Hollywood (4)
Knowing information about the future is truly a wonderful thing. However, utilizing that information is an entirely different matter. For instance, let's say you know when and where an earthquake will occur. But if you go around telling people that an earthquake will happen in two years, who would believe you? Even if you used every means necessary to become a renowned geologist and offered advice, people wouldn't listen. The same goes for using it commercially.
Take the movie title Yoon-gi was pointing at right now. If he had specifically mentioned The Terminator to Colin and asked him to introduce the producer? It would have caused an uproar. That kind of problem would arise from just one movie, but what if Yoon-gi had pointed out several future blockbusters and asked for information? Hollywood would have exploded entirely. Every action and statement he made afterward would have been viewed with suspicion, and other companies would have united to not just tie the feet of a person named Choi Yoon-gi, but to cut them off entirely.
That is why Yoon-gi didn't want to pinpoint specific movie titles; he wanted the overall framework. In such a case, he would simply appear to be a person with an exceptionally keen eye for trends, rather than a person of interest who seems to know the future.
"I looked around some video rental stores the other day, but they didn't have it. And just in case, I checked the list of foreign films released domestically, and it wasn't there either. That means it’s either in production or only released in the U.S., and as it turns out, it was indeed still in production."
Choi Deok-bae nodded as he watched Yoon-gi, who wore a satisfied expression. Yoon-gi also nodded at Choi Deok-bae’s extremely realistic words.
"There are guys who say they’d buy Bitcoin if they went back to the past. Even if those guys were reborn in '68 like me, they wouldn't be very happy. Bitcoin only really starts to rise in value well into the early 2010s, and to reach its peak, you have to wait at least 42 years from now. Heck, Bitcoin doesn't even exist yet."
Yoon-gi nodded.
"Yes, you’d be wasting half your life. There’s no guarantee that new misfortunes won't appear while you're living it again. And you can't ignore the possibility that Bitcoin might be a tributary, not the main stream of history."
"That's why I divide my investments into short, medium, and long-term. But this is only possible because I’m a 'gold spoon'; if I had been born into a 'dirt spoon' family, I wouldn't have been able to do that. If you’re spending your entire paycheck just to cover food costs with cheap meals, how could you save anything? That’s why I’m grateful for my current life and why I try to live it diligently."
"Ho-ho...?"
When Yoon-gi put on a mischievous expression, Choi Deok-bae shouted in a flustered tone. Seeing Choi Deok-bae so genuinely urgent, Yoon-gi chuckled and nodded.
"Don't worry. I'm not that ungrateful of a guy. I’ve never fed you jujubes just for fun, have I?"
"That’s why I’m always grateful, too. The fact that you keep staying by my side means you think well of me."
Like the relationship between Andrew and Lianna, they were always bickering, but deep down, Yoon-gi and Choi Deok-bae were always grateful to each other. Just as this heartwarming atmosphere was lingering, a scene that Choi Deok-bae might like suddenly appeared on the hotel TV. Choi Deok-bae scurried straight toward the TV.
"Aigoo..."
Yoon-gi held his forehead, but perhaps it was because of that very Choi Deok-bae that he had been able to maintain his sanity until now.
James Cameron. The director of The Terminator. He would become a world-renowned director in the 2010s, but his path before the age of 30 was truly miserable. Would it be easier to understand if I said everything he put out was a failure? It was so bad that the movie Piranha II is still used as a device to caricature James Cameron's dark history. It was a kind of monster movie shot by throwing around piranha dolls. However, James Cameron's life began to change with The Terminator as the turning point. Following the hit of The Terminator came the successes of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Aliens. In particular, the success of Terminator 2 and Titanic made James Cameron a director with an "unlimited production budget pass."
But now, in 1984, he was just a director who was 30 years old by American age. Of course, he was getting another chance because the scenario for The Terminator, based on his own nightmares, was so good, but he was still just an unproven director. Today, he met Yoon-gi. Along with Gale Anne Hurd, the producer of The Terminator, who would briefly be his spouse in the future.
"I heard you wanted to invest, but where did you get your information?"
As Gale Anne Hurd, with her impressive short light-brown hair, spoke with a somewhat aggressive look in her deep, characteristic eyes, Yoon-gi smiled softly.
"Don't you think there's no need to be so aggressive? I just want to invest. I have no intention of influencing the work at all."
"That’s why I’m asking where you got the information."
To the repeated question, Yoon-gi shrugged as if he had no choice.
"If you can't even find out this much information in Hollywood, you shouldn't even dream of getting investments. And is there any incompetent commander who reveals their source of information?"
At Yoon-gi's firm statement that he ultimately couldn't reveal it, James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd closed their mouths with a groan. One was the person who would become the greatest director of the next century, and the other was the person who would become the greatest producer of the next century. They were in their early 30s now, and they were a duo who would leave behind the greatest achievements in modern film history, but because it was now, Yoon-gi had the leeway to strike.
