Chapter 137: SJ and Big Win
“I’m off to work!”
“Just a second, Junho. Do you speak Chinese?”
“Do I look like I do? I can’t even speak Korean properly. Why?”
“There are a ton of comments on SNS, and I can’t understand a single one.”
“Try pressing the translate button below. It’s not perfect, but it gives you the gist.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Smack!
After giving him the tip, Junho dashed out of the officetel. Muyoung, lounging on the sofa, lazily wiggled his toes and posted a selfie to his feed.
-Congratulations! Let’s hit it big~!
-I saw it at the cinema yesterday, and it was so good it became my all-time favorite movie! Thanks for all the hard work, and thank you for making such a great film.
-Isn’t the Asian Film Festival the one in Busan this time? It’s usually held in Southeast Asia, but since it’s in Korea this time, there’s a joke about it being cold. ㅋㅋ
-Good news from the start of the day~^^
-What’s up for the Blue Dragon Film Awards? The Plague or Street Sunlight? SBC will probably go with You are a Star, I am a Star.
-Let’s sweep the trophies!
-Post more pictures right now. Don’t you know the rule? You have to upload at least three at a time. Otherwise, it’s a 100 billion won fine. ㅋㅎㅋㅎ
Muyoung read through the comments, clicking hearts randomly. I wonder if it’s The Plague or Street Sunlight for the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
‘I should post again after meeting with my brother.’
Now, the problem was those Chinese comments.
How did they even know about Muyoung? The Plague was popular overseas, so there were occasional English comments, but this was the first time for Chinese.
[Translate]
-Are you really Korean? Properly.
-You must apologize for lying.
-Admit it. You’re a bunch of rice cake ironworkers.
“What’s this?”
The translation function was useless, as the context was completely fragmented.
But from the gist, it didn’t seem very positive… Oh well! Who cares? Since there were always weird people, Muyoung ignored them and got ready for work.
[Box Office Sensation! Street Sunlight Surpasses 5 Million Viewers in Just 15 Days!]
[The Power of a Rookie Director and Rookie Actors!]
[SJ Entertainment’s Stock Soars—What’s the Investment Return?]
[In Memory of the Late Kang Seongbae, Street Sunlight—A Film Columnist’s Take—Korea Has Been Waiting for a Film Like This.]
It was a sweet, dreamlike two weeks.
With the blockbuster news pouring in like a tidal wave, Big Win Entertainment was in full celebration mode. All three actors in the film had signed running royalty contracts.
“5 million in two weeks.”
Bora, half-lying on the sofa, smirked. She wiggled her feet and let out a quiet scream.
Everyone was busy with their next projects, but they had gathered at the office at Yusah’s request—or rather, SJ Entertainment’s.
“At this rate, we could hit 7 million, right?”
“I think it’s possible.”
“This is insane! We’re ending the year on a high note!”
Bora giggled, full of admiration. Muyoung, sitting beside her, paused as he checked his phone.
“You know, I’ve been getting a lot of comments from Chinese people lately. They don’t seem nice, but I don’t know why.”
“Oh, that—”
No matter how she looked at it, she just didn’t get it.
Honestly, she hadn’t been paying much attention. Gyeongmin poured tea and answered Muyoung’s question.
“It’s a bit noisy over in China.”
“What is? The film premiered in Korea.”
“You know that scene in the movie? The one where everyone’s having a company dinner and eating kimchi.”
It was the scene where the vampire and club members were eating pork belly with soju. They kept offering the vampire, who only ate meat, some grilled garlic or kimchi.
‘I can’t eat this.’
The vampire carefully picked it out with his chopsticks.
Specifically, it was kimchi with ‘garlic’ that he couldn’t eat. At that moment, the host replied incredulously,
‘A Korean who can’t eat kimchi? Kimchi runs through Korean veins. And by the way, saliva is soju.’
And so on. There was some banter showcasing Taeseok’s rough personality. Muyoung tilted his head, puzzled.
“Why is that a problem?”
“China’s been claiming kimchi as their own lately. That’s what set them off. They’re calling it cultural distortion.”
“Really?”
It was an unexpected reaction.
Bora muttered, slightly annoyed.
“I’ve been getting a lot of Chinese comments too. Probably because we’re both nominated for the Asian International Film Festival.”
“What’s China’s entry?”
“That Baek-gun movie.”
A Korean film flying under the Chinese flag.
How absurd was that?
Muyoung laughed, as if to say, “You serious?” Bora nodded.
“It’s ridiculous.”
If it wins, it’s China’s glory; if it doesn’t, it’s Korea’s fault. Ugh. Muyoung sighed, sipping his tea.
‘This is tricky.’
Following the flowery path, trouble had sprung up unexpectedly. Noticing his expression, Bora said casually,
“Don’t worry about it. We haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just the way things are. Life’s like that sometimes—discord created by forces beyond your control.”
Culture, politics, economy.
They seemed like different worlds but were closely intertwined. Muyoung set down his teacup and asked,
“By the way, what about the suits? Are we going with BORNTORE again?”
“Oppa, me too. I’m getting my dress from BORNTORE.”
