Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 321: Park Sun-Jae (1)

Jo Jae-Kyung announced loudly at the VIP screening of Beyond the Boundary that his own film would be released soon.

"What? Is that true? This time it's a commercial film?"

"But you've only done art films until now. Why the sudden shift to commercial cinema, Mr. Jo?"

"And are you really releasing it without any prior publicity?"

Jo Jae-Kyung responded with a relaxed smile to the reporters' barrage of questions. "I've always wanted to do commercial films. And I believe one week is enough for publicity. As long as the work is good, the audience will naturally come through word of mouth, won't they?"

Most films run their publicity efforts at least two to three weeks, or even up to six months, before their release. However, Jo Jae-Kyung, who CK Entertainment backed, did not.

Choi Sung-Moon had barely managed to calm down, but he instantly flared up again at Jo Jae-Kyung's provocations. "Is that guy out of his mind? How dare he come to someone else's event and pull this nonsense?"

I whispered to Choi Sung-Moon about one of Jo Jae-Kyung's weak points. "Mr. Choi, try provoking him by mentioning that he's a rich kid backed by CK Entertainment. It'll get to him."

"Will that childish tactic really work?"

"Yes. Trust me on this one."

"Alright."

After taking a deep breath, Choi Sung-Moon said loudly, "As expected~ the CK family's young master does things differently. Nationwide release with no proper publicity efforts? Should we start calling you the rich kid director instead?"

At that moment, Jo Jae-Kyung's confident smile faltered for the first time. After all, the term "rich kid" was his Achilles' heel.

Just as Lee Tae-Poong had endured mockery as the "Lacking David," Jo Jae-Kyung had always been dogged by the notion that his success was thanks to his maternal family's business, CK Entertainment.

Seeing Jo Jae-Kyung shaken simply by the mention of being a rich kid, Choi Sung-Moon got energized and continued his verbal onslaught. "Oh yes! So what if you use your mommy card to get your films made? Hey, a director's a director, right? You have my full respect. I'm jealous of you, rich kid!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Jo Jae-Kyung shouted in frustration at the boisterous Choi Sung-Moon. "Mr. Choi! Watch your mouth!"

Jo Jae-Kyung probably hadn't expected such a direct confrontation from a star director like Choi Sung-Moon.

The bystanders were taken aback, but Choi Sung-Moon had always been known for his eccentricity. He even got into fistfights with lead actors in his younger days.

Choi Sung-Moon didn't show any signs of embarrassment. "Well, if you're so pissed, do you want to settle this with fists? What is it? Don't you do fistfights because you're a rich kid? Didn't you say we are both directors? Let's take off the rank badges and have it out, you brat!"

Jo Jae-Kyung couldn't keep up with Choi Sung-Moon's rough and brash manner. Realizing he couldn't win this verbal spar, Jo Jae-Kyung turned away.

At that moment, the reporters' cameras flashed again.

"Mr. Jo Jae-Kyung! Are you just going to back down like this?"

"Could you say a few more words before you go?"

Thanks to Choi Sung-Moon's performance, we were able to prevent Jo Jae-Kyung from stealing all the attention.

***

[Director Choi Sung-Moon of Beyond the Boundary Clashes at VIP Screening!]

[Director Choi Sung-Moon's Beyond the Boundary vs. Director Jo Jae-Kyung's The Thousand-Year Fox]

[A Clash of Generations Representing Korean Film: New vs. Old!]

[Successful VIP Screening of Beyond the Boundary! Film Success and Publicity Win?]

[Lee Tae-Poong. Obsessed with Acting!]

[CK Entertainment's The Thousand-Year Fox Set for Release Next Week!]

After the uproar at the VIP screening venue subsided, I entrusted Miso, Yoo-Jin, and Cherry Blossom to Lee Yung-Jin while I headed to LT Entertainment's headquarters with Lee Tae-Poong and his cousin Lee Dae-Ho.

Shin Jong-Ki of LT Entertainment, who was in charge of distribution, had called for a strategy meeting and extended the invite to me.

President Shin Jong-Ki of LT Entertainment was the first to open his mouth. "Jo Jae-Kyung, that asshole caused a mess. How do you suggest we handle this?"

The tension in the room thickened as the normally refined Shin Jong-Gi spoke harshly.

Choi Sung-Moon quickly responded, "Team Lead Jung says he has a solution. What are you so worried about?"

"Team Lead Jung?"

All eyes turned to me.

I cleared my throat and began, "Currently, Mr. Park Sun-Jae, the assistant director of The Thousand-Year Fox, hasn't received any payment."

"Jo Jae-Kyung hired a Korean assistant director for a film shot in the U.S.?"

"Yes. Mr. Park Sun-Jae was specifically hired because of his proficiency in English. However, he still hasn't been paid for his directing fee of 100 million won."

At that moment, everyone's eyes began to flash.

After all, unpaid wages were grounds for legal action.

***

Having turned 34 years old this year, Assistant Director Park Sun-Jae poured everything into his film career despite coming from a poor background.

