Chapter 620

Choi Seonhye took a deep breath to keep herself from shrinking under the pressure. Ever since they had stepped off the plane, everything had exceeded her imagination.

The reception arranged by NetHolics headquarters was on an entirely different level from anything in Korea.

It was capitalism at its finest.

‘The scale is enough to make anyone's head spin with nerves, but...!’

Manager Choi tightened her grip on the tablet in her hands.

‘This is how it should be!’

No matter how high Han Yeoreum climbed in Korea, there were always limits imposed by her age and seniority.

On top of that, more and more people her own age kept throwing around pointless criticism and bad-faith attacks. Some had even started mocking everything as "just another Han Yeoreum drama." Even during 〈Faster Than the Law 3〉, there were already people complaining that they were tired of seeing Han Yeoreum appear in consecutive productions.

America was different.

Here, the message was obvious.

You would be treated according to what you had proven.

〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉 hadn't merely reached Global Top 1—it had broken into the notoriously difficult non-English-speaking markets as well.

The actress who had become the defining spark behind a production topping charts everywhere. Seeing how NetHolics treated Han Yeoreum filled Choi Seonhye with emotion.

‘This feels incredible....’

Simply watching Yeoreum's face glow with excitement and nervous anticipation made her happy.

She was an actress who never once complained about how exhausting her schedule was, yet back in Korea, people constantly demanded that she work even harder.

‘Still... thanks to this schedule, all the bad-faith attacks should disappear until 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉 airs.’

Those people only surfaced after gauging public opinion.

Now that everyone had seen her working in America, they would remain quiet until the first episode of 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉 aired.

No matter how much they wanted to attack her, there wouldn't be anyone willing to agree with them.

The thought alone made Manager Choi's heart swell.

‘No matter what kind of bad-faith criticism comes... having someone right in front of you who proves herself over and over again as if daring the world to stop her....’

It stirred emotions she couldn't possibly describe with words.

At some point, Choi Seonhye no longer felt like she was merely a manager.

She felt like a fan sitting in the very front row, cheering for Han Yeoreum.

"We've arrived."

NetHolics Headquarters.

The smiles of the doormen opening the doors and the staff who had come down personally to welcome them were dazzling.

Three more cars pulled up behind theirs.

There were four actors attending today's event.

Han Yeoreum.

Myeong Jeha.

Do Gyeoul.

And Tak Jeongyun.

As each of them stepped out of their vehicles, the doors of NetHolics headquarters opened.

Welcome to Los Angeles

A welcome display prepared specifically for the cast of 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉 hung before them.

Han Yeoreum quietly looked at the words.

The California sunlight resting against the side of her tranquil face seemed dazzling.

* * *

"They've all arrived."

"Good."

Andrea couldn't even force herself to wear the polite business smile she normally carried everywhere.

The sound of her heels echoed unusually sharply as she walked out of the executive office.

‘That bastard is a damn devil....’

The aftermath of being outplayed by JC ENM still lingered.

It had felt as though she'd suddenly become an extra who had been stabbed at a completely unexpected moment.

Eyes wide with disbelief.

Unable to say a single word.

Only groaning as she staggered backward, desperately clutching the wound with both hands.

That kind of extra.

‘Do they have any idea how hard I worked to reach this position?’

But she couldn't simply let JC ENM and D*sney walk all over NetHolics.

NetHolics had its pride.

Granted...

NetHolics truly was facing a crisis.

Because the upper ranks of NetHolics' most popular content were still firmly occupied by M-Blockbuster films and D*sney animation.

Established IPs.

The power they carried was stronger than most people imagined.

Even when people spent ages wondering what to watch...

They almost always ended up choosing a familiar title.

A familiar actor.

A familiar story.

People naturally preferred investing their time in something they'd heard of before rather than something completely unknown.

‘That's exactly why IP matters more than ever, damn it.’

At present, with virtually no real competitors, NetHolics dominated nearly seventy to eighty percent of the global streaming market.

But beginning next year, when every single D*sney title disappeared from the platform, NetHolics Originals alone wouldn't be enough to compete.

‘The successful NetHolics Originals we have now aren't enough.’

Whoever secured more IPs would seize victory.

Ding.

The elevator arrived on the rooftop where today's luncheon party was being held.

Amid the lavish catering and flowers stood today's invited guests.

‘They're definitely not ordinary. Look at that attitude. Barely in his twenties, yet he subtly dominates everyone around him....’

The first person who caught her eye was the man with a face that seemed blessed by the gods themselves.

Eastwood's choice.

A navy suit paired with a deep-purple pocket square suited him absurdly well.

