Chapter 39

Li Chong drove to An Bingji's company, holding the file box with the rating documents and went up to An Bingji's office.

"What's wrong, why did you come in such a hurry?" An Bingji asked when he saw Li Chong.

Li Chong didn't speak but handed the file box to An Bingji. An Bingji opened it with a puzzled look and saw the rating form for "The Chaser." He flipped through it and exclaimed, "Ah, it really is rated for viewers 18 and over?"

"Yes, that's right. I came here to ask you, how did you know my movie would be rated for viewers 18 and over?" Li Chong asked, somewhat heavily.

"I heard it from a friend, a producer. About half a month ago, he went to the Film Rating Board to submit a movie for rating. While smoking in the hallway, he overheard someone on the phone, saying they were going to rate a movie for viewers 18 and over," An Bingji explained.

"But, does Liu Xiuli have that much influence to affect the Film Rating Board?" Li Chong was puzzled. Isn't the Film Rating Board randomly selected?

"Liu Xiuli doesn't have that much influence, but his brother, Liu Xiubiao, does," An Bingji explained.

"Liu Xiubiao?" Li Chong had never heard of this person.

"Yes, Liu Xiubiao. He is Liu Xiuli's brother. Three years ago, he was elected as a national legislator from Gwangju, and he is a member of the Education, Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee. He is also one of the representatives of the CJ Group. With his word, the Film Rating Board will take care of the rest. Besides, your script is quite sensitive," An Bingji explained further, seeing Li Chong's confusion.

"National legislator?" Li Chong felt like he should find a block of tofu to bash his head against. How could this involve politics...

"Ha ha, he just said it, but he wouldn't dare to do anything specific. He's afraid of being caught, and if his opponents get a hold of it, he won't have a good outcome," An Bingji reassured Li Chong, seeing his shock.

An Bingji looked at the film reel in Li Chong's file box and asked, "Is this the version you submitted for review?"

"Yes, after Brother Zhang Xun relayed your message to me, I re-edited it several times. This is the version I'm most satisfied with while ensuring the rating," Li Chong said, somewhat helplessly, still not fully recovered from the shock of the national legislator.

"Can I take a look?" An Bingji also wanted to see what Li Chong had done with "The Chaser," as he had recognized the script's potential.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll think about other things and use the computer to look up Liu Xiubiao's background," Li Chong said.

An Bingji had someone bring a cup of coffee and then took Li Chong's film reel to the screening room.

Li Chong sat in An Bingji's office, his mind racing. He was considering whether to compromise, find a distribution company, and sell the copy, just to recover the costs; or to fight back, since it was already rated for viewers 18 and over, and add back the scenes he had cut to make the story more complete, taking a big risk. If it didn't work, he could always start over as an MV director, as he still had some recognition in that field.

Afterward, Li Chong searched for information on Liu Xiubiao on An Bingji's office computer. It turned out that Liu Xiubiao was originally the president of a construction group in Gwangju, overseeing a construction company, several private schools, and even a charity school. His reputation in Gwangju was quite good. Later, through Liu Xiuli's connections, Liu Xiubiao linked up with the CJ Group, and his construction company expanded to Seoul, successfully operating a commercial real estate project.

Of course, there were some minor issues, such as using violent demolition when a family refused to move, which was later smoothed over; and a small problem at the charity school, though it wasn't explicitly mentioned online.

Li Chong gradually had some interesting ideas, but he wasn't sure if they would work. Time passed, and An Bingji finally finished watching the film and returned to the office.

"Li Chong, is this the version you edited?" An Bingji asked.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Li Chong noticed An Bingji seemed a bit puzzled.

"There's no real problem, but some parts seem a bit disconnected, as if something is missing."

"Ah, there are some scenes with more violence that I cut according to the rating requirements, so a few parts look a bit incomplete," Li Chong explained.

"However, I really like this movie. I think it's a rare gem in the past two years. I support you finding a distributor to release it. And since it's rated for viewers 18 and over, I think it can at least recover the costs, and it might even break 1.5 million viewers. This is without the CJ theaters," An Bingji was truly impressed by Li Chong. Though he had high hopes for Li Chong, the surprise was immense.

"1.5 million?" Li Chong was also shocked by this number. If it were rated for viewers 15 and over, he wouldn't be surprised, but 18 and over, and without the CJ theaters, it was unexpected.

Li Chong had estimated that the current cost was around 2.5 billion won. A box office of about three times the investment would recover the costs, which is around 7.5 billion won, or a bit over 1 million viewers. There would also be a series of overseas releases, DVD releases, and network and TV broadcasts, which would bring in a significant amount of income. So, it would be a sure profit.

"Director An Bingji, if I put all the violent scenes back in, even if it gets a 19 and over rating, do you think it could still recover the costs?" Li Chong felt he should take a risk.

"Hmm, I can't guarantee it, but it would make the plot more complete. I think you should give it a try," An Bingji said after some thought.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Director An Bingji. I have a bit more confidence now. There's one more thing I'd like to ask you," Li Chong seemed to have made a decision.

"What is it? Just say it, and I'll help if I can," An Bingji felt his judgment was good. Helping Li Chong now would pay off in the future.

"Hehe, it's not a big deal. I don't know anyone at Showbox, so I'd like you to introduce me," Li Chong said.

"That's no problem. When do you plan to meet them? I'll take you. I know their CEO, Li Gengxian, and we have a good relationship. Besides, you're bringing them money, so it shouldn't be a problem," An Bingji felt Li Chong was still thinking clearly and should make the right choice.

"Not now, after the New Year, around the 10th of next month. I'll re-edit the film and get it re-rated, and we can talk about it then," Li Chong wanted to have a clear path forward.

"Alright, let's do that," An Bingji agreed, thinking it made sense.