In Los Angeles, at the KD Studio office:
"Hey, Jammy! How many times do I have to tell you not to talk on the phone during work? Are you ever going to understand?" shouted Marco, a C-Rated Director, clearly annoyed.
Jammy, who had been in the middle of a call with Max, heard the frustration in Marco's tone and looked visibly irritated. Reluctantly, he slipped his phone into his pocket after Max had abruptly ended the call. "Bastard, always yelling at me, even when there's no work to do. Just wait till I get my B-Rated Director certification. I'll show him what it's like to be senior," Jammy muttered to himself, frustrated, as he made his way over to Marco, for whom he was currently working as an assistant director.
"Check this scene. I'll be back in a bit," Director Marco said to Jammy, pointing at the computer screen, expecting him to review yesterday's shoot.
Jammy, watching Marco leave yet again, thought, What a lazy director, always passing his work onto others. With a sigh, he sat down at the computer and began going through the footage from the previous day.
"I have a feeling this movie is going to flop" Jammy mused. He had tried warning Director Marco that the script wasn't strong, but criticizing the script had only fueled Marco's stubbornness. Now, with 10% of the shooting complete, the film, titled "NEW GUEST" seemed doomed.
Jammy's thoughts drifted to Max. "Is he seriously thinking about opening a film studio? I need to talk him out of this; he doesn't realize how risky it is." Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Max, who said he was on his way to the studio.
"Isn't he moving a bit too fast? " Jammy thought, shaking his head as he finished up his work and waited outside the studio for Max.
Soon, Max arrived in his electric car, pulling up beside Jammy. "Hey, Jammy! Let's go to the café and talk," Max suggested from the car.
"Uh… after what happened last night, I think I'll walk. You go park, and I'll meet you there," Jammy said, remembering the unforgettable smell from yesterday and cringing at the thought.
Max, embarrassed, laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, man. That was totally out of my control. Just pure bad luck."
Jammy looked at him sternly. "Alright, but I'm warning you—if that hellish smell comes up again, I'm never riding with you in the car. Got it?"
"Got it, buddy," Max replied with a hint of irritation. This system really gave me the worst luck, he thought, frustrated.
"Did you say something?" asked Dolly, who was hovering nearby.
"No, no… Maybe you're just hearing things," Max replied with a forced grin. Dolly just glared at him suspiciously, clearly not buying his answer.
As they sat down at the café, Jammy got straight to the point. "Max, are you seriously going through with this plan to open a studio?"
"Yes," Max replied seriously. "And I've got only a month to get it done."
"Max, who's threatening you? Tell me their name, I swear I won't sit by and stay calm this time," Jameson burst out, his anger flaring up after hearing about the one-month deadline. He was furious because he knew what Max had been through in the past and felt a deep regret for not doing anything to help back then.
"Hey, there's no one like that! Calm down, people are watching," Max stammered, startled by Jameson's sudden outburst.
"Then what's with this one-month condition?" Jameson demanded, though his anger began to settle slightly.
"I've already lost five years of my life, and I don't want to waste any more time. That's why I'm aiming to open my studio within a month," Max replied, lying as best as he could. He wasn't ready to reveal the existence of the strange system to anyone, so he'd come up with this explanation after thinking it over carefully.
Jameson's expression softened, and he began to consider Max's words. After a moment, he said, "I get it, but why the film industry? There are so many other businesses out there."
"Yeah, I know… But this system and its weird punishment make me feel like I have no other choice "Max thought, wiping a nervous sweat.
"I've always wanted to direct movies; that's why I took courses at the Director's Guild," he clarified.
"I know that," Jameson replied, a bit sadly. "But in these five years, I've learned a lot about how tough it is for D and E-rated directors."
"Why is that?" Max asked, seeing the sadness on Jameson's face.
"Five years ago, I had dreams just like yours of opening my own studio. But reality hit hard, and here I am, working as an assistant under a C-rated director," Jameson admitted with a heavy heart.
"What reality?" Max asked, leaning forward, sensing something serious.
"Anyone can open a movie studio, but the C-rated directors suppress those rated D and E. They don't allow us to open studios, claiming only C-rated and higher directors qualify. They forced me to work under a C-rated director, telling me to wait until I earned a C-rating certificate myself. And now, after five years, I'm stuck in the same place—neither moving forward nor backward, just stuck," Jameson explained, taking a sad sip of his coffee.
"What will happen to me now?" Max was terrified after hearing Jammy's words. If he didn't open the studio within a month, who knows what punishment awaited him—maybe even death, with no hope of rebirth.
"Such a clueless human, has no idea at all," Dolly muttered, hovering in circles above Jameson's head, as if she alone was the wisest of them all.
Max heard Dolly's remark and looked at her, confused. "What do you mean, Dolly?"
"I mean there's a much easier way to open a studio, but he has no clue," Dolly said, perched on top of Jammy's head, looking at Max with a smug expression.
"Ugh... I'm getting really irritated seeing this smug doll act up... Doesn't Jammy feel anything heavy on his head with this witch doll sitting there?" Max thought, then asked Dolly, "Can you tell me how to open the studio?"
"Yes, I can, but on one condition," Dolly replied, smirking as she set her terms.
"What do I have to do?" Max already knew Dolly wouldn't help him without some sort of demand.
"My condition is that you have to call me 'My Beautiful Lady Dolly.' Once you say that, you can ask anything," Dolly said, looking satisfied and waiting for Max's response with a smirk.
"Has she lost her mind? What does she even think of herself? Acting like a witch and wants me to call her beautiful queen? Wow, the confidence she has..." Max thought in shock, barely able to believe what he was hearing from Dolly.