Chapter 82: Burger Queen Commercial (2)
Before traveling back in time, the bizarre ad Yoo-Jin had shot for Burger Queen was originally for Lotteria and it was a series of ads. That's why I made sure the contract stated that additional pay would be received for each extra ad shot before we signed it.
Thanks to this, we now had the opportunity to receive additional ad revenue.
"Yes, Ms. Ahn, please go ahead."
Ahn Ji-Yoon's voice trembled as she spoke.
-Can we immediately start producing a second part of the ad? You heard that Mr. Park Bull-Chool planned it as a series, right? People are loving the ad and it’s going viral on the internet. It would be a shame to stop at one ad, don't you think?
"Of course, we should definitely shoot the second part."
-Right? I knew you would agree, Mr. Jung. I'll start preparing right away. And I'll discuss the details with Mr. Gu, okay?
Ahn Ji-Yoon tried to hurriedly end the call.
"Um, Ms. Ahn?"
-Yes?
"Mr. Gu is busy these days, so you can discuss the details with me. And we’ll also need to decide on the additional fee. By the way...you do know that Yoo-Jin is getting a lot of calls from other companies to shoot an ad with them now, right?"
Ahn Ji-Yoon's voice started to tremble even more.
-O-of course. Could we pay an additional 10 million won per ad? That would be 20 million for two!
"Ah, come on, Ms. Ahn. Don’t be stingy. You and I both know that’s not going to work! Let's just settle for a total of 30 million won for both. And of course, the contract will be for six months."
-Ughhhh. Mr. Jung. You’re doing this again?
"You know I’m being this generous because it's you, Ms. Ahn. Otherwise, it’s 20 million won each. Take your pick."
After a moment of silence, she finally agreed.
-Okay, okay! I've recorded this call, so it's a done deal! An additional 30 million won for two more ads. Deal?
"Deal. I'll call Mr. Gu and tell him we've settled for 30 million won."
-Okay. Please also contact me immediately because I’ll need to report it to the CEO of Burger Queen as well.
As I hung up the phone with Ahn Ji-Yoon, I clenched my fist and exclaimed, "Yoo-Jin, you've earned more money!"
"Huh?"
"We’ve gotten additional ads. You'll be working with Director Park Bull-Chool again this time."
Yoo-Jin, who was waiting for the room service, looked surprised. But she soon gave a resigned smile. "That means I have to wear a costume again, right?"
"Of course. That's the reason the ad went viral anyway..."
Then suddenly, Yoo-Jin burst out laughing as if she remembered something.
‘But why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine?’
"By the way, oppa?"
Yoo-Jin looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Uh, yes?"
"I’ll shoot the ad only if you appear in the ad too. I'll do it more enthusiastically. How about that?"
‘Why did the conversation suddenly take this turn? I don’t want to be part of this.’
"Come on. A talent agent in an ad? That doesn't fit the concept. You should be the focus of the ad!”
Yoo-Jin pouted. "Ah, fine. Next time, I'll make sure to take you with me!"
Yoo-Jin sighed with a disappointed look on her face. But the truth was that the second and third parts of Park Bull-Chool's quirky ads would feature supporting roles like a 3-meter-tall inflatable doll or a half-naked truffle hunter.
I decided to keep the storyboard a secret until right before the shoot. After all, I was a good talent agent who wanted my actress to be the only focus of the ad.
In the meantime, the food we ordered through room service arrived. I checked the Nave live search rankings while eating distractedly.
'Wow. It's a huge hit.'
[Nave Live Search Rankings]
1st: Burger Queen Quirky Ad
2nd: Burger Queen Jung Yoo-Jin
3rd: Jung Yoo-Jin the Mukbang Fairy
7th: Burger Queen’s server down
Half of the top 10 search words on the live search ranking were about Yoo-Jin.
At that moment, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.
"Who could this be?"
***
-Okay then. I'll keep in mind the meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
"Sure, I'll contact you through KkTalk as soon as the meeting ends."
The call was from the publicity department of LM Clothing. Given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Burger Queen ad, LM Clothing immediately proposed to discuss an advertisement contract instead of just a sponsorship—a direct instruction from CEO Moon Young-Mi herself.
Although the contract was a lucrative offer of 200 million won for a year, there was a condition.
-The ads must exclusively feature LM Clothing only.
In other words, it was an exclusive advertising deal for clothing. Normally, I would have thought about it more before signing the contract. But since HK Clothing was still relentlessly making offers, I didn't hesitate to accept LM Clothing’s offer.
When I ended the call, Yoo-Jin finished getting ready to go outside for sledding and asked, "Who was that?"
"Oh, it was LM Clothing. They called after seeing your burger ad."
