Futures, What Exactly Is This Place?
The value of a ten-million-ticket film in this industry was enormous.
People didn’t call directors or actors who made ten-million-ticket films ten-million directors or ten-million actors for nothing.
So why did Korea, of all places, obsess so much over the title ten million?
The reason was simple enough that it hardly needed thinking about.
In a country of fifty million people, the fact that one-fifth of the population had watched the same movie made the title itself a monument of achievement.
And I had chosen that ten-million-ticket film.
What was more, its genre was occult thriller, the kind of thing this industry treated like a taboo.
What had the biggest box-office hit in that category been before then? Four million?
In the end, I was lucky the results came out the way they did. Before that, everyone had been throwing question marks at my decision to pick Black Bride.
But I had put Lee Ha-eun, Baekhak’s marquee actress, in that occult film.
They all said I’d lost my mind.
Fair enough. A sane person wouldn’t have made a choice like that.
I had cast Lee Ha-eun in an untested director’s thriller, an occult thriller at that.
But I went one step further.
I didn’t just get Lee Ha-eun to appear in it. I persuaded CEO Baek Ji-won to invest in it, too.
That went beyond crazy. I had crossed the line clean through.
What kind of manager was I, getting the company to sink more than 10 billion won into an occult thriller script?
If that project had flopped, my career as a manager would have been over.
But I had proven myself right in the middle of that risk.
The Black Bride I had chosen went beyond success and broke past ten million viewers, writing a new chapter in Korean film history.
In that moment, the risk of Black Bride that had weighed on my shoulders before the project even began turned into return.
I lifted my head after finishing the Team 6 performance report.
"..........."
The department head’s office was wrapped in silence.
Director Park Yu-hyeon’s gaze was warm, while in the other five team leaders’ eyes besides mine, I could see surprise and envy.
A thrilling current started slowly at my toes and worked its way up.
It felt like the hardship of the past year was being repaid now in the way those five team leaders were looking at me.
Breathing out in a rush of excitement, I wrapped up my presentation.
"That concludes the report."
Park Yu-hyeon called my name as though he had been waiting for it.
"Team Leader Kwon."
"Yes, Director."
"The final audience count for Black Bride was 12.8 million, correct?"
"Yes, that’s right, Director."
Park Yu-hyeon leaned toward me.
"The break-even point for Black Bride was three million, wasn’t it?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"Even at a rough calculation, that’s four times over."
Park Yu-hyeon looked at me with a freshly amused expression.
"The money Baekhak made by investing in Black Bride. Just going by the audience count alone, that’s roughly four times the investment. But if you factor in VOD, Netflix, and overseas distribution rights, then it’s brought in several times that amount, hasn’t it?"
I forced my expression under control at his words.
Park Yu-hyeon, who had been studying me steadily, let the corners of his mouth lift in satisfaction.
"It’s settled based on one project."
Settled.
At those words, I clenched both fists tightly.
"Congratulations on taking first place, Team Leader Kwon."
The team leaders of the management department, the heart of Baekhak as it was called.
Once, they had seemed impossibly far above me. Now, in this moment, I had passed them.
"First place in first-quarter performance. Team 6, led by Team Leader Kwon."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
My mood was all mixed up.
First place among Baekhak’s team leaders.
Which meant the team I led had performed the best at Baekhak, the number-one entertainment company in the industry.
But wait.
If my team had done the best at Baekhak, didn’t that mean I had outperformed everyone else in the industry who did this kind of work?
No, wasn’t that exactly what it meant?
Baekhak was number one in the entertainment industry, so being number one there could also mean being the best in the industry overall.
Ah, am I taking this too far?
Yeah, I was definitely taking it too far.
And at the same time, the embarrassing thought that had suddenly occurred to me made my face heat up.
Seeing it this way, maybe I wasn’t the sort of man who could really get carried away after all.
Fortunately, the gift Park Yu-hyeon handed me next cooled that embarrassment in one shot.
"Starting today, we’ll appoint Team Leader Kwon as a full team leader."
At the sudden declaration, I looked at Park Yu-hyeon in surprise.
"The CEO said that even if Team Leader Kwon refused, I was to promote you this time no matter what. That’s all right with you, isn’t it?"
With that, Park Yu-hyeon looked around at the other team leaders.
My eyes naturally followed, checking their expressions, too.
From Team Leader 1 through Team Leader 5, the existing leaders were nodding as if it were only natural.
Except for one person in particular, Temporary Team Leader Lee Jae-min, who looked like he had eaten something rotten.
I couldn’t help letting out a small laugh inwardly and lowered my head.
"Thank you, Director."
