Chapter 73 - The Sponsorship Negotiation
“Already a sponsorship? Why not just call the company?”
“I guess I sent the DM because I thought the company might reject it outright. It probably makes more sense to talk to the celebrity directly. Deok-su is known for ignoring his SNS, after all.”
Her logic held water. There was no denying it.
Kim Deok-su had once been the poster child for a second-place loser. But Deok-su had never touched his SNS account.
He didn’t see social media as a waste of life the way some famous soccer coach had called it.
He simply hadn’t had the time. That was all. Simple as that.
Lee Hui-yeong opened the site listed in the message.
It was a second-hand clothing website specializing in men’s wear. Everything from pieces she produced herself to items she sourced elsewhere, every style imaginable.
“What do you think?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. What do you think?”
Hui-yeong’s gaze lingered on Deok-su with genuine curiosity.
The term “fashion leader” had stuck to L’Vyu once, right next to “scumbag,” but the woman standing before her had been far from that label.
She had worried for a moment that this might be some kind of test, but it wasn’t. Not at all.
“I can’t tell just by looking. You should… decide.”
Suddenly, a thick scent of liquor drifted from somewhere nearby.
Someone’s arm draped itself over Deok-su’s shoulder.
“Hey, hey, manager and celebrity sticking too close? Someone’s gonna spill this into the tabloids any day now.”
Deok-su looked up and found himself face-to-face with Han Gyu-yeong, lead actor of My Hwarang.
The man reeked of soju.
Deok-su lowered his head politely.
“Nice to meet you, senior.”
“Tch. Don’t get too friendly with me. Geez, it’s hot. Some washed-up actor and his manager… no wonder I’m tearing up. Heh heh.”
Deok-su frowned, but he kept his face blank.
The guy had always been this way, no matter the occasion.
“People are watching, senior.”
“Oh? Talking back now? Doesn’t matter if they’re watching or not.”
Han Gyu-yeong kicked Deok-su’s shins hard.
Deok-su simply stepped aside.
The older man’s face twisted even more.
“What? Avoiding me?”
“Please stop. People are watching.”
“I was just trying to teach the younger one a lesson. You’re really… today is—”
Suddenly, someone sprinted over and grabbed Han Gyu-yeong’s waist.
The younger man swung wildly like a rugby player, but Deok-su simply spun him around.
“Hey, you bastard! Let me go! Let me go!”
“Sorry, Mr. L’Vyu. Gyu-yeong-hyung is really sensitive today… Please keep today’s incident a secret.”
Even without the manager’s request, Deok-su had no intention of drawing more attention.
The set was small, and someone was bound to have seen the whole thing.
The manager thanked him, then dragged Han Gyu-yeong away.
Hui-yeong, who had been watching with bated breath, approached.
In her hands she carried a prop frying pan.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine. That idiot’s joints… But what’s that frying pan for?”
“Ahaha…”
Hui-yeong hid the pan with a mortified expression.
“We’ll start shooting!”
Not long after, Assistant Director Ha Sung-hoon’s voice rang out.
Deok-su turned back to the script while waiting for his cue.
‘That bastard… I should just…’
PD Jo Hyeong-deok was seething.
Seeing Han Gyu-yeong reeking of soju as he apologized only made his blood boil.
“First, prepare.”
He had no idea whether the man had been clubbing until late or just playing dress-up.
Everyone had been calling Han Gyu-yeong a has-been, but the actor had never once shown up late for filming.
He had no reason to cut his own throat.
He certainly understood how crucial this second lead role was for his career.
“Director, are the kids holding up okay?”
“They’re barely managing. For now, anyway.”
Director Park Ju-jin shook his head.
Behind him, the crew and lighting team were half-asleep.
Most had been night-shooting for other productions the day before.
“We really should wrap this up quickly.”
But the set refused to cooperate with the PD’s wishes.
Han Gyu-yeong had delivered multiple useless takes.
He moved slowly and made small mistakes on every line.
As useless takes stretched on, time dragged and staff faces grew darker.
