A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 56

'Film Korea.'

A film production company established in the mid-1990s when the Korean film industry began its journey into commercialism.

It was one of the leading production companies in the country.

Having produced over 50 films to date, this company is known for its philosophy of emphasizing artistry and originality, having won awards at various film festivals.

In a meeting room where a film production meeting was about to take place, key figures such as the producer, screenwriter, lead actor, director, and other major staff were seated.

A heated production meeting was underway in this room.

It was almost akin to a battleground rather than a meeting.

"Let's just eliminate that part then, like I mentioned before. If we just kill off that character, then."

"Are you kidding me? You want to mess with my script now? You think you can just redo the entire ending scenes at this stage?"

"Writer Kim, that's exactly my point. Why did you bring such a crappy project in the first place?"

"What? Are you saying my script is crappy?"

"Isn't it?"

The script was subpar, but the scale was grand. Although general production preparations were completed, the investors who had initially agreed started to back out.

"If we cut the budget, it'll end up being mediocre. Might as well switch to a different project!"

Amidst this chaos, there sat a man in silence.

Director Hong Chang-soo.

He was a key figure in bringing Film Korea to its current status.

With his arms crossed, he stared blankly, seemingly unhearing of the current discussion.

A young child who had visited a while ago.

He was troubled by the scripts he had reviewed back then, which kept coming to his mind.

"Everyone, calm down. So are we scrapping this project or what?"

"Now you're saying we should scrap it? I've turned down variety shows and documentaries to be in this movie."

The director narrowed his eyes. He had expected this. He knew it would come to this from the beginning.

But the movie had to be made, and this was the only script that ensured some level of quality.

He didn't expect it to become this twisted from the start. But why was he just staring blankly in this complicated and frustrating situation? It was strange.

That kid was a contestant on a currently airing acting audition program.

A mere acting aspirant, not yet an actor. A kid who seemed even further from being a writer or director. The eight scripts he had casually shown, or rather, they were hardly scripts in the traditional sense. Ever since that day, those scripts hadn't left his mind.

Lead actor Park Tae-joon, who had been silent in the discussion so far, looked at the director.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Director? It's making me anxious."

The director glanced at Park Tae-joon expressionlessly.

"Do you know about Actor King... what's it called? The show."

"You mean Actor Kingdom?"

"Yeah, that."

Park Tae-joon frowned. What did that have to do with the current situation...