◇◇◇◆◇◇◇The content production labels under Tvic all did the same kind of work, but when you looked closely, they could be divided into two categories.
Subsidiaries and affiliates.
A subsidiary was, as the name implied, a company created with Tvic's money.
A label where Tvic owned more than 51% of the shares.
In contrast, an affiliate had no shareholding relationship (or only a minor one) but had signed an exclusive supply contract in exchange for a massive advance payment.
SSK, where Do Hyun-woo worked, was the latter.
Not being a subsidiary meant the company had to operate with a certain degree of independence in mind.
That was why the 2028 annual lineup review held in early February was unfolding in a highly tense atmosphere.
"Alright, then we'll proceed with Team 2 like that... Team 3 Leader?"
At Gong Seok-jun's call as headquarters manager, Joo Young-hoon, the senior CE, opened his mouth.
"Yes."
"Kyungseong Bakery opens next week, right?"
"That's correct."
"What's your target performance?"
"We're aiming for top 25% initial entry speed and a completion rate in the mid-to-late 60% range."
"That'd be about 10-15% in broadcast terms."
"It might be a bit lower if converted directly to ratings, but we're expecting high share among our target demographic of women in their 20s and 40s."
"Mm, alright. Good. What do you think, Research Team Leader?"
"Our projections align similarly. For a work with a similar concept..."
After that, Gong Seok-jun tossed out questions related to Kyungseong Bakery's marketing, and Joo Young-hoon answered without missing a beat.
The PR team leader and finance team leader chimed in when needed to support the responses.
The problem came with the next project.
The title Gongbeomche was right there on the next page of the materials.
"Gongbeomche..."
A groan escaped the headquarters manager's lips, and the team leaders struggled to keep straight faces.
It was a project that had stirred up a lot of internal talk for a while.
To be precise...
"What is this, some college theater casting list?"
The controversy was over the lead and supporting cast.
"4.2 billion... Should we call this a bargain?"
S-grade actors usually started negotiations at 400 million per episode.
But for Gongbeomche, the total cast fee was 4.2 billion.
Not per episode total, but the grand total from episode 1 to 8.
It was an absurd amount.
With the headquarters manager opening fire, the CL Team 1 and Team 2 leaders piled on.
"There's a limit to rookie casting. Honestly, the concerns aren't minor."
"We get that it's a contest entry so production costs are low, but at this level, won't Tvic get offended over the quality?"
It sounded like criticism of Do Hyun-woo's choices, but in truth, it was a shot at Joo Young-hoon, the Team 3 leader.
Better to step on competitors when you can.
At first, there had been some distance due to his regional headquarters image, but as CL Team 3's performance surged, everyone was starting to feel the threat.
But Joo Young-hoon had a solid counter.
"I thought the same, but even after talking it over multiple times with CE Do Hyun-woo, he wouldn't budge."
F.E.M.
Gongbeomche was solely Do Hyun-woo's project.
"What about the director?"
"He seemed a bit baffled, but being a veteran of the indie film scene, he just shrugged it off."
"The writers?"
"The writers are leaving it entirely to CE Do's judgment."
"Good grief. The guy's luck is insane. Any normal writer would've freaked out about ruining their filmography."
The headquarters manager muttered like it was a headache, then shifted his tone.
"Let's be honest here. Everyone's read the script, right?"
"Yes. It's tightly written."
"It's a script worth actor Kim Ra-un coveting."
The CL seniors had read Gongbeomche, which they didn't need to, because of Kim Ra-un.
What Do Hyun-woo had said to turn down Kim Ra-un had been the massive office gossip sweeping SSK for a while.
Some employees even pushed the lover theory between Kim Ra-un and Do Hyun-woo.
They must've dated once, and Do Hyun-woo dumped him, for sure.
It looked like project talk, but really it was about a failed romance.
Of course, no one took it seriously, but without something like that, it was hard to make sense of it.
"So, you all think the script's great but the casting will tank it?"
"Obviously. No one worth banking on."
"What if actor Kim Ra-un starred?"
"That changes everything, doesn't it? Thrillers are luck-based, but this could've cracked top 10% in the genre."
"I agree with the research team leader. Can supporting actors from bit parts even deliver the script?"
