WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

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◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈

Chapter 8: Bring That Writer Here Right Now! (5)

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"What the hell did you go and do?!"

The moment I picked up, Department Head Han Kang-hee let out a roar loud enough to rupture my eardrums.

I instinctively held my phone away from my ear and grinned.

Excellent timing, and exactly the reaction I had expected.

"Wow, you're full of energy. You're as lively as ever, Department Head."

"What? You crazy bastard! Do you have any idea what's happening because of you right now?!"

Of course I did.

I had carefully planted that bomb just to screw them over. How could I not know?

But I played dumb.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Don't play dumb! What you gave us as the final version was a set of discarded early drafts riddled with plot holes! And damn it, what's with all those shoot location reservation dates? Why are the lead actors' schedules all off by one day?!"

"Oh? Really? Did I send an early draft? I clearly remember sending the Final Final version properly. Or was Final Final Final the real final version? I guess the file names were similar, so I got confused."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?! You bastard! The set is in chaos because of you, and the actors' management companies are raising hell too! How are you going to take responsibility for this?!"

I desperately held back a laugh and answered shamelessly.

"Hmm... Why should I care?"

"What? Hey, Ji Yeon-woo! What did you just say?"

"I said it's none of my business. I already quit, so I'm an outsider with absolutely no connection to SBC anymore, right? Why are you asking me about another company's work mistakes? And I can't remember whether it was Final Final Final or Really Final Final Final, so search the hard drive and find it yourselves."

"You bastard, so you did it on purpose! You screwed up the schedule too, didn't you?! Do you want to die?!"

Leaning against the wall, I put on the most aggrieved voice I could manage.

"Come on, don't say something so frightening. You know I'm bad with numbers, Department Head."

A laugh kept slipping out.

Ah, this wasn't good.

I hid my laughter with a fake cough and continued.

"Ahem. Matching up reservation dates was surprisingly confusing. It wasn't intentional, so please be understanding. But they were all only off by one day? Too bad."

"You bastard!! Agh!"

My irritating provocation made him choke over the phone.

Listening to that sound...

'Wow, that feels amazing.'

It was as refreshing as chugging an entire 1.5-liter bottle of soda.

I had been craving something fizzy after all that meat earlier, and now I had saved myself the cost of a Coke.

"You, you bastard! Do you think you'll get away with this? I promise you, you won't be able to work in this industry ever again! I'll do whatever it takes to bury you!"

It was a vicious threat, an ultimatum from one of the industry's most senior CPs[1], but instead of fear, it only made me want to laugh.

It sounded exactly like something a third-rate villain would say.

Besides, I had done this prepared to leave the industry anyway. What was there to fear?

"It's too late to regret it now! I'll make sure you're buried, you hear me?!"

"Yes, Department Head! You can do it!"

"You crazy son of a...!"

Click.

I hung up on him.

"Hmm. Life is good."

As I headed back to the room with light steps, I had to struggle to keep my laughter from bursting out.

When I reached it shortly afterward, I composed my face as best I could and opened the door.

But the room felt strangely empty.

"Huh?"

The bearded PD[2] who had been passionately showering me with all kinds of sweet talk was nowhere to be seen.

Only the woman PD with glasses was waiting for me, fidgeting anxiously.

"Ah, Writer Ji, you're back?"

"What about the other person who was here?"

"Well... he said he had to make a quick call. He'll be back soon, really soon!"

He had probably stepped out to report to his superiors.

Something along the lines of, This writer won't take the bait.

Without any further delay, I picked up my coat from the table.

"I see. Anyway, I think we've said everything we need to say, so I'll be going now. Thanks for the meat."

"No! Writer Ji, please wait!"

The woman PD rushed over in alarm and grabbed me.

"Please wait just a little longer! PD Woo will really be back soon!"

"I'm busy in my own way too. And it doesn't look like we have anything else to discuss."

"W-well...!"

Her eyes shook as though there had been an earthquake.

Her lips moved as she searched for an excuse, then she finally cried out.

"You haven't finished eating yet! Look, there's still plenty of meat left! We specially prepared this to treat you, so you should take your time and eat before you go!"

"...?"

"Y-you'll have more, right? Right?"

For a moment, I looked down at the beef giving off a savory scent on the grill.

This was 1++ Korean beef[3], not just any food.

I might not even get to see it again in the future, so it did feel a little wasteful to leave it behind.

"Hmm... in that case."

My deliberation did not last long.

Swiftly, and in a perfectly natural motion, I sat back down.

"Since PD Woo said he'll be right back, I'll wait a little longer out of courtesy."

"Th-thank you, Writer Ji! He'll really be right back! Excuse me! Two more servings of marbled ribeye, please!"

"Ahem."

"N-no! Four servings! Please add four servings!"

I cleared my throat and readjusted my chopsticks.

I couldn't say no to marbled ribeye.

#

At that moment, in a silent office somewhere at tvM.

