Chapter 12

A hangover is the most headache-inducing thing. Last night, Li Chong, to show his apology, fearlessly drank every toast, matching cup for cup, until he finally passed out after finishing all the soju in the restaurant... Li Chong rubbed his temples, thinking he must have drunk nearly 20 shots... These guys, just wait until I get back at you...

"Huh?" Li Chong looked around. How did I get back to the apartment? He looked at himself, even his clothes were changed... "Which good-hearted guy not only brought me home but also changed my pajamas!" Li Chong muttered. Feeling thirsty, he saw a glass of water on the bedside table and drank it without hesitation...

"Spit" Li Chong spat it out again. So salty, how much salt did they add... Is salt free or something...

At this moment, Li Chong noticed a sticky note under the cup, which read, "Li Chong oppa, this is to punish you for drinking so much that you didn't even recognize me, and you even called out someone else's name while hugging me, but I know your secret now... Hehe..." Signed, "Yoo Ri"...

Oh, my god, Li Chong held his forehead, feeling like his head was about to explode. Yoo Ri... How could it be her... Wasn't she supposed to stay at home? What was she doing out so late...

Li Chong thought of Gao Changjian. It must have been him. He immediately called him, "Hey, why did you call Yoo Ri last night... Don't you know how awkward it was for me?" Li Chong asked angrily.

"Um, it was me. We didn't know where you lived, and I knew Yoo Ri would know, so I called her. She had just finished filming, so I asked her to take you home... Did anything happen between you two?" Gao Changjian spoke calmly at first, as if it wasn't his doing, but the last sentence revealed his curiosity...

"Ah... I was out like a dead pig, what could have happened? How did I end up with you guys..." Li Chong was speechless... "Alright, I know it was you. Don't forget to deal with the issue between you two. We'll have a meeting in three days," Li Chong said solemnly.

"Got it. By the way, since nothing happened, I'll tell you, I was the one who changed your clothes, don't think too much about it..." Gao Changjian said slowly...

"Ah, geez" Li Chong was really depressed...

Li Chong's studio wasn't very big, including himself, there were only 8 people: photographer Gao Changjian, lighting technician Gao Changyang, production manager Jin Hyunchang, script supervisor Ma Yingguo, Liu Shiji, prop master Li Xianshi, makeup artist Jin Fengying.

Li Chong checked the time; it was already noon. He must have slept a lot. The studio had already been reorganized, and the funds were in place. Now, they just needed actors... But before recruiting actors, he had an idea. Li Chong took out his phone and dialed a number, "Brother Zhang Xun, are you busy lately? Do you have time? I need your help with something."

Zhang Xun, on the other end of the line, hesitated for a moment and said, "Sure," setting a time and place. Zhang Xun hesitated because he had heard that Li Chong was looking for funding everywhere. If Li Chong asked him, he would be in a difficult position. After all, if the teacher were to step in, the funds could be secured. But it wasn't worth offending people... He decided to play it by ear and help if necessary...

Back in 2004, Li Chong had helped Kim Ki-duk shoot "The Empty House." Li Chong was one of Kim Ki-duk's three cameramen. Kim Ki-duk loved Li Chong's cinematography style, which was gentle, delicate, perfect, and eerie... The atmosphere in his shots was strong. So Li Chong was considered half a disciple of Kim Ki-duk, while Zhang Xun had been Kim Ki-duk's assistant director for 10 years and was his most capable assistant and disciple... Both Li Chong and Zhang Xun were young people with the hope of directing their own films, so they had a good relationship.

It was still a café, and cafés were everywhere in Seoul, making it a perfect environment for romantic conversations... No, for business talks...

Li Chong arrived at the agreed place early because he was starving... He hadn't eaten in almost a day because he was moving and there wasn't even instant noodles in the apartment...

Just as Li Chong was wolfing down his food, Zhang Xun arrived. Seeing Li Chong's disheveled state, Zhang Xun felt he should help this half-brother...

Li Chong saw Zhang Xun and quickly stood up, swallowing the noodles in his mouth, "Brother Zhang Xun, you're here, sit down, do you want to eat something?"

Zhang Xun shook his head; it was only three in the afternoon, who eats at this time... "I'll just have a juice."

Li Chong called the waiter and said to Zhang Xun, "Brother, wait a moment. I drank too much yesterday and haven't eaten all day. I'll talk to you after I finish eating."

As Zhang Xun watched Li Chong eat, he felt more and more sorry for him. Li Chong was at the peak of his career when he went to serve in the military... After returning, he was even blacklisted by CJ... Zhang Xun decided that as long as Li Chong asked, he would help him as much as possible...

"Ah" Li Chong patted his stomach, feeling good after eating.

"Um, Brother Zhang Xun, I want to shoot a film, and I'm short of an experienced assistant director. If Teacher Kim Ki-duk doesn't have any plans recently, I'd like to ask for your help..." Li Chong said, looking at Zhang Xun.

"Sure, what?" Zhang Xun had already planned to agree as long as Li Chong asked for help... But what Li Chong said was different from what he expected...

Seeing Zhang Xun's surprised expression, Li Chong explained, "I want to shoot an independent film. The funds and crew are in place, but we're all new, and only I have experience in film production. The rest haven't participated. I said I wanted to find an experienced assistant director... Um, Brother, you agree?"

"You, shooting an independent film?" Zhang Xun was really surprised. Shooting a film isn't a game; it involves tens of billions of won. With Li Chong's current assets, he couldn't afford to put up that much money...

"Um, I sold my apartment and borrowed some from a few friends. Now I have 30 billion. Although it's not much, it's enough to shoot a film. I'm planning to go all in," Li Chong explained.

Zhang Xun was stunned by Li Chong's bold move. 30 billion... If Li Chong's film doesn't recoup its costs, he would be in debt for at least five years, and MVs aren't as profitable as they used to be...

"Do you really just want me to be your assistant director?" Zhang Xun asked uncertainly.

"Um, I need you, no, I need your experience," Li Chong saw Zhang Xun's face turning green... and quickly added.

"Alright, I agree. I also want to see what the young talent the teacher praises can do..." Zhang Xun agreed. His thought was that since there was nothing to do now and Teacher Kim Ki-duk had no film plans, he also had his own plans to shoot a film... Accumulating more experience wouldn't hurt.