Translator: Dreamscribe
The moment 'Busan International Film Festival' came up, the directors besides CEO Han Tae-sung and Director Kim Chul-joong began murmuring among themselves.
"'Busan International Film Festival'? Isn't that aiming a little high?"
"It is. Director Kim must be pretty confident."
"Hah, bringing up 'Busan International Film Festival' out of nowhere... we could end up embarrassing ourselves if we go in half-baked."
"Wouldn't it be better to set our sights a bit lower?"
CEO Han Tae-sung, who had been quietly, deliberately gauging the murmuring, spoke to the department head seated beside him.
"Park, what do you think?"
The department head, who had been scanning the directors, cleared his throat.
"Ahem! The stage is enormous, certainly, but if it's about getting Leon's name out there, I'd say the attempt alone is worthwhile."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Arms crossed, CEO Han Tae-sung murmured as if addressing them all.
"The attempt. Nothing happens if you don't do anything."
His gaze was subtle yet ferocious. That was the kind of presence he had. He hadn't done a thing, yet it engulfed everyone in the room. The directors immediately lowered their eyes, and among them, only Director Kim Chul-joong, with his long chin, looked triumphant.
'Idiots. They still can't read the CEO's personality?'
The 'Busan International Film Festival' route had its own intentions and plans baked in. This was a contest held within Leon Entertainment, and whether big or small, Leon's funds were being invested. That money was essentially coming out of CEO Han Tae-sung's pocket.
And Han Tae-sung was a self-made man.
'Better to throw it into the deep end and fail than toss it into some pathetic little puddle. In the CEO's eyes and from the outside, both.'
The calculation was that even if they failed, as long as the optics were good, the fallout would be cut in half. Director Kim Chul-joong's plan had largely hit the mark, and CEO Han Tae-sung propped his chin on his hand, locking eyes with Director Kim.
"It'd be great if we get into the 'Competition Section' where you win awards, and even if we land in the 'Non-competition Section' where you don't, we'd at least break even."
"Yes, CEO-nim. The big names attending the 'Busan International Film Festival' will see a short film with Leon's name on it."
"Ideally, we get into either the 'Competition Section' or the 'Non-competition Section'. Not making it into either would be a problem."
"......"
Silent pressure. The attempt alone has value, sure, but we're not in the business of dealing in that lukewarm kind of value, are we? That sort of thing. CEO Han Tae-sung gave Director Kim Chul-joong a faint smile.
"I'm counting on you, Director Kim."
"...Th-thank you, CEO-nim."
"Right. I'll definitely have to attend this year's 'Busan International Film Festival'."
CEO Han Tae-sung immediately changed the subject.
"What about the PR for this contest?"
Director Kim Chul-joong answered quickly.
"I've already coordinated with the marketing team, and we're pushing out articles. We're also actively leveraging social media and online communities."
In reality, articles about Leon Entertainment were quite easy to find at the moment.
《Leon Entertainment Hosts Short Film Contest; Company Rep States "To Revitalize the Barren Independent Market"》
《Leon Entertainment Wraps Up Contest for Short Film Directors / Photo》
《[Feature] Leon's CEO Han Tae-sung: What Hidden Intentions Lie Behind This Short Film Contest? / Photo》
In other words, Leon Entertainment had long since achieved the goal it sought from this short film contest. Even domestic top-five entertainment companies casually spend tens of billions on marketing. By that measure, Leon had generated this much impact with minimal funds, so it was a bargain.
CEO Han Tae-sung nodded with satisfaction, and Director Kim Chul-joong, sensing this was his moment, opened his mouth.
"CEO-nim, I've been drafting the next project for the New Business Team."
CEO Han Tae-sung's calm reply stopped him cold.
"Slow down. Director Kim, you need to take it slow."
"...Yes?"
"Rush too fast and you'll trip."
"Ah."
"There are a lot of places money needs to go these days. No need to rush."
"Under...stood."
Director Kim Chul-joong quietly clenched his molars without letting it show.
Shortly after.
The director-level meeting ended. CEO Han Tae-sung was the first to exit the main conference room, and the department head followed behind him. The remaining directors were rising from their seats one by one. However, Director Kim Chul-joong, his eyes brimming with longing, or perhaps greed, clicked his tongue without moving.
"Tch!"
The short director next to him, who had heard it, snickered.
"Just focus on what you've got on your plate, man. With something the scale of 'Busan International Film Festival', half-assing it won't cut it."
Director Kim Chul-joong let out a small sigh and replied with an irritated edge.
"The New Business Team isn't the New Business Team if it's only running one thing. You've got to keep hammering away nonstop for it to be a New Business Team."
The short director, who had been about to leave, sat back down.
"Well, it's true there are a lot of places that need money right now. It's the start of the year, and team budgets were just allocated not long ago."
