Proof
The evening was dusk-dark.
Streetlamps came on one by one, spilling a warm glow over the roads and buildings. The top-tier actress lifted her head and looked up at the sky.
The heavens after sunset had been painted the same color as the lit streets below.
Yellow and red. Something beautiful somewhere in between.
As Lee Ha-eun stared at the view in silence, Jeon Hyeong-u, who was behind the wheel, called to her carefully.
"Um... Lee Ha-eun-ssi?"
The top-tier actress answered in a languid voice.
"Yeah, Hyeong-u."
"...Are you hurt anywhere by any chance?"
"?"
Lee Ha-eun tilted her head.
"No? I'm not hurt."
"Oh, r-really?"
"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine."
A question mark seemed to hang over Jeon Hyeong-u's face.
"For someone who's fine, your face is just... really red."
Lee Ha-eun's eyes widened a little.
"My face is red?"
"Yes! I've been noticing it for a while. You don't have a cold, do you?"
"...A cold?"
"Like, if you're feeling chilly or feverish, it could be a cold, right? Your face is like a tomato."
At Jeon Hyeong-u's concern, Lee Ha-eun pressed her lips into a line. She thought in silence for a moment, then the corners of her mouth lifted.
"Well..."
Dragging out the words, she stroked her flushed cheek.
"I don't think it's a cold, but I do think I might have a fever."
Jeon Hyeong-u's expression turned grave.
"Should I turn toward the hospital?"
"No, it's fine. It's just... I got stimulated, that's all."
A cool breeze slipped in through the open window. It was the wind of autumn. A faint smile touched Lee Ha-eun's lips.
"So maybe my body just got heated up. That stimulation was too strong."
***
After arriving at work, I went up to the rooftop smoking area. Autumn must have come, because the wind was pleasantly cool now.
I stood there for a moment, absentmindedly feeling the autumn breeze, and only then did I light my cigarette.
One puff, two puffs, three.
Once the nicotine hit, the heavy drowsiness vanished all at once. And yet, strangely enough, my mind still felt foggy.
As I flicked ash off the tip of the cigarette, I muttered, "Looks like the druggie wasn't the real problem after all."
I had thought there was one bomb hidden inside Black Bride, but there were two. And in terms of impact, the newly discovered one was stronger.
If I had to compare them, it was the difference between a grenade and a nuclear bomb.
Lee Ha-eun... had started getting jealous.
...Good Lord.
Even now, I still couldn't believe it. Lee Ha-eun of all people, jealous? And over the delusions in a clickbait article, no less?
...But the worse part is that she doesn't seem interested in hiding it.
Lee Ha-eun had suddenly tugged on my tie.
Her cheeks had brushed mine naturally in the process. The sweet scent on her, the heated skin.
That day, Lee Ha-eun had been... clearly different from usual.
As if she'd been hit by a powerful stimulus, she'd thrown off her mask and closed the distance between us in an instant.
From my side, I couldn't make sense of the change at all.
What on earth triggered her?
I didn't know.
I had spent all of last night thinking about it, but even today, no decent answer came to mind.
Was it really because of that photo with Ga-eul that Lee Ha-eun turned so aggressive?
At the moment, that seemed to be where things were headed... but I couldn't be sure.
Exhaling another stream of smoke, I muttered, "Am I going to get eaten alive later?"
The thought sent a shiver crawling up my spine.
And yet my heart started hammering like crazy from an excitement I couldn't even identify.
Affection from a top-tier actress, and jealousy too.
My brain was pumping out dopamine like it had lost its mind under the stimulation and emotion of it all.
And buried in that feeling, a memory I'd been trying to forget began to play again. The line Lee Ha-eun and I had crossed that night...
"What the hell is that face for, huh?"
I flinched and turned my head.
Ma Seok-du, Team Leader of Baekhak Management Team 5, was blinking at me like an idiot.
My racing heart settled down as if the excitement had been a lie.
I let out a long sigh.
"Make some noise when you come up, Seok-du-hyung."
"What noise? What kind of trouble are you thinking about that has your face looking so serious?"
Instead of answering, I just stared at Ma Seok-du's face.
Bulging muscles and a rough, intimidating look.
If you stripped away the title of management team leader, he looked no different from some thug from the back alleys, a slab of muscle in human form standing in front of me.
He doesn't have the face of someone who knows the first thing about romance.
In fact, our Team Leader Ma Seok-du's last relationship had been ten years ago.
...I shook my head.
"I don't think this is something I should consult you on, hyung."
"What? Did I just get insulted?"
He really did pick up on things fast as hell.
