Chapter 24:Money and Talent Pour In

  Chapter 24: The Eye That Sees Scenarios (2)

It was my first time seeing a screenplay instead of a novel, so it felt incredibly fresh.

*Will it be fun?*

I quickly cleared my stray thoughts and focused on the content.

**[S#1. Dark alleyway**

Jae-hyung walking with his head down.

Hyun-wook approaching from the opposite direction.

Their shoulders brush past each other lightly. Hyun-wook slightly turns his head, and Jae-hyung’s familiar face enters his field of vision.

Hyun-wook: Hey, you there. Hold on a second.

Jae-hyung stops abruptly.

He silently turns around and walks toward Hyun-wook. Unfolding his arms, he swings the sashimi knife in his hand.

Hyun-wook: You, you bastard…! Argh…!

Jae-hyung: You’re first.

Jae-hyung swings the knife several more times, killing Hyun-wook.

Between the streetlamp lights.

Jae-hyung’s back figure disappears into the shadows.]

Before I knew it, I was completely immersed.

*It’s actually pretty good?*

My eyes sparkled as I took in the next scene.

**[S#2. Luxurious office interior.**

Kwon Ho-chan standing by the window, gazing at the night view.

Kwon Ho-chan: So, Hyun-wook is dead?

Ssang-dokki: Yes, he was stabbed seven times.

Kwon Ho-chan: Who did it?

Ssang-dokki: Well… we still don’t know…

Kwon Ho-chan turns around and approaches Ssang-dokki.

Ssang-dokki lowers his head.

Kwon Ho-chan grabs Ssang-dokki’s chin with one hand and forces his face up.

Kwon Ho-chan: Dokki, don’t you know my personality?

Ssang-dokki: I-I’m sorry!

Kwon Ho-chan: I’ll give you half a day.

Kwon Ho-chan’s burning…]

Ryu Seong was instantly drawn into the screenplay.

*Mmm…!*

The writing carried a strong sense of presence.

An immersion so powerful it felt like being sucked in.

It almost felt as if he had become the screenplay itself.

*Flip—*

The pages turned in an instant.

“Ah, this part is a bit…”

But as it continued, some shortcomings gradually became apparent.

*A little disappointing.*

Still, there was no denying it was a refreshing action movie.

“Phew.”

Before he realized it, he had finished reading the entire screenplay that formed a complete film.

*Swish.*

The moment he slowly lifted his gaze upward.

**[You have finished reading the scenario.]**

**[Evaluation in progress…]**

**[Evaluation completed.]**

**[Full score is 100 points.]**

**[Plausibility: 69 points]**

**[Immersion: 85 points]**

**[Artistic Quality: 51 points]**

**[Box Office Potential: 86 points]**

**[Overall Review: Despite regrettable plausibility issues, this is an action film with high immersion. While artistic quality is low, it is a work that prioritizes public satisfaction, achieving 86 points in box office potential. Considering the cast and various other factors, the probability of surpassing the break-even point is very high.]**

The scores were quite satisfying.

Especially the box office potential.

86 points, and the review was positive overall.

*I’ll invest in this one for now.*

He decided to check if there were any other films worth investing in and looked through the remaining works.

*

Ryu Seong pressed his temples lightly.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

He had already finished reading three more scenarios.

How long had it been since he last read this much text?

Thanks to that, mental fatigue was building up quickly. Unfortunately, none of the additional scenarios reached the level worth investing in.

“Should I stop here?”

After hesitating, he decided to look at just one more.

Yeah, just one more.

Fortunately, a genre that caught his interest appeared.

**<Shadow Falls>**

**[Starring Hwang San-ho, Kim Seon-hye, Seol Ye-rin

Release date: August 9, 2022!]**

**[The movie *Shadow Falls* is about a chaebol family that dominates the heart of Seoul. It tells an occult story unfolding within that family. A father struggles to save his family members possessed by evil spirits, while the chaebol chairman desperately tries to keep the truth hidden at all costs, creating extreme tension. The film will showcase mysterious and supernatural phenomena revealed in the process.]**

**[Kim Seon-hye, an actress widely acknowledged for her outstanding acting skills.**

**Hwang San-ho, an actor famous in Korea as a versatile and reliable supporting actor.**

Rising child actress, Seol Ye-rin.]

[A colossal incident unfolding in a bustling downtown area shrouded in darkness.

Heart-pounding tension.

Bizarre events slowly coming to light.

