"Ah, hello. I called to report a copyright infringement."
"Of course. If you could just tell me the details."
"Yes!"
I introduced my name and situation over the phone.
I couldn't check his expression, but his emphatic tone suggests that I have finally found someone willing to listen.
"I see. It must be hard on you. So, Mr.Duho. Who is this person?"
"Gu Gyuri."
"... Yes?"
"Gu Gyuri, she's the… the best writer of the year."
I feel disgusted even to say that thing is a writer.
But I endured because I thought it would be easier for him to recognize that bitch this way.
I waited expectantly for an answer, but–
"Hello?"
Silence.
I looked at the phone, but I tilted my head when I saw that the call was still ongoing.
"Haa…"
Then, a sigh.
"Look. I'm not sure why you would slander that person, but please stop with the prank call."
"Slander? Prank call? What are you talking about?"
"Then what is this? Are you seriously saying that someone like Gu Gyuri would steal your work?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying."
"Does that make sense? I would rather believe that the sun had risen from the west, than to believe a saint like her would do such a thing."
A saint.
He's joking, right?
"Anyway, I will warn you just this once. Please stop with the prank call. We get that a lot these days, but I won't take action against you since it seems like this is the first time you did such a thing."
"No wait, I'm not lying. Please believe me."
"Then prove it."
"Proof…"
"What? Are you accusing someone without proof? Then this conversation is over."
"Wait! I'll prove it. I hid voice recordings of her claiming to be stealing my– Huh? Hello?"
The call suddenly got cut.
I tried to call several times, but no answer came back.
"What…?"
I looked at my phone, dumbfounded.
This was not the first number I called. But everyone had just pretended to listen or ignored me in the end, like this guy.
I understand they might be suspicious of me, but it never went through, even when I tried to explain.
"The heck is this?"
Surely, it's not that the law no longer works in this country, right?
If a phone call didn't work, maybe I can go directly and…
"No… it wouldn't work."
Even if someone listened to me, if there are people like this inside, then what I said might as well be buried or postponed for good.
"As I thought, I need power."
If the law no longer listens to the weak and only bends to the strong, then I just need to be someone strong.
Alternatively, I could use another method, such as raising public awareness of Gu Gyuri's wickedness. But that, too, needs power of a different kind. And I'm not someone famous who can move public opinion at this time, even if I spend all my time shouting to the void.
"I can't help it."
I swallowed my bitterness and walked towards home.
But then, I saw a K-drama being broadcast on TV inside a small shop.
One of the many dramas I produced while working as an assistant for Gu Gyuri for two years. And also the final one
K-dramas usually air two episodes per week. What's currently showing on screen is the second of a 16-episode drama.
A short intro was playing. But unlike the catchy music, which was supposed to make anyone feel good, my mood soured when the text was shown on the screen.
[Author: Gu Gyuri].
"Fuck…"
I gritted my teeth and continued to walk.
Someone who doesn't know might think that I was overreacting. They might even wonder, what's so important about credit? Even more so for authors.
After all, don't people only remember the actors rather than the production staff involved in creating a drama?
That's not entirely wrong, but for an artist, recognition and fame are no different than their livelihood. The more famous you are, the more people will trust you.
That also means it's more likely that people will want to hire you, produce your work, invest in it, promote it, and basically do everything they can to help your work become a success.
Why?
Because they want a piece of that success and because it's less risky to invest all of that money, time, and effort in a famous author who has produced many good works than in a nobody of equal skill.
There's value in having your name put on screen as the author, even more so for a drama. In a drama, the script is the most important factor contributing to its success.
It's so important that there's even a famous saying in the industry:
For a movie, it's the director.
For an opera, it's the actor.
And for a drama, it's the author.
It's one thing if my work, which aired just now, were a blockbuster movie with a lot of action. But since it's a drama, the author's value is even higher than that of a director.
So, having such a valuable piece of work stolen from me was not something I would ever forgive.
"Damn it."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes.
Calm down. This is not the end of the world.
She can laugh at me all she wants.
But only for now.
Because when the time comes for me to bite, I will be the one who laughs in the end.