Qualifications
I'd more or less picked up on it last time, starting from that moment in the break room.
Ever since she'd started writing that third-rate drama of a novel about the shadowy new company president.
But I had no idea she was this deep in her own fantasies.
A harem office romance?
You couldn't even make that into a third-rate drama!!
"Haa..."
"Did something happen at the company...?"
"No. Don't worry about it."
"Is it because of Shin Yena?? Is she threatening to tell everyone about that day?!"
"......"
"W-why are you looking at me like that...?"
"Do you like dramas too?"
"I mean, I do, but... why are you asking me that all of a sudden...?"
"Because what you just said sounded a lot like something someone else said."
Iseul's wild imagination had brought Shin Yena to mind. Of course, Iseul's version of events still fell within the realm of things that could actually happen in real life.
"I'll go talk to her!"
"Talk about what? You gonna march over there and explain, step by step, why you and I had sex?"
"Well, no, but..."
"Forget it. Don't worry about it. I'll handle it so it doesn't blow back on you."
"That's not what I—"
"Huh?"
"I... I want to go into work too..."
"Go into work?? Why would you?"
"Because I'm an actress under the company too! I want to practice my acting at the office... grab coffee with you, Oppa... work alongside you... That's why I said I'd do it..."
Ah. Right.
She'd decided to become an actress out of jealousy over my relationship with Shin Yena, hadn't she?
That was why she'd seen me off every morning with those sad, rain-soaked-puppy eyes.
Because she wanted to go to work together.
"Iseul, our company doesn't have a separate practice room for actors. And even if it did, actors almost never run into the regular staff. Not unless it's their manager or stylist."
"......"
I stared at Iseul as she dipped her head slightly, lips pushed out in a pout. Then, on impulse, I leaned down and kissed those lips.
"Hmph!!"
"Why so shocked? It was just a kiss."
"B-but... n-normally you... this is the first time you've... Ah..! Should I take my clothes off??"
"No, don't take them off! I just did it, that's all!"
"Just...?"
I barely managed to stop Iseul from peeling off the pajamas she was lounging around the house in, then swung both legs up onto the couch and turned to face her. She sat cross-legged, tilting her head at me, and I looked straight at her.
"Iseul."
"Yes..?"
"If you're jealous, does that mean you like me?"
"......"
"Do you hate me?"
"No!! Absolutely not!!"
"Then you like me?"
"......"
"Why can't you answer?"
"Th-that's..."
Iseul's ears and cheeks had gone bright red. She ducked her head to avoid my eyes, and I cupped both of her flushed cheeks in my hands, pressing gently as I lifted her face.
I knew.
Doing it like this, in this kind of atmosphere, wasn't romantic.
But I hated the idea of her fretting and suffering over it even more.
"Want to go out with me?"
"What...?"
"Let's date. You and me."
"Oppa........"
Iseul's eyes went huge, her pupils trembling.
Honestly, where else was I going to find a girl like Iseul?
Having money didn't mean you just stumbled into someone this pretty and this kind.
But this... this wasn't the way I'd pictured things going.
"I can't...."
"Huh??"
"I... I can't go out with you, Oppa... I'm sorry...."
"Iseul...."
What? She didn't like me after all?
She was jealous even though she didn't like me?
Was I stuck in some fishing pond Iseul had set up?
Just some fish she was keeping on the line, managing me at a comfortable distance??
"Can you tell me why? Don't tell me it's because I'm ugly??"
"No! Oppa, you're handsome! Handsomer than anyone!!"
"I know I'm not that good-looking."
"I'm serious..."
"Okay, if it's not my face, then what's the reason? Ah... my personality?? Do I have character issues??"
"No! Your personality is wonderful!"
"Then... don't tell me.... You're not satisfied??"
"What..? Ah.... Th-that is absolutely not it!!! I like it so much— mmph!!"
She didn't hate me. My face was fine. I had money. No character problems. Sexual performance was good.
So why?
Why on earth had she turned down my confession?
"It's not that I don't want to.... It's just.... I... I don't have the qualifications..."
"What qualifications?"
"The qualifications to stand by your side, Oppa.... I'm still... just your housekeeper, after all...."
"Then quit."
"I don't want to!"
"Why not?"
"I don't want to be by your side... just because of some status you handed me...."
I genuinely didn't get it.
Was everything she was saying just a roundabout way of saying she didn't want to date me, or was she being sincere?
"I don't know if I can manage it, but... I'll work hard! I'll become the kind of woman who deserves to be with you, Oppa! So just wait until then— no, you don't even have to wait for me! I'll be the one waiting. I won't get jealous, I won't get envious, I won't make things uncomfortable for you — I'll wait! Until I have the qualifications... so... I can't go out with you right now... I'm sorry...."
If this was meant as a gentle rejection, then Iseul had succeeded.
I didn't feel bad about it at all.
If anything, I even felt a little grateful.
I still had no idea what she meant by "having the qualifications," though.
Today, Iseul's eyes didn't look like a rain-soaked puppy's.
Because today, we were going to work together.
"Heehee~"
"Happy?"
"Yes!"
We were commuting together, but we weren't headed to the office.
We were going straight out on location.
To land a role in the drama Hidden.
"But what if it doesn't work out because I'm too old...?"
