Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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Tae-seong flipped the meat over and brought up the topic.
“Kim PD, how’s the new drama project going?”
“Oh, the script turned out pretty good. The problem is assembling the team.”
“That’s surprising. With you being Kim PD, shouldn’t people be lining up to work with you?”
“Hoho, thanks for the face-saving, but the network’s influence outweighs my name value.”
She said it with a smile, but her words carried a lot of weight.
“How about working with Director Oh Young-tae?”
“Director Oh?”
Kim Mi-hyeon PD asked in surprise.
Oh Young-tae was just as shocked.
“I can vouch for Director Oh Young-tae’s skills. He’s exceptionally talented. He can be a bit stubborn, but when it comes to ability, I guarantee it.”
Oh Young-tae was moved by Tae-seong going so far as to guarantee his skills while recommending him.
In truth, they hadn’t worked together for very long.
Yet here he was, using the word “guarantee.”
“If the writer says so, I’m all for it. But are you sure? Working with me might interfere with this project.”
“It’s fine. We can adjust the schedule here flexibly.”
Kim Mi-hyeon PD’s biggest worry had been burdening Tae-seong.
They were both dramas, but the scale of the one Tae-seong and Kim PD were handling was inevitably different.
Camera director Oh Young-tae might not be able to work as freely as he was now.
But Tae-seong bringing it up first made her grateful.
“You said Director Oh Young-tae, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t have other schedules, how about doing a test shoot with us? It’s called a test, but since I’ve seen your actual footage, you can think of it as just going through the motions.”
“Hmm…….”
Oh Young-tae couldn’t answer right away.
Understanding that, Kim Mi-hyeon PD handed him her business card.
“Think it over and give me a call.”
“Alright, everyone. The meat’s ready. Dig in.”
Tae-seong changed the flow of conversation at just the right moment.
“Oh my! The writer grills meat well too?”
“Oh, this is delicious.”
Even Tae-seong’s grilling skills stood out from the crowd.
* * *
Kim PD and Shin PD left.
Having wrapped up shooting, Tae-seong packed his gear to head out.
That’s when Oh Young-tae approached him.
“Representative-nim.”
“You haven’t left yet?”
“I have something to discuss.”
Tae-seong offered him a seat.
They sat on folding chairs and got into the main talk.
“Are you really okay with this? If I go over there, it’ll interfere with this project.”
“It’s fine. As I said, we’re more flexible with scheduling here. Above all, we can stockpile enough saves before their shoot starts.”
Tae-seong had already scheduled assuming Oh Young-tae would work on the other side.
“But…….”
“It’s a great opportunity. Kim PD is flexible in communicating with the on-site crew. You won’t have any issues working with her.”
Hearing Tae-seong’s words, he could tell.
How he was being treated on set.
What the on-site evaluation was.
Knowing that, Tae-seong had still recommended him.
It wasn’t a long connection.
A very short one.
Yet Tae-seong had taken the risk to recommend him, and that gratitude ran deep.
“…Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”
“Just keep doing as well as you have been.”
Those words weren’t mere flattery, which made Oh Young-tae even more grateful.
* * *
A few days later.
He got a call from Kim Mi-hyeon PD.
-I’ve officially contracted with Mr. Oh Young-tae.
“That’s great. So shooting starts soon?”
-We have prep work, so full shooting in about three months.
Three months was plenty of time.
Enough to build up a stockpile for Otherworld Chef.
-By the way! Shin PD was asking for your contact. Mind if I give it to him?
“My contact?”
-Yeah, he seems keen on booking you for Mask Singer.
That was unexpected.
“No issue giving it out, but I have no plans to appear on Mask Singer.”
-Hoho! You never know with these things. I’ll pass it along then.
“Sure.”
After hanging up, Tae-seong stared at his smartphone, lost in thought.
“Singing, huh…….”
999 lives.
In one of them, he had moved the world with song.
But right now, he had no intention of singing.
He was already short ten bodies for the work at hand.
“Back to work.”
He dove back into his tasks.
* * *
“Representative-nim, work’s done.”
“Good work.”
Tae-seong checked the manuscript uploaded to the cloud server.
Team 3’s skills had fully settled in.
Adapting to Tae-seong’s system was the hurdle; after that, efficiency soared.
