Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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The set grew chaotic at the news of Netflix reps showing up.
But one word from Tae-seong erased the disorder, and everyone refocused on the shoot.
It was impressive.
Lee Ji-yeon and Kim Jong-pil sat off to one side of the set, watching the filming unfold.
‘With countless pieces of content thriving on YouTube, this show—Otherworld Chef—hit a million views and five hundred thousand subscribers faster than any other. I was curious how it came together.’
Otherworld Chef was a hot topic among content creators.
Billions of people around the world uploaded videos to YouTube every day.
The platform had 1.8 billion monthly users worldwide—one out of every four people on the planet watched YouTube, clocking over a billion hours of viewing time daily.
They were all consumers—and potential producers.
Anyone watching could upload a video at any time.
But the only way to get your content seen was through viewer choice.
That meant channels took ages to grow.
Yet Otherworld Chef had racked up a hundred thousand subscribers in just one month.
‘The director, Jeong Tae-seong, is a famous author whose Black Knight’s Her got explosive buzz, and he even cameoed in it, so he’s got name recognition...’
Public fame often translated to channel interest.
But those cases usually leaned on established strengths.
Otherworld Chef, though, was straight-up drama—a genre where story reigned supreme.
Fame from other ventures didn’t help much there.
Still, it exploded in popularity in record time.
Ji-yeon was dying to know why.
“The writer’s a natural actor.”
Kim Jong-pil, the department head sitting beside her, murmured softly.
“Totally agree. He’s better than most pros. Syncs perfectly with the supporting cast, too.”
“The camera director’s impressive, right?”
Ji-yeon’s gaze shifted to the camera director.
“Spot on. Real skill there—killer camera work and angles. Explains the polished final product.”
“Seeing it with our own eyes beats any rumor.”
“The reality blows the gossip out of the water.”
Oh Young-tae, the director.
Infamous in the industry for all the wrong reasons, but seeing him in action shattered those negative vibes.
“The sound director’s top-notch too. Anticipates what the director wants and nails his spot.”
“Everyone else too. Barely any chit-chat, but they’re all doing their jobs flawlessly.”
Visit any set, and you’d find a ton of people.
Dozens of crew for the shoot alone, plus cast, managers, coordinators, and more.
Over a hundred moving at once wasn’t uncommon.
Crowds meant noise and mishaps.
That was just how it went.
Not here, though.
‘The crew’s light, cast is small. Just two coordinators for the actors, no managers in sight.’
Fewer people kept things quiet.
‘And the quality’s still sky-high.’
The unwritten rule: great videos needed big crews.
Watching this shoot, that rule felt like it was crumbling.
“With a method like this, we could back way more projects.”
“Pour a blockbuster’s budget into these, and you’d get dozens.”
“The catch is, it has to be planned from the jump like Otherworld Chef.”
“Jeong Tae-seong wrote the script himself, right?”
“Yeah. He penned the original novel too, and adapted it into a drama script single-handedly.”
“And directs the whole operation on set.”
“While tweaking the shooting style and story beats to fit the budget.”
Silence fell between them.
“Anyone else out there who could pull that off?”
“Probably... not?”
They’d thought they’d found a new method—only for a towering mountain to loom in their path.
* * *
The shoot wrapped.
Tae-seong headed to a nearby café with the two.
“Must’ve been boring with the long shoot.”
“Not at all. All those fresh techniques kept it fascinating.”
“Agreed. Super intriguing. I noticed the cooking scenes on YouTube are mostly long takes—what’s the reason?”
Long take: one continuous shot, no edits from start to finish.
No cuts meant nailing framing, angles, character movement—everything.
Any NG or slip-up? Back to square one.
“The biggest perk of long takes is that immersive, you-are-there realism for the audience. No cuts means viewers get sucked right in.”
That’s why action scenes loved it.
Oldboy’s iconic hallway fight? Long take magic.
It delivered breathless realism and on-site tension, captivating global audiences.
“I favor long takes because in Otherworld Chef, the food is the star.”
“Ah... so shooting cooking in long take amps up that realism for viewers?”
