ryethenovel Chapter 1259 Mouse
Chapter 1259 Mouse
Chapter 1259 Mouse
"This……"
Hearing Park Jae-hyun relay Choi Ran's words, Ji Kyung-won was somewhat surprised.
The writer, Choi, had already declined the scriptwriting job because he was about to start filming and had other work commitments. However, after making some casual inquiries, he immediately changed his mind when he heard the name Ji Kyung-won.
The meaning is quite clear: they're here for the opportunity to collaborate with him.
"So direct?"
Although Chi Jingyuan was pleased that others valued him so much, he still felt a slight sense of amusement at Writer Cui's bluntness and her rapid change of heart.
"Jingyuan, who do you think you are?"
But Park Jae-hyun acted as if it were perfectly normal: "You are the newly crowned TV King. Every drama you've starred in before has been outstanding and successful. You are the most popular male actor, the most highly regarded male artist in the industry, and the one with the most connections... Many writers want to work with you. Isn't it normal for them to change their minds after finding out it's you? I would find it strange if she didn't have any other thoughts after finding out."
"puff……"
Hearing Park Jae-hyun's more direct words, Ji Kyung-won couldn't help but laugh on the spot: "There's no one else here, hyung, you're just bragging to yourself... even Ji-chang hyung is laughing."
"No, no, I think you're right." The assistant, Cui Zhichang, who was mentioned, smiled and quickly waved his hand to show his support.
Both the agent and the assistant showed great confidence in Ji Kyung-won.
That makes sense. After working so hard for so long, accompanying Ji Kyung-won step by step to where he is today, not to mention Park Jae-hyun, even Choi Ji-chang, who has been Ji Kyung-won's assistant for so many years, is now considered a person of importance in the industry. Who knows, in a few years, he might be able to start his own company with the connections and relationships he has built up. Of course, he must be proud now.
After laughing, Park Jae-hyun looked at Ji Kyung-won and asked, "So, if Writer Choi says so, Kyung-won, are you still going to contact Writer Kim Eun-hee?"
"Well... forget it."
After a brief consideration, Chi Jingyuan shook his head: "Let Writer Cui do it first."
The original author is still the most inspired and writes the most flavorful script changes and plot core.
Not to mention that they are naturally good at writing stories that tend to be darker.
Unless the writing is truly terrible or there are other reasons why they can't collaborate, Chi Kyung-won is unwilling to change writers.
"Then let's go with her. I'll contact them right away." Park Jae-hyun made the decision upon hearing this.
"Ah."
After responding, Chi Jingyuan instructed, "Remember to ask Writer Cui when we can meet and chat...and it should be as soon as possible, preferably in the next few days. If it's any later, I'll be going to the United States, and I might not have much time."
"understood."
Park Jae-hyun was always efficient. After nodding in agreement, he turned around and went out to make a phone call.
Five minutes later, he returned, his face serious, but his lips were subtly pursed, as if he were suppressing a laugh: "It's all arranged, we'll meet soon."
Chi Jingyuan looked up: "When exactly?"
Park Jae-hyun finally couldn't resist, a smirk playing on his lips: "Hmm... today is fine."
"……ah?"
Chi Jingyuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
—So urgent?
Why does it seem like the other person is even more impatient than him?
…………
Whether it's Park Jae-hyun, Netflix, or Choi Ran, they are all very proactive. They communicated at noon and arranged to meet in the afternoon.
"Annyeonghaseyo~"
"Aigoo, Kyungwon-ssi, Annyeonghaseyo..."
At the agreed-upon coffee shop, Ji Kyung-won also met the rather interesting writer, Choi Ran.
As far as he knew, writer Cui Lan was usually very low-key, and there wasn't much information about her online. Moreover, because she didn't have many works and wasn't very famous, Ji Jingyuan had been in the industry for several years and had only seen her once by chance backstage at an acting event.
She didn't even have an assistant this time; she was all alone.
Now that they were face to face, Chi Jingyuan was finally able to take a good look at the screenwriter. The woman before him was in her early thirties, not a beauty in the traditional sense, but she was slender and exuded a scholarly air. Most surprisingly, this writer was not wearing glasses—a far cry from the image of a suspense writer he had imagined.
Judging from her appearance alone, it was hard to associate this quiet and gentle woman with those chilling and dark stories. What bothered Chi Jingyuan even more was that during their earlier pleasantries, he clearly caught a glint of something unusual in her eyes. Cui Lan's smile suddenly became exceptionally warm, and her entire aura became more vibrant.
He was all too familiar with that look in his eyes.
"You may not believe it if I tell you."
Cui Lan looked at Ji Jingyuan with a smile, her voice filled with undisguised excitement, "I've been a fan of Jingyuan-ssi for a long time."
Well, I knew it.
Chi Jingyuan suddenly realized.
The previous contact and subsequent change of heart clearly lacked composure and restraint, and the way the writer looked at the actor after meeting him was even more than the writer's attitude towards the actor.
