WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken for an S-Class Employee ◈

Chapter 19: Fun at All Costs

──────

Was the story I’d made up on the spot too rough?

The two of them just stared blankly without saying much.

“Well... I only brought it up because I thought the protagonist’s character should be a little different.”

I’d gotten excited and started talking on my own for nothing.

Embarrassed, I smacked my lips and lowered my gaze.

“So, you mean something like, it turns out he was a hero all along?”

Manager Chu, who had been silent until then, asked me. I nodded.

“That’s right. He used to be someone who was only good at working himself to the bone, but while on leave, he spends time with his family and takes care of his children. That’s when he gains a human side.”

“...”

“I also think it would be good to have an appealing supporting character who recognizes his worth and puts him in an important position.”

“So he doesn’t start out as an intern.”

“Yes. He should start in a position where he can shake up the company.”

Manager Chu tilted her head and murmured.

“Does that make sense? Putting someone who just returned to work in that kind of position right away...”

“Even if it doesn’t make complete sense, I think being fun comes first.”

“...”

“There are dramas where people shoot lasers from their eyes. What’s so bad about this?”

I spoke firmly.

“Fun comes first. Fun at all costs.”

“...”

“Realism, plausibility, and intensity come after that.”

I’d spent four years grinding away as a writer, but I had only ever written alone. I had barely ever discussed creative work with anyone.

But once I started talking about stories, all my accumulated experience poured right out.

“Wow...”

Assistant Manager Baek shook their head beside me with a hollow laugh, though I had no idea what it meant.

Were they dumbfounded that someone who had transferred teams only yesterday was taking charge?

If that was the reason, I wished they would stop me.

“Assistant Manager Go, then about the protagonist.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Manager Chu looked at me. The condescending look in her eyes had disappeared at some point.

“A woman would be better, right? If we’re going with the returning-to-work concept...”

After thinking for a moment, I answered.

“I think a man would be better.”

“...”

“Most people would assume a returning employee is a woman, but to preserve the characterization I mentioned, a man suits it better.”

If the story in my head went forward as it was, its atmosphere suited a male lead better than a female lead.

“And above all.”

There was another important reason the character had to be a male lead.

“We can’t let it feel like a cheap knockoff of Prosecutor Cha Suk-jeong.”

Ah. I’d used industry jargon.

Manager Chu’s expression stiffened, so I hurriedly elaborated.

“That was a poor choice of words. In any case, I don’t think the work should remind people of Cha Suk-jeong. I think the protagonist should be male.”

“But it’s already been cast...”

Manager Chu muttered, while Assistant Manager Baek broke into a broad smile.

“That sounds fun, though.”

* * *

Manager Chu could not deny Assistant Manager Baek’s words either.

‘It’s fun. I hate to admit it, but it sounds fun.’

The Reinstated Employee with a Scalpel that Min-hyeok had described certainly had impact.

It felt fresh, but it also had a familiar trope that could appeal to the public.

‘But... what is this guy? It feels like more than him just having good ideas...’

Min-hyeok seemed remarkable.

Not only did he have ideas, but he could spin out an entire plot with ease.

He had said he worked in the Operations Team before coming to the Content Team, but that did not fit at all with what he had just shown.

Assistant Manager Baek had been thinking something similar.

‘Was this what the Team Leader saw in him?’

If they needed an experienced hire, they could recruit someone with relevant experience. If they wanted to train someone, it would be better to hire a new employee.

It had been difficult to understand why they had transferred an employee who had spent four years in the Operations Team, which had nothing to do with content.

But after seeing him in action, Assistant Manager Baek thought he understood a little.

“Assistant Manager Go, about what you just said.”

Assistant Manager Baek asked what they had been most curious about throughout the discussion.

“Had you been thinking about it before? Or did you read an interesting novel somewhere?”

“No. I came up with it here.”

Assistant Manager Baek was surprised, but Min-hyeok answered as if it were nothing.

“After hearing about the Veteran Intern, I thought it might be interesting to change it like this, so I brought it up casually.”

“Casually...”

It was a remarkably well-structured idea for something he had thought of casually.

Assistant Manager Baek had worked in the Content Team for over five years. They could judge the quality of most content ideas after hearing only a little about them.

‘His instincts are incredible.’

If the ideas Min-hyeok had mentioned were truly things he had casually thought up and tossed out on the spot, then he was clearly no ordinary employee.

‘Why was someone like this in the Operations Team...?’

Assistant Manager Baek assumed there must be some story behind it and decided to ask when the opportunity arose.

“Could you give us a proposal?”

Manager Chu asked Min-hyeok.

“I think the idea you mentioned, Assistant Manager Go, has considerable value. If you provide a proposal, we would like to discuss it internally.”

Assistant Manager Baek had been surprised several times that day.

Original works were supposedly something the Content Team participated in producing, but in practice, they were rarely involved.

At meetings, they exchanged a few opinions at most.

This was the first time anyone had seriously listened to an opinion and even requested a document.

* * *

A proposal? Was that the usual process?

I did not know the exact procedure, but what would I gain by sending what they asked for?

I quietly studied Manager Chu’s expression.

I had already said it all out loud. Putting it into writing would not be difficult.

As I considered how to respond...

“Manager Chu?”

Assistant Manager Baek stepped in with a warm smile.

“This may be an informal conversation, but I think we should use precise terminology.”

“...”

“We’re the buyers. Wouldn’t ‘written opinion’ be more appropriate than ‘proposal’?”

I looked at Assistant Manager Baek in surprise.

They looked so friendly, yet they could be so exacting?

Manager Chu’s face flushed. After clearing her throat, she said,

“I chose the wrong term. I’ll correct it to ‘written opinion.’”

