A few days later, at MILM Korea.
Taylor checked the music video footage of Zetais sent from the US.
It was a visual she had never seen before in her life.
It was at a level that naturally made one worry if perhaps too much had been invested in a single music video.
“Wow…”
Taylor watched it several more times, unable to hold back her exclamations, then thought back to the conversation she had with Gyeong Chanhyeon a few weeks ago.
‘I’m thinking of making a music video for Zetais. I think I’ll need MILM’s technology for it.’
Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words had only raised more questions for Taylor.
In a situation where he was riding a wave of success with <Space Vagabond>, it was difficult to understand why he would suddenly dive into producing a music video.
But at this level of quality, it wasn’t something that could be evaluated as a mere music video.
It was a kind of comprehensive work of art.
If anything, it felt more like a movie than a music video. Taylor pressed the play button once more to watch it, then asked Nick, who was working beside her.
“Nick, did you see the footage Director Gyeong sent?”
Nick, who was working on the Mephisto CG requested by Gyeong Chanhyeon, gave a thumbs up first.
“Yeah. It’s insane. Just how much did he spend on this…?”
“Exactly. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”
“But Director Gyeong isn’t exactly someone who acts without a plan… there must be something, right?”
Nick stared blankly at the footage for a moment before speaking.
“Maybe he’s planning to win the Music Video Award at the NTV Music Awards?”
At Nick’s question, Taylor tilted her head and asked.
“Huh? What would he do with that?”
“It’s cool, isn’t it? ‘I can do things like this besides movies.’ Something like that?”
“Director Gyeong isn’t the kind of person who has that much of a desire to show off.”
“Hmm, that’s true. Then what could it be…”
It was a situation that was hard to understand.
Nick also leaned his chin on his hand, looking confused as they pondered together for a moment.
“Well, for now, we just have to work hard. He’s someone who’ll make something happen regardless.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“And thanks to Director Gyeong Chanhyeon expanding the facilities, work is going to be finished way faster than expected, right?”
After the hit success of <Space Vagabond>, Gyeong Chanhyeon had invested a large sum of money into expanding MILM’s facilities.
Thanks to that, they were able to hire more manpower, and as a result, the tasks Gyeong Chanhyeon assigned weren’t expected to take very long.
“Hmm… I wonder what the reason is…”
Taylor muttered to herself as she played the performance footage of Zetais again.
The visuals of Zetais made her want to keep watching.
Clearly, being handsome transcended East and West.
Looking at the faces of the members, each boasting a different charm, a smile naturally formed on Taylor’s lips.
“Ms. Taylor?”
“Uh…?”
“I know you’ve just been sitting there watching the music video footage with a motherly smile, you know?”
“Ah, uh. Haha.”
At Nick’s teasing, Taylor’s face turned bright red as she gave an awkward smile.
“Stop watching that now. Aren’t you going to work? You’ve been sitting there watching that all day.”
“Ah, right… Haha. I have to. Yeah. I should. Haha.”
A few days later.
Seonghyeon KMD Pictures, USA.
Good news was coming in from MILM.
The CG to be used in the music video was being prepared much faster than expected.
MILM was definitely worth the large investment.
It was obvious that CG would become even more important in the future.
For that reason alone, he had to invest, even if it seemed excessive.
“…….”
At the same time, the current filming was going smoothly.
An Siho’s acting was good, and at the same time, the other members’ acting was also excellent.
However, the more things went well, instead of feeling refreshed, a sense of unease grew.
‘No matter how well it’s made, it’s meaningless if people don’t watch it.’
Just as he had told Jinhun and Junseong.
One couldn’t expect much profit from this music video itself.
Because a music video, after all, was merely a means of promotion in and of itself.
“Whew….”
There was definitely a way.
With that single thought, he roughly organized the information tangled in his head on his computer.
From the conversations he had shared with Go Jinhun to the future details he knew.
Certainly, the future information he possessed contained many more failures.
One example was the globalization of Korean food.
‘Looking back, it was a waste of taxes.’
The globalization of Korean food was chosen as a way to enhance the national image.
However, later on, it held less significance than a single photo of an idol eating tteokbokki posted on social media.
The fact that the impact of a single idol’s photo was greater than a national project that invested over 40 billion won.
If he used this kind of idol influence, the things he could gain were endless.
Ticket power and influence as a Korean director in Hollywood.
This was the only way he could have all of that at once.
“Ha….”
As he sat there clicking away at the keyboard, squeezing out his thoughts, Lee Junseong, who was next to him, frowned as if he found it strange.
“The stuff from MILM looked good. Why? Is there a problem?”
“It’s hard. Much harder than I thought.”
“What is? Zetais’ entry into the US?”
“…….”
Junseong tilted his head and asked.
“Did you think that would be easy? I would have stopped it long ago if it wasn’t for your opinion, but if you say so…”
“It’s hard, but it’s doable.”
“I don’t think so?”
Junseong looked at him with a slight frown.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah….”
“You’re trailing off a bit.”
“I can do it.”
At his answer, Junseong chuckled and said.
“Do you and Jinhun look more haggard by the day? Both of your eyes are completely shot.”
