Chapter 70: On Set (2)
Lee Sa-Rang held Yoo-Jin's hands, continuously showering her with praise.
"I didn't know my daughter could act so well. I'm impressed as a mother."
Such compliments from a renowned actress like Lee Sa-Rang were a big deal. Reporters would love to write articles about this if they had seen it.
'What a missed opportunity.'
Yoo-Jin blushed and smiled shyly, overwhelmed by praises from such a distinguished sunbae.
"No, not at all. I just improvised because I couldn't quite get the feel. And even now, I'm not sure what I did."
Lee Sa-Rang smiled. "Do you know how demanding Mr. Kang can be? But look at his expression right now."
She pointed toward Director Kang Soo-Hoon and the assistant directors, who were joking and laughing.
"See? You did great. I really mean it."
Yoo-Jin held Lee Sa-Rang's hands firmly to show her gratitude. "Thank you. It's all thanks to your great lead."
"Acting becomes really fun when there's good chemistry between the actors, don’t you think?"
"It really does. I had lots of fun too."
"Anyway, my acting only became really good after a long time. Let's keep up the good work, okay?"
Yoo-Jin's ears turned red, from the unexpected high praises that she received.
"But what do you think of when you act?"
"I just think...what would Twilight do in this situation? That’s all."
"Is that so? Is this a method that you thought of? Or did someone teach you to do this?"
I shrugged when Yoo-Jin glanced at me. All I had advised was to immerse herself in the role. It had been over four months since her last acting lesson, so today's stellar performance was entirely a result of Yoo-Jin's own interpretation of the script and decision-making.
"Mr. Jung, I see that you have been a great help to Yoo-Jin."
"Not at all, Mrs. Lee."
Lee Sa-Rang grinned. "By the way, I've heard a lot about you recently, Mr. Jung. Do you have some kind of sixth sense or something? Don't even try to deny it. Ms. Kim Soll-Ip already told me everything about how you tried to build rapport and land Yoo-Jin this drama before it even started."
The idea of having a 'sixth sense' in the entertainment industry wasn't unusual. Those with a ‘sixth sense’ were often known to have good intuition and could predict things such as who would be successful.
I awkwardly cleared my throat. After all, I didn’t have a ‘sixth sense’ or good intuition—I simply knew the future because I had traveled back in time.
Regardless, it seemed Kim Soll-Ip and Lee Sa-Rang were closer than I thought, given that Kim Soll-Ip had shared that much information with the latter.
"No, nothing like that. Oh, would you like some coffee, Mrs. Lee?"
Lee Sa-Rang's laughter deepened when I quickly changed the subject. "Coffee sounds good in this chilly weather. Can you recommend a future drama for me with your special talent? I'll pay well for it."
I kept my mouth shut tightly and poured coffee into a cup.
Lee Sa-Rang teased me as she took the coffee. "Hmm? Are you charging me high rates because we're not from the same company? If this drama becomes a big success, I might consider moving to your agency. So treat me well."
‘That would be perfect.’
I knew all of Lee Sa-Rang’s successful and unsuccessful roles from my past life like the back of my hand. If she were to join Hoop Entertainment, I could manage her career with a near-perfect track record for at least a decade.
Just then, Lee Sa-Rang’s eyes widened when she took a sip of my coffee. "What's this? It's really good. Mr. Jung, do you want to work with me starting right now? I'll meet any condition you want. What do you think?"
At that moment, Yoo-Jin stepped in front of me and blocked Lee Sa-Rang. "No! If he goes somewhere else, I'll be in big trouble!"
Lee Sa-Rang burst into loud laughter. “Haha. I’m just kidding, just kidding! You're so serious~."
"Ah, no, I-I didn’t mean...”
As Lee Sa-Rang gave her a playful glare, Yoo-Jin’s face turned even redder with embarrassment.
***
The morning meeting in the Actor Division 2 had started. Today’s atmosphere was unusually warm and cheerful, unlike most days, perhaps because Lee Sa-Rang's recent interviews praising Yoo-Jin had stirred quite a buzz.
[Blue Sky’s Veteran Actress Lee Sa-Rang: “Jung Yoo-Jin is a talent who will surpass me one day.”]
[Esteemed Supporting Actress Lee Sa-Rang Praises Rookie Jung Yoo-Jin’s Acting!]
[From Burger Queen’s Burger Maiden to Actress: Jung Yoo-Jin Is the Name to Remember.]
