Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: The Art of the Deal
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A sudden chill sent a shiver through Lee Yoo-ah, waking her from her sleep. The in-flight blanket she had been using had slipped off. It was a coldness that felt as if the air conditioning had been cranked to its absolute limit.
“Huu. Huuu.”
Just then, she noticed Park Jae-yong, sweating profusely and fidgeting uncomfortably.
“Are you feeling unwell, Chief Producer?”
Park Jae-yong turned to Yoo-ah with a grave expression.
“My stomach hurts.”
Yoo-ah barely managed to stifle a laugh.
She recalled him devouring madeleines at the Incheon Airport lounge, proclaiming them the perfect match for milk.
“Don’t you think you had too many madeleines and too much milk?”
“Ugh. Maybe.”
Seeing how serious he looked, Yoo-ah spoke cautiously.
“Have you tried going to the restroom?”
“…”
“?”
“I’ve flown a lot in my life.”
“Yes.”
“But I’ve never once used the bathroom on a plane.”
*Oh, sir. Please.*
Yoo-ah’s face, contorted from holding back her laughter, turned pale.
“Yoo-ah, what’s wrong! Does your stomach hurt too?”
“No!”
Yoo-ah, who had momentarily snapped, took a deep breath. She remembered that CEO Park Jae-yong suffered from a panic disorder.
“But did you know, Yoo-ah?”
“Know what?”
“Do you know what happens to the waste when you use the bathroom on a plane?”
“Doesn’t it get broken down into molecules by the incredible air pressure?”
“Wrong! Planes have holding tanks.”
“Ah. Of course. That’s our Chief Producer for you…”
“Hahaha.”
The smile on Park Jae-yong’s face looked incredibly strained.
“It’s painful just watching you. You should go to the restroom…”
“R-Right.”
After a few deep breaths, Park Jae-yong stood up and headed for the lavatory.
“Pffft.”
Only then did Yoo-ah shake her head and let out a small chuckle. She pulled the blanket back up to her neck and slowly closed her eyes.
But a moment later.
A commotion forced her awake again.
Bang, bang, bang!
“The door won’t open! Is anyone out there!”
Thump, thump, thump!
Startled by Park Jae-yong’s voice, Yoo-ah moved toward the restroom.
“Sir! Please calm down!”
-Gasp! Hah! The door won’t open!
Lost in his panic, Park Jae-yong was shaking the restroom door so violently that the flight attendant’s voice didn’t seem to reach him.
“Sir! Don’t push, pull! It’s a pull door!”
Just as two flight attendants tried to push the door inward to open it.
“Haaaaah!”
“I said pull!”
The heavy restroom door buckled under the force of them pushing from both sides.
*Clank!*
“Aah!”
Eventually, the door came off its hinges, and Park Jae-yong’s frantic episode came to an abrupt halt.
“…”
“I told you, you’re supposed to pull, not push.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Only after the door was off did Park Jae-yong calm down, helping the flight attendants reassemble it.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
The flight attendants, who had been flustered by the sudden incident, belatedly pictured the situation and started clutching their stomachs with laughter.
Feeling a wave of secondhand embarrassment, Yoo-ah returned to her seat, covering her face and muttering.
“Pretend you don’t know me… Please, pretend you don’t know me. Please…”
* * *
“Just twenty million won, you say? That’s comparable to the advertising fee for an influencer with tens of thousands of followers, isn’t it?”
Executive Director Lee Woon-young wore an intrigued expression, her eyes expectant of an answer.
“…”
I simply smiled without a word. Sometimes, letting the other person wonder and think for themselves can be helpful.
A subtle smile playing on her lips, Executive Director Lee Woon-young crossed her legs.
“In your opinion, PD-nim, how far do you think the members of Earl Grey can go?”
It wasn’t a question one would typically ask with Earl Grey sitting right there, but Woon-young did so willingly. It seemed less like a breach of etiquette and more like an attempt to probe my inner thoughts.
At Lee Woon-young’s blunt question, the Earl Grey members’ faces grew even more tense.
“I don’t know what their ceiling is, but I can guarantee they’ll be getting 500 million won per deal with an exclusivity clause for competing brands.”