Park Yu-hyeon smiled faintly and asked,
"Team Leader Kwon, you’ve already been using team leader business cards, haven’t you?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then there’s no need to change them. We’ll probably need to reinforce Team 6’s headcount. What do you think?"
I answered at once.
"We are pretty short-handed at the moment."
"I’ll speak to HR and have any new hires assigned to Team 6 first."
"Thank you, Director."
Park Yu-hyeon gave a small nod and then continued the meeting.
But maybe it was because I felt relieved that my turn was over, or because I was genuinely happy to have become a real team leader.
I couldn’t focus on the rest of the meeting.
Fortunately, it didn’t last long.
After hearing every team leader’s report, Park Yu-hyeon clapped his hands and said,
"All right, let’s end today’s meeting here."
With that, the six team leaders all bowed to Park Yu-hyeon.
I greeted him as well, then slowly left the department head’s office.
As soon as he stepped out, Team Leader Ma tapped my shoulder.
"Congratulations."
"For what?"
"For becoming a full team leader, idiot."
Keeping my expression in check, I shot back,
"You’re not planning to congratulate me with just your bare hands, are you, Team Leader Ma?"
"Oh, come on. You get promoted, and I’m supposed to buy the meal?"
"Since when did a man from Gyeongsang get stingy about buying food?"
Team Leader 4, who had been following behind Team Leader Ma, cut into the conversation.
"Of course Ma should pay. Right, Team Leader Kwon?"
"That’s right, Team Leader 4."
"Congratulations. You’re really a team leader now?"
"Thank you."
Team Leader 4 playfully tapped my shoulder a couple of times.
"But isn’t it a little fast?"
"What is?"
"Six months after becoming a chief manager, temporary team leader, and then another six months to full team leader. At this rate, you’ll be the youngest director in no time."
They were setting me up for a flight too high.
If I failed to keep a straight face now, I had a feeling I’d get an earful, so I acted calm again.
Then Team Leader 1’s voice reached my ears.
"Congratulations, Team Leader Kwon."
I turned with a slight look of surprise.
The taciturn Team Leader 1 was speaking to me first?
I took the hand he held out and replied,
"Thank you, Team Leader 1."
"I figured someone like Team Leader Kwon would become a team leader someday, but like Team Leader 4 said, it was faster than expected."
"I got a bit lucky."
"You don’t make a ten-million-ticket film with luck alone."
Team Leader 1 studied my expression with his unsmiling gaze.
"Team Leader Kwon found a good script. Still... honestly, I was a little surprised. Even though Black Bride was a strong script, I didn’t expect it to reach ten million."
Depending on how you took it, that could sound annoying.
But there was no such intent in Team Leader 1’s tone or expression.
Rather...
Team Leader 1 was sizing me up a little.
Well, it made sense. I had taken the first-place performance that used to belong to Team 1, so it wasn’t strange for him to look at me that way.
I let out a quiet laugh inside and answered lightly.
"I was surprised, too. It felt good, but I didn’t think it would really hit ten million."
Team Leader 1 let go of my hand and said,
"Let’s do well together, now that we’re both team leaders."
"Yes, Team Leader 1."
Team Leader 4, who had been looking back and forth between us, suddenly jumped in.
"But Team Leader Kwon."
"Yes?"
"Aren’t you about ready to tell us?"
"Tell you what?"
Team Leader 4 urged me on with an impatient look.
"Come on! The CEO brought you a ten-million-ticket film. There’s no way she’d only promote you to team leader! What else did you get this time? Share already!"
They couldn’t have just promoted me to team leader after I brought in a ten-million-ticket film...
Well... yes.
Honestly, I agreed with Team Leader 4 this time.
It does feel a little lacking.
I had brought them a ten-million-ticket film.
And not just any film, either, but one Baekhak had invested in because I persuaded them to.
But if the gift Baekhak had prepared for me ended at a promotion to team leader...
Honestly, like Team Leader 4 said, that would feel a little disappointing.
Still, I needed something real before I could say anything.
"...What? You really didn’t get anything else?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Team Leader 4 tilted his head.
"That’s strange. Knowing the CEO, there’s no way she wouldn’t have prepared something."
The moment he finished speaking, an unfamiliar voice called out to me.
"Team Leader Kwon?"
I turned and saw CEO Baek Ji-won’s secretary.
The eyes of the team leaders around me widened slightly, mine included.
"Ah, yes. Secretary Kim."
"Would you mind signing something for me briefly?"
Without thinking, I tilted my head.
Signing?
What could Baek Ji-won’s secretary possibly need my signature for?
With that question came a faint swelling of anticipation in my chest.
Secretary Kim, who had been watching me quietly, opened her mouth at a measured pace.
