The Korean film industry is being set ablaze by a single person.
Gyeong Chanhyeon.
Kim Surin could only bite her nails and wait for the release of <Jawol>.
The flood of articles since the preview screening of <Jawol> tormented the already anxious Kim Surin even more.
[<Jawol>, a new horizon for Korean cinema. Kwak Yeonji’s acting. A different league. What did they do to her voice?]
[<Jawol> overseas rights revenue estimated at over 5 million dollars…… <Night>, <Desirelessness> video rights booming along with it!]
“Sigh…does this even make sense.”
If she had known that the opponent she had to fight at the box office was a person of this caliber, Kim Surin would have given up long ago.
A Korean film that works abroad.
She had thought that phrase itself didn’t even compute.
But he broke through it in one go……
What kind of film is it, that speaks Korean and is set in Korea, yet somehow sells overseas!
This wasn’t the only thing she couldn’t understand.
The fact that someone had bought and distributed the rights to <Jawol> meant even Americans who find reading subtitles annoying acknowledged it.
Just how good a film is it, that…
Shaking her head and telling herself there was still hope, Kim Surin looked at the articles about her own work.
[Director Kim Surin, <Please Love Her>—a revolution in the romantic-comedy genre!]
[Lee Seobin, as expected, a guarantee of success when it comes to lovable acting!]
[<Please Love Her> hits 2.3 million! A successful first production for Taesan Film!]
There was still some time left in the run.
<Jawol> was about to open soon, but if she could pull in as much as possible before then, maybe it could reach 3 million.
But in the end, the important thing was that Gyeong Chanhyeon’s film needed to fail at the box office.
Only then could she continue receiving support from the Taesan Group.
Being caught up in a pride fight between conglomerates.
The very fact of being the shrimp whose back breaks in a whale fight felt disgusting.
But there was no helping it.
Because that was reality.
“As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I feel a bit proud that I was able to widely promote our country.”
Those were the words Gyeong Chanhyeon said as soon as he returned to Korea.
People praised that brief answer to no end.
A country low in cultural output, a country little known to the world compared to its capability.
A country whose few companies that made inroads overseas are known as Japanese companies… being able to widely promote such a country…
Those words alone were enough to make people look forward to <Jawol>.
“Damn it.”
Kim Surin dropped her head onto the desk and stared at the floor.
The Cheongpung Film Festival Grand Prize that she used to glance at from time to time was long since gone into the trash.
The empty space lay desolate, making an already lonely atmosphere feel even more forlorn.
Rring.
When the name of CEO Kang Junmo popped up on her phone, Kim Surin felt a sensation like the ground sinking away for the first time.
After a few rings, she gingerly picked up and answered.
“Yes, sir. It’s Kim Surin…”
—Enough.
Kang Junmo cut her off without any intention of listening to her introduction.
—The mood looks serious right now, doesn’t it? Completely different from what you said. He even won an award. Seems like the entire nation is waiting for <Jawol>’s release date.
“Yes…”
With his voice full of irritation, Kang Junmo pressed Kim Surin hard.
But Kim Surin could only answer weakly.
—I did everything you asked me to do. Then why is it that everyone’s expectations seem to be piled on that bastard alone?
“…”
—You said you were confident. That’s not something you spout off carelessly. Tsk.
Grinding her teeth, Kim Surin held back at Kang Junmo’s sneers.
—That Cheonpoong Film Festival Grand Prize we gave you. You think you got that on your own merits? Huh? Is that why you strutted around saying you were confident?
“Ah…”
So that’s how it was, after all.
An award from an idiot who doesn’t even properly know the festival’s name.
Thinking that the trophy she’d stomped and smashed a few days ago hadn’t been hers to begin with, a hollow laugh escaped her.
The feelings from that space where the Grand Prize had sat.
Emptiness and loneliness.
And now anger piled on top.
—Ah…? I see you’ve got the leisure to say that kind of crap right now?
“Hey. That’s enough.”
—What? Hey? You little punk……
“You think just because I stayed quiet, a younger guy like you can look down on me as beneath you?”
—Has this bitch lost her mind…?
“Yeah. Lost it. I’ve got pride too, you son of a bitch. I’m a person too.”
Finally spitting out the words that had been circling her throat, Kim Surin felt refreshed.
Pouring out even the things she’d always held back, itching to come out but never crossing her lips, left Kang Junmo at a loss for words.
“Do I look like your toy? Rather than live hearing that kind of crap from you, I’ll just quit making movies. You fucking bug.”
She couldn’t beat Gyeong Chanhyeon anyway. She’d only been denying it; she knew.
Money. That was the problem.
She had sold her soul for money.
But now she wanted her soul back.
If she apologized to Gyeong Chanhyeon, would he accept it?
Was it already too late?
Spewing curses, Kim Surin threw the phone she’d been on mid-call.
The phone split in two, snapping in an instant.
Seeing that, Kim Surin gave a dazed little laugh and said,
“Yeah, this is better. At this rate, I wouldn’t live out my years.”
Seonghyun Productions was in constant festival mode.
What had happened since the release of <Jawol> would go down in the annals of Korean film history.
[<Jawol> sold out day after day in theaters. Boom times like no other! Agape Theaters’ revenue beyond imagination!]
[On the back of successful investment in <Jawol>, KMD Group affiliates’ stocks rise day after day!]
From these money-flowing articles to articles about the lead, Kwak Yeonji.
[Kwak Yeonji’s acting. A defining stroke in the history of Korean actresses.]
