The Mysterious Company Called Futures Investment
"Futures? What exactly is this place?"
Teacher Kim Ye-seon, the acting instructor, answered with visible fluster.
"A-a scriptwriter, you mean, Team Leader Kwon?"
Only then, at her expression, did I realize my question had come out far too abruptly.
But what could I do? What was done was done, and the script in my hand had already lit a fire under me.
Suppressing the surge of interest I felt, I explained.
"For a ten-page sides script, the quality is unusually high. But looking at the content, it doesn't seem like it was lifted from an existing drama script. By any chance, do you know who wrote this?"
Teacher Kim Ye-seon looked at me, this time with open surprise.
"This script is original. And it was written by a newcomer, too. How did you spot that so quickly?"
A newcomer?
So the writer of this script wasn't an established writer, but a rookie?
A pleased laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
"If it's not too much trouble, could I meet this writer sometime?"
"Oh, yes. I think that should be fine. That script was written by one of our academy students."
What?
Not just a rookie, but an academy student had written this?
"Our academy teaches acting, of course, but also dance, singing, and even drama writing and PD work. This script is probably from one of our drama-writing class students."
...Look at that.
The situation kept getting more and more interesting.
Then Teacher Kim Ye-seon, gauging my mood, asked cautiously, "S-so, Team Leader Kwon? How were the aspiring actors who took today's test?"
At her question, the excitement that had been heating me up deflated a little.
How were they, huh...
Honestly? They were all mediocre.
To be precise, they weren't bad, but they weren't especially good either.
The basics, like vocal projection, eye line control, and memorizing lines, were fairly solid, but that was as far as it went.
Their acting had no color, no scent, no presence.
There wasn't a single student who left the kind of strong impression that smacked the back of my head.
The only one who had looked promising, the student who said he'd played a supporting role on a terrestrial network, was... well.
Watching his overworked tear-acting, I actually felt burdened.
Was my standard just too high?
Maybe it was.
In my eyes, acting well meant Lee Ha-eun.
Even if not her, then at least a Hallyu star like Kwon Hyeon-bin, or Seo Tae-jun, who had by now become the thriller prince.
And if not those two, then at minimum someone at the level of Choi Go-eun.
There was no way a group of factory-assembled aspiring actors could stir my heart.
But there was no need to say that out loud here.
Keeping my expression in check, I answered naturally, "Their vocal projection was good, and their eye lines weren't bad. There were a few with real potential."
It wasn't a lie.
Strictly speaking, comparing them to working professionals at this stage would be a stretch, but there were a few who, if they built their fundamentals properly, might someday cross paths with me in the acting world.
At my words, Teacher Kim Ye-seon let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Team Leader."
"Not at all."
"Oh, right. You said you wanted to meet the person who wrote this script? I'll check whether they're at the academy right now."
With that, Teacher Kim Ye-seon left the testing room.
Watching her go, I looked back down at the script in my hand.
"Seriously, a student wrote this?"
I couldn't believe it.
During my years as a manager, I'd read hundreds of scripts, maybe even thousands.
Honestly, I couldn't claim to know acting all that well, but I was confident in my eye for scripts.
And yet this script in front of me...
It was the complete opposite of the amateur performances I'd just watched.
Right. Like Lee Ha-eun's acting.
For a mere ten-page sides script, it had a perfect beginning, middle, and end.
The details and dialogue revealed the writer's genius and obsessive perfectionism.
What caught my attention most was the dialogue in this script.
["Regret is stronger than remorse. Do you regret your present self right now?"]
It had bite.
It had life.
It had been a long time since I'd felt that kind of thrill from a line of dialogue.
And usually, writers who were truly good at dialogue were seasoned veterans.
Because dialogue is, after all, conversation on the page, and the more experiences a writer has with people and situations, the better dialogue they can write.
But a writer who wrote something like this is... a student?
It was hard to believe, but if it was true...
From my perspective, that student could only be a genius.
At that moment, the door opened and Teacher Kim Ye-seon came back in.
"Ah, Team Leader Kwon."
Her face held a troubled expression.
"I'm sorry about this. The student who wrote that script apparently dropped out of the academy a few days ago."