He was a versatile talent who had worked in props, production, and the directing department, and was well known for his proficiency in English having served in KATUSA.

As he gradually built his career, Park Sun-Jae's name caught the attention of Jo Jae-Kyung who was looking for an assistant director fluent in English.

Jo Jae-Kyung put effort into recruiting Park Sun-Jae, and Park Sun-Jae eventually agreed to assist with the production of The Thousand-Year Fox on the condition that he would be paid 100 million won after filming wrapped in the U.S.

However, about a month into the U.S. shoot, Jo Jae-Kyung got hooked on gambling after a casual visit to a casino and eventually dipped into the production funds provided by CK Entertainment.

Jo Jae-Kyung ended up losing all the production funds at the gambling tables, leading to unpaid wages for the staff.

In response, the American crew immediately hired lawyers to prepare lawsuits.

Alarmed by the unexpected events, CK Entertainment's U.S. branch was keen on protecting the president's grandson and paid the wages to cover up the scandal.

However, Park Sun-Jae was the only Korean staff member and was directly hired by Jo Jae-Kyung. Jo Jae-Kyung delayed paying Park Sun-Jae's wages, using the excuse that he would help the latter debut as a director in the future.

Park Sun-Jae didn't raise any complaints initially as he thought that a wealthy family like Jo Jae-Kyung's wouldn't default on payment.

Despite this, Jo Jae-Kyung repeatedly delayed the payment he had promised and failed to deliver on the promised support for Park Sun-Jae's directorial debut.

Frustrated, Park Sun-Jae eventually approached the media to expose the issue.

Only then did Jo Jae-Kyung use CK Entertainment's influence to hastily silence Park Sun-Jae by promising to make the movie he had been assured.

Unfortunately, that was all a trap.

CK Entertainment signed a contract for a film with a total investment of 3 billion won and paid Park Sun-Jae an advance of 100 million won. However, they subsequently delayed the remaining payments under various pretexts.

Park Sun-Jae trusted CK Entertainment and began production, only to find himself heavily in debt.

No one had heard from Park Sun-Jae since then, but the events were still recorded in my planner.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: March 13, 2021]

-10:00 p.m.: Actor Division 3 Meeting. (Meeting content: Agreement with Director Jo Jae-Kyung and Assistant Director Park Sun-Jae. Ensure confidentiality among internal staff.)

[Date: May 15, 2021]

-11:00 p.m.: <Entertainment Big Fun!> Report on Director Jo Jae-Kyung's habitual gambling at the LCM Casino in Las Vegas. (Meeting content: Check for gambling incidents among company actors.)

Upon hearing that Park Sun-Jae had not been paid, Shin Jong-Ki asked excitedly, "Do you know him well?"

"Yes, well... I know him," I replied.

Though we hadn't met yet, I quickly glossed over my answer because we would eventually meet very soon.

"Then let's see if we can get in touch with Park Sun-Jae. Can we call him right now?" asked Shin Jong-Ki

"May I ask what you're planning to propose?"

"We have several movies in production. How about placing him on one of those projects as a crew member?"

I shook my head, thinking that wouldn't be enough. "Mr. Shin, have you considered producing another film?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mr. Park Sun-Jae is currently working on a script and it's exceptionally well-written."

Shin Jong-Ki was deep in thought because film production wasn't cheap.

After a while, he finished pondering and asked, "What's the genre of the project he's preparing?"

"It's a natural disaster thriller," I answered.

"A natural disaster thriller? That's a genre that requires a lot of budget."

"We'll be filming in Jiri mountain, so the costs won't be too high."

I explained the synopsis of Jiri Mountain, a project that Park Sun-Jae had tried to produce but had to scrap.

It was about a group of people stranded at a mountain lodge due to a snowstorm, among whom a psychopathic killer was lurking.

Shin Jong-Ki could estimate the production cost just from hearing the synopsis. "In that case, it would cost about 2 to 3 billion won."

I nodded. "Yes, it should be around that amount. I believe the initial script was also sent to LT Entertainment."

Shin Jong-Ki paused to consider. "Hmm...but we already have a lot of projects lined up for the second half of the year..."

I played my final card.

"If you take charge of production and distribution, Tae-Poong will take the lead role."

At that moment, Shin Jong-Ki's eyes gleamed. "Are you serious?"

3 billion won is a lot of money, but if Lee Tae-Poong stars in it, the situation would change drastically.

Just the news that Lee Tae-Poong, who received a phenomenal response at the Beyond the Boundary screening, chose Jiri Mountain as his next movie would be huge.

Moreover, Jiri Mountain was a project with strong potential to be a hit. In my past life, the industry considered it an unfortunate masterpiece that vanished without reason.

Shin Jong-Ki looked at me. "No take-backs?"

"Nope. And to reduce risk, Tae-Poong will take no upfront fee—just a running guarantee."

At that moment, Shin Jong-Ki exclaimed in excitement. "Then it's a done deal! Get him on board no matter what! Tell Park Sun-Jae we'll produce his movie and proceed with the lawsuit under his name!"

