Translator: Dreamscribe
It had been two days since 'Moonbak Film', the production company behind 'Condensation', started sending out audition notices and open submissions, beginning on the 4th. Of course, they'd kept the 'Busan International Film Festival' angle under wraps. Various entertainment agencies, big and small, had blasted out audition information without much rhyme or reason, but expectations were low.
'Condensation' was a short film from the start, and agencies had little interest in non-mainstream shorts or indie films.
Small-time agencies aside, it was obvious that any mid-sized to major agency with real industry experience would ignore 'Condensation'. And in practice, that's exactly what happened. Mid-tier and major agencies especially had screenplays pouring in constantly.
Was a short film like 'Condensation' even going to get a second glance?
Leon Entertainment was no different. Director Kwon Sung-min and 'Moonbak Film' alike had pinned their hopes less on the agencies and more on the open submissions they'd posted across various social media platforms and online communities. Most applicants would probably be talentless unknowns, but just being able to hold auditions at all was a positive catalyst for 'Condensation'.
And then.
"...Yoon Da-yeon? The actress I'm thinking of??"
Out of nowhere, the actress Yoon Da-yeon's name came up. And from Leon Entertainment, no less. Not just Yoon Da-yeon either, but an unknown actress under Leon Entertainment as well.
Blindsided by the unexpected news, Director Kwon Sung-min was dumbfounded.
Yoon Da-yeon, of all people.
"Wait... the actress Yoon Da-yeon-nim? For real?? Not someone else with the same name?"
He couldn't seem to believe it. 'Moonbak Film's CEO Jeong Tae-woo wore a similar look of bewilderment.
"Yes, it's the actress Yoon Da-yeon. I thought it might be someone with the same name too, so I double-checked. It's confirmed. There's only one Yoon Da-yeon ssi at Leon Entertainment to begin with."
The key staff members present also looked surprised, and Director Kwon Sung-min's widened eyes showed no signs of shrinking back down.
"Wh-why on earth would Yoon Da-yeon-nim be auditioning for 'Condensation'......? Could she have it confused with a different project???"
"No, what was his name again. Kang... ah, anyway, I spoke with the manager on the phone and the audition application is confirmed."
"Is there any reason Yoon Da-yeon-nim would do a short film like 'Condensation'?? Isn't she still active?"
CEO Jeong Tae-woo, having composed himself somewhat, sat down beside Director Kwon Sung-min.
"She is. I looked into it briefly, and Yoon Da-yeon is currently appearing in a morning drama. But, um. Honestly speaking, Yoon Da-yeon was decent back in the day, but she's washed-up now. Quite washed-up, actually. She had a long hiatus in between, too. The morning drama she's in now is basically a bit part."
A polite way of saying she was a has-been.
"Of course, the fact that she applied for a short film audition is surprising. We kept the 'Busan International Film Festival' details out of the listing, as planned."
"Exactly, so you're saying Yoon Da-yeon-nim is coming to audition?? And I'm the one who has to... evaluate her."
"That's right."
This was already his first time conducting auditions, and now a veteran actress like Yoon Da-yeon was going to show up. Director Kwon Sung-min's nerves doubled on the spot.
"Maybe the director didn't read the audition info properly?"
"No, it was clearly stated in the audition listing. 'Condensation's synopsis, your background, the free acting prep requirement, all of it. It's strange that Yoon Da-yeon is coming to audition for our 'Condensation', but what puzzles me even more is that Leon Entertainment showed interest at all."
"Same here. I was shocked too. Massively."
CEO Jeong Tae-woo stroked his chin.
"I don't need to tell you about Leon Entertainment's scale, and they don't need to bother reaching out for short films. They have a new talent development team and a new business team, so if they wanted to, they could produce short films in-house."
"Then why our 'Condensation'?"
"No idea. According to the manager I spoke with... he just said the project was good."
