The day of the founding ceremony.
The view from the CEO’s office was magnificent.
In front of the building, it was packed with people waiting to enter the founding ceremony.
From the people of <GO Entertainment>, to MILM. KMD. And even the American connections Junseong had built up over the past few months.
At the far greater number of people than I had expected, my heart began to beat quickly.
“Ha…”
As I was admiring those people, Junseong gave a small laugh and said,
“A lot of important people are coming today too. So get a hold of yourself. We’re not just a director and a producer anymore.”
Money on a completely different level from Korea.
Hollywood, where a production budget of 25 billion won was treated as low-budget.
A place like Hollywood could easily go over something like 25 billion won just in labor costs, set production costs, and location rental fees alone.
If <Space Vagabond> had been made in America too, it would have cost several times more.
Even if only the actors were changed to fairly successful Hollywood actors right away…… it would be terrifyingly expensive.
“Are you listening? What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
When I asked back, Lee Junseong put a hand on my shoulder, pointed at the people below, and said,
“We’re businesspeople now. Businesspeople who have to figure out what thoughts are inside the heads down there first. Stay sharp. This is a place where your nose gets cut off while you blink.”
“I understand.”
Junseong, intending to move their base completely to Hollywood, first began by organizing the rights.
In particular, he moved the rights to all the movies produced in Korea over to Seonghyeon KMD Pictures.
And they formed a cooperative relationship with TIC, to whom they had handed over the distribution rights.
It was a decision made because, with America’s landmass being so vast, it would be impossible for a newly established production and distribution company to go straight to a wide release all at once.
“It’s time. Let’s go down. Oh, right. Who wants to give the opening address first?”
“You go first.”
At my words, Junseong shook his head.
“No. You go first.”
“Why?”
“Because the main character is supposed to appear late?”
Junseong made a V with his fingers and propped up his chin.
“What are you talking about, you lunatic? You’re the main character?”
“Then you think it’s you?”
“Rock-paper-scissors?”
“Hey, what kind of man over thirty plays rock-paper-scissors?”
Junseong said with a frown.
“Scared?”
At that one most powerful word that shakes a man.
Junseong collapsed helplessly.
“Call.”
“Heh-heh, this is nice.”
Chester entered the venue with his niece, Taylor.
“Wow, there are really a lot of people.”
“Look at how people are dressed. If you had come wearing your space T-shirt here, you would have been the only thing anyone saw.”
Because Chester had threatened that he would pretend not to know her if she wore clothes with a space background even to the event hall, Taylor wore an uncomfortable black dress.
“Come on, Uncle. Are you going to live your whole life worrying about what other people think?”
“You need to worry about it a little. I’m not exactly someone who pays close attention to other people’s opinions either, but you don’t care at all. It’s too much.”
Chester and Taylor bickered as they entered the event hall.
When the faces of several heavyweight figures occasionally came into view, Chester looked around the event hall with a satisfied smile.
Large posters of the movies they had produced so far were hung up, and as expected, the place where the most people had gathered was in front of the <Space Vagabond> poster.
Seeing people taking commemorative photos in front of it and smiling brightly, Chester felt good for no particular reason too.
And then there were all kinds of major figures from the film industry.
When the representatives of other investment and distribution companies also caught his eye, Chester’s expression wrinkled slightly.
“Hmm…”
But in Hollywood, cooperative relationships with other film production and distribution companies were an unavoidable necessity.
No matter how dog-like those humans were, there were times when their help was needed.
Because in film production, unexpected things happen all the time.
To deal with such things, there were more than enough matters where one had to ask for help even from trash-like people.
The connections Lee Junseong had brought in were definitely people who had value to be used quite effectively.
“Representative Lee Junseong really is a capable friend too. In that short amount of time, he’s put together a pretty decent network.”
“You shouldn’t say that to Representative Lee Junseong.”
“Hm?”
“He’s the kind of person who will tell you every little thing he did all day long. He’ll even tell you how he became close with them, at what kind of gathering, and how many glasses of alcohol he drank with whom.”
As Taylor shook her head with a horrified expression, Chester laughed loudly.
“Now, let’s hurry along. The opening address will start soon.”
Just as Chester and Taylor were moving quickly.
A voice called Chester’s name from behind.
“Mr. Chester!”
A woman’s voice he did not want to hear.
At that voice, Chester frowned and turned around.
“Haha, hello? Mr. Chester? Haha. Have you been well?”
Olivia Stone, the head of the distribution department at Everest Pictures.
The humiliating memory from a few months ago, when the distribution of <Space Vagabond> had been coldly rejected.
But as if it did not bother her, she approached first.
“Taylor. Could you go ahead to where they’re giving the opening address? Save us seats where we can see well.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Taylor glared at Olivia once, then slowly moved away. Chester replied to Olivia with a pleased smile.
“Ugh, of course. I’ve been well.”
But Olivia’s face, when they were facing each other, felt completely different from her voice.
Her face was full of embarrassment and shame.
“That’s good. Haha…”
Enjoying the sight of Olivia as she seemed, to anyone, to be forcing the words out, Chester spoke with a broad smile held on his face.
“The matter of distributing Space Vagabond is perfectly finished too. And it seems a new wind will blow through Hollywood. Could anything be better than this?”
