The Fragrance of Success
“Sit down first. Oh, and before I forget—do you have time?”
“No, I’m good. If it’s just one coffee with Mr. Ryu, I’ll make up for the lost time.”
With a playful grin, Deok-su gestured toward the chair.
Yun Chae-gyeong answered by sitting down without hesitation.
“Hui-yeong has been really busy lately. Did you read my article?”
“You left JMT to start your own agency… DH Entertainment, right?”
“…Yes. You knew?”
It was a little surprising to Deok-su.
In his memory, she had only ever received his business card in a daze.
Yun Chae-gyeong suddenly clapped her hands as if something had clicked.
“Could the D in DH stand for Deok-su, and the H for that manager…?”
“Exactly.”
“Of course… Then maybe you didn’t come because of JMT? Or…?”
“That’s not it. She’s not the type to shrink back because of company size. By the way, Hui-yeong must have been on your mind.”
Professor Kim Hyeok-jung watched her with curious eyes while Yun Chae-gyeong leaned closer to Deok-su.
“I actually turned her down at first. But she kept coming anyway and even bought me coffee… She never once tried to turn me into a star like everyone else. We just had casual chats every now and then…”
“And then you saw me.”
“Yes. I was wondering if you had stopped coming…”
Professor Kim Hyeok-jung chimed in quietly, listening.
“Chae-gyeong, is it? From what I heard, you seem interested in this world.”
“Of course I am. The truth is… I’m just a part-timer trying to find a job. The industry is so unfamiliar that I stay cautious.”
Professor Kim smiled gently.
“Yeah, you should be suspicious of everyone before you sign anything. There are too many bad people out there—then and now…”
“How did you end up signing, Professor?”
“Back then, it was just the brute force way. There were managers who were yakuza and actors who stole money and ran away…”
Yun Chae-gyeong’s eyes sparkled with interest at the old stories.
Her gaze is bright and pure.
Looking around, she noticed several men glancing their way again.
It was happening all over again, just like at the previous café.
“Ah, so you work with a friend.”
“Thirty years of best friends. He’s a little dense, though…”
“Wait, did I just say that out of nowhere on our first meeting?”
“It’s interesting. I want to hear more.”
Yun Chae-gyeong was naturally drawing him out.
She’s good at pulling people in. Was that why Hui-yeong gave her the card?
As Professor Kim’s stories wound down, Deok-su turned toward Yun Chae-gyeong.
“Chae-gyeong, want to come see our agency? It’s a bit rundown underground, though…”
“If you’re inviting me, I’d be grateful. Is it really okay for me to go?”
Deok-su gave her his number.
Sharing a personal number with an ordinary person was risky, but she was someone Hui-yeong had taken notice of.
Yun Chae-gyeong, who had also given Deok-su her number, stood up with a bright smile.
“Then I’ll come visit soon!”
After she left, Deok-su and Professor Kim Hyeok-jung finished their coffee and stood up.
– The music video for Ryu Haoran’s 14th album “Fragrance,” featuring Luby, has broken 300 million views in just 8 hours. What a feat…
– Is Luby breaking into China? A music video with over 300 million views… Will it hit 1 billion?
– New Hallyu star in the making? Luby, who reached 300 million views with a music video, starts with a bang at a new agency…
“The national singer is amazing. Wow, Deok-su kisses so well. Even the actresses look…”
Stylist Mun A-rim clicked her tongue while reading the article and watching Deok-su’s music video.
The song hit its peak with the difficult Chinese lyrics, and Deok-su and He Jiaqi shared a kiss.
Nearby, while pouring coffee at the sink, Hui-yeong frowned and shook her head.
“Unnie, he’s really picky. When filming the kiss scene, they even put something in his mouth to… Deok-su oppa and…”
“That’s him? That thing that leaves a smell for a whole week even if you touch it a little with your finger? Really… either the one who puts it on before the kiss or the one who can handle it during… He’s picky.”
Mun A-rim’s gaze drifted beyond the window to the practice room, straight toward that picky man.
In the practice room, which had fallen far behind JMT days, Deok-su was rehearsing his lines in front of the full-length mirror.
