SCT-Novel Chapter 118: Enter (6)
Chapter 118: Enter (6)
“Even if you guys don’t, I’m going to GN Entertainment.”At Kang Rojun’s bombshell statement, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung all looked at Rojun with visible confusion. A moment of silence passed.
“......”
“......”
The first to speak was the eldest hyung, Si-hoo, whose eyes had grown ridiculously large.
“W-what?? Rojun-ah. What are you saying out of the blue?”
That’s when Kang-min and Do-kyung, who had finally come to their senses, joined in.
“Hyung?? Wait a second. According to what we discussed, GN was our third choice, right? EY and Big Star were first and second.”
“What’s going on, hyung? Did you hear something?”
Did I hear something? Yeah. ‘AI Automation’ said EY and Big Star Entertainment were garbage. Of course, Kang Rojun couldn’t say that directly, so he responded seriously.
“I’ve looked into a lot of information about EY and Big Star Entertainment. EY Entertainment had some tax evasion issues a few years ago.”
“Tax evasion?”
“Yeah. There were just a few articles, but it made me uneasy. And Big Star hasn’t been doing that well lately, right?”
“No, but that’s-”
“If we’re talking about that kind of stuff, GN is even worse.”
The three other than Kang Rojun had ambiguous expressions. Faces that said that explanation wasn’t convincing enough. Honestly, Rojun also couldn’t provide a clear reason, unless he talked about the ‘AI Simulation’ app.
At that point, Kang-min, the exotically handsome one, scratched his chin.
“Hyung, suddenly bumping GN from third to first is a bit much.”
“No. I’m not bumping it to first.”
Rojun answered definitively and calmly.
“Like I said, I’m going to GN.”
“Huh??”
“Even if you guys go somewhere else, I’m going to GN.”
“......”
Kang Rojun, who had seemed more like an observer or bystander before, now looked completely different. Like a solid fortress.
"Just trust me on this."
Silence fell again. This time too, it was Si-hoo who broke it.
“...If our leader’s going, I’ll go too.”
Kang Rojun looked at Si-hoo.
“Hyung, I’m not the leader anymore.”
“You’re not done. And honestly, I’m fine with going to GN. Even a small or new agency is okay, as long as I can debut.”
“Yeah, exactly. Wherever we go, we just need to raise it ourselves.”
“So if Rojun’s going, I’m going.”
Si-hoo soon turned to the two younger ones, Kang-min and Do-kyung.
“Let’s be real. It was because of Rojun that ‘Produce That 100!’ got 30% viewership, am I wrong?”
“...You’re right.”
“Agreed.”
“It started with buzz over Rojun’s visuals, but it blew up more and more as his abilities stood out. We worked hard too, but without Rojun it would’ve been bland.”
Even PD Woo Han-suk had said that himself.
“On top of that, if the four of us were split and offered to those ten companies, who would they pick? Rojun, right?”
“......”
“I’m not trying to ride Rojun’s coattails, but I do need him to stay fired up. You guys feel the same, right? Anyway, if Rojun’s going, I’m following him to GN.”
Do-kyung spoke right away.
“I’m going too. Like Si-hoo hyung said, without Rojun hyung, our team would be totally screwed.”
What’s he saying? Screwed might be a bit much, right? Rojun thought internally as Do-kyung met his eyes.
“I’m going to grow by watching you, hyung.”
Lastly, Kang-min let out a small sigh.
“If Rojun hyung had just decided from the beginning, we would’ve all followed. So GN it is, huh?”
Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung all had skills that would stand out even if they debuted right now, but they had always strangely followed Kang Rojun well. Though they were technically rivals, they seemed to treat him like a bit of a role model. Whatever the case, since the talk went well, maybe it didn’t matter? Kang Rojun seemed satisfied and made his decision.
“Then let’s go with GN, but for now, let’s keep it between us. Cool?”
Same day, early afternoon.
A standalone building near Cheongdam Station. It was the writer management company ‘Culture Drawer'. Soon, a bear-like man in a suit entered the first-floor lobby, where a few people, including a familiar woman, were waiting for him. The familiar woman was Ryu Jung-hwa, Team Leader of Culture Drawer Management Team 1.
She, who was in charge of writer Rojun, bowed politely to the bear-like man.
“CEO-nim.”
The people around Team Leader Ryu Jung-hwa were the same, and the man who received their greeting smiled brightly as he walked toward the elevator.
“Hello hello- ah, is everyone waiting?”
“Yes, CEO-nim.”