“Because I really want to pull this off.”
“Is it my imagination, or do you look more desperate than when you were trying to make a movie a success?”
“…….”
When he didn’t say anything, Junseong laughed and held up a mirror to him.
“Look at your face first.”
At Junseong’s words, he also took a look in the mirror.
A bloodless face with hollow eyes.
Because he hadn’t been able to sleep properly for weeks, his skin was on the verge of breaking out.
“Ugh….”
“Even you’re sighing, right?”
“…….”
“We’re over thirty now, man. Don’t go wrecking your body like you’re in your twenties.”
“Once I finish this up….”
Junseong shook his head and pointed to his reflection in the mirror.
“Get some rest, old man. Stop just worrying with those pale faces, you and Jinhun both. Haven’t you finished everything you had to do today?”
Junseong shook his head and continued.
“You know there are American movie directors waiting to meet you, right? There are some pretty big names among them. But imagine the rumors if you died while filming a music video. Huh?”
“What do you mean die…?”
“It’s a figure of speech. Take care of your health. Go back to the hotel and get some rest today. You don’t have any filming today anyway.”
Junseong pulled his arm hard. His body was pulled up listlessly, and he stood up from his seat.
“Whoa, was something nailed to the chair? It’s not like I’m pulling a radish out of the ground, why does it feel like I was just uprooted?”
“Maybe because I’ve been sitting for so long….”
“Geez. If you want to keep doing this for a long time, get some rest when you can. Do you understand? Don’t go using your brain without resting until it bursts from an overload. You’ll collapse. Save your strength now, you fool.”
A chuckle escaped at Junseong’s nagging.
“Yeah, I got it. Geez, you’re loud. Then I’m going to go sleep for a bit, okay?”
“Not a bit, sleep a long time! Please!”
A few days later.
Go Jinhun gathered the members of Zetais in the meeting room of Seonghyeon KMD Pictures.
As soon as they gathered, Go Jinhun took out a box and handed it to Kim Jaehyeon.
“CEO, what is this…?”
“Open it for now. It’s one of the results of several days of deliberation between the GO Entertainment staff and Director Gyeong Chanhyeon.”
At Go Jinhun’s words, Kim Jaehyeon cautiously opened the box.
And as he took out the object inside, he frowned.
“It’s a camcorder…?”
The Zetais members collectively frowned at the sight of the camcorder.
It was an object usually used to monitor themselves during dance practice.
Because they had seen it so much, they didn’t seem particularly surprised. Kim Jaehyeon looked at the object for a moment, then asked Go Jinhun cautiously.
“Why are you giving us this all of a sudden?”
At Kim Jaehyeon’s question, Go Jinhun gave a bright smile and asked.
“It’s a making-of film that you guys will create yourselves.”
“…?”
Go Jinhun responded as he saw the bewildered reactions of Zetais.
“It’s a type of reality content that no one has tried before.”
“Reality content?”
“Yeah. The music video will be a success. I’m sure of it. What matters is what comes after.”
Go Jinhun could be certain that the music video Gyeong Chanhyeon made would be a success.
Because it was a visual more groundbreaking than any other music video existing in the world.
The problem was how to spread it and maintain that influence.
This was a problem Gyeong Chanhyeon couldn’t solve alone.
So Go Jinhun had stayed up for several days and nights thinking of a strategy.
During that time, GO Entertainment’s visual director made a novel suggestion.
‘How about capturing the honest side of Zetais? The members are all so kind that it’s worrying to put them out there, but at the same time, they’re kids you want to brag about everywhere.’
Idols were expected to be pretty, kind, and move like machines.
However, if they showed people their cute sides and what Zetais was really like in reality, it could serve as a pretty attractive source.
So, the strategy created based on this visual director’s opinion was the making-of film.
“We need to continuously draw interest from people. We have to capture their attention with constant content.”
“But will people like this? It might be a bit awkward if we film it ourselves…”
“Actually, that can be the charm.”
In the music video, they show off flashy visuals, but in reality, Zetais are gentle kids.
If they showed this side of themselves, it could draw even more interest from people.
“You see Director Gyeong Chanhyeon working hard, right?”
“Yes, of course….”
“Then we should do something as well, right? Especially stories that can supplement that music video. Let’s show those narratives to people.”
At Go Jinhun’s words, the Zetais members collectively blinked their eyes with expressions that said they didn’t understand what he was talking about.
“Narratives?”
“Yeah. Of course, it’s well-integrated into the music video, but that’s not enough. Let’s slowly unravel how you guys got here, things like that.”
Jung Hoyoung took the camcorder from Kim Jaehyeon and asked with a slight frown.
“Then what are we supposed to film with this?”
“Anything. Things that capture your emotions while filming the music video now. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You can include fighting. You can leave short interviews before going to bed.”
“Fighting too? Then we’re going to use a lot of tape. Editing it will be hard too.”
At Jung Hoyoung’s words, Go Jinhun smiled brightly and said.
“That’s our job. You guys just put yourselves into this as you are.”
Go Jinhun didn’t care what the method was.
As long as he could achieve the dream he yearned for through Zetais.
He was willing to do anything.
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