An Unexpected CF Opportunity
When the company called me and Seong Jiyeong in separately, I naturally assumed the conversation would revolve around the YouTube video. But no. Something I hadn't even imagined in my wildest dreams came flying out of left field, leaving even someone like me completely thrown off balance.
"So... a CF?"
"Of course, it would require passing an audition first. Honestly, the odds of failing are far higher. The competition rate is absolutely brutal. That said, if you manage to land it, you'll receive a rather substantial spotlight even before your debut."
"You want both me and Seong Jiyeong to audition for it..."
"Yes. The company has determined that the two of you have the highest chance of success."
Our country's smartphone industry is clearly split into two major factions: Cheonji's Mirinae and Dream's Shining. Of course, the apple from the rice-eating nation across the ocean exists too. But in this world, it didn't hold much sway, while Mirinae and Shining had pushed into America and Europe, carving out a significant market share. You could call it a two-strong, one-medium situation.
As a result, the rivalry between Mirinae and Shining in this sector kept accelerating. Corporately speaking, Cheonji and Dream were among the top conglomerates in Korea, and the tension between them was intense. With so many wolves eyeing their positions, they stopped short of trying to tear each other apart completely, but the deep-rooted conviction that they could not lose to the other was etched into their bones.
In situations like these, every time the two companies clashed, their employees felt their blood run dry. Where there was a first place, there was inevitably a second, and every time the rankings flipped, the wailing that followed made you wonder how anyone could endure it. Those high salaries didn't come without a price.
And so, Shining—which competed fiercely with Mirinae day in and day out—was pushing forward with a bizarre project timed to their new product launch. They planned to cast a completely unknown newcomer from the entertainment industry for the commercial.
Honestly, I had no idea where this idea had sprung from, but it was clearly the polar opposite of the existing attitude both Mirinae and Shining had always shown by exclusively using S-class megastars in their ads.
And now the company was recommending that Seong Jiyeong and I apply to become Shining's new advertising models.
"Shining, huh..."
It was definitely a position anyone dreaming of an entertainment debut would kill for. Even the top stars all had their eyes on it—the CFs for Shining and Mirinae. First, as expected from major corporation commercials, the pay was attractive. On top of that, both companies were famous for the exceptional quality of their ads, backed by their signature aggressive marketing. The exposure was insane too. They aired so frequently it felt like they came on every time you turned on a screen.
It was quite some time ago, so my memory is hazy, but I do recall something like this happening around this period. An aspiring actress shot straight to stardom from it. Of course, her skills didn't match her looks, so she ended up as little more than a flash-in-the-pan celebrity. Still, the project's ripple effect was already set in stone.
But if you asked whether this was something I should do, I'd probably tilt my head in confusion. Because it was written right there in black and white.
"But why would I audition for this? It specifically says 'a woman with a haughty and chic image.' Wouldn't it make more sense for Jiyeong to go?"
The image the organizers demanded was exactly that—haughty and chic. Who in their right mind would send me, with my obviously cute, bright-and-lively eyes?
"While that's true, makeup can cover a fair amount."
"I don't think makeup can fix this..."
"Moreover, Yeri, with your transcendent beauty that surpasses ordinary preferences, something like this should be..."
"Where in the world does that even exist? This is clearly not me. It wasn't the CEO who suggested I try out for this, was it?"
"Ah... um... Yes. Well..."
What? It really was the CEO? From the moment he started talking about my beauty transcending preferences, I'd sensed something was off. So this was his pick all along.
Looking back, CEO Cha had a clear tendency to overestimate me. Back when I was leaving the company, he had repeatedly emphasized that I would definitely debut and achieve massive success. He even claimed the reason I couldn't debut under Cha Entertainment wasn't because I lacked talent, but because he hadn't been able to nurture me properly. It was quite ironic that he'd said all that while sending me off to another company.
Anyway, even I could see this wasn't for me. But passing up such a golden opportunity felt wrong. After all, there was a member in our team who fit the description perfectly, wasn't there? The undisputed champion of haughty and chic—our cat queen.
Honestly, the words "haughty and chic" might as well have been invented for Seong Jiyeong. However, I remembered that the rookie actress who ultimately won the project and debuted through that CF had been a formidable opponent. Plus, this was a Shining commercial. Every imaginable contender would come crawling out of the woodwork, and the competition rate would be monstrous.
No matter how capable Seong Jiyeong was, seizing victory there would require thorough preparation. But would that girl actually bother preparing for something like this?
Seong Jiyeong was fundamentally a diligent person. Even though she had no particular reason to succeed as an idol, she trained with incredible dedication. But it seemed to stop there; she didn't come across as genuinely passionate about idol work. You could tell just from the look in her eyes during practice. Her gaze was completely different when she was receiving dance training versus when she was learning Fa Jin.
So it was only natural that her attitude this time would be something like 'I'll give it a try if you tell me to'...
"I really want to participate."
"Oh? You're saying you'll go for it, Jiyeong?"
"Yes. Absolutely. For some reason, it feels like this role was made for me."
Oh. What was this? I was honestly a little surprised. Seong Jiyeong wasn't the type to raise her voice much within the company, yet she seemed genuinely serious about this particular opportunity.