"The officetel I mentioned last time."
"...?"
"It’s on CEO Baek’s instructions to register it under Team Leader Kwon’s name."
Huh?
What was I hearing right now?
My mouth slowly fell open at the unbelievable news.
Within that silence, Secretary Kim declared in a crisp voice,
"If you sign here, we’ll process the payment today."
For a moment, there was complete silence.
The sound of swallowing, the wide-eyed stares.
Amid the vivid reactions of the team leaders around me, Team Leader 4 muttered in disbelief,
"...So if you make a ten-million-ticket film, the company gives you a house."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Saturday. The weekend.
I looked over the officetel view with renewed eyes, not a Han River view, but a Gangnam view all the same.
My ten-year friend, who had come to help me move, let out a long sigh.
"You get up at nine every morning and play the stock market all day long for what, huh?"
"..."
"One guy gets an 800-million-won officetel from his company, and seeing stuff like this makes life feel pointless. It’s all one big score, one big score... damn it. Then why doesn’t my big score ever come? The guy next to me won the lottery and got an 800-million-won officetel on top of it?"
I gave him an awkward look and asked,
"This place is worth 800 million won?"
"Yeah, you idiot."
"...That’s expensive."
"Oh, really? That’s what a guy who got an 800-million-won officetel is going to say?"
Then what was I supposed to say?
Honestly, I was still dazed myself.
Where in the world does a salaried worker get an 800-million-won officetel from his company?
It was only possible in the entertainment industry, where things were looser than in other fields, but even here it wasn’t common.
Then Hyun-sung set down the moving box he’d been carrying and said,
"Hey, Kwon Chan."
"What."
"Can we get an office?"
I tilted my head.
"What office?"
"What do you mean, what office? Our company office, obviously."
I tilted my head again.
"I don’t mind getting one, but why the sudden rush?"
"It’s not sudden. I’m jealous."
"?"
"I was just going to work from home because I felt bad about you tossing your lottery winnings into an indie film investment, but seeing this, I can’t let it go. We need a proper office. Something that actually looks the part."
At Hyun-sung’s words, I understood and laughed.
Meanwhile, my ten-year friend, glaring at me, went on in a serious tone.
"And an investment firm’s appearance matters a lot. How can we not have an office at all?"
Hmm.
That part did sound convincing.
I nodded and answered,
"Do we have any money left at the company?"
"After setting aside the film investment money and taking out all the odds and ends, I kept about 100 million won back."
"Then use that to find one."
"Should we look around the Chungmuro area?"
"That’d make it easier for you to come and go."
Hyun-sung picked up the moving box again and said,
"Then I’ll look for an office in Chungmuro sometime next week?"
At that, I looked at Im Hyun-sung with fresh eyes.
He complained with his mouth, but once he actually got to work, he handled the parts I couldn’t keep track of far better than I expected.
Following behind him, I muttered,
"Thanks."
"What’s that for, all of a sudden?"
"Just because. I’m suddenly grateful."
"...Shut up, you’re giving me the creeps. More importantly."
Hyun-sung set down the box in his hands and turned to me.
"Do you really have to call the company that?"
I shrugged.
"Why? Don’t you like it?"
"...No, it’s just lame."
Hyun-sung pouted and complained.
"What even is Futures Investment? If you’re going to go old-school like that, why not just call it Miracle Investment? Maybe we can cash in on the aura of that hit drama’s lead."
At that, I stroked my chin.
Now that he says it, the sound of it is a little off.
But from my point of view, if I was going to name the company...
This was the only name I could think of.
That was because the reason for setting up this company was a text message from the future.
I let out a quiet laugh and replied,
"You never know."
"Know what?"
"Names can shape your path. Maybe the future will be on our side."
Im Hyun-sung looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
"Seriously? What, you thought a company called Futures Investment would help you see the future or something?"
"Huh? That was actually pretty sharp."
"You lunatic. Forget it. What am I even talking about with a guy who’s throwing 1.5 billion won of lottery money into an indie film?"
"So how’s the investment going?"
"I’m going to start making real contact next week. I’ll find the office first, get everything done, and then I’ll call you."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A few days later, I headed to the lobby of the famous a acting academy in Gangnam.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw school-uniformed students and aspiring actors with fairly polished looks bustling all around.
In a place full of teenagers and people in their twenties, a man in his thirties standing off to the side naturally drew attention.
I ignored the looks and stood there calmly until a woman in her early thirties with a ponytail hurried toward me from across the room.
"You’re Team Leader from Baekhak, right?"
I uncrossed my arms and answered,
"Yes. I’m Kwon Chan, Team Leader of Team 6."
