The Agency
The agency.
Jeong Yeo-un could not help but be stunned.
First: her looks.
Yu Ha-yeong had said it. She was ridiculously beautiful.
Fine. Looks were absolutely a competitive edge. But the problem was, how many kids walked into this industry banking on looks alone? Celebrities were, by and large, all attractive. In the end, public opinion split along nothing more than differences in taste.
But they all knew the truth. Even among the pretty and the handsome, there were people who stood out.
Gil Ara was one of them. Especially those eyes.
She's gorgeous, and she's unique… You could just put her as an idol center or a pictorial model and she'd already be a success.
Looks so magnetic that, as a businessman and as a human being, he was ready to throw personality and everything else out the window.
"Hello. I'm Jeong Yeo-un, CEO of YW."
He held out his business card.
"Forgive me for asking, but Miss Ara—you're twenty, correct?"
"Yes. I'll be twenty-one in two months."
That was the second reason. The perfect age—no restrictions whatsoever on her activities. On top of that, she carried herself with a presence that made twenty almost impossible to believe.
"I'll be direct. I would like to bring you to YW."
"Excuse me?"
Jeong Yeo-un decided to just go for it clean.
Even someone who doesn't know the first letter of 'business' wouldn't let a chance like this slip. If you can't grab this, you're an idiot.
Missing her would mean writing himself at least ten thousand letters of apology.
Of course, pull too hard and the other party gets overwhelmed.
"For now—would you be willing to hear me out?"
"Yes."
Ara nodded.
Yes! Got it!
Getting this far already meant he was halfway there. The remaining fifty percent rested entirely on Jeong Yeo-un.
"YW is small, for starters. We don't have many entertainers under contract."
His push-and-pull began.
"But precisely because our roster is small, we can look after each person carefully. Beyond basic legal representation, we handle schedule management and all the little details for you."
His explanation kept going. Ara listened in silence.
I have no idea what any of this means.
And she was failing to understand most of it. She knew nothing about the industry, so even when he introduced the company's unique strengths, she had no way to verify whether any of it was true.
If I'd known it would go like this, I should've cut back on gaming and done some research.
Jeong Yeo-un's pitch finally ended.
I can't read her expression at all.
She held a poker face far too solid for a rookie.
I really can't afford to lose this talent.
I genuinely have no idea.
That was the reality—but Ara decided to charge straight ahead.
"Honestly…"
Honestly?
Jeong Yeo-un already had her next line mapped out.
It's too much? You don't understand why I'm treating you this well?
He had a dazzling answer ready to lift her up the moment she spoke.
All right—come at me!
"I don't really get it."
"I se—pardon?"
Jeong Yeo-un's thoughts locked up for a second.
You don't get it? Get what? Don't tell me it's not enough? At this level???
He had offered the absolute best terms a rookie actress could receive, and all that came back was a vague answer.
"When you say you don't get it—which part, exactly?"
Ara figured saying "all of it" would be rude to someone who had just explained everything so carefully, so she pointed at the settlement ratio scrawled roughly across the A4 sheet.
Do actors normally take this much? Even rookies?
She's saying this isn't enough?
The split was 7:3—an outstanding offer for a newcomer—and Ara was treating it like a problem. Rookies usually got 6:4. 7:3 was already generous. Truly predatory agencies went below 5:5 and bled their talent dry.
"Miss Ara."
"Yes."
"You're going into a drama this time, aren't you? Would it be all right if I took a look at your contract terms?"
The reason Jeong Yeo-un asked to review her contract:
I need to compare a rookie's appearance fee and the terms she signed against what I'm offering, then use that to persuade her.
Should be fine to show him, right?
It was her first contract ever, so she had read it thoroughly. There was no nondisclosure clause forbidding her from showing it to outsiders, so Ara opened the copy saved on her phone and handed it over.
"Here."
"Thank you. One moment."
Let's see. Wait—
The moment he checked the contract, Jeong Yeo-un was floored.
What the hell is this insane contract!!!
It wasn't skewed against the actor. It was skewed in her favor—completely unhinged in the best possible way.
That was the final reason.
A signing bonus of ten million?
And look at the per-episode fee listed below.
Three million won per episode.
For a second he thought he had misread three hundred thousand.
Does this make any sense? For a rookie? Do they have production budget left over or what???
On top of that, Lee Eun-ju only appeared in four episodes. Aside from the final one, the character barely had any screen time. It was, in the truest sense, extraordinary.
Jeong Yeo-un's mind started spinning fast. Combining the caliber of the people who had set those numbers with what Yu Ha-yeong had told him about the reading—
I was the one trying to get a free meal.
A businessman's instinct. Jeong Yeo-un admitted his mistake. Not arrogance—confidence. She had walked in already knowing exactly what she was worth.
An untouchable face, and extraordinary acting on top of it.
She wasn't a gold nugget.
She was a diamond that had already been cut and finished. His job was to claim her before anyone else, wrap her with care, and put her on the market.
"All right."
"Pardon?"
Jeong Yeo-un handed her phone back. He tapped the screen.
From 7:3 to 9:1.
"?"
"We're on the smaller side, so we can't offer a large signing bonus—but in exchange, we'll set the settlement ratio as high as it goes. Of course we'll maximize the signing bonus as well. And naturally, performance incentives will be generous."
He clenched his fist, then raised a single index finger.
"One sheet. For now, this is the maximum signing bonus we can put on the table."
"Ah. Yes…"
Judging by her reaction, she still seemed to want something more.
"On top of that, creative choice is entirely yours. If a project comes in and you don't like it, you're free to turn it down."
How about that—my ace condition.
Terms so aggressive they were almost reckless.
If even this isn't enough, there's nothing left YW can do for her.
Ara was far more rattled than before.
W-what? Why is this guy suddenly like this? One sheet? That means ten million, right? Nine-to-one?
She had only asked out of curiosity, and now he was off on his own—beating the drum, banging the janggu, spinning the sangmo, and throwing in the kkwaenggwari for good measure. The terms had improved so dramatically they barely resembled the original offer.
What is going on? And I only have to do the work I want?
For a second she even wondered if he was a con man. Even without knowing the industry, she could tell this was practically preferential treatment—and even if he were a scammer, this was the kind of contract you had no choice but to fall for.
"Contract term: one year. Spend a year with YW first, and if you're satisfied, we renegotiate. How does that sound?"
"Understood."
In the end, Ara took the bait. One year. Even if he turned out to be a fraud, terms like these made getting scammed for a year feel worth it.
Of course, Jeong Yeo-un had only offered one year as a final safety net for the unknown.
I have to survive too, don't I?
"I'll organize the full contract and send it to your contact."
"Yes. Understood."
Jeong Yeo-un stood and held out his hand.
"Welcome to YW, Miss Ara."
Ara rose as well and shook it.
"I look forward to working with you, sir."
"I'll head out first—work to do. I'll be in touch before the day is over."
"Yes."
Jeong Yeo-un left the reception room.
Hoo—
"What even just happened…"
Something enormous had unfolded in an instant.
"Is it over?"
A moment later, Yu Ha-yeong spotted Jeong Yeo-un leaving and stepped into the reception room.
"Yes."
"So? How did it go?!"
Ugh—
There it was. Yu Ha-yeong's strangely oppressive gaze. In the tidal wave of those absurdly generous terms, Ara had completely forgotten she existed.
"I decided to sign."
"Really?!"
"Yes."
I was going to join an agency anyway.
Might as well go somewhere she already knew someone. And a burdensome look was still better than a hostile one, wasn't it?
"That's amazing! Our company looks tiny and pathetic from the outside, but it's like family and it's great!"
Was that an insult or a compliment?
"I'll give you the tour!"
Yu Ha-yeong grabbed Ara's wrist and pulled her up. Ara didn't particularly refuse. She was going to be living here from now on, after all.
Together with Yu Ha-yeong, she walked the company floor by floor.
