funbook-pk Chapter 66 Two Scripts, One High-Stakes Gamble
Chapter 66 Two Scripts, One High-Stakes Gamble
No sooner had Shirley left than Su Yu cornered screenwriter Lee Young-eun at the company.
This temporary office is practically an "illegal structure," cramming five people and a mountain of packages into 80 square meters. Kim Eun-sook stacked the gifts from fans like supermarket shelves, and piled up boxes of letters taller than a person. To move it from the doorway to the conference table, you'd have to practice some kind of agile footwork.
When Li Ying'en stormed in carrying her laptop and folders, she skillfully kicked aside a cardboard box blocking her way with her toe, looking utterly dejected: "Representative Su, is this place designed to train our contortionist skills?"
Su Yu sat opposite him, as calm as if he were in his own living room: "A calm mind brings coolness, and a broad mind brings comfort. Come on, let's talk business."
He held up two fingers: "Two notebooks, one that will make you cry your eyes out, and one that will scare you to death."
Lee Young-eun's fingers were already hovering over the keyboard, her eyes brightening: "Explain in detail."
"First, fantasy romance." Su Yu leaned back and dropped a bombshell, "The male lead is a ghost who has lived for nine hundred years, with a sword stuck in his chest. He is immortal and indestructible, and his only way out is to find a bride who can remove the sword. The female lead is a high school student who can see ghosts."
Lee Young-eun's keyboard clattered loudly: "A nine-hundred-year-old uncle paired with a seventeen-year-old girl? That age difference, they could be ancestors!"
"That's the kind of intense, agonizing tension I'm after." Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "He's been yearning for death for so long, while she's seen through life and death in her youth. One is an old monster who doesn't want to live anymore, the other is a tender girl who evokes pity. They are each other's antidote. Is it angsty? Yes, it is. But at its core, it's healing."
Media consultant Kim Dong-wook, listening nearby, frowned and said, "Isn't this just a pretentious case of wanting to die but not being able to?"
Su Yu glanced at him: "You don't understand, this is called a sense of destiny."
Lee Young-eun listened attentively, taking notes as she asked, "What about the second one? The one you said was terrifying."
Su Yu took a sip of water, his tone suddenly turning serious: "Zombies. A high-speed train traveling from Busan to Seoul experienced a virus outbreak halfway through the journey. The closed carriages, the high-speed train, the outside teeming with zombies, the inside filled with fear. Remember, sometimes people are more terrifying than zombies."
Kim Dong-wook nearly jumped up: "Zombies? That's a movie genre! A TV series about this? The extras and special effects alone would burn the earth to its core!"
"Who said it was going to be a TV series?" Su Yu looked at him with a half-smile. "It's going to be a movie, tentatively titled 'Train to Busan'."
Lee Young-eun was stunned: "A movie? No one in Korea has ever made a high-speed zombie movie set in a confined space before."
"It's more fun when nobody's playing it; risk is what makes a hit." Su Yu waved his hand dismissively, "Invest 10 billion, I'll take care of the money."
Kim Dong-wook stared wide-eyed at Su Yu, his gaze fixed on him as if he were looking at a madman or a god. Having worked there for so long, he finally understood: this boss's wallet seemed to be connected to a printing press; he bought houses and buildings without batting an eye, and now he was going to spend 10 billion on a zombie movie?
"Let's follow the typical TV drama format for 'Goblin,' sixteen episodes, and find an actor with a naturally melancholic air. Don't rush 'Train to Busan,' let's talk about that after I've raised the funds." Su Yu gave them the hint to leave.
Lee Young-eun closed her laptop. Although she thought her boss was going crazy, she was inexplicably excited: "Okay, get the outline for 'Goblin' in three weeks. I'll go back and think about how to scare people to death with 'Train to Busan'."
After seeing Lee Young-eun off, Kim Dong-wook leaned over and whispered, "Boss, 10 billion... Are you betting your entire fortune? Where did the money come from?"
"Made from investments," Su Yu replied casually, picking up his phone to look at the dirt on Zheng Zhemin that Jin Dongxu had compiled. A transaction of 45 billion won, illegal transactions involving five buildings—if this stack of papers were to be exposed, Zheng Zhemin could be stuck in jail until retirement, working like a sewing machine.
"Any news from Zheng Zhemin's side?"