Still, it felt a bit strange. I wouldn't have expected her to get fired up over something like success or money. Was there another reason? My brain couldn't come up with any guesses. Maybe I should ask her about it when the chance arose.
My usual principle was to avoid prying into my colleagues' personal matters, but since we'd already come this far, I figured I had the right to be curious about Seong Jiyeong's circumstances. Everything that was going to explode already had. Adding one more thing wouldn't change much.
"Since it's come to this, I might as well help her a little. If Seong Jiyeong starts off with a massive boost in recognition, our group activities will go much more smoothly. I'm also secretly curious what exactly lit a fire under her."
I was the only person in this world who knew what the finished CF from that project looked like. I didn't remember every detail, but I clearly recalled the overall style. Since it was the kind of commercial you'd see every time you opened your eyes, it would have been stranger not to remember it.
If I helped Seong Jiyeong, I could at least raise her chances a little. Of course, the process would probably be a bit of a hassle, but it was only that much. For the sake of my bright future, I could afford to invest a few days in her.
"Will this actually help?"
"Probably?"
"I don't really understand it, but you wouldn't make me do something completely pointless..."
"Just think of it as escape practice. Honestly, once you get the hang of the technique, it's quick."
"First of all, I don't escape by climbing like this."
"Aww~ With thinking so short-sighted. You're not going to use teleportation while you're in idol mode, are you? What will you do then?"
"That's... true. First of all, there's no reason for an idol to suddenly find herself trapped in a strange place. The chances of needing to escape by climbing down a rope would be even lower."
"You never know what might happen in this world. How could I have dreamed that I'd become a YouTube star wearing a weird rabbit helmet?"
"That... is true."
What I demanded of Seong Jiyeong was bare-handed building climbing and descending a building while tied to a rope. I even insisted she strike a cool pose while coming down the rope, so it was admittedly a bit eccentric. For someone with teleportation abilities, it was completely unnecessary training.
That's why I had naturally expected considerable resistance, but the girl was more compliant than I anticipated. So the haughty and chic part was only skin-deep after all. This was the moment when Tasha's assessment that she had some sloppy sides started to make sense.
"First, master the movements. After that, it's all about the expression. Stay haughty and chic until the very end."
There was, of course, a reason I was making Seong Jiyeong do all this. Shining's CF was filmed like an action movie. The main story involved the protagonist secretly infiltrating a building by climbing it, stylishly stealing the new Shining product, and then making a dramatic escape.
That was why they suddenly made applicants do climbing at the audition. The superhuman aspiring actress whose hobby was rock climbing had executed it perfectly and won.
Of course, climbing wasn't particularly difficult for Seong Jiyeong either, but it required proper technique. To perform it with real skill, she needed experience. Moreover, simply climbing wasn't enough. She had to maintain a haughty and chic expression the entire time she scaled the building with her bare hands. To act at that level, she needed to be thoroughly familiar with climbing.
No matter how talented Seong Jiyeong was, without experience it wouldn't be easy to look good.
"For me and Tasha, climbing buildings is part of our daily routine, so we wouldn't need this kind of practice. But since that girl doesn't even need to climb buildings... if I suddenly make her do it, she'll probably get flustered."
But Seong Jiyeong was no ordinary talent. At first she seemed a bit awkward, but after only a few practice sessions she not only grew accustomed to climbing but began to glimpse the realm of artistry. At that level, even if that actress's hobby really was rock climbing, Seong Jiyeong had nothing to feel inferior about.
I nodded in satisfaction and began preparing for the next stage.
"This looks pretty good."
"That's fortunate. But you're incredibly flexible. Is that why your superpower is 'flexibility'..."
"Anyone who does rhythmic gymnastics or ballet can manage this much. Of course, I am somewhat superior."
"Somewhat? This isn't 'somewhat.' However, this isn't combat—it's acting. Let's focus a bit more on that."
"Ah, yes. I've heard that too. When performing action scenes, you need to pack in a lot of stylish flair."
"Well, something like that."
I didn't know what other selection processes there were besides climbing, but recalling that the CF had been directed like an action movie, I figured there would definitely be demands regarding action as well.
So after finishing the climbing training, I began practicing action acting with Seong Jiyeong, exchanging moves as if we were sparring. Truthfully, I could have asked the company to send us to an action school, but that didn't appeal to me. If the company learned that I had specifically prepared action acting in advance for the CF audition and it turned out to be exactly on target, they might develop some strange misunderstandings.
If they asked how I knew, I wouldn't have much of an answer. It's not like I was as quick-witted as Yu Hana, able to spin words however I pleased.
Besides, even Seong Jiyeong—while exchanging moves with us—would secretly get excited and reveal her true abilities. If I threw her into an action school, they might start suspecting her identity.
For someone like me or Tasha, it wouldn't be a big deal. It wasn't uncommon for idol trainees to be serious about action acting. But when it came to someone like Seong Jiyeong, who used a unique weapon like a whip, unconscious habits might slip out, so we needed to be more careful.
Of course, we could probably get away with claiming it was a ribbon instead of a whip, but there was no need to invite unnecessary danger. Simply matching moves with me would serve as action acting practice. There wasn't really anything more to it.
And so, I spent the next several days with Seong Jiyeong, practicing climbing and action acting together.