“Khk. Kuhup.”
At Min-jun’s words, So Joong-han coughed quietly, as if he’d choked on something.
“Though we would need to discuss the concept, pre-shoot, and the timing of the release.”
“You’ve thought that far ahead?”
Executive Director Lee Woon-young seemed surprised that I, who was here for a contract regarding Answer, had also given such deep thought to Earl Grey’s future.
“I’ve also set the contract ratio at 50/50.”
Lee Woon-young’s eyes widened. With an entertainment business among her group’s affiliates, she seemed well-versed in the industry’s practices.
“Wow. Isn’t it still 80/20 for rookies these days, or 70/30 at best?”
“At JD Enter, even our trainees are guaranteed a 70/30 split. The reason I set the rate for Earl Grey at 50/50 is—”
The Earl Grey members were staring at me so intently that I almost laughed.
“It means I want them to work themselves to the bone without any complaints. If the agency takes too much, motivation drops, and people tend to get sick more often.”
“Ahaha. You have a fun way of putting things. As expected of PD Min-jun. I’m intrigued.”
Executive Director Lee Woon-young laughed heartily, her voice as steady and resonant as a news anchor’s.
“This is a matter for your insightful judgment, Executive Director Lee. To be honest, from my perspective, I never even consider the possibility of my artists failing.”
“You say that with such a straight face.”
“I’m sometimes told that my serious expression inspires trust.”
“Pfft! You really are something.”
Watching Min-jun effortlessly control the conversation with just a few words, the members of Earl Grey were genuinely astonished.
They felt as powerless as animals in a cage, yet they didn’t feel looked down upon. It was a confusing situation, like sitting on pins and needles and a plush cushion at the same time.
So Joong-han, having gotten cheese on his hand without realizing it, stood up.
“…I’m just going to wash my hands.”
“M-Me too.”
As if on cue, the rest of the Earl Grey members rose in unison.
Inside the restroom, as So Joong-han washed his hands with a contemplative look, the other members started talking.
“PD Min-jun is insane, right?”
“Yeah. He barely said anything, but the atmosphere just got sucked in, you know?”
Seo Bang-il chimed in, vehemently agreeing with Jang Hyun-seung’s comment.
“What do you mean, ‘sucked in’? It’s just working because he’s good-looking.”
“No, it’s not that. He doesn’t seem like he’s in his twenties. It felt like watching a conversation between adults.”
“Right. If anything, PD Min-jun felt more like the stuffy old man.”
With Yoon Woo-sung and Seo Bang-il joining in, So Joong-han’s lips pressed into a firm line.
Deep down, he too had felt a strange pull in Min-jun’s words.
“Are we about to hit it big for real?”
“For real. He said 500 million, right?”
“If we do just one event a week, is that 2 billion a month?”
“You idiot. Are ads and events the same thing? If an ad is 500 million, an event is probably…”
“Probably how much?”
“How should I know?”
So Joong-han didn’t argue with the talk of hitting it big. Deep down, he was just as hopeful about Min-jun’s abilities as the others were.
After washing their hands, the four returned to their seats.
The space in front of Min-jun and Lee Woon-young had been cleared, and the two were discussing the contract, their playful demeanor gone.
“The Earl Grey contract is for the fourth quarter, so let’s arrange it next week.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
The Earl Grey members were so quiet, worried that the sound of their eating might disturb the two, that they were even careful with the straws in their drinks.
“Now, shall we move on to Answer’s contract?”
“Yes. To be honest, even though we offered more than ‘King Patty,’ I thought it would be difficult for you to realistically come to our side.”
At Lee Woon-young’s candid remark, Min-jun replied with a slightly frustrated expression.
“Yes. As you’re well aware, there’s a significant risk for us in signing with your company instead of King Patty.”
“I acknowledge that. But since King Patty was the one who tried to shamelessly lowball you, we just need to prepare the press release well, right?”
“I don’t think that alone will be enough, which is why I requested this urgent meeting.”
*Ding-dong.*
“Just a moment. I’ll go get the coffee.”
