SCT-Novel Chapter 184: Opportunity (5)
Chapter 184: Opportunity (5)
The unexpected appearance of Kang Rojun. Even though he had pulled his cap down low, anyone could recognize him. The glow radiating from his visuals couldn’t be hidden. Anyway, seeing Rojun, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin stammered slightly in surprise.“Ro-Rojun writer-nim! Weren’t you not able to make it??”
Kang Rojun, smiling faintly, gave a polite bow.
“Hello. Fortunately, I was able to spare about an hour, so I came. I look forward to working with you.”
“...I should be the one thanking you.”
Soon, Rojun sat in the seat prepared by the Culture Drawer staff. The seat to the right of CEO Heo Ki-tae. Still wide-eyed, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin returned to the chair she had been sitting in across from him.
“......”
She glanced at Rojun, who was briefly conversing with the bear- no, with CEO Heo Ki-tae.
‘Even with the hat covering everything, he still shines. Seriously... I already knew, but that face is just absurd. Compared to when he was in 'Produce That 100!', his aura is on a whole different level.’
He had been impressive even during 'Produce That 100!', but now he was beyond overwhelming. The team leaders seated next to her also looked utterly spellbound by Kang Rojun. Then Rojun raised his eyes and made eye contact with Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin, snapping her back to reality.
“Ahem! Once again, thank you so much for attending the meeting despite your busy schedule, writer-nim.”
Unable to endure more than three seconds of eye contact with Rojun, she quickly turned her gaze to CEO Heo Ki-tae.
“So, to continue what we were saying, has ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ progressed beyond just the synopsis to a full script of Episode 1??”
Kang Rojun answered in place of him.
“Yes. As I was writing, it naturally developed into Episode 1.”
“...That’s incredible. Everyone knows how unbelievably busy you are, when on earth did you even write it?”
“Mm, here and there? Surprisingly, there’s a lot of downtime between schedules, so I wrote during those times.”
“While carrying around your laptop?”
“Yes. I carry all my work with me every day.”
The Netflix Korea staff were once again surprised. Seeing their reactions, Kang Rojun shrugged his shoulders.
‘It wasn’t particularly hard, though it was hectic. Still, seeing everyone this surprised, it does feel good.’
On the other hand, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin was still in shock.
‘The more he explains, the more absurd it sounds?? What kind of idol writes scripts during breaks between schedules?’
But this wasn’t a place to just sit in awe. Forcing herself to maintain a composed tone, she continued.
“F-First, let me read over the synopsis.”
“Yes.”
She lowered her gaze to the ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ synopsis in her hand.
-Ssshhh.
About three minutes later, the corner of Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin’s lips twitched.
‘It’s interesting.’
Even just reading the synopsis sparked her curiosity.
“It’s a fusion historical drama with fantasy elements, and I think I see some occult too.”
Nodding, Kang Rojun began to explain.
“That’s right. The setting is the Joseon Dynasty, but overall, the tone leans heavily toward fantasy.”
“So the historical drama aspect is just for flavor?”
“Not exactly. Hmm, about fifty-fifty?”
“Aha.”
“I tried to strip out as much of the traditional historical drama feel as possible, and as the protagonist ventures out more, the world expands in an adventure format. I also inserted action here and there to control pacing.”
“What about the occult atmosphere?”
“I used yokai, but the flow borrows the kind of tension that makes it feel like ghosts might appear.”
“So actual yokai appear, or characters possessed by them, I assume.”
“Yes.”
Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin slowly nodded.
“The protagonist is a Secret Royal Inspector?”
“That’s how it starts, but gradually, the concept of ‘Taoism’ expands.”
“Taoism.”
“Yes. On the surface, it’s not very visible, but they operate more like a shadowy group behind the scenes. However, in the beginning, the protagonist doesn’t openly reveal that he’s a Taoist.”
“He must be exceptional?”
“Like a needle hidden in a sack, even if he hides it, it ends up showing. But it’s not like the protagonist is going out of his way to hide it. It’s just that he can’t be bothered to say it himself.”
“The starting point is the disappearance of a palace eunuch.”
“As the world expands, I’m envisioning it flowing more like a historical superhero story.”
A historical superhero story. That was a concept already discussed within Netflix Korea. Kang Rojun continued.
“I plan to make the ‘Taoism’ element vary greatly by character in terms of personality, techniques, and abilities.”
“There’ll be type matchups too, then.”
“That’s right. But if we set it up this way, the direction can’t be vague. When it’s vicious, it needs to be truly brutal. When it’s cruel, clearly so. When serious, weighty. When light, properly witty. Action should be realistic and refreshing.”