Before I knew it, a low groan escaped me.
What kind of timing is this?
Damn it... I should have come a little sooner.
As useless regret washed over me, Teacher Kim Ye-seon quietly made a suggestion.
"Shall I try contacting them?"
My eyes widened.
"But they've already dropped out. Would that be all right?"
"Why wouldn't it be? Even if they dropped out, if they're a writer hopeful attending a school like this, their goal must be debut. They're probably still writing somewhere. If someone from Baekhak shows interest in them, especially a team leader, they might even consider re-enrolling in the academy they quit."
As I listened to her explanation, I felt the dimming ember of hope flare back up.
"Then I'd appreciate that, teacher."
I rummaged in my inner pocket and took out my business card.
It was the first time I'd taken it out since becoming a proper team leader.
Handing it to Teacher Kim Ye-seon, I said with genuine urgency, "Please tell this writer that Team Leader Kwon of Baekhak's Team 6 would very much like to meet them."
The script wouldn't leave my mind.
It was enough to make me wonder whether I'd ever been this hooked on a script before.
Ah. Come to think of it, I had.
The moment I read Black Bride, I had that instinctive certainty: This one's going to hit.
But this time was subtly different.
It wasn't that I wanted the script itself so much as I wanted the writer who had written it.
A student wrote a script like this?
According to Teacher Kim Ye-seon, they were only twenty-two...
Did that make any sense?
No. It didn't.
Which was exactly why I wanted to meet them even more.
But what was I going to do once I met them?
Baekhak didn't manage drama writers.
And even if the ten-page sides script was excellent, how could I judge their potential as a writer from that alone?
...Damn it.
Once something gets under your skin, a person can become absurdly reckless.
And yet there was still no word from Teacher Kim Ye-seon about the contact.
I was getting antsy, but there was nothing I could do about it.
So when I let out a long sigh without meaning to, Kwon Hyeon-bin gave me a quiet look and asked, "Team Leader Kwon."
"Yes?"
"Do you have something on your mind?"
At his words, I belatedly fixed my expression and said, "No, nothing."
"It looks like you do."
Kwon Hyeon-bin added in his level voice, "Don't worry about the script reading."
"Huh?"
"The character work came together better than I expected. I think it'll be a better performance than you think."
Kwon Hyeon-bin told me this in a voice full of confidence.
"So you don't need to worry about the reading."
...My expression turned awkward.
Was he seriously thinking my sigh had been about the script reading?
Ah, this is what I get for being distracted.
On a day this important, I was getting hung up on something else?
I erased the script I'd seen at the Gangnam acting academy from my mind and said, "Then I can look forward to today's reading with high expectations?"
"You can."
"Oh, you're pretty confident."
I playfully tapped Kwon Hyeon-bin's shoulder, and only then did the Hallyu star's face regain some life as he let out a small laugh.
I stood up and said, "I'll go meet the PD for a moment."
"Yes, understood."
Leaving the waiting room and heading into the script-reading venue, I spotted Ho PD wrestling with the camera setup.
I made my presence known on purpose, and only then did Ho PD look up and notice me, bowing his head.
"Ah, Team Leader Kwon."
"You've been well, Ho PD?"
"Honestly, I'd like to say I have, even if only politely, but I feel like I'm dying."
With that, Ho PD let out repeated sighs.
Watching him, I nodded with satisfaction.
The drama's script reading was happening today, so the head PD couldn't exactly be too comfortable.
Then Ho PD suddenly lowered his head and whispered to me, "I was actually looking for you because I had something to say, so this timing is good."
Something to tell me?
As Ho PD gauged my expression, he added, "...It's just that, well, Director Kang may be coming a little later."
My eyes widened.
Director Kang?
The MBN drama chief director was coming here personally?
Meanwhile, Ho PD puffed out his lips and grumbled, "I kept telling him the staff would feel pressured, but he insisted to the end that he had to see the script reading with his own eyes."
I nodded slowly.
"A visit from a superior is always a headache."
"Well, it'd be one thing if he were just visiting... but he said he really wants to see your face too, Team Leader Kwon."
The comment caught me off guard so completely that I blurted out, "Me?"
