Chapter 176: Appearance Fee (1)

Chapter 176: Appearance Fee (1)

Writer Choi Nana was contracted with DM Production, led by PD Song Man-woo as the overall directing director and CEO. Therefore, she had left the writers group led by Park Eun-mi and was now working in a studio provided by DM Production. Currently, Choi Na-na and PD Song Man-woo were in the midst of an initial script meeting.

Upon hearing Kang Woojin's appearance fee, writer Choi Na-na's eyes widened behind her round glasses.

Per, per episode 40

For her, who debuted with Male Friend,' it was an astronomical amount. On the other hand, for the drama mogul PD Song Man-woo, it wasnt as surprising.

It's a baseline, Choi~ssi, the minimum. That means we start at 40, and we negotiate from there.

Ah, so even 50-60?

It's definitely possible. Its a lot more than during Male Friend,' right?

I didnt hear the details. Director Shin Dong-chun took care of it.

PD Song Man-woo stroked his beard and leaned back in his chair, recalling the early days of Profiler Hanryang.'

Back then, Woojin~ssi's per episode fee was 3.5 million won. Now, it's even reaching over 60 million won.

PD Song Man-woo smiled incredulously.

It jumped 20 times in less than a year.

A fee of 3.5 million won per episode was impressive for a newbie, and a fee ranging from 40 to 60 million won per episode was comparable to A-list actors. Of course, given Kang Woojin's current momentum, a fee in the hundreds of millions was conceivable. However, experience was an irreplaceable factor in market value.

After all, Kang Woojin was still in his first year.

Yet, the market value assessed for Woojin~ssi has already surpassed common sense.

For a rookie not even a year into his debut to be valued at 60 million per episode was nearly nonsensical. It was an unheard-of scenario in the entertainment industry. Yet, Kang Woojin had made the impossible possible and remained unparalleled. A new precedent was set, but it was unlikely that someone like Woojin would appear again.

After all, Kang Woojin's filmography was almost like a fantasy.

Then, PD Song Man-woo, who had been quietly breathing, looked down at the two copies of Choi Na-na's script and spoke.

To secure Woojin~ssi, we have to consider up to a maximum of 70 million won.

H-how much??

If Woojin~ssi doesnt do it, theres no point in discussing it. Well, you dont need to worry about the production cost. This is DM Production's first project, and we have plenty of funds. Setting up the production team is no issue either. Weve already recruited the key staff members. This project is a one-man show for the male lead. So, its all about casting the right actor.

Ah.

Its okay, its not completely impossible. From what I know, Woojin~ssi has only doing Island of the Missing' and The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' excluding variety shows.

Naturally, they were completely unaware of anything regarding Director Ahn Ga-bok. Thus, PD Song Man-woo's calculations only went up until Director Ahn Ga-bok's work. Nonetheless, a visible tension flashed across the slender face of writer Choi Na-na. Or perhaps it was pressure? Noticing this, PD Song Man-woo infused his smile with reassurance.

You dont need to worry about anything else. Just focus on the script.

Determination filled his eyes.

I will stake my life on the casting.

Meanwhile.

After completing interviews with dozens of reporters at Gimpo Airport, Kang Woojin was looking at his phone in a van speeding down the highway.

His expression was cold. Yet, inwardly, he was performing an overly enthusiastic shoulder dance.

7 million! Are they insane? 7 million viewers??!

He was checking the cumulative audience count for Drug Dealer.' He had heard bits and pieces about it in Japan. That it had easily surpassed 6 million. But he hadnt been able to pay much attention due to his hectic schedule in Japan. Now back in Korea, it felt exceedingly real.

[MovieTalk] Drug Dealer' surpasses 7 million viewers, breaking records held for over a decade!

The second half of the film industry was graced with a sensational typhoon called Drug Dealer,' causing quite a stir in Korea's film scene. Of course, Kim Do-hee, the director of Drug Dealer,' and the film company were also celebrating.

Director~nim! 7 million, 7 million!!

Congratulations!

Hahaha! Its 7 million but if it wasnt for the adult rating, we could have easily hit 10 million!

The box office results they were looking at clearly displayed the 7 million.

[Daily Domestic Box Office]

1. Drug Dealer/ Release Date: October 28/ Audience: 151,257/ Screens: 1002 / Cumulative Audience: 7,028,995

The film industry media were busy informing the public of this unprecedented record.

[Today's Entertainment] Drug Dealer' Surpasses 7 Million Achieves No.1 in Adult Rated Films

The domestic film scene saved by the adult-rated Drug Dealer'!

It was a drought in the film scene with no popular works surpassing 3 million recently. It was safe to say Drug Dealer' broke through that drought. The newly established record was introduced in the news and discussed by many in the film-related programs and by critics.