Everything will captivate the audience with a flawless screenplay and exceptional acting.]

[Estimated Break-Even Point]

The break-even point for the film *Shadow Falls* is approximately 1.63 million theater admissions. Revenue items included in the break-even calculation are theatrical revenue + non-theatrical revenue (OTT, IPTV, etc.). In other words, even if theater admissions fall short of 1.63 million, sufficient revenue from non-theatrical sources can still generate profit.

1.63 million wasn’t an especially high figure.

Next, he checked the trailer as well.

“Whoa, this is seriously…”

Even just from the trailer, the tension was palpable.

He felt genuine anticipation.

Hurriedly, he downloaded the file and began reading the screenplay.

It started off calm.

But only for a moment.

As the scenes piled up, he became so immersed that he lost track of time entirely.

*Meow…*

He didn’t even notice Lucky weakly crying somewhere between the living room and the bedroom.

Quiet time passed.

His entire mind clung solely to the text.

**[S#17. Jo Hyung-man, startled by his young daughter’s scream.**

Jo Hyung-man: Miso-ya, what’s wrong!

Jo Miso: Aaaaaahhh! Let go! Let go of me!

Seeing Jo Miso foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back, Jo Hyung-man instinctively senses something. Memories of the incident a few days earlier flash by. Then, with a fierce glare, he looks at Jeon Hye-seon, who is drenched in panic.

Jo Hyung-man: You! What are you doing! Hurry up and hold her!

Jeon Hye-seon: H-how… Miso-ya, honey, what do we do…!

Jo Hyung-man: I said hold her!

Jo Miso: Kgh… kghhh… krrrr…!

Jo Hyung-man: Now!

Jeon Hye-seon hurriedly grabs their daughter.

Only then does Jo Hyung-man let go and step back.

Jeon Hye-seon: Y-you…?

Jo Hyung-man: I’ll be right back.

With a distorted expression, Jo Hyung-man leaves the grand mansion. Toward the company nearby…]

He read on frantically.

A Catholic exorcist appeared, then a Buddhist monk showed up to heighten the sense of crisis. But everything fell apart, and in the end, they turned to a shaman. Even after calling the shaman and burning offerings, the evil spirit refused to fall. The desperate struggle against the vicious demon continued endlessly amid extreme tension. He became completely absorbed in the actions of Jo Hyung-man—the chairman of a massive conglomerate and, at the same time, a father—confronting such a malevolent force.

The nature of a businessman who pursues profit.

Paternal love for his child.

The conflict between the two was fascinating in itself.

“…Huh?”

When his concentration finally broke, he had already turned the final page.

It’s over.

For a brief moment, he sat in a daze.

Then goosebumps rose all over his body.

As he rubbed the chills on his forearms, a hologram appeared before his eyes.

**[You have finished reading the scenario.]**

**[Full score is 100 points.]**

**[Plausibility: 89 points]**

**[Immersion: 92 points]**

**[Artistic Quality: 81 points]**

**[Box Office Potential: 89 points]**

**[Overall Review: A flawless work that captures appropriate plausibility, outstanding immersion, as well as both artistic quality and box office potential. It possesses every necessary element with virtually no drawbacks. Even based on the screenplay alone, it has overwhelming potential to easily surpass the break-even point.]**

Ryu Seong found himself nodding unconsciously at the system’s evaluation.

“This is the real deal…”

It wasn’t even at a level he could casually judge.

This is a jackpot…!

There was no question—he absolutely had to invest in this film.

He needed to put in even more money.

He decided to invest a larger amount than he had in *Seoul War*.

The director’s name value played a big part here too.

There was a saying: dramas succeed because of the writer, movies succeed because of the director.

This one was guaranteed to work.

It was undoubtedly a film that had everything.

“Ugh.”

Still dazed from the lingering thrill, he stood up from his seat.

His whole body ached from the long period of intense focus.

He stretched, did some light stretching to loosen up.

“Phew.”

Sitting back down, he opened his laptop again.

Time to start investing.

He went to the first film, *Seoul War*, and pressed the investment button.

**[Target Fundraising Amount: 2,000,000,000 KRW]**

**[Current Amount Raised: 1,783,500,000 KRW]**

Ryu Seong immediately invested 50 million won in the film.

**[50,000,000 KRW has been invested.]**

**[Investment completed.]**

Next, he invested 100 million won in the second film, *Shadow Falls*.

In total, he had spent 150 million won.

