Busan (2)
Netflix Korea’s long-prepared one-act drama project was announced on the afternoon of June 2.
Netflix Korea Launches Its First-Ever One-Act Drama Project Since Entering the Korean Market!
By then, Netflix had already been swelling at a frightening pace, and the season for broadcast networks to solicit one-act scripts was in full swing.
Netflix Korea Sets Its Sights on One-Act Dramas, “We Want to Create a Stage of Opportunity for New Writers”
News of the one-act drama project spread quickly. Every kind of media outlet bit down on the bait, and Netflix Korea threw itself into publicity and promotion.
Thanks to that, the one-act drama project began turning up on social media and in online communities as well.
-Wow!!! Even Netflix is holding a one-act contest!!
-T_T I seriously want to get picked...
-I checked the submission details, and the script freedom is definitely higher than the broadcasters’...
-Competition is going to be insane though, lol
-The competition will probably be several times fiercer than the networks’ contests?
-I’m doing it! I’m absolutely going to Netflix!!
-Honestly... if you get selected, the impact would be way bigger than with a network... But I already submitted to MBS...
-If Netflix starts meddling with one-acts too, the broadcasters are going to have to loosen the purse strings, huh?
-From a writer’s perspective, that’s not a bad thing at all, yeah. If the platforms start fighting each other, the market gets bigger.
-Ugh... starting today, I’m writing a one-act script aimed at Netflix!!!
In particular, the writers’ communities were burning hot.
Around then, in the rented studio, Oh Jongman was in the middle of revising and polishing the script he had shown Kang Jaeha earlier. Well, since he had only recently begun his life as a writer, he still wasn’t fully satisfied with it.
“Let’s put the greed away for now. Manager Kang said it was fine too.”
He set his ambitions aside for the moment. Then another face came to mind. This time it was Lee Chanhoo, the CEO of his agency, MEG. Oh Jongman recalled what Chanhoo had said back during their contract meeting.
We’ve opened a new YouTube channel. Could you write a short drama script for it? Something simple, nothing grand. Just a story people can relate to in everyday life. Work life, anything like that.
Back in the present, Oh Jongman muttered under his breath, “A YouTube short drama. The theme’s open. The length is short too. He said to write it freely. That actually sounds easier.”
After jotting down a few notes about the short drama for YouTube, Oh Jongman stood and stretched. He did a bit of light exercise, then sat down again five minutes later and put his hands on the laptop.
Then he froze.
His eyes widened abruptly at the internet page in front of him.
“Ah!”
The reason was simple.
“It really’s up! Netflix’s contest!”
He had found Netflix’s one-act drama project. He had been told by Kang Jaeha that it would go live soon, but to think it had appeared this quickly. Oh Jongman scrolled through the page, carefully checking every detail of the one-act drama project.
...The conditions and hurdles are about the same as the broadcasters’, but Netflix gives you more freedom.
With the tension prickling his lips dry, Oh Jongman thought for a few seconds. Then he moved again and picked up his phone. He was sending messages. The recipients were two people: Kang Jaeha and Lee Chanhoo.
His decision was included in the message.
-Hello, this is Oh Jongman. I’m going to submit for this one-act contest through Netflix Korea!
He submitted the script to Netflix Korea’s one-act drama project about a week later.
“Haa— all right. I’ve checked the revisions, I’ve checked everything. Just send it.”
The rented studio was filled with the clicking of a mouse. Oh Jongman had sent the script to Netflix. The submission period for the one-act drama project still had some time left, but he had been preparing in advance, so he submitted without hesitation.
If I keep looking at the script, I’ll just keep fiddling with it. That won’t do.
After confirming the submission, Oh Jongman texted Kang Jaeha and Lee Chanhoo again, then splashed cold water on his face with both hands. He was trying to shift his focus.
All right, next. Next.
He began writing something new. This time it was the YouTube short drama Chanhoo had mentioned. He had not been slow with the one-act script, but this time his fingers moved even faster.
It’s fun. Writing is fun!
Oh Jongman was beginning to show the first signs of waking up.
At the same time, the place was Cheongyeon Studio, where the animated film Day Moon House was being produced. Cheongyeon Studio was unusually busy today. It had every reason to be.
Today was the second preview screening test for Day Moon House.
Unlike the first screening test, which was checked only internally by the director and the production company, the second preview included investors and distributors. In other words, it was the first proper test screening.
Soon, people began to pour into the studio where Day Moon House would be tested.
“Director! Good to see you!”
“Haha, hello.”
