Chapter 2: Unemployed Shut-In. Becomes a Writer? (2)
“Yes! This is Kim Si-woo.”
- Hello, this is Kim Dong-su, the head of the film production team at W Film.
“Oh! Yes.”
- I’m calling regarding the ‘Revenger’ script you submitted to our company.
Kim Si-woo hadn’t expected an actual call, and as the conversation turned to his script, his heart pounded wildly.
‘No… stay calm.’
‘They haven’t said it’s been accepted yet…’
Trying to steady his racing heart, he listened as Kim Dong-su began discussing the script, pointing out what he liked and areas that could be improved. They exchanged ideas back and forth.
As the conversation neared its end, Kim Dong-su brought up the topic of a contract.
- If possible, we’d like to move forward with a contract. Could we meet to discuss this in person?
“Yes? Yes! Of course.”
- I’ll send you the details for the meeting time and place via text.
After hanging up, Kim Si-woo pinched his cheek to check if it was a dream. Feeling the sting, he let out a shout.
“Arghhhhh!”
Just two months after starting to write, Kim Si-woo had become a writer.
***
One week earlier
While heading out to grab a coffee, Kim Dong-su spotted Kim Si-woo at the reception desk, bowing politely as he handed over a bound script.
“People still come in person to submit scripts these days? That’s rare. Takes me back,” Kim Dong-su mused.
In an era of advanced internet, most submissions came digitally. But every now and then, someone would show up with a physical script, and as the production team leader, Kim Dong-su found this oddly charming.
On his way back with his coffee, he stopped by the reception desk.
“That script from earlier—can you give it to me?”
“Oh! Yes, Team Leader.”
The receptionist, surprised, handed over the bound script.
“Hmm… ‘Revenger’. A revenge story, huh? Guess I’ll give it a read upstairs.”
Back at his desk, Kim Dong-su sat down to read Kim Si-woo’s script. A subordinate approached him.
“What’s that, Team Leader?”
“Oh, this? Someone dropped off a script today, so I grabbed it.”
“Oh… is it any good?”
“Haven’t read it yet.”
“Well, if it’s good, let me take a look too.”
“Yeah, sure. Now go read the other submissions.”
“Yes, sir~.”
After the brief chat, Kim Dong-su opened the script and began reading.
“So, the protagonist’s father is a cop… Does he get killed by a criminal, and the protagonist seeks revenge?”
As he read on, predicting the plot, Kim Dong-su was shocked to learn that the father, while a model cop on the outside, was abusive to his wife and son at home. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
“Goddamn… Oh, crap, sorry.”
Realizing he was getting too immersed, Kim Dong-su was surprised.
‘This is better than I thought. It’s a bit rough, but it’s gripping.’
It was unmistakably the work of a beginner, but there was something compelling that pulled him in.
“So, who’s getting revenge? The son becomes a cop to take down his cop father?”
His predictions were off again. He cursed when the protagonist’s mother died and felt pity as the protagonist veered toward a life of crime.
“Damn, poor kid.”
Grumbling but unable to stop, his eyes stayed glued to the pages.
In the end, the protagonist, with the help of friends, abandons his plan to kill his father. Instead, he exposes his father’s corruption and abuse, forcing him to step down from his coveted position as police commissioner just months after achieving it. Enraged, the father, now infamous as a corrupt and abusive cop, tarnishes the police’s image. In a fit of fury, he aims a stolen gun at his son.
“Is he really going to die?”
The bullet meant for the son is blocked by the female lead, who throws herself in its path. But the setting was a trap—part of the protagonist’s plan. He had deceived his friends into believing he’d given up on revenge, and the entire scene was being broadcast live online. The original plan was for the father to kill him, leading to charges of murder and other crimes, ensuring a life sentence. But the female lead, sensing something was off, foiled the final plan. The father is arrested by police she called, charged with various crimes, and sent to prison. The female lead, thankfully, survives thanks to a bulletproof vest.
The story ends with a happy ending for the protagonist and the female lead.
Having finished the script, Kim Dong-su had a gut feeling.
‘This is the real deal.’
To be sure it wasn’t just him, he handed the script to his subordinate.
“Here!”
“Yes, Team Leader?”
“Read it.”
“What?”
The subordinate frowned at the sudden task.
“It’s almost quitting time!”
“What? Already?”
Glancing at his watch, Kim Dong-su was stunned to realize only 20 minutes remained until the end of the workday. He’d been so engrossed in the script for four hours straight.
“It’s that good? You usually go for a smoke break every two hours, but you didn’t even budge while reading that script…”
“Sigh…”
Instead of responding, Kim Dong-su placed the script on his subordinate’s desk.
“Read it as soon as you can and pass it to the others. You’ve got three days.”
“Ugh… Yes, sir.”
Kim Dong-su headed to the rooftop smoking area and chain-smoked five cigarettes. It had been a while since talk of the Korean film industry’s decline had surfaced, with expensive movie tickets and lackluster films flooding the market.
“But if my instincts are right…”
Kim Dong-su wiped the sweat from his palms onto his pants, a strange excitement coursing through him.