"Yes, sir."

I instructed Lee Dae-Ho and Lee Tae-Poong to prepare for the stage greetings starting tomorrow, before heading to Guro immediately where Assistant Director Park Sun-Jae lived.

***

A weary-looking 34-year-old Park Sun-Jae was sitting behind the counter of a convenience store in Guro at 12 midnight and fiddling with his phone. "They said they'd get in touch...but why haven't I heard anything back yet?"

It had been a month since he returned to Korea.

He still hadn't received his 100 million won directing fee for The Thousand-Year Fox, but he hadn't pushed for it due to Jo Jae-Kyung's promise to debut him as a director.

Yet after revising and sending the script for Jiri Mountain every day, Jo Jae-Kyung kept giving the same old excuse that it wasn't good enough and hadn't replied for the past week.

"Should I just go and demand the unpaid directing fee...?" Park Sun-Jae mumbled.

For now, his living expenses were being covered by his girlfriend of ten years, Ahn Yoo-Joo.

She said she'd support him so he could focus solely on writing scripts and working toward becoming a director.

However, Park Sun-Jae knew he couldn't keep relying on her. As such, he started working a four-hour night shift at a convenience store to avoid interfering with his scriptwriting.

He let out a sigh and uttered to himself, "Sigh. Okay. I'll go see him tomorrow."

Since he couldn't just wait around, he decided to confront Jo Jae-Kyung the next day.

That's when the convenience store door opened.

Ding!

Park Sun-Jae shook off his complicated thoughts and stood up. "Welcome."

Three customers walked in: two large men and a woman.

Park Sun-Jae greeted them, but the customers silently headed straight for the liquor section.

The two men wearing blue and red caps were both over 180 cm tall. The three of them also wore jumpers from a nearby college: Woonjung University.

'College students, huh...' he thought.

The trio placed five bottles of soju and a bag of shrimp chips on the counter. "Ring us up."

There were five bottles of soju but only one snack.

If Park Sun-Jae had the money, he would have liked to buy them some fried chicken or something.

Sympathizing with the students' situation which reminded him of his own, Park Sun-Jae spoke without thinking. "Drinking like this will be hard on your stomach..."

At that moment, things started to take a strange turn.

"What's it to you? Are you going to buy the snacks for us, then?"

Park Sun-Jae realized his mistake at the woman's sharp response.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry. I'll ring you up right away."

"Ugh, so annoying. What a loser."

Park Sun-Jae felt a surge of anger, yet he had no choice but to hold back since he had been the one who misspoke.

That's when the guy in the blue cap turned to glare at Park Sun-Jae and slammed his hand on the counter. "Hey, dude. Are you messing with her, huh?"

Park Sun-Jae felt his heart sink. Dealing with a troublesome customer like the ones he had only heard about on his first day on the job was unexpected.

"I-I'm sorry," Park Sun-Jae apologized.

"Sorry? Do you think just saying sorry is enough? You pissed her off! How are you going to make up for that?"

Park Sun-Jae squeezed his eyes shut and decided to offer a compromise. He knew that a fistfight would be no use against two sturdy guys. "You can just go. I’ll...pay for the soju and shrimp chips myself."

The guy in the blue cap bristled. "You think we’re beggars or what? You think that’s enough?"

"Th-then what do you want?" Park Sun-Jae asked.

The guy in the red cap glanced at the woman as if he had been waiting for this. "Dong-Mi, what do you want to eat?"

"Me? A pint of H?agen-Daze. Shrimp chips are enough for snacks, and ice cream is the best cure when your stomach hurts from soju!"

"You don’t have money but you still always go for the fancy stuff. Go grab it."

Without waiting for permission, the woman dashed over and grabbed two pints of ice cream.

The total bill was over 24 thousand won.

Then, the guy shouted, "Hey! Grab one more. We need at least three."

Three pints came to over 36 thousand won, about the same as Park Sun-Jae’s day’s wage.

"O-oh, no. You can’t do this. If you do, I’ll have to call the police..."

At that moment, the guy in the red cap raised his thick fist. "You call the cops and you’re dead—do you really want that?"

Park Sun-Jae trembled and shook his head. "N-no."

"Should’ve just done that from the start."

Park Sun-Jae reached for the register and asked meekly, "Then could I see your ID, please..."

The guy in the blue cap scowled fiercely. "Hey! Can’t you tell I’m a college student?"

"Even if you’re in college, you still need to be over 18..."

At that moment, the guy in the blue cap cracked his knuckles. "That’s it! Old man, you’re getting a beating first!"

"Ahh!" Park Sun-Jae yelled.

At that moment, the bell above the door chimed.

A well-dressed, handsome man dashed in like lightning and grabbed the blue cap guy’s fist.

"Where does a high school kid get off trying to punch an adult?"

Despite being half the size of the blue cap guy, the well-dressed handsome man held his hand tightly.

Park Sun-Jae blinked and said, "High school...er?"

The faces of the three troublesome customers twisted in shock.