"Oh, I’m sorry. I was teaching a class until just now... Should we move somewhere first?"
I started walking without complaint.
As we moved, the woman in her early thirties with the ponytail began talking at length.
Her name was Kim Ye-seon, she said she had appeared in several films, and she was a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, among other things.
None of it was especially interesting to me.
I let out a long sigh inwardly and grumbled,
Ugh. Of all things, I had to lose rock-paper-scissors...
This Gangnam a academy had a sponsorship deal with Baekhak and, every year, helped arrange contracts between Baekhak and promising new talent.
Today, the academy was holding its own end-of-month test, and they had asked one of Baekhak’s team leaders to come in as a judge.
So we team leaders had gathered and played rock-paper-scissors...
And I had lost.
Thanks to that, I had been dragged here to serve as a judge, a role I hadn’t asked for and didn’t need.
Honestly, it’s not like I’ve got some special eye for acting.
Even if they were aspiring actors, I doubted I could really evaluate them properly.
But the teacher beside me, Kim Ye-seon, didn’t seem the least bit bothered.
Rather, she was reading my mood and trying her best to sell the students taking the test.
"The students testing today are the best ones in the practical class."
I gave her a polite response.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, yes. Some of them are already going on auditions and taking bit parts, and one student named Park Seon-hwa even appeared in My Love, Flower not long ago."
"My Love, Flower as in the MBN drama?"
"Oh, Team Leader, you knew right away? Yes, that’s the one. She played the lead’s friend, and she got pretty good reviews."
Even if it was just the lead’s friend, if it was a terrestrial-drama-level production, she’d probably have the basics down.
I nodded and said,
"I’m looking forward to it."
"They’re all hungry for this, so you won’t be disappointed."
After that, we opened the door and stepped in, where I could see the other judges who had already arrived waiting.
I gave a brief bow and took the seat Kim Ye-seon pointed out.
Prepared scripts and drinks were laid out on the desk.
While I arranged them neatly to one side, the door opened and a stream of actors in their twenties, some looking to be in their early thirties, filed into the room.
Judging by their expressions, they were all visibly tense.
The determination, or desperation, hanging in the air around them suddenly lit my mood right back up, which had been so restless a moment ago.
All right... since I’m doing this anyway.
Let’s see if I can pull one hidden gem out of here.
Now that I was a full team leader, I’d have to take care of more entertainers going forward, and as a starting point, helping shape one unknown actor didn’t sound bad at all.
At the very least, someone like Choi Go-eun.
That would be a jackpot.
No, would jackpot even be enough?
I’d drag them in with a contract right away and lock down an exclusive deal.
Of course, an acting prodigy like Choi Go-eun wouldn’t come along often, so even half of that...
If even half of that absurd emotional range in her acting reached me, she’d be worth casting.
After setting my standards that way, I lifted my head.
"This is Park Seon-hwa. Recently she appeared as a supporting role in the MBN weekend serial My Love, Flower..."
There were 20 people taking part in today’s end-of-month test.
So who among them was the hidden gem?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After about two hours, the end-of-month test came to a close.
From the existing judges to the Baekhak team leaders who had been specially invited today, everyone was staring down at the score sheets in front of them.
Kim Ye-seon’s gaze, however, was aimed at the Baekhak team leader.
Who did he pick?
If he was a Baekhak team leader, he was one of the biggest names among managers in the industry.
Especially that team leader, according to rumor...
He was the manager in charge of the top-star actress Lee Ha-eun.
And I heard the manager had also picked Black Bride, the movie that just hit ten million viewers?
How well did he have to understand scripts to pinpoint an occult thriller that went on to draw ten million moviegoers?
Kim Ye-seon pushed past the other judges and approached Kwon Chan.
"Team Leader Kwon."
"Ah, yes, teacher."
"Did any of the students catch your eye?"
At Kim Ye-seon’s question, Kwon Chan answered slowly.
"The acting was all pretty solid."
Kim Ye-seon’s eyes widened.
The acting was all pretty solid?
Then was he saying one of those students could become the second Lee Ha-eun?
Then Kwon Chan asked in a slightly urgent voice,
"If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you something, teacher?"
The Baekhak team leader, who had shown no change in expression since they first met, was now suddenly restless.
Kim Ye-seon’s own voice became restless in response.
"Oh, yes! Of course! Ask whatever you like!"
"Could you tell me who wrote this script?"
"?"
"Reading the content, it doesn’t look like they just pulled it from an existing script..."
Kwon Chan fixed his heated gaze on the bewildered Kim Ye-seon.
"This script the aspiring actors used for their performances today. Who wrote it, exactly?"