“I AM IRON GUY?”
Robert repeated my words back to me, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Then, he frowned and spoke.
“Iron Guy? Isn’t that a Moble property? I enjoyed watching it when I was a kid… are you thinking of making a live-action adaptation?”
“I won’t be directing it myself, but… yes. We will do a live-action version.”
“If you’re not directing it, then…”
“I intend to run the superhero project as a central project for Seonghyeon KMD Pictures. A mega-project.”
Robert looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
“A mega-project…?”
“I’m going to adapt that entire universe into live-action.”
“What…? All the heroes in it?”
Robert asked back, unable to comprehend.
“No, making even one a success would be difficult… Did you see the recent Spider Guy?”
“Yes. The one sold to Sorni?”
Due to financial difficulties, Moble had sold the cinematic rights for quite a few characters to Sorni.
Spider Guy, based on those rights, had been reasonably successful at the box office, but the critical reception had been poor.
“That movie was terrible. Same goes for Batman, which came out about 15 years ago when I was most active. Superhero movies won’t fly… isn’t that too big of a dream?”
“It depends on who makes it.”
The superhero movie directed by Tim Burton in 1989.
At the time, it set all sorts of box office records, and Tim Burton’s signature gloom shone through.
After that came Christopher Nolan’s Batman.
When master directors make superhero movies, their unique colors bleed into the work.
“But you said you wouldn’t be directing it?”
“Yes.”
It was one of the plans to revive the film industry.
Superhero movies would bring both gains and losses to the global film scene, so it required careful consideration.
It would certainly be a great way to grow the Hollywood film industry to a much larger scale.
But at the same time, it was obvious that movies of other genres would sink.
Just as master directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino had expressed concerns about franchise films.
Maintaining balance, as they suggested.
That was the most important thing.
“There are too many other movies to film. I can’t spend my whole life clinging to superhero movies.”
“Haha… honestly. I have no idea what’s going on in your head. A superhero universe…”
“I can’t do it right now anyway. I don’t have that much money immediately.”
Robert nodded and said,
“The rights alone… would be tens of millions of dollars… and the production costs would be dizzying. The CG… ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache.”
“I want you, Robert, to be at the center of that headache-inducing plan.”
At my words, Robert stared at me for a moment, then let out a smirk.
“You seem to think I’ll just accept it unconditionally?”
Robert smiled slyly and turned the steering wheel smoothly.
“If you don’t accept, well, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Ha, pretending to give up again?”
“Pardon?”
A playful smile hung on Robert’s lips.
“You’re just going to dump the script on me and run away, aren’t you? Just like with Detective Graser.”
“Ah, you caught me already.”
At my words, Robert smiled brightly and pulled the car into the parking lot.
“Since that’s for later, let’s eat burgers first. It’s a good day, isn’t it?”
“If it’s a good day, we should be cutting steak.”
“There are patties inside the hamburger, aren’t there?”
“….”
I shook my head at Robert’s nonchalant expression and stepped out of the car.
The next day.
I woke up early in the morning and checked the newspapers first.
Robert had become the center of Hollywood gossip.
Every newspaper highlighted the image Robert Penn had shown at the press conference.
[Robert Penn. Repents for his past and gives a chance to the malicious reporters.]
[From Bad Boy to Adult, Robert Penn. An unconventional move!]
[Robert Penn. Why Director Gyeong Chanhyeon’s new work Detective Graser is highly anticipated.]
With one press conference, Robert’s image had soared to one of favorability.
While the previous negative image wasn’t completely erased, the side of him shown at the conference was completely different from the old Robert.
It was enough to move the audience who held vaguely negative thoughts about Robert Penn.
“Hmm…”
Now, if only this hot atmosphere could be maintained.
Robert Penn’s ticket power wouldn’t cool down, and that would be a huge help to the movie’s success.
‘I can do it.’
To be crowned a hit director starting from my Hollywood debut.
Thinking it was possible, I quickly prepared breakfast and headed straight to the set.
When I arrived at the Detective Graser set, the chaotic atmosphere from a few days ago had completely vanished.
Some of the production staff, who thought the movie was almost scrapped, returned with apologies, and Robert Penn’s haters had disappeared.
As I looked around the set, smelling the scent of hope, someone called me.
“Director Gyeong Chanhyeon!”
Harris ran toward me quickly.
Harris, who just a few days ago had been making a miserable face and saying we were finished, now had a wide smile on his face.
“Yes?”
“You knew things would turn out like this, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?”
“Oh, stop pretending.”
Harris laughed playfully and stuck close to my side as he continued.
“How did you have the confidence that Robert Penn wasn’t doing drugs?”
“I’ve always had good instincts.”
“Come on, this isn’t a problem that can be solved with instincts…”
“Intuition solves more than you think.”
Harris tilted his head at my words.
Since I always brushed off all results with the word ‘instinct,’ I had memorized a few quotes about intuition.
“Einstein said it too. That it’s better to trust intuition first and verify it later than to ignore it. I’m that type of person.”