Director Kwon Sung-min, heart pounding, recalled the Leon Entertainment contest he'd been rejected from.
'My contest submission wasn't meaningless after all!'
He felt a small surge of confidence. If he hadn't submitted 'Condensation' to Leon's contest, there would have been no investor and no interest from Leon.
"This is incredible. I can't believe something like this is actually happening..."
As he pulled off his glasses and murmured with genuine wonder, CEO Jeong Tae-woo patted Director Kwon Sung-min on the shoulder.
"Well, this is the entertainment industry, isn't it? All sorts of things happen. You should be proud. This is all because of your 'Condensation', Director."
"Th-thank you. Oh! But who's the other actress from the Leon side?"
"Uh, the name was An Ji-hee. She's an unknown, probably an acting trainee Leon is developing. Still, if Leon thinks she's worth nurturing, she should have some decent skill. Though even if their acting is shit, there are cases where they just push them through anyway."
"Ah."
"If she's no good, just cut her without hesitation. Don't agonize over it. Leon or not, no means no."
"Right, right."
Director Kwon Sung-min exhaled a long breath after answering.
"I'm looking forward to the 8th. In more ways than one."
The 8th, two days from now, was 'Condensation's audition day.
Meanwhile.
The main conference room at 'Cheong-yeon Studio' was rather quiet. Director Hong Man-seop, with his thick eyebrows, and several others looked as if their souls had left their bodies. Across from them sat Lee Chan-hoo, wearing an easy smile.
What had frozen Director Hong Man-seop in place was how clean-cut Lee Chan-hoo's decision had been.
"...Are you serious? You'll invest one billion won?"
Lee Chan-hoo had made his decision with stunning ease. One billion won invested in 'House of the Daytime Moon'. Compared to commercial films, or Hollywood or Japanese animated features, it was a very small sum.
But if the target was a domestic Korean animation, it was an amount that absolutely could not be ignored.
In any case, this conclusion had come dozens of times faster than 'Huayuan Partners'. The Chinese capital firm 'Huayuan Partners' had taken days just to reach a decision, yet MEG's Lee Chan-hoo hadn't even needed a few seconds.
"Yes, a clean one billion, no need to split it up. 'MEG' will invest."
"......"
"Is something wrong? Do you not want it?"
"What?? No! It's not that! I'm just, a little surprised."
"Haha, is that so?"
"B-but you haven't even seen the screenplay for 'House of the Daytime Moon', and we haven't told you about the content or the situation, so the reason you've decided to invest is..."
In truth, Kang Jae-ha and Lee Chan-hoo already knew a fair amount about 'House of the Daytime Moon's situation, if not everything. Unable to say as much, Lee Chan-hoo gave a casual shrug.
"Hmm, just a gut feeling?"
"...A gut feeling?"
"Yes. A gut feeling. Let's just call the details a trade secret. All you need to think about, Director, is whether you'll accept MEG's investment or not."
At this point, Lee Chan-hoo recalled the talking points his Commander, Kang Jae-ha, had laid out.
'The nuance is important. It has to feel like you're embracing not just Director Hong Man-seop, but the entire domestic animation film market.'
Adding a bit of substance to that, he spoke.
"One thing I can say is that I'd hate to see the lineage of purely homegrown Korean animated films die out."
In the other world, Lee Chan-hoo had worked at a production company. For quite a long time, too. He was well aware of the drought in the domestic animation film market.
"Korea's technical skill and talent aren't inferior to Hollywood, Japan, or China, right? I've heard there are plenty of Koreans active in Hollywood and Japan as well. What's lacking is just one thing: money. The funding drought went on for far too long, and because of that, the animation market dried up. No, it was on the brink of collapse."
"......"
"Contributing to the development of the domestic animation film market, well, it's nothing as grand as some lofty aspiration. I'm a businessman, after all."
The domestic animation film market, when you got down to it, was itself a washed-up nobody that no one cared about anymore.