[Let’s look back at Kwak Yeonji’s acting life.]
And lastly, articles about social issues broke out day after day.
[The draft-dodging corruption shown in <Jawol>. Is it true?]
[Third-generation chaebol. Draft-dodging corruption must be investigated rigorously…]
[The previously stalled investigation into Politician A’s son’s draft-dodging reopened…]
Sweeping the cultural, business, and political spheres of Korea, <Jawol> drew such focus that the daily audience record was updated every day.
Even lying at home, you could hear the sound of money flowing in, but there was far too much to do.
Today was the day to meet with Go Sangwoo.
Junseong was too busy with work, and since Kwak Yeonji finally had a day off, we decided to meet one-on-one.
“Director Gyeong Chanhyeon. But why me all of a sudden? Aren’t you busy because of the film right now?”
Go Sangwoo asked me in a tone that said he didn’t understand why he was sitting in front of me at a fancy restaurant, without even Yeonji there.
“Once the shoot is over, the ones who get busy are Junseong and the production company. For me, this is the timing to rest a bit.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“And we said back on set that we should grab a meal sometime. Though Junseong couldn’t come because he’s busy…”
Maybe because I was looking at him hoping he had the talents of the Go Jin-hun in my head.
He averted my eyes as if burdened and turned his gaze to the tabletop.
“I have something a bit important to tell you.”
“P-pardon? Without Yeonji? I’m just a lowly manager…”
Adjusting his glasses, Go Sangwoo gulped as if very nervous.
“I’m not here to rank people by their current title. I’m here to look at ability.”
“Pardon? Ability? I have no aptitude for acting…”
Putting down the fork he’d picked up, Go Sangwoo wore an expression that said he had no idea what I was talking about.
“No, not that kind of ability.”
I couldn’t look at Go Sangwoo only through rose-colored glasses.
It was possible he’d climbed to such a position on the strength of a career he’d built up from manager.
So I had prepared all the questions I needed to check beforehand.
“Before we get into that, I have a few things to ask.”
“Y-yes?”
“The current cultural climate in our country. And how we should go about branching further out into the world.”
At this out-of-the-blue question, light flashed in Go Sangwoo’s eyes.
Seeing that he didn’t consider it a preposterous question gave me a bit of hope.
Go Sangwoo wasn’t flustered by Gyeong Chanhyeon’s question.
It was something he’d thought about countless times even ordinarily.
A dream of making Korean stars for the world stage.
For Go Sangwoo, who had entertained thoughts others would dismiss as nonsense, Gyeong Chanhyeon’s question felt like a rope from heaven.
At last, someone had appeared who might listen to his story.
“Is there a possibility of going global?”
“I believe there is more than enough.”
Go Sangwoo knew Gyeong Chanhyeon wasn’t the kind of man to dismiss his words as nonsense.
Because he was a person who had accomplished the very things others had called nonsense.
“In what respect? Right now, abroad, well… Korean dramas have sold in Japan to some extent, but most foreigners still don’t even know where our country is. And yet you say it’s sufficient?”
“Yes. But it will require time, effort, and enormous capital.”
“Well, that much is only natural.”
Go Sangwoo also had a deep interest in how the world’s cultural currents flowed.
And in how culture affects the world.
He had nurtured his dream studying even history.
“By the way, may I know what exactly you want right now? Are you looking to establish an entertainment agency, or is there some other reason…?”
“I’m looking for someone who, while establishing an agency, also has a bigger dream.”
“A bigger dream meaning…?”
“Enormous money and spreading the name of the country called Korea to the world.”
Smiling at Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, Go Sangwoo asked back.
“May I know the reason? I know you’re not someone who would do this just for money.”
Gyeong Chanhyeon was one of the few truly remarkable people in the world.
Someone for whom what he truly wanted to do came before money.
Having even refused lobbying from Hyeyum Entertainment, Gyeong Chanhyeon was already an object of awe to Go Sangwoo.
And so, by instinct, Go Sangwoo knew there was no way he was doing this merely for money.
“Ha ha, you’re quick on the uptake.”
“If I’ve overstepped my bounds…”
“No. That’s not it.”
A bit sheepish, Gyeong Chanhyeon cleared his throat a few times, then looked straight into Go Sangwoo’s eyes and continued.
“I want to spread the culture of the Republic of Korea toward the world.”
“Pardon…?”
“I must succeed in Hollywood. And for that to happen, raising the stature of Korea’s cultural sector will help me reach the goal I want.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, Go Sangwoo’s heart pounded.
“I must succeed.”
A sense of duty toward success.
That alone was enough to fill Go Sangwoo with great expectation.
“If Korea’s soft power itself rises, that means there will be more places where I can spread my influence.”
“…”
A laugh slipped out of Go Sangwoo.
“Have you ever played the game <Civilization III>?”
“Civ 5 is the real deal, though.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, no. Forget it.”
Regretting what he’d just said, Gyeong Chanhyeon knit his brows.
“Please pretend you didn’t hear that. I was babbling. But why bring up that game all of a sudden?”
“Because it gave me grounds to feel that the power of culture kept growing.”
When Civilization 1 and 2 came out, the concept of culture hadn’t even been introduced.
But starting in 2001, that game company added the concept of culture, advocating for the importance of culture.
“Hm…”
With a pleased smile, Gyeong Chanhyeon asked Go Sangwoo,
“Then let’s return once more to the previous question. The possibility of going global…Do you have methods in mind?”
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