“Exactly.”
Lately, with long takes trendy, directors often flexed them for show.
Tae-seong used them because they were essential.
“Mukbangs work the same. Reasons to watch vary, but realism’s key. You get that vicarious thrill watching streamers devour food like it’s you.”
“Mukbangs skip heavy edits for sure. Keeps the raw vibe alive.”
“The more you explain, the more Otherworld Chef feels like a masterclass in precision.”
Tae-seong sipped his coffee after Kim’s comment, then continued.
“Low-budget shoots demand tight prep to save cash.”
Long takes could burn budget—or save it.
But no NGs here.
Every take nailed on the first go.
No reshoots meant massive savings.
Same for other scenes.
Meticulous prep and simulations let them ace long takes flawlessly.
“Truly impressive.”
Ji-yeon, who knew the grind, couldn’t help but admire it.
“Thanks to my great team. But you didn’t come just to watch, right? Otherworld Chef contract stuff?”
Right—got sidetracked by the shoot.
“Yeah, wondering if you’d thought about bringing it to Netflix.”
“We could invest if you want. More budget for higher quality... wait, no, that won’t fly.”
Kim Jong-pil shook his head mid-sentence.
He’d have finished the pitch without the set visit.
But seeing it firsthand? No way.
“Otherworld Chef’s quality is already stellar. Pumping in more cash might even create jarring inconsistencies.”
“Precisely.”
“Slipped into old sales talk there. Sorry.”
“No worries. More budget would be nice—fancier shots, maybe. But it’s unnecessary for this show, so we’re keeping costs down.”
“Totally. What Otherworld Chef needs now isn’t money—it’s more viewers.”
Ji-yeon seemed the cooler head, sharper on strategy.
“Exactly. Netflix could expose it to a global audience.”
“We’ll handle translation and service on our end.”
Solid terms.
Netflix’s worldwide infrastructure.
Tap that, and Otherworld Chef reaches millions.
They’d manage subs too—no hassle.
One snag, though.
“If we go Netflix, what about YouTube?”
“Depends on the contract.”
“Exclusive? Better revenue split for you. Non-exclusive? Lower cut.”
“So, it’s about the money.”
“Yes.”
Blunt, but true.
Not just money, though.
Netflix was global.
Even 1% revenue could mean nine figures.
Creators obsessed over splits.
Tae-seong would too, they figured.
His answer blindsided them.
“Then non-exclusive it is.”
“Non... exclusive?”
Ji-yeon blurted, stunned.
“Yes. Otherworld Chef’s popularity came from YouTube viewers. Exclusive means cutting off fans without Netflix.”
“True fans might sign up fresh for it...”
“Some might, sure. But not all. Plus, Netflix’s Korea market share isn’t huge yet.”
“Ah, right. We’re ramping marketing to grab more viewers...”
“It’s not about numbers. Low sign-ups mean tons haven’t tried it. Plenty of Otherworld Chef fans might not know or use Netflix.”
Netflix: world’s top streamer.
Korea market share: still growing.
Recent exclusives, big investments, aggressive ads were boosting awareness.
Proof? Korean subs doubled month-over-month.
“With more local content and marketing, that growth accelerates.”
“I know. Netflix’s Korea push is aggressive—shows how key the market is.”
Tae-seong nailed it.
“But that’s not the issue.”
“Then what is the issue, from your view? If we can accommodate, we will.”
Kim spoke up.
He wasn’t department head for show.
His authority let him tweak deals and seal them on the spot.
Tae-seong sipped his coffee, pausing.
Their eyes locked on him.
Drawing opponents into your rhythm—a Tae-seong negotiation staple.
Unintentional habit, but it flowed naturally.
Realizing it, he set down his cup.
“Going exclusive with Netflix limits viewer choice.”
Ji-yeon and Kim got it.
“If we’d started on Netflix with their investment, fine. But mid-run switch? Betrays the fans who loved it so far.”
He reached for his cup again.
“No exclusive deal with Netflix, then.”
They realized it together.
No convincing this guy.