Chapter 42
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Drama Deal
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We waited quietly for Ye-jin to finish her call. As expected, her face flushed red, Ye-jin set down the phone and turned to me.
"It's Kim PD. The Youngest Son of the Gangster Family landed an investor."
Whoa, jackpot. I figured it'd take at least seven more years.
"Will it actually happen?"
My concern was simple enough.
Everything in the world has its proper timing. Codes like regression, possession, and reincarnation weren't exactly easy for the general public to grasp.
"The original was such a massive hit, but it looks like the investor read the novel themselves. They say if we hand over the rights, they'll jump straight into casting."
"Child actors too?"
"Not sure on that. They'll have to adapt it anyway, right?"
The webtoon wasn't even out yet, and here it was turning into a drama. This was a golden opportunity. But no need to start chugging kimchi soup just yet. I knew full well that even greenlit projects fell apart all the time.
"Hold on a sec."
I needed some help.
These days, Min Choi was somehow squeezing 48 hours out of every 24. She literally slept less than four hours a night and scarfed down meals in under ten minutes.
All to make D.M.'s debut as perfect as possible.
Not enough.
Rookie idols had zero name recognition. A few music show appearances didn't magically spawn fans. Consistent exposure was everything, and you had to grab any chance to get their faces out there.
But industry planners like her were a dime a dozen, all scrambling viciously for spots and pulling every connection they had.
No gaps in the schedule for the first six months after debut. Not even a little.
The kids might drop dead from exhaustion, but that was the brutal reality of the game.
Sleep in the van between gigs. Always on standby.
Today, she was killing time at the broadcasting station. She'd lined up a meet with a senior contact, but the recording was dragging on with no end in sight.
An hour into fidgeting anxiously in the lobby café, her phone rang. She flinched inwardly.
Did they ditch me?
Sorry, let's reschedule when I'm free. Nothing she could do about it.
Huh?
But the caller wasn't her senior.
"President?"
The president almost never called directly, so she picked up with a hint of fluster in her voice.
-Can we slip a clause into the rights contract for D.M. to cameo as extras? Even just a quick bit?
What the hell had she just heard? The president's work was becoming a drama? How? Why?
"……I'm not super familiar with web novel rights deals, so I'd have to look into it."
-Mind checking it out? The original has a good chunk of the protagonist's school days. Even bit parts like Classmate 1, 2, or 3—just enough to flash their faces.
Had a web novel ever made it to drama? Min Choi's gut answer: Nope. She pressed on.
"Pushing too hard could tank the whole drama. For the president's career, wouldn't it be smarter to keep it straightforward?"
A cold, hard truth.
-Eh, we're not asking for an OST slot or a major supporting role. Isn't this pretty reasonable?
You don't get it—this industry's full of snowflakes who scrap everything at the first snag!
But she'd learned over the past few months that the president's stubborn streak was no joke.
"Any word on the distributor?"
-They seem confident it'll fly anywhere. With solid funding locked in, stations have zero downside.
If a station was producing in-house, they'd call all the shots. But external investment? Whole different ballgame.
Out of sheer worry, she asked.
"Who's the investor?"
-JJ.
"……I'll look into it."
JJ. A top-20 Korean conglomerate gobbling up the film distribution scene bit by bit. A total behemoth.
If they were on board, there wasn't even a need to double-check.
That big a deal?
She knew the president wrote a hit web novel, but it was a niche genre the mainstream barely knew. Objectively, his stuff felt pretty minor league.
I figured he had good instincts.
His eye for talent had convinced her D.M. had real breakout potential.
But this? Reckless.
A drama? And shoehorning in an undebuted idol group?
He might be king of web novels, but broadcasting pros would scoff.
Sigh. Better start digging up webtoon-to-drama success stories.
Famous drama writers could sway casting. But a novel author? And not even a screenwriter?
If it pulls off, it'd be massive for D.M……
Wasn't that why she was busting her ass today—to get her kids on TV even once?
"Win or lose……"
She picked up her phone.
"Hey, it's Choi."
-Hey, unnie! Long time no talk!
"You still picking up acting gigs on the side?"
-Acting?
"Yeah."
-I quit a while back…… But if you're asking, how can I say no? Who's it for?
"Doesn't have to be pro-level, but they need to be camera-ready fast."
-Okay, but seriously—who?
"Idols. Trainees."
-Haa……
Yeah. Sigh city. This world didn't work like a fairy tale, so what the hell was the president thinking?
Seoul, Jongno-gu.
In an ultrahigh-rise with a killer view of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the plushest office fell suddenly quiet amid the shouting match.
"Haaa……"
Here too, someone was sighing over their president.
"President…… Didn't we already burn through the second-half budget this year?"
Executive Director Yu stared in disbelief, remonstrating. He'd yelled himself hoarse and had no steam left for anger.
But the president just beamed like an idiot.
