Chapter 125: The Writer (2)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Jae-ha, having watched episode 1 of 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', the opening salvo of the 'One-Act Drama Project', wore a faint smile.

'Quality's good.'

He'd had expectations, sure, but 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' had cleared them by a wide margin. Maybe it was because Director Baek Jeong-ha was a heavyweight who was obsessed with directing, but the quality was definitely killer.

Episode 1 could put most films to shame.

'And the way it holds focus on the actors is slick as hell.'

He meant the actors captured in the angles, An Ji-hee, Oh Jong-man, and the rest. It drew a clear line between the moments that zeroed in on a character and the moments that scattered Bait, following the flow of the drama. On top of that, the color grading was somehow bleak and tension-raising all at once.

'And the music.'

Of all the elements that pulled a viewer into 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', Kang Jae-ha picked the music as the standout.

-♬♪

The opening track announcing the start of the drama seized the ear, and the pieces slotted in throughout landed with impeccable timing.

'Even though I've already heard these tracks, hearing them alongside the work really is a different feeling.'

The very best of them was, of course, the main OST of 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' that came in around the midpoint. For one thing, the song was good. The husky texture of the female vocal cranked the urgency and the tension higher. It was good enough to make a viewer stop mid-episode and go hunting down the main OST.

At least, that was how it sounded to Kang Jae-ha's ear.

'It's a Choi Ri-na track. More than enough to melt most viewers' ears.'

Everyone else watching 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' would feel the same. Either way, Oh Jong-man's 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' and Choi Ri-na's music had both been opened up to the world. Satisfied with the whole of it, Kang Jae-ha.

-Slide.

Slowly crossed his legs, a faint smile playing at his mouth. Then, low under his breath, he muttered to himself.

"Oh Jong-man, An Ji-hee, Choi Ri-na. All three of them are going to make a real impact."

Of course, those three weren't the end of it. 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' kicked things off this week, and next week 'The Noble Man and Woman' would go live. Which meant it was Yoon Da-yeon's turn.

Then Kang Jae-ha called up the 'Deja Vu' tied to the 'One-Act Drama Project'.

In the Deja Vu, the 'One-Act Drama Project' had definitely turned into a smash hit. The signs of it were already there. But Kang Jae-ha was looking at something beyond a smash hit.

"All I have to do now is fan the flames."

Meanwhile.

At that very hour, plenty of people besides Kang Jae-ha were watching 'Murder Is a Qualification Too'. Director Baek Jeong-ha, who had commanded the 'One-Act Drama Project' from the front, of course, along with a good many Key Staff.

"Hah- the 'One-Act Drama Project' is finally out in the world!"

"I feel it every single time, but this moment is just overwhelming, isn't it??"

"It really does feel different from watching it on set. Hahaha. Director! What do you think??"

"...I'm never satisfied, you know that. Hmm- maybe a close-up would have been better in that scene after all."

An Ji-hee, who had carved out a moment between schedules to open Netflix, felt her heart thudding over and over.

"Ahh, it started! It really started! Me, my face, on Netflix......"

She was shaking too hard to actually take in her own acting. This was the first work she'd shot in quite a while since the Short Film 'Condensation', and now it was out in the world.

"It's surreal. So, so surreal."

Bouncing around just as hard was Choi Ri-na, over in her studio.

"My music's playing! My song is playing on Netflix!! Oppa, oppa! Isn't this totally surreal?!"

Her face brimming with emotion, Choi Ri-na was beside herself, shaking Go Chun-seok beside her. With people all over the country listening to her music at that very moment, it would have been stranger if she hadn't gone wild.

Lee Chan-hoo and the rest of Kang Jae-ha's subordinates were all watching the 'One-Act Drama Project' too.

It was a project the Commander's 'MEG' was deeply involved in, one that would raise their standing.

Oh Jong-man, the Writer and actor of 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', was watching Netflix at home with his wife.

"......"