“So Day Moon House is finally getting a test screening!”
“I didn’t think the day would come either.”
The studio, with its fairly large screen, quickly filled up with not only Director Hong Manseop but also staff from the production company and the distributor. In particular, the distributor, the one guiding Day Moon House from promotion and marketing all the way to release, looked especially eager.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this time, Director. If Day Moon House can break the vicious, barren cycle of Korean animation, that would be wonderful.”
With his thick eyebrows and the dark circles beneath his eyes even deeper than before, Director Hong Manseop answered with unusual seriousness.
“If we get 500,000... no, let’s dream bigger and say 1 million viewers, I’d dance without a single regret.”
“Wow, 1 million. If a domestic animated film pulls in 1 million, that’s really something.”
By then, two men entered the studio. The moment Hong Manseop saw the man in front, he broke into a broad smile.
“Ah! CEO Lee Chanhoo! You made it!”
It was Lee Chanhoo who had appeared, and Hong Manseop treated the investor with lavish courtesy. As Chanhoo accepted the greeting, Hong Manseop looked past him and asked in surprise at the hulking man standing behind him.
“...CEO, and the gentleman behind you is?”
With narrowed eyes, Lee Chanhoo smiled.
“He works with me. You could call him security.”
“Ah, security.”
Hong Manseop looked up at the hulking brute. No, at Go Chunseok, and nearly lost his mind inside.
H-he’s huge!! Way too huge!
Go Chunseok’s physique was absurdly massive. He held out a hand.
“Good to meet you. I’m Go Chunseok.”
At the weight of that deep, thick voice, Hong Manseop was intimidated, though he tried not to show it.
“Y-yes, hello.”
When he took Go Chunseok’s enormous hand, he felt as if his own might be crushed. And Go Chunseok had not even put any strength into it.
Hong Manseop felt that the people connected to Lee Chanhoo were anything but ordinary.
Wow. Everyone tied to CEO Lee Chanhoo is out of the ordinary. That gorgeous reporter Ha Yeonji too. And this one... terrifying.
He would never have guessed that they all served under someone. After finally composing himself, Hong Manseop guided Lee Chanhoo and Go Chunseok to their seats. They were placed at the very center of the studio, and thanks to Go Chunseok, they drew everyone’s eyes.
Now everyone who needed to be here had arrived. Hong Manseop stood before the crowd and spoke.
“Thank you all very much for coming to this test screening.”
Perhaps moved by the moment, his eyes turned red. The long, drought-like stretch of time spent making Day Moon House must have flashed through his mind. In any case, once he finished his greeting and sat down,
-Swish.
The lights in the entire studio went out, and Day Moon House began to appear on the screen. It started with
-♬♪
the film’s score, led by the sound of gayageum strings.
Day Moon House ran for roughly 100 minutes. As soon as the test screening ended, Lee Chanhoo gave a faint smile. Then he leaned toward Go Chunseok, seated beside him, and asked quietly, “What do you think?”
Since Go Chunseok had joined only recently, he was the closest one in the room to the audience’s eyes.
“...I’m not sure I can say much, but I do know it’s fun.”
“Same here.”
After nodding, Lee Chanhoo immediately sent a text to the head of MEG, Kang Jaeha.
-Boss, I think this Day Moon House thing might really blow up properly.
At the same time, someone from the distributor approached Hong Manseop, who was in the middle of receiving congratulations.
“Director, have you decided on the release timing for Day Moon House?”
Hong Manseop answered at once.
“Yes. Rather than August, I think it’d be better to push a little and aim for late July. Right before the summer peak. Since Day Moon House has quite a bit of occult material in it.”
The official release date for Day Moon House was more or less set.
“I think that timing will let us catch the audience that wants horror films too.”
Then, a few days later, the distributor for Day Moon House formally began promotion and marketing.
How Many Years Has It Been Since a Korean Animated Film? The Industry’s Attention Turns to Day Moon House / Photo
The first teaser went up on YouTube, and the public response to Day Moon House, a domestic animated film, quickly gathered momentum.
-A Korean animated film lolllllllllll we’re screwed, I’m voting for failure
-What is this? I think the quality looks pretty good??
-Please succeed. I really want Korean animation to grow
-If it succeeds, I hope it comes out as a series like Hollywood or Japanese anime lol
-Whoa, wasn’t Korean animation dead already?? So there’s still money moving in that market, huh
-I’m curious enough to watch it at least once
-Nice, yeah. It looks like they’ve added some distinctly Korean flavor too, so it might be worth watching
-The problem with Korean animation isn’t the tech. It’s just that nobody invests money in it.