“Oh…”
Harris nodded with an admiring look at the mention of Einstein.
“And this time, it was an intuition filled with absolute certainty.”
“Ha, then do you have a feeling about how Detective Graser will turn out…?”
“Yes. It’s going to do damn well.”
“Really?”
Harris asked back with a bright smile.
“Of course. Your filming technique is great, Harris. And the acting isn’t lacking right now, is it? Detective Graser is a movie that can’t help but succeed.”
“Heehee. That’s a relief.”
“You didn’t believe me every time. Do you have some faith now?”
Harris waved his hand at my words.
“Hey, what do you mean I didn’t believe you?”
“Until last week’s shoot, you looked like you were about to die.”
“Haha…”
Harris scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
“Anyway, I’ll be trusting you, Director.”
Harris bowed his head and moved toward the camera, and I sat in the director’s chair, looking at Robert reflected on the monitor.
A moment later, a member of the crew ran up to me.
“Director, we’re all set.”
“Good. Ready!”
Robert began acting according to Gyeong Chanhyeon’s signal.
This scene was during the process of uncovering the hidden mastermind.
It was a scene where he showed bewilderment at another unexpected murder case.
Under the desk lamp, Robert naturally scanned the case records and let out a faint groan. Then, Ryan entered.
However, Robert didn’t give Ryan a single glance.
“Senior.”
“What.”
“If a person comes in, you should at least look at their face. Am I just your errand boy?”
“My mom told me to live only seeing the good things.”
At Robert’s sly ad-lib, Ryan bit his lip hard.
Then, as if he couldn’t hold it back, a laugh leaked out.
“Pfft…”
“NG!”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s shout, Ryan bowed repeatedly toward the crew and shouted,
“I’m sorry!”
Watching this, Robert smiled at Ryan as if he were cute.
“It’s okay. I almost shook the camera because it was so funny. Robert! If you’re going to ad-lib, tell the rookie first!”
“It just popped into my head. I couldn’t help it. Sorry, Ryan.”
“No! It’s okay.”
Ryan felt relieved that the atmosphere on set had become friendly.
He gulped, thinking that if such an accident had happened last week, it would have been filled with curses.
“Director? Let’s start after Ryan stops laughing. He still has a smile on his face.”
“Ah, no! You can start right now…”
“No. I can see it. You’ll definitely not be able to hold it again. Rather than another NG, just laugh one more time. That’s much better.”
“….”
From a distance, Director Gyeong Chanhyeon spoke while holding the megaphone.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
“Thank you! Director!”
Ryan let out a big laugh, breathing a sigh of relief at Gyeong Chanhyeon’s call.
Then, Robert spoke to him from behind.
“You’ve suffered a lot too.”
“Pardon?”
“The atmosphere was bad.”
“Ah… yes.”
As Robert said, last week’s filming was the absolute worst.
Especially when he thought of the crazy person who had stormed the set screaming that trashy actors like Robert should die, his heart still sank.
“I’m sorry too.”
“For what?”
“I also… naturally thought you had started drugs again.”
At Ryan’s apology, Robert shook his head.
“You weren’t the only one who thought that. Everyone here probably did. Except for Director Gyeong Chanhyeon.”
“….”
“And don’t apologize for things like that. This is a place where if you apologize, people think you really did something wrong and push you even harder.”
“But still…”
As Ryan looked at Robert with tears in his eyes, Robert frowned.
“Are you crying? Why?”
“Because I’m sorry…”
“You’re too soft.”
Ryan clenched his fists to hold back the tears.
Watching this, Robert smirked and said,
“Right. Hold it in. There’s nothing more unsightly than crying because you’re sorry. How are you going to be an actor if you’re that soft?”
“Pardon?”
“Get tough.”
Ryan sniffled and quickly wiped away his tears.
“Hollywood is a place where you have to be tough enough not to collapse no matter how much people curse you to survive. Look at Director Gyeong Chanhyeon. Even though he got cursed along with me, he seemed to be enjoying it. Did you see Director Gyeong Chanhyeon waver on set?”
As Robert said, Gyeong Chanhyeon was always the same on set last week.
Dressed in a suit with neatly groomed hair.
He was a man who just kept moving forward, completely unfazed by the articles pouring out about him.
“Director Gyeong Chanhyeon isn’t an ordinary film director. And you, whom that director brought in, probably aren’t an ordinary actor either.”
“Pardon…?”
The words that he wasn’t an ordinary actor.
It was something he had said before.
“So you have to get tough too. To the point where you won’t fall for any ordinary wind. Because you don’t know what will happen in the future.”
“….”
“I have no doubt that you’ll do well. But if I were to give you one tip…”
Robert spoke with a sly smile.
“Live like a rock star.”
“Pardon?”
At the unexpected answer, Ryan’s eyes widened as he asked back.
“Don’t look kind. People naturally think that if you’re kind, you’re weak. Of course, don’t live as a degenerate like me.”
“Ah…”
Ryan nodded at Robert’s words.
“Now, let’s film again. You’re okay now, right?”
“Yes! Senior. I think I can do it.”
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