Chapter 47
Chapter 47: Production of “Afterlife Restaurant”
Translated by POWERPUFF
“CEO, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
-Yes, understood.
Ji Pyeongsan set up a meeting with Song Jina, the CEO of CGini Plus Korea.
After ending the call, he smiled.
“Seems like she’s more desperate than I thought, reaching out personally like this.”
Ji Pyeongsan had intentionally spread rumors about the establishment of Studio Dream and the self-produced drama starring Baek Seungchan.
It was to fish for OTT platforms willing to buy drama rights, in case the production budget fell short.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Baek Seungchan played a major role in the success of “A Shop for Killers.”
However, Baek Seungchan was still a rookie and not yet considered A-list.
Investing production costs into a drama led by such a rookie was a burdensome decision.
But when it came to purchasing drama rights, it was a different story.
It was worth the investment.
And Ji Pyeongsan’s prediction proved correct.
Not only Song Jina from CGini Plus Korea, whom he had just spoken to, but also two other OTT platforms reached out to discuss purchasing the rights.
Among them was the world’s number one platform, Nflix.
Of course, the only place where the CEO personally reached out was CGini Plus.
“Hoo, I need to pull this off well.”
Ji Pyeongsan’s eyes sharpened.
This production was a bet involving everything Dream Entertainment had.
To protect his people, he had to make the best possible decision.
Ji Pyeongsan finished meetings with representatives from Nflix and TVnet, ranked first and third in domestic subscribers among OTT platforms.
“It’ll be difficult with those two.”
Nflix offered 150 million won per episode for pre-sale rights.
Considering “Afterlife Restaurant” had 16 episodes, that totaled 2.4 billion won.
Given the estimated production cost of 10 billion won, it amounted to 24%.
It wasn’t bad, but if the drama even slightly succeeded, it would be far too cheap.
However, Nflix showed no room for further negotiation.
As the undisputed global number one OTT platform with plenty of content lined up, they had no reason to push further.
The other was TVnet, a domestic OTT platform ranked third and part of a major Korean conglomerate, JC Group.
TVnet offered 300 million won per episode, totaling 4.8 billion won—nearly 50% of the production budget.
For pre-sale rights, it was close to the maximum possible offer.
But there were two drawbacks.
They wanted it aired on a non-major broadcast channel, and it was a domestic OTT platform rather than a global one.
“Let’s not rush.”
From the start, pre-sale rights were only considered in case production costs exceeded expectations.
If negotiations weren’t satisfactory, it wouldn’t be bad to receive some investment through advertising instead.
He was confident in the drama’s success, and if so, selling rights after its success would bring the greatest profit.
So unless the conditions were truly tempting, he had no intention of pre-selling.
“Hoo…”
Ji Pyeongsan took a deep breath.
Song Jina, who joined the global corporation CGini in 2007 and rose to become CEO of CGini Plus Korea, was not an easy opponent.
Firming his resolve, he headed to Gangnam to meet her.
“This way, please.”
Upon arrival, an employee guided him to the meeting room.
Knock knock.
After a brief wait, the door opened and a middle-aged woman in casual attire entered.
It was Song Jina.
“Nice to meet you, CEO Ji Pyeongsan.”
“Nice to meet you, CEO Song Jina.”
They had met before at the press conference for “A Shop for Killers,” so they were already acquainted.
“I read the script you sent. The mix of Eastern fantasy and cooking, along with both emotion and entertainment, was excellent. It feels like a major hit is coming.”
“Is that so? Thank you for your kind words.”
“As I mentioned on the phone, we would like to pre-purchase the rights.”
The smile in Song Jina’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by seriousness.
Ji Pyeongsan could feel why she had become CEO.
“Did your meetings with Nflix and TVnet go well?”
“No, not satisfactorily.”
Ji Pyeongsan didn’t hide the fact that he had met competitors.
He had no intention of hiding it, and Song Jina already knew.
“So she really is as formidable as they say,” she thought.
Seeing his calm reaction, she decided to get straight to the point.
“How much do you want?”
“You tell me first.”
Ji Pyeongsan didn’t answer first.
He had confidence in the drama’s success and felt no need to concede early.
“400 million won per episode for second exclusivity. I don’t know what the others offered, but it won’t be this much.”
It was 64% of the expected production cost—an enormous amount for a non-blockbuster pre-sale.
Song Jina expected him to accept, but his reaction differed.
“I’m sorry, but that won’t work.”
“CEO, did you even intend to sell in the first place?”
Her calm tone sharpened slightly.
She estimated the production cost at around 10 billion won.
For a drama of that scale, 400 million per episode was more than generous.
Rejecting it without hesitation made her think he wasn’t serious about the deal.
“I do intend to sell.”
“Then how much do you want?”
“1 billion won per episode.”
“1 billion per episode? Don’t you think that’s excessive?”
She was right.
That was a price usually asked after a drama had already succeeded.
“I don’t think so at all.”
Ji Pyeongsan’s voice was unwavering.
“I believe this is the cheapest price you’ll ever get for our drama. The actor Baek Seungchan, as I see him, is a monster beyond imagination.”