A mountain of proposals was piled atop the desk, and at its center sat a middle-aged man.

He was Tae San-hyeok, the bureau chief overseeing tvM's Drama Bureau and an absolute powerbroker whose influence weighed heavily over South Korea's broadcasting industry.

Scratch, scratch.

Only the regular sound of a fountain pen moving over paper echoed through the chilly office.

Then,

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

The phone resting at one side of the desk vibrated noisily.

The caller was [PD Woo Young-taek].

The guy who had recently been making a fuss over a certain rookie writer's script.

"Hmm."

Tae San-hyeok set down his fountain pen and leisurely answered.

"What is it?"

His voice was low and heavy.

In contrast, Woo Young-taek's voice poured urgently through the receiver, unlike his usual manner.

"Bureau Chief! Those SBC bastards seem determined to go all in!"

He had heard Woo Young-taek was meeting with an unknown rookie writer.

Why was SBC suddenly coming up?

Tae San-hyeok's brow narrowed slightly.

"Calm down and give me the facts briefly. What are you talking about?"

"Well..."

Woo Young-taek explained the entire situation.

The rookie writer who had not even blinked at unprecedented contract terms. And Department Head Han Kang-hee of SBC, who had apparently made contact with the writer first.

The moment he heard it all, Tae San-hyeok's mind began to race furiously.

'Han Kang-hee moved personally?'

Han Kang-hee was crafty and would never act personally unless certain.

On top of that, the department head was the producer in charge for three dramas scheduled to air in the latter half of this year.

And Han Kang-hee was carving out time from a busy schedule to cling to a rookie writer?

There was definitely something there.

Then Woo Young-taek drove the point home.

"And, Bureau Chief. This writer isn't just a complete rookie."

"If he isn't just a rookie, then what is he?"

"I think he used to be that Seo Eun-hye's assistant."

For the first time, Tae San-hyeok's heavy gaze wavered.

"...Are you certain?"

"Yes. Quite a few things had struck me from the beginning, but after meeting him and speaking with him directly, I know. I'm absolutely certain."

Seo Eun-hye, the absolute number one in South Korea's drama industry.

Even Tae San-hyeok was shocked by the appearance of her assistant writer, who had been surrounded by nothing but rumors.

'Seo Eun-hye's assistant...'

All the scattered puzzle pieces in Tae San-hyeok's mind began to fit together perfectly.

Writing far too seasoned for a Script Contest submission, a direct recruitment offer from CP Han Kang-hee, and audacious ambitions and resolve that did not falter even before extraordinary treatment.

If he was a monster rookie who had absorbed all of Seo Eun-hye's know-how, this strange situation made complete sense.

"Hmm..."

Tae San-hyeok's eyes flashed sharply.

The calculations in his mind were already complete.

The value he assigned to Ji Yeon-woo had already soared through the roof.

Meanwhile, Woo Young-taek's anxious report continued.

"The atmosphere at the meeting is not good. I don't know what kind of card SBC played, but the writer looks ready to get up at any moment. At this rate, he might head straight to SBC. It's urgent, Bureau Chief!"

Whether SBC had its own informants or not, it was always one step ahead.

Having opportunities snatched away by those bastards, then regretting it too late, had become tvM's bitter routine.

But this time, they could not let that happen.

Losing this writer did not simply mean losing one project. It meant surrendering the initiative for the next several years.

"PD Woo."

"Yes, Bureau Chief."

"What do you think? Can you reel him in to our side?"

"...Honestly, I'm not confident. There's a limit to what I can offer on my own authority."

"Hmm."

After a few dozen silent seconds of consideration, Bureau Chief Tae San-hyeok finally spoke as though he had made up his mind.

"Reset the terms."

In this industry, if you hesitated with a half-hearted offer, you would lose everything before you knew it.

They had to crush the competition with an overwhelming hand.

"Set the writing fee at 50 million won per episode and lock in a Saturday-Sunday prime-time slot. Tell him full authority over the lead director and key casting will be delegated to the writer. Guarantee a minimum production budget of 30 billion won, and offer an advance signing bonus twice the current industry's best terms. Make the deal."

"Y-yes? Even so... terms like these are unprecedented..."

"He's Seo Eun-hye's alter ego. Whether we pour in hundreds of millions or several billion won, he's worth the investment."

Tae San-hyeok was certain.

In a tense tug-of-war with SBC, anything less than this level of bidding would not be enough.

'No, perhaps it isn't just SBC.'

Other broadcasters might already be joining the battle beneath the surface.

That was why, even if it meant bleeding for it, they had to land the big fish named Ji Yeon-woo.

No matter how much it cost.

Footnotes:

[1] CP: In Korean broadcasting, a chief producer, a senior executive who oversees productions.

[2] PD: A Korean broadcasting title for a producer-director, who plans and directs programs.

[3] 1++ Korean beef: The highest grade in Korea's beef quality-rating system.

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