Chapter 360
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 360
Chapter Title: The Discouraged Director
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Min Heekyung entered a film production company with an awkward expression.
She saw employees rushing about, busy since the morning. As she stood there with a lost look, wondering who to approach, a staff member came up to her.
“How can I help you?”
“Ah, my script…”
The staff member nodded, understanding Min Heekyung's trailing words.
Being a film production company, the word "script" was enough to know why she was here. There were people who didn't just send their scripts by mail or post but came in person, convinced that if someone just heard their story, they'd be inspired to produce the film.
After a few directors had caused a scene, they had developed a way to handle such situations.
“There's another director ahead of you. Please wait here for a moment.”
The staff member guided Min Heekyung into an office.
The office was divided into several sections by partitions, each with a table. It seemed to be used as a substitute for a conference room. The partitions weren't very tall, so conversations were audible, but no one seemed to mind.
Min Heekyung sat down. She placed the bag she was carrying on the adjacent seat and sighed.
She had sent her script to the production company, but there had been no reply.
*‘…It must have been rejected.’*
Still, she had come all this way, hoping she might be able to persuade them, even just a little. Min Heekyung took the script out of her bag. It was a script she had printed carefully, ensuring every page was straight and not a single letter was smudged.
Just as she opened the first page to start reading, a voice came from beyond the partition.
“I'm telling you, this will work!”
The confident voice made Min Heekyung listen in spite of herself. The loud voice rattled on eagerly.
“Think about how big of a topic *Survivors* was this summer! They created two endings from one story! The director's cut, which killed off all the characters the audience loved, was still a hit and eventually got a theatrical release!”
“Yes. It was a box office success that even the Hollywood production company didn't expect.”
A voice that seemed to belong to a company employee replied. Unlike the passionate speaker, this voice was not just calm but filled with boredom.
“Exactly! So my script, too…!”
“That was Hollywood.”
The employee's voice cut in before the director could finish. The mocking tone made Min Heekyung flinch, even though the words weren't directed at her.
“With Hollywood, Davis Garrett, and Seojun Lee, how could it not be a hit?”
“If top actors were in my script, it would be a hit…!”
“And Director Jeffrey Rodox is a director who successfully completed his first commercial film. That's why ‘that’ Hollywood production company worked with him on his second commercial film. I don't understand why you're not mentioning the director's capabilities.”
Along with the employee's cynical voice, the sound of a page flipping could be heard. Min Heekyung held her breath and shifted her body to the right.
“So all the characters die in the end. All the scripts and synopses we've been getting lately are like this. Plus, there are rumors that some films have already started shooting with similar endings.”
“That's…”
“Unconventional? Fine. But that only works the first time. The second or third time, everyone will expect it. ‘Oh, they're probably all going to die by the end.’”
“…An ending where everyone dies… *Survivors* wasn't the first.”
“*Survivors* is the most famous one. Ah. If you can create a work that surpasses it, then that would be fine. It would become the first.”
The director's voice was not heard.
“We'll review it and get back to you.”
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed. Startled, Min Heekyung sat up straight.
A man who looked like the director walked past, his shoulders slumped. Min Heekyung swallowed nervously, anxious that she would soon be in his shoes.
Soon, the employee appeared and sat down in front of Min Heekyung.
He didn't even offer a greeting, but the nervous Min Heekyung didn't notice.
“Let's see the synopsis first.”
“Ah, yes!”
Min Heekyung handed the synopsis to the seated employee.
Min Heekyung watched with bated breath as the employee flipped through the pages. The production company employee, who was frowning, saw the name on the first page and spoke.
“Director Min Heekyung?”
“Yes.”
“Is this your commercial film debut?”
“Ah, no. It's my second.”
Min Heekyung clenched and unclenched the fists resting on her knees. Her palms were sweating.
“The title of your first work?”
“It's… *My Neighborhood*.”
She didn't mention that it was a work from six years ago.
The employee tried to recall the name, then rubbed the back of his neck. Since he'd never heard of the title, it must have bombed.
“Is that why?”
“…Pardon?”
"No." The employee shook his head and put down the synopsis.
