Chapter 33:
Jeong Da-hee was shocked to find out that her work had been stolen. She immediately looked for the business card she had received from the production company. She kept calling them anxiously, biting her nails, but they never answered.
After calling them about five times, she heard an electronic voice saying that the phone was turned off.
‘What should I do?’
It was more miserable that she had to keep working for her livelihood in this situation. Jeong Da-hee greeted the customers with a brief hello. Her search history was full of things like plagiarism, plagiarism response, and so on.
‘Should I expose them on social media?’
But the last time something similar happened, it was buried. Should I wait until the broadcast starts and then blow it up? But would that work?
She was distracted by her thoughts and spilled water on a customer. Jeong Da-hee quickly bowed her head.
“I’m, I’m sorry! I’ll clean it up right away.”
The other person said it was okay and reached out his hand.
“It’s okay. You’re Jeong Da-hee, the writer, right?”
“Huh?”
Jeong Da-hee answered reflexively. Wait, how did he know my name without a name tag? And writer?
The man in a suit took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Jeong Da-hee.
“I’m this person…”
Yoo Yeon Seo smiled softly, just like when he first met Lee Tae-gyeom.
***
It was impossible for Yoo Yeon Seo, the money ghost, to lose all the money he invested. Yoo Yeon Seo changed the contract a little when he arranged the deal for ‘Virtual Reality’.
“Let’s add one clause.”
If the writer and the production company infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, if the writer and the production company cause social controversy and damage the actor’s image, and if legal disputes arise in civil or criminal matters, Yoo Yeon Seo, the investor and actor, can exercise his legitimate rights.
The penalty for breach of contract was three times the amount. To be honest, he was being generous.
“Penalty… for… breach…”
The team leader of the production company, Uri Pictures, hesitated at the condition that Yoo Yeon Seo had changed. Three times the amount was enough to make the production company wobble. Scared?
“Huh? That’s weird… Do you think our Hwang writer will breach the contract?”
“Of course not. Our writer is always professional…”
Professional at copying other works? That’s a skill too, I guess.
“Still, isn’t the penalty clause too harsh…?”
“Harsh? It’s not much different from the standard contract. And do you know how much money I put in here? Can’t I even put this much clause?”
“Well… Yes, I understand.”
Actually, he had told Halo Media to do a lot of media play. So it was already established as a fact that Yoo Yeon Seo was interested in Hwang Mi-jeong’s script through dozens of articles.
Naturally, sponsorship and advertising inquiries poured in, and there were also positive broadcasters for the schedule. The synopsis was already revealed, so there was no turning back.
Yoo Yeon Seo drove a wedge into the hesitant production company team leader.
“If there’s anything wrong, you should fix it before the shooting starts.”
Whether he gave money to Jeong Da-hee or persuaded her with an offer of assistant writer, that was what Yoo Yeon Seo wanted. There were already many things that could be exposed by the script alone, but if it went to a lawsuit, it would be a long battle, so he needed a sure shot.
The team leader’s eyes changed when he heard Yoo Yeon Seo’s words. He probably had a similar thought.
“Shall we sign then?”
Yoo Yeon Seo picked up a pen and smiled innocently.
Lee Tae-gyeom, who knew nothing between Yoo Yeon Seo and Lim Seung-hyun, rolled his eyes.
“Hey, what the hell is a kind tyranny?”
“Wait, let’s listen to what Lim Seung-hyun has to say.”
Lee Tae-gyeom was frustrated and punched his chest. But Lim Seung-hyun and Yoo Yeon Seo ignored him and started a conversation among themselves.
“Did you get the bait?”
“Yes.”
After Yoo Yeon Seo signed the contract, the production company, Uri Pictures, who had never answered the phone, contacted Jeong Da-hee first.
“Hello?”
(Hello, Jeong Da-hee. This is Kim Sang-joon, the team leader of Uri Pictures.)
Lim Seung-hyun arrived at the scene just then. He had thought that he couldn’t trust him easily when he introduced himself as ‘Do you believe in fate?’ before, so he came back to persuade him.
‘I brought a photo of the master as proof, just in case… The timing was perfect.’
Lee Tae-gyeom had laughed at the sight of two muscular men taking a picture together. Lim Seung-hyun sat down across from Jeong Da-hee.
(I contacted you before, but I couldn’t answer because I was busy? I’m sorry.)
As soon as the contact was made, Jeong Da-hee didn’t know what to do. Lim Seung-hyun showed her a text on his phone.
Record, evidence
Jeong Da-hee, who was quick-witted, nodded and pressed the record button and the speakerphone button. She said with a trembling voice.
“I saw the article. Hwang Mi-jeong’s synopsis for ‘Virtual Reality’ is exactly the same as my ‘Dreaming’.”
(Oh, that… Hwang writer had some difficulties in writing, so she borrowed some ideas.)
“Borrowed? How common is the troubleshooter theme in virtual reality?!”
(You can find it if you look for it. There’s no such thing as a different theme under the sky, right? They’re all similar.)
Jeong Da-hee raised her voice in anger at Kim Sang-joon’s shameless answer.
