Chapter 57: The Ordinary Genius

A person who is born with natural talent is called a genius.

In modern times, the word ‘genius’ sometimes gets attached even to those who shine due to acquired effort.

After my debut work flopped spectacularly and I was regarded as just another third-rate drama writer, even I was called a genius after the big hit of .

But I was painfully reminded just how undeserved that title was for me whenever I saw Writer Park Eun-sook.

Trend analysis that outshines people in their twenties, even past the age of fifty.

A writing ability that captivates everyone, regardless of age or gender.

On top of that, the perseverance to constantly test her own limits and the ability to inspire her passionate talent in others.

Park Eun-sook was truly a genius born from the heavens.

Compared to her, I was nothing more than an ordinary man with nothing innate.

Meetings between a genius and an ordinary person, who were brought together by the strange hand of fate to write scripts, always took place via the screen-sharing voice chat program Tiscord.

Park Eun-sook, whose profile picture was a fully bloomed sunflower, asked me,

“What do you think love is, Writer Lee Jung-hyuk?”

It sounded like a question that held a lot of meaning and aimed to pierce the very essence of a genius.

“I don’t know.”

As someone ordinary, with a divorce under my belt, this was the only answer I could give.

But a genius has the eyes and ears to discover countless values even in the paltry words of a common man.

“Writer Jung-hyuk, you’re right. Love is something no one understands.”

“I see.”

“That’s why romance dramas have to show viewers what love is. If it’s a kind of love that viewers want to know but can’t, then it’s even better.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why viewers cheer for stories about Cinderellas and Snow Whites that only exist in fairy tales. It’s a kind of love that’s impossible in real life—something they don’t know.”

“I agree.”

Whenever Park Eun-sook provided deep analysis on the romance genre and suggested ways to develop the story, I nodded along—half understanding, half lost.

Even though all I did was agree, Park Eun-sook seemed so satisfied, continuously exclaiming in admiration as she kept the conversation flowing.

“I noticed this since , but Writer Lee Jung-hyuk, you have an especially unique perspective on tabooed loves that people don’t know about.”

Luckily, this time I was able to give a proper reply.

If it’s tabooed love, well, I’d witnessed it myself through Jeon Min-jung.

“I do know a bit about forbidden love.”

“I knew it. That’s exactly why, in this story as well, we’re going to shine a light on forbidden relationships.”

Even if left alone, she could carry the conversation so smoothly, it felt like I was speaking to an anthropomorphized version of Godflix itself.

Thanks to that, I was able to learn Park Eun-sook’s methods for creating characters and making their lines stand out without much effort.

Especially, I got a crash course on what makes a male protagonist attractive from a female character’s point of view, and why women sometimes behave in ways that seem incomprehensible to men.

I’m not sure how much of this applies to real life, but at least for drama’s female viewers, this method works perfectly, so for me, the joy of gaining this kind of knowledge far outweighed any other.

Another special strength of Writer Park Eun-sook was her flair for dialogue.

Her back-and-forth, the so-called tiki-taka, was at the level of an Olympic medalist in table tennis, and I finally understood where this strength came from.

To bring her dialogue to life, she would invite famous comedians for meals, get their permission, and record their conversations.

She’d analyze their way of talking and patterns to build her characters.

It was such an unexpected approach that I couldn’t help but be impressed.

I’d read somewhere that some writers always kept a recorder on and used their conversations to create sentences.

But seeing someone actually apply this and achieve such amazing results was truly fascinating.

After that, I was able to learn so much from Writer Park Eun-sook.

It wasn’t something you could find in drama academies or books on writing theory; it was more like a success formula, proven by the very case of Park Eun-sook herself.

She seemed to think I already knew all this, so rather than sharing her resources, she just wanted to find someone who could relate to her methods.

‘Thanks to her, I learned so much.’

I made sure not to miss a single word she said, recording everything and thoroughly reflecting it in my scripts.

By working so hard to make everything of Park Eun-sook’s my own, I finally completed Part 1 of the new project  with Writer Park Eun-sook.

“I already knew you were a good writer, but this script is practically flawless.”

Park Eun-sook heaped endless praise on the draft I had sent after my final review.

Strictly speaking, it was her script too, so she was praising her own work.

“It’s all thanks to you, writer. I didn’t do much.”

“No, if it weren’t for you, this outcome would never have been possible. Honestly, I was surprised.”

She told me that while working with me, there were times she couldn’t understand the actions of the male lead I wrote.

For example, when the lead should have acted cool but hesitated, or kept his mouth shut instead of delivering a line.

