Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

Chapter 92 Hollywood Knocks on the Door

Su Yu couldn't go to Busan on Cai Xiubin's first weekend there.

It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I can't get away. An American film studio sent an email saying they saw the momentum of "The Perfect Taxi" and "Goblin" in the Asian market and were interested in Influence Entertainment, wanting to send someone to Seoul to discuss things.

When Kim Dong-wook forwarded the email to Su Yu, he added a sentence: "This company is called A24, a dark horse in the independent film industry, which has produced several Oscar-nominated works in recent years."

Su Yu looked at the email and recalled some things. In his memory, A24 was indeed destined to become a benchmark in the independent film industry, having produced award-winning films such as *Moonlight* and *Lady Bird*. It was early 2014, and A24 had only been established for two years, not yet having released those later masterpieces. Their search for partners in Asia indicated that their ambitions extended beyond the American market.

"Let them come," Su Yu replied.

Kim Dong-wook scheduled a meeting for three days later. Su Yu hung up the phone and texted Cai Xiubin: "Can't go this week. Next week." Cai Xiubin replied with one word: "Busy?" Su Yu said: "Yeah. Someone's coming from America." Cai Xiubin said: "Okay. Then come when you're done." After a few seconds, she sent another message: "I miss you."

Su Yu looked at those four words, typed a few words: "Me too." After sending it, he put his phone face down on the table and continued reading the documents.

Three days later, the people from A24 arrived.

The woman who arrived was in her forties, named Rachel. She had short hair, wore a suit, and wasn't wearing makeup; she looked very capable. She was the International Business Director at A24, responsible for overseas co-productions and distribution. She was accompanied by a translator, but Rachel herself could speak a little Korean, although her pronunciation wasn't perfect, it was understandable.

Su Yu met her in the conference room. Kim Dong-wook was in the audience, and Kim Eun-sook was also there, responsible for taking notes and legal matters. When Rachel came in, she looked around the office first, then smiled and said, "It's smaller than I expected."

Kim Dong-wook translated. Su Yu didn't respond, but gestured for her to sit down.

Rachel cut to the chase. A24 wanted to find a partner in Asia, not just a simple distribution agent, but a deep partnership—co-investment, co-production, and shared copyright. They were drawn to Influence Entertainment's explosive growth in the Korean market, and also to Su Yu himself—"A producer who can create 'Model Taxi' and 'Goblin' at the age of twenty-three is rare in the independent film industry." Rachel looked into Su Yu's eyes as she said this, her expression serious.

Su Yu was silent for a few seconds. "What do you want?"

"Let's start with a small project. A movie, with a budget of around three million dollars. We'll contribute half, and you contribute the other half. Filming in South Korea, Korean actors, English dialogue. The target markets are North America and Europe." Rachel took a document out of her bag and pushed it over. "This is the project outline, take a look."

Su Yu picked it up and flipped through it. The movie tells the story of a Korean immigrant family in America, with half spoken in Korean and half in English. The director is a Korean-American who has already directed one feature film, which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. Su Yu put the document down and looked at Rachel.

"Where's the script?"

"Still writing. We'll start writing the script after the outline is finalized."

"We'll talk about it after the script is finished."

Rachel paused for a moment. "You mean you're willing to work with us, but you want to see the script first?"

"Um."

Rachel smiled. "Representative Su, you're very cautious."

"Having lost money before, you'll know to be cautious."

Rachel thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay. The script will probably be out in two months. I'll send it to you then." She stood up, extended her hand, and said, "I hope we can work together."

Su Yu shook hands with her. Rachel's hand was strong; she didn't seem to be there to negotiate, but rather to make friends.

After seeing Rachel off, Kim Dong-wook asked Su Yu in the hallway, "Are you really going to cooperate with the Americans?"

"Take a look at the script."

"What if the script is good?"

Su Yu glanced at him. "Throw."

Kim Dong-wook didn't ask any more questions.

That evening, Su Yu called Cai Xiubin. She was in a hotel in Busan; the background noise was very quiet, so she was probably lying in bed. When the call connected, her voice had a slight nasal tone, as if she were muffled under the covers.

"Are you done with your work?"

"Yes. The people from America have left."

"How did the talks go?"

"Wait for the script. We'll submit it once it's ready."

Cai Xiubin paused for a moment. "Su Yu, are you planning to expand the company to the United States?"

"Let's test the waters first."

"You're amazing." Her voice was soft, not a compliment, but the truth.

Su Yu didn't speak.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"When are you coming? You must come next week."

"must."

"You said it."

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu stood by the study window and lit a cigarette. The Han River outside was quietly illuminated at night, with cruise ships slowly passing by in the distance. He thought of many things—from the semi-basement apartment to Gangnam District, from one million US dollars to one trillion won, from five people to fifty. These changes had happened so fast, so fast that sometimes he felt it was unreal. But he didn't have time to stop and think, because there was still a road ahead.

The next day, Shirley came to the company.

She just returned from Japan and finished recording her second single, which performed even better than her first. The data Tanaka sent is impressive; it peaked at number 12 on the Oricon chart, which is a very good achievement for a Korean singer.

Sherry pushed open the door to Su Yu's office, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, and looked to be in good spirits.

"I heard you had a meeting with the Americans?" She sat down on the sofa.

"Um."

"Did the deal go through?"

"Waiting for the script."

Shirley took a sip of her coffee. "Su Yu, you really just can't stop."

"Why stop?"

Shirley looked at him, silent for a few seconds. "Aren't you tired?"

Su Yu thought for a moment. "Tired. But I can't stop."

Why?

"Because when you stop, you start thinking about other things."

Shirley didn't understand. But she didn't ask again.

In the afternoon, Kim Go-eun came to the company to sign a contract. Choi Min-soo had helped her secure a role in the suspense drama, the second female lead; the pay wasn't high, but the role was excellent. After signing, Kim Go-eun went to Su Yu's office and placed a copy of the contract on the table.

"Representative, I've signed."

"Yes. Perform well."

"I will." Kim Go-eun hesitated for a moment. "CEO, I want to ask you a question."

"explain."

"Why did you cast me as the second female lead in a suspense drama, but not the female lead in a romance drama?"

Su Yu looked at her. "Because you're acting in a romance drama now, nobody will believe it. You don't look like someone who's in a relationship."

Kim Go-eun paused for a moment, then laughed. "That's a harsh assessment."

"The truth can be harsh."

Kim Go-eun nodded. "Then when can I act in a romance drama?"

"Wait until you've had a relationship."

Kim Go-eun blushed. "CEO, you..."

"I mean," Su Yu interrupted her, "wait until there's love in your eyes before you act. What you're seeing now isn't love."

Kim Go-eun fell silent. She lowered her head, tracing circles on her knee with her fingers. After a few seconds, she looked up and smiled. "Okay. Then I won't act for now. We'll talk about it later."

She left. Su Yu sat behind her desk, gazing at the Han River outside the window, lost in thought for a while. Her phone vibrated. Cai Xiubin had sent a photo—the sea in Busan, sunset, a dog's paw print on the beach, but no human shadow. The caption read: "Waiting for you to come and leave your mark."

Su Yu looked at the photo and a slight smile curved his lips. He typed: "Next week. Definitely."