The OST Contract (4)
"Not only do I, who have suddenly joined this gathering today, need to be compensated, but Five Girls should also receive their fair share.
With that in mind, I'd like to leave the base contract as is and add an option contract."
CEO Joo Young-ki reacted sharply to Young-hoon's words. He had noticed that the lawyer's endless nitpicking had put Young-hoon in an unpleasant mood.
"Kim Young-hoon, please share what additions you'd like to make. Contract matters aren't something everyone here needs to know about, so how about we move to the small conference room with just the parties involved? My apologies, but if everyone else could kindly wait a moment."
From Girin Entertainment came Young-hoon and President Lee Jae-man, and from Sinabro Production came CEO Joo Young-ki, PD Shin Hye-yoon, and Lawyer Cha—five people in all moved to the room and began the discussion in earnest.
PD Shin Hye-yoon, who had arranged the negotiation table, first laid out the basic terms.
"Here's what we've already agreed upon. First, we've split the per-song fee for OST use into domestic and overseas categories. For domestic, the advance is 20 million won per song, plus 7% of Sinabro Production's excess profits. In this case, 'excess profits' refers to the option payment we receive from the broadcaster if the ratings exceed 20%."
Hye-yoon glanced carefully at Young-hoon's expression, checking whether his mood had soured, before continuing.
"For overseas distribution rights, it's 2.5% of the sales revenue. And if a deadline for an OST song is missed, the penalty is 20 million won per track. Now then, Kim Young-hoon, please tell us which part you'd like to add to."
When his turn came, Young-hoon gathered himself and laid out his thinking.
"I want Love After Separation to soar well past an average viewership in the 20-percent range. That's the spirit in which I'd like to propose an option contract—so let me say that upfront. Accordingly, the terms I wish to propose will apply to the domestic market only."
Seeing everyone's eyes fill with curiosity, Young-hoon judged he had their attention and went on.
"Regarding the 20-million-won advance per song plus the share of excess profits that PD Shin Hye-yoon just outlined, I'd like to see it tiered by ratings. The advance stays exactly as is; I'm only asking to restructure the additional profit condition. For ratings in the 20-percent range, the terms stay the same—7% of excess profits. But if the ratings exceed 30%, I'd like 8% of the excess profits guaranteed. The overseas distribution rights and the penalty for missed deadlines can remain as they are."
It was a mouthful, but in a single sentence it came down to this: he wanted a bigger slice of the benefits if the ratings broke 30%.
CEO Joo Young-ki had no objection whatsoever. In an era of fierce competition between channels, he considered a 30% rating all but impossible. And if the show did hit the 30s, it would be a monster hit on their side too—sharing a slightly larger portion of the excess profits would cost them nothing.
"Very well. We'll proceed exactly as Kim Young-hoon has proposed. Lawyer Cha, please revise the contract, and let's sign it right away—no point in waiting."
When Lawyer Cha returned shortly with the revised document, the signing went off without a hitch. CEO Joo Young-ki and President Lee Jae-man signed and stamped their seals on the contract, each keeping one copy.
"Now that the contract's done, shall we head over to the conference room where Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon is waiting?"
The moment PD Lee Hyo-young saw the bright smile on CEO Joo Young-ki's face as he entered the conference room, he knew at once the deal had gone well.
Joo Young-ki settled into a chair and polled the room. "It's only four in the afternoon—far too early to head out for dinner. What shall we do?"
Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon had loved the song she'd heard last Thursday so much that this opportunity made her want to hear it again.
"Well then, since Five Girls—the ones who'll sing our OSTs—are all here, why don't we listen to the remaining two songs while we're at it? Lawyer Cha, you said you haven't heard them yet, right? Five Girls, how about a little fan service for us?"
Hye-in, the leader of Five Girls, looked quietly at Young-hoon. She wanted his approval before singing in front of everyone. Young-hoon gave a small nod, signaling his assent.