While I was laughing to myself, Seok-du-hyung gave my shoulder a pat.
"Hey, I don't know what it is, but stop making that face! The PR team leader said the script reading was killer, didn't he?"
I nodded.
"It was killer."
"Ha! Lately, everything you touch seems to turn into a success."
"Seems that way. I've had pretty good luck lately."
"Tell the truth. You're thrilled, aren't you?"
"Thrilled? Not yet. It's only the beginning."
Seok-du-hyung let out a suspicious chuckle.
"Heh... You bastard! Acting all cool when you clearly like it! Honestly, even after Lee Ha-eun joined, the reaction to Black Bride wasn't all that great, was it? So if the script reading went well in the middle of all that, isn't that a load off your mind?"
"It is, I guess."
Black Bride had grown in scale with Lee Ha-eun's addition. That brought in a lot of attention, but it still drew skeptical looks.
And it makes sense, since the genre is occult.
The Korean film market was already staggering. In a situation like that, an occult project in a niche genre was bound to provoke concern more than anticipation.
But if the acting quality I saw at the script reading held up... then it looked possible to turn that concern into expectation.
Looking at it this way, Seok-du-hyung isn't wrong.
Now that the script reading had gone successfully, my mood and energy were at their peak.
I just wasn't the type to get carried away out loud; I kept it all in.
That was when the corner of my mouth lifted slightly.
...Wait. Isn't this an opportunity?
I turned my head subtly.
There was Ma Seok-du, the man in charge of the Baekhak 5 Team seat I didn't entirely trust.
Multicultural, which still hadn't found investors at the production stage.
I had been meaning to ask Seok-du-hyung sometime whether I should invest in that project... and now looked like the chance.
With a little bit of caution, I tossed out the bait.
"Team Leader Ma."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Do you happen to know our company's rules on film investment?"
Ma Seok-du cocked his head.
"Investment? Why?"
"You know, like investing in a short film."
"What!? You're trying to invest in a movie!?"
"Since when do I have the money to invest?"
Team Leader Ma accepted that immediately.
"...Hmm. Fair enough. But why are you asking about film investments if you're broke?"
"It came up at the script reading, and I got curious. Say your actor is... not in a feature, but in a short film. Could the manager invest in that film?"
Ma Seok-du slowly scratched his chin. After a long moment of thought, he answered, "On the Baekhak side, I don't think it would violate any rules."
"!"
My eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Yeah. There's a problem if you're adding money to a project the company itself invested in, but external investment? That's basically up to the individual, isn't it?"
"Hm... even if the actor you're managing is in it?"
"That still isn't a problem, at least by the rules."
He shrugged.
"These days, actors invest in their own projects all the time, don't they? Think of it as an extension of that. A manager would be perfectly fine investing too."
"Mm... really?"
"Of course, there is a small ethical issue. If the project does well, both the actor and manager benefit. But if it bombs, the manager's going to have to feel a little awkward around the actor."
An ethical issue, huh...
So apart from that, there was no problem with company rules?
I'll need to check a little more carefully, but...
The corner of my mouth rose faintly.
If that's the case, then Multicultural really might be worth investing in.
Just then, Ma Seok-du called out to me in alarm.
"Hey, hey... Kwon Chan."
"Yes?"
"What were you just thinking?"
I tilted my head.
"What do you mean?"
"Aish, you punk! You're thinking something ridiculous again, aren't you?"
"?"
"You just had the face of someone about to start trouble. Whatever it is, hold back! When things are going well, you just sit still and behave!"
At Seok-du-hyung's shout, I found myself rubbing my face.
...Did I really look that menacing just now?
Still, setting my expression aside, Seok-du-hyung wasn't wrong.
Because I am planning to start trouble from here on out.
I stubbed out the cigarette and stood up.
"Stop talking nonsense and go downstairs to work, Team Leader Ma."
Chaos is just process if the result is good. And I already know the result in advance.
Choi Go-eun is this year's breakout star at the Busan International Film Festival.
If that's the case, then I think the trouble is absolutely worth causing.
***
I stopped by the company's legal affairs department with coffee in both hands. I didn't really have any staff there I could call close, but the coffee in my hands created that kind of closeness for me.
While chatting casually with the legal department staff, I confirmed that the investment itself wasn't a violation of company rules.
Back in my office, I tapped a finger against the Busan International Film Festival screening date I'd marked on the calendar.
"Two months left until the submission deadline."
If filming took three weeks and editing another month, there wasn't as much time as I'd thought.
If I don't invest here and instead assume I need to find an investor...
At minimum, it would take two weeks. Maybe even a month.