“I’ll go with you.”
As Min-jun and Woon-young went to get the coffee, the Earl Grey members started whispering again.
“But doesn’t that woman seem young to be an executive director?”
“Whether it’s skill or connections, she looks cool.”
“If she was just a parachute hire, she wouldn’t be here alone handling the practical side of a contract. Parachutes just stamp the final paperwork.”
“Ooh. Good point, Joong-han.”
So Joong-han puffed out his chest, which had been hunched over.
Before the coffee arrived, the Earl Grey members cleared their own messy table.
* * *
“Seeing you brought them all the way here, are you in the middle of training them?”
“Thank you for playing along. And it’s good for them to make an impression.”
“Hehe. I wasn’t just saying that. By the way, did you know I was Joo-won’s older sister? You didn’t seem surprised at all.”
“I didn’t know until this morning. I was looking up Executive Director Lee Woon-young and was quite surprised to find that out.”
Lee Woon-young smiled faintly.
“To be honest, I was more surprised by how much younger you look than your age, Executive Director Lee.”
“Oh my. I’d rather you just say I’m pretty than that I look young.”
“My apologies. Of course, you are also exceptionally beautiful.”
In my honest opinion, Lee Woon-young’s beauty was less exceptional and more of an intellectual charm. Of course, my standards might have been raised by being around celebrities all the time.
“I was joking. Thank you. I spend a considerable amount of money and time trying to look young.”
Lee Woon-young’s forthright demeanor was very similar to Director Lee Joo-won’s in many ways.
At over forty-five, her posture was as straight as a well-disciplined trainee’s. It seemed the best way to prevent aging was indeed lifting weights and cardio.
We placed six cups of coffee on two trays and called the Earl Grey members over to a table in the cafe area. They came rushing over.
Lee Woon-young placed a coffee in front of each of them and spoke.
“Do you know the number one rule for our chairman’s protocol?”
“Huh? N-No, we don’t.”
The Earl Grey members fidgeted nervously at her question.
“It’s to prepare our brand’s coffee.”
“What?”
“The protocol team has to scout out our nearest cafe to the chairman’s scheduled location in advance. It’s not just company loyalty; he genuinely loves our coffee.”
“I see.”
“That’s how much care he’s put into our coffee beans and brewing process.”
The Earl Grey members looked as if they were wondering why she was telling them this. It didn’t seem to have any profound meaning, but I felt the comment was directed more at me than at them.
As the aroma of coffee filled the air, we shifted back into business mode.
“We were at ‘I requested this meeting because a press release alone won’t be enough,’ weren’t we?”
“I believe so.”
She was a person of incredible focus, to remember the exact point where our conversation had left off.
“Originally, you proposed 110 million won for Seol-ah and her younger brother, Yejun, to appear together, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
At the mention of a nine-figure contract, the eyes of the Earl Grey members gleamed.
“We’d like to add an option that would prevent any damage to our image even if we go with Break instead of King Patty. Of course, I believe this will also be a good social contribution for Break Burger.”
“Social contribution? Are you suggesting we add a donation option?”
Lee Woon-young looked puzzled.
“Yes, that’s right. But it won’t be a huge burden on you.”
“Go on.”
“There are just over two thousand children living in orphanages across the country. We propose sending them hamburger meals, like the ones we just had, for each of those children.”
“Hmm? In that case, does the burden fall solely on our side?”
Lee Woon-young protested with a faint smile, which felt more effective than raising her voice.
“Of course not. In return, our side will have all the members of Answer appear in the ad.”
“Ahh?”
Lee Woon-young’s eyes lit up with positive affirmation.
Should I grease the wheels a little more?
“As you’re well aware of the market, Answer’s current advertising rate is over 200 million won. I believe this is a condition that will be highly beneficial to your side as well.”
The necessary expense to deliver meals to two thousand children would be, at a generous estimate, thirty million won. There was no way Break Burger would refuse this.
After all, if the ad campaign went through, not only would it boost their public image for social contribution, but it was also certain to drastically increase their own sales, taking a bite out of their biggest competitor, who was currently enjoying success from PPL.