Chapter 4: From Script to Screen

A great empire proud of its long history, 0L.

It wasn’t always a great empire from the very beginning.

Its first appearance in this world was in 1980.

After the death of Park, Former President, a new rule of the Fifth Republic was established in the Republic of Korea.

At that time, the military government prohibited new entries into the promising chemical industry, which had potential for rapid growth in a short period.

In this environment, the Y1 Group was born into the world under the small name of 0 Distribution.

Founder Jeon Young-hoon demonstrated extraordinary sales skills and secured distribution contracts for seafood and food products in department stores.

By the mid-1980s, they had rapidly expanded their size by taking on distribution of various food items sold in department stores, such as rice, meat, and dairy products.

After the passing of his first wife, who bore him three sons, Jeon Young-hoon had a late daughter with his second wife, but he was not satisfied with distribution alone.

He felt the need to find the next food to pass on to his children.

At that moment, what caught Jeon Young-hoon’s eye was the Entertainment Business.

To his eldest son, he entrusted the rooted and solid distribution business; to his second son, the food sector to keep each other in check.

And to his third and youngest, he gave control of the fledgling new company called O Media, marking a successful division of the empire’s royal authority.

This was the origin story of O Media.

And now, entering the 2020s, media transmitted worldwide without transportation or fuel has become one of Korea’s representative export products.

No production company could be free from such a colossal media giant with a history of innovation and a deeply rooted tradition.

For that reason, I asked.

“Are you really okay with signing the contract?”

“To be honest, for small production companies like us, unless the investors have solid backing, the priority is a good script above all else.”

“Do you have confidence in ?”

“Yes, if nothing else, it’s the insight into the script that got us this far. It’s one of the best scripts I’ve seen in recent years. And the production costs and other conditions are reasonable for a modern melodrama.”

So, I decided to sign a contract with Aichi Studio, a small production company with little to lose.

Yes, by now rumors had already spread widely through the industry.

If I were to sign a contract, it would have to be with a small production company like this.

“And if Oh Tae-soo, known for being strict, recommends them as capable, then I can at least count on some level of competence.”

Now that I looked closely, there was a faint glimmer of madness flickering in Hong Ju-hee’s eyes.

Her appearance was so striking that I’d thought her gaze shone naturally, but now I wondered if she was just a crazy person whose eyes had gone wild.

Yes, I’d heard that if you were going to run a business independently at a young age, you had to be half crazy to survive.

I once read this in the autobiography of a founder of a large corporation who had started out distributing to a neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

“But we do have conditions. Unlike Onestar Dragon or other production companies, it might be hard to match your level of contract fees.”

“How much can you offer?”

“The  project you sent was planned for 16 episodes, right? To be honest, it will be difficult to pay more than 15 million won per episode.”

Considering that the contract fee per episode for rookie drama writers in the ’80s was 10 million won,

Even though I was a failing writer who had already dropped two projects, the amount was not insignificant.

However, I didn’t start writing again simply to make money.

And above all, there was also the Godflix compensation, so I had no big regrets.

Still, I had to make sure to take care of what I could.

“Alright. But could I ask for two conditions in return?”

“What conditions?”

“I’d like no changes to the script’s direction. Of course, I will accept necessary revisions.”

Script revisions during production are inevitable.

But I was confident that , which faithfully adapted the content I wrote for Godflix, would be most interesting as it was.

“You seem confident in the completeness of the current script. Well, I agree that major changes shouldn’t be necessary.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“You said two conditions; what’s the other?”

“Since the contract fee is lower, could you include an additional incentive clause if the ratings exceed 10%?”

Additional incentives mean a percentage share of the total revenue if the produced drama achieves a certain level of viewership ratings.

By my standards, if  is properly produced, even in today’s drama recession, it could achieve at least 10%, maybe even over 15%.

“An additional incentive for over 10% ratings sounds like a reasonable clause. Let’s include it in the contract.”

“Understood.”

“Shall we draft the contract now?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“Alright. Please wait a moment.”

Hong Ju-hee stood up and moved to the desk attached to the office wall.

I watched her move and casually slouched onto the visitor leather sofa, waiting leisurely.

Not long after, she returned carrying two freshly printed contracts.

Glancing through the contents quickly, the payment schedule and penalty clauses were similar to industry-standard contracts, and the conditions I had mentioned were properly included.

“Should I just sign here?”

“Still, take your time to review the contract once more.”

“Yes, it’s important to check the contract carefully.”

Taking my time, I reviewed the contract again.

Fortunately, I didn’t find any unfair or ambiguous clauses that could cause trouble.

Just from the contract alone, it was clear how transparent and honest Hong Ju-hee was as a businessperson.

“If you send us copies of your bankbook and ID later by email, we will transfer the payment within two weeks.”

“I understand. Now, it’s your turn to sign.”

After signing in three or four places, we stamped and folded each contract page in half, completing the mutual seals.

The contract with Aichi Studio was finalized.

A vibration alert from the Godflix app on my phone brought new news.

[Bronze Quest (#1)] 
 
[Success Conditions Met!]

Reading the success message, I unwittingly sank into the visitor leather sofa, all my strength draining away.

“Phew. It really worked.”

“Looks like you’re pretty tired.”

“Yes, something like that happened. But come to think of it...”

Although the office had at least three desks, strangely, even after 10 a.m., only Hong Ju-hee and I were in the room.

“Do you usually handle paperwork yourself? Where are the staff?”

“They aren’t in the office yet. It’s not their working hours.”