"The director keeps saying you're Baekhak Representative Baek Ji-won's pick."
"..."
I shut my mouth.
In the meantime, Ho PD watched my face carefully.
"I told him it was absurd nonsense, but he seems to be dead set on it... Anyway, if Director Kang comes later and says something strange, I'd appreciate it if you just let it slide."
I belatedly came to my senses and answered, "Ah, yes. Understood, Ho PD."
After that, Ho PD and I talked over the schedule for the script reading and the special broadcast.
He still had work left to do, so as soon as our conversation ended, he hurried off to finish setting up the cameras again.
Watching his back, I slowly folded my arms.
I'm Baek Ji-won's pick?
...Crazy.
That rumor was still going around?
No, what would make me Baek Ji-won's pick?
To hear that sort of thing, you'd need to be someone like Director Park Yu-hyeon.
I shook my head and muttered, "Some ridiculous rumor had been floating around without me even knowing it."
It was a small industry, after all. Tiny things got inflated into gossip all the time, and this must have been one of those cases.
Besides, when the great Baek Ji-won herself showed up at a meal like that with a manager in tow...
Given her reputation, gossip like this following her around was, in a way, only natural.
So I dismissed it as just another trivial rumor.
It was strange to dwell on it seriously anyway.
But it wasn't trivial.
"Um, h-hello, Team Leader Kwon?"
"I'm Park Choon-sik from AA Entertainment, Road Manager."
"Ah, it's really an honor to meet you like this..."
Before the actual reading began, managers I'd never met approached me.
The way they bent and scraped around me left me genuinely bewildered.
No, seriously, what was this?
Why were complete strangers being so deferential to me?
The reason came out through the mouths of the managers crowding around me.
"We heard the news! Congratulations on Black Bride passing ten million, Team Leader Kwon!"
"Queen of Joseon and Black Bride both - how do you manage to pick scripts like that?"
"Well, I guess that's why Representative Baek Ji-won chose you."
The nonsense I'd thought of as a light piece of gossip had spread far deeper through the industry than I'd realized.
And the peak of that rumor mill came from one manager's mouth.
"I heard you're going to be promoted to director soon, so I figure I should get in line early, Team Leader Kwon, haha-!"
A cafe in Chungmuro.
Director Kim Seon-hee drank the coffee in front of her like water, her throat dry with thirst.
Only belatedly realizing it was hot coffee, not iced, she choked and coughed once.
"Director, there's cold water here."
"Ah, sorry about that, Representative."
The man seated across from Director Kim Seon-hee smiled faintly as he answered.
"It is hot out today. I guess I should have ordered iced."
The man brushed the situation aside with a light joke.
Director Kim Seon-hee gave him an awkward look and slowly studied him from head to toe.
Early twenties? Thirties?
He still looked fresh-faced, but judging by his atmosphere and the way he spoke, he seemed to be in his thirties.
Of course, whether he was in his twenties or thirties, he still looked awfully young to be the representative of a company, especially a film investment company.
And yet, perhaps because of the white-rimmed glasses he wore.
Or maybe because of the easy gestures of someone clearly accustomed to coming to places like this.
There was something oddly unforced about the young investment-company representative.
He reeks of scammer.
A person who was this comfortable in a setting like this at such a young age could only be a con artist, couldn't he?
And yet the terms that con artist had proposed were too sweet to ignore.
Feeling her throat go dry again, Director Kim Seon-hee asked, "...I did look over the contract you sent."
She deliberately trailed off, drawing out the point before continuing. "Is this condition really correct, Representative?"
Im Hyun-sung, the mysterious investment-company representative who had come to see Director Kim Seon-hee, nodded.
"If you're referring to the conditions listed in the contract, then yes, Director."
"I see."
"Is there perhaps a clause you don't like?"
Director Kim Seon-hee looked away and let out a long sigh.
"No, that's not the issue. It's just... well."
"Please, speak freely."
"...Then I'll speak freely. The conditions you proposed are too, excessively good."
Im Hyun-sung gestured as if telling her to keep going.
Encouraged by that, Director Kim Seon-hee continued her explanation.