But those moments felt fresh to Park Eun-sook, and she thought female viewers might find such a new kind of male lead character attractive.

“This kind of nerdy guy character is really refreshing. How are you so good at bringing them to life, writer?”

‘It’s because I am that kind of person, so I know them well.’

Of course, I wrote him as a much less pathetic version, but I kept that thought to myself.

We handed over the completed draft to the AsaITV drama production team.

The production team said they’d review it carefully, expressing their gratitude.

A week later, today, I received an email about the payment for the manuscript. In other words—

‘The draft was approved in one go.’

I had expected as much, but the script I made with Park Eun-sook seemed as perfect as one I might have written after watching Godflix.

Just to check if the payment had been deposited, I opened my bank app and looked at my balance for the first time in a while.

From , , and , I’d earned 1.7 billion won.

Then, a 500 million won bonus from Godflix for  reaching 20% viewership.

4 hundred million won in royalties for Jung Tae-mi and Im Sung-hee’s scripts.

And today, 1.2 billion won from the Japanese production company for eight episodes, at 150 million won per episode.

Even after deducting agent fees, I was left with about 3.75 billion won in my hands.

On top of that, thanks to the 250 million won in fund profits that Assistant Manager Jo Dae-pal at Minkook Bank had made for me, my Minkook Bank account balance finally surpassed 4 billion won today.

‘I can finally become a VVIP at Minkook Bank.’

Sure enough, as soon as the Japanese production company’s funds were confirmed, Assistant Manager Jo Dae-pal called me.

“Yes, I was waiting for your call.”

-Hahaha, congratulations, writer. Should I begin the process for your VVIP membership as we discussed last time?

“Yes, should I come to the bank?”

-Of course, visit whenever is convenient. I’ve got everything prepared.

“Then, I’ll head over now. I’ll be there within 30 minutes.”

I grabbed my seal and ID and headed to the underground parking lot.

***

In front of the Minkook Bank Hapjeong branch.

Unlike before, I parked comfortably in the designated VVIP spot in the above-ground parking lot, instead of the building’s shared underground lot, feeling lighthearted as I got out of the car.

“Thank you for coming, writer.”

As soon as I stepped out, Assistant Manager Jo Dae-pal greeted me with a bright smile right at the bank entrance.

“It’s just the next neighborhood over. I’m glad to see you looking so healthy, Mr. Jo.”

“Am I? Hahaha. It’s all thanks to you, writer. Since I started managing your fund, my performance has shot up.”

“I was surprised when I saw the fund’s returns. As Chang-su said, you really are someone I can trust with investments.”

“I’m just grateful you see me that way. Anyway, let’s head inside.”

The place Jo Dae-pal led me to was the VVIP-only area I’d only seen before with my eyes.

Luxurious red velvet carpet was spread all around, and the reception room was so big and spacious that I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction, amazed that such a place existed in a bank.

Jo Dae-pal had already prepared everything, so there was nothing complicated about the paperwork.

Of course, I checked the contract details carefully, but most of it was about the benefits for VVIP clients, and the only other point to note was a restriction related to account balance.

Well, my balance would only grow from now on, and I had no plans to spend big, so there were really no penalties—it truly was a benefit only for VVIPs.

After finishing the procedures and officially becoming a VVIP of Minkook Bank, I asked Jo Dae-pal a little slyly,

“Thanks to you, I’ve gained a lot, but I haven’t been able to properly thank you yet.”

“Oh, you’ve already done more than enough. Honestly, we should be the ones treating you.”

“If you have time, how about dinner tonight?”

After thinking for a moment, Jo Dae-pal spoke carefully.

“I’m grateful, but if it’s an expensive place, I hope you’ll forgive me for declining. I sincerely think I should be the one treating you, and there’s a good reason for it.”

“Hmm, in that case, let’s do this. There’s a Japanese restaurant nearby that Chang-su recommended. It’s not too pricey and, since Chang-su is famous for his picky taste, the food should be good.”

His face brightened again and he immediately nodded.

“Yes, that sounds perfect.”

“Since it’s fate, why don’t we invite Chang-su too? He’s the mutual friend between us.”

“Hahaha, great idea. I’m almost off work anyway, so let’s head over right after.”

Having finished the VVIP registration, we left the bank and drove straight to Yeouido.

In front of the restaurant, Chang-su was already waiting for us.

“Jung-hyuk! Over here!”

Seeing an old friend after so long, I couldn’t help but break into a delighted smile.

I had a feeling tonight’s drinking session would last a good, long while.