Chapter 48: Fate is Gathering (1)
I was greeted with good news when I returned to the company after receiving a call from Lee Dong-Min.
"Mr. Lee. Is it true that Wheelies is sponsoring shoes for us?"
"Yes, I just got the call."
Apparently, the white casual shoes Cherry Blossom wore on stage became a hot topic on social media after making it to the trending live searches. Thanks to that, Wheelies, the manufacturer of those shoes, offered a sponsorship.
"They said they can send it over right now via express delivery as soon as the order is placed. So make sure you call them first thing tomorrow morning and receive them."
"Yes, sir."
Han Myung-Ho happily received the contact details from Lee Dong-Min.
Sponsorships were usually requested by agencies. No matter how many proposals agencies throw around and how they bribe the advertising companies, the success rate was less than 10%. Of course, the treatment was different for popular celebrities, where the advertising companies would be the ones to beg for a sponsorship contract. Hence, Wheelies making the first move to reach out to us was a good sign.
"It's a pity it's not an ad offer, but still, it's something. Oh, also ask for several pairs in different colors for the girls' outfits. Make sure to receive them properly."
‘Yes. We should definitely take whatever we can while we are offered.’
Han Myung-Ho nodded continuously, but I felt a bit disappointed. If Cherry Blossom were a little bit more popular, we might have even gotten an ad offer along with this sponsorship opportunity.
"But Yoon-Ho, where did you get those shoes from?"
"Wait, you didn't buy them with your own money, did you?"
Lee Dong-Min and Han Myung-Ho finally asked about the origins of the shoes.
"They were in the storeroom."
"What?"
I had taken the shoes from the company's storeroom, which had been collecting dust. I couldn't afford to buy expensive shoes that cost 100,000 won per pair with my own money.
"I got permission from Deputy Choi to get them from the storeroom. They were originally sponsored for Golden Road, but they didn't want to wear them. He just told me to sign the paperwork and take them."
"Haha, Golden Road rejected the luck that came their way."
"That's how it seems."
Realizing they had one-upped the competitive Division 1, both Lee Dong-Min and Han Myung-Ho’s expressions brightened.
That was when Lee Dong-Min brought up the topic of Cherry Blossom's new song with a serious expression.
"Oh, by the way, Yoon-Ho. I'm going to personally produce Cherry Blossom's new song. Keep that in mind."
Han Myung-Ho looked surprised. "Wait. You are producing the song yourself, Mr. Lee?"
"Yes."
Lee Dong-Min had not been producing songs for a while, but his producing ability was still among the top in Korea. Having Lee Dong-Min produce a song for Cherry Blossom would mean that the chances of their next song being a hit were extremely high. After all, the completeness of a song depended on the producer.
"Mr. Lee, do you mind if I ask if you have any composers in mind?"
Lee Dong-Min chuckled. "Why? Do you have someone in mind?"
"N-no, not really...I was just curious about the level of experience of the composers you are considering."
"I'm thinking of meeting top-tier, S-grade composers I know in person. I won't scrimp on the expenses for the song fee."
The fee for S-grade composers averaged around 20 million won but Lee Dong-Min seemed determined to pay even more if necessary, of course, below a few hundred million won.
"I don’t feel too pressured since it’s just one song and not an entire album. We'll choose something good among various songs."
"What if you like all the songs?" Han Myung-Ho joked.
"Then we'll buy them all."
Lee Dong-Min, who had always been passive in his work, was showing a change. If we could get an S-grade composer, it would be half the battle won. I was excited to see which song would match the blockbuster hit in my memory.
"So, that's settled then. Team Lead Han and Yoon-Ho, I'm counting on you guys."
"Yes, sir!"
"Leave it to us, Mr. Lee!"
Spring seemed to have arrived for Cherry Blossom, marking the start of a new dawn where their talents would be on full display for all their fans.
***
Before heading to Actor Division 2, I heard from Lee Dong-Min about a fight between Gu Seong-Cheol and Kim Dong-Soo. Although I did not know the reason for the fight, I instinctively checked my planner when I heard it concerned Ju Yung-In.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: April 1, 2020]
-10:00 PM <Deleted Schedule>
(Deleted Schedule: SBC <Blue Sky> Monitoring. Starting rating: 7.5%.)
'So Ju Yung-In got the lead role.'
But I wasn’t surprised because this was as expected. Given Ju Yung-In's recent recognition and acting skills, it was easy for her to outshine the originally cast newbie actress, Choi Yeon-Ah, for the role of Kim Sky.