"You're twenty-two. How is that too old?"
"But... the role of Jeong Heesu is a high school student... nineteen...."
"People over thirty put on school uniforms and shoot dramas. And if you showed up to school in a uniform right now, even the teachers wouldn't notice."
"That's not true...."
"Yes it is."
I wasn't just saying it to make her feel better.
Drop her in with a bunch of actual high schoolers and she wouldn't look out of place at all.
She was the only one who thought of herself as too grown-up.
"Yes, sir. We're in the parking garage. We'll be right up."
"Are we late...?"
"We're not late. Come on, let's go up. And try not to be too nervous."
"Okay..!"
"I said don't be nervous."
"Okay!!"
"......"
I should just stop talking.
The more I told her not to be nervous, the more nervous she got.
"You arrived early, sir."
"Good to see you, President. Come on in, Han Iseul."
"Hello, sir!"
"Hahaha~ Iseul seems pretty tense."
"She really does."
"Ah... I'm sorry...."
"Nothing to be sorry for. Shall we head in? And this probably won't take long."
"Pardon..?"
"I think so too."
"Huh...??"
"You'll see."
We went into the production company's office and held the meeting.
On our side: President Hong Mincheol, me, and Iseul.
From Odyssey Pictures: Representative Kim Hyeongjin, Director Lee Yunseok, and writer Seong Domin.
And just as President Hong Mincheol and I had expected, the meeting wrapped up very quickly.
"Her projection is good, her diction is good, and her looks go without saying — excellent. I like her. What do the director and the writer think?"
"Casting a complete newcomer with zero acting experience as a lead is a bit... but giving her up would be...! Haa... All right. But please make sure Han Iseul gets thorough acting training."
"Of course. So that just leaves the writer's opinion?"
"Unlike the director, I actually like her more because she's an unknown newcomer. I think she'll bring a freshness to the mix among all the big-name actors."
"Then it's unanimous."
I glanced over after summarizing everyone's opinions, and Iseul shot to her feet and bowed at the waist.
"Thank you! I'll work hard... no — I will do well, no matter what!"
That's right.
Not "work hard" — do well.
A perfect hundred-point ambition for a rookie actress.
From my perspective, at least.
"Then we shouldn't need any schedule adjustments. Just the fee negotiation left."
"Let's set the appearance fee at thirty million won per episode."
"What?? This is a brand-new actress's first project..."
"Han Iseul, could you step out for a moment?"
"Ah... yes!"
I sent Iseul out and continued the conversation about her fee.
"Newcomer or not, she's a lead. That level of compensation is only fair. And if Han Iseul's fee ends up cutting into Odyssey Pictures' profits, I'll cover the difference myself."
"When you put it that way, we can hardly refuse. All right."
Hidden Season 1 ran ten episodes total.
Iseul was going to make three hundred million won off this project.
After taxes it'd be a tight two hundred million, but for a twenty-two-year-old to earn two hundred million — that was an absurd income.
"I have something I'd like to say to the representative."
"Yes, Director Lee Yunseok. Go ahead."
"If the budget allows, I'd like to film episodes eleven through twenty for Season 2 at the same time."
"Why?"
"Continuity."
"Continuity meaning..."
"If we wait to shoot Season 2, at least a year will have passed. Awkward inconsistencies are bound to crop up. I'd like to finish all the filming in one go."
"Won't that inflate the production budget significantly?"
"The biggest cost drivers are actor fees and post-production CG work. It won't balloon that much. We can always pay the actors' fees according to the broadcast schedule anyway."
This time I needed help, so I looked over at President Hong Mincheol.
He kindly broke it down for me.
"So the big-ticket items — actor fees and CG costs — don't need to be worried about right now. Instead, you're asking us to lock in production of a Season 2 that hasn't been greenlit yet."
"Yes."
Ah. So that was it.
I finally understood.
When Season 1 aired, they'd only pay fees for those ten episodes, and when Season 2 aired, they'd pay for the remaining ten. Post-production costs would only come due when Season 2 was actually produced, so there was no massive immediate outlay.
It was just a proposal that heavily favored one side.
"Raise the quality of the finished product, lock in Season 2, and secure additional revenue for the production company. For Odyssey Pictures, that's killing two birds with one stone. For us, we'd be guaranteeing a Season 2 for a project that might still fail."
"You could see it that way, but I'd be grateful if you considered it a matter of the work's quality."
"Then let me make a proposal of my own."
"What kind of proposal?"
"All other terms stay the same. Even if Season 1 is a massive hit, you only receive the amount you're getting under this deal. Accept that, and I'll agree."
Odyssey Pictures' guaranteed return was fifteen percent of the production budget.
With a budget of thirty-three billion won, that came to four billion nine hundred fifty million.
If they accepted these terms as-is regardless of the project's success or failure, they'd be giving up any upside from a hit — so even if we shouldered the risk, it wouldn't be a major loss for us.
"Representative Kim Hyeongjin, will you accept?"
"Hmm...."
Representative Kim Hyeongjin's silence stretched on as he deliberated.
But the answer that came was all but predetermined.
It was a contract that would generate four billion nine hundred fifty million in profit with zero risk, after all.
"Very well. Let's do it that way."
And with that, the drama Hidden became a project that absolutely had to succeed.