It’s too vague to say that she borrowed some ideas… Lim Seung-hyun tapped Jeong Da-hee’s phone and caught her attention.
Calm down.
Jeong Da-hee forced herself to take a deep breath. Yeah, there’s no point in getting excited.
“So, why did you call me first after ignoring all my calls?”
(You can admit that you used Jeong Da-hee’s script as a reference. So, how about joining us as an assistant writer now?)
“What? It’s my work, and you want me to be an assistant writer?”
(Or, since you helped with the plot outline, I can give you 500. That’s a lot, you know… Wouldn’t it be better to join us as an assistant writer? You can build your career this way. We’ll produce your next work at our production company.)
Hwang Mi-jeong’s fee per episode for ‘Virtual Reality’ was 70 million won. For a total of 16 episodes, that would be over 1.1 billion won. But Jeong Da-hee was supposed to take 500 and walk away.
“I refuse. I will exercise my rightful claim to my work.”
(Your rightful claim… What about Jeong Da-hee then? Do you want to make it public? Do you want to sue us?)
“What?”
(You can sue us, but it will take at least a year, and by then the drama will be over, you idiot.)
He looked down on her as he scolded her. The production company had a lot of problems, not just the writer.
(Do you think you can get any attention by making it public? Do you remember the case of Park Ji-hye, the writer of ‘Oh My Master’, who went public? Do you know that she eventually settled for a sum of money?)
Jeong Da-hee bit her lower lip. She knew about that case, and that’s why she couldn’t move easily even though her work was stolen.
(Tsk, the production and scheduling are already done… Listen, Jeong Da-hee. The leads are Yoo Yeon Seo and Yoon Ha-neul. Yoon Ha-neul is one thing, but Yoo Yeon Seo… Can you handle Joo Seong?)
Oh, that was news to her. Lim Seung-hyun, who was listening, raised one corner of his mouth.
(What are you relying on, you aspiring writer? Do you know what will happen if you get on Hwang Mi-jeong’s bad side? You won’t survive in this industry.)
“Are you threatening me now?”
She felt wronged and tears welled up in her eyes. What hurt her pride more was that she might have really taken the money and left if she was alone.
Hwang Mi-jeong, I’ll think about forgiving you
Jeong Da-hee looked at the man in a suit who was sitting across from her and calmly giving her instructions.
A suspicious man who claimed to be from Joo Seong’s strategic planning department. And he was the assistant of Yoo Yeon Seo, who had just trashed her script in front of her… She didn’t trust him easily because the world was so cruel.
But, compared to Kim Sang-joon, who ignored and mocked her as an aspiring writer, the suspicious person who gave her practical help in front of her was more trustworthy.
“If Hwang Mi-jeong admits and apologizes for plagiarizing my work, I’ll think about keeping quiet.”
(Hmm…)
Kim Sang-joon was lost in thought on the other end of the phone. Was she the type who valued her pride more than money? That was easier. The only problem was convincing Hwang Mi-jeong, who had a sky-high ego…
(I got it. I’ll call you later.)
Jeong Da-hee let out a big breath after hanging up.
“You did well.”
“…What do I do now?”
Lim Seung-hyun smiled faintly.
He said to do as he instructed when Hwang Mi-jeong contacted her.
“That’s right. You seem to have a good sense.”
She must have been frustrated and angry, but she did well according to Lim Seung-hyun’s brief instructions. Lee Tae-gyeom, who had overheard the conversation and figured out the situation, snorted.
“What are you doing? You’re meddling in justice.”
“Meddling? No. This is a win-win situation for me.”
Yoo Yeon Seo would disappear suddenly, and Jeong Da-hee would post a public article at the right time.
If Yoo Yeon Seo, who had been silent, showed up and added some spice, Jeong Da-hee would feel relieved and Yoo Yeon Seo would shed her rude image. It was a win-win situation.
“Ah, as expected…”
He thought he had become a bit nicer, but he was wrong. Lee Tae-gyeom shook his head.
If Jeong Da-hee wanted, he had prepared a law firm that could go to court. There was no problem with screwing over the production company and the writer, since he had Joo Seong’s shield. And the broadcaster that took in the plagiarist Hwang Mi-jeong should also taste some bitterness.
“So, is that it?”
“No. The script is a bit of a waste.”
He meant Jeong Da-hee’s ‘Dreaming’, not Hwang Mi-jeong’s ‘Virtual Reality’.
Even if he used the auto-action mode for a while and looked at the work with his original eye, ‘Dreaming’ was a good work. If ‘Virtual Reality’ was scheduled and then disappeared, what about the original work that was plagiarized? Would it remain as an old script in the corner of the production company?
‘If Jeong Da-hee wants…’
JSENM had a cable broadcaster under its umbrella. It was JSTV.
The dramas and movies produced by JSENM were aired here, and they invested generously in the production costs, producing many masterpieces. They were also popular with the viewers for their diverse genres, compared to the terrestrial dramas that were losing ratings.
[I wish I could produce it myself… Please let me do your next movie.]
…Should I use mom’s chance?
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