“After 10 a.m... Ah, is this a flexible work system?”

“No, they haven’t left yet. Haha. The staff have been on site since early morning.”

Looking closely, I noticed faint veins on Hong Ju-hee’s eyes as well, showing signs of exhaustion.

Yes, business should be run by someone obsessed with their work like this.

After finishing the contract, I was escorted out of the Aichi Studio building by Hong Ju-hee.

“Take care, writer.”

“Yes, you too.”

After confirming she was gone, I quickly got into my car and opened the Godflix app on my phone.

[Would you like to receive the Bronze Quest (#1) success reward?]

I responded “Yes” to the welcome system prompt.

Thud-thud—turning my head toward the source of the heavy sound, I saw four bundles of fifty-thousand-won bills scattered on the passenger seat.

I picked up the bundles, feeling their weight.

“Cash is really heavy.”

After putting the money into my bag, I turned on the navigation screen in the car.

“There should be a bank nearby...”

Shortly after starting to drive, the building of Min-guk Bank, my main bank, came into view.

It was a fairly large, newly built branch constructed the year Min-guk Bank was designated as a policy bank.

After parking in the bank’s lot, I opened the front door and entered.

A security officer greeted me warmly.

“I’m here to make a deposit.”

“If you exit through the right door, you can use the ATM. Would you prefer to speak with a teller directly?”

“Yes, please.”

Holding the ticket number given by the security officer, I waited about ten minutes.

Soon, a faint “ding” sounded and my number appeared on the reception screen.

Clutching my leather bag nervously, I approached the teller, who was smiling kindly.

“Hello, how can I help you today?”

“I’d like to deposit cash into my account.”

I placed six bundles of fifty-thousand-won bills, each containing 100 notes, on the counter.

Including the 10 million won I earned from joining bonuses and the 20 million won reward from the quest, it was a total of 30 million won in cash.

The teller untied the bands, counted the bills with a machine, then meticulously counted them by hand, making me bite my lip nervously.

I was worried the mysterious cash from Godflix might be counterfeit.

“Confirmed 30 million won total. Shall I deposit the full amount into your account?”

“Yes, please.”

A message popped up shortly afterward, confirming the 30 million won deposit to my Min-guk Bank account.

Despite going through the official bank procedure, the full amount was deposited without issue.

“Making this much money in such a short time!”

The teller smiled kindly at my grinning face and asked,

“Sir, if you plan to save the money, we have good savings or fund products. Would you like me to explain?”

“That sounds like a good idea, but I’ll think it over and come back.”

After leaving the bank, I returned to my car and drove out of Mapo-gu, heading toward Gangbyeonbuk-ro.

Although it wasn’t rush hour yet, traffic began to build up as I approached the Gangnam area, causing the lanes on Gangbyeonbuk-ro to fill rapidly.

Skipping breakfast and moving around for the contract, my stomach began to rumble.

Taking the Jamsil Bridge exit near Seokchon Station, I decided to stop by a modest restaurant I used to frequent secretly when I lived in Lotte Tower, away from my ex-wife.

It wasn’t a famous place that appeared on broadcasts or food shows, but it was a place with simple yet neat side dishes and a hearty soybean paste stew spiced with hot green chili peppers.

“Are you dining alone?”

“Yes, one soybean paste stew, please.”

Nodding absentmindedly, I sat by the entrance where a cool breeze blew, turning my head as the owner walked to the back.

After setting my chopsticks and spoon, I poured some cold barley tea into a steel cup.

The tightness in my chest from long hours of driving began to ease.

I took out my phone, turned on Bluetooth, connected my wireless earphones, and opened the Godflix app.

After the familiar six red capital letters flashed, the Godflix platform page appeared, now more familiar.

I planned to use the viewing credits I had received as a reward to watch the remaining episodes of .

Then, I noticed a new notification with a number “1” next to the alerts in my member profile.

Tapping the notification bell, the page moved to the quest screen.

Could it be?

Scrolling down, a new quest was indeed updated.

[Bronze Quest (#2)]

[Cast the lead actor!]

[Casting target: Seojiwon]

[Success reward: 8 free viewing credits, 20 million won cash]

The content had changed, but the reward was the same.

However, the 8 viewing credits were more necessary than ever now that the drama contract was signed.

Currently, I could watch up to episode 8 of , so including this new Bronze Quest meant I could binge the series to the end.

“Do the rewards get better by rank?”

Of course, that would mean the quests would get more difficult.

Just looking at the current quest alone confirmed that.

The problem was somewhere else.

“If it’s Seojiwon…”

She was the female lead in my pen-name work .

She was the actress who, with her atrocious acting skills, had blown my first solo work, leaving a huge hole.

Rubbing the back of my increasingly thinning hair and mentally preparing for a meltdown,

“Here’s your soybean paste stew.”

The owner returned with a tray full of the stew and side dishes.

Well, even ghosts died for food, so first, let me eat.

After silently recalling I was a regular, the owner silently added an egg fry and rice, and I picked up my chopsticks first.

The egg was cooked medium-soft, and breaking the tender yellow yolk over the rice dyed the grains golden.

I generously mixed in the soybean paste stew and prepared to wrap a crispy sheet of roasted seaweed around a bite—

“Are you here?”

A woman, wearing a bucket hat, mask, and large sunglasses, fully covered from head to toe, entered the restaurant.

Like a scene from a movie’s eating montage, she looked at me crunching the rice and then,

Taking off the large sunglasses that covered half her face, she spoke.

“Are you the writer Lee Jeong-hyuk?”