Chapter 1293: The Chaser

Zhao Fusheng never expected that before he could even announce the acquisition of SM Entertainment, the company itself had already released a public statement.

Although Future Group was not named, this news alone, combined with recent stock market fluctuations, was enough.

"What do we do?"

Liang Jingyu looked at Zhao Fusheng, clearly waiting for his answer.

At a time like this, it was naturally up to the boss, Zhao Fusheng, to make the call.

Zhao Fusheng's face was expressionless. He was silent for a long time, then, under everyone's gaze, he chuckled. "Since that's the case, let's play along."

Huh?

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, completely puzzled. In their minds, they couldn't understand why Zhao Fusheng would make such a decision. Didn't he know that SM Entertainment was clearly playing a game of borrowing a chicken to lay eggs?

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and explained, "They've set the stage; we have to cooperate. Besides, if their stock price rises, we won't lose money."

Everyone was taken aback, then remembered that, as Zhao Fusheng said, the SM Entertainment shares the company had acquired would surely rise amid this turmoil.

The real reason for their frustration was probably that they had been so confident about entering the Korean market, only to be played for fools.

That's how people are—often disappointed not because things didn't succeed, but because things didn't go as they had imagined.

"Let's do it this way. We'll also release a statement," Zhao Fusheng said to Liang Jingyu. As the general manager of the Korean branch, it was naturally his responsibility.

Liang Jingyu nodded in agreement and immediately left with his team to handle the matter.

Dong Chenxi stayed behind. After everyone else had left, she looked at Zhao Fusheng. "I have a feeling this isn't as simple as you make it sound."

Having known Zhao Fusheng the longest, she understood his personality well. If things were really as he said, he wouldn't be reacting this way.

Hearing Dong Chenxi's words, Zhao Fusheng smiled. "You really know me."

Then he sighed and said to her, "This time, things might be a bit tricky."

"You mean SM's move puts us in a passive position?" Dong Chenxi furrowed her brows and asked.

In her understanding, that was the only meaning behind Zhao Fusheng's words.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "Originally, I planned to use this to make a name for ourselves and let everyone in the Korean film and TV industry know us. But now, Li Soo-man, that old fox, has pulled a stunt that makes others think we're SM's allies."

Dong Chenxi immediately grasped the implication of Zhao Fusheng's words, and her expression turned grim.

The logic was simple—it all came down to the issue of identity and trust.

Businessmen aren't fools; every one of them is sharp as a tack. Although Zhao Fusheng looked down on Koreans, he knew that the bosses who held a place in the Korean entertainment industry were no idiots.

The outside world was well aware of SM's current situation. In other words, insiders would instinctively assume that this statement was the work of Li Soo-man or Kim Young-min.

What did that mean?

It meant that the situation Zhao Fusheng had painstakingly built was completely destroyed in one fell swoop.

The best course of action now was for Zhao Fusheng to come up with a solution quickly. Otherwise, if things continued like this, his original plans would have to be revised.

"Do you think it was Kim Young-min or Li Soo-man?" Dong Chenxi furrowed her brows and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Clearly, there was an invisible hand behind all this; otherwise, the newspaper report wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled. "Who it is doesn't really matter, but I'm ninety percent sure it's Li Soo-man."

Li Soo-man?

Dong Chenxi frowned but shook her head. "I don't think so. Kim Young-min just became the representative director and urgently needs allies. Leaking the news of our stock acquisition would strengthen the shareholders' trust in him. Li Soo-man has no reason to do this."

Clearly, in her view, Li Soo-man had no need for such a move.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. "The hardest thing in the world is communication between people. I'm sure that neither Li Soo-man nor Kim Young-min knew our true intentions before. So they wouldn't have had any ulterior motives, because from their perspective, we might be the other's people."

"But you have to understand, people pursue different things and act in different ways, so the outcomes naturally differ."

Dong Chenxi nodded. She understood this logic.

"Whoever it is, since they've made a move, we have to respond," Zhao Fusheng said solemnly. "After Liang Jingyu releases the statement, have him immediately select three of those twenty scripts to invest in. Since they think we're just rich fools, let's show them some muscle."

