Chapter 146: A New Advertisement (1)
Chapter 146: A New Advertisement (1)
Currently, the only advertisement Seo-yeon had properly filmed was for éclat Étoile.
Other than that, she hadn't really done any commercials.
Whenever Seo-yeon appeared on a broadcast, she always used éclat Étoile cosmetics. Since she promoted them at every opportunity, she had become a dream spokesperson for the brand.
...Of course, she felt a bit like she was using it as an excuse for her appearance, but still.
Regardless, since she was currently considered a trending celebrity, she was receiving a high volume of ad offers.
Among them, however, were many that didn't quite suit her personally, such as advertisements for gamepads or fishing rods.
There were legitimate offers as well, but she simply hadn't had the time to film any for a while.
‘But I should start thinking about it soon.’
Ads were lucrative, after all. They were also effective for improving a celebrity's image.
‘...Especially since I lost some points with Hyper Action Star.’
She felt like she might have been a bit too intense during the action acting audition.
To be honest, Seo-yeon was secretly disappointed that Min Do-ha hadn't made it to the finals. Min Do-ha’s acting skills, which she had shown throughout the competition, resonated well with Seo-yeon in many ways.
But to think a Japanese contestant using nunchucks would make it to the finals instead.
‘Narumi Sora, was it?’
Seo-yeon tilted her head, murmuring the name to herself.
Nothing particular came to mind. Usually, in the entertainment industry, information would pop up automatically just by typing a name into a search engine, but there was nothing special about Narumi Sora.
‘I might not know her if she went back to Japan.’
Since she had zero interest in the Japanese entertainment industry in her past life, there was no way for her to know. However, given the acting skills she displayed in the finals, it would be a shame if she remained unknown.
More than anything...
‘I didn't get to ask if she watches VTubers.’
Of course, she didn't exactly give off the vibe of someone who would.
Before the finals ended, she had been very guarded. When Seo-yeon tried to ask afterward, the girl had just stared at her with a somber expression.
‘I even kept my image positive, so why?’
Seo-yeon, for her part, felt a bit grumpy.
Hadn't she taken the role of the protagonist in the acting? Meanwhile, her own performance felt like a villain again.
Thanks to that, Seo-yeon’s image had once again become similar to that of the killer, Cha Seo-ah.
Such comments were even appearing on articles about her.
It seemed some people viewed her physical abilities as her entire concept. Seeing how many upvotes those comments had, there were clearly people who agreed.
‘Actually, this reaction is better.’
In her fan cafe, all sorts of memes and edits were running rampant.
Seo-yeon secretly felt relieved that the AI era hadn't fully begun yet. If this were a time when AI was widespread, she would have been edited into videos fighting all sorts of enemies for real.
Just imagining it made her shiver.
‘...I do have that observational variety show coming up, though.’
For the record, filming for the observational variety show was only two weeks away. There wasn't much time left.
But before that, she thought it would be good to consider an advertisement. Not for the income, but for her image.
However...
"Seo-yeon, how about this one? It's for a chicken brand."
That was a brand that would be caught abusing its power over franchise owners in six months.
"Oh, this one is good too. I heard this brand was started by a BJ recently, and it's popular with the younger crowd."
A brand created by an internet BJ venturing into business. For the record, this one would also fall apart and go bankrupt within a year. Naturally, the image of the actor who modeled for it would plummet as well.
‘This is tough...’
There were other mediocre ads, but generally, nothing felt "just right."
Seo-yeon let out a sigh. Sometimes, having information in your head was a disadvantage. Because she knew things, she couldn't help but be picky.
Should she just pick anything? But none of these looked like they would help improve her image.
‘Why don't I get luxury brand offers like Jung-woo sunbae?’
Then again, considering her recent image on the internet...
‘...It can't be helped.’
She had no choice but to accept it. The image Seo-yeon currently held was far removed from the typical "elegant actress" archetype.
‘Maybe I should just do a public service announcement for the fire department.’
But would it be right for Seo-yeon, who had been running around swinging a fire axe, to do a public service announcement? A small doubt flickered in her mind.
