Chapter 96: Time to Make a Decision (2)
A whirlwind of thoughts swept through my mind as I shook hands with Ju Yung-In. I thought that we wouldn't have to deal with each other anymore since she had changed companies. However, upon seeing Ju Yung-In’s attitude today, it seemed like I was mistaken.
"...Indeed, you have a keen eye for choosing good dramas, Mr. Jung."
There was a hint of regret in her tone. It seemed like she had regretted changing companies too quickly.
"I should have waited a bit longer before changing companies. It was my mistake, but it won't happen again in the future."
"In the future?"
Ju Yung-In giggled and then closed her mouth.
In the meantime, Lee Chan-Dong from Ace Entertainment finished greeting the staff and approached us. "We meet again, Mr. Jung."
"It seems like you will be in charge of Miss Yung-In now, Mr. Lee."
"Yes, that's the case. Also, Mr. Im Sung-Hak from our company wishes to meet you. Could you spare some time?"
‘The president of Ace Entertainment and industry leader wants to meet me, a mere assistant manager?’
There was only one reason I could think of for him wanting to meet me.
"Are you planning to make an offer to recruit me?"
Lee Chan-Dong replied confidently, "Please meet with us first. We have a good offer for you."
'What the heck are they thinking?'
I had never met Im Sung-Hak before, even in my previous life. But I recalled that everyone who had met him spoke highly of him. Though I had no intention of leaving Hoop Entertainment, I felt the need to find out what Ju Yung-In and Lee Chan-Dong were plotting.
"Alright. Please set a date and let me know."
Lee Chan-Dong offered a handshake with a satisfied expression. "For sure. I will contact you soon."
Ju Yung-In nodded slightly at me before leaving with Lee Chan-Dong.
During a short filming break, Yoo-Jin returned to the waiting area. "Why did Yung-In sunbae come in someone else's car?"
"She has transferred to Ace Entertainment as of today. Her new talent agent is Chief Lee Chan-Dong from Ace Entertainment."
"Transfer? But wasn't that just a rumor?"
"I thought so too, but she moved right away."
Yoo-Jin looked surprised. "I knew she was tough, but I didn't expect her to actually leave..."
‘She is tough indeed. She’s the merciless woman who left me even as I was dying.’
"Now that she's with another company, let's be careful not to clash with her. A single wrong word could lead to an article calling you a rude hoobae."
But Yoo-Jin just smirked, saying that it was for the best that she moved. "She should be the one to be careful. We're not even in the same company anymore."
Yoo-Jin's gaze toward Ju Yung-In felt strangely unfamiliar.
That day, the two engaged in a fierce acting competition, causing the atmosphere on set to tense up.
***
Gu Seong-Cheol called me into his office upon returning to the company.
Scratching my head, I asked, "I heard you're getting me a new assistant?"
Gu Seong-Cheol grinned and patted my shoulder. “That’s right. It's an order from Mr. Kang. When the new employees arrive next week, one of them will be assigned to work directly under you."
‘Are they assigning me a direct assistant because things will get too busy for me once I start managing Cherry Blossom with their comeback?’
But Hoop Entertainment usually required one to be at least a fourth-year assistant manager or team lead to get an assistant.
'Could this be... a test to see if I'm capable of handling a team lead position?'
Sure enough, Gu Seong-Cheol spoke cautiously. “Ms. Kang advised you to be mindful of your conduct. There might be many who envy you because of this decision."
This was a radical decision to test whether I could rise up to a team lead role in my second year. Of course, accepting this test didn't mean I'd be promoted to team lead right away since there were several steps to officially becoming a team lead.
However, being tested for a team lead position right after being promoted to assistant manager in my first year was an exceptionally bold move.
I was conflicted. To stand against Kim Dong-Soo, I needed to gather as many allies as possible. However, a rapid promotion would only spark envy and jealousy among other employees which wouldn't be helpful.
I considered declining the offer, but then I remembered something.
'Isn't Sang-Bong supposed to be joining around this time?'
Talent Agent Jung Sang-Bong, with whom I had a brotherly bond in my past life, would join the company around this time and he would be assigned to Actor Division 3.
I decided to accept the decision. If I played my cards right, I might be able to recruit a potential ace from Actor Division 3 to my side.
"Mr. Gu."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I'd like to choose my own assistant if that's possible."
Gu Seong-Cheol opened his mouth in disbelief with a dumbfounded expression. "You're really getting bold. Trying to set conditions on Mr. Kang’s orders, huh?"
"Ah, it’s not like that. It wouldn't matter who's under me if I had a solid career. But I've just passed my first year, right? I'd prefer to work with someone I could get along with since I lack experience."