‘His name was... Myeong Jeha?’

He had blended into this industry so completely that it almost looked as though he had been born to belong here.

Everyone present was an influential figure within the industry.

Yet somehow, the person naturally controlling the conversation was that young man.

The unmistakable bearing of a predator.

‘Now I understand why they call him Eastwood's choice.’

Even the people standing near him showed not the slightest trace of nervousness.

His appearance could easily be mistaken for someone gentle...

Yet the atmosphere surrounding him felt as though it had been forged from steel.

Cold enough to send a brief chill through anyone nearby.

But when Andrea shifted her gaze slightly...

She spotted a woman frozen so completely she resembled a deer caught in headlights.

‘Yes... that's more like it.’

She was so nervous that she kept making one mistake after another.

Then Andrea fixed her gaze on the one actress belonging to JC ENM...

The sole actress represented by the company that had driven a knife into her back.

Slightly flushed cheeks.

Transparent excitement that plainly showed how thrilled she was simply to be here.

An unmistakably vibrant energy radiating from her.

Andrea was a professional.

A single glance was enough for her to estimate another person's value.

And from her perspective...

"Rough diamond."

Something still unpolished...

Yet capable of drawing everyone's eyes through sheer presence alone.

The instant she reached that conclusion, her eyes met Han Yeoreum's.

Eyes that seemed to contain California's sunlight itself.

The only actress represented by Jegal Rok—the man audacious enough to challenge NetHolics.

Before walking over to greet the cast of 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉, Andrea spoke quietly to the secretary standing beside her.

"Bring me interesting scripts."

"The ones being made in that damned country."

"Are you saying you want to acquire more original Korean IPs? We already have several productions waiting to enter development."

"Not those."

She didn't care if JC ENM launched its own OTT platform.

She didn't care if D*sney entered the market to grab a slice of the pie.

If anything...

The dopamine that only someone standing on the brink of war could experience surged through Andrea.

The accessibility of K-dramas—the most influential content in Asia.

Their fast, inexpensive production system.

The expanding IP library that strengthened NetHolics because of it.

"Only the things that NetHolics can do."

As though someone had planned it down to the exact second...

A notification appeared on her secretary's phone.

"...Andrea."

"We've received something from that mad dog."

"Fucking hell."

"Why now, of all times?"

[JC ENM / NetHolics Korea Original Script.pdf]

A brand-new script had arrived.

* * *

Ahn Junmyeong still remembered the way Ja Sokhwan had frowned.

"Junmyeong... are you out of your mind?"

"Anyone else could say that, but not you, Director Ja...."

"You're really hopeless."

In his hands was the first draft of 〈Those Who Deserve to Die〉.

After reading it from beginning to end, Ja Sokhwan spoke briefly.

"Do you secretly dream of writing literary fiction or something? If that's the case, go do that instead. Why are you trying to make this into a drama? This won't work here."

In other words...

It was the kind of story that might succeed as literary fiction.

Ahn Junmyeong already knew that.

This was an era where novels became films...

And webtoons became dramas.

But not every IP could cross every medium.

Some concepts inevitably crashed into walls they could never overcome.

"...Is it really that bad?"

And Ahn Junmyeong's script belonged to the kind of work that no one wanted to produce.

The problem wasn't merely the production budget.

There was something far bigger.

"Do you really think the public will accept this?"

The psychological barrier.

Simply put...

No one would watch it.

Finding a production company would already be difficult.

Finding someone willing to broadcast it would be even harder.

The media industry operated according to capital.

No one here was running a charity.

"And there's an even bigger problem."

"You're a woman, Junmyeong."

"How can you say something so controversial...!"

"If a man had written this, people would praise it like crazy. Even if it had flaws, they'd happily patch them up with compliments. They'd invent deeper interpretations. Send messages of support. Even if it was rough around the edges, people would encourage him for simply trying."

"But you already know what happens, don't you?"

Ahn Junmyeong understood exactly where Ja Sokhwan was going before he even finished speaking.

She quietly closed her eyes, facing the reality waiting for her.

"They'll call it excessively violent."

"They'll call it unnecessarily explicit."

"They'll say it's just a woman copying everything male writers already did."

"They'll complain the logic falls apart."

"They'll ask why female criminals still need motherhood or passive motivations."

"They'll say the budget should've gone to some other female-centered story instead."

"They'll ask how long people intend to keep consuming immoral female characters."

"They'll complain that they asked for women killing each other and everyone dying, and instead got... this."

"They'll say, 'This isn't what I wanted.'"