Oh Jong-man's fierce features were twice as heavy as usual. It wasn't that he was in a bad mood. He was simply, thoroughly moved. Just then, Oh Jong-man's wife, watching 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', sniffled. Eyes rimmed red, Oh Jong-man asked her.

"Why are you crying."

His wife wiped her tears and gave him a smile.

"It's nothing...I'm just happy."

Even if she never let it show to her husband, she must have gone through a hard time herself. Of anyone, she was the one who'd been wronged the most by Oh Jong-man's scandals. He knew that perfectly well, and he gripped her hand tight.

"Thank you. For holding on."

"You're the one who worked so hard. I'm so happy, really, so, so happy."

The two of them held each other, healing the wounds of the past. Then his wife sniffled and spoke up.

"Ah! I want to know what the viewers are saying."

"Me too."

Oh Jong-man pulled out his phone.

"Should we take a quick look??"

Afternoon.

Kang Jae-ha left Leon Entertainment and went somewhere. Roughly forty minutes by car. The place Jae-ha arrived at was a fairly sizable filming studio. The outside looked like a distribution warehouse, but the inside had an entirely different atmosphere.

Filming equipment everywhere, props set in place, dozens of staff moving in a hurry.

Mixed in among the staff were people from Leon Entertainment. They spotted Kang Jae-ha and came over.

"Manager Kang, you're here?"

"Yes."

Kang Jae-ha answered curtly and gave the place a quick once-over.

"Where's 'Kisera'?"

His reason for asking after the 'Kisera' members was simple. This filming studio was the music video set for 'Kisera', the group Jae-ha had put through Rebuilding.

As proof, across the entire site.

-♬♪

The Launch tracks for 'Kisera' were playing as a sound test. The songs were, naturally, 'BBlink!' and 'Starlight Error', picked by Kang Jae-ha and written by Choi Ri-na.

Just then.

"Ah!!"

Kitted out in their music video outfits, the 'Kisera' members, Ha-rin, Jay, Nia, Riv, and Sion, spotted Kang Jae-ha. The 'Kisera' girls came running straight over and fell into a line in front of Jae-ha.

"Hello, Manager!!"

"We've been doing great!"

In time with leader Ha-rin's greeting, every last 'Kisera' member bowed to Kang Jae-ha in crisp unison. Kang Jae-ha acknowledged the greeting with a nod and studied their expressions rather carefully. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected.

'There's a bit of nerves, but the energy's high and the fight is blazing in their eyes. This much is fine.'

For reference, the rebuilt 'Kisera' had finished recording the new songs, and Choreography practice was nearly at its final stage as well. On top of that, promotion and marketing were fully prepped. Meaning they could Launch as they were without any real problem.

Once the music video, which they'd be shooting for about a week starting today, was in the can, the big items on the schedule would be done.

"Don't freeze up. Go as wild as you want out there."

"Yes!! Manager!"

Of course, Kang Jae-ha had no intention of letting 'Kisera' shoot only the music video during this stretch.

"Along with the music video shoot, we'll also be filming footage to use for Shorts, Reels, and so on."

They were for the overseas market he meant to target from the very start. He had to get 'Kisera' going viral on the content platforms that landed abroad, 'TilTok' and the rest, and across every social network.

"We'll keep shooting whenever there's an opening from today on, so if you have ideas, feel free to speak up."

Around this time.

Netflix Korea was frantically busy. They were monitoring the reaction to the newly released 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' minute by minute.

"The volume of articles being thrown up keeps climbing!"

"From what we can see right now, there's more praise than criticism!!"

Starting with the articles being scattered out in real time.

《'Murder Is a Qualification Too', This Is Really a One-Act Drama? Viewers Give a Thumbs Up to Film-Grade Quality!》

《[Issue Pick] From the Visuals to the Music, 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' Draws a Flood of Positive Reactions Right Out of the Gate/ Photo》

《From An Ji-hee on Down, the Cast's Acting Is Rock Solid! In Oh Jong-man's Performance Especially, the Hiatus Was Nowhere to Be Found [Murder Is a Qualification Too]》

And on through the reactions of viewers who'd watched 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' on social media, community boards, and elsewhere. For the moment, Netflix Korea was focused on the public's response rather than the articles.