However, I still couldn't figure out why the two chiefs had fought over this.
Curious, I headed to Actor Division 2.
Ding-dong.
I arrived at the office on the fourth floor. It was 11 PM but the lights were still on. Gu Seong-Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu sat in a corner of the office, both looking utterly exhausted.
"Ah, Yoon-Ho is here."
"Good work today."
Gu Seong-Cheol greeted me with a wave. "Star Jung. I heard you did a great job today."
"I was just lucky."
Gu Seong-Cheol chuckled. "Well, repeated luck seems to point to skills and expertise. But you're not planning to move to the Singer Division 2, are you?"
"Come on, Mr. Gu. I am forever a part of Actor Division 2."
"Really? Are you sure about that?"
I held out my finger at his doubtful tone. "Do you want me to write a blood oath?"
As I joked, Gu Seong-Cheol nodded and responded. "Team Lead Oh, hang on to Yoon-Ho. He says he'll write a blood oath. I'll bring the knife."
"Yes, Mr. Gu."
Oh Duk-Gu playfully wrapped his arm around my shoulder, but soon stopped the joke and cleared his throat when I didn’t show much reaction.
"Ah, you’re so boring. Anyway, did you hear about Ju Yung-In getting the lead role?"
"I did."
"And the fight between Chief Kim and me?"
"Yes. Mr. Lee told me."
As I asked what happened, Gu Seong-Cheol began to explain with a bitter smile. "Actually, Chief Kim was giving a phone interview to the Bangbang News this afternoon and he called Yoo-Jin a 'push-in' actress, so we had a fight."
"Push-in?"
'Push-in' referred to a less talented actor who was cast as a favor by the production company in gratitude for getting a talented actor they desired.
"Wow, that's just unbelievable."
As I raised my voice, Gu Seong-Cheol calmed me down. "Well, at least they know Yoo-Jin auditioned first and Ju Yung-In applied later. Don't worry too much about it."
It seemed I might need to win over a few entertainment reporters. If Kim Dong-Soo decided to use the media as part of his underhanded tactics, I needed to be prepared as well.
"But it's not all bad news. Yoo-Jin shot the Burger Queen CF, right?"
"Yes, she did."
"Let's hope the ad will be a hit. Then Yoo-Jin will be even more recognized. Right, Team Lead Oh?"
"Yes, that's right, Mr. Gu!"
Both Gu Seong-Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu tried to maintain a bright facade, hiding their irritation. However, this opened up an opportunity for me to easily bring up the topic of recruiting Lee Tae-Poong. I cautiously broached the subject with the two who were trying to smile through the awkwardness.
"Mr. Gu, have you considered giving Kim Dong-Soo a taste of his own medicine?" I asked.
Their expressions brightened as if they had been waiting for such a suggestion. "Do you have a good idea, Yoon-Ho?"
“What is it? Tell us!”
Curiosity was evident on their faces.
***
Last year, after the third-ranking Stepping Stone Entertainment and fourth-ranking Louis Entertainment went bankrupt, every entertainment company was vying to sign their celebrities. Of course, our Actor Division 2 had also been making attempts to recruit these celebrities and had created a recruitment list. I suggested adding one more name to that list: Lee Tae-Poong.
“Lee Tae-Poong?” Gu Seong-Cheol tilted his head in thought before nodding as he remembered. “The guy from Beautiful Farewell?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
Lee Tae-Poong, who debuted in high school through street casting, quickly rose to stardom with his sculpted looks. However, his acting skills were severely lacking and earned him the nickname ‘Lacking David’—implying he was as good-looking as the David statue but had no substance. His good looks had sustained him through commercials, but even those had dwindled over the past year.
As expected, Gu Seong-Cheol reacted negatively. “But he's got nothing. Bad acting, poor vocalization, poor everything. He’s just a good-looking face who has already hit rock bottom as an actor. Why would we recruit him?”
Oh Duk-Gu chimed in. “Mr. Gu is right. He used to appear in many ads for a while, but he’s not getting any these days due to image overuse.”
In the entertainment industry, one could easily become indifferent to good looks because everyone was pretty or handsome. A statue was merely decorative in this industry.
‘But what if someone took interest in this decorative piece?’
That could create value where there was none.
“Kim Dong-Soo is eyeing Lee Tae-Poong,” I revealed.
At that moment, Gu Seong Cheol and Oh Deuk-Gu’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Are you sure?”