When filming finally ended, the crew looked half-dead.
“This is a problem. We’re behind schedule… What’s the next scene?”
“The scene where Mi-hyeon escapes and meets U-hwang.”
“We have to move fast. Kim Deok-su, get ready.”
Assistant Director Ha Sung-hoon rallied the exhausted staff and headed for the last shooting location—an open field.
Deok-su, who had been waiting for over half a day, received a call and rushed to prepare.
“More soot here. And remove a bit of makeup…”
“So much? It might look ugly on camera.”
“It doesn’t matter. Make me look like a real escapee.”
Chief of the makeup team, Han Ju-ah, found Deok-su’s appearance surprisingly fresh.
As Deok-su checked his walk-through inside the frame, Han Gyu-yeong, who had come back from a break, stepped into the shot.
‘Who is this guy? He was rolling around in the dirt earlier, but he looks way too clean now.’
‘Blood is fine, but he said he doesn’t like the mess. He has to look better than Kim Deok-su…’
PD Jo Hyeong-deok felt a headache coming on, but he had no time for that.
The staff, who had been dozing off, kept glancing between the pristine Han Gyu-yeong and the filthy, disheveled Kim Deok-su.
‘Is that really Kim Deok-su?’
‘The team leader really went all out. He looks like a real escaped prisoner.’
‘The costume is good. If he can act well…’
‘I can’t wait to go home tonight.’
Deok-su’s torn Hwarang outfit was caked in mud, and soot smeared his face.
The staff’s expressions showed a flicker of hope.
“Slates!”
PD Jo Hyeong-deok’s voice boomed across the field.
Han Gyu-yeong ran to the fallen Deok-su.
“M-Mi-hyeon! Are you all right?”
“U-hwang…”
“I’m so glad you’re safe. The others…”
“I’m sorry, U-hwang! I… I alone… I alone…”
On his knees, Deok-su slammed his head into the ground.
Writer Na Mi-yeong and Assistant Director Ha Sung-hoon watched in shock, but the PD simply raised his hand and ordered them to continue.
“I… I was the bad guy! I…! I drove my comrades to their deaths…”
“No, Mi-hyeon. Right now, just knowing you’re alive is enough…”
Deok-su’s twisted voice silenced even the half-asleep staff.
Tears and snot streaked his face as he grabbed Han Gyu-yeong’s arm.
“Kill… kill me… please…”
Han Gyu-yeong was stunned.
No, he felt pressure.
The script and blocking had already been messed with, but this level of despair was impossible.
His own hands were trembling.
With a shaky hand, he pulled Deok-su up.
“How… the senior calling the junior…”
“Cut! Okay! Full shot! Han Gyu-yeong, pull yourself together!”
The tension vanished the moment PD Jo Hyeong-deok gave the thumbs-up.
While Han Gyu-yeong stood there bewildered, a team of makeup artists swarmed around Deok-su.
“Hey! What are you—”
“No need to look at Gyu-yeong’s scene anymore.”
Chief makeup artist Han Ju-ah clipped a pin into Deok-su’s hair with a ticking sound.
‘That bastard…’
The sense of loss over a role stolen from him tightened Han Gyu-yeong’s nerves.
But whether he liked it or not, Deok-su threw himself into immersion.
‘Ready for battle without retreat. Mi-hyeon is exactly like that Hwarang. But combined with the grief of surviving after his comrades died because of his wrong orders…’
To understand the character this deeply, he had spent the last two weeks poring over mountains of material.
The history of Hwarang’s birth, discipline, and every episode.
Wearing the makeup today had been a huge help.
Kim Hyeok-jung’s guidance had been invaluable.
“Gyu-yeong, more… No, don’t move. Deok-su was great!”
Han Gyu-yeong, who had finally sobered up from the soju smell, realized it was too late.
By then, the staff and director had already been completely won over by Deok-su’s performance.
They were comparing side actors to the lead with open jealousy.
