Chapter 57

In the long-running series of "World's Amazing Stories," there are many outstanding episodes, but there are also quite a few that are just average.

After all, many production teams have changed over the years, so it's normal for the quality to vary.

However, a few stories are widely recognized as excellent, such as "The Beauty Jar" and "Grandma."

Moreover, these stories are simple and involve few characters, which Yongshan Naoki feels perfectly suits the needs of a new production.

"The Beauty Jar" is a very novel story: A young man, forced to be single because his girlfriend is on a business trip, discovers that his neighbor, an uncle, has a constant stream of beautiful women. Every day, he gets a different beauty. After sneaking into the uncle's bedroom, he finds a "Beauty Jar." By following the instructions, he can produce a "beauty." After operating it, the young man creates the beauty he desires, and they quickly fall in love. However, when the beauty's expiration date arrives, she disappears. He goes out to find her and eventually discovers that he himself was also produced by his previous girlfriend...

"Grandma" is a very Japanese-style horror story: A mother takes her granddaughter, Mimi, to visit her dying grandmother. The mother keeps complaining and is busy with various tasks at the hospital... Meanwhile, the grandmother, when alone with her granddaughter Mimi, tells her that she is about to die but wants to see her lost brother. She asks Mimi to switch bodies with her for a day, promising to return the next day. Mimi, who loves her grandmother, agrees. The grandmother, in Mimi's body, meets the person she has always wanted to see and then runs back to the hospital to return Mimi's body. In the end, the grandmother dies, and the mother takes her daughter home... This heartwarming story is very touching, but the final scene is chilling: the grandmother, on her deathbed, says, "Grandma, come back quickly, Mimi is dying..."

When Itou Shuichi first heard "The Beauty Jar," he was captivated by the story's novelty, and the truth revealed at the end was even more surprising.

As for "Grandma," the first half is very heartwarming and the plot is very engaging, but the final twist is truly spine-chilling.

Itou Shuichi rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.

"Naoki-san, you're amazing! Although I've said it before, you are truly a genius!"

These two short stories, though simple, are brilliant in their novelty and plot twists, which are the most challenging aspects for a creator.

Naoki, who can write such stories, is, in Itou Shuichi's eyes, nothing short of a genius.

Naoki could only smile: "Shuichi-san, you're exaggerating."

He still hasn't learned to be more confident.

If these stories were expanded into scripts, such short dramas would surely attract an audience!

Itou Shuichi was now very enthusiastic about shooting the short dramas and couldn't wait to get started.

...

However, making a TV drama is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Itou Shuichi even called over Yashimura Daikichi, who was on vacation in his hometown.

"Shuichi-san, why did you call me over so urgently... It's so comfortable in Nagano~"

Yashimura Daikichi complained slightly when he saw Itou Shuichi.

"How can a middle-aged man without a job relax on vacation..."

Itou Shuichi was unconcerned, "Didn't Daikichi-san rush over as soon as you heard?"

"Shuichi-san, you're right..."

Changing the subject, Yashimura Daikichi asked about the TV drama, "Naoki-san, will we be producing this TV drama independently again?"

"Yep, since there are no other investors~ It can't be helped," Naoki said. "Fortunately, the production cost is small, and the shooting time is short."

Although it's a low budget, it's still a budget. The three of them pooled their resources and finally gathered 20 million yen as the production fund, with Naoki contributing half, making him the primary investor.

Although they had just received a sum of money, it was still a significant amount for Itou Shuichi and Yashimura Daikichi to contribute 5 million yen each.

However, all three were very enthusiastic about the project and had developed trust in each other, so they were determined to proceed.

"Daikichi-san, I don't expect our short drama to air during prime time. Please use the resources we obtained from BURNING Agency to secure a good late-night slot."

Only Yashimura Daikichi had some experience with this.

At this point, Itou Shuichi interjected, "By the way, Naoki-san and Daikichi-san might have to appear on screen this time!"

Naoki had expected this, but Yashimura Daikichi was clearly surprised: "Me?! But I've never acted before~"

As a traditional behind-the-scenes figure in the entertainment industry, Yashimura Daikichi had never considered being on camera.

"It can't be helped~" Itou Shuichi repeated the same reasoning.

"Given the budget constraints, we have to save on actors. I might have to appear too... Acting is something you can learn with practice."

Yashimura Daikichi recalled the dozens of NGs (no good) from GG and felt a cold sweat on his forehead.

...

The cicadas began to chirp, and the weather was so hot that long sleeves were no longer an option.

Thanks to Itou Shuichi's efforts, the shooting of the short drama went very smoothly.

The first to be shot was "Grandma." In this drama, Itou Shuichi cast his wife, Itou Kayo, and his 6-year-old daughter, Itou Kayoi.

However, the other roles still required experienced actors, especially the grandmother, who needed to portray both the gentle demeanor of an elderly woman and the innocence of a child, which was not an easy task.

Fortunately, the scenes were only two, and borrowing a hospital room was not difficult.

After the first cut was completed, everyone watched it and was shocked by the final twist.

"Naoki-san, you should consider writing horror stories. Your talent would definitely be a hit," Yashimura Daikichi said sincerely.

At this moment, Naoki was playing cat's cradle with Itou Kayoi...

Although Itou Kayoi participated in the drama, she only appeared in the first half. The scary parts were not shown to her, and she was not allowed to watch the final cut. Bored, she started playing with Naoki.

Why did she only bother Naoki?

Children are innocent and have no ulterior motives; she just wanted to play with the handsome big brother.

As for why they were playing cat's cradle, well...

It turns out Naoki learned it from playing with Tsuruko when he was a child...

"Please spare me! Writing hundreds of thousands of words would drive me crazy! It's really not easy to be an author!"

Naoki empathized with the daily updates of tens of thousands of words by web novel authors and silently praised them.

"Grandma" was very well-received, but "The Beauty Jar" was more complex. Apart from the various beauties in the drama, which was a significant challenge, fortunately, Yashimura Daikichi had experience in the world of photo magazines.

The male lead was set to be Naoki, as the final revelation that he was also produced by a beauty required him to be handsome.

As for the two female leads, who should play them?

The first girlfriend shouldn't be too beautiful but needs to have acting skills, while the second lead must be a beauty.

"Maybe we should invite Higuchi Kanako-san again?" Itou Shuichi thought of the idol they had worked with before.

"If Naoki-san and Kanako-san collaborate again, it might generate some buzz."

Everyone agreed that this was a good idea.

Higuchi Kanako was currently playing minor roles in some dramas. Without a breakthrough, she would likely only become popular after accumulating more resources and experience.

This was exactly the time she needed more exposure.