Chapter 37: The Whims of the Youngest Blockbuster Writer (3)
With Park and the team pooling their collective brainpower, they mixed and trimmed ideas, crafting a proposal eerily similar to Kim Si-woo’s but just different enough to dodge direct accusations.
Without a written plan, the content alone might scream plagiarism, but legally? It wouldn’t hold up. Si-woo and Kim Dong-soo would never know the difference, Choi Dae-ho thought smugly.
Satisfied, Dae-ho sent the proposal to a company YouTuber, who responded enthusiastically.
“Nice work, Park.” Dae-ho said.
“The YouTuber loves it. Make it good—you’re due for a promotion.”
“Thank you! All thanks to you, Team Leader!” Park beamed.
“No, you did the heavy lifting,” Dae-ho said warmly.
His unusually kind tone made colleagues tilt their heads. The notoriously prickly Dae-ho encouraging a subordinate? A first since joining the company.
“Let’s all take a page from Park and work hard.”
Dae-ho added, patting Park’s shoulder before retreating to his office.
“Keep at it. Hard.”
Within two weeks, ‘Pig-ical 100’ secured scripts, a set, and talent, racing into production.
When the teaser dropped, public buzz surged, and so did Dae-ho’s glee.
“Wonder how they’ll react.”
He mused, anticipating Si-woo and Dong-soo’s outrage.
Bzzt.
Right on cue, Dong-soo called.
“Hello?” Dae-ho answered.
— “You call yourself a friend?!”
Dong-soo’s voice roared with fury.
“Friend? Who? Me?”
Dae-ho replied, unfazed, relishing the moment.
— “How could you? This is low, even for you. How am I supposed to face Writer Kim?”
“Why’re you yelling at me?”
Dae-ho shot back.
“I didn’t do it! Got a problem? Take it up with the company or figure it out yourself. I’m done here.”
Click.
“Pfft, hahaha!”
Dae-ho burst into laughter, oblivious to the storm his actions would unleash.
***
Unaware of this, Si-woo and Lee Hae-soo arrived at a Japanese restaurant.
“Three special sushi sets, please.” Si-woo ordered.
“Yes, sir!” the waiter replied.
Lee, looking exhausted, removed his round glasses and rubbed his eyes.
“You always this busy?” Si-woo asked.
“Yeah… personal circumstances,” Lee said vaguely.
“Got it.”
“Anyway, I reviewed your case. There’s no real way to stop them.” Lee said firmly.
“What about going public?” Si-woo asked.
“You’d likely face backlash. Their content might not be identical to yours, and unless they’re idiots, they’ve tweaked it. You’re a blockbuster writer, but in the YouTube world, they’re the stars. Publicizing this would probably just bring you hate comments. You know how it is—fandoms rule. Truth doesn’t matter; majority belief does.”
“Sigh… then why involve Dong-soo?” Si-woo asked.
“To keep him from siding with them. If he does, you lose any chance at revenge,” Lee explained.
The blunt truth hit Si-woo hard. ‘Just give up?’ He had plenty of other ideas on his computer, but Dae-ho’s betrayal—trashing him then stealing his work—stung too much to let go.
Then he recalled Lee’s “other way” from yesterday.
“What was that other method you mentioned?”
Lee, chewing sushi, swallowed.
“You’re a great writer. Why not paint a bigger picture? Like a drama-style exposé video targeting them. I’ll make sure it’s legally airtight as your counsel.”
“An exposé…”
Si-woo’s mind lit up. A plan to not only take down Dae-ho but possibly Chocolate Entertainment formed.
“Is that feasible?” he asked.
“You’re the youngest 10-million-viewer writer. If anyone can pull it off, it’s you. This industry bows to the powerful. It’ll take time, but if revenge, not money, is your goal, it’s worth the investment.”
Si-woo pondered. Lee added,
“For the record, my priority’s money. That’s why I’m a lawyer. Pick one goal—chasing two often means losing both. Oh, and my consultation fee’s still ticking.” He winked.
Si-woo mulled it over, eating quietly. Finishing, he asked,
“Attorney Lee, do you like movies?”
“Not really. The cases I handle are more cinematic than most films,” Lee said.
“Hmm… okay. Can you clear next Saturday?”
“Sure. And bring your ideas to me first from now on. I’ll check and register copyrights.”
“Thanks,” Si-woo said.
“Thank money,” Lee chuckled. “It’s all billable.”
After setting the meeting, Si-woo returned home and pulled out his trump card. Dialing, he said,
“Hello?”
— “Well, if it isn’t the traitor!”