"I'll think about it a bit more."
"Yeah, sure. You're busy with your projects anyway, so let's choose carefully."
Seeing Seo-yeon looking uncharacteristically dejected, Manager Park Eun-ha looked at her with pride.
‘To prioritize her acting projects when there are so many big ad offers...’
One way or another, Manager Park Eun-ha tended to see Seo-yeon through rose-colored glasses. In her eyes, Seo-yeon was an actress who prioritized her craft even while being a top star.
In fact, the only ad Seo-yeon had filmed was éclat Étoile. She hadn't even glanced at the other offers that came in.
What an exemplary model of an actress!
Anyway.
‘I need to return to being a mysterious actress as soon as possible.’
As she pondered, something suddenly occurred to her.
Although it wasn't among the offers she had received, there was one place she could reach out to herself.
It was an advertisement for a certain chair brand.
*
A week after Hyper Action Star ended.
Seo-yeon visited GH Group once again.
First, it was to be congratulated for her victory and great performance in Hyper Action Star, and second, because they needed to briefly discuss her future schedule.
"Good job on the audition. However, unfortunately, it looks like we won't be able to start filming immediately," said Kang Tae-jin, the Director of the Culture Business Department at GH Group, telling her to rest for the time being.
It was likely because only the lead had been cast, and they were still looking for the rest of the actors.
"Filming will likely start in three months at the earliest... probably around the time the drama you're currently filming ends."
Director Kang Tae-jin spoke as if he knew about Sky Garden. Then, he gestured toward the man sitting next to him.
It was their first time meeting. However, the moment Seo-yeon saw him, she recognized him instantly.
‘Director Han Ye-geon?’
He was a director who had been quite famous in her past life as well. Even now, he had some recognition as a "genius director," but his true peak would come in a few years.
His true value would shine once OTT dramas became the mainstream. He was the person who created dramas with movie-like visuals using investments from massive overseas OTT platforms.
‘Fractal.’
That was the name, if she recalled correctly. It was so famous that Seo-yeon didn't even need to dig through her memories. He was even notoriously stubborn; despite the show's massive success, he flatly refused to film Season 2 and left the project.
The second season of Fractal, which he didn't direct, didn't even achieve half the success of the first, though it still performed decently—it was just that the first season had set the bar too high.
‘But why is a director like him doing Mine?’
Is this okay? What about Fractal?
"...Do you know me?"
Director Han Ye-geon, who had been quiet, finally spoke.
"Pardon?"
When a flustered Seo-yeon asked back, he continued.
"You've been staring at me for a while, so I wondered if you knew who I was."
"Ah, yes. I know you. You're Director Han Ye-geon, right?"
"...Hmm. I didn't think an actor your age would know me."
He sounded like a veteran director, but as far as she knew, Han Ye-geon was only in his mid-thirties. He was a director who had achieved great success at a young age.
‘His unique personality was famous in my past life, too.’
He was well-known for getting into frequent arguments with actors. He was self-righteous and incredibly stubborn. However, he was talented, so actors desperately wanted to be in his works even while cursing him.
"Ah, I introduced him to her before. I mentioned that Director Han Ye-geon would be participating as the director for Mine."
"Aha."
Director Kang Tae-jin chimed in, bridging the conversation.
"You said you had something you really wanted to say to Seo-yeon when you met her, right?"
"Ah, yes. Well."
Han Ye-geon nodded at Kang Tae-jin, who was leading the conversation smoothly. As he said, Han Ye-geon had many things he wanted to say to Seo-yeon.
‘Seeing her in person, her image really is different from what's on broadcast.’
Her image on internet communities might have become a bit of a joke, but that was just the internet. Aside from the memes floating around on humor sites, the image of "Actress Ju Seo-yeon" was actually quite positive.
‘Her strongest image is Cha Seo-ah.’
In other words, a villainous image. Not a typical, lowly villain, but a more atmospheric one.
Mysterious eyes. Jet-black hair that reminded one of a dark night. On top of that, she was a girl who suited a uniquely chilling atmosphere.
‘I can see why so many people want to cast her as a villain.’