“Let’s wait and see what the others think. Phew…”
The next morning, when he arrived at the office, a subordinate with dark circles under their eyes—likely from pulling an all-nighter—approached him and handed him an instant coffee.
“You’re here early.”
“Team Leader, are we going with it?”
The subordinate cut straight to the point.
“With what?”
“You know, the script you gave me yesterday. ‘Revenger’.”
“You read it already?”
The subordinate nodded, their tired eyes contrasting with a spark of enthusiasm.
‘No wonder I like this kid.’
Their ability to judge a script or work without bias, even if it wasn’t from a famous writer, and the passion in their eyes for the job—Kim Dong-su felt a swell of pride for his hand-picked team member. The subordinate launched into a discussion about ‘Revenger’.
“I’m all in for it. Honestly, it needs some directorial tweaks, but with a script like this, it’s all up to the actors. As long as we avoid anyone with terrible acting, I think it could be a hit.”
“That’s what I think too. But let’s hear from the rest of the team.”
They made multiple copies of the script and distributed them to other team members. The next day, an emergency meeting was held.
“Team Leader, it’s rare to see a script of this quality these days.”
“Honestly, everyone in the industry knows writing movie scripts isn’t lucrative. Unless you’re directing and writing, maybe. But this guy just submitted a script, right?”
“So, you’re all in favor of making this our next film?”
The production team members all nodded.
“Alright, then. I’ll talk to the boss today.”
Kim Dong-su decided to take the lead. The script’s allure was just that strong.
He scheduled a meeting with the company president and, an hour later, went to his office to make his case.
Standing in front of the president’s office, Kim Dong-su took a deep breath.
A good script alone didn’t guarantee a successful movie. It required directors for cinematography, lighting, sound, and more, along with the production team, actors, editors, and countless others working together. And, most crucially, funding.
Money.
The budget could make or break a film’s quality, determining whether it soared or crashed. But without someone willing to produce it, even that was irrelevant. His role now was critical to getting this script turned into a movie.
After a final deep breath, Kim Dong-su knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
- Come in.
At the president’s invitation, Kim Dong-su stepped inside. Park Chan-young, the president of W Film, greeted him with a skeptical expression.
“You sure about this one?”
“Yes!”
“How many times have you said that? Do you know how much debt our company is in?”
“Yes…”
From the president’s perspective, Kim Dong-su’s confidence wasn’t exactly trustworthy. Most of the projects he’d championed with similar enthusiasm had ended in financial losses. Facing the risk of being talked down, Kim Dong-su played his trump card.
“Chan-young hyung, please! This one’s really solid. Just read it and see for yourself. If it flops, I’ll take responsibility and resign. Okay?”
He was pleading with Park Chan-young, his senior from university.
“That’s the fourth time you’ve said that.”
“I’m serious this time! Just read it!”
Kim Dong-su placed the Revenger script on Park Chan-young’s desk.
“Revenger? A revenge flick, huh?”
“Yeah. Please, just read it and decide. You’ll see I’m right.”
“Sigh… Fine. Get out.”
“Hyung, you have to read it. Got it?”
“I said I will. Now go.”
After shooing Kim Dong-su out, Park Chan-young glanced at the script on his desk and flipped open the first page.
“It’s been, what, five years since that guy made a fuss like this? His eye for projects isn’t bad, though…”
As Park Chan-young read through the script, his reactions mirrored Kim Dong-su’s. He grumbled at the twists that defied his predictions, yet his eyes never left the pages.
“Damn… If we do this right, like Dong-su said, it could be a huge hit… Argh!”
Having finished the script, Park Chan-young was deep in thought.
The company had been struggling after a string of recent films flopped. They hadn’t hired new staff in four years. If this movie failed, W Film might have to be sold off.
After much deliberation, on the sixth day after Kim Si-woo submitted the script, Park Chan-young called Kim Dong-su.
“Hey, Dong-su. You free today?”
- Uh… My wife asked me to come home early…
“I read the script you showed me. It’s pretty good.”
- Hyung! Where should I meet you?
At the positive feedback, Kim Dong-su immediately shifted gears.
“You little… Fine, you know the bar next to the office? Meet me there.”
- Yes, sir! Loyalty!
After hanging up, Park Chan-young rubbed his furrowed brow with his fingers and stood up.
At the bar, Park Chan-young met Kim Dong-su, who arrived panting from his rush over, and they began talking.
“You confident about this?”
“I’m really confident this time.”
“Sigh… Alright. This is really the last shot.”
“Thanks, hyung. I’ll prove it with results.”
“Good. Talk to the writer and put together a report.”
Kim Dong-su thought Park Chan-young’s “last shot” comment meant it was his final chance to prove himself. But in truth, it carried a heavier weight—this could literally be the company’s last film if it failed.
Of course, Kim Si-woo was oblivious to this. Unaware that his script held the fate of W Film, he was simply thrilled at the thought of receiving his first contract payment.
“Phew… I’m nervous. They’ll at least give me 2 million won, right?”
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