"Eonni will take you home!"
"No, it's fine. You should get home too, sunbae."
"Me? I'm fine, though?"
"I'm really okay. I'll take you up on it next time."
"Hing."
Hing, my foot.
Ara declined the offer and headed home on her own.
"Hwaah!"
The moment she got home, Ara washed up and collapsed onto the bed.
"I've got an agency now. All that's left is filling out the filmography."
▶
▶
▶
……
She still hadn't filled a single slot—but if she finished Forest of Crime without incident, the rest would fill up fast.
▶ Sensory Sharing
"I wonder what the next perk will be?"
She was curious, but there was no way to know right now.
What she could know right now was—
Grrrrrk—
—that she was hungry.
"For me, after all my hard work today—dinner is jokbal!!!"
So Ara ordered jokbal and started happily digging into her evening meal.
Sluuuurp—
The buckwheat noodles vanished into her mouth as if a black hole had opened.
Bzzzt—
Then a text arrived on her phone. The sender: YW CEO Jeong Yeo-un.
Ara unzipped the file and checked the terms.
"It's all the stuff we talked about today."
Even on a second look, the clauses were so aggressive they barely seemed real. Not a single one worked against her.
She was about to set her phone down after skimming the contract when—
"Huh?"
Something strange was written on the contract.
Signing Bonus: 100,000,000 won
"One, ten… a hundred…? A hundred million?"
The "one sheet" Jeong Yeo-un had mentioned.
"I-i-i-it wasn't ten million????"
She was so shocked she started stuttering. She nearly sprayed jokbal across the room.
"A hundred million!? A hundred million!?"
No matter how many times she counted, the number didn't change.
"The drama was like this too—is the celebrity scale always this insane??!!"
Hhk—
"Crazy…"
Still reeling, regret washed over her.
"I should've ordered the large set…"
The next day.
Ara came back to YW.
"You're officially family now. Looking forward to working with you."
"CEO—please speak casually. I prefer it that way too."
Terrified he might change his mind, Ara had rushed over and signed as fast as she could.
"Shall I, then? All right. The signing bonus will hit your account soon."
"Yes."
A hundred million!! Where do I even spend this!?
While Ara was lost in blissful deliberation—
"Ara. First assignment, then."
"Pardon?"
I already have work?
"For the record, you can't refuse this one."
Already violating the contract terms on day one. What on earth could it be?
"We need to shoot your profile photos. You're with us now—we have to add you."
"Ah. Right."
That, she genuinely could not refuse.
"Date's a week from now. The shop's already booked. Do you have a car?"
"No."
"Then either I'll send someone or pick you up myself, so that doesn't matter. Just keep that day free."
"Understood, CEO."
"Good. That's it for today! Feel free to look around if you want."
Jeong Yeo-un left at a busy clip.
Ara's first job since joining the agency had been set.
Knock knock—
"It's Yu Ha-yeong."
"Come in."
Click—
"CEO!! I heard Ara signed!!"
"Yeah. Is that why you're here?"
"I came to give you a warning."
Suddenly Yu Ha-yeong set the mood.
"A warning? About what?"
"You have to treat Ara well. But keep a reasonable distance!"
"Huh? Isn't that obvious? She's family now."
"I'm saying you need to be careful!"
"Did you come here to spout nonsense again?"
He tried to usher her out before she could keep talking.
"Otherwise Ara might darken and turn into a yandere!!"
But it was already too late, and Yu Ha-yeong spat out some bizarre line he couldn't begin to parse.
Haa—
What kind of garbage was this now. The kid had only gotten weirder since becoming an adult.
"Ha-yeong. Stop reading those books. You didn't used to be like this."
The cause was obviously those Japanese light novels that had filled the reception room. What was he supposed to do about that.
"Heh heh—I've warned you~ That's all from me~"
Leaving behind a meaningful smile, Yu Ha-yeong walked out of the CEO's office.
For a fleeting moment, he missed the cigarettes he had quit.