“Traitor? Come on, Director.”
— “While some of us are slaving away, others are chilling at home…”
The person Kim Si-woo called was none other than Director Park Woong-deok.
“Come on, Director, don’t be like that,” Si-woo teased.
— “Get to the point, Writer Kim.”
“Well… could you introduce me to someone?”
—“Someone? What, like a date? All the women my age are married…”
“No, not that!”
Si-woo clarified, explaining his YouTube ambitions and the theft of his idea.
— “Pfft, haha! Serves you right. Stick to writing scripts instead of messing with YouTube. Perfect timing—give up on that and show me a new script. If it’s good, I’ll direct it.”
“Director, movies are great, but YouTube’s pretty solid these days too,” Si-woo countered.
— “Tch, tch, tch,” Park clicked his tongue, unimpressed. “So, what’s your YouTube plan?”
“Web dramas, short films.”
— “I don’t get it. If you want money or fame, TV or theaters are better, no?”
Park was right—traditional media offered more prestige and profit. But Si-woo had a bigger priority.
“I need to pay them back… exactly what they deserve.”
— “Hmm… fine. Introduce me to one person, and I’ll hook you up with someone.”
“Deal.”
— “Good. Then come to the press screening first.”
“Ugh… alright.”
One step back for two steps forward. The press screening would be a hassle, but Si-woo had chosen this path. He reached out to Shim Ji-young and Jung Se-yeon to confirm his attendance.
On the day of the press screening, Si-woo was exhausted. Reporters bombarded him with questions, and Park Woong-deok dragged him to drinks afterward. Thankfully, Ji-young, Se-yeon, and other actors and staff were roped in too.
“So, you all heard about this guy?”
Park announced, grinning, as he recounted Si-woo’s stolen idea to the group.
“What era is this, getting your idea swiped? Haha!”
“An idea?” someone asked, intrigued.
“Next project idea?” another guessed.
“No, YouTube… content…” Si-woo clarified.
“You’re doing YouTube, Writer-nim? Why?”
The reactions were unanimous—shock that it wasn’t a script and confusion over his YouTube pursuit.
“I just want to try it. I’ve got money now, so why not do what I want?”
Si-woo said, feeling unfairly judged. Why was it weird to follow his interests?
“You’re great, but you’re stubborn about the weirdest things.” Ji-young said.
“Me?” Si-woo asked, surprised.
“Yeah, you. You could just write scripts and have people begging for them.”
She added. Others, trying to console him, kept handing him drinks, and he downed them to soothe his frustration.
But it didn’t last.
“Enough! Stop giving Kim drinks—unless you’re drinking with me.”
Park barked. People scattered, puzzled by his protectiveness.
“Kim’s got round two with me.”
Park declared, not out of care but to seal the deal.
After the first round, Park and Si-woo moved to a pub. Two others followed.
“What? Shim and Jung are coming too?” Park asked.
“Guess I’m worried,” Ji-young said.
“I’m just curious,” Se-yeon added.
Each had their reasons for tagging along.
“There might be someone there you’re not thrilled about. That okay?” Park asked Si-woo.
“Huh?”
At the pub, a man waved.
“Park! Over here!”
“Why’re you here so early, Chief?” Park laughed.
The man Park was introducing was Pyo Bong-soo, CBS’s production chief—one of Korea’s top three broadcasters. Ji-young and Se-yeon, familiar with him from past encounters, greeted him.
“Hello!”
Pyo, a bit awkward outside a broadcast setting, returned their greetings.
“Haha, feels weird meeting outside the station. Park, you didn’t say actors were coming!”
“They don’t usually tag along, but today they did. What, should I ditch them?” Park teased.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Pyo said, flustered.
“If you’re worried about asking for an introduction to Kim, don’t be. No one here cares, right?”
Park said, with Ji-young and Se-yeon quickly agreeing.
Si-woo, clueless, stood dazed.
“What’re you doing? Say hi.”
Park nudged.
“Oh… hello. I’m Kim Si-woo.”
He said, seeing Pyo as just some middle-aged guy, not registering his CBS status.
“Nice to meet you, Writer Kim. I begged Woong-deok to introduce us—hope it’s not a burden,” Pyo said.
“No, not at all.”
Si-woo said, waving off the formality.
Park chimed in,
“Don’t let him fool you! Dragging this guy out is like pulling teeth. Took a miracle to get him here, so you owe me a fancy drink later, Pyo.”
“Got it, Park. Thanks,” Pyo laughed.
After light drinks, Pyo got to the point.
“Writer Kim, ever thought about writing a drama for your next project?”
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