The meeting with director Nam Hyun-a was promptly arranged.
This is probably because Director Nam, just as much as us, considers this matter important.
Director Nam Hyun-a, who had been planning to make a movie with Nam Hyun-ho using an incredibly dull script, must surely know what kind of benefit I could bring by joining.
Once you know something, it’s hard not to covet it.
“Su-yeon seems to be worried about other things.”
“About what?”
“Concerns that Empress of Changcheon Group, Nam Gonghyun-a, might become a new memory awakener. And worrying that chaos might ensue if you become entangled with her.”
“…That’s such an unnecessary worry.”
“I don’t worry about that part either.”
This really is an unnecessary worry.
No matter how arbitrary Blood Religion’s magic may be, there are limits.
Since Heavenly Demon chose me as the medium to transfer their memories and soul here, it’s impossible for people unrelated to me to awaken memories.
A good example is Yang Yuli from within the New Religion; despite our superficial acquaintance, she hasn’t shown any signs of memory awakening.
And yet, Empress Nam Gonghyun-a is someone I know only by name, someone with no connection to me at all.
That’s the kind of worry Moon Suyeon, who knows bits of my past, might have.
On the other hand, Heavenly Yuah, who knows better than anyone that I haven’t gotten involved with the Changcheon Empress, is as relaxed as she is now.
On the way to meet Director Nam Hyun-a in my Benz, Heavenly Yuah activated the Heavenly Demon mode after a long hiatus.
She compartmentalized the driving area, making this place into a private chamber, obviously preparing for this.
With her chin pulled in and her legs crossed into a haughty pose, she told me various stories about the Changcheon Empress, but perhaps due to the loss of her abilities and the corresponding loss of her dignity, oddly enough, she looks kind of cute.
It’s probably something like this.
The Heavenly Demon from the Martial Forest era gave off vibes like a broken bowl was imminent if provoked, but today’s Heavenly Yuah feels more like someone who could handle getting unruly without consequence.
That’s why I can’t help but find her cute now.
Wait, what? Is my defense this weak?
I was confident just yesterday that it wouldn’t be easy for someone to capture my heart without extraordinary effort, and already I’m finding her cute…
But this probably isn’t about that.
Setting aside her behavior, both she and the Empress are strikingly beautiful, their looks hitting the sweet spot every time.
Being captivated by their appearance is a completely natural phenomenon.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“No, it’s nothing. So, have you planned a strategy?”
“Strategy? There really isn’t much of a strategy to be made, is there?”
“Is that so?”
Indeed, I don’t really know much about this myself.
Civilization may have softened her demeanor, but if her essence remains that of the Changcheon Empress, she would certainly be unbearably meticulous and finicky, yet Heavenly Yuah looks rather calm.
That must mean she is confident to some degree.
The Changcheon Empress in the Martial Forest era was infamously stubborn, and even if she were only half as stubborn, she would not be an easy opponent. But her reaction is like this?
It seems right to leave this matter in Heavenly Yuah’s capable hands.
“If a few conditions are met, I’ll invest 200 billion won. Right now.”
And just like that, Heavenly Yuah hit Director Nam Hyun-a with money.
*
Nam Hyun-a looked deep in thought.
She surely knew that there were many complaints about the script, and in that situation, she probably anticipated that we’d bring up her side of things immediately.
This touches on a matter deeply tied to a director’s pride, so I imagine she didn’t plan to acknowledge it easily.
Of course, it seemed that she was caught off guard by Heavenly Yuah swinging money right out of the gate.
“The conditions are simple. Casting me as the top priority. And adjusting the script through mutual consultation.”
The conditions weren’t overly complicated.
Heavenly Yuah joining is something even Nam Hyun-a should be happy about.
The problem lies with the script, but it’s not as if she insists on entirely rewriting the script. Her moderate request to adjust the script through discussion is something a serious investor can propose.
If she isn’t making the movie with her own money, then it would be reasonable to accept such a request.
To be honest, I was a bit more surprised by this.
Of course, I also thought that, if we provided the funds, we could secure script negotiations.
But the reason I didn’t bring it up was because I couldn’t see the solution clearly.
It was clear that this movie would be expensive, and unless the script was replaced entirely, it seemed unlikely that it would yield a profitable return.
For this to succeed, the script needs to be completely rewritten, but even if we inject capital, we can’t simply demand such a change.
Otherwise, we risk the possibility that the investment will be outright rejected.
These people are incredibly prideful, after all. They wouldn’t have brought this kind of script to someone trying to please the investors.
In a situation that seemed unlikely to proceed, this move means that…
Heavenly Yuah saw the possibility of success without having to completely rewrite the script.
Her joining herself is also one of the ways to compensate for the script’s inadequacies.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I expected her to just throw down 200 billion like that.
This just shows how Heavenly Yuah is still Heavenly Yuah.
Neither Nam Hyun-a nor Nam Hyun-ho seemed prepared for this, both looking fairly shocked.
This Heavenly Demon money-punch once again proved its unique impact.
“That… that’s fine. Okay. 200 billion won.”