“Each person’s personal space holds the unconscious. The tangled blanket, the neat desk, even the books standing upside down. Nothing can be overlooked…”
“Again.”
Deok-su snapped out of his focus and shook his head vigorously.
He was rehearsing lines for his monologue. He could read the script, but he was putting in extra effort to get the voice just right.
Afterward, he checked his posture and expression in the mirror.
He’s lost some weight.
Deok-su stepped off the scale and relaxed his shoulders.
He had been so busy moving agencies that he hadn’t made time for real training.
He had promised to exercise occasionally, but it was hard to find the time.
Deok-su snapped a photo in running clothes and sent the weight to Ryu Min-hye.
After that, Deok-su headed to the production office of Moonjeong.
Inside the conference room, Writer Cho Yu-ri and President Hwang In-sik were waiting.
After a quick greeting, President Hwang In-sik launched into the heavy topic.
“Regarding Mr. Ryu… I’m sorry, but this is going to be difficult…”
“Let’s hear it first.”
Writer Cho Yu-ri looked anxious as President Hwang In-sik continued.
“You probably heard that one of the investors, Hansung Bank, pulled out.”
“I knew the investment capacity was low…”
“…Sigh. The production budget has been cut significantly. We’re still looking for investors, but we’re short about 2.5 billion won of the planned amount.”
Deok-su and Hui-yeong’s eyes widened.
The drama’s production cost per episode was around 4 to 5 hundred million won. 2.5 billion was enough to shoot 4 or even 5 episodes.
Hui-yeong’s voice trembled as she caught on.
“Wait, are you saying…?”
“We’re probably going to have to lower Mr. Ryu’s appearance fee… We scraped it together with difficulty.”
Deok-su’s eyes narrowed, and Writer Cho Yu-ri looked equally grim.
For everyone, money was sensitive, but especially for actors.
Fees directly affected visibility and skill.
Hui-yeong shot Deok-su a warning look not to step in and spoke instead.
“I understand the situation, but this is a bit much. Our fee is 1.5 million won. That’s low even compared to other lead actors.”
President Hwang In-sik tried to calm her.
“I know you’re angry, but what can we do? Suddenly 2.5 billion of the 5.5 billion total budget vanished. We’re trying to find 1 billion somehow… but it won’t work.”
“What about Senior Heo Yoon-ah? I heard her fee is 800,000 won per episode.”
“That’s…”
President Hwang In-sik couldn’t hide his shock.
Fees were a well-known secret that hadn’t even been reported in the news. How had she found out?
Hui-yeong stood up and shook her head.
“I understand, but we can’t reduce it even 1 won. If Senior Heo Yoon-ah is willing to join, we’ll consider it.”
“…”
Actors with strong pride like Senior Heo Yoon-ah had almost zero chance of accepting a cut.
They kept talking, but the opinions of Hui-yeong and President Hwang In-sik stayed on parallel lines.
The drama itself might be canceled.
Throughout it all, Deok-su stayed silent.
…Even if it falls apart, I can’t do anything.
He braced for the worst.
Writer Cho Yu-ri felt sorry, but the blame was on both sides.
In the end, with no agreement reached, Deok-su and Hui-yeong left the production office.
On the way back, Deok-su leaned deep into the seat.
“Writer Cho is in trouble. It’s his first work…”
“There are plenty of dramas that get canceled over this kind of issue. And plenty of actors who turn down roles because of fees. The production budget is their problem, not ours.”
Hui-yeong’s determination was clear.
Deok-su said,
“Don’t worry about me. Just proceed as planned.”
“I’m sorry. It’s your first lead role, oppa…”
“We can’t do it like when we were at JMT. We have to earn money… But what about that investor? Can we get him?”
“Come on, you’re being too generous… Wait, is it better than I thought? But I need someone I know…”
“I overheard at lunch. He’s really interested in investing in Korea. Let’s contact him.”
Deok-su’s words lit Hui-yeong’s face up.
A few days later, they returned to the production office of Moonjeong.
This time, they were led to the president’s office instead of the conference room.
“Mr. Ryu Haoran, you’re here.”