So it turns out this writer Cui is actually his fan? ...And it doesn't seem like it's just polite flattery, but rather the kind of fan who genuinely has a very good impression of him.
As for the fans... although it feels a little awkward, this identity can be the most natural way to break the ice and quickly close the distance, making future collaborations much smoother.
Seeing that writer Choi was clearly excited and not at all shy, he asked a lot of questions in a very generous and happy manner. For some questions that did not involve privacy, writer Choi was happy to satisfy the writer's gossip desires.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they naturally got down to business.
"This script... I don't really think it can be called a script, since it has no characters or plot at all, just a little bit of my feelings and thoughts."
Speaking of the script, Cui Lan frankly described the situation at the time:
"After watching the interviews for that case, I felt very angry, but also very shocked. So I had some inspiration and wrote a few notes, which were later taken by a friend and included in Netflix's script library... I really didn't expect that Jingyuan would take a liking to it."
To this day, today's meeting is still somewhat unexpected for Cui Lan. She had been preparing to finalize the script for the upcoming film "Hellbringer" when she suddenly received a call from Netflix. The call was about the script draft that she had written but hadn't paid much attention to since, and had even forgotten about.
Because there wasn't enough time, I naturally declined. Writing two scripts at once would be a huge mental burden, not to mention the time commitment.
However, after rejecting the script, she became curious about how the topic suddenly came up, so she called to inquire about it and heard a name that surprised, astonished, and even delighted her.
Chi Jingyuan?
Then she changed her mind.
Although making this decision was difficult, and writing two dramas at once was a huge burden, but...
What is Ji Kyung-won's current position in the industry? After "Goblin," he became one of the most sought-after young male actors. His next drama is highly anticipated by many people both inside and outside the industry. Whatever he acts in can become a hit before it even airs. Even other dramas of similar production scale cannot generate as much buzz or attention as his.
Which screenwriter wouldn't want to work with him?
What's more, she was already a secret fan of Yuan, so this is double happiness.
...To be honest, she didn't think for more than five minutes at a time.
Cui Lan was even more excited when she heard that Chi Jingyuan wanted to meet her, and agreed without thinking. Now, sitting in front of Chi Jingyuan, she felt like she was in a dream, perhaps because everything had happened so fast.
Good stories and inspirations will always be noticed and appreciated.
Chi Jingyuan smiled gently: "I've read a lot of scripts these past few days, but this is the only one that I found very interesting from the very first second I saw it."
"What are Jingyuan's thoughts on this script?"
It was time to get down to business. Although she was excited to see her idol, Cui Lan obviously knew what she was there for. She had clearly received some notification or instructions from Netflix beforehand and knew Ji Jingyuan's position and some rights in this collaboration.
However, for her, it was very challenging and rewarding to have her ideas appreciated by Chi Jingyuan and to be able to collaborate with him to create a script tailored for him, and she was willing to do it.
She even took out a small notebook and a ballpoint pen, looking very serious.
"Yes, I've read the script many times these past two days, and I've also looked up some materials and scripts. As for my thoughts..."
Since the other party took the initiative to ask, Chi Jingyuan did not stand on ceremony. He had come here today to talk to her about these things: "I think the most attractive thing about this script, or rather the draft, is its setting and its core."
"Whether antisocial personality disorder is innate, and if genetic testing can detect the 'demonic' core in advance, is very interesting. While connecting to that case this year, it also raises many questions and can serve as the main plot or expand the theme..."
"The main plot setting of 'a psychopathic murderer experiencing pain and reflecting on his sins' is also very interesting, and it still connects to that case from this year... To be honest, when I saw the interview and saw that the criminal showed no remorse and acted arrogantly, I was also very angry. It was a really infuriating and perverted act."
Like many citizens, while feeling indignant, I long to see prisoners genuinely repent out of guilt, rather than pleading and begging for mercy out of fear of trial and imprisonment…
When the topic turned to the script that interested him, Chi Jingyuan's enthusiasm rose, and he began to talk about things he had thought about many times in the past few days:
"So this is what I think: the psychopathic killer in this script is set up as having a congenital genetic deficiency. He is unable to empathize with others, has no extra emotional fluctuations, and has no guilt about killing, deceiving, violence, or harming others. On the contrary, he feels it is justified, even to people who are very close to him, who have always taken good care of him, and who are very good to him."
Treat it as just a hunt, a meal, or even a game…
"However, after he hurt many people, due to some events, the genes he had missing were restored or made up. He gained normal human emotions and could empathize with others. When he thinks back on what he did before, the heartfelt regret, guilt, shame, and repentance he feels will be very interesting and impactful."
As Chi Jingyuan spoke, Cui Lan took notes, nodding repeatedly. Towards the end, she looked up, her eyes shining: "Jingyuan-xi, this idea is brilliant!"
Although the script draft and inspiration came from her, to be honest, she didn't think much further into it. She didn't expect that Chi Jingyuan had already thought so much, and even had a specific plot outline.
"It's really interesting. This kind of setting makes the character very three-dimensional, and there's a lot to write about..."