They were discussing what to wear to the awards.
Since both were close to Junho, there was no need to look elsewhere. Publicly, Muyoung was almost seen as BORNTORE’s muse.
“It’s convenient, but are you sure, Bora?”
It was literally a dress war. Many actors wanted to stand out—more glamorous, more beautiful, more attention-grabbing.
But Bora shook her head, uninterested.
“Yeah, it’s a hassle. And I love the new BORNTORE dress. Everything they release lately sells out instantly.”
In just two years, BORNTORE had become at least a second-tier luxury brand, if not first. And they were making a dress for Bora… She had no reason to refuse.
“We’re all going to the Blue Dragon Awards, but what about the year-end events? Muyoung’s with SBC, and I’m with M.”
Why do the three networks’ acting awards have to be on the same day? It was a battle between the broadcasters, and the actors—and their companies—were caught in the crossfire.
“Muyoung, I’ll pick you up, and Na Geumdong will handle Bora.”
Butterflies.
You are a Star, I am a Star had aired earlier in the year, so its buzz had died down. But it ranked second in SBC’s ratings for the year, so they hoped for something.
“How do you feel?”
The two, nominated for Best New Actor and Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
“Nervous.”
To Bora’s cheeky question, Muyoung played along.
The Plague was nominated in four categories, and Street Sunlight in a whopping seven. With the box office frenzy, no one knew what would happen.
“I’m curious too. I wonder how it’ll turn out.”
“Ah, President!”
Yusah appeared, beaming, and knocked on the door.
“It was open. Be careful, okay? This is a room full of superstars.”
“You’re here?”
“Hmm. So this is Big Win. It was a bit hard to find.”
Na Geumdong and the others stood to greet him. Yusah waved his hand, chuckling.
“Why so tense? Sit, sit. I’m the guest here.”
“Well, it’s the first time we’ve had a visitor at the company.”
“Why did you call us here?”
“Where’s Taeseok?”
“He’s working on his lower body today—”
Bora hastily interrupted Muyoung.
Why can’t she just say he’s busy?
“Oh, that’s important.”
Yusah clasped his hands, pausing for a moment.
Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to speak… But then,
“Gosh, this is awkward. How do I even start?”
The energy in the room deflated.
Muyoung gently prodded him.
“Just say it. Whatever it is.”
There must be a reason he gathered everyone.
Yusah adjusted his tie and finally got to the point, his gaze on Muyoung.
“Let’s work together.”
“Our contract isn’t up yet.”
“I know. I’d love to have Muyoung here, but I know you’re not interested. So, I’m shifting gears.”
Yusah’s gaze moved from Muyoung to Na Geumdong.
“I think we can be of great help to your company.”
“…!”
Whoa. Everyone stared at Yusah in surprise. He enjoyed the attention, then turned to his assistant for a file, which he handed to Na Geumdong.
“It’s just a ‘proposal,’ so think positively. Your company is impressive, but with your artists growing so fast, it must be hard to keep up. Fewer staff than actors, low office security, poor accessibility… It must be tough.”
Na Geumdong slowly flipped through the file. From where Muyoung sat, he couldn’t see what it said.
“Honestly, I was shocked. Street Sunlight is expected to hit 7 to 7.5 million, and you have three actors in it. Especially Muyoung—since his debut, it’s been one hit after another. What do you call that? A lucky charm?”
Yusah smiled at Muyoung.
Acting skills are important for an actor.
But even more crucial is the ability to choose the right scripts.
Once you decide to make a commercial name for yourself, that skill becomes the most decisive factor in your career.
“He’s an actor with a promising future, no doubt. Bora and Taeseok too. After this film, they’re set to become stars. Don’t you agree?”
Flattered by Yusah’s praise, Bora nervously bit her lip.
“And I think Big Win Entertainment, for discovering and managing these actors, is truly remarkable. If we play our cards right, we could be great partners.”
“Uh, well…”
“No need to decide now. It’s a big decision. Take your time, and let’s schedule a formal meeting. Today’s just a feeler.”
At that moment, a speck of glitter landed on his shoulder.
Muyoung recognized it as the same glitter he’d seen at the preview. Lucky guy! A wealthy man with glitter to boot. He must be like a winged tiger.
“If possible, I’d love to meet Erica too, but I don’t know when she’ll be back, so I thought I’d make my move.”
“Erica?”
“Huh? Don’t you know? There’s another actor here.”
Oh, right. He remembered hearing that when he first joined. She was an original member, like Taeseok. Na Geumdong laughed awkwardly.
“She’s my niece. Her Korean name is Ari. She’s acting in the US now.”
“Anyway, take a look at the documents, and let’s talk soon. Have a great time at the awards, everyone.”
The documents detailed how Big Win would operate and grow if it became an SJ subsidiary. Bora asked curiously,
“But why discuss this with us here?”
“Yes, Bora.”
“Couldn’t you have met with the president alone? It’s company business.”
Yusah answered, looking at Muyoung, echoing someone else’s words.
“You said we’re all family. Don’t you think everyone should know about something this important?”