“We can iron out the details later. I’ll send someone.”
“Understood. Then, let’s discuss our respective requirements…”
In the end, Nam Hyun-a accepted Heavenly Yuah’s deal.
Heavenly Yuah’s joining + the 200 billion won investment broke her will to fully enforce her original script.
The proposal to adjust the script through mutual consultation must have sounded quite appealing, as it wasn’t a demand to completely rewrite or replace it.
For me, there was no particular reason to oppose this change.
If Heavenly Yuah takes charge, the script will likely become somewhat reasonable.
Nam Hyun-a’s script was so bad that I, too, preferred to respect the director’s and writer’s intents as much as possible, but in this case…
After successfully concluding the first round of talks, we returned to the car.
We discussed the matter in a relaxed manner.
The first topic was, naturally, about Nam Hyun-a.
It was surprising that, despite being part of the Changcheon Group’s direct lineage, she immediately accepted Heavenly Yuah’s suggestion due to the allure of investment funds.
Her instant acceptance suggests that she wasn’t in a particularly favorable position.
“Things resolved more easily than expected.”
“Whether it’s Nan Gong or someone else, when you’re not making the movie with your own money, there has to be some compromise.”
“Yes, it does seem like the Changcheon Group is interested more in media, but perhaps not in the film industry?”
“Hmph, Nan Gong was one of the stingiest people in the Martial Forest era, wasn’t he? That would be no different here. If they saw any potential for success, they would’ve come running first.”
“Would that happen?”
Even if they’re operating under a pseudonym, they haven’t severed ties with the Changcheon Group.
Given that Changcheon operates “Blue (BLUE)” OTT, they surely have some interest in media.
Of course, Blue is nothing more than a purely domestic, small channel, but it’s well-managed and not to be looked down upon.
If Nam Hyun-ho or Nam Hyun-a continues to be active in the entertainment industry, they might eventually take charge of that side.
Anyway, the reason Nam Hyun-a couldn’t find the right investors is because this film seems to have no clear prospects.
Like most investors, they avoid spending money on projects that show no promise.
“Making this a success could be quite interesting.”
“Yeah, it would be. Quite an intriguing matter.”
Of course, it’s only between us, but this is indeed intriguing.
We have the opportunity to succeed in a movie that even Nan Gong gave up on, and that itself is quite motivating.
“Oddly, there’s been no comment this time.”
“What kind of comment?”
“Even after losing the bet, there’s no talk about not working together on your next project.”
“That’s practically decided the moment the investment discussion came up, right? There isn’t another answer anyway.”
When so much money is invested, having someone like Heavenly Yuah is essential just to recoup the costs.
Even if I had suggested the investment, Heavenly Yuah would have wanted to join.
She avoided participating the last time because she intended to push me out entirely. But now, there’s no pressing reason for that.
Additionally, since we worked on different projects last time, accusations about constantly working together won’t be an issue, which is a relief.
This is a bit of a side note, but I also received criticism on the last project.
Heavenly Yuah did manage the two competitive female actresses somehow, but it wasn’t without effort.
Female actors seem to have a habit, or at least a trait, of making life difficult during shooting hours.
They would subtly delay things, for instance.
Especially in the case of Yoon Yeonhee, she was the kind who pushed the boundaries and was extremely irritating.
In fact, seeing Yoon Yeonhee made it clear why the Heavenly Demon punch was justified.
Thanks to Writer Ok’s fiery involvement at the last minute, the project managed to progress smoothly, though interacting with them was exhausting.
In that regard, Heavenly Yuah is, frankly, a goddess.
If she’s properly pacified at the set with appropriate consoling, she won’t cause any issues. Especially in the current scenario where she’s engaging seriously with Su-yeon.
“Rather, I’m more worried about Su-yeon. It seems difficult for her to participate in filming due to her album activities.”
“That’s something we’ll have to see, isn’t it? She’ll find a solution somehow.”
“Hmm, will she?”
After all, she’s not the type to step back easily.
“By the way, what’s the deal with Director Nam Hyun-a? Wasn’t she Nam Gongjian-hwa from back in the day?”
“Come on, how long ago was Nam Gongjian-hwa?”
“…Alright?”
“To be honest, she’s not really my type. Mine is… well…”
“Somewhat?”
“Let’s just say it’s not my type.”
While discussing Moon Suyeon, an odd subject popped up.
Director Nam Hyun-a.
Though this woman, being Nam Hyun-ho’s twin, has quite an impressive appearance.
Nam Hyun-ho himself is known for being a handsome man, and his female counterpart, Nam Hyun-a, naturally shares that beauty.
Still, she has a rather petite and slim style that doesn’t quite align with my tastes.
Her personality also doesn’t seem particularly favorable compared to Heavenly Yuah’s. Why pursue her?
Of course, from Nam Hyun-a’s perspective, this may all seem nonsensical, but it simply isn’t my style.
I support the immense power of Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon, but I wish to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
After all, it could cause unnecessary problems.
However, the timing of such a question makes me think that Heavenly Yuah might be subtly paying attention, which isn’t unpleasant.
—