Hye-in steadied her voice and began calmly.
"We'll start with 'A Loving Heart.'"
Like a star shining shyly through parting clouds,
A lone white sailing ship drifts on the dark blue sea—
No one in the conference room had any way of escaping the tsunami of emotion that swept over them. The lyrics sank straight into their ears from the very first listen, the melody practically begged to be sung along with, and it felt as though no better song could possibly exist.
In a word, chaos broke out.
Hye-in took a moment to collect her emotions, then immediately sang the next song, "After Farewell."
Walking alone down streets where the sun has died,
Your face rises in my mind before I know it.
The sky that tore us apart—does it know this heart of mine?
You were the only love I ever had—
The desolate ache of parting struck home with brutal force, and once again the people in the conference room could not contain their emotions.
After the songs, CEO Joo Young-ki offered his own commentary.
"You know, I have a feeling I may have made a terrible mistake with this OST contract. It feels like I've been reeled in by Kim Young-hoon. These days, hitting the 20-percent range alone is considered a smash-hit drama, so when Kim Young-hoon asked for an option tied to breaking 30%, I agreed without a second thought. But now that I've heard all three OSTs, I'm convinced that combined with Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon's writing, this show will blow past 30% without breaking a sweat. My stomach hurts so much I think I need an antacid."
Once CEO Joo Young-ki had finished his extended comedic bit, Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon picked up where he left off.
"I, too, believe this project will become the greatest work of my career. Since you've all put me in such a good mood today, dinner is on me for Five Girls. What would you like to eat?"
True to form, the maknae Su-min stepped forward with her most adorable aegyo.
"I'm Su-min, the maknae of Five Girls! Teacher, I want meat! Couldn't you buy us some hanwoo flower-grade chuck roll?"
"Of course! I'll buy you as much as you want!"
At that moment, Young-hoon seized his opening and chimed in. "Teacher, I know my way around beef, too, you know?"
Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon declared as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What, were you trying to weasel out of it, Kim Young-hoon? Absolutely not allowed."
"All right, here's what we'll do. The timing's awkward right now, so let's reconvene at seven this evening. Until then, the meeting with the screenwriter, PD Lee Hyo-young, and PD Shin Hye-yoon can continue. How's that? PD Shin Hye-yoon will reserve the restaurant—just text everyone the location."
With plenty of time to spare, the group agreed to meet again and parted ways for the moment. President Lee Jae-man and Five Girls stopped by the office to tidy things up, and Young-hoon also returned to his own company to finish up his pending work before heading back out.
By the time Young-hoon wrapped up at the office and arrived at the hanwoo barbecue restaurant for the company dinner, everyone but him was already a drink or two deep, their faces flushed crimson.
"Welcome, Kim Young-hoon!" Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon quickly patted the seat beside her. Young-hoon dropped into it without a thought.
"Wasn't the appointed hour seven o'clock? And yet it looks like you've all had a few rounds already."
"The meeting wrapped up a little early, so we came out ahead of schedule."
"Then I should have come early myself."
"You can catch up from here on. Now that Kim Young-hoon is here, let's have a toast on behalf of the whole nation! And the toast will be given by Kim Young-hoon himself."
Young-hoon didn't hesitate. He took a soju glass in hand and rose to his feet.
"Um... before I give the toast, there's something I'm curious about. May I ask? Why am I suddenly 'Teacher'?"
PD Shin Hye-yoon answered on everyone's behalf. "Ah-ha~ You see, when we normally address composers and lyricists, we call them 'Composer Teacher' or 'Lyricist Teacher'—the same way we call Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon 'Teacher.' So we decided Kim Young-hoon should be called 'Teacher' as well."
"Ah, it's a bit embarrassing to be called 'Teacher' when I'm so young. Well then, I'll take it that everyone may address me however feels comfortable... Right, here comes the toast. When I lead the call, please shout 'GEONBAE' three times!"