"Haha! Should we send a ginseng set[1] to Mrs. Lee Sa-Rang?"
I scratched my head and responded to Gu Seong-Cheol. "I've already bought a ginseng set. I'm planning to give it to her talent agent at the set today."
"Good job. You really got this."
I shared how much Lee Sa-Rang seemed to care for Yoo-Jin on the set.
In response, Gu Seong-Cheol shared some valuable advice. "In the entertainment industry, it's important to cherish such connections. Though celebrities live off public attention, relationships among fellow actors cannot be ignored."
"I'll keep that in mind, sir."
"Oh, and submit the receipt. Why would you use your own money to buy the ginseng set? It should be paid for by the company."
"Then, can I submit it today?"
"That’s exactly what I’m telling you to do."
Saving 200 thousand won felt great. As I grinned, everyone else chuckled, understanding my relief.
That was when the door burst open and Team Lead Seong Min-Suk from the publicity division rushed in.
"Mr. Gu! Oh, Mr. Jung is here too?"
"What's up?"
"We've got an advertising offer for Miss Yoo-Jin."
"Well, we’ve been getting lots of ad inquiries for Yoo-Jin recently. What's the big deal about this one?"
"This one's pretty big."
"Which company?"
"It’s HK Apparel's new brand launch campaign."
"What? HK Apparel?"
The entire Actor Division 2 began to buzz with excitement. HK Apparel was the top clothing company with over 1 trillion won in annual sales. It was also a part of the HK Group which ranked 12th among conglomerates. An advertising inquiry from a big corporation was always special news, but one from HK Apparel was exceptional.
Gu Seong-Cheol asked eagerly about the advertising fee with a nervous expression.
"They offered 200 million won for a year."
Gu Seong-Cheol stood up in shock. "What? 200 million won?"
It was an unusually large fee for a rookie actress, especially before the drama had even aired. While Yoo-Jin had previously landed a lucrative deal with Burger Queen, that was only an exceptional case due to the opponent’s desperate circumstances.
Compared to that, an apparel ad—along with liquor, beverages, mobile phones, and cars ads—was a prized opportunity that only the top celebrities could dream of. Being considered for this ad was no mean feat. This was perfect evidence that Yoo-Jin was being recognized as one of the top celebrities in the industry.
"Ha ha ha. What a pleasant surprise to start the day!"
The room was filled with lively laughter. However, I couldn’t join in. If my memory served me well, a man named Hong Sung-Beom would have been appointed as the executive director of HK Apparel around this time.
The rich playboy Hong Sung-Beom, the fourth son of HK Group's founder, was known for having a habit of hunting rookie actresses.
I was the only one frowning, prompting Seong Min-Suk to ask. "Why that look? Is something wrong?"
"Mr. Sung, did the ad offer come from HK Apparel's PR department or the secretary's office?"
"What difference does it make?"
The other sunbaes of Actor Division 2 stopped laughing and started paying attention to my question.
"HK Apparel doesn't accept any sort of inappropriate entertainment, right?"
"Right. CEO Gu Wang-Soo is known for his strict policies. He never allows anything that could cause any controversy."
Oh Deok-Gu and Ju Yung-Hoon exchanged words.
While listening, Seong Min-Suk responded with a confused look. "The contact came directly from the secretary's office. They said their executive director specifically picked Yoo-Jin, thinking her image fits their new brand perfectly."
HK Apparel had been nurtured to the top of the industry over twenty years by Gu Wang-Soo, a close associate of HK Group's founder, Hong Moon-Gyu. But in a year, the current executive director, Hong Sung-Beom, would become the new CEO when Gu Wang-Su resigned for some reason, changing the company's culture entirely.
Removed from the group's succession rights, Hong Sung-Beom was more interested in mingling with celebrities and squandering his family's wealth than in business management.
I figured that the company employees must be supporting Hong Sung-Beom, who would soon become the next CEO. In other words, the offer was made by Hong Sung-Beom, and not Gu Wang-Soo.
Gu Seong-Cheol looked puzzled and asked, "Yoon-Ho, what’s the problem? Don't keep us in suspense."
"The executive director there is Hong Sung-Beom. Have you heard of him?"
"Not really. Was he recently appointed?"
"Yes. Hong Sung-Beom is the fourth son of Chairman Hong Moon-Gyu. If the contact had come through the PR department, we would have considered it an official offer. But a contact from the secretary's office doesn't seem like good news, does it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to understand the situation and shook their heads.
