Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Translator: Penny
Chapter 4
The advertisement draft had already been completed before Kang Eun-tae directly scouted Lee Ha-eun.
The overall concept of this CF, and even what image they wanted to convey to consumers, had all been delivered to the advertiser, Handong Pharmaceuticals.
However, the part about the advertisement model had not been confirmed until the filming date was just around the corner.
Han Min-ah, the advertising team leader at Handong Pharmaceuticals who played a bridging role between Kang Eun-tae and Handong Pharmaceuticals, felt as if her blood was drying up day by day.
That was why she called Kang Eun-tae, who was both a CF director and Han Min-ah's junior from university, to a cafe.
"Wow, the sun will rise in the west tomorrow. Seeing that my senior has personally called me out."
"I called you because I was wondering if you were even alive. Why are you ignoring my calls and answering Min-soo's?"
Perhaps because she was reminded of the past days when she tried to contact Kang Eun-tae, who was unreachable only to Han Min-ah.
Another sigh escaped from Han Min-ah's lips.
It was right after that that the story about the missing child nutritional supplement advertisement model was brought up.
"Eun-tae, when are you going to pick a model—"
"I've picked one."
"...Huh? You've picked one?"
"Yes."
His eyes didn't waver at all.
Han Min-ah had known since her university days that Kang Eun-tae, although playful, was not a person who enjoyed lying.
Han Min-ah, who had been planning to grill her junior, asked with a slightly embarrassed expression who the model Kang Eun-tae had picked was.
Soon after, Kang Eun-tae rummaged through his bag for a moment, and the answer he gave back, instead of a voice, was a gesture, showing a crumpled newspaper.
< Child Pitcher Throws Better Than Starting Pitcher >
Coincidentally, the part that Kang Eun-tae's index finger was pointing to was Ha-eun's photo in the center of the newspaper.
From Ha-eun's appearance, who was lifting one knee and facing the catcher head-on, one could even feel a kind of charisma.
Her refined appearance, which was not very common, was also playing a big part.
However, whether her pitching form was unusual or she had an appearance that caught the eye in an instant.
"Don't tell me, the model you picked is..."
"It's written here in big letters. Lee Ha-eun."
"So, you're really going to film an advertisement with this kid?"
"There's no reason why not, is there? I've already gotten her consent."
Being selected as the main character of a CF was a slightly different story.
For now, she decided to listen to what Kang Eun-tae was thinking first.
She hoped that he hadn't just picked her as an advertisement model based on a momentary impact without any thought.
"The kid is very calm. And she already knows how to set the mood."
"Mood?"
"Ha-eun's eyes are on the screen, oh my. She was glaring at catcher Min Kwang-cheol as if she was going to eat him alive."
The story that followed was about the atmosphere of Ha-eun that Kang Eun-tae had witnessed with his own eyes.
Predictions and forecasts about the future, which had not yet been confirmed, were also added to rationalize Kang Eun-tae's choice.
"When you look at advertisements with child actors, they're all the same. They're always laughing and giggling, there's no seriousness."
"They all film like that because there's demand."
"That demand will run out soon. I think it's better to differentiate ourselves from other advertisements."
There was some truth in that.
If it was a completely absurd advertisement plan, they would have overturned it at the point when they received the advertisement draft in the first place.
The higher-ups gave the okay sign because they thought that Kang Eun-tae's plan had a chance of appealing to consumers, didn't they?
However, the fact that Kang Eun-tae was a so-called perfectionist continued to make Han Min-ah feel uneasy.
He was loved by advertisers, but it was difficult to make a good impression on the filming staff or cast members.
If he pushed Ha-eun, who was just an ordinary person until a few days ago, too hard, there was a possibility that problems would arise in many ways.
If she wasn't careful, it could cause the misunderstanding that they were just sucking Ha-eun dry.
"If there's any backlash, it'll be hard for you too, Eun-tae. Be flexible, okay?"
She gave him advice or a request to leave some room for compromise.
Soon after, Kang Eun-tae nodded a couple of times.