"I will hand over all rights to my scenario and the film for $1, so please hire me as the director."
The filming of The Terminator began with James Cameron's desperate condition. Surprisingly, this Terminator was filmed on a low budget of $6.4 million, which was only about 5.3 billion won at the prices of that era. Even converted to modern prices, it was less than 20 billion won. As of 2003, the average production cost of a Hollywood movie was 119.2 billion won. Converted to the value of 1984, it was about 49 billion won. Of course, it’s not that Hollywood movie budgets were always $100 million in the past, but it is a clear fact that The Terminator was a low-budget film even by the standards of the time. This production cost issue was due to the fact that James Cameron had no achievements to receive investment—or rather, he was a director who only made failures—and the career issues based on the age of the producer, Gale Anne Hurd. Therefore, Yoon-gi decided to poke at this part to break their silence.
"I understand that you don't like me. Of course you wouldn't. The information about the work you are filming so hard has leaked to the outside."
He threw out the opening, but naturally, there was no particular reaction from the two. Honestly, this meeting wouldn't have been possible if not for the word "investment." Curiosity about who had discovered the information and what kind of investment he wanted to make. The fact that Yoon-gi was the owner of an oil field worth 1 trillion won was not enough to break their silence.
'It’s only natural. Their faces will only change once I tell them how much I’m going to invest.'
Even if you have a thousand beads, they must be threaded to be a treasure. Yoon-gi, who hadn't made a concrete proposal for investment, was clearly seen by these two as nothing more than a "bad guy."
"Since you two have nothing to say, I will just say the main point and get up from my seat. First, I have no intention of imposing any restrictions on the story. Of course, a slight suggestion might be possible, but I will do that after paying the full investment amount, so there will never be a case of playing with people using the investment money."
Yoon-gi felt James Cameron's stiffened eyebrows relax just a little, just a tiny bit.
"And I am also looking forward to the sequel to The Terminator. That means I think The Terminator will naturally be a success. What I want as an investment is the rights to the sequel, and I see that your capabilities, Gale Anne Hurd, are needed for the production of that sequel. Of course, Director James Cameron should take on the role of director. When I heard the content of The Terminator, I really... I couldn't help but feel a thrill."
The Terminator, which he had watched by renting a video on the weekend at a crude labor dormitory. Yoon-gi's appearance, speaking with the thrill of that time still intact, was a genuine reflection of his feelings toward The Terminator, and he finally succeeded in breaking their silence.
"Just how much are you thinking of investing...?"
At Gale Anne Hurd's cautious question, Choi Pil-gyu, who was standing next to Yoon-gi, untied the string of the sack he had been holding quietly until now.
"You aren't planning on putting us in there, are you?"
At James Cameron's worried remark, Choi Pil-gyu smiled and turned the sack upside down.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Bundles of money consisting only of $100 bills poured onto the floor. Bundles of money worth about 8 million won each were pouring out endlessly.
[[O_O]]
The two people had their mouths wide open and their eyes round.
"H-h-h-how much is this?"
At James Cameron's words, Yoon-gi smiled and said.
"It's $25 million."
"Gasp!"
Starting with the sound of Gale Anne Hurd gasping for air, James Cameron picked up the piled-up bundles of money with trembling hands.
"T-this, as a personal investment...?"
"I became a billionaire due to the discovery of oil on my farm. So, this time, I want to become even richer with the oil of the film industry. Director James Cameron, Producer Gale Anne Hurd. In my eyes, you two are the oil of the film industry."
If someone gives you $1 and tells you to cheer up, it just ends with you feeling good. If you were a person with severe paranoia, you might even get annoyed and stuff the money into your pocket. However, Yoon-gi's handsome appearance, his smooth way of speaking, and the 2,500 bundles of $100 bills that had just poured out before their eyes—these three things combined, and James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd’s bodies began to tremble.
"Investor, please sit here."
The seat of honor on the sofa that had been empty until now. It was too large an amount to leave the seat of honor empty.
$25 million was about 20 billion won as of 1984. It was certainly a huge amount, but the current Yoon-gi did not feel any difficulty in raising such money. Because he had a clear collateral: the oil field. Moreover, since he already had the experience of investing nearly 60 billion won into the Se-ga through YK Department Store, this was not a very fresh attempt for Yoon-gi. Of course, the fact that the scale changed from a company investment to a personal investment was a huge difference.
"The money to pour into CG has increased tremendously, so it’s bound to be good. I’m actually feeling great right now, too. We’re essentially watching a remastered work in the true sense, aren't we?"
An original film invested with five times the existing production cost. Yoon-gi felt a thrill at this fact and smiled. As Yoon-gi's smile grew deeper, the hotel phone suddenly rang.
"Hello?"
"Chairman, it's me, Colin!"
The relationship between Yoon-gi and Colin was naturally established. Thanks to this, Yoon-gi had no difficulty getting straight to the point.
"What is it?"
"This is truly top-secret information—Mafia money was entering Hollywood before us!!"