Chapter 101

The movie people have been waiting for. I’ve had tremendous success so far, but I’m not conceited. I thought that the more successful the companies I invested in and the business of Earth Resources, the more talented the people were. For Earth Channel to succeed, talented people had to gather. ―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: The director agreed to produce Season 2. ―Kim Shin: When does the filming start? ―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: I have to start with the scenario work. It looks like it will take some time. I was very excited to hear that season 2 of the drama I was deeply impressed with was going on. If what I can do is invest, I should be willing to do it. ―Kim Shin: Please tell me not to worry about production costs from the scenario stage. ―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: Yes. I told you so. ―Kim Shin: We will provide you with Hollywood-level support. Because we plan to make it representative of the Earth channel. ―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: Yes. Dream Art Rainbow will do its best. As the opening of the Earth Channel, prepared in many ways, approached, many thoughts came to mind. Netflix was dominating the market, and Disney had exclusive content that many loved. The very thought of competing with them from the start may be arrogant, but the challenge has already begun. ‘It was the same with Cloud. You’ll see the way once you start.’ The monthly fee is set at $5. Originally, I was going to do it for 3,000 won or 1 source coin, but I raised it a little because of the opinion that it was too cheap. Even so, it was less than half the price compared to other OTT companies. “Eddie, how much does it cost to operate the Earth Channel system?” “I do not know? You can use our data center and, if necessary, the grid network you are connected to. The fixed costs required to maintain the system will not be that high.” “Right?” “If the number of users increases significantly, the cost of operating the system will increase. But that will increase your profits.” Since we are building or acquiring data centers, we have been able to operate the Earth Channel on our own. Considering the cost of content production, I was worried that I would be able to make a profit with $5, but I was willing to accept the loss. ‘It’s better to have a lot of people come at a cheaper price than to have nothing to see, even though it’s expensive.’ The goal was to accumulate a lot of fun content unique to the Earth channel and make users come to watch it. In this case, if there were representative content, it would be much better for promotion. Han Chae-won wrote for over 10 hours a day at home. “Ah! aaagh!” Several times, I screamed while looking at the monitor and banging on the keyboard. I erased the writing I had written and wrote new writing. [Kim Shin was the worst man. He was salty and didn’t put me to sleep at night.] He cursed Kim Shin and reversed the direction of his writing dozens of times. Even contacting the publisher’s representative did not help much. ―You can write down the author’s married life. Regarding the contents of the article, I think the person in charge, Han Chae-won, can write the best. Every time Kim Shin appeared on TV, I gnashed my teeth and wrote. [Kim Shin divorced and never looked for me. He is a heartless man.] After writing dozens of sheets, repeat erasing when you wake up. Some even wrote lies. He had an affair. Several women followed him… … .] I sent the draft I wrote to the publisher, but I was immediately contacted by the person in charge. – This content. Can Chaewon Han be in charge? “Yes?” ―There could be a lawsuit from Kim Shin’s side. “Even if it’s just a book?” -There are parties. The media will be interested in Han Chae-won’s married life. If it’s not true, you can get in trouble. The press was able to dig into Kim Shin’s marital life. It was only a year of marriage, and at the time of attending Arkor, Kim Shin had no wealth or influence. That’s why it’s only considered a history of the past, but after the book is published, more reporters will be interested in Kim Shin’s married life. “Ah! When I signed the contract, I just thought of selling a lot of books!” Han Chae-won tore her hair. Every time I washed my hair in the morning, a handful of hair was falling out. ‘How, how?’ She stared at the monitor with bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, I had this thought. ‘Is there any reason to make Kim Shin a bad boy?’ Han Chae-won wanted to become a celebrity. I wanted to sell a lot of books. Is the only way to make sure that there is a lot of cursing against Kim Shin? Kim Shin is famous all over the world. Do you think any book about married life will sell well enough?’ Han Chae-won felt that her mind had suddenly become clear. And I started writing. [I was like a dog when I married Kim Shin.] Surprisingly, the writing that had been blocked for so long was solved smoothly. While preparing for the Earth Channel, the balance of the stock account invested in the New York Stock Exchange officially exceeded $100 billion. 〈America’s richest wealth rises, Elon Musk from $27 billion to $159 billion＞ 〈Undisputed No. 1 Amazon Founder, Jeff Bezos, $186 Billion in Net Worth with $70 Billion Rise in Shares〉 〈Stocks, real estate, gold, and even bitcoin soar. No asset does not rise＞ 〈If you stay still, you will become a beggar, and if you don’t get paid, you won’t be rich》 America’s wealthiest rankings. The Amazon founder was expected to cross the $200 billion mark sooner or later. Tesla’s Elon Musk was also controversial over overvaluation, but his wealth was constantly increasing. ‘It was a long time ago that Bill Gates was undisputed number one.’ While working part-time at a convenience store, Bill Gates heard that it was better not to pick up a $100 bill if it fell on the ground. Is it because you make more money during that time? When I was in Korea, I only looked distant, but now I have risen to that rank. It would be difficult not to pick it up if the real 100 dollars were on the ground because of the beggar mentality ingrained in the bones. ‘The financial market is going crazy.’ Although he is making money from Earth Resources and Bio Life, he has increased his wealth far more through investment than through corporate management. ‘Is there anything I can do for Earth Channel?’ How to give joy to people who are only at home in the corona era. I had an idea that popped into my head, and I decided to put it into action. “Jongyeop.” “Yes. CEO.” “There is someone I want to meet.” After the success of stock investment and the spread of the K-vaccine in the world, I was able to meet all the tolerable people. Wall Street financiers, Washington politicians. The US presidential election is held in November. I’m avoiding it because it’s an ambiguous time, but I was able to meet the US president. “I’m asking for an interview, but who is it?” “Tom Cruise.” Earth channels need some killer content to increase the fun. Not just Korean content, but world-famous content. “I have an appointment.” “Really? You must have suffered a lot.” “No. You say you want to meet there too?” I went to the San Francisco airport to meet with Tom Cruise. “Did you book the flight?” “I said I would look for a plane ticket, and they said they would send me a private plane.” “Okay?” I got on a private plane from San Francisco and headed to Los Angeles. It was a strange feeling. Even though he has more than 100 billion dollars, he doesn’t have a private plane, so he gets a Hollywood star’s plane to ride. In the days of attending Arcor, just getting on a private jet of a celebrity could be a great source of pride. Getting a plane with the property you have now is like getting a Sonata from your friend because the landlord in Gangnam doesn’t have a car. When I arrived in Los Angeles, I met him at a coffee shop near the studio. “Nice to meet you. This is Kim Shin.” “Hello. You see it often in the news. I didn’t know you would come to find me here.” The conversation took place in a friendly atmosphere. Thanks to the K-vaccine, it seems that the film industry, which has been stopped for a while, will be able to resume quickly, and he says he plans to get vaccinated sooner or later. At the age of almost 60, he is passionately talking about a future space movie. As a filmmaker, I respect a person who has dedicated their life to one field. “I like Korea. Kim Shin, I also think very much of you. So, when the request to meet suddenly came, I was surprised but gladly accepted. I was curious about what to talk about.” “Yes. I must tell you why I came.” With a brief introduction to Earth resources, we just brought up the Earth Channel. “I know because I heard it.” “Yes?” “Earth Channel is also often on the news.” There were so many articles about me that I couldn’t check the news one by one. It is said that stories about the Earth Channel have also been widely known through broadcasting and newspapers in the United States. “Yes. We would like to see your film on the Earth Channel.” “There are several of my movies on Netflix. If that’s the case, it would be better to talk directly to the film company or distributor, right?” “Because I thought the first thing to do was to convince you, who has a lot of influence in Hollywood.” “You think highly of me. What kind of movie is it?” “It’s ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’” A movie in which Tom Cruise rode a fighter jet with other actors. A work that has been postponed due to COVID-19. Tom Cruise’s expression, which was full of friendly smiles, became serious. Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t just an actor; itt was a work he was directly involved in producing. “This is a very difficult story. Top Gun is a work that I am very attached to. It has a great story, and the actors and staff put a lot of effort into giving the audience the best viewing experience.” He refused in a euphemistic but firm manner. It was an expected reaction. “I know. I came for the success of the Earth Channel, but if it wasn’t for Corona, I wouldn’t have made this proposal.” The specific terms and conditions of the contract were not brought out. I wanted to convince you from the heart. “I like movies. When I was young, I was so poor that I lived only by watching famous movies on TV. Then, after entering college, I went to the cinema for the first time, and it was shockingly fun. Movies are my hobby, and it was my break.” “I see. I didn’t know I liked movies this much.” Tom Cruise declined the offer, but he listened intently to my story. “The success of the Earth Channel. Of course, it’s good to be successful, but you don’t have to be successful.” “Yes?” “It may sound full, but I have enough wealth even if I don’t make money with the Earth Channel.” Even people with tens of billions of dollars would say that they have enough money to live for the rest of their lives. Anyone over $100 billion deserves this much talk. “I want to give joy to many people on the Earth channel. People who can’t do outdoor activities because of COVID-19. People who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. What can I do for them?” I deliberately stopped talking for a moment and took a breath. I wasn’t very good at persuading anyone. When I go to Arcor and talk to doctors, I explain technical stories, devices, and guide lease products. It was more like product information than persuasion. ‘Let’s be honest and tell the truth. I can’t help it if it doesn’t work.’ I looked him straight in the eyes and said. “I want to entertain people. A lot of people can’t go to the cinema. You forgot the pleasures of ordinary life. I thought what it would be like if a movie the public wanted was screened on the Earth Channel.” “That’s what Top Gun is about.” “Yes. It is the movie I want to see the most right now, and it will be the work the world has been waiting for.” “I know what you mean. But even if I agree with this, the position of the co-producer and distributor will be there.” Of course, I was thinking about that.