"He's investigating an inside job." Kim Dong-wook pushed up his glasses. "I submitted the query using a fake account, so it's safe for now. But the fact that he could find your home address means that this old fox has his eye on you."
Su Yu sneered: "Let him keep an eye on things. I'll go to the new building tomorrow and give him a chance to meet me."
The renovation site of the new building was dusty. Yoon Shi-yoon, dressed in dusty work clothes, squatted on the ground studying the wiring with the electrician, looking exactly like a contractor whose acting career had been delayed.
"Hey, Boss Su's here." Yin Shiyun stood up, dusted himself off, and showed a black mark on his face. "How's that? A decent supervisor, huh?"
Su Yu looked around; the progress was indeed encouraging. The private area on the sixth floor was complete, with spacious and bright meeting rooms and a fully equipped lounge area with sofas and coffee tables. The innermost office faced the Han River, offering a view so expansive it inspired one to compose a poem.
"Not bad." Su Yu rarely praised him, but he did. "Thank you for your hard work."
Yoon Shi-yoon touched his nose, flattered: "Wow, did the sun rise in the west? Your 'thank you for your hard work' is more touching than asking me to climb over the wall."
"Can we move in next week?"
"I guarantee you'll be able to move in with just your bags by Wednesday," Yoon Shi-yoon assured him. "I've already booked cleaning services; not even a fly will be able to get in."
Su Yu walked to the window and looked down at the bustling street. Of the two shops on the first floor, one was a coffee shop that was almost finished being renovated, and the other was empty. He planned to open a convenience store there, purely to make it easier for his employees to buy instant noodles in the middle of the night.
Just then, my phone vibrated. It was Shirley.
"Have you read the letter of intent?" Shirley's voice carried a shrewd edge.
"I've seen it. Five percent is too much. I can only give you three percent at most," Su Yu said bluntly.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone: "Four percent, it can't go any lower."
"Three percent, plus one condition." Su Yu wouldn't budge an inch. "After signing the contract, all your activities will be arranged by the company. You're not allowed to accept any of those random endorsements from before. I want your reputation, not quick money."
"Su Yu, are you trying to sideline me?"
"I'm here to save you." Su Yu's tone was calm but firm. "The fact that you made this call means you've thought it through. Sign or not?"
A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone: "Three and a half percent, that's my bottom line. If you don't agree, I'll go find someone else."
"Deal." Su Yu hung up the phone and wrote in his memo: Sherry, 3.5%, effective in three months.
He had just put his phone away when he noticed a black sedan parked across the street. The windows were tinted dark, and it looked like a lurking beast that had been parked there ever since he left the building.
Su Yu got into the car, started the engine, and drove off. In the rearview mirror, the black car also moved, trailing behind at a distance.
Instead of wagging its tail, it slowly drove into a quiet alley, parked, and turned off the engine.
The unlicensed taxi also stopped.
Su Yu got out of the car, lit a cigarette, leaned against the car door, and looked at the other person with a leisurely air.
A minute later, the door of the black car opened, and a man in a suit with a buzz cut stepped out. He had a muscular face and looked like he was a trained fighter. He walked up to Su Yu and bowed slightly: "Representative Su, President Zheng wishes to see you."
"Which President Zheng?"
"Zheng Zhemin".
Su Yu exhaled a smoke ring, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke: "If he wants to see me, he should come over himself. What kind of skill is it to send a dog to follow him?"
The man in the suit remained expressionless, clearly having received professional training: "President Zheng said that if Representative Su is unavailable, he can pay her a visit. He just wanted to ask when you would be free."
Su Yu stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it precisely into the trash can: "Tell him I'll be waiting for you at the company at 3 PM tomorrow."
The man in the suit nodded and turned to leave.
Watching the taillights of the departing car, Su Yu sent a message to Kim Dong-wook: "The prey has arrived. Tomorrow at 3 PM, prepare the materials."
After doing all that, he got into his car and stepped on the gas, heading home.
Thinking of how Cai Xiubin tiptoed to kiss him when she left home that morning, and her sweet words, "I'll make beef bone soup tonight," Su Yu's tense lips finally relaxed.
No matter how fierce the wind and rain are outside, there's always a bowl of hot soup waiting at home. As for Zheng Zhemin? Ha, there's plenty of time to play with him tomorrow.