Ryu Haoran was casually sipping tea and waved cheerfully at Deok-su.
President Hwang In-sik, however, hadn’t even sat down.
“R-Ryu… Do you know Mr. Haoran?”
“I appeared in his music video. It was thrilling.”
Ryu Haoran smiled faintly when he realized the meaning.
But the moment he picked up the Chinese script, his expression turned cold.
This was the specially prepared script the production company had put together after receiving his interest.
…According to Deok-su’s description, this drama sounds quite interesting. The police from the past and present discuss and solve cases… They don’t seem incompetent at all. But the presence of corrupt police bothers me a little…
“Even the police have to punish a policeman. The Ministry of Public Security won’t let this pass, will they?”
Through the interpreter, Deok-su’s words reached Ryu Haoran, who smiled.
The Ministry of Public Security has connections. Besides, Deok-su is the lead…
Ryu Haoran closed his eyes and pondered.
Whether or not sound came out, anyone could tell he was clicking his abacus.
Finally, Ryu Haoran whispered something to the interpreter. The female interpreter passed on his instructions with a calm face.
“45 billion won investment. Plus exclusive rights negotiation for Chinese distribution. Also, the currently cast actors, writers, and director must stay the same.”
President Hwang In-sik wanted to cheer but barely managed to hold it back.
45 billion would jump the total budget to 85 billion, enough to rival a blockbuster.
The investment contract was signed right there.
Watching the two men smile as they exchanged contracts, Hui-yeong whispered to Deok-su.
‘Continental money is really sweet…’
‘I’m scared. He’s actually investing that much, trusting me in the end.’
When she called Ryu Haoran, her heart wasn’t this heavy.
But seeing him sign personally changed her mindset.
Hui-yeong quietly squeezed Deok-su’s shoulder.
After Ryu Haoran left for his schedule, Hui-yeong called the excited President Hwang In-sik.
“President, shall we negotiate the lead actor fee again?”
“Wait, hold on, this president… Let’s do this slowly…”
President Hwang In-sik forced an awkward smile, but Hui-yeong didn’t back down.
“Who introduced that investor?”
“That’s…”
“The production budget went up, the path to China export is open, and you still want to finish at 1.5 million?”
Hui-yeong raised her eyebrows slightly, and President Hwang In-sik cleared his throat.
It was bad timing that both of them had witnessed the entire negotiation.
If the lead actor changed, the investor deal would disappear.
It would be hard to ignore the person who introduced the investor.
President Hwang In-sik finally spoke.
“3,000… Double that…”
“7,000.”
“What? Hey, no, this president! 3,000 is…”
“Hey! 4,000!”
“6,000.”
In the end, Deok-su’s appearance fee was set at 4.5 million won.
A whopping three times more than before.
After a successful negotiation, they left the production office. Deok-su asked,
“You could have asked higher. Why didn’t you?”
“I have to think about reputation too. A reasonable compromise is needed so they’ll call me again. Overdoing it could upset Senior Heo Yoon-ah. I’m sorry, but this time just accept it.”
“I’m sorry. Actually, I’m grateful.”
Afterward, the pre-production of The Sign, which had suddenly become a blockbuster, moved quickly.
The increased budget sped up the schedule, and the slow casting and location scouting picked up speed.
Deok-su threw himself into preparing for his role.
“For the corpse to be preserved as a mummy, first…”
“Huh?”
While Deok-su was memorizing the materials, footsteps came down the stairs.
Mun A-rim and Park Hyeon-woo weren’t here yet, and Hui-yeong was sitting at her desk working.
Ding-dong.
Unlocking the door revealed Yun Chae-gyeong standing there.
Hui-yeong led her awkwardly into the office.
But before Hui-yeong even sat down, she had to stand again.
Hui-yeong, still on the phone after talking for a long time, apologized to Yun Chae-gyeong and headed toward Deok-su who was practicing.
“Oppa, want to try being a MC once?”
“Suddenly wanting to be a MC?”
“I got a call from the OBC assistant director. They want to cast you as a MC on Show Music Chart.”
The Show Music Chart MC position was a must-pass for any rising star—actor or idol.