"This is the first time I've ever had a case like this, so I'm a little thrown off. The conditions are so good that they're actually making me uneasy. Cases like this aren't common. You guarantee me a fixed compensation through the net profit split, and the investment company also covers all actor incentives and equipment rentals."
Director Kim Seon-hee frowned.
"Honestly, the difference from the industry average is so large that I can't bring myself to agree easily. And..."
She paused for a beat, then brought out the real reason for her unease.
"This is also the first time I've ever heard your company name today."
Im Hyun-sung nodded brightly.
"I understand everything you've said, and I can sympathize with it completely."
"...I'm sorry, Representative."
"No need. Investment should be handled carefully, but contracts should be handled even more carefully. I understand your position perfectly."
Im Hyun-sung stood and handed her his business card.
"Please contact me whenever you've made up your mind."
Director Kim Seon-hee's gaze fell on the card.
Futures Investment.
It was, again, a film investment company she had never heard of before.
She looked back up at Im Hyun-sung.
The man with the bureaucratic air about him was wearing a warm smile that didn't quite match his appearance.
"Our door is always open. Our company wants to work alongside your valuable project, Director."
That evening.
Director Kim Seon-hee called a longtime friend of ten years to a barbecue restaurant.
"Hey, Director Kim."
"Director Park, you came?"
A friend of ten years meant this man had also been a mid-career director for ten years.
Looking at Director Park, who like her had been unable to let go of the dream of film and directing and was slowly becoming a ghost of Chungmuro, Director Kim Seon-hee said, "Have you been paying your electric bill on time lately?"
"Yeah. But I'm behind on the water bill."
"That's a relief. I'm behind on the rent."
"Can't they just take it out of the deposit?"
"The deposit is only a million won..."
"..."
Starting with the kind of miserable complaints only failed directors could share, they clinked soju glasses with full enthusiasm.
Once the mood had warmed up, Director Kim Seon-hee brought it up abruptly.
"Director Park."
"What is it, Director Kim."
"I've got a problem..."
"What kind of problem?"
Director Kim Seon-hee let out a long sigh.
"I got an investment offer."
"Huh? An investment offer?"
"An investment company made an offer for the independent film I'm producing right now. But..."
She let her sentence trail off and sighed again.
"The conditions are too good, but it's a brand-new investment company."
With that, Director Kim Seon-hee explained the situation.
The conditions that strayed far from the industry average.
The investment-company representative who looked a little too young.
The con artists that littered the business.
And the reality of an obscure director who couldn't help being tempted by those con artists anyway.
These were the kinds of things she could only say to Director Park, another failed director who had spent ten years in Chungmuro chasing the dream of film and directing.
After draining a drink and finishing her story, Director Kim Seon-hee asked, "So, Director Park. What would you do?"
"..."
"This reeks of a scam, and on top of that, I don't know when another investment offer will ever come my way given my situation... Is it right to just close my eyes and accept it?"
At that, Director Park, who had been listening quietly, looked strange.
"You got one too?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I got the same offer."
"!"
Director Kim's eyes widened.
"Y-you got a similar offer too?"
Director Park folded his arms and said, "Yeah. But want to hear something even more surprising?"
"...What?"
"Apparently, not just you and me. They made similar offers to Director Choi from the neighborhood over there, and to Director Ho, who just recently made his commercial-film debut."
"!"
"At this rate, they probably sent offers to every director in Chungmuro who's called a ghost. I've heard of more than five myself."
Director Kim's mouth fell open.
...What on earth is going on?
There couldn't possibly be that many companies offering film investment on such ridiculously good terms, could there?
She asked in a hurry, "What's the company called?"
Director Park answered slowly.
"...Futures Investment."
Hah!
Director Kim swallowed a groan.
"...Mine's Futures Investment too."
Her throat bobbed.
"What kind of company is Futures Investment, anyway, that it's handing out business cards with terms like this?"
Director Park took a sip of his drink and said, "I don't know either. But one thing was certain."
At his words, Director Kim's eyes widened.
"The whole Chungmuro scene is in an uproar because of this Futures Investment. Right now, every director ghost in Chungmuro is probably busy meeting them and signing contracts."