Min Heekyung's gaze briefly shifted to the script lying next to the synopsis, then back to the employee. She swallowed a sigh, seeing that the script hadn't even been opened.
“The trend in works has been changing lately.”
“…It has?”
As Min Heekyung blinked, the employee continued.
“As you know, the recent boom in child actors was all because of the superstar Seojun Lee. From the main character to supporting roles, whenever there was a good or important part, they would almost always cast a child actor. Just in case Seojun Lee might agree to appear.”
If Seojun Lee didn't take the role, it would go to another child actor. As demand grew, so did the supply. The number of talented child actors increased, and watching them and Seojun Lee, many more children began to dream of becoming child actors themselves.
That's how the child actor boom was created.
“Ah, yes.”
Min Heekyung herself had imagined Seojun Lee in her roles while writing the script. No, it wasn't just imagination; she hoped her script would appeal to him and that he would agree to star in it.
*‘It's a long shot, but…’*
Min Heekyung listened intently to the employee's words.
“But Seojun Lee doesn't have much time left before he becomes an adult. He's a second-year in high school this year, and more than half the year is already gone. When he becomes a third-year, he might spend the whole year on college entrance exams, the CSAT, or Mirinae Arts High's graduation performance.”
Min Heekyung found herself nodding at the employee's words.
“Since Seojun Lee is so famous, getting into a theater and film department is a given… but some actors value other experiences and take the CSAT to enter a different department. If Seojun Lee does that, we can assume he'll barely be active next year. So filming would have to start either this year or the year after next. There are only a few months left this year… and the year after next, he'll be an adult.”
“…Yes.”
The employee took a sip of coffee to wet his throat and continued.
“Until now, being a child actor, he's been somewhat restricted. There were few violent scenes, hardly any scenes where he got hurt, and professional roles were even rarer. Playing a criminal was completely out of the question. Those restrictions are about to be lifted. Besides, at 20, he can still play high school roles. But considering he's played student roles all this time, don't you think he wouldn't be drawn to another high school student role?”
Min Heekyung slowly nodded in understanding at the employee's words.
The time he had left as a child actor.
It was something she had never considered, and her mind went blank.
“Some production companies are still sending scripts to Cocoa Entertainment as usual, but most of the ones aiming for Seojun Lee are collecting scripts with an eye on the year after next.”
The employee looked at the synopsis on the table. The age of the protagonist written on the first page stood out.
18 years old.
An age that could only mean she was targeting the currently 18-year-old Seojun Lee.
A washed-up director wanting Seojun Lee.
A faint sneer crossed the employee's face.
“That's why our company is only accepting works with adult protagonists.”
The employee went on to list other flaws in the synopsis. There were points Min Heekyung had missed and explanations she couldn't understand. As it seemed there wasn't a single good thing about her synopsis, Min Heekyung's shoulders slowly slumped.
“If you revise the protagonist to be an adult and fix the issues I've mentioned, send it back, and we'll review it and contact you.”
Neither the employee nor Min Heekyung believed the promise to "contact you." Even if she revised and sent the script, it might just be thrown in a warehouse or not even printed at all.
“…Yes. I understand.”
With a slight nod at her words, the employee stood up and immediately walked over to a newly arrived director. Watching his retreating back, Min Heekyung swallowed a sigh, gathered her unopened script and synopsis, and went outside.
The sunlight, high in the sky, was blinding.
It was so bright it felt like it would bring tears to her eyes.
* * *
“…Should I just quit?”
Sitting on a bench and staring blankly at the Han River, Min Heekyung flinched at the words that had escaped her lips. Until now, no matter how hard things got, she had never said those words out loud. She was afraid that if she did, it would become real.
And just like that, she grew tired of everything.
“…Let's just stop.”
With a weary face, Min Heekyung slowly reached into her bag and took out the script.
She fiddled with the staples she had so carefully punched in, afraid they might be crooked, and then removed them one by one. She would have to throw it away when she got home anyway. Min Heekyung neatly stacked the pages of what was now scrap paper and put them back in her bag.
It had been six years since her first commercial film, which she had worked so hard on, had failed.