"There's potential, so I'm stepping in. A niche market, you could call it."
Director Hong Man-seop just listened in silence. The 'Cheong-yeon Studio' staff did the same. They couldn't help it; what Lee Chan-hoo said was largely true. All the while, Lee Chan-hoo was feeling quite satisfied with the lines he'd delivered.
'When it comes to running my mouth, nobody does it like me. Ah, the Commander should've been here to see this.'
Director Hong Man-seop, whatever Lee Chan-hoo's true intentions might have been, was deeply moved in that moment.
'A businessman? No. To us, he's a savior.'
The initial distrust had already vanished. Director Hong Man-seop slid the prepared screenplay for 'House of the Daytime Moon' across to Lee Chan-hoo, and to him, to this savior who had appeared out of nowhere, he bowed from the waist with genuine sincerity.
"I look forward to working with you, Investor-nim."
"Ah, yes."
"I'll do everything in my power to complete 'House of the Daytime Moon'."
"......"
Lee Chan-hoo maintained his smile, but inside, question marks were floating up.
'Wait, are that man's eyes getting watery? I think he took it a bit too hard.'
Afterward.
Lee Chan-hoo heard a great deal from Director Hong Man-seop about 'House of the Daytime Moon'. The story, of course, but also how far along production was, the production schedule, plans going forward, and so on and so forth.
"You're welcome to come by anytime during production to check on the editing process. It would also be great if you could attend our production meetings. If you're busy, I understand, but I'll make sure to contact you for every meeting."
"Sure. Uh, could I get two copies of the 'House of the Daytime Moon' screenplay?"
"Of course."
The meeting lasted roughly an hour. Director Hong Man-seop and the 'Cheong-yeon Studio' staff.
"Thank you again."
They escorted Lee Chan-hoo all the way out the door and to the elevator. A stark contrast in warmth compared to 'Huayuan Partners'. Only after the elevator doors closed did Lee Chan-hoo let out a long, heavy exhale.
"Phew, keeping a straight face the whole time was exhausting."
But the feeling wasn't bad. He'd steered things in the direction the Commander had instructed.
"Have I ever gotten the royal treatment like this?"
It was his first time being treated like a savior. He was a figurehead with someone pulling the strings from behind, but as Lee Chan-hoo stepped into the car, a tune escaped his lips unbidden.
Right around then, a notification arrived for Kang Jae-ha, seated at Team 4's desk.
-Vrrm.
It was from 'Moonbak Film', regarding the confirmed audition for 'Condensation'. After checking the date, time, and location, Jae-ha smiled faintly and thought of Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee.
'Audition's in two days, the 8th, at 3 o'clock. We can meet up at the office and head over together.'
The audition venue wasn't at 'Moonbak Film'. They seemed to have rented a separate location. In any case, Jae-ha texted Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee with the confirmed audition details.
Their responses matched their personalities perfectly.
An Ji-hee's reply radiated nervous excitement.
-The 8th at 3! Yes, Manager-nim. I'll practice hard until then. I won't let you down!
Yoon Da-yeon's reply was less nerves, more raw fighting spirit.
-I'm gonna kill it!!
At this hour, a senior leadership meeting was in full swing in Leon Entertainment's main conference room. Team leaders and directors were engaged in serious deliberation, and once again, Management Team 4 had been placed on the chopping block. It was a director from the New Talent Development side who had raised the issue.
"If Team 4 is going to continue existing, they need to produce some kind of results, but as things stand now, and looking ahead, I don't see anything noteworthy on the horizon, CEO-nim."
The other directors shared similar views. CEO Han Tae-sung stroked his chin, listening to their opinions in silence. Just as Kang Jae-ha's face briefly flickered through his mind, an unexpected figure stepped in to shield Management Team 4.
Not excessively. Just enough.
"...No, Team 4... I'd say they could use a bit more time."
