“Then what kind of flowers suit you?”

“Marijuana.”

Her symptoms were severe today.

“Or a pitcher plant, or Venus flytrap.”

“Those aren’t even flowers.”

“That’s right. There are no flowers in my life. Since my life is a jungle.”

“There are probably flowers in the jungle.”

I locked the waiting room door and lightly patted Lee Songha’s head.

“I thought you were getting better with those counseling sessions.”

“I think I have dissociative identity disorder. Or intermittent explosive disorder.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the proper term for multiple personality and anger management disorders. I saw it on the internet.”

“Don’t joke and have another caramel.”

It has already been a long time since filming was done, but Lee Songha still couldn’t get out of the female lead role from City Jungle. From what the counselor said, there were occasional cases where an actor became too absorbed in their role that it affected their daily lives.

From the outside, it really looked like she was possessed.

Although she was similarly absorbed in her role in previous works, she quickly turned back to normal afterward. Was her role in City Jungle particularly intense? There was a time where she flipped LJ over for touching her shoulder, and even a time when she couldn’t eat meat. Since her role was a vegetarian.

I had only been worried about the end results for the film. I didn’t think I would be worried about something like this.

“I told you to call me if there was a problem.”

“I tried to handle it on my own. I can’t keep doing that. I was planning on carrying a miniature of you since I return to reality when I’m with you. But it was too difficult to make, so I gave up.”

What a relief.

“Instead, I found a place that’ll make it for you with a 3D printer.”

“Just call me.”

“I already ordered it. They said they already finished the head.”

Lee Songha said while chewing her caramel defiantly.

“Yeah, okay, whatever.”

I guess I’ll just live with a bit of humiliation.

Lee Songha’s head slowly leaned over until she rested her forehead on my belly. Then, like a woodpecker, she hit her head repeatedly, and sometimes made noises that were either violent or pitiful. During that time, I rubbed her head like I was stroking her hair.

Then she raised her head up and smiled. It was a smile of innocence.

*

At the investment company managing City Jungle’s crowdfunding project.

Vested parties gathered for the meeting at the company founded for funding projects.

“How about we set the crowdfunding period to a week before release?”

“Since this is for marketing purposes, why don’t we set the goal low? If we don’t reach our goal, it’ll only result in unpleasant rumors. It’ll also lessen the topicality and expectations. It’ll also be embarrassing.”

“No, on the other hand, if we set the goal too low, it’ll look like we aren’t confident. It’ll look like we are trying to save ourselves. The press is watching this, so it’ll be worse than not doing it if we set the goal too low!”

I sat near the window as I looked through the files.

There were presentation slides introducing the film and investments, expectations on returns depending on viewership as well as previous crowdfunding scenarios among other things were clearly organized. They even mentioned me in the introduction of actors and staff.

Posters of competing films released around the same time were on the last page.

The list went from national blockbusters to famous Japanese animations. Our competition was no joke. Well-Made delayed the blockbuster they had originally planned and put City Jungle in its place, but there were reporters that were already saying this was a throwaway.

Well, it wasn’t completely false.

While looking through the posters, I stopped at one.

Supernatural.

Ace Distribution Company. Director Cha Jaeho. Leads Heo Kakyung and Han Seoyeon. Breakeven point at 4.2 million viewers.

It was being released at almost the same time as City Jungle. On the same week, maybe even the same day.

There were rumors that they were prepared to pour billions of won into publicity and advertisement to compete against Hollywood blockbusters.

What did I say to Director Cha Jaeho last year? That I thought it would flop terribly? I definitely remembered how he cursed me. The back of my head felt itchy.

Licking my lips, I flipped to City Jungle’s rate of return forecast in regards to investors.

Our breakeven point was 1.6 million viewers.

People could invest at least 100,000 won to at most 2,000,000 won. If we passed the breakeven point, we would get a positive rate of return, but if not, a negative one.

All that was left was deciding what to set our crowdfunding goal to.

“I’m telling you, lower is better. How about a hundred million to a hundred-fifty million?”