No production companies or people sought her out anymore. On top of that, having the script she'd written as her last hope rejected made her feel like she couldn't do anything at all.
“What do I do now…”
As Min Heekyung wondered what she could possibly do other than filmmaking, which had been her whole life, a group of kids caught her eye.
The kids, who looked to be about high school age, chattered away as they unpacked the equipment they had brought and prepared to shoot. Their faces were full of smiles, as if everything was delightful, while a few others looked around at the potential backdrop with serious expressions.
“It's a good age…”
After watching the kids blankly for a moment, Min Heekyung stood up from the bench.
Now that she had decided to quit filmmaking, she needed to go home and think about her future. Part for a walk and part to save on transportation costs, Min Heekyung started walking along the path.
She had been walking for some time when…
“Excuse me…”
Someone lightly tapped the arm of Min Heekyung, who was wearing earphones.
Startled, Min Heekyung took off her earphones and turned. A woman, who seemed to be out for a walk with her dog, smiled awkwardly and pointed behind Min Heekyung.
“Those… are falling out. Is that okay?”
Min Heekyung's head turned to follow the woman's finger.
“Gasp…!”
Familiar papers were scattered on the ground. Startled, Min Heekyung quickly swung the bag from her back to her front.
“Aaaah…”
The bag was wide open.
She must have been out of her mind to forget to close the zipper. The unstapled script pages were fluttering and falling to the ground like flyers.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
Min Heekyung awkwardly bent down to pick up a page of the script at her feet, then paused. She had decided to quit filmmaking; was there any point in picking it up?
After a moment's hesitation, Min Heekyung picked up the paper.
“…Because I'm the one who dropped it.”
The papers that had fallen on the path or the nearby grass were easy to pick up, but she didn't know if some had flown further away. As she gathered what she could see, Min Heekyung picked up a page with a clear shoe print on it, looking at it pitifully.
As she retraced her steps along the path, collecting the fallen pages, a strange hand entered her field of vision just as she was about to pick up a paper in front of her. Surprised, she looked up and first saw a familiar stack of papers.
Ah.
Thankfully, it seemed she wouldn't have to go all the way back.
“…Thank you for picking these up. I was walking without realizing my bag was open…”
The words of thanks came out automatically.
Then she lifted her head and saw a boy who looked like a student, though his face was obscured by the brim of his cap. When the boy smiled warmly, Min Heekyung found herself smiling back without realizing it.
* * *
“So you're the director of *My Neighborhood*. I saw that movie, *My Neighborhood*.”
*'It should be fine to talk to her here, instead of just following.'*
Seojun, sitting on the bench right next to her, began to speak as he cheerfully read through the script he had put in order. There were gaps here and there, but not enough to hinder his reading. Having read the beginning, he now had a good idea of what the story was about.
“…You did?”
Where am I, who am I?
Flustered by Seojun's smile, Min Heekyung, who had ended up sitting side-by-side with him on the bench and talking, blinked several times.
*‘It's like I've been bewitched.’*
In that short time, they had exchanged information—that she was a director and he was an actor—and had started speaking comfortably. Even though she had decided to quit being a director, it was the only way she had to introduce herself. Feeling a little guilty, Min Heekyung looked at the boy sitting next to her and couldn't help but smile.
When he asked if he could look at the script, his eyes sparkling, she couldn't refuse. Seeing him hold the script she had discarded—dirty and stepped on by people—so preciously made her feel a little emotional, and she readily let him see it.
*‘But his face looks so familiar…’*
It felt like she should recognize him, but she just couldn't place him. Unaware of Seojun's ability, Min Heekyung soon gave up trying to remember and spoke.
“It must have been boring…”
“Hmm. It's true the story was a bit monotonous.”
Min Heekyung gave a bitter smile at Seojun's words.
It was a criticism she had heard a lot after her first film was released. She recalled the reviews saying the plot was too simple, making it boring and predictable.
“But the directing was great.”
Looking at the script, Seojun talked about the directorial choices from *My Neighborhood* that had impressed him.
His claim of having seen *My Neighborhood* wasn't just empty words. As the scenes she had poured her heart and soul into filming were described by the young actor, the corners of Min Heekyung's eyes trembled.
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