"No problem," Dong Chenxi agreed, then shook her head. "But I think you should pick the scripts yourself, since you're the professional. Honestly, if the people Liang Jingyu hired were really that good, they wouldn't have been idle and ended up recruited by him."

As the former general manager of Future Film, Dong Chenxi was skeptical of the abilities of these Korean filmmakers.

After all, Korean cinema at this time didn't have many standout hits. A film like "Taegukgi" and "Shiri" could be talked about for over a decade, which made Dong Chenxi, as a fellow professional, quite embarrassed.

Zhao Fusheng thought about it and felt Dong Chenxi was right. If he chose the scripts himself, he might discover some films that left a good impression on him.

After all, the rise of Korean cinema had only happened in recent years.

"Alright, I'll handle the selection," Zhao Fusheng nodded to Dong Chenxi.

...

...

Dong Chenxi acted quickly. The next day, she had the scripts delivered.

Zhao Fusheng sat there, reading for a long time, and then his expression turned interesting.

The reason was simple: among the pile of scripts, he actually found two good ones.

"The Chaser" and "200 Pounds Beauty."

One script was by Na Hong-jin, the other by Kim Yong-hwa.

"Interesting." Looking at these two scripts, Zhao Fusheng was quite pleased. "The Chaser" was a thriller about a former police officer and a serial killer. "200 Pounds Beauty" was a comedy, naturally about an ugly girl and a beautiful one.

Zhao Fusheng had no particular thoughts about "200 Pounds Beauty"; he would just invest and let Kim Yong-hwa direct it. The box office was sure to be good.

What really interested him was Na Hong-jin's "The Chaser."

The story was based on the real case of Yoo Young-chul, the most brutal serial killer in Korean history. It told the gripping tale of the protagonist, Yeong-min, and the only chaser, Joong-ho, who pursued him to save a woman.

After retiring from the police force, Joong-ho became the owner of a massage parlor, thinking he had left the violent life behind. But an even bigger trouble than he faced in the police force came knocking. Female masseuses had been disappearing frequently, not just quitting, and the suspicious circumstances caught Joong-ho's attention. After investigating, he found that all the missing women had called a certain client before leaving. The last woman to leave after receiving a call from the same number was Mi-jin. Unfortunately, by the time Joong-ho noticed the anomaly, he could no longer contact Mi-jin.

During his search, Joong-ho encountered a man covered in blood. His years of detective instinct told him this was the serial kidnapper, and he began the chase. At the police station, the suspect Yeong-min, under interrogation, joked that he had killed all the female masseuses. The nature of the case shocked all the detectives. As they frantically searched for the missing women, Yeong-min smiled and told them the last victim was still alive. Unable to find solid evidence to convict Yeong-min, they had to release him temporarily. Everyone engaged in a battle with this cold and cunning criminal. The detectives focused on finding evidence for a conviction, while Joong-ho vowed to save Mi-jin.

The plot of the film was not particularly complex, but what Zhao Fusheng valued was the real-world issues it reflected.

In Korean society, civilian terror incidents were rampant. Robberies, kidnappings, serial murders—these violent crimes increasingly threatened the interests of ordinary citizens. In a contemporary society where individualism and egoism flourished, people's moral standards kept declining.

Criminals disregarded the sanctity of life and recklessly challenged social order.

"The Chaser" depicted a brutal serial murder case from the perspective of an ordinary man who fought to defend the dignity of life and save a victim at all costs. The two sides were Chi Yeong-min, a murderous madman targeting masseuses, and Eom Joong-ho, a former police officer who resigned due to corruption in the force and later ran a massage parlor.

Eom Joong-ho, who could not see 'justice' or 'goodness' in this society, became the only one who could save the possible survivor, Mi-jin. Through Joong-ho's relentless pursuit, the film hoped to make the audience reflect on a society caught in the vortex of egoism and raise the serious issue of 'respect for life.'

In Zhao Fusheng's view, this film had too many highlights. Perhaps it was an opportunity for him.