“Hoo…”
At his confidence, Song Jina exhaled deeply.
“I’ll think about it and contact you.”
Even for her, deciding on 1 billion per episode for non-exclusive pre-sale rights wasn’t easy.
The meeting ended.
That evening, Ji Pyeongsan received a call.
-CEO, we’ll purchase it at 1 billion per episode.
After the meeting, Song Jina had agonized endlessly.
In the end, she couldn’t let the project go.
Like Ji Pyeongsan said, she felt “Afterlife Restaurant” would succeed.
And there was also Baek Seungchan.
He had an aura similar to world-class actors she had seen in Hollywood.
“You won’t regret this decision.”
Ji Pyeongsan replied with a smile.
Thus, through pre-sale rights alone, he secured 16 billion won—achieving a massive success in negotiations.
At the Dream Entertainment building, Baek Seungchan met a familiar face after a long time.
It was Nam Siwoo, who had returned from an overseas tour.
“Hyung!”
Nam Siwoo waved his hand energetically like a wagging puppy as he approached.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. But you look like you’ve been doing well too. You’ve gained some weight since last time.”
“Foreign food suited me better than I expected…”
Nam Siwoo said with a smile.
“More importantly, I really enjoyed ‘A Shop for Killers.’ I knew you’d make it, hyung.”
“That again?”
“I didn’t get to say it in person back then.”
Even during his overseas tour, Nam Siwoo had contacted him multiple times saying how much he enjoyed the show.
“Hyung, before filming starts, could you give me some private lessons again?”
Nam Siwoo would be appearing as a supporting actor in “Afterlife Restaurant,” playing a staff member at the restaurant.
“What private lessons? I’ll just help you out, ask me anything you’re curious about.”
Though less than a year had passed, things had clearly changed.
Baek Seungchan was no longer short on money and simply wanted to help Nam Siwoo, who still had passion for acting.
“But I feel bad just receiving help…”
“What’s there to feel bad about? If you do, just buy my sister a meal.”
Baek Seunghee had always complained that despite joining Dream Entertainment, she hadn’t seen Nam Siwoo even once.
“Oh right, you said she’d become my junior at school?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been wanting to meet her since I loved her songs. Should I treat you both to lunch today?”
“Sounds good. She should be coming out soon… though she’s not exactly punctual.”
At that moment, Baek Seunghee came down from the studio to the lobby.
“Oppa!”
She approached them with a bright smile.
“I missed you so much!”
The “oppa” she called wasn’t Baek Seungchan, but Nam Siwoo.
“Am I invisible?”
Ignoring Baek Seungchan, she focused entirely on Nam Siwoo.
“Oppa… or should I call you sunbae?”
“Just call me comfortably.”
“Yes, oppa…”
Seeing his usually mischievous sister blush shyly, Baek Seungchan felt both dumbfounded and strangely annoyed.
“Oh, oppa. I’m composing your character’s theme OST. I’m working on it first, so I’ll let you hear it when it’s done.”
Nam Siwoo’s role was a significant supporting one, and most of the OST for “Afterlife Restaurant” was being composed by Baek Seunghee.
Though final selection would depend on completion, Baek Seungchan believed most would be hers.
He had heard some in her studio, and her skills had clearly improved.
“Thanks. More importantly, what do you want to eat? I’ll treat you.”
“I’m fine with anything.”
“Yeah, she eats anything—and a lot of it.”
“….”
Baek Seunghee shot Baek Seungchan a silent glare, clearly telling him not to say unnecessary things.
“Then there’s a good pasta place nearby. Shall we go there?”
“That sounds great.”
“What about you, hyung?”
“I’m good with that.”
“Then let’s go.”
They headed to a nearby Italian restaurant.
“What should we order?”
“Well…”
Baek Seungchan selected risotto, three pastas, salad, steak, and pizza.
Nam Siwoo looked at him in surprise.
“Hyung, you’ve started eating a lot more.”
“Oh, it’s not for me, it’s all for my sister—”
Baek Seunghee hurriedly cut him off.
“Opppa! Do we really need to order that much?”
It was amusing coming from someone who could eat three plates of pasta alone.
“Alright, let’s just order less and share.”
“Yeah, it’s better than wasting food.”
They ended up ordering salad, two pastas, and one steak.
“Oppa, thank you for the meal.”
Unlike usual, Baek Seunghee acted modest and ate slowly.
Seeing that, Baek Seungchan’s earlier irritation faded.
He didn’t know how long she’d keep up the act in front of Nam Siwoo, but for now, it was amusing.
In dramas, direction and writing were important, but the most important factor was the actors.
Especially for “Afterlife Restaurant,” which followed an omnibus format within a larger narrative, supporting actors were crucial.
So they cast veteran supporting actors known for their skills or long theater experience.
However, there were still roles left uncast.
The female lead and the final antagonist, a slave character.
Both were major roles requiring strong acting skills, so they decided to select them through auditions.
With all the attention surrounding the project, the audition day arrived.
And Baek Seungchan attended as well.
Not as a participant, but as a judge.
The other two judges were Director Park Taeho and writer Kim Sehee.