This was his first time investing, and since the funds would be tied up for at least two months or more, he couldn’t pour all 300 million in at once. For now, he planned to invest a reasonable amount and observe the audience reaction after the release to some extent.

“I should jot down the scores too.”

He opened a Hangul file and noted down the scores for both films.

Okay, done.

If, after release, the audience reactions aligned roughly with these scores, then the next time he used the skill, he would be able to invest a much larger sum with confidence.

*Meowww…*

At the sudden sound, his head turned.

“Aigoo.”

It seemed Lucky had been feeling bored and lonely in a house with no other family members.

Seeing that forlorn expression tugged at his heart.

“Sorry, Lucky. Want something tasty? How about Churu?”

He quickly tore open a Churu and offered it.

But Lucky’s reaction was lukewarm.

*Hm…?*

Feeling something was off, he gently stroked him, but Lucky seemed completely drained of energy. Normally he would have rolled around playfully or flipped onto his back for belly rubs.

Right now, there wasn’t even a purr.

He just lay there limply.

“Lucky? You okay?”

Instead of a reply, a sharp coughing sound rang out.

*Kyaht!*

His body was trembling, and he looked critically low on strength. There was no time left to think. Lucky looked seriously ill. Without hesitation, Ryu Seong put him into the pet carrier and rushed to the animal hospital.

*

Who knew not having a car could feel this frustrating.

“Huff… huff…!”

Breathing heavily as he ran, Ryu Seong frowned while looking at Lucky, who was weakly curled up inside the carrier.

*Kyaah!*

He remembered there were some very bad respiratory illnesses associated with coughing in cats, which only made his worry worse.

He quickened his pace even more.

“Haa… haa…!”

Finally, he arrived at the animal hospital.

He pushed open the door; a few people were already waiting.

“Welcome.”

“Haa… yes, hello.”

After catching his breath, Ryu Seong went straight to reception.

“What are the symptoms?”

“He’s coughing, and mostly he just has no energy at all. He didn’t even react to Churu.”

“Hmm, understood. You’re registered. Please wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

Ryu Seong sat in an empty seat and waited.

*Will it take long?*

He anxiously watched Lucky while waiting, but fortunately his turn came quickly.

“Lucky’s guardian, please come in.”

There were three veterinarians on duty, which made it possible.

Ryu Seong headed to the far-left examination room dedicated to cats only. Inside, he saw the same veterinarian who had examined Lucky during his first visit.

“It’s been a while. Let’s take a look at Lucky first.”

“Ah, yes.”

As soon as he took Lucky out of the carrier, the vet began the examination.

“Hmm.”

Why did that short period feel so agonizingly long?

*Please, let him be okay.*

After finishing the initial check, the veterinarian looked at Ryu Seong.

“For now, his condition isn’t bad. We could prescribe medication and monitor him for a few more days. Or we can run some tests. There’s a low chance, but it could be a herpesvirus or calicivirus infection.”

“Then I’d like the tests.”

“I’ll give you a brief explanation first. We’ll start with a PCR test for the suspected infections…”

Ryu Seong nodded as he listened.

Money wasn’t an issue.

The most important thing was to get a clear diagnosis and understand exactly what was happening.

“The tests are on the expensive side. If it’s burdensome, we can assume it’s one of those infections I mentioned, prescribe the medication, and just monitor his condition.”

“No, it’s fine. Please do the tests.”

“Understood. We’ll proceed that way.”

“Okay.”

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

*If I hadn’t earned this money from the quest… what would have happened?*

Would he really have been able to afford these expensive tests and proper treatment?

“I’m fine, but…”

His family was well-off, so it probably wouldn’t have been a big problem for him.

But what about other people?

Most would likely be torn apart by heartbreaking decisions. Far more cases existed where people wanted treatment but simply couldn’t afford it.

In unseen places, countless dogs and cats probably lived—and eventually passed—while silently enduring pain. Many owners might never even figure out what was wrong or what had gone wrong. That was what made it all the more heartbreaking.

“Please wait just a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

He came back to his senses and returned to his seat. While he waited, Lucky underwent the tests. All sorts of thoughts endlessly passed through his mind during the wait.

“Guardian-nim, Lucky’s tests are done.”

“Thank you.”

“The results will take about 15 minutes.”

He nodded and carefully took Lucky back into his arms.

*Meowww?*

Fortunately, he already looked a little more energetic than when they were at home.

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