"That's why we're shooting first half of next year."
"No, seriously—dramas don't just happen overnight. Scouting a director, casting actors……"
"You handle that, Director."
She grinned again. He'd watched that innocent mug since her elementary days. She'd grown into a fine president, but this headstrong recklessness……
Family genes, huh.
The president shrugged her scrawny shoulders.
Twenty-six years old. Early-graduated all through elementary, middle, high, and college in the States. Four years deep into company life already.
Picture-perfect elite track for taking the reins. Just one glaring blemish: her impulsive whims.
"Trust me, it'll work. Ratings goldmine. Believe in me just this once. Yeah? Uncle!"
Ah, and there was the "uncle" card. Game over.
"Whew…… What the hell makes this project so special?"
"It's seriously fun!"
"That confident?"
"Totally! You snag the station investment. Tell 'em we'll cover 80%. Offset losses with group ads."
"……If it flops, Chairman finds out……"
"Then I'll surf my days away in the States!"
"President……"
"Kidding! It'll never fail! Never! Just hit 10% ratings, right?"
"With all these new channels, you know public broadcast 10% is way tougher now than back in the day. Plus, if the board catches wind of this solo spending spree, they'll have a field day."
Entertainment and distribution were peanuts in the grand scheme of the group.
But drama and film budgets weren't chump change either—perfect ammo for nitpickers.
As the baby with an older brother and sister, one slip could cost her the throne. This wasn't a world that babied the youngest.
"I'll circle back. Give it some real thought."
He was swamped too, schedule packed. At his age, tussling with the president nonstop wasn't feasible.
Click.
Door shut behind him. The president eyed her computer.
"Heh heh heh……"
If the director saw that, it'd be another lecture on "un-presidential." She'd weathered the loneliness of U.S. study abroad glued to fantasy novels.
Now she could devour them on her PC—total bliss!
"How is it this fun……!"
Director's nagging had kept her from today's update on The Youngest Son of the Gangster Family.
What good was 100 billion won? Or a trillion? People needed genuine fun to escape, even briefly. It was solace. Fuel for tomorrow.
Glamorous on the outside, but JJ heir training was pure hell.
Slurp.
She wiped a dribble of drool from focusing too hard. And bam—chapter over.
"Argh! A cliffhanger?!"
Web novel readers came in all flavors.
"I'll make your drama happen! Daily updates! Daily!"
"They're offering 50 million won for the rights. Plus 5% revenue share."
Unheard of.
Even Team Leader Min was left slack-jawed.
Ye-jin kept going.
"As long as they're not a disaster on set, the director's fine with D.M. appearing."
D.M., clustered around the table listening in, gulped hard.
These kids were about to hit drama screens.
Min Team Leader snapped to.
"JJ agreed to all that?"
Ye-jin nodded like it was obvious.
"Means they sized up the value of the president's work right."
Ye-jin, my diehard fan, looked unfazed by drama or whatever. Min Team Leader, though? Total dumbfounded fish-face.
Ye-jin glanced around.
"So, everyone clear on what needs doing now?"
Jin-seong, hearing her out, crossed his arms.
"Acting's just basic training for folks like us scraping by."
Jin-guk struck the exact same pose beside him.
"Damn straight. Top rule in spycraft: fool the enemy. Gotta master yourself first to pull off the big plays."
You guys know what those words even mean? And why the hell are you spies?!
Min Team Leader shot the pair bewildered looks before turning to me with a plea for backup.
"If you say do it, we'll do it. Hell, I'll teach acting too. But you know this could backfire hard, right?"
I knew. One whiff of wooden acting from D.M., and it was straight to rock bottom.
This wasn't a sitcom or variety show. It was prime-time public broadcast drama backed by a massive corp subsidiary.
But hey?
Ever tried it?
"Just go in thinking you're gonna die."
Put that worry on hold in front of folks who'd lived caged like chickens and spat blood till death. They weren't gunning for leads anyway.
I glanced at the kids.
"You got this, right?"
Jin-seong answered instantly.
"Pointless question for scouts."
Three out of five weren't scouts, but whatever.
"If it won't work, make it work."
The other three tensed up hearing Jin-seong and Jin-guk, but no signs of hate.
Anyone dead set on idol life couldn't fear TV. Without that resolve, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
Look at 'em, all grown up.
I eyed their surprisingly manly faces, then turned to Min Team Leader.
"Need cars?"
"Wouldn't hurt. Salons, station runs……"
The gift I'd planned to hook Ye-jin up with on the Shin Do-rim writer visit? Time to kill two birds.
"Company cars. Pull two."
One for D.M., one for Ye-jin.
Ye-jin jumped.
"Two? If it's 'cause of me, I can bus it!"
She yelped in surprise, but I just smiled warmly.
"Save every minute you'd waste waiting for the bus. Your time's too valuable to the company."