Chapter 024
Yes.
This could be an opportunity!
The perfect opportunity to make sure Han Taeseong remembers exactly who Min Gibaek is…!
Baek Seonghan knocked on the CEO’s office door.
“Yeah, come in.”
Hearing the voice from inside, Baek Seonghan gave us a wink as if telling us to stay strong, then opened the door.
“CEO, these are the production staff I mentioned.”
As we entered the office, I saw Han Taeseong sitting at his desk and working.
“Take a seat over there and wait for a moment.”
“I’m almost finished.”
Following Baek Seonghan’s guidance, we sat down on the sofa.
Despite being over forty, Han Taeseong still had a sharp jawline and piercing eyes that made his age seem meaningless.
There wasn’t much difference from how he looked in 2016.
The only difference was his silver hair.
In 2016, his hair had already turned completely white, but right now, it hadn’t reached that point yet.
Soon, Han Taeseong finished his work and moved to the sofa.
He opened the resumes he had been holding.
“Let’s see.”
“Cha Seungjun, Min Gibaek…”
“Manager Baek has praised you two quite a lot.”
“He said you’re both very capable people.”
“No, sir.”
“That’s too much praise.”
Cha Seungjun humbly brushed aside Han Taeseong’s compliment.
“No?”
“Then I suppose I wouldn’t have any reason to hire you.”
“What?”
“Oh, yes…”
“Hm…”
Cha Seungjun became flustered and trailed off.
As expected…
He isn’t an easy opponent.
“You don’t need to be so nervous.”
“Manager Baek recommended you, so do you really think I’d reject you?”
“Now, how much do you know about this movie?”
“Have you read the screenplay?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Director Park Junbeom’s work, and I’ve already read the screenplay.”
“Really?”
“What do you think?”
“Do you think it’ll do well?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Cha Seungjun simply said that it would definitely do well while carefully watching Han Taeseong’s reaction.
“Really?”
“But just because his last movie did well, does that mean this one will automatically do well too?”
“Besides, Director Park’s new movie is completely different from his previous one, both in genre and atmosphere.”
“Yes?”
“Ah, well…”
“So…”
Now.
This is the moment.
This is my chance to properly show Han Taeseong who Min Gibaek is!
I quickly continued in place of the stammering Cha Seungjun.
“Of course, just because his previous movie did well doesn’t mean this one will automatically succeed.”
I knew that Han Taeseong wasn’t someone who could be swayed by clumsy sweet talk.
The movies he produced were meticulously planned.
And that meant one thing.
He was a thorough businessman.
He analyzed what audiences wanted through facts and data, then created movies that would satisfy those needs and turn them into box-office success.
That was Han Taeseong.
“Besides, this movie is a historical thriller that Director Park Junbeom has never attempted before.”
“On top of that, the story itself has a tragic ending and even contains homosexual elements.”
“It’s an unconventional project unlike anything Korean audiences have often seen before, so audiences may have difficulty accepting it.”
“You’re quite negative.”
“According to your analysis, this is a movie destined to fail.”
“Isn’t that right?”
“No.”
“That isn’t necessarily true.”
“And this movie will perform even better than you currently expect, CEO.”
“Better than I expect?”
Director Park Junbeom specialized in black comedy.
Both of his previous films had been black comedies.
While their artistic value was debatable, both had been recognized for their popular appeal and had achieved box-office success.
However, Director Park’s new movie was a thriller.
On top of that, it was a historical film.
Because of this, there were concerns throughout the industry that the movie didn’t match Director Park’s established style.
But I already knew the result of Director Park Junbeom’s upcoming movie.
The day after I spoke with Manager Baek Seonghan, I received the screenplay for this movie through him.
And I was shocked.
No way…
The project Manager Baek is participating in is Director Park Junbeom’s ‘Red Moon, Blue Sun’?!
Contrary to the concerns within the industry, Director Park Junbeom’s Red Moon, Blue Sun would receive excellent reviews not only at the box office but also at various domestic and international film festivals.
It would be praised as a movie that successfully captured both artistic value and mass appeal.
Later, Director Park Junbeom would establish his own production company.
Although he would continue making small, low-budget films, he would consistently create works recognized for their artistic quality.
He would remain actively involved in filmmaking even in 2024.
And most importantly, Director Park’s Red Moon, Blue Sun would be regarded as a landmark film in the history of Korean thriller movies.
It would receive tremendous love from audiences.
Just knowing that I was going to participate in such a movie made my heart pound with excitement.
I had even held my chest and taken deep breaths for quite some time after learning about it.
“Hahaha.”
“You’re an interesting fellow.”
“How much do you think I expect this movie to make?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Judging by the way you talked about this movie, it seemed like you weren’t particularly optimistic about it.”