Han Ye-geon occasionally interacted with other directors. Whenever they talked about actors lately, Seo-yeon was the one mentioned most frequently.
A young actress. It was very rare to find someone so young with such skill. Even when searching for actors for such roles, they usually ended up casting older actors. It couldn't be helped, as younger actors often lacked the necessary skills.
That was why Jo Seo-hee was so beloved by directors. And recently, alongside Jo Seo-hee, the young actress with the most recognition was Ju Seo-yeon.
‘But they say Ju Seo-yeon can only play villains? Hmm, I don't think that's true.’
In fact, Jo Ha-rin in Dream Future was a bright and bubbly role. That might be her true color as well.
‘It’s just that Jo Ha-rin was somewhat overshadowed by Cha Seo-ah’s image.’
Han Ye-geon stroked his chin while observing Ju Seo-yeon. That was certainly the impression he got from watching the broadcasts.
The character "Yeohwa," which had been set since the preliminaries, felt similar to Seo-yeon’s previous role as Cha Seo-ah. But the Seo-yeon he saw in person was... how should he put it?
‘Isn't she kind of... bubbly?’
If you looked closely, she was. Though she was disguised behind a poker face, her constantly moving eyes were rich with emotion. She was showing immense curiosity as she looked at Han Ye-geon.
Han Ye-geon, sensitive to such things, almost let out a laugh.
‘A laugh, of all things.’
Usually, actors would watch him warily because of the "genius director" talk. He was also rumored to have a sensitive personality. Because of that, Han Ye-geon usually didn't like people staring at him.
But why? Seo-yeon’s gaze made him want to smile. It was because her eyes held the kind of look a puppy has when looking at a stranger.
Just pure curiosity.
"Ms. Seo-yeon."
"Yes."
Director Han Ye-geon had already seen Seo-yeon’s acting. To be honest, her unbelievable physical abilities were astonishing, but that wasn't exactly "acting," was it?
"There are many things I want to do in this movie."
Perhaps that bubbly side she was showing now, and the intensity of "Yeohwa" she showed in the audition—he wanted to make it so she could show both.
"You can do it, right?"
It wasn't a question; it was practically a command. To those words that would make any normal actor nervous, Seo-yeon nodded with eyes full of ambition.
Seeing Seo-yeon like that was so satisfying that...
"Very good."
He ended up giving a wide smile that would have shocked anyone who knew Director Han Ye-geon.
*
"Pardon? An advertisement?"
Kwak Hyun-woo, the Team Leader of the Advertising Planning Office at Adiz Chairs, doubted his ears.
"Is that for real?"
"Yes, it was a manager from Nova Entertainment. They definitely said they were Ju Seo-yeon’s manager."
"So, Actress Ju Seo-yeon wants to do an ad for our brand?"
"Yes, sir."
Kwak Hyun-woo was once again bewildered. Of course, Adiz was a reasonably successful chair brand. However, it wasn't particularly outstanding compared to its competitors.
More than anything...
‘We don't spend much on ad models, do we?’
They didn't see much merit in expensive models. In the past, they had hired a string of trending celebrities for ads, but it hadn't been particularly effective.
Unknown actors or unknown idols—there wasn't much difference in results, so Adiz had no desire to use famous celebrities.
"Geez, she's the biggest trend right now, isn't she? How much is she planning to ask for?"
To think the agency reached out first. It was rare, but it happened occasionally. Usually, this was only possible if there was a personal connection.
Nova Entertainment had a celebrity who had modeled for Adiz in the past, which was how they were able to get in touch. It seemed they wanted to push another ad now that their recent actor was blowing up.
‘No, this is weird.’
Someone like Ju Seo-yeon should have CF offers lining up like candy. Why would she bother choosing an Adiz commercial?
"Then I'll send an email saying we decline."
"Ah, wait, wait. Hold on a second."
Kwak Hyun-woo pondered for a moment, crossing his arms and swaying his body.
"Let's at least have one meeting."
He wanted to hear the reason. That was what he decided.
He couldn't for the life of him figure out why she was requesting an ad from Adiz.