The Buyout Deal and Final Cut
"Shooting wrapped."
"R-Representative!"
"What's all the racket this early in the morning?"
"Mr. Kim Baek-ho from SJB Entertainment is here to see you."
"......What?"
Early in the morning, Kim Baek-ho had shown up personally at AJU Entertainment. I could vaguely guess the reason. It had to be because of the call with Director Yang last night.
Kim Yong-jin peered out the window and smirked.
"Bring him to the office."
It wasn't long before Kim Baek-ho entered the office.
"Come on in, Mr. Kim. Have a seat here."
Kim Yong-jin greeted him warmly, then promptly took the seat of honor. His nose was practically in the clouds. The fact that his opponent had come to him first was a clear sign of surrender. He couldn't stop grinning at the thought of having shown this overconfident fool what he was made of.
But that grin didn't last long.
There was something different about the man's eyes. They were steady, like someone who had calculated every move in advance, without a hint of wavering.
Masking his unease, Kim Yong-jin responded naturally. "So, what brings you here?"
"I heard the gist from Director Yang. You want to recoup the money you've invested in the production."
"Hmm. Yes, that's right."
It was empty talk. He had no real intention of pulling the investment. After all, the film's success was all but guaranteed at this point. Withdrawing the funds now would just mean eating a loss. He'd only used the special clause to apply a little pressure.
Yet his opponent seemed to take it at face value. And then came the unexpected proposal.
"If you're willing to pull out of this project, I'll buy your shares."
"W-What did you say!?"
Kim Yong-jin bristled for a moment but forced his expression to stay neutral. Who in their right mind would sell shares in a surefire hit? But he couldn't exactly say that outright either. After all, he was the one who'd first threatened to pull the investment. Backing down now would make him lose face.
"Selling shares isn't something you decide lightly. We'd have to review the legal clauses and consider the company's interests."
He'd sidestepped with a polite refusal. Kim Baek-ho took a sip of his tea and replied calmly.
"The legal side can be handled with that special clause you drew up yourself. And as for the company's interests, that's just a matter of me paying a fair price, isn't it?"
"A fair price... how much are we talking?"
Unable to resist asking, Kim Yong-jin watched as Kim Baek-ho answered with a straight face.
"I'll pay double what you invested when you bought the shares."
"Ack!"
Kim Yong-jin slammed down his tea and stared at the man. Poker face was negotiation 101, but the offer was so outrageous that his composure cracked.
"D-Did you just say double?"
If the movie broke even at 2 million viewers, the expected return on investment was about 1.7 times. Sure, it could do better, but he'd conservatively excluded that from his calculations. A no-name director teaming up with an idol with zero acting experience? Artistically, there wasn't much to expect. Honestly, even 2 million felt optimistic.
Double the investment. It was tempting—self-respect be damned, he wanted to grab the man's hand right then. But doing so would tarnish his agency's reputation.
"......2.5 times."
Kim Yong-jin's voice was firm. He threw out an absurd number to signal refusal—absurd even by his own standards.
"I think this film can outperform expectations. I'd appreciate factoring that in."
He figured that would kill the deal. But Kim Baek-ho's response was completely out of left field.
"2.5 times it is. It's a big sum, but since I'm taking over mid-project, I'll shoulder that risk."
He accepted without a second's hesitation. It had to be a loss for him, no matter how you sliced it. At that moment, Kim Yong-jin was convinced.
This guy's just nuts.
How else could he accept such a crazy deal? Kim Yong-jin smacked his lips inwardly.
"......Fine. I'm not thrilled about handing shares to someone else midway, but I can trust a man like you, Mr. Kim Baek-ho."
His max projected return was 1.7 times anyway. No reason to refuse.
"Then it's settled. Shall we draw up the contract?"
He shot a quick glance at his secretary. He wanted to seal it fast, before the man changed his mind.
"This transfers all 30% of the investment shares to you, Mr. Kim Baek-ho. Payment in a lump sum—sound good?"
"Yes. I'll have our finance team wire it as soon as possible."
They exchanged contracts, and Kim Baek-ho left the office leisurely. Watching him go, Kim Yong-jin wore a victorious smile.
"Sir, are you sure about selling the shares? We'll have zero say in the production anymore."
"It's fine, it's fine."
He waved it off casually and stood. Securing 2.5 times profit without risk was victory enough. Meanwhile, the other side would be thrust into the battlefield tomorrow, bearing all the risks. Distribution, secondary rights, profit splits—it was never easy squeezing out gains while juggling it all. Especially for a newbie agency without experience.
They were bound to bleed.
"It's not like this is gonna hit 10 million viewers or anything."
Ready, Action.
In that brief moment the camera rolls, I live someone else's life. Right now, I'm not an idol—I'm an actress. I pour my soul into playing Lee Ha-eun's life as it appears in the script.
It's been two months since I took my first steps as an actress. I've immersed myself so deeply that I'm starting to confuse my own name, Kim Siyeon, with hers.
But that's over today.
"Cut."
With the director's final cut sign, my life as Lee Ha-eun ends.
"Siyeon, great work all this time."
"Thank you."
We wrapped the final ending scene, bringing two months of shooting to a safe close. I sank onto a bench and let out a sigh of relief.
Total shoot: two months. Juggling idol work and acting meant running nonstop day and night. Every day was a blur of relentless grind.
...I hadn't planned to work this hard originally.
"Just like you said, I bought out all the shares. At 2.5 times the principal."
I never dreamed the CEO would actually buy out every share based on my word alone. At 2.5 times the price, no less.
"......How much faith does he have in me?"
Sure, success was guaranteed, but when big money's on the line, human psychology kicks in—you start worrying about every little thing.
What if something goes wrong?
That thought haunted me, forcing me to throw myself into the shoot like my life depended on it. The film turned out even better for it.
Anyway, it all worked out. Shooting's done, and distribution and production are someone else's problem now. I just wait for the results.
"Siyeon."
I turned to see Lee Si-woo holding out a drink.
"Great work on the final shoot."
"You too, Si-woo."
"Haha... You still won't call me oppa."
Unlike him, my speech stayed stiff. "Unni" rolled off the tongue fine, but "oppa" just wouldn't stick. He looked dejected, scratching the back of his head.
"Anyway, I owe you big time. I'd like to repay the favor somehow..."
He glanced at me hesitantly before murmuring, "How about I buy you dinner? You free tonight?"
"Hmm..."
As I pondered, my manager unni, who'd been eavesdropping, popped out and scolded him.
"Si-woo! I told you—no meeting our Siyeon alone outside the set. What if rumors start and a dating scandal blows up?"
Dating scandals are poison for idols. Even if they're fake.
"S-Sorry."
Lee Si-woo bolted. Confirming he was gone, Manager Unni turned her sharp glare on me.
"Siyeon."
"Call me Siyeon when we're alone."
"Right, Siyeon-ah."
"Yes?"
"In this industry, guys like that will approach you a lot. You gotta be careful. Especially in your case..."
I half-listened as she nagged on and headed to the director.
"Director."
"What's up?"
"When does the trailer drop?"
"We've got a rough cut ready; just final checks, then it's out. Probably two weeks?"
Not long now. I decided to check a related community for reactions.
I'd expected half worry, half hype. Nope—pure anxiety all around.
"Hmm."
Trailer drop: D-Day 14.