 'The Curse'..."

Great, getting this news, Lee Jung-hui felt elated, and a smile appeared on his face. This time, he had gained two achievement points and a screenwriter position for a film. Although he was not familiar with 'The Curse,' since it was an excellent work, it seemed he had a chance to recoup his costs.

Ding, his inner joy had not yet subsided when another notification box suddenly appeared in his mind, "Dear player, congratulations. Since you have obtained the screenwriter position for 'Blue生死恋,' you have changed the original work's complete attributes, so the future development of this work is unpredictable. Please continue to work hard..."

What does that mean? Just changing the screenwriter, the script hasn't changed, how can it become unpredictable? This is too unfair. This was something he had paid a large part of his savings for, and now it seemed they were trying to renege on the deal. If Alice were here, Lee Jung-hui would definitely have scolded her.

He was almost driven mad. His originally smiling face instantly changed. If the "unpredictable" meant that the ratings and influence would not follow the original trajectory, he would be in real trouble.

"Jung-hui, Jung-hui!" At this moment, Jang Dong-guk suddenly patted his shoulder. When he came to, he saw that everyone in the meeting room was looking at him, realizing that he might have missed something while in a daze.

Thinking to himself, "Alright, I knew this game wouldn't be that simple," he put that aside and apologized repeatedly, forcing a smile as he said to the others in the meeting room, "I'm really sorry. It's my first time, and I was so surprised that I got a bit overwhelmed. I'm really sorry..."

He actually hadn't missed anything. After signing the contract, everyone was in high spirits, but he was just standing there, looking out of place.

Park Dong-chan, who was indeed different, smiled and said, "What's there to be sorry about? It's always a bit surreal when you achieve something for the first time!"

"Minister Park, you really understand me!" Lee Jung-hui also smiled, playfully adding, "I've never been this excited even when I got scholarships in school!"

Amidst everyone's laughter, he paused for a moment and then said to Park Dong-chan very politely, "I really appreciate your support, Minister Park. I hope you will continue to guide me in the future!"

This was a heartfelt statement, and Park Dong-chan naturally responded courteously.

After signing the contract, it was almost noon. After a brief chat, Jang Dong-guk invited Park Dong-chan to have lunch, and Park Dong-chan did not refuse. In Korea, it was very common for representatives of talent agencies to invite representatives of production companies, TV stations, directors, and advertisers to have meals. Only by building such relationships could they quickly get information about various projects and advertisements, and then secure the most favorable positions.

Park Dong-chan had some business to attend to, so Lee Jung-hui and Jang Dong-guk went to the parking lot to wait for him. Neither of them actually had a car; they had rented one for ten thousand won per day.

There was no choice; they had to maintain a good image. They had planned to invite Park Dong-chan to lunch after signing the contract, as he was the producer of 'Blue生死恋,' and they would be working together for a long time.

If they invited him to lunch and he found out they didn't even have a car, it would be embarrassing for "Empire Entertainment."

"We need to solve the car issue as soon as possible," Jang Dong-guk patted the car roof, frowned, and said to Lee Jung-hui, "You'll be traveling a lot, and it won't do without a car!"

"I'm not a big star, just a screenwriter!" Lee Jung-hui laughed and shook his head, "When there's no shooting, I have nothing to do, and when there is, I can hitch a ride with Minister Park or the production team."

Having a car would be great, but Jang Dong-guk's family was not well-off, and while Lee Jung-hui's family was better off, he didn't want to ask them for money.

"Let's wait for half a year and see. Once 'Blue生死恋' airs and we make a big profit, we'll have everything!"

"Make a big profit!" Jang Dong-guk stared at him with a hint of frustration, his tone filled with helplessness. After all, he still had little hope for the contract, "Are you so sure the ratings will reach thirty percent, and that's the average!"

If it were the moment of signing, Lee Jung-hui would have confidently told him it was a certainty, but now, with the uncertainty from the game, he could only shrug and say with a forced casualness, "I'm a genius, bro!"

Thinking of 'The Curse,' he changed the subject, "By the way, bro, a film company is interested in another screenplay I wrote. We'll probably sign the contract in a couple of days..."

"What?" Jang Dong-guk was stunned, his face showing disbelief, his mouth slightly agape, "You mean another screenplay?"

"Yep, I just wrote a couple of scripts and sent them out, and they both got picked up!" Lee Jung-hui's face was smug, but his tone was light, "So, bro, I really am a genius!"

Jang Dong-guk couldn't help rolling his eyes, smiled, and wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lee Jung-hui looked at him seriously and said, "By the way, bro, we need to complete the registration for Empire Entertainment as soon as possible!"

"Got it! I'll take care of it right away," Jang Dong-guk nodded seriously. Initially, Empire Entertainment was just a joke, but after deciding to sign with KBS, it became a necessity. They did not want to be exploited or controlled by any talent agency.

The good news was that company registration was not complicated, took a short time, and was very cheap, costing about one million won.

PS: Requesting support, recommendations + favorites, over!

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