In my future planner, there was an entry about Kim Dong-Soo meeting Lee Tae-Poong for recruitment.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: January 14, 2020]
-01:00 PM Cheongdam-dong H Villa, Lee Tae-Poong recruitment meeting.
“Yes, I’m certain.”
“Hmm...”
The fact that Kim Dong-Soo, who was known for his keen sense for profitable ventures, had his eye on Lee Tae-Poong grabbed Gu Seong Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu’s attention because this meant there was something they were unaware of.
Gu Seong-Cheol pondered for a moment but soon shook his head. “Still, I'm against it.”
“Huh? But why?”
“Yoon-Ho, I don't want to follow in Kim Dong-Soo's footsteps. He has a keen eye for money, but I don’t. What will we do after bringing in a ruined actor? We might not have the means to revive his acting career.”
Gu Seong-Cheol was concerned with how to revive an actor with a severely damaged image and who was lacking in his acting skills.
But I knew exactly what problem Lee Tae-Poong had—and I knew how to resolve it.
***
Lee Tae-Poong's issue was dyslexia, which made reading scripts extremely challenging for him. However, in my past life, he overcame his dyslexia and displayed remarkable acting skills with my help.
Despite having this knowledge, I couldn't disclose Lee Tae-Poong's condition to just anyone for the time being because it was a major insecurity for him, considering how long he had kept his condition hidden.
After some thought, I decided to lie to convince Gu Seong-Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu without exposing Lee Tae-Poong's actual condition.
"Not many people know this about Lee Tae-Poong, but as far as I've heard, he has something akin to camera shyness," I explained.
"Camera shyness?" they echoed.
"Yes. As you know, camera shyness can easily be overcome. Plus, I'm confident I can persuade him. Just leave it to me."
"An actor with camera shyness, huh..."
"That does make some sense. His acting always seemed a bit awkward."
Finally, the two nodded, seemingly convinced by my explanation. They were probably thinking that if I was right about Lee Tae-Poong, recruiting him could be worth a try.
"This is tricky. But still...moving ahead with a contract without confirmation is a risk.”
Of course, it was a challenging task. That’s why I needed to take an active role in making it happen. It was a deal that wouldn't be possible under normal circumstances.
"How about proposing a short-term contract, and if certain conditions are met, we would automatically extend it to a long-term contract?" I suggested.
Gu Seong-Cheol listened attentively as if my proposal seemed plausible. "Let's think it over and come to a decision tomorrow morning. It's a bit complicated since we're not just bringing in an actor but a talent agent as well. It might not be easy."
My suggestion to bring in Lee Tae-Poong's talent agent made them hesitant to give a firm answer on the spot.
"I understand.”
But I was sure they would be convinced.
‘How could they not be? If 'Lacking David' turned into 'Brilliant David', wouldn't it be akin to getting a free pass to an expedited journey to stardom?’
***
The next morning, I checked the schedule for Blue Sky's first script reading which was to take place the day after tomorrow.
Yoo-Jin was focused on the script despite knowing that Ju Yung-In had secured the lead role. I gave her a thumbs up, admiring her dedication to doing her part well. Then, I approached Miso, who was lying on the floor while kicking her feet and coloring.
This time, she was coloring the gingerbread house from "Hansel and Gretel." However, the colors she used for the candies were not something humans would typically eat.
‘Does she not have enough crayons?’
I wondered if she was short on crayons, but a quick glance showed all 36 colors were present.
'Oh. I guess she’s just a creative spirit.'
Nonetheless, I kept my honest thoughts to myself and praised her coloring. "Wow, Miso. You color so well."
Miso lifted her head and smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah, you're the best six-year-old artist I've ever seen! Miso is the best!"
Miso beamed with joy. "Hehe. I’m seven years old now."
She wriggled her fingers, showing seven to emphasize her age.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot."
"And next year, I'm going to school!"
"Already? Wow!"
"Yes!"
Miso’s face brightened even more. Looking at Miso’s smile, I suddenly remembered her previous dilemma about a love triangle with two boys from her kindergarten.
Thinking that I should give her the answer I had been mulling over, I slowly opened my mouth.
"Miso, about what you mentioned before... ah."
No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one answer to her question about love.
‘She’s too young to be thinking about love!’
I was about to give my well-considered advice that it was too early for her to think about love and that I would personally intervene if those boys mentioned anything like that again. But before I could say anything, she interrupted me.
"Oh, that? It's okay now."
Miso quickly turned her head away, saying she didn't need an answer anymore.
‘What? Why? What happened, Miso?’
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