Kang Rojun, excitedly briefing the picture in his head. Watching him from the side, CEO Heo Ki-tae clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘His energy is completely different from when he was an idol. Whatever he does, he looks like he’s enjoying it.’
Soon, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin picked up the script for Episode 1 of 'Tale of the Strange Moon' from the synopsis.
“Do you have a villain planned?”
“Yes. A villain that gradually reveals themselves.”
Even as her tone remained serious, she pulled the Episode 1 script toward herself and asked another question.
“Writer-nim. By any chance, is this ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ viable as a series?”
Series? Like Season 1, Season 2, that kind of thing? Internally raising a question mark, Kang Rojun replied.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet, but are you thinking of it as a series?”
Meeting eyes with everyone from Rojun to CEO Heo Ki-tae, Lim Hyun-jin nodded.
“Yes. We haven’t said anything to the writer agencies or Culture Drawer yet, but for this project, we’re looking at a minimum of two seasons. Considering it’s a project with a whole world to build, just one season feels a bit lacking.”
Honestly, the unexpected remark made Rojun pause in thought. But it didn’t seem particularly difficult.
‘The story just needs to be wide enough, right?’
Thanks to that, Kang Rojun answered quickly.
“If we’re doing it, I think it’s totally doable. Whether it’s two seasons or three.”
Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin smiled brightly.
“Great, I’ll read the script quickly and try to make a decision as soon as possible.”
Later.
After finishing the meeting with Netflix Korea, Kang Rojun got into the van prepared by Culture Drawer. At the same time, CEO Heo Ki-tae, who got in beside him, gave him two thumbs up.
“Writer-nim, today’s briefing was the best!”
At his high-spirited shout, Kang Rojun responded with a smiling eye expression.
“Thank you.”
Although he hadn’t had many experiences like this as a writer, his time with Netflix Japan during 'Like a Kaleidoscope' gave him enough confidence to get through it without nerves. Then Heo Ki-tae smacked his lips.
“If we land this project, it’s going to be huge.”
“What do you think?”
“Well, judging by today’s atmosphere, it seems promising... but it’s hard to give a definite answer since we don’t know what the other works are like.”
“They probably received a lot of submissions, right?”
“Yes. They probably sent out calls to multiple places including us, and Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin is known for reviewing works very thoroughly. Especially since it’s such a large-scale project, she’ll be even more meticulous.”
After briefly being serious, Heo Ki-tae suddenly laughed heartily.
“Haha! Still, there probably isn’t anything more interesting than your work, writer-nim! I’ll let you know as soon as we get a clear answer from Netflix Korea!”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kang Rojun fell into some thought.
‘Honestly, whether we get it or not, it won’t be a huge blow... but if possible, I’d like it to work out.’
However, he couldn’t spend too much energy worrying about the ‘writer’ side job. A side job is a side job, right now, he had to focus on his main one. After parting ways with Heo Ki-tae, Kang Rojun returned straight to GN Entertainment and rejoined the members in the practice room for training.
Starting with the next promotional track 'Flying Bell', which was drastically different in concept from 'GreenBee' with its refreshing vibe, all the way to preparing for the Japan concert.
-♬♪
Today, 'Vanguard' had a schedule at a music show from the afternoon, so they focused solely on practice until then. Hours later, at the live broadcast of the music show, 'Vanguard' was once again met with celebratory cannon fire.
《‘Stage On’, Vanguard wins 1st place for the second week in a row… Sweeps 6 music show wins!》
《Vanguard’s unstoppable momentum! Another 1st place win, breaking records with 6 music show trophies since debut / Photo》
《[StarTalk] ‘6 Music Show Wins’- 8 trophies within reach for ‘Vanguard’》
Following their first week, 'Vanguard' was still sweeping the music shows during their second week as well. For the record, 'Neos' was nowhere to be seen.
It had been nearly a month since 'Vanguard' made their official debut at the Gocheok Dome, and currently.
《[Feature] With Vanguard’s arrival, everything hits No. 1! Exploding with an ‘unrivaled’ presence, stacking up ‘firsts’ / Photo》
They were sweeping every first place. Album sales, digital charts, music show rankings, music video views, various variety show bookings, advertisement deals, you name it.
Though the 'Neos' or 'Jae-chan' drug scandal still cast a strong shadow over society at large, 'Vanguard' was steadily and diligently building their list of ‘firsts’ without a care.
Naturally, their image and standing were bound to rise.