It was Director Kim Chul-joong, clenching his molars discreetly. The other directors tilted their heads at his sudden change of stance, and CEO Han Tae-sung.
"......"
Simply wore an enigmatic smile.
The next day, Saturday morning, the 7th.
Two days prior, 'Huayuan Partners', which had met with 'House of the Daytime Moon's Director Hong Man-seop, was in the middle of a briefing.
"How did the meeting with 'Cheong-yeon Studio' go?"
The person who had attended the meeting explained its contents with a confident smile.
"They earnestly requested time, so we told them we'd give them about a week."
"Mm."
"However, 'Cheong-yeon Studio', or rather Director Hong Man-seop, will have no choice but to accept our conditions. There's nobody else interested in 'House of the Daytime Moon' anymore. Director Hong Man-seop, on the other hand, is desperate."
"You made sure our conditions were clearly communicated?"
"Of course. He's probably busy designing the new character to add as we speak."
They were referring to the Chinese character.
"We're not giving them the full billion. Make sure it wraps up within 500 million."
"Understood."
Just then, the phone of the person giving the report buzzed. It was a call from Director Hong Man-seop. Just as expected. He couldn't even last a week and was calling to accept. The man received the go-ahead to answer and switched to speakerphone, connecting the call with Director Hong Man-seop.
"Director Hong Man-seop. Have you finished thinking it over?"
"Yes."
"Haha, not even a week, just two days. You've reached a conclusion, then?"
"Yes. We will not be accepting Huayuan Partners' investment."
"Right, understo... What? What did you just say?"
"I said we're not taking it. The investment."
Everyone at 'Huayuan Partners' let their mouths fall slightly open at Director Hong Man-seop's answer. A brief silence hung in the air. In that gap, Director Hong Man-seop's voice came through the phone again.
"We'll manage on our own, so I won't be taking any more calls going forward."
Same time. MEG's office.
Despite it being Saturday, his day off, Kang Jae-ha had been at the 'MEG' office since morning, listening to Lee Chan-hoo's report. The subject was, naturally, yesterday's meeting with Director Hong Man-seop regarding 'House of the Daytime Moon'.
Having received the full account, Kang Jae-ha nodded without much fuss. Lee Chan-hoo, on the other hand, was slightly worked up.
"Why the lukewarm reaction? Commander, it's one billion won. One billion."
"I heard you. What's the fuss about?"
"Because you're reacting to one billion like it's ten won, that's why."
"I figured it'd be about that much."
"Do you actually have one billion?"
One billion? Kang Jae-ha did. To be precise, riding the 'Deja Vu' windfall, he'd amassed over 1.2 billion in funds. Even after paying the investment for 'Condensation' and 'House of the Daytime Moon', he'd have over 200 million left.
'The 700 million 'Pension' recharges soon enough.'
Once the second 700 million deposited, he'd have close to one billion again.
'And another money-making 'Deja Vu' could come in the meantime.'
The situation wasn't bad.
"You think I'd have started all this without having the money?"
That was when Lee Chan-hoo scratched his head and asked.
"But is this really going to be okay? Of all things, a market on the verge of starving to death. One billion into domestic animation films... I get that the plan is to buy at the bottom and sell at the top, but."
"It's not just a bottom. It's the floor."
"That's what I'm saying. If things go the way you say, Commander, then sure, there'll be money to be made, but I'm getting the chills here."
"Getting the chills. This from the guy who was lopping off heads left and right without a trace as part of the assassination squad."
"You lopped off more than I did, Commander. Just as calmly as right now. Anyway, this place isn't like over there. Can't go lopping off heads here."
"It'll work out."
Kang Jae-ha had not a single reservation. The return of several times the investment was already guaranteed. Beyond that, Jae-ha was thinking about what came next.
"Who knows? This animated film, 'House of the Daytime Moon'."
He was looking even further ahead.
"It might just become the foothold for reaching the world stage."
*****
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