Word of mouth, and the flow of the issue.

This stretch right now was the most important, the most critical part. Before long, from his seat where he'd been scanning the state of the various community boards, bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin wore a faint smile.

"Good. The picture we want is starting to take shape."

And with reason. Amid the flood of assessments of 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' in the public's reactions.

-everyone was throwing out bullshit about how he'd lost his touch or whatever but oh jong-man's actually good at acting ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-no weak links in the cast i think, oh jong-man's good and an ji-hee is good too

-an ji-hee is fucking gorgeous she's 100% blowing up after this

-i thought it fucking sucked why is everyone gargling it? are you all shills

-↑agreed it was boring as hell, turned it off partway

-honestly trashing oh jong-man's acting is Forced Hate ㅋㅋㅋ he's fucking good

A considerable number of question marks were sprouting up alongside them.

-writer oh jong-man what???

-no seriously why is oh jong-man stamped into the writer slot ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-i cracked up too when i saw oh jong-man written in for writer ㅋㅋㅋㅋ fix it already netflix

Well, obviously, everyone assumed 'Writer Oh Jong-man' was a typo.

-looks like a typo the real writer's gonna be pissed ㅋㅋㅋ

-oh jong-man, thoroughly bewildered

-netflix must be swamped since it only just dropped ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ still not fixed

The press was no different.

《One-Act Drama Project's First Release 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', Oh Jong-man's Name in the Writer Field?/ Photo》

But Netflix Korea didn't move. Not for the several hours after the 'One-Act Drama Project' went live. The press and public opinion pointed it out plenty loudly, and still, not an inch.

Public opinion, the press, and the entire entertainment industry sensed something was off, but in the end nobody believed it, and the feeling was that it amounted to a typo and nothing more.

But.

《[Issue Pick] Netflix Korea, Why Hasn't 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' Writer Oh Jong-man Been Corrected?/ Photo》

Netflix Korea did not fix the 'Writer Oh Jong-man' that everyone took for a typo. Not from the noon release all the way to nightfall.

In the end, even by the morning of February 2, a full day later, 'Writer Oh Jong-man' stood exactly as it was.

At that point, people in the public reaction slowly started thinking along a different line.

-what the hell they still haven't fixed writer oh jong-man ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ at this point don't tell me oh jong-man really is the writer

-that's Over the top ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-maybe it's a different guy with the same name

-but if the writer really is oh jong-man that would be insane ㅋㅋㅋ he wrote it himself and came back as an actor

-↑right ㅋㅋㅋㅋ nobody's gonna cast me? fuck it, i'll just write it myself

Bit by bit the 'Writer Oh Jong-man' talk swelled. Off the public's fingertips, and from mouth to mouth. It was no different across the whole entertainment industry that had watched 'Murder Is a Qualification Too'. Directors, actors, staff, industry people of every stripe.

"You saw the One-Act Drama Project, right?"

"'Murder Is a Qualification Too'? Watched it the second it dropped. Baek Jeong-ha directed it, so naturally the quality came out well."

"An Ji-hee stands out too, but more than anything, what's the deal with Oh Jong-man."

"Right, his acting was good. I'll be blunt, I figured Oh Jong-man's acting would be nothing special. His Hiatus was so long, after all."

"Same here. I thought Netflix just dragged Oh Jong-man in for the Aggro, but- no. Watching him act, he'd clearly been sharpening his knife the whole time."

"But he came up listed as the Writer, what's that about??"

"Ah! At first I figured someone had typed it wrong too, but- doesn't it seem strange that it still hasn't been fixed?"

"What, the real Writer is Oh Jong-man?? Come on- no way."

It was at that moment that Netflix Korea set off its official announcement.

《[Official] Netflix Korea, "The Writer who wrote 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' is indeed Oh Jong-man"》

The Aggro was one step away from swelling several times over.

*****

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