Contrary to his rather disorganized appearance, the bear-like man with high energy was the co-CEO of Culture Drawer. His name was Heo Ki-tae. Although Writer Han Seo-ryeong also held the title of CEO, the actual management of Culture Drawer was effectively handled by CEO Heo Ki-tae. He, along with Team Leader Ryu Jung-hwa and the others, boarded the elevator.
-Swoosh.
As Team Leader Ryu Jung-hwa, her long hair tied back in a single line, pressed the floor button, CEO Heo Ki-tae asked a question.
“How’s the situation with Writer Rojun?”
Though his build was like a bear, his voice was rather gentle, and Team Leader Ryu Jung-hwa answered right away.
“Inquiries and casting requests are pouring in.”
“It’s insane, right?”
“Yes. It’s absolutely overwhelming.”
In fact, recently, Culture Drawer had been receiving an explosion of contacts regarding Kang Rojun. Naturally, as Writer Rojun. From project proposals to variety show casting and more.
“We’re even getting casting requests for him as an actor.”
“Actor?? Well, let’s keep that on hold and maybe pass it along to Writer Rojun later.”
“I’ve already mentioned it to the writer.”
“Oh yeah? What did he say?”
“He said he doesn’t want to rush any decisions regarding acting.”
Though offers were coming in for Kang Rojun as an actor, after being informed by Culture Drawer, he wasn’t in any hurry. He had plenty of time. He figured he could handle acting as a side project while focusing on his idol career.
CEO Heo Ki-tae nodded as if he understood.
“That’s the smart move. ‘Produce That 100!’ is wrapping up anyway. There’s no rush to get into acting. He can think about it after ‘Produce That 100!’ and ‘Rental Lover’ are over. For now, we just need to focus on the writer side. What kind of project offers have come in?”
“I’ll organize them and submit a report.”
“Okay, good. If there are any offers that seem decent, toss them over to Writer Rojun.”
Just as the conversation was wrapping up, the elevator doors opened, and CEO Heo Ki-tae and Team Leader Ryu Jung-hwa stopped in front of a meeting room. The bear-like CEO Heo Ki-tae adjusted his suit.
“How do I look?”
“You look sharp.”
"Do I seem to have some presence? It's been a while since I wore a suit, so it feels awkward."
“Your physique alone is enough to be overwhelming.”
“Okay, let’s go in.”
With a satisfied smile, CEO Heo Ki-tae opened the meeting room door. Inside were some familiar figures. A foreigner with curly yellow hair and a few others. Executive Director Tom Cavill and Netflix Japan staff.
In other words, it was a meeting between Culture Drawer and Netflix Japan.
The topic, of course, was the project 'Like a Kaleidoscope', which Kang Rojun had handed over to Netflix Japan.
In fact, there was no real need for CEO Heo Ki-tae to attend a meeting like this in person. The management teams could have handled it, but this time the counterpart was not just anyone, it was Netflix Japan. For Culture Drawer, this was a rare chance to expand overseas, and it was also Kang Rojun’s first project contract, which is why CEO Heo Ki-tae stepped in directly.
Then CEO Heo Ki-tae reached out his hand to Tom Cavill, the Executive Director.
“Hello, I’m Heo Ki-tae from Culture Drawer.”
When Heo Ki-tae greeted him in fluent Japanese, Tom Cavill was slightly surprised.
‘He speaks Japanese well. More than that, he’s huge, was he a former athlete??’
Tom Cavill, feeling like he was shaking hands with a bear, grasped CEO Heo Ki-tae’s hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Tom Cavill from Netflix Japan. Your Japanese is impressive, CEO-nim.”
“We're aiming for the global market. Been studying hard, hahaha.”
After some casual greetings, Culture Drawer and Netflix Japan sat across from each other. The first to speak was CEO Heo Ki-tae.
“You want to produce Writer Rojun’s ‘Like a Kaleidoscope', correct?”
He went straight to the point with no beating around the bush. Tom Cavill, who seemed to have been waiting for that, answered right away.
“Yes, we at Netflix Japan want to produce it.”
“I see.”
For reference, Netflix, which had taken over the world, generally used two approaches for producing content. Either a production company acquired a work from a writer and passed it to Netflix, or Netflix itself secured the work and then had a production company make it. This model was similar across all Netflix branches, including Netflix Korea.
As soon as Netflix buys the rights to a project, they immediately start investing.
Depending on the project, tens or even hundreds of billions of won can be spent, and once production starts, the show goes forward no matter what, whether it succeeds or fails.
All the profit or loss is fully handled by Netflix.
By that standard, this time with 'Like a Kaleidoscope', it felt like Netflix Japan was starting by purchasing the rights first. After that, they would select a production company to create the project. In any case, Netflix Japan’s top priority was securing the rights to 'Like a Kaleidoscope'.