Seeing a side actor treated like a star made Han Gyu-yeong sick with envy.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Hey, our Deok-su. You worked hard.”
After filming, every staff member greeted Deok-su with warm smiles.
Deok-su looked dazed.
The scene had been nothing like the last time he was thanked.
Hui-yeong, who had been escorting him out, watched him with a gentle smile.
“I’ll work even harder from now on,” she murmured.
Her eyes burned with resolve.
“Kill… kill me… please… Ugh…”
Deok-su’s self-reproach played on the air.
The scene that had gripped the set now gripped the viewers at home.
Deok-su’s reaction had been even better than last time.
Fans pitied the failed Mi-hyeon and demanded another chance, flooding the comment boards.
The results came fast.
“If you call, of course I’ll come. Writer-nim personally called…”
“I watched the whole thing. It was fun and the reactions were great… Personally curious, though—how did Kim Deok-su come up with that interpretation?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet… Shall I call you separately later?”
“No need. It’s not a big sign. Anyway.”
Hui-yeong had just finished talking to Na Mi-yeong when Deok-su walked over with a coffee and sat down.
“Did a call come in?”
“It was the writer. She says filming will happen in two weeks.”
Deok-su was slightly dazed.
Main writers rarely called personally, and this one hated him.
“When is the script coming out?”
“Since it’s live-action, probably next week.”
“We’ll keep doing it the same way for now… ah.”
A woman approached the table where the two sat.
She wore a hoodie with her hair tied back in the middle and carried herself with elegant charm.
“Are you Representative O Ju-young of Menclothing?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you. O Ju-young, representative of Menclothing.”
Deok-su was surprised.
He had assumed the representative would be male since it was a men’s clothing site.
O Ju-young gave a casual shrug.
“Everyone looks at me that way. Why does a woman even sell men’s clothes?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I was rude.”
“It’s fine. When people say that, we have our own line. I have four brothers at home. All with different styles. Different body types. From dandy to retro to trendy. That’s how we got here.”
Representative O Ju-young had a gift for conversation.
She steered the talk smoothly, easing awkwardness until both Deok-su and Hui-yeong were relaxed.
When the atmosphere was flowing, she excused herself and lightly touched Deok-su’s arm.
“Mr. L’Vyu, you’re in much better shape than I remembered. Last time I saw you, you were super skinny.”
“Have we met before?”
“I saw you live. About three years ago? At Hyundai Department Store’s luxury shop… But I shouldn’t tell you this, right?”
Deok-su waved his hand.
Three years ago at Hyundai Department Store, everyone knew the story.
The celebrity who used rudeness as an excuse to make a department store worker kneel.
Kim Deok-su had been that celebrity.
“Good story, but my mind’s wandering. Jeez. Now I see your shoulders are insane. Suits and button-ups fit you perfectly…”
“Representative, maybe we should talk business?”
Hui-yeong’s words made O Ju-young pull her hand back with an embarrassed laugh.
“My mind is all over the place. The outfit designer is just too good.”
“What exactly would you like from me?”
O Ju-young smiled and laid out the conditions.
“I was thinking… if you wear the looks every day and upload them to your photo stories three times a week would be great.”
“Three times… half of a week. That would make a contract with Menclothing more worthwhile.”
“I’ll come once a week and do the coordinating as well.”
“That would be too much work for you. Deok-su-oppa is known for his great coordinating…”
Between the two women’s back-and-forth, Deok-su sat dazed.
He had thought he would simply wear free clothes and promote them, but the profit negotiation had turned intense.
“Mr. L’Vyu’s image has improved, but this sponsorship is an experiment for us too. Manager-nim, please consider our side as well.”
“If he gets exposed too often, it might not be good for either of us.”
The gap between positions remained wide when Deok-su finally spoke.
“Upload once a week. And coordinate as well.”
“Mr. L’Vyu, that would be one-sided.”
“In return, you coordinate a Menclothing brand photo when I leave the country at the airport. For a year.”
Both Hui-yeong and Representative O Ju-young opened their mouths in shock.