“And I’m saying that’ll make it seem like we aren’t confident in our end product. We need it to be 300 million won at most.”

The production company employees and producers were debating the pros and cons.

I tapped my notebook with the tip of my pen before saying,

“Can’t we just decide after we’ve had our internal screening for the final product?”

The mood became strange. The expressions of the general manager from Well-Made Pictures, who argued for a smaller goal, SBE Film’s CEO, who argued for a larger goal, and Forest’s CEO, who was busy playing both sides, turned complicated.

Well-Made’s general manager said,

“I’m asking because you brought it up, but how did you like the draft version?

“Drafts are just drafts. We need to decide after seeing the final product. Our director is working hard editing the film.”

“While we call it a draft, it’s what we’re submitting to the Cannes Film Festival. You can consider it as the final version.”

Everyone’s expression looked like they were just remembering that point.

We were going to submit an edited version of City Jungle to Cannes Film Festival. While there were some who held hopes it would advance, another goal was to use that it was submitted to an international film festival as a way to promote it in the country.

Either way, Director Oh Hyunkyung took a break in the real world before going back to increase the film’s polish. Staff who took a glance inside were astonished, saying that Director Oh Hyunkyung had been bitten by the editing bug.

SBE Film’s CEO looked at me.

“I think it’ll do well in the film festival, don’t you?”

“I believe we might have a chance to go to France if we’re lucky.”

SBE Film’s CEO stealthily rubbed his chest as though my words calmed his nerves. Although I changed the future and could no longer be certain of the results, I was sure that it was a film that would do well at film festivals.

Well-Made’s general manager licked his lips.

“Film festivals are good and all, but our box office performance is also important. The film is good. It is. But I thought this since reading the scenario and watching the draft, but it definitely lacks commercial value.”

“We need to release it to know for sure. Last year, ’17 Days with You’ expected only a million viewers due to lack of commercial value after their internal screening, but in the end, they hit 2.5 million viewers.”

“There are more cases where that isn’t the case. To be honest, we aren’t really interested in large profits and hope that we can at least hit the breakeven point. Aren’t we going to use all the money gathered through crowdfunding directly to marketing?”

“Are you saying you want us to spend less money on marketing?”

“That’s not it. If our crowdfunding goal is too large and our viewership numbers are lukewarm, the dividends…”

“That’s why…!”

And things became loud once more.

Not long after the meeting, we held an internal screening with vested parties.

That night, we decided to set the goal to 300 million won.

*

“Team Leader Jung, did you put on makeup because you’re going to be filmed?”

“You did, you did. It looks like you also trimmed your brows?”

Those people.

When I turned around, the people stuck to my door acted like they were doing something else.

“You’re going to interfere with the audio, so please leave. Also, I didn’t touch my brows.”

“Now, let’s quiet down so that we don’t interfere with the audio!”

They had no thoughts on leaving and simply shut their mouths. I looked at the Team 3 Leader, Kim Hyunjo, and Chief Lee Bongjoon at the front before simply shaking my head. The director fixing the white balance on the camera chuckled.

“Shall we begin?”

I coughed and cleared my throat at the director’s question.

This was a promotional video for City Jungle’s crowdfunding event. Other actors, including Nam Joyoon and Lee Songha, had already filmed their part during filming, and I was the last. We planned on sending it out to the press and putting up on our crowdfunding webpage once it has been edited.

We already began sending out press releases. We pour out all we could for a press conference and events to publicize and advertise the film. We had already started promoting it as well. The public’s reactions were growing heated as though they had been waiting for this.

Of course, because most the attention is on crowdfunding, marketing employees were paying particular attention to this.

While I was reciting the words I had prepared in front of the camera, the PR Team’s female employee squeezed in through the door.

“Wait!

She looked agitated.

“Tema leader! Please stop filming for a moment! Su-Supernatural! Our competition!”

“What about it?”

“They decided to start crowdfunding too!”

What?

“Articles are being published as we speak! Their goal is 800 million won.”