"Do you think I would be harsh to a child?"
"Have you already forgotten that you knelt down to Song Seo-ah's mother?"
At this, Kang Eun-tae subtly avoided her gaze.
It was inevitable that Han Min-ah would glare at the person who had completely forgotten what had happened just a few months ago.
"Still, this time it feels a little different from then. There probably won't be any need to push Ha-eun."
"Aren't you expecting too much? She's probably never even taken acting classes."
"Well, as long as she maintains that unique atmosphere. This advertisement doesn't really need acting anyway."
To be honest, she wondered what that atmosphere was that he was emphasizing so much.
However, on the day of the advertisement meeting, which came three short days later.
"Ah, Ha-eun's mother. This way, this way."
To the quiet figure of the girl who was walking from afar, holding the hand of a woman with a petite height.
Soon after, she slowly lowered her waist, then raised her gaze and met Han Min-ah's eyes.
"Hello."
From the appearance of her greeting with a calm voice, she felt like she knew what Kang Eun-tae meant by atmosphere.
...He happened to meet a kid like this at a baseball stadium.
'He's lucky.'
She had even been about to get angry that the CF director, who hadn't even confirmed the model for the advertisement that was scheduled to be filmed, was getting some fresh air at the baseball stadium, but now it didn't matter.
If this was fate, then it was fate.
"...Why are you staring at me like that? It's scary."
"Lie with saliva on your lips. As if you're afraid of anyone."
"Ha-eun and Ha-eun's mother, please sit in those black chairs over there."
The conference room that she entered with the guidance of director Kang Eun-tae was bigger than she had expected.
Several people were already sitting around the long table, and among them, the burly man sitting in the corner stood out the most.
Judging from his huge arm muscles, he seemed to be a staff member on the filming side.
"There's water and orange juice. What would you like to drink?"
As soon as she sat down in the prepared seat, she heard a gentle woman's voice, and after a moment of hesitation, she asked for orange juice.
Soon after the 500mL fresh juice was placed in front of her, the meeting began.
"Now, I'll explain the advertisement in more detail."
Director Kang Eun-tae's voice echoed in the conference room.
Soon, the advertisement storyboard appeared on the projector screen.
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to one side.
"This advertisement will proceed with the concept of 'Healthy Children, Healthy Future'."
The story that followed was a story that added a little more to what she had heard at the cafe a few days ago.
Example images drawn in sketch form appeared on the screen, intuitively showing what scenes were planned to be filmed.
However, one of the new pieces of news that she heard not long after made her doubt her ears.
"Athlete Kim Min-joon will hand the baton to Ha-eun, and Ha-eun can just run on the track as if she's jogging. Oh, we're planning to add some CG to the baton, so don't shake it too fast."
The fact that the co-star, whose existence she had only heard about, was not an actor or idol but a national track and field athlete made a huge question mark pop up in her head.
No, there was no mention of an advertisement being filmed with a national athlete.
"Actually, that wasn't confirmed until recently. Originally, we were planning to cast someone else, but after seeing your pitching video, Kim Min-joon said it would be fun and expressed his intention to participate himself."
In other words, one of the reasons why the national track and field athlete was participating in this advertisement was her.
If you think about it, there are few people who have a healthier image than a national athlete, so it's not that strange for him to appear in a nutritional supplement advertisement.
The problem is that it's not just a nutritional supplement advertisement, but a children's nutritional supplement advertisement.
That means that her image shouldn't be overshadowed by the presence of the national athlete.
'...Why is the difficulty level like this.'
She realized the need to come up with some countermeasures herself.
It wouldn't be that easy for a child who had become a hot topic for a day to suppress the presence of a national athlete.
One way or another, she wouldn't be able to come up with any countermeasures unless she met him in person and felt his aura.
She carefully asked when she could meet athlete Kim Min-joon.
"Well, I don't think you'll be able to meet him until the day of filming. But just in case, we'll contact him on our side."
That was the irresponsible answer she got back.
It was only then that she realized that the life of her advertisement fee was hanging by a thread.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny