Bubble

8. An Angel

Ideas nowadays seemed to be separated into two different categories: copycats and bland. At least that was how Minho felt, watching the scripts on the table in front of him being placed into two different stacks that would ultimately share a home in the garbage can. Flipping open the one in front of him, Minho saw that this one would land in the bland stack. It followed the same predictable writing arch. Woman met man she found attractive. They would eventually face some sort of event that would thrust them together before another event would pull them apart. In the end, they would end up happily ever after together. He knew that this storyline was fuzzy and feel good, but there wasn't an ounce of originality in it. No marketability either. He slid it towards the bland stack as it was added to the top.

The copycat stack was reserved for the reboot pitches. This stack wasn't as large as normal, but it was probably because they had gone through a lot of them the last few roundtables. It was also because there was a fifty-fifty chance that those pitches would get a green light. With a lack of original ideas, they tended to go for ideas that were tried, true, and already had a fanbase. Even if it didn't have as much success as the original, it still had a chance of landing on its feet and landing their books in the green verses the red.

After an hour, Mr. Ahn — who sat at the head of the table — released a sigh, thanking all that were gathered for their valuable input before dismissing them for the day. Minho got up as the others began filtering out of the room.

"Mr. Lee, do you have a second?"

"Of course, sir. What did you need?"

"I was just wondering...Did I happen to see you taking the reboot script for 'Bubble' with you the other day?" asked Mr. Ahn as Minho nodded. "Did you end up having someone in mind for a head writer?"

"Yes."

"Are they biting?"

"Not yet."

Ahn Ilsung had joined the Starbright Entertainment Company a few weeks after the decision had been made to release Bonita from the internship program. Minho was hopeful that he would be smart enough to see the talent that Bonita possessed and that the original executives — who still hid about the company like wealthy ghosts, refusing to pass on — would not dare to interfere.

"I appreciate you for trying to find a suitable writer," said Mr. Ahn, "but did you ever think about trying to write it?"

"Me?"

Mr. Ahn smirked, nodding his head.

"Yes, you."

"I don't think this is the right project for me to be in charge of," Minho said. "When I get the greenlight on my writing, I want it to be something I'm passionate about. With 'Bubble', there is someone I have in mind that is more passionate about it."

"We need more writers like you," said Mr. Ahn with a sigh. "We need writers that are more interested in the quality of the product than getting their own name out there."

"Thank you, sir."

"I hope that someday we're seeing your script on this table though."

Like any writer would, Minho appreciated the sentiment, nodding his head as he moved to leave the room and walk back to his office. He wasn't ready for his script to see the light of day yet but was hoping that one day soon he would feel confident enough to share it. Right now though he had a more pressing matter to deal with, that pressing matter being the man still sitting in his office. Reaching out a hand, Minho opened the door to his office, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

"Are you crying?"

Looking up from where he was seated in the corner, Bang Chan's eyes were a bit red, some tears having frozen in their tracks down his face as he held a script in his hands. Shutting the office door, Minho walked over to him and yanked the script from his hand to look at what he was reading. When he saw the title of the project on the cover sheet, his face darkened.