Inspired by Chi Jingyuan's words, Cui Lan was also inspired. She started writing and drawing on paper while discussing with Chi Jingyuan.
After discussing for a while, Cui Lan asked casually, "So it seems that Jing Yuan wants to play this perverted role."
"I think this role is the most interesting and also the most challenging."
Chi Jingyuan nodded in agreement without hesitation. This was something he had already considered. The reason he was initially attracted to the script was because the bizarre premise piqued his interest.
Of course, this kind of drama will have good guys and bad guys. In most cases, the good guys are the main characters, and in the end, good will always triumph over evil.
But that's just the usual situation. Now, whichever role Ji Kyung-won plays, that role will naturally become the protagonist in the script. And this kind of protagonist who is a perverted villain is quite novel and unconventional.
"If such a villainous character were to be written as the protagonist, it would better showcase the depth and darkness of the script, which I think is excellent."
This idea seemed to align perfectly with Cui Lan's thoughts; she seemed to believe that the darker the plot, the better... The excitement in her eyes even made Chi Jingyuan wonder if she had a slight psychological problem.
"If we set it up this way, then one point is very important."
After writing on the paper for a while, Cui Lan looked up and asked somewhat solemnly, "Does this character need to be redeemed later on? Do we need to use some techniques, such as plots about his family of origin or school bullying, to show that his initial act of killing was forced and influenced by others... In short, to reduce the audience's revulsion and redeem him in the end?"
"Ani."
Upon hearing her question, Chi Jingyuan shook his head without hesitation: "I've also considered this issue, and I think it's definitely not appropriate to arrange it this way."
In my vision, this character's evil doesn't stem from external oppression, but rather from a fusion of genes and instinct. This pure darkness makes the character more symbolic, becoming an extreme embodiment of the "human nature is inherently evil" proposition, thus leaving a strong psychological impact on the audience.
"I hope he stays completely evil... Even if his attitude changes in the end, it's only because he feels guilty for the emotional gain he received, and not because of anything else, like the plot you mentioned."
Does it break the rule that "the main villain must have a hidden story"?
This point seems to coincide with the agreement. Cui Lan nodded repeatedly, and after taking notes, she said professionally, "From a writer's perspective, the 'purely evil' setting can enhance the purity and impact of the character, meaning that the character rejects the moral buffer zone from the root - there is no forced hardship, and his evil is original and consistent."
This approach strips away the common and melodramatic "rationalizations," making the character's dark traits sharper and more penetrating, leaving a deep impression on the audience.
"And if we combine this with what we mentioned earlier, that the character's emotions and values undergo tremendous changes after gaining feelings... then the impact and impression will be even deeper."
After speaking for a while, Cui Lan looked at Chi Jingyuan and said, "However, in that case, the role will be very difficult to play. The contrast and layers, as well as the comparisons between them, will require very high acting skills."
But before Chi Jingyuan could speak, she chuckled and answered her own question: "But if it's Jingyuan-xi, then there's definitely no problem...omo, now that you mention it, I'm really looking forward to it."
Ji Kyung-won felt that the role was very challenging, but he didn't expect that writer Choi seemed even more confident than he was.
But such enthusiasm is a good thing, at least this collaboration looks like it will go very smoothly.
"Then I'll leave this script to writer Cui."
After exchanging ideas and suggestions, the meeting was pretty much over. Chi Jingyuan looked at the other person and smiled.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't delay. I'll be able to finish a version in half a month at the latest."
Cui Lan nodded solemnly, officially accepting the job.
Although she has a TV series she's about to start filming, and she's writing the script as she goes, which is a huge workload, she's still willing to give it a try.
Moreover... even though it's not very nice to say it out loud, although she only met with Chi Jingyuan once to discuss the script, most of her interest seemed to have immediately shifted to the script with Chi Jingyuan.
Who are the leads in "The Grim Reaper"? Song Seung-heon and Go Ara. The male lead has been somewhat past his prime for several years and hasn't had any outstanding works. Judging from the cast, it doesn't seem like he'll become popular.
Looking over here, although the other actors haven't been chosen yet, but... it's Ji Kyung-won!
My first drama after "Goblin"!
Thinking about Cui Lan fills me with excitement and anticipation, and it fuels my motivation to work.
"By the way, Jingyuan-xi."
Just as Chi Jingyuan was about to say goodbye, Cui Lan stopped him. He looked up and saw that she had taken out her phone and was smiling at him: "Let's add each other's contact information. We can communicate directly if you have any thoughts."
"Ok."
Chi Jingyuan nodded and took out his phone, no problem of course.
"Also, have you thought of a name for this script? Although the script hasn't been written yet, it would be more convenient to come up with a name for now."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Chi Jingyuan paused slightly. Indeed, the script had only been a draft before. Cui Lan hadn't even given it a name after finishing it, and it certainly needed a pseudonym.
Under the expectant gaze of the other party, Chi Jingyuan considered for a moment and then said softly:
"Let's call it 'Mouse' for now."