Young-hoon's voice rang out across the room. "For a 50-percent viewership rating—geonbae!"
"Geonbae! Geonbae! Geonbae!!"
And so Young-hoon set off sprinting at full throttle once again. As a veteran of the sales department, refusing a toast was simply not in his vocabulary.
As he knocked back drinks with the group, Five Girls drifted into his field of vision. The girls had huddled in a corner like crabs covering their eyes when the wind blows, busily shoveling meat into their mouths.
Then again, those girls are eating like they've never had meat in their lives. What do they plan to do if they gain weight at this rate? Tsk.
President Lee Jae-man, for his part, was utterly happy to be here tonight. Only a month ago he'd been losing sleep over having to shut down his company and disband Five Girls. Truly, the world worked in mysterious ways—every cloud had its silver lining.
Just as the dinner was reaching its peak, Young-hoon shot to his feet and called out in a loud voice. "Ahem! May I have everyone's attention for a moment? Local stations, you may cut away now."
The rowdy chatter fell silent in an instant. True to his years of sales experience, Young-hoon knew how to command a room. And just as the mood threatened to fray at the edges, he took the lead and began promoting Five Girls.
"I have one small favor to ask of everyone here. My request is none other than this—the Five Girls sitting over in that corner are a secondhand-rookie girl group, seven years into their debut. For seven long years they've never once seen the light, suffering through it all, until by chance they met me. Now they're working hard, preparing to spread their wings at last."
Five Girls, who had been diligently devouring their meat, quietly withdrew their hands from the food the moment everyone's eyes turned to them. At the sight, Young-hoon let out a suppressed snort of laughter and continued.
"Just over a week remains. Five Girls' 'A Loving Heart' will drop on November 1st at 6 p.m. Please, spread the word actively to everyone around you so these girls can take flight. And I have no doubt that when the song takes off, 'Love After Separation' will become a huge topic in its own right. So I'm counting on all of you."
"Wow! Young-hoon, that was impressive!"
"Yes, just leave it to me. I'll make sure everyone I know listens to it without fail."
As the atmosphere around the table heated up, CEO Joo Young-ki rose to his feet and added his own words. "I'd like to say a word as well. Two days after the release of 'A Loving Heart,' we hold the pre-production press conference for 'Love After Separation.' I know everyone here is giving their all for this drama's success. As the saying goes, well begun is half done—and that beginning is the single release. So please, promote it enthusiastically to your friends and family."
After CEO Joo Young-ki, each person in turn stood up to say their piece. The conclusion, every time, was the same: let's all give our very best for the drama's success.
Young-hoon got swept up in the momentum and ran hard again today. He didn't stop until his mind was spinning.
Only when he felt he truly couldn't take another sip did he glance around—and found plenty of people still going strong. Screenwriter Lee Na-yeon looked entirely unshaken. President Lee Jae-man, PD Shin Hye-yoon, and PD Lee Hyo-young were all equally unmoved.
It struck him as somehow unfair that PD Shin Hye-yoon was still perfectly fine. Beautiful face and a strong head for alcohol—she really was remarkable, he thought.
In one corner of the room, Five Girls had apparently had too much to drink and were nodding off. Even so, having eaten meat without limit, they all looked blissfully happy.
Deciding he ought to get them home, Young-hoon quietly called over President Lee Jae-man and pointed toward the girls. Lee Jae-man caught his drift, asked the table's understanding, and led Five Girls out the door. Their manager, Kyeong-hwan, would see them safely back to the dorm.
A long while later, President Lee Jae-man returned to the dinner table and started running again. The man was truly frightening.
When Young-hoon opened his eyes, he was home. Apparently he'd run so hard last night that the film had cut out. He had no memory of getting home whatsoever.
That was the second blackout this week. He couldn't tell whether his tolerance had weakened, or whether the people around him were simply monsters.
Before he knew it, a new day had already begun.