“I suppose I got ahead of myself by trying to make an assumption.”
“Your name is Min Gibaek, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Now that I think about it, I believe Manager Baek mentioned you.”
“He said you have excellent instincts and a strong competitive spirit.”
Instincts?
Competitive spirit?
What exactly does he mean?
“I also heard that during Director Song Jaehyun’s recently completed project, you said the movie would succeed and asked to receive all your labor costs in the form of equity.”
I didn’t know how that rumor had reached Han Taeseong.
But only then did I understand what he meant by my instincts and competitive spirit.
In business, especially in a specialized field like movies, being told that you had good instincts was certainly better than being told you had none.
And having a strong competitive spirit was also an advantage.
However, I didn’t want him to think I was someone who simply moved according to his instincts.
So I quickly responded.
“Yes.”
“That’s true.”
“But I don’t make every decision based on instinct.”
Han Taeseong’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Then does that mean you have a reason for saying Director Park’s new movie will succeed?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right.”
“Because the times are changing.”
“The times are changing?”
Han Taeseong raised the corners of his mouth with interest at my words.
“During the IMF crisis, life was difficult, so people didn’t want to watch depressing movies.”
“Responding to that psychology, lighthearted movies that helped audiences forget their difficult daily lives became successful.”
“But now…”
“The times have changed.”
“The public has made it through those difficult periods, and now they want to consume high-quality culture as a form of compensation.”
“The public’s desire for compensation after getting through difficult times…”
“That’s quite an interesting analysis.”
“In that sense, I believe Director Park’s new movie contains enough diversity to approach cinema as something more than simple entertainment.”
“It has cultural value beyond simply being a form of amusement.”
“That’s why I believe this movie can satisfy audiences who want to consume higher-quality culture.”
“And that’s why I believe the movie will succeed.”
In truth, what I was saying now was something Han Taeseong himself had said at a film forum held during the 2016 Busan International Film Festival.
The forum’s theme had been ‘The Age of Content and Diversity.’
At the time, after Han Taeseong had completely crushed me during the public pitching session, I became curious about what kind of person he was.
So I attended the forum where Han Taeseong was appearing as a guest.
Back then, a reporter had asked Han Taeseong why he had insisted on producing Director Park Junbeom’s Red Moon, Blue Sun even though everyone around him had tried to stop him.
And Han Taeseong’s answer had been exactly what I was saying now.
Han Taeseong remained silent for a moment as if deep in thought.
Then he looked at me and smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.
“Hahaha.”
“Actually, I decided to produce Director Park’s new movie because I had thoughts similar to yours.”
“In that sense, I hope your analysis turns out to be correct.”
“But waiting for the result would take too long.”
Han Taeseong paused for a moment before continuing.
“So, how about making a bet with me?”
I was caught off guard by Han Taeseong suddenly suggesting a bet.
But I was curious about what kind of bet this famous gambler of the movie industry had in mind.
“A bet?”
“What kind of bet are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing special.”
“It’s something I occasionally do with my employees.”
“We predict how well a movie scheduled to be released next month will perform at the box office.”
“I’ve heard that people in the drama industry bet on the ratings of a drama’s first episode.”
“But I didn’t know there were similar bets for movies.”
Cha Seungjun seemed interested in Han Taeseong’s bet and spoke first.
“Well, unlike dramas, movies don’t have ratings that come out immediately.”
“So we set a certain period and predict which movie will take first place at the box office.”
“What do you think?”
“Want to give it a try?”
“Sure.”
“But if it’s a bet, shouldn’t we have something at stake?”
“Of course.”
“A bet is a bet.”
“If you win, I’ll give you 0.1 percent of the equity in this movie.”
0.1 percent of the equity?!
My mind went blank at the unexpected situation.
“I thought of it because I heard you asked for equity instead of labor costs on Director Song’s movie.”
“Don’t you like it?”
Baek Seonghan, who was sitting with us, let out a small laugh at the oddly specific 0.1 percent.
“Come on, CEO.”
“Not even one percent?”
“Why 0.1 percent?”
“Hahaha.”
“No.”
“Director Park’s previous movie attracted 3.2 million viewers and made more than 2 billion won in net profit.”
“So 0.1 percent of 2 billion won is more than 2 million won.”
“That isn’t a small amount to put on the line in a bet.”
I quickly responded to Baek Seonghan.
“Your calculation was fast.”
“Good.”
“That’s exactly what I expect from someone in the production department.”
I already knew that when Red Moon, Blue Sun was released in 2006, it would achieve more than 10 million admissions.
I also knew that the production company’s net profit alone would exceed 10 billion won by a considerable amount.
Ha…
If I can receive even one percent of equity from every movie I participate in like this…
Could I become Korea’s own Bonnie Brown?