Meanwhile, mentions of Kang Woojin were inevitable.

[StarTalk] Lee Sang-man' Kang Woojin, the biggest beneficiary of 7 million viewers?

However, it was regrettable that the momentum of Drug Dealer,' which achieved 7 million viewers, had noticeably slowed down. This wasnt an unnatural phenomenon. No matter how much Drug Dealer' had broken limits, everything eventually comes to an end.

The consensus was that Drug Dealer' would struggle to reach 8 million in terms of flow and atmosphere.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Around this time, when the film industry was abuzz with talks about Drug Dealer,' Kang Woojins name was also exploding elsewhere. It was only natural since he had just returned from Japan today.

[StarPhoto] Kang Woojin returns from his schedule in Japan, interviews with the swarm of reporters at the airport The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger' script reading was interesting / Photos

The first Korean rookie actor to be cast as a lead in a film by a legendary Japanese director. Once it became reality, the public quickly took interest.

- the national pride is real

-Kang Woojin being the only Korean actor there is epic

-Lmao, go and crush all the Japanese actors when you start the main shooting!!!

-But what if Kang Woojin gets crushed instead???

Woojin hadnt received any calls from PD Song Man-woo recently, although he had mentioned before that he would review another script.

No.

Really? Anyway, he asked to come? If its inconvenient for you, we can tell him to see us later.

It doesnt matter.

Okay- then lets meet briefly before the shoot.

Choi Sung-gun suddenly chuckled.

Actor Kang really has become something, huh? Making a big name like PD Song Man-woo come all the way to Buyeo? By the way, whats going on? Who was on the phone?

CEO Seo Gu-seob of GGO Entertainment.

Choi Sung-gun immediately frowned.

Why that Bulldog?

Kang Woojin briefly explained his story with CEO Seo Gu-seob, and Choi Sung-gun, openly showing disdain, muttered softly,

I'm wondering what that Bulldog bastard will do next. Looks like we need to hurry.

Hurry? With what? Internally puzzled, Woojin asked,

What do you mean?

Nothing. Just talking to myself. Anyway, dont worry about that Bulldog. No, CEO Seo Gu-seob. Ill take care of it.

Though Kang Woojin had virtually no interest, he responded calmly.

Yes, CEO~nim.

As Choi Sung-gun was pulling out his phone, he continued,

Since youve drawn enough attention with the agency matter, we should announce it by tomorrow.

At this moment, at GGO Entertainment.

Sitting in the large CEO office, Seo Gu-seob's face was visibly flushed with anger. His lips trembled as he gritted his teeth hard.

Then he,

That bastard Kang Woojin.

Slammed his fist down on the desk.

-Bang!!

Fucking hell.

The frustration was palpable on his face, making him look even more like a bulldog.

After covering up the Mise-en-scne Film Festival incident and me humbling myself How dare he make a fool of me twice?

Kang Woojin had twice deceived him. Of course, this was just Seo Gu-seob's unilateral view. His pride was hurt, and his dignity trampled. And what about Kang Woojin's insolence during the call?

Thinks hes all that just because he got a bit famous?

Flames seemed to flicker in CEO Seo Gu-seobs eyes.

Alright. Lets wait and see, you bastard.

With a reddened complexion, he called someone over the intercom. Soon, several executives entered the CEO's office. Seo Gu-seob coldly ordered them,

Hey, lets dig up some dirt on Kang Woojin. Gather all the rumors that have been circulating about him.

The next morning.

A resort hotel a short distance from the Island of the Missing' shooting location. It was around 8 AM, a bit early, but Choi Sung-gun was seen in the hotel lobby.

Lets see- whats on the menu today?

Seemingly, he came down for breakfast. Then, something occurred to him, and he accessed a search site on his phone. What Choi Sung-gun wanted to check was simple.

[Official] bw Entertainment confirms a 3-year extension contract with Kang Woojin

An official statement released by bw Entertainment just dozens of minutes ago. With this, Kang Woojin wouldnt be hitting the FA market, and Choi Sung-gun nodded in satisfaction after checking the article.

Thats settled.

He briefly muttered before suddenly making a call somewhere. The recipient answered quickly.

Yes, oppa.

A slightly trembling female voice.

Did you sleep?

No. Im about to go to the salon. I have a shoot at lunch.

Ive secured the expansion funds, you can accept them. bw Entertainment is going to grow, and Ill officially come to scout you soon.

Really?

Yes, so I was thinking of moving forward with what we planned.

Ah.

Choi Sung-gun moved to a secluded corner of the lobby and spoke to her over the phone, almost whispering.

Hannah, lets break that bastard Seo Gu-seob.

*****

If you are enjoying this novel, please consider reviewing and rating it at Novelupdates. Thanks!

To receive the latest update notifications or report any mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/woopread