Gu Seong-Cheol frowned. "Hmm. You all know what it means when a third-generation chaebol with real power reaches out directly, right?"
A chill settled over the room. Apart from scandals, the next most dangerous thing for a celebrity was a sponsorship offer. In the past, it was tough to land an ad without a sponsor. But now, things were different given that celebrities held much more power than before. Of course, many actors and idols still opted for sponsors for an easy route.
"Mr. Seong, let’s be more careful about ad offers in the future. We know how this industry works. One misstep could end everything."
Seong Min-Suk looked flustered and apologized. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean this to... My apologies."
"No, it’s not that I’m upset with you. It’s just that...ah, never mind. Let’s not drag this on. People make mistakes. Let’s move on."
But Seong Min-Suk apologized once again, specifically to me since I was in charge of managing Yoo-Jin.
"But, Mr. Jung. How do you know so much about the internal affairs of HK Apparel?"
I smiled awkwardly. "A friend of mine works there. He says a terrible executive director arrived and is ruining the company culture."
"Ah, I see... Anyway, it’s good that we caught that issue in time. We'll reject the offer right away."
When I made an excuse, Seong Min-Suk returned to the publicity division. But as we wrapped the meeting up, Seong Min-Suk sent a link to an article.
[Publicity Division Team Lead Seong Min-Suk: Check this out. Yoo-Jin's opponent seems challenging. (Article Link)]
[(Breaking News) The blockbuster web novel Moonlight Starpour from Cameo Page with Million views, Dramatized!]
-MBS's Moonlight Starpour vs SBC's Blue Sky. Who will win the April drama battle?
'But this is too soon.'
The drama Moonlight Starpour, originally set for a July launch, was now pitted against Blue Sky.
'This won’t be easy.'
Moonlight Starpour was a huge hit with viewership rating peaking at 20.5%.
***
Kim Dong-Soo was reading articles covering Lee Sa-Rang's praises of Jung Yoo-Jin.
"Why are they only mentioning Jung Yoo-Jin and not the main lead Yung-In?"
When Kim Dong-Soo burst into anger, Kang Myung-Gil, who was in charge of managing Ju Yung-In, hurriedly bowed and explained, "I-it seems like the Actor Division 2 played some dirty tricks. Jung Yoon-Ho has been seen with Mrs. Lee Sa-Rang quite a bit on set."
"Damn it! Why didn't you tell me that sooner?!"
"I-I'm sorry."
"All of you are utterly useless! If only you were half as good as Jung Yoon-Ho!"
The reason Kim Dong-Soo was so frustrated was simple—there were fewer than six months left until the contract with Ju Yung-In ended.
Kim Dong-Soo breathed heavily and made a quick call.
-Yes, this is Lee Chun-Sik from the PR department.
Lee Chun-Sik from Seoul National University of the Arts line answered the call.
"It's me."
-Oh, Mr. Kim.
“Fill the entertainment page with Yung-In’s articles right now. I’ll send you the fee right away.
-Yes, sir. Oh, and Mr. Kim.
“What is it?”
Lee Chun-Sik informed Kim Dong-Soo about Actor Division 2’s rejection of HK Apparel's 200 million won ad offer for Jung Yoo-Jin.
"What? They turned down a 200 million won deal?"
-Yes, sir. But Mr. Seong wouldn’t tell me why they refused the offer.
At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo's eyes sparkled with a cunning light.
'Are they trying to negotiate a higher price?'
"Okay. If HK contacts us again, let me know immediately."
As Kim Dong-Soo was about to hang up, Lee Chun-Sik added,
-And about that ad—it was the secretary's office of HK Apparel that contacted them directly, not their PR department. I don’t know the reason though.
"Secretary's office? Okay, got it."
After hanging up, Kim Dong-Soo quickly contacted the operating director's office. The secretary of HK Apparel was a high school alumnus of Operation Director Lee Gi-Cheol[2]. Kim Dong-Soo's mind was now filled with plans to use Lee Gi-Cheol's connections to have Ju Yung-In become the new model for HK Apparel.
"Jung Yoon-Ho, it seems like you’ve had enough and aren’t hungry anymore. I’ll seize this opportunity for myself, then."
Believing Jung Yoon-Ho's refusal of the advertisement was a ploy to raise the advertising fee, a sly smile began to form on Kim Dong-Soo's face.
1. Ginseng is common gift to give seniors in Korea ?
2. Previously Lee Ki-Chul ?
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