At that moment, Joo Young-hoon caught a subtle flicker across the headquarters manager's face.
Not displeasure or worry—something closer to amusement.
'Why?'
There was no logical reason to enjoy discussing Gongbeomche.
Even as a contest entry with low company investment, a flop meant at least 10 billion down the drain.
OTT assets were the number of works, but a project this devoid of star power would see traffic approach zero on failure.
Pure data trash.
Reaching that thought, Joo Young-hoon figured he'd misread it.
Gong Seok-jun had a cheerful personality; he could smile even at headaches.
But the next words changed his mind.
"Today's the Gongbeomche script reading, right?"
Knowing about a script reading not listed in the materials meant personal interest, didn't it?
"Yes."
"PR team leader. How's the pre-marketing?"
"Since the public won't care anyway, we're keeping everything private except the production press conference. Coordinated with CE Do."
"No press at today's reading?"
"None."
"Mm, fortunate, I guess?"
The finance team leader followed up on the headquarters manager's light mutter.
"What do you mean?"
"The CEO plans to observe the script reading."
"The Gongbeomche one? Why would the CEO..."
"He has business nearby and is stopping by... Seems he's uneasy. As you said, a contest work can't be total garbage."
Everyone let out an "ah."
Han Sung-hoon monitoring not just SSK but all Tvic new projects was well-known.
He didn't usually attend script readings, but given Gongbeomche's situation, it wasn't impossible.
"If it looks totally off to the CEO, could it get scrapped?"
"With casting this bad, it's not out of the question."
Lust flickered on the CL team leaders' faces at the response.
The fantasy of snatching Gongbeomche from Do Hyun-woo's hands and slotting in Kim Ra-un was sweet.
"Conversely, if the reading's stellar, we might get company-wide marketing support."
No one paid attention to the follow-up.
Just rhetoric to emphasize SSK's fairness.
'Is there something I don't know?'
Everyone except Joo Young-hoon, who sensed the oddity.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇I'd been an actor bouncing between supporting roles with lines and bit parts, but that didn't mean I'd never done a substantial supporting role.
I'd even played second lead in an indie film and had decent supporting parts in two small cable dramas.
Sadly, the dramas where I played supporting roles tanked spectacularly.
No, maybe "sadly" isn't right?
Honestly, I knew they'd flop just reading the scripts.
Well, unavoidable.
Picking your projects is something you can only do once you've built a name as an actor.
Got a bit sidetracked there, but my point is.
I had experience with script readings that only leads and supports attended.
So I could say with confidence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
There'd be no script reading scene this quiet and awkwardly embarrassing in the world.
It wasn't that the actors disliked each other.
On the contrary, since they'd all been cast from similar situations, they actually got along pretty well.
It just lacked any sense of reality.
Like fresh recruits on their first assignment, wondering, "Is this really where I belong?"—just sitting silently.
Surprisingly, none of the eight actors leading Gongbeomche had any script reading experience.
So even I should step up, make small talk, encourage greetings.
"..."
But the words wouldn't come.
Because the SSK CEO I'd met once before was standing there smiling among the staff.
No, why was he even here?
No press invited, totally private.
He wasn't planning to swap casting if the reading sucked, was he?
'Feels like a real office worker now.'
At D.P, I'd treated Yoon CEO like the aunt next door, but the SSK CEO felt so awkward for some reason.
Then the door opened, and the director and writers entered.
They had personal ties, apparently; looked like they'd grabbed lunch together. The writers paused, then rushed over to me.
"Sorry. Did we get the time wrong?"
"Huh?"
"Wasn't the script reading underway?"
"No, we haven't started."
"Then why's it so quiet?"
"Uh, well, everyone's getting into the mood, I guess."
"Ah, professionals!"
I ignored the slight pang of conscience at Gil Sang-hoon's exclamation.
Looked like we'd have to start earlier than planned.
"...Hello. I'm Eum Sung-hyun, playing Hyun-tae."
"So Jeong-hoon, So Jeong-hoon."
"Park Sung-won, playing Su-cheol."
After those brief introductions, the full script reading began.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇"Get a grip!"
"P-Police! Do something quick!"
We're screwed.
Completely screwed.
Everyone's flailing with tension and awkwardness, not even showing half their acting chops.
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