The Might of Money
Suhyeon finished dinner with the delicious spicy fish stew his sister-in-law had prepared, then hopped into the car driven by his manager, heading to the company.
"You sure it'll be okay?"
His manager's voice was laced with worry, but Suhyeon replied calmly.
"Of course. It's not like it's an adult—hydrocele in babies usually resolves on its own by around a year old if you just leave it."
"Really?"
"Hyung, I explained this earlier. If the fluid inside the testicle looks cloudy or reddish because of impurities or blood, that's more serious. But you saw it yourself, right? When I shone my phone light on it, the fluid inside was crystal clear. No big deal."
"Phew. At least that's a relief."
"You wouldn't know, hyung, but it's super common in babies. Though... I told you there's no need to go to the hospital, and your wife still..."
"Parents are all the same. I was freaking out—imagine how the mom felt. She was talking about going in guns blazing."
"About what?"
"They should've notified the guardians right away if there were symptoms like that. If you hadn't said anything, we'd have been clueless forever. My wife's fuming—she's planning to storm the hospital where the baby was born and give them hell."
"They probably noticed it at the hospital... but since it was nothing serious and would've gone away on its own, they might've skipped telling the parents."
"Nah. According to my wife, they never once checked it by shining a light like you did. And we're lucky it's mild now—what if it hadn't been? Just thinking about it..."
No matter how much Suhyeon tried to reassure him, the manager couldn't calm down. Suhyeon changed the subject.
"Hyung, I'll grab a taxi home later. No telling when the meeting with Park Sil-jang will wrap up... So just drop me at the company and head straight to your wife."
"You sure that's okay?"
"Yeah. I'm not a kid. She looked pretty shaken earlier—go be with her."
"Got it. And... Suhyeon-ah. Thanks. My heart was pounding earlier. Here I am, the dad, clueless if the kid's sick, just grinning like an idiot calling him a future general... Phew."
"You're doing it again."
A short while later, they arrived at the YK Building. Suhyeon headed to Park Dongju's office, knocked, and went in.
"Hello, Sil-jang."
"Oho, my savior! Suhyeon."
Park Dongju approached and pulled Suhyeon into a bear hug, thumping his back heartily.
"Huh? What'd I even do?"
"You saved my skin. Too complicated to explain in detail... but thanks."
After the warm greetings, they sat on the sofa and talked business.
"Heard BJ sent over the timeline?"
"Yeah. Take a look."
Suhyeon picked up the documents Park Dongju handed him and started reading.
"News drops in two weeks. Script's getting reworked... Production starts two months from now... Six months? A blockbuster like this, done shooting in six months?"
"Exactly. Let's break it down. Your recent variety shows air in about two weeks, right? BJ's timing the movie news to coincide with that."
"Makes sense."
"The script changes are Jeong Mi-yeong's orders. Not a full rewrite, but swap the protagonist's job from con artist to something flashier."
"I see. Any hints on what?"
Park Dongju pulled a USB from his suit pocket.
"First revision's on here. Saved as a file for easy reading at home."
Suhyeon took the USB and asked,
"Already a first draft? BJ must've jumped on revisions early."
"Nope. Day after meeting you, Jeong ordered it. Said you're too good for a plain con man role after seeing you in person. That's the word."
Suhyeon blinked in confusion.
"Is that even possible? It's been days since I met her... and they already have a revised script? Even a first pass—this is insanely fast by any standard."
"Logically, yeah. But don't forget—they're chaebol with money rotting away in vaults. It's pure cash power. Day of the order, three top writers and five assistants jumped on it. Rewriting from scratch would've been tough, even with money. But tweaking the job and ripple effects? Piece of cake with that manpower."
Suhyeon felt the raw power of money in this world viscerally, steeling his resolve inwardly.
They say gold makes ghosts grind mills... Capitalism's financial might is no joke. For the future, people and stardom matter, but stacking cash is key.
As Suhyeon firmed his determination, Park Dongju continued.
"Read the revised script carefully and compile your thoughts. BJ's eager for your take."
"Got it. I'll read ASAP and send my feedback."
"Their guy figured a week..."
"Three days is plenty."
"Knew it. You're a genius. Contact BJ's rep directly when done. Now, shooting schedule..."
"Two months to start, done in six—is that realistic? Tons of overseas location shoots. Don't tell me..."
"Yup. Money again. Plus pull and connections. With BJ Group's muscle, what takes normal productions thirty days? Three. Director and cast are falling into place smoothly. Especially folks you've met—they're all in."
"Like Ma Dong-sik and Yoo Ayoung."
"Exactly. For action direction, BJ tapped Jeong Do-hong. Domestic top dog. He's picky these days, had them worried... but your name as lead? Instant yes. Contract signed."
"And for six months total, one key factor."
"What?"
"You, Suhyeon."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Why do action flicks drag from shoot to release? CG post-production mostly. Backgrounds, action cleanup. But you're shooting overseas for real, and action's your strength. They figure you'll handle most stunts yourself—no doubles. Slashes post-work massively."
"I see."
"I worried about the timeline at first... but if you pull it off solo, it's doable. Think you can?"
"Absolutely. I can handle every action bit in the script. No worries there."
"Good. But no pushing too hard—body's your capital. Long road ahead; injury's the last thing."
"Don't worry. I'll be careful. More than anyone, I wanna stay healthy and live long."
"Right. Take care. Oh, Busan Film Festival with Kim Hae-su next week?"
"Yeah. Schedule out already?"
"Wednesday down. Yoo Sil-jang has details."
They wrapped up after covering more ground. Suhyeon stepped out to find Baek Seongcheol waiting.
"Hyung? What're you doing here?"
"Gotta get you home. Already checked the hospital—no worries."
"Really? Well, suits me fine..."
"Hop in. You look beat—rest up."
In the car to his place, the manager spoke up.
"You were spot on, Suhyeon. Hydrocele confirmed. It'll clear naturally."
"Told ya. No need to stress."
"Hospital had no clue, wife said. Only shone a light after she mentioned it."
"Could happen..."
"Even if self-resolving, notify parents! What if it'd worsened? A month untreated..."
"Hyung, chill. Listen. I flagged it despite knowing it'd pass—for one reason."
"Which is?"
"Genetic. Kinda hereditary. Fine now, but future kids—especially boys—might get it. Told you to check early."
"So...?"
"Incheon'll be fine—treat normal. Just watch for excessive crying spiking abdominal pressure."
"Phew. Got it. Thanks again. Wife says pass on her gratitude."
"Aw, she's overreacting..."
"Easy for you—it's nothing. But for us... heart still racing. Dad too dumb to notice, just cooing 'general material'..."
"Hyung. It's fine. Stop."
Soon home, Suhyeon pulled whiskeys and wines from the living room cabinet, pouring samples into glasses.
Movie's got foreign booze scenes—better practice. Taste 'em out.
He booted the computer, sipping while it loaded.
Hm. Tasty. Johnny... Walker... Blue Label? Foreign stuff's solid. Try another?
Once up, he plugged in the USB and opened the revised script.
Let's see the changes. Dying to know the new protagonist job...