"Why did they call? Are they sending over clothes for sponsorship right now?"
"No, they want to do an ad with you."
Yoo-Jin's face lit up. "Woah, really? Another one?"
"Yeah, another one."
"Wow, this is unreal. Wearing that costume and sweating was worth it, huh?"
"I told you it would turn out well."
Yoo-Jin nodded continuously.
The worth of an advertising model was determined by their ability to enhance sales relative to their popularity. Even the most popular singer or main actor from a top-rated drama would be replaced if they failed to boost sales. But it seemed like Yoo-Jin didn't have to worry about that part.
Thanks to the ad that was released earlier, 'Burger Queen’s Order Surge' and 'Burger Queen’s Server Down' were at the top of the live search rankings.
"Just a moment, I need to call the company."
I called the company to inform them of LM Clothing's offer. But it turned out Yoo-Jin was receiving inquiries from various other places as well. With Yoo-Jin as the model, the reaction now was even more explosive than in my past life.
Gu Seong-Cheol couldn't hide his excitement and continued to laugh out loud over the line.
-Hahaha. Good job. We will take care of the rest, so don't worry and take a good rest.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu. And please make sure to secure the LM Clothing deal no matter what. An exclusive contract for clothing is crucial."
-Got it. Will do. If we sign an exclusive contract with LM Clothing, HK Clothing will probably stop sending us their proposals.
Gu Seong-Cheol seemed to have immediately caught on to my intention.
"I hope so. I'll see you at the office on Monday, Mr. Gu."
-Alright. Tell Yoo-Jin I enjoyed the ad!
After hanging up, I told Yoo-Jin about the company's reaction and her face turned red in embarrassment. But just as I was about to leave the room, another call came in.
-Hello, is this Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho? I’m calling from Wheelies.
It was a call from the publicity department’s team lead from Wheelies, who supplied shoes to Cherry Blossom.
"Yes, this is Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho."
Wheelies was also making an advertisement inquiry.
'What a blessing this Valentine's Day has been...'
After finishing the call with Wheelies, I immediately turned off my phone as I started to feel overwhelmed by the non-stop ringing of my phone.
***
Ju Yung-In's irritation was growing day by day. In every entertainment news section, Yoo Jin’s name was mentioned three times more than hers even though she was the main lead of Blue Sky. For someone as proud as Ju Yung-In, it was a hard pill to swallow.
"Ah, seriously. This is so annoying!"
Leaning on the sofa and reading the script, Ju Yung-In started to feel overwhelmed with irritation and threw the script across the room, causing it to knock over a vase on the coffee table.
Crash!
The crystal vase fell and water spilled all over the floor.
"What's going on, Yung-In? What happened?!"
Kang Myung-Gil who was busy blending fruit juice in the kitchen rushed over as he was startled by the noise.
"Mr. Kang! What on earth is our company doing?"
Seeing Ju Yung-In's glaring eyes, Kang Myung-Gil thought to himself.
'Why the hell is she throwing a tantrum again this time?'
He already knew about her hysterical nature once she got into a new drama, but lately, it had been getting worse.
"Let's talk this out, Yung-In. Just tell me what’s going on and I'll fix it right away..."
"Fix it? Did you just say fix it?"
Kang Myung-Gil swallowed hard. "Uh..."
"Then ensure that my name is mentioned more frequently than Yoo-Jin's! I'm the main lead, but why is Yoo-Jin's name mentioned more!?"
"Well, that's just because of the recent documentary she filmed. Don't worry, Mr. Kim has already contacted the reporters."
Only after repeated persuasion did Ju Yung-In seem to calm down a bit.
"Really? Can I trust your words?"
"Of course. I’m serious right now."
Ju Yung-In sighed heavily and leaned back on the sofa. But just then, Yoo-Jin's Burger Queen ad started playing on the TV.
"Ah, what now? Is it her again?"
The moment Kang Myung-Gil saw Ju Yung-In frown at the ad, he immediately interjected. "Don't worry about it, Yung-In. A female actress shooting such ads will only ruin her image. Just look at how ridiculous she looks."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely. She's totally ruined, I bet. All the talent agents in our Division 3 placed bets that she's going to flop."
"Even you, Mr. Kang?"
"Of course. I bet 100 thousand won. Whoever told her to do that ad is totally crazy."
Ju Yung-In seemed satisfied with the response and reached out her hand. "Okay, then give me the script."
‘After having thrown it, now she's asking for it back.’
Kang Myung-Gil cursed internally but wiped the wet script and handed it back to Ju Yung-In.
At that moment, a call came in from Jung Woong-Seok, a reporter from Baro Star.
"Ah, look who called! What made you call me, Mr. Jung?"