"Hmmm..."
Gu Seong-Cheol seemed ready to accommodate any request, but setting conditions on Kang Gam-Chan's order made him uncomfortable. However, he soon sighed and nodded. "I'll mention it, but don't blame me if Mr. Kang says no, okay?"
"No way. I’m definitely going to blame you, Mr. Gu."
"Huh? You little..."
Gu Seong-Cheol playfully raised his fist and I ducked in jest, making him laugh heartily.
***
It was April 8th.
I drove Yoo-Jin home after finishing the shoot. But because it was already 9:40 p.m., I decided to watch Blue Sky with Yoo-Jin before leaving.
The landlord, who came out to greet us, was carrying Miso who was asleep in her arms.
Miso smacked her lips with her limbs drooped as if she was dreaming. "Yum~ Yum~."
Apparently, Miso had said she would definitely stay up to watch the drama with Yoo-Jin before sleeping but she had dozed off 30 minutes ago.
Yoo-Jin stroked Miso's hair tenderly. "Miso, mommy is sorry for coming home so late."
As Yoo-Jin's fingers lightly pressed Miso's chubby cheeks, dimples appeared on Miso’s chubby cheeks.
"Haha, she’s so cute~."
Yoo-Jin smiled as she continuously pressed Miso's cheeks.
Poke, poke.
I wanted to join in but restrained myself. "Yoo-Jin, stop playing around and let's head inside."
"Oh, yes. Okay."
Yoo-Jin finally snapped out of it. She went upstairs to wash up quickly while I headed downstairs with the landlord as it was more spacious.
When we laid Miso on the living room sofa, she immediately started snoring softly.
The landlord smiled contentedly as she covered Miso with a blanket. "Aww, Look at Miso. She’s cute even when she’s asleep."
"Ma’am, this is for you."
I handed the landlord a paper bag I had prepared earlier.
"Oh my! What's all this?"
"I wanted to give you a gift for always taking care of Miso. Thank you for everything."
The landlord's face lit up as she unwrapped the package—it was a vibrant silk pajama set.
"Haha, this is too pretty. How can I thank you for this?"
"Oh, please don’t mention it. You've been sending me side dishes every day. Next time, I'll get you something even better.”
In the meantime, Yoo-Jin quickly washed up and came downstairs.
"Did you buy new pajamas?"
"No, Mr. Jung gave them to me as a gift! What do you think?"
"They suit you very well."
Seizing the moment, I handed a gift bag to Yoo-Jin as well. "This is for you, Yoo-Jin. Well, it’s actually for Miso. I noticed her old ones were worn out at the knees."
"Sigh. What kind of mother am I? I didn’t even notice that."
Yoo-Jin had been so focused on practicing for her significant role that she hadn't been able to pay much attention to Miso recently.
"Don't worry about it. That's what talent agents are for."
"Thank you, oppa."
Yoo-Jin took out a pink Powertuff Girls pajama set from the paper bag.
"Pink is Miso's favorite color! Thank you."
"You're making too much of it."
"But why is there another set?"
"They were selling them as a set so I got one for you too."
"Hehe, we'll wear them together and take a photo to send you."
‘Nice. It would be perfect for Instargem.’
"Alright, that's enough. The drama is starting."
"Okay."
We munched on the puffed rice snacks that the landlord brought while watching episode 3 of Blue Sky. When the scene where Yoo-Jin's character left home after confronting her mother for favoring her eldest daughter came on, the landlord sided with Yoo-Jin.
"Ugh, look at her! How can Mrs. Lee Sa-Rang only take care of her eldest daughter like that?"
"Right? She’s too much."
"No matter how much they deny it, parents do treat their first and second children differently. But this is just too much. The second child must have felt so neglected."
"Exactly~."
The two of them kept munching on their snacks, cursing Lee Sa-Rang and Ju Yung-In in between. Yoo-Jin was so engrossed in the drama that she was acting like just another viewer despite being in it.
An hour later, the drama ended.
I was about to check the reactions on social media when a KkTalk message from Cha Soo-Yeon arrived.
[Chief Cha Soo-Yeon: Episode 3 of Blue Sky got a viewership rating of 10.9% while Moonlight Starpour got 15.5%! The gap is really closing.]
It was good news that our viewership rating had increased again.
And then the day after episode 4 aired, the gap between the two dramas had narrowed once again.
***
[Blue Sky Episode 4—TNK standard, 12.1% viewership rating]
[Moonlight Starpour Episode 4—TNK standard, 16.4% viewership rating]
[Blue Sky, Jung Yoo-Jin's roar. "Why does Mom only like Sky!?"]