“Haha, that’s right. A new wind…”
“The fluttering wings of a small butterfly that crossed over from the East will create a hurricane in Hollywood. Haha.”
“…”
Olivia smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Then, after taking a sip of the cocktail beside her, she continued with difficulty.
“Haha… But about what I said back then…”
“It’s fine. It only proved that my level of judging movies wasn’t wrong.”
Chester threw Olivia’s own words right back at her.
‘Do you think the level at which you people judge movies is the same as the level at which I judge movies?’
Olivia’s words, sunk in a pitiful sense of superiority.
He could not know whether the success of <Space Vagabond> had perfectly cured that sense of superiority, but he could at least be certain that it had landed as a fairly heavy effective blow.
“I, I’m sorry…”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Olivia blinked at Chester’s words.
“What?”
“I said there’s no need to apologize. Work is all like that, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“Unless it wasn’t that, and it was some personal feeling? Haha. Surely that wouldn’t be the case, would it?”
Chester asked her with a smile.
“Haha… Of course. Absolutely not… Haha…”
At Olivia’s awkward smile, Chester gave a small laugh and said,
“If those friends later have something to ask of your side, let’s call it even by having you grant that request then.”
“…”
A formal apology had no meaning whatsoever.
There was nothing to boast about in having received an apology from someone, and it was only an act for the mood of the moment.
Chester’s conclusion was that, instead of receiving an apology, it was a much better choice to receive a promise of something.
“Next time, you can at least watch the movie, can’t you? Let’s hope there won’t be anything from now on where even that kind of opportunity is taken away. That shouldn’t be a difficult thing. Well, I don’t know what may happen in the future.”
“…”
Olivia silently nodded, and just then, an announcement came through the speakers.
-The opening address by the CEOs of Seonghyeon KMD Pictures, Gyeong Chanhyeon and Lee Junseong, will begin shortly. Everyone in the event hall…
“Now. I’m going to properly hear those friends’ resolve. Then, excuse me.”
Leaving Olivia, who was wearing a rotten expression, behind him, Chester headed toward the front of the event hall with a bright smile.
Then the neatly dressed Lee Junseong and Gyeong Chanhyeon came into view.
Perhaps nervous because of the fairly large crowd, Lee Junseong caught his eye, lips pressed tightly together as he took deep breaths.
With what words would they open the doors of a Hollywood production company?
Chester looked at the two young men with eyes full of anticipation.
Then, the two of them seemed to turn their backs to the people and do something.
‘Are they doing some kind of ritual…?’
Perhaps the ritual had ended, because Lee Junseong was grinning, and Gyeong Chanhyeon, as if nothing had happened, strode over to the microphone.
Then, after adjusting the microphone’s position, he carefully uttered his first words.
-Hello, everyone. I am Gyeong Chanhyeon, CEO of Seonghyeon KMD Pictures. First of all, before the opening address, thank you for joining us at the beginning of our production company.
As he began in Korean, the interpreter beside him quickly interpreted.
“Oh.”
An unexpected choice.
Chester watched Gyeong Chanhyeon with interest as he began not in English, but in Korean.
-I stand here as both a film director and the CEO of a production company. If not for all of you here, I absolutely would not have been able to come this far. Especially if not for that friend over there who is smiling, I could not even have dreamed of this place.
At that, Lee Junseong erased his grinning expression and tried, in his own way, to make a serious expression.
-The direction we will take from now on is, like other production companies, to make films. Not films stamped out like industrial products. We will make films that are truly proper. Just as we have done until now. From now on, there will be no such thing as a meaningless film among the films I make.
Gyeong Chanhyeon took a drink of the water in front of him, then gave a faint smile.
-Also, there will be sufficient support not only for my films, but for other film directors who have vision. Whoever they are, as long as their ability is decent, we will make that talent shine. We plan to fully support directors who were unable to seize any opportunities for reasons other than their cinematic ability. Because this film company is not my film company alone.
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, the expressions of the representatives of the huge production companies twisted.
“Heh-heh.”
The reason their expressions twisted was simple.
Because most of them were not people centered on ability.
For them, politics and skin color mattered more than ability.
They were people whose greed was bigger than their desire to bring a director’s talent to life.
Seeing such people frown, Chester naturally found himself laughing.
-I will try to become the kind of CEO of a production company and film director who devotes this one body to film. Thank you.
When Gyeong Chanhyeon bowed, cheers burst from the people. And when Lee Junseong was about to come out, Taylor, who was beside him, said,
“Uncle. Let’s go now.”
“Hm? Why?”
“Ugh, Producer Lee talks too much. There’s even an interpreter, so it’ll be twice as much as usual. Rather than listen to that, I’d rather look around here.”
It had only been recently that he had properly talked with Lee Junseong.
He was definitely a friend who talked quite a lot, but…
“Hmm… He was like that… Do you think he’ll talk a lot up there too?”
“In that kind of setting, he’ll try to look cool and talk so much more that there’s no comparison. Let’s go, hurry. It’s better to eat something delicious.”
“Haha. All right. Let’s go.”
What would happen from now on?
With excitement in his heart, Chester moved after Taylor while thinking back over Gyeong Chanhyeon’s opening address.
“Heh-heh.”
He was certain.
If it was them, they would surely create a hurricane that would overturn Hollywood entirely.
With that certainty, Chester grinned and took a sip of his cocktail.
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