《Public healing disappointment over ‘Neos’ with ‘Vanguard’, this month’s Idol Brand Reputation Ranking: ‘Vanguard’ No. 1! / Photo》
Whatever it was, the hectic day came to an end and late night arrived. It was past midnight, yet Kang Rojun could still be found not in the dorms, but in the workroom at GN Entertainment.
“......”
Kang Rojun, quite seriously tapping the keyboard. He was pushing forward to finish the OST work for 'Like a Kaleidoscope', and by around 2 a.m.,
“Time for acting practice now.”
Kang Rojun stopped what he was doing, picked up a script, and headed to the practice room. He intended to focus solely on acting practice today. The words written on the script he grabbed read:
-Title: Blood Hunt
-Director: Yoo Ji-heon
-Screenplay: Rojun
The script for 'Blood Hunt', written by Kang Rojun as the screenwriter. Soon, Rojun stood in front of the mirror and closed his eyes. He retraced 'Blood Hunt' from beginning to end, the script he had written himself. At the same time, he stirred up his emotions.
After some proper mind control, Rojun opened his eyes.
-Ssshhh.
He began performing the acting exercises he had studied related to 'Blood Hunt'. So then, why was Rojun only practicing acting for 'Blood Hunt' at this hour of the night? The reason was simple.
Tomorrow was the official script reading for 'Blood Hunt'.
His acting was likely already perfect thanks to the learning process, but he didn’t let his guard down. The more he practiced, the more his “Acting” stat increased and the more experience he gained, so there was no reason not to.
Thus, Kang Rojun spent three full hours immersed in acting practice.
“Phew-”
Loosening up, seemingly satisfied, he checked the time.
“5:10?”
Feeling no fatigue at all, Rojun headed straight to the gym. To complete his Daily Mission. After finishing his stat enhancement, it was 7:20 a.m. The time he was supposed to go to the shop with Manager Kim Ki-baek was 8 a.m. With about 40 minutes left, Rojun returned to the workroom.
‘Hmm, should I sleep for about 30 minutes?’
Only then did he choose to rest. Just 30 minutes. For the record, Kang Rojun hadn’t slept a single minute since yesterday. And yet, he was still full of energy. Well, he had a big event coming up, so investing 30 minutes in sleep seemed fair.
After a refreshing nap of about 30 minutes, Kang Rojun opened his eyes and immediately.
“Wow- I'm overflowing with energy!”
He was once again struck by the tremendous effects of the ‘Vitality Booster’.
A little later.
8 a.m. on the morning of the 25th. In front of the workroom, Kang Rojun met with Manager Kim Ki-baek. As soon as he saw Rojun, Kim Ki-baek let out a sigh in a drained tone.
“Rojun-nim- you’re coming out from the workroom again today. Did you get any sleep?”
Rojun grinned energetically.
“Yes, totally.”
He had only slept 30 minutes, but it was as effective as 30 hours, so Rojun’s tension was high.
“Did you get any sleep, manager-nim?”
“Well, roughly. Anyway- let’s head to the shop.”
“Okay.”
Only a small group was accompanying Rojun’s schedule today, including road manager and Manager Kim Ki-baek. Naturally, it was a personal schedule. As soon as Rojun and Kim Ki-baek got into the van, the vehicle departed. At the same time, Manager Kim Ki-baek explained the 'Blood Hunt' script reading.
“Hmm- you’ve already done a script reading before, but this is your first time for a movie, right?”
As he said, this was Rojun’s first time with a film.
“Yes. Is there a difference?”
“The format itself is probably similar, but- how should I put it, the atmosphere’s a bit heavier. Dramas have long breathing room, but in films, that long breath is condensed, so it’s weightier. Also, since ‘BG Pictures’ is a major film company and Director Yoo Ji-heon’s directing is quite intense, it’s good to be aware of that.”
Is there anything this person doesn’t know? Tap him, and answers come pouring out. Kang Rojun looked at the curious Manager Kim Ki-baek with amazement.
"Directing is harsh. Is there more?"
On the other hand, Kim Ki-baek, unfazed, continued speaking.
“I’ll show you the actor lineup once we get to the salon and explain everything, personalities, quirks, and so on.”
They arrived at the salon a little after 9 a.m.
At that moment.
-Bzzzz, Bzzzzzz.
Kang Rojun’s phone vibrated with a long buzz. Before entering the salon, Rojun checked his phone. The caller was CEO Heo Ki-tae.
“Yes, CEO-nim. Hello.”
On the other end of the phone, the bear-like CEO Heo Ki-tae was in an extremely excited state.
“Hahaha! Writer-nim! Congratulations! ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ has been selected!!”