-Oh? This might actually be fun??
-lol nope, still boring
-At least support it instead of trashing it for no reason
By then, the place running marketing and publicity at a pace several times busier than Day Moon House was the Busan International Film Festival side.
The Largest-Scale Busan International Film Festival Draws Near, and Hotels Around the Cinema Center Are Already Sold Out / Photo
As opening day approached, many foreigners were coming into Korea for the Busan International Film Festival.
Meanwhile, word was spreading among various domestic entertainment companies about Leon Team 4 and Kang Jaeha.
“You know that short film invited to the Busan International Film Festival? Condensation, right? The only piece among the lineup directed by a young filmmaker.”
“Ah, that one. The director’s in his twenties, right? It’s been getting a lot of talk. But why?”
“I heard from a reporter that two actresses from Leon Team 4 were cast in Condensation.”
“Leon Team 4? Isn’t that basically just Leon’s dumping ground? The place they send people right before scrapping them?”
“Apparently the new manager over there is making a real racket. Name was Kang Jaeha, I think? First I’ve heard of him.”
“Me too.”
“Anyway, since this Kang Jaeha or whatever arrived, Leon Team 4 seems to be changing a bit.”
“He sounds capable, sure, but they’re still washed-up, aren’t they? It’s Team 4.”
One way or another, the opening day of the Busan International Film Festival was June 26.
Busan International Film Festival Opens on June 26, and the Red Carpet Is Already in Place / Photo
The day arrived quickly.
Late afternoon on June 26. Busan.
The vast plaza in front of the gigantic Busan Cinema Center. Beneath the enormous roof of the Cinema Center, thousands of colorful lights were already pouring toward the long red carpet.
“They’re here!!”
“Who is it?! Who is it?!!”
“Hey! Stop pushing!”
“Ah!! It’s Kim Jeonghyun, Kim Jeonghyun!”
Waves surged beyond the fences lining the red carpet. Hundreds of journalists had gathered, not only from Korea but from overseas as well. And that wasn’t all; there were even more spectators crowding around them.
“%&*#%&(*#(*%#!!”
“*(&(*&*#(@@!!!”
It was so loud that no one could make out what was being shouted. All the same, the hundreds of reporters raised their cameras at once. The sight of the cameras lifting in formation looked almost like one living creature.
-Fwa-babababak!
-Fwa-babababak!
Light poured from the cameras. Sharp shutter clicks cracked through the air. The sky was already dim, but around the red carpet it was as bright as morning. That was how fierce the flash barrage was.
And then.
-Creeeak!
A new black van had just pulled up at the start of the red carpet. Domestic and foreign reporters lifted their cameras as if on cue.
“Who is it this time!!”
“Hey now—who keeps stepping on my foot?!”
“Move, move!”
Even before the van’s star had stepped out, the flashes began exploding. Inside the van that had just arrived were
“Ugh! I can’t do it, I really can’t get out, Senior.”
“Really? Then I’ll go by myself.”
“What?!”
“Just stick close and follow me. If you feel like throwing up, swallow it.”
Yoon Dayeon and An Jihee, both dressed for the occasion, were getting ready to step out. Seated in the front passenger seat, the heavyset manager Kim Daeyong was pumping them up.
“Jihee! Keep your head together! Just walk while waving a little! Dayeon too, smile a bit!”
As if it were time to go, someone slid the van door open. A savage barrage of flashes immediately flooded inside. With her pupils widening sharply, An Jihee, her short hair styled with a neat wave, stared at the scene as if it belonged to another world.
...T-this is insane. I’m really walking a red carpet.
For Yoon Dayeon, with her long straight hair falling down, it felt like a place where her second chance had finally returned.
I hit bottom. Now I’m climbing back up.
Soon a broad-shouldered guard stepped up to the van to help Yoon Dayeon and An Jihee with their hands. Just before stepping out, the two actresses turned almost at the same time to the person who had opened the van door and thanked him.
“We’ll be back.”
“I-I’ll be back, Manager!”
It was Kang Jaeha. He gave a lazy nod.
“Come back alive.”
Yoon Dayeon let out a small snort of laughter, and An Jihee took a long breath before following her out.
-Swish.
Then the cameras and shouts came down on them like a frenzy, and the red carpet march for those two has-beens at the Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony began. Kang Jaeha gave a faint smile.
It’s also a march to tear off the label of has-been.
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