-Mr. Kang. I’m actually calling because I have a favor to ask.
"Haha. There's no need for formalities between us. What is it? An interview with Yung-In? Shall I set a date?"
-No, it's not that. Can you arrange an interview with Miss Jung Yoo-Jin for me? I don't know any talent agents in Division 2, so you were the only person I could think of.
"...Jung Yoo-Jin?"
-Yes. There's a lot of buzz about her Burger Queen ad. My superiors are pushing for an article with her.
"What? That ridiculous ad is causing a buzz? How is that even possible..."
-Don't you even check social media? Well, never mind. Just help me set up an interview with Yoo-Jin, and I'll make sure you're well compensated.
Click.
Kang Myung-Gil abruptly ended the call. He was worried Ju Yung-In might have heard his conversation and was about to quickly warn her not to check the internet.
But it was too late—Ju Yung-In, who was next to him, had already heard everything.
"Y-Yung-In. That was just..."
Ju Yung-In had finished browsing the internet on her phone while Kang Myung-Gil was on the call. Her expression was cold as ice. Trembling, Ju Yung-In suddenly made a phone call somewhere.
"Hello? It's me, Yung-In."
-Hey. What's up?
"That burger ad Jung Yoo-Jin appeared in...It was chosen by Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho, right?"
-Yeah, that’s what I heard. But I feel like that’s totally going to flop...
"Mr. Kim! Haven't you checked the community reaction?"
-What do you mean?
"Jung Yoo-Jin is the top trending live search right now!"
It turned out that Ju Yung-In had called Kim Dong-Soo.
Kang Myung-Gil’s face turned pale as he thought about how he was going to be scolded by Kim Dong-Soo.
'I need to figure out what the heck is going on first!'
Kang Myung-Gil quickly took out his phone and searched for Jung Yoo-Jin.
[Nave Live Search Ranking]
1st: Jung Yoo-Jin's Quirky Ad
2nd: Burger Queen's Burger Maiden Jung Yoo-Jin
......
Meanwhile, Ju Yung-In continuously berated Kim Dong-Soo. "How can the entire Actor Division 3 be worse than Jung Yoon-Ho alone!?"
-Hey! Ju Yung-In! Watch your words!
"No. I can't stand it anymore. Do something about it! If nothing works, then assign Jung Yoon-Ho to me!"
Kim Dong-Soo responded coldly to Ju Yung-In's irritable demand.
-...Assign Jung Yoon-Ho to you?
Ju Yung-In clenched her teeth tightly.
"Yes. You know I have good intuition, don’t you? I'm getting anxious to death that I'm falling behind. If you want me to renew my contract, then assign Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho to me."
The conversation got serious as the topic of her contract renewal, which was due in six months, was brought up. A deafening silence filled the spacious living room in Ju Yung-In’s house.
After a moment, Kim Dong-Soo finally opened his mouth.
-Okay. Let's do that...
Only then did Ju Yung-In lower her voice with a satisfied expression.
"I'm sorry for shouting earlier, Mr. Kim. I'm just on edge. So please do this favor for me. Okay?"
When Kim Dong-Soo silently ended the call without responding, Ju Yung-In began to read her script again in a calm manner.
Watching this, Kang Myung-Gil couldn't help but shake his head.
'She really knows how to get her way.'
***
From the night opening of the sledding hill on the 14th until the afternoon of the 15th, we fully bundled up and excitedly enjoyed sledding. I had never tried sledding before in my past life as I had dismissed it as a childish amusement.
But I was wrong.
The thrilling speed and the snow flying wildly around me were addictive. Yoo-Jin, Miso, and even the landlord enjoyed it immensely. We were so happy that we talked about coming back every year.
Fortunately, the resort had 'Igloo Rooms' outdoors, so we could fulfill Miso's wish. Of course, it was a hassle to dissuade her from wanting to spend the night there. We were all exhausted and out of energy from sledding but none of us wanted to leave. However, we had to force ourselves to head home.
Screech.
The moment the car stopped in front of the house, Miso sat up and shouted with sleepy eyes, “Uncle Yoon-Ho! Let's go sledding again!"
She must have thought we were still at the sledding hill.
"Sure. We can go sledding again after we sleep and wake up."
Miso's eyes closed again. "Hehe."
The landlord rubbed her sore shoulders and held Miso in her arms. "Wow. Miso must have really enjoyed it."
"Alright, then. I'll go in first."
"Okay. Thank you for coming along with us, ma’am."
"Oh, don’t mention it. You’re the one who did all the work, Mr. Jung."
After watching the landlord go inside, I was about to say goodbye to Yoo-Jin and leave.
That's when Yoo-Jin took out a luxuriously wrapped case from her bag.
"Oppa, this is for you."
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