Watching Ahn Junmyeong stand there with her eyes closed, Ja Sokhwan listed every reaction the script would inevitably receive.

Hearing every criticism spoken aloud by someone else made Ahn Junmyeong's lips tremble.

Ja Sokhwan kept throwing stones at her without mercy.

"Who did you have in mind for the cast?"

"...Han Yeoreum for Jeong Uigyeom."

"And Jeong Huiseon?"

"Eun Baekhap...."

"And Jeong Namok?"

After hearing her final answer, Ja Sokhwan remained silent for a long moment.

"Do you really have to make this?"

"..."

"If you stick to what you're already good at, investors, production companies, broadcasters... they'll all come running after you. They'll practically get on their knees, flatter you, and beg to work with you."

"But hand them this?"

"They won't even answer your calls anymore."

Strangely...

The more Ja Sokhwan spoke, the clearer Ahn Junmyeong's mind became.

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.

"...I still want to make it."

"Think again."

"Even after thinking again..."

"I still want to make it."

Who was she?

Ahn Junmyeong.

The final spark of terrestrial television.

The legendary writer whose final episode had reached 44.7% viewership.

Anything she wrote next would be welcomed with open arms.

She had already proven herself at the very top.

But just as Ja Sokhwan had said...

"Damn it."

"If nobody accepts it, then I'll keep shoving it in people's faces until somebody finally does."

She really was stubborn.

"You won't even help me, yet you're telling me what to do?! You psychopath! Get out! Give me back my beer! What a waste!"

After all...

This was the same Ahn Junmyeong who had created the legendary ending of episode one of 〈The Great Garland〉 featuring "Joseon scum."

She had never been an easy person.

Right.

She wasn't about to collapse over something this trivial.

She wanted to write it.

So she would write it.

She wanted to make it.

So she would make it.

"When did I ever say I wouldn't help?"

"Really?"

Protecting his beer can from Ahn Junmyeong's grasp, Ja Sokhwan grinned.

"So?"

After draining the rest of his beer in one gulp, he opened another can.

Psssh—click!

The sound seemed unusually cheerful.

Ahn Junmyeong grabbed his arm.

"Seriously? You're actually going to help? But how? Even you said this project's insanely difficult."

"It won't work in today's market..."

"But every now and then..."

"A player appears who overturns the entire board."

The legendary genius director whose every production shook all of Korea.

Speaking with unusual gravity, he continued.

"Junmyeong."

"Can you even imagine it?"

"One actor..."

"Changing the direction of the entire market."

Ahn Junmyeong already knew exactly which actor he meant.

Someone who could see straight through a script.

"Wait."

"Don't let anyone else see it first and don't get beaten to death before it even starts."

"..."

After taking another long drink, Ja Sokhwan spoke again.

"And I like stubborn idiots."

Ahn Junmyeong didn't hesitate any longer.

Every trace of fear disappeared.

All that remained was anticipation for the Jeong Uigyeom Han Yeoreum would create.

She revised the script.

Then revised it again.

Then revised it once more.

Even through the endless, exhausting hours...

The light burning inside her heart never faded.

"I've only been acting for three years."

"What do you think I'll become in another two?"

Han Yeoreum proved those words exactly as she had once spoken them.

Not merely before Ahn Junmyeong...

But before the entire public.

And today...

Ahn Junmyeong's phone rang.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

[Director Ja Sokhwan]

"Hello?"

She instinctively knew.

The time had finally come.

—Yeah. It's me. NetHolics will be contacting you soon. Clear your schedule and send it over.

"Are you directing it?"

—No.

"I'm not."

"Then why..."

—Because I'm going to D*sney. But I'm taking Melon Bread with me, so I need to check the filming schedule. Later.

The call ended without another word.

Ahn Junmyeong stared at her phone with her mouth hanging open.

"What... was that?"

It wasn't difficult to piece everything together.

The D*sney OTT platform that would soon appear.

NetHolics needing something capable of countering it.

Ja Sokhwan had joined forces with JC ENM to become the first director of D*sney Korea Originals...

While simultaneously pushing Ahn Junmyeong's project toward NetHolics.

Because in order to compete against Ja Sokhwan...

NetHolics needed Ahn Junmyeong.

Bzzz.

Her phone vibrated once again.

[Director Ja Sokhwan: Stubborn idiots fighting!]

"...What's with him?"

"The biggest stubborn idiot in Korea."

Ahn Junmyeong couldn't help smiling.

It seemed the Korean media industry was finally about to change for good.

Before long...

Everyone would discover exactly who had opened that door.

A single actress racing toward the very top...

Was changing an entire era.