“For Writer Rojun’s ‘Like a Kaleidoscope', we are-”
Executive Director Tom Cavill brought up the money side of things with a voice full of conviction.
“20 million won per episode, with a separate signing bonus. How does that sound?”
Currently, a star writer like Han Seo-ryeong receives about 80 to 100 million won per episode. Mid-tier writers, those considered A-list, earn a bit less, around 30 to 50 million won per episode. That meant Netflix Japan was evaluating Writer Rojun as a mid-level writer.
At 20 million won per episode, and with 'Like a Kaleidoscope' being about 10 episodes, that came out to 200 million won. Plus a separate signing bonus. It was quite a substantial offer.
A rookie writer, or one just above that level, usually receives around 3 to 5 million won per episode. Of course, that’s assuming things go very well; many receive far less. Technically, Kang Rojun was a newly debuted writer. So getting 20 million per episode was certainly generous. Because Rojun wasn’t just any writer, he had something special.
But CEO Heo Ki-tae, with his chin resting on his hand, thought,
'20 million per episode. That’s pretty strong from the start, shows how much Netflix Japan wants Writer Rojun. But it’s still a bit lacking. There’s room to raise his value.'
He wasn’t satisfied.
“Hmm- this doesn’t quite meet the figure we had in mind.”
Though this project related to Writer Rojun was something Culture Drawer was handling more as a service, CEO Heo Ki-tae wasn’t going to be careless.
“What Netflix Japan proposed is certainly impressive. However, right now ‘Rental Lover’ is hitting a 21% viewership rating in Korea, and that’s the same show planned to launch on Netflix Japan. Add to that the explosive power of Writer Rojun’s recognition and popularity. There’s a lot we could say here, but at 20 million per episode, I don’t think Writer Rojun will agree.”
“......”
“We at Culture Drawer also want to work with Netflix Japan. However, since the final decision lies entirely with the writer, there will need to be some compromise on the script fee.”
“How much is Culture Drawer considering?”
“Well, 20 million per episode feels a bit low.”
From there, the mood of the meeting gradually became more fluid.
Several hours later, at the 'Produce That 100!' campus.
It was around 7:30 PM. Kang Rojun and the others could be found in the break room. A tablet and a laptop were laid out on the table. The reason was simple.
“Just like last week, we’ll watch ‘Rental Lover’ first and then ‘Produce That 100!’ right after.”
“Right, episode 2 of ‘Rental Lover’ and then our final victory scene in ‘Produce That 100!’ I’m already nervous! Wonder how the fans will react??”
“What if they bashing me for getting picked?”
Just as Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were chatting, in about 15 minutes, episode 2 of 'Rental Lover' would begin, followed by episode 17 of 'Produce That 100!' In particular, today’s 'Produce That 100!' would reveal the final winner on air. Because of that, not just the kids but even Kang Rojun himself.
‘I’m crazy curious about the viewer response.’
Were busy chattering with mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety.
Just then.
-Bzzzz, bzzzzzz.
Kang Rojun’s phone vibrated long. A call. It was an unknown number. Tilting his head in curiosity, Rojun gestured to the others that he was stepping out to take the call.
-Slide.
He stepped out of the break room and held the phone to his ear in the hallway.
“Hello?”
A male voice he was hearing for the first time came through.
“Hello, Writer-nim. This is Heo Ki-tae from Culture Drawer.”
The caller was CEO Heo Ki-tae. Kang Rojun realized with a jolt. He had spoken to him once before as an introduction but had forgotten to save the number.
“Yes, hello, CEO-nim.”
“Haha. I still haven’t had the chance to meet you in person, but I’ll try to arrange something soon. More importantly, is now a good time to talk?”
“Yes, of course.”
“We had a meeting with Netflix Japan this afternoon and discussed ‘Like a Kaleidoscope'. First, I should tell you about the agreed script fee.”
Kang Rojun had been informed about today’s meeting with Netflix Japan as well. But he hadn’t thought too deeply about it.
‘Script fee- I wonder how much. A few hundred thousand?’
It’s not that he didn’t think it was important, he just lacked experience. This was his first time officially signing a project contract involving real money, including script fees. In any case, Rojun listened carefully, and on the other end, CEO Heo Ki-tae stated the script fee first.
“The final agreement is 30 million won per episode. Plus a separate signing bonus.”
As soon as he heard the number, Kang Rojun blinked his eyes.
‘......Huh?’
It was a reasonable reaction. With 'Like a Kaleidoscope' being 10 episodes at 30 million per episode.
‘Wait, what? How much did he say??!’
That meant 300 million won.