"You think I don't know that?"
"If anything, if just one team got dissolved, things would loosen up a bit... Take Management Team 4, for example. Just axing Team 4 alone would free up some revenue, wouldn't it?"
"......I know that too."
"It's strange, though. Given the CEO's personality, Team 4 should've been cut a long time ago, but he's been watching them for quite a while. Odd, I tell you."
The short director scratched his chin and stood up. Soon, Director Kim Chul-joong was the only one left in the main conference room. He murmured faintly.
"Damn Team 4."
Honestly, Team 4 had been an eyesore to him for a long time. It was bad enough as a Leon director to watch a bunch of washed-up nobodies all lumped together, but maintenance costs were flowing in that direction too.
'That utterly useless dumpster.'
If Team 4 alone disappeared, the money going into it could be redirected to the New Business Team. As head of the New Business Team, Director Kim Chul-joong believed in launching projects frequently. Part of it was about proving his scope of activity and capabilities, but.
'You need to do it often to have an excuse to meet the money people.'
There was also a hidden motive of fattening his own pockets.
'More than anything, Team 4... there's no reason for it to exist.'
Whether it was the dumpster or the trash, incinerating it would put his mind at ease. If he was going to deal with it, the start of the year was the perfect time. CEO Han Tae-sung had recently made some pointed remarks about Team 4 as well.
Signs of a gradual cleanup.
Soon, Director Kim Chul-joong stroked his chin and murmured softly.
"Not gradually. If I give it a push with something, it'll go faster."
Meanwhile.
Kang Jae-ha, who had recently been assigned to that very Team 4, stood in the hallway and pocketed his phone. He had just finished a call with Lee Chan-hoo. To briefly summarize the call: he had met Director Kwon Sung-min, and the investment was decided.
And the destination for the short film 'Condensation' was the 'Busan International Film Festival.'
'The floodgates are open, at least...'
Jae-ha smiled brightly. He recalled the 'Deja Vu' of 'Condensation'.
『"'Condensation'... this short film won the Grand Prize. Blew up big. How many years has it been since this festival had a Grand Prize winner?"
'Condensation', something that would become a massive hit at some point in the distant future. The 'Deja Vu' Jae-ha had seen didn't reveal where that hit would happen. However, Jae-ha had made a simple deduction.
'It's probably the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival.'
The place where 'Condensation' would win the Grand Prize was the 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival'. Well, he couldn't be 100% certain until the time actually came, but based on the line "How many years has it been since a Grand Prize came out of this festival?", it seemed likely. The 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival', called the gateway for rookie directors, was famous for not awarding a Grand Prize.
That's how high the judges' standards were.
The feeling was that they'd rather give no Grand Prize at all than hand one to a mediocre work.
In any case, if 'Condensation' won the Grand Prize at the 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival', it would indeed be a massive hit. Countless masters served as judges, and thanks to its high prestige and recognition, the 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival' attracted plenty of press coverage too.
It wasn't called the launchpad for rising rookie directors for nothing.
But Jae-ha felt a twinge of dissatisfaction.
'The Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival, it's great and all, but it lacks mainstream appeal.'
It was, as the name said, a short film festival. Since it dealt exclusively in short films, the scale of the festival was on the smaller side for a film festival.
If he was going to do it anyway, wouldn't it be better to go big and international?
And so Jae-ha had settled on the 'Busan International Film Festival'. The 'Busan International Film Festival' was counted among Asia's three major film festivals alongside the Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals. An American magazine had even named it "Asia's best film festival". Thanks to that, it overflowed with world-renowned filmmakers, both domestic and international.
It didn't stop at the domestic level; it extended to the world.
So journalists from home and abroad flocked to it, and the media coverage was on an entirely different level. If 'Condensation' won the Grand Prize there, the impact would be several times greater compared to the 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival.'
''Condensation', there's more than enough chance of winning.'
The quality of 'Condensation' itself, as he had seen it, was considerable, and if it was good enough to win the Grand Prize at the 'Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival', the odds were high.
Soon, Jae-ha walked from the hallway into the Team 4 office and opened his laptop.
He already knew the information, but he was double-checking.
'Busan International Film Festival, held around June every year.'
The 'Busan International Film Festival' had originally been held around October, but in recent years it had been taking place between June and September. This year it was June. That meant the 'Busan International Film Festival' organizers would already be laying the groundwork for this year's festival. A few articles he found confirmed Jae-ha's thinking.
'Roughly... short films are accepted for submission from March to April, results announced in May, festival held in June.'
The 'Busan International Film Festival' had various award sections. Among them, the one dealing with short films and the like was a section called 'Wide Angle'. The 'Wide Angle' section was divided into a Competition Section and a Non-competition Section. Works invited to the Competition Section received screenings and trophies, but the Non-competition Section only offered screenings without trophies.