The system’s benefits weren’t limited to the company.
“Um…… Representative-nim.”
“Yes, Team Leader Han.”
Han Seong-ho, leading Team 1, scratched his head awkwardly at still being called team leader and spoke up.
“If you have time, could you review our manuscript?”
“Of course. Uploaded to the cloud server?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll review by lunch, then we’ll meet.”
“Thank you.”
After Han Seong-ho left, Tae-seong opened the cloud server and downloaded the file.
* * *
Han Seong-ho and Yu Min-kyung had successfully run their first work to completion.
Since it was their debut, they planned a short story rather than a long one and pushed through serialization.
It gained popularity, and the site suggested more, but they declined.
Two months ago, after a brief three-month break, they started prepping their new work.
While Tae-seong focused on drama shooting, they diligently finished their new prep.
Before releasing it to the world, they wanted Tae-seong to test it first.
“Team Leader Han, and Chief Yu, come to the meeting room for a bit?”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Tae-seong was already seated in the meeting room when the two entered and sat down shortly after.
“I’ve read the new work. First, my impressions…….”
Tae-seong gauged their expressions.
Tension was plain to see.
Of course— this was the first evaluation of the work they’d prepped for months.
It’d be a lie to say they weren’t nervous.
“It was fun.”
“Ah…….”
“Phew…….”
The tension melted away as they both sighed in relief.
“Unlike your previous work, going with rom-com was unexpected. I figured fantasy again.”
“The last one, I handled the story, but this time Min-kyung— I mean, Chief Yu did. She said the story she wanted to try was a rom-com.”
They were collaborators, but both could handle story and art alone.
Skilled enough for individual works.
For the first, Han Seong-ho was main story writer.
A romance fantasy with well-balanced elements, praised by both male and female readers—a solid hit.
This time, Yu Min-kyung took the main story.
No wonder the vibe felt so different from the first.
“Actually, choosing rom-com wasn’t from confidence—it came from research.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah…… Ah, yes it did.”
“Speak comfortably.”
They usually did when alone.
Han Seong-ho kept slipping up. Tae-seong accommodated.
“Ah, thank you.”
“But Chief Yu, what do you mean by research results?”
“Looking at the first work’s stats, female readers followed to episode 3 then dropped off a lot. I pondered why, and concluded the story felt too novel-like at the start.”
“You researched that too?”
“Of course. Market research is essential.”
Yu Min-kyung was as meticulous in prep as in tasks.
“Go on.”
“Male readers, once past episode 1, stuck around to 10 at least.”
“Genre difference?”
“Not just ours—all works’ stats checked.”
That was unforeseen.
Analyzing every work’s stats?
“So, female readers drop fast if not their taste, but males stay longer if episode 1 hits.”
“I see. So rom-com for that?”
“First, it’s the webtoon genre fit. Especially with male lead as ex-killer, best for universal appeal across ages and genders.”
Spot-on analysis.
Comedy is welcomed worldwide.
Few top webtoons lack it.
“Second, to solidly grab female readers.”
Rom-com, well-blended, captures both.
Ex-killer male lead was smart.
Males crave action.
But off-setting action alienates females.
Ex-killer job?
Action flows naturally.
“You did thorough research.”
“Hehe…….”
“With that level, it had to be fun. Very satisfying work.”
Tae-seong shared what he felt reading.
They noted it down, discussing implementations.
* * *
Two days later.
Tae-seong returned to the set.
Today was Otherworld Chef episode 8 shoot.
“Mix fixed shots and sidelined ones—thoughts?”
“Good. Let’s do that.”
Post Kim PD meeting.
Oh Young-tae grew more proactive.
The worry lines on his face gone. Likely funding sorted via Kim PD contract, though unasked.
“And this episode has a special guest, so camera angles focused on them? Your thoughts, Director?”
“Same here. Better utilize guest on their scenes.”
The Otherworld Chef set buzzed more than usual.
First guest ever.
And no ordinary one.
Hottest star in drama land now.
“Writer-nim~ No, Representative-nim~ I’m ready!”
The guest entered in native costume, speaking.
Actress Park Eun-bi.
Her beaming entry brought broad smiles to the staff.
“Alright, shall we start shooting?”
Filming began with the first guest.