“...”

“We would like to discuss it internally, so we would appreciate it if you could organize the ideas you mentioned and send them to us.”

Assistant Manager Baek naturally took control of the atmosphere.

“Assistant Manager Go, I know you just transferred and must be busy, but please make some time. They’re asking so nicely.”

Assistant Manager Baek skillfully made it look as though Studio Tiger was asking a favor, and I was helping them.

It would be foolish to miss a chance to earn credit. I could not forget Hyeok’s two-birds-with-one-stone mindset.

I deliberately scratched my head and answered as though I were granting them a favor.

“All right. We’re all one family trying to succeed, after all. Then send the request officially through the department email, and I’ll send it over.”

Manager Chu looked flustered, but I continued without concern.

“I’ll make sure to help with the creative intent, synopsis, character descriptions, and everything else. Please submit a proper request. Would that be a problem?”

Manager Chu bit her lip and thought for a while before answering.

“I understand what you mean. We will first discuss what we talked about today internally, and if we need more material, we’ll make a request.”

“All right.”

* * *

“Wow! Ha ha. Incredible!”

The moment we stepped outside the Studio Tiger building, Assistant Manager Baek raised a thumb at me.

“What are you, Assistant Manager Go?”

“Pardon?”

“I was seriously shocked.”

They looked at me as though I were something strange and asked,

“Did you study up to join the Content Team or something?”

“Ha ha. Of course not.”

“The way you can plot a story is no joke. What did you do before?”

“I just dreamed of becoming a film director when I was a student.”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

I told a small lie because my identity could not be narrowed down in the slightest.

Strictly speaking, writing was my main job now, and the company was my side job.

I could not let my side job affect my main job.

Assistant Manager Baek smiled and said,

“Studio Tiger is pretty high and mighty. They even provide content to Nutflix.”

“...”

“They say we can participate in the production process for Original content, but normally we just nod along.”

Remembering the way Assistant Manager Baek and Manager Chu had spoken at the beginning of the meeting, I nodded.

“Honestly, I also thought Veteran Intern was really not it. It would have been awkward to criticize it without an alternative, and you never know whether a work will be a hit until it comes out. So I held back.”

Now I understood why Assistant Manager Baek had initially been so passive.

“You’re really bold, Assistant Manager Go. You know exactly what you think, and your ideas are good too. Ha ha. Manager Chu’s expression was something else.”

I smiled and thanked them.

“I only gave my opinion, but thank you for thinking so highly of it. Ha ha.”

I also did not miss the chance to praise them. It was honestly what I had felt.

“And you were incredibly skilled too, Assistant Manager Baek. You turned the mood from defensive to offensive. It was amazing.”

“Ha ha. That was nothing.”

“I look forward to working with you. I’ll learn a lot from you.”

We laughed heartily and raised our thumbs at each other.

* * *

It was my third day after transferring teams.

I came in early, turned on my laptop, and found an email.

[Request for Written Opinion on Original Content.]

‘Sender: Manager Chu Hyeon-ju, Studio Tiger Distribution Strategy Team’

The email had not been there when I left work, so it seemed Manager Chu had worked late last night.

‘Hello, Assistant Manager Go Min-hyeok. This is Manager Chu Hyeon-ju from Studio Tiger. Thank you once again for providing such good ideas during yesterday’s meeting. They were a great help.’

The email was polite and respectful, but the phrase “thank you” appeared several times.

‘If possible, we would like to expand on the ideas you mentioned yesterday. We ask for your cooperation. We know you are busy, but please do not feel constrained by the format...’

As I read through the email carefully...

“Assistant Manager Go!”

Assistant Manager Baek approached with a loud laugh.

“Did you see the email Manager Chu sent?”

Since the email had been addressed to the Content Team, Assistant Manager Baek had naturally seen it too.

“Ah, yes, I saw it.”

“Ha ha, what a strange turn of events. I can’t believe they actually requested it.”

“I know.”

“Will it take you long to make it?”

I only needed to organize what we had discussed yesterday, so it did not seem like it would take long.

“It won’t even take an hour. I’ll put something together and send it. It’s not like I’m submitting a report to upper management.”

“Ha ha, right. Could you show it to me before you send it? I’m really curious.”

“Of course.”

An hour later.

“Assistant Manager Baek! I finished it. Would you like to take a look?”

“Yes! I’ve been waiting.”

They pulled their chair over to my desk and focused on the monitor.

“The title is the same as the one you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“...”

After that, they said nothing for a while as they immersed themself in it.

“Wow...”

They let out an admiring sigh and shook their head.

“It’s almost a waste to send this to Studio Tiger. You really are talented!”

Assistant Manager Baek had reacted well, and the more time I spent with them, the more decent they seemed.

Had all my time with Team Leader Kim been paying off some bad luck? Since leaving him behind, it felt like I had started meeting good people.

“Ha ha. Thank you.”

“Wow... It’s not easy for a written opinion alone to be this interesting.”

I smiled and said,

“Then I’ll email it to Studio Tiger right away.”

“Yes! All right. Ha ha. You became a star the moment you transferred teams, Assistant Manager Go!”

“Pardon? No, it’s not that big of a deal...”

I dismissed it because I thought Assistant Manager Baek was exaggerating.

“Assistant Manager Go!”

Part Leader Ryu called out to me from beyond the partition.

“Yes! Part Leader!”

“What did you do yesterday that Studio Tiger is bending over backward for you? Let me see it too.”

“Yes! All right.”

“Just how far did they CC this email?”

For a moment, their words sounded ominous. I quickly reopened the email Manager Chu had sent.

‘CC: Han Jae-jeong, Director of the Content Planning Bureau.’

This was getting bigger...

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