Naturally, getting into the Competition Section was the real game.
Awards for each section included the Grand Prize, Director's Award, Acting Award, and so on.
'The director personally submits the work, it goes through preliminary rounds, and the final selections are made.'
After weighing the information, Jae-ha propped his chin on his hand. Then he imagined the day 'Condensation' would be proudly announced at the 'Busan International Film Festival'. And the washed-up names who would walk that 'Busan International Film Festival' alongside it. For example, Director Kwon Sung-min, who had been rejected from Leon Entertainment's contest, plus a few others.
All of them were figures included in Jae-ha's plan.
"This really is fun. Buying at the bottom and pushing them to the top."
Little by little, Jae-ha was starting to enjoy the recycling of the washed-up.
Next morning, the 26th. Inside a van in transit.
Jae-ha could be found inside a van that was currently tearing down the road. He had shown up for work as part of Yoon Da-yeon's team. In the van with Yoon Da-yeon were General Manager Kim Dae-yong and Road Manager Ryu Jin-woo.
"......"
"......"
'He should be making the rounds at production companies by now.'
He wasn't particularly worried. The kid was sharp, so he'd handle it fine. Just then, General Manager Kim Dae-yong opened his mouth, perhaps intending to break the stuffy atmosphere.
"Good thing the atmosphere on 'The Last Man' set has gotten a lot better lately, right? That spitting incident with Da-yeon really did the trick. Ha ha."
"Spitting incident? What am I, some thug? Just call it the complaint incident! Make it sound nicer!"
"Why? I like 'the spitting incident'."
"Ugh! That's gross!"
"Ha ha, anyway, it's thanks to you, Jae-ha ssi."
Da-yeon glanced sideways at Jae-ha in the next seat. There was no particular expression on his face.
'I can never tell what the hell he's thinking. What a weirdo, seriously. Number one out of every person I've ever met.'
Then Da-yeon let out a petulant complaint for no particular reason.
"This guy just gave orders. I'm the one who actually did it!"
"Yeah, yeah, Da-yeon did everything. You did it all."
Jae-ha let a faint smirk slip the moment he heard Da-yeon's line. The need for recognition. It was a line frequently delivered by failures, by the washed-up. Looked at more deeply, it was a craving for people's attention. She probably hadn't been like this from the start. The emotion had accumulated naturally as her time as a washed-up actress dragged on, as she faded from people's memories.
Da-yeon grumbled.
"Sure, things got a little easier, but spending all day waiting waiting waiting is still the same, isn't it??"
"Well... that's true, but."
"I'm sick of it! The waiting!"
"But oppa, why isn't there any word about auditions? Am I just supposed to keep waiting?"
General Manager Kim Dae-yong was flustered.
"Huh?? Ah... well, you see."
"Ugh! You always tell me to wait! How many years has it been with that same line?! You leave me on the shelf and when the time comes you're just going to toss me, right??! Team Leader Jang is the same, he's just sitting on his hands, don't you think?!"
"D-Da-yeon."
The unhinged lunatic was starting to go off. On the other hand, to Jae-ha's ears, her outburst sounded more like desperation. Starting from anxiety, fear, and worry, all the way to a desire for some shred of reassurance.
'At first, she probably watched her step.'
But as the period of being washed-up repeated, and the repetition persisted, she learned. Learned exactly how to lose it so the other person would at least pay attention.
"'The Last Man' is almost done filming! And you couldn't land me a single audition in all that time??!"
She was on edge. No different from a stray cat. To erase the anxiety, Da-yeon would keep losing it, keep clawing. To others, it might look like she was defiantly propping up whatever pride she had left, but to Jae-ha, it looked like she was clinging to her last lifeline.
All that barking, but hollow inside.
And that was precisely why Da-yeon kept lifting her head higher. Looking only upward, no matter what. Begging to be saved. Flailing her arms. Because the moment she looked down, it was the gutter. No, she'd realize it was an abyss even deeper than rock bottom.
But Jae-ha had just made a decision.
'This one needs to be pushed all the way down to the bottom first.'
He would drag Yoon Da-yeon into the abyss. Crying, screaming, losing it, none of it would help. Because that was the first step.
He would cast her down to the bottom.
Da-yeon, who had no way of knowing this, only sharpened her voice further.
"This is neglect, plain and simple! Meanwhile you hand auditions to our company's rookies left and right?? Huh??"
"Da-yeon, calm down."
"Ugh! That damn 'calm down'!! As if I can calm down."
Jae-ha, chin propped, cut Da-yeon's words clean off with an ice-cold voice. When it came to crazy, Jae-ha was on a whole different level.
"God... Quit your whining."