[National Second Child Union. Jung Yoo-Jin for Congress!]
[Wednesday, Thursday drama. Fierce battle for viewership ratings!]
The day after episode 4 aired, everyone I ran into at the company greeted me with applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Currently, the first and second most searched terms on the live search rankings were related to ‘Jung Yoo-Jin.’
"Congratulations. Yoo-Jin acted so well."
"My mom called me yesterday. Apparently, she suddenly felt sorry for treating me differently for being a second child after watching the drama. I actually received an apology from my mom at this age."
"People were worried when Miss Yung-In left, but now it's a relief to see Yoo-Jin rising steadily."
"Why talk about someone who's moved to another company? Anyway, tell Yoo-Jin that we are rooting for her!"
That wasn't all—the promotion division was all smiles, saying that not only the company phones but also their personal phones were ringing nonstop. The flood of incoming casting calls and contacts from advertising agencies was overwhelming.
Yoo-Jin's portrayal of the overshadowed second daughter, Twilight, and her performance far exceeded my expectations. Furthermore, the chemistry between Lee Sa-Rang's ad-libs and Yoo-Jin's acting was also perfect.
Ring ring.
[Caller: Operation Director Lee Gi-Cheol]
At that moment, Lee Gi-Cheol called me to his office.
***
Knock knock.
"Come in."
As I opened the door and entered, Lee Gi-Cheol pointed to the seat in front of him. I thought Kim Dong-Soo would be there too, but Lee Gi-Cheol was alone.
"What did you call me for?"
"Take a seat here first."
As I sat down on the sofa, Lee Gi-Cheol handed me a beverage with Japanese writing on it, saying it was his favorite drink.
Upon opening the green cap, a strong scent of green tea wafted out.
"Yoo-Jin has been doing really well lately. You must be incredibly busy too, huh?"
I tensed up at his smooth tone. "Yes, sir."
"Right. It’s amazing how actors can suddenly take off like this. That's why they say to 'strike while the iron is hot.'"
Then, Lee Gi-Cheol smiled contentedly and asked another question. "Is everything going well with Cherry Blossom?"
"Yes. The music video turned out great and we're currently in the making of the final trailer video."
"The music video is set to be released on April 15th and the song will hit the charts on the 16th, right?"
"That’s right. And the music broadcast is on the 25th."
"Things seem to move smoothly when you’re involved. As expected of Assistant Manager Jung. I heard you also recommended Yetterang for the advertisement. That's been going well lately too."
"Yes, I recommended it because I heard the product was good."
Cherry Blossom's current advertisement for Yetterang cosmetics was gradually gaining popularity among teenagers.
'But why is he praising me so much?'
Lee Gi-Cheol put down his drink and scratched his head. "I don’t have a special reason for calling you today, but I just received a good proposal."
"What proposal are you talking about?"
"You know about HK Clothing, right?"
At that moment, I had to try hard not to frown.
"Yes... it's the top clothing company within the industry that’s part of the HK Group, isn’t it?"
"You got it. Apparently, they're interested in giving Yoo-Jin a push."
I immediately responded to the absurd suggestion. "Mr. Lee, Yoo-Jin has already signed an exclusive contract with LM Clothing. You know that, right?"
But Lee Gi-Cheol smirked slyly. "I know, I know. How could I not know? But they haven't started shooting yet, have they?"
Then, I remembered the terms of the contract—the penalty fee varied depending on when the advertisement was shot. In other words, we could just return the advertisement fee of 250 million won and only pay a penalty of 30%, which is 80 million won, to terminate the contract.
I couldn't believe it, but here was Lee Gi-Cheol mentioning that very possibility.
"Are you suggesting we terminate the contract?"
"Yes. HK Clothing wants to make Yoo-Jin their exclusive model and really build her up. LM Clothing is good too. But wouldn't it be better to partner with the top company rather than the second? They also offered to launch a signature brand product for Yoo-Jin."
The offer was so good that even top actresses might find it hard to refuse. But with Hong Sung-Bum slated to become the president of HK Clothing, it was an offer we absolutely should not accept.
I sat up straight and asked, "Mr. Lee, have you heard the rumors about Executive Hong Sung-Bum's reputation with women?"
Lee Gi-Cheol's expression soured briefly. "Yes, I've heard. I heard you rejected HK Clothing's offer because of that issue. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Well, don't worry about that. This offer is directly from President Gu Wang-Soo himself. Hong Sung-Bum isn't aware of it at all."
‘What? It’s President Gu Wang-Soo who wants Yoo-Jin as the model? What kind of trick is this now?’
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