An unknown director and an unknown rookie actress.
What investment company in its right mind would put money into a movie like that? Sure, if I beat the pavement hard enough, I might find one or two crazy investors like that, but it was horribly inefficient given the time I had.
And chasing around for the sake of just twenty million won isn't efficient either.
At the unconscious mutter that slipped from my mouth, my shoulder gave a jolt.
"...Look at that."
Since when had twenty million won become "just" money to me?
I let out a dry laugh.
"I've really changed, huh. Wow... twenty million won is 'just' money?"
But why was it?
This sudden change in me didn't feel so bad... at all.
...Right.
What I wanted now was time, not twenty million won.
I wanted to buy the time to film and edit Multicultural instead of spending it looking for investors.
Was I being greedy?
No.
When I thought about Choi Go-eun's acting and the better-than-expected Multicultural script, it was only natural to be greedy.
If Multicultural could be completed without time breathing down its neck and with proper quality, it would have plenty of competition at the Busan International Film Festival.
If my prediction was right and Choi Go-eun won not only Best New Actress but maybe another award too, the return on investment could be pretty sweet.
The reason to invest, the basis for it, the purpose behind it.
Everything was clear.
And then, before I knew it, I muttered, "I'm really starting to get interested."
A situation where I could put money into a film I'd chosen myself.
If that movie became a hit, how would it feel?
It would be insanely thrilling.
Or would it be more than thrilling?
If I handled it well...
Through this Multicultural project, it could become another chance to show my abilities clearly once more.
At that thought, the sense of ease I'd felt after the script reading vanished, and greed and drive began to stir.
I didn't bother pushing that greed away.
I called Director Kim Jun-su right away.
"Director Kim Jun-su, this is Executive Director Kwon."
The first meeting and the second meeting had been as manager and director, with Director Kim Jun-su.
And now, for the third meeting, I intended to see him not as a manager, but as an investor in Multicultural, Kwon Chan.
"I have something to discuss regarding investment in the project. Would you be available for a meeting tomorrow?"
***
SBC Show! Music waiting room.
In front of the coffee machine, TAN, a producer from the entertainment division, and assistant director Jo PD were sharing coffee and chatting.
"...Producer Hwang, are we really doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"No, I mean, even if it's because of the program, is it really okay to come this openly to another network's music stage?"
Producer Hwang tilted his head.
"Are we committing a crime or something?"
"N-no, but..."
"Or what, are we here to hijack a singer who's currently on another show?"
"That, that too isn't it!"
Jo PD squeezed his eyes shut.
"Doesn't it feel like we're doing something that violates our conscience?"
"Listen to you. Does conscience feed you? And why would this be a conscience issue? We got proper permission from Show! Music's PD Choi Ho-cheol."
"...Oh, you got permission?"
Producer Hwang clicked his tongue. Jo PD scratched his head with an awkward look.
"Well, if that's the case, you should've told me earlier! I was freaking out for nothing..."
"Enough nonsense. Pull out the list."
Jo PD opened the bag he was carrying and rummaged through the document files inside.
"...Let's see. Today we've got Park Jae-hoon's stage scheduled, and the top-tier rapper? A guy named DoubleX is also scheduled."
"So we just need to check those two?"
"Hmm... there are also some candidate stages we've put on hold."
Jo PD smacked his lips a little.
"To.Any, Park Ga-eul? But she's a complete rookie."
"She's a rookie and still hit number one on the chart, didn't she?"
Producer Hwang took a noisy slurp from his vending machine coffee.
"Her first self-written, self-composed song went to number one. These days, singers like that are rare as hen's teeth in the idol scene, so let's go watch her stage too."
Jo PD asked hesitantly, "But Producer Hwang."
"Yeah?"
"We've been running around on foot checking stages for months now. This competition show... it's going to do well, right?"
A shadow crossed Producer Hwang's face.
"...I don't know. That's why we have to work even harder."
He let out a long sigh.
"In the end, competition shows live and die by the contestants' appeal. So we need to recruit people who can actually show that appeal."
"It's just that the theme is singer-songwriters, so the pool feels a little narrow."
"Stop saying discouraging crap and focus on checking today's stages!"
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
Jo PD and Producer Hwang turned and headed toward the stage set.
A short while later.
Behind the coffee machine, where Jo PD and Producer Hwang had disappeared, a woman quietly emerged.
"...Huh? A competition?"
It was Lee Ye-ji, the road manager from Baekhak Team 5.
Her eyes widened as she accidentally overheard everything the two men had said.
"A singer-songwriter competition... and our Ga-eul got invited??"