Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: As Expected of the Manager!
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"As expected of the Manager! I believed in you!"
The man dressed in a suit…
More precisely, the woman disguised as a man slowly reached out toward the wall.
And then,
Another person began to emerge from beyond the wall.
That person's face was identical to the one on the opposite side, but the vibe was completely different.
A woman in a white dress.
If the person on the other side evoked the image of a handsome flower boy,
the one standing here reminded viewers of a queen embodying beauty and nobility.
A single smile graced the corners of her lips.
Like a single red rose blooming.
Her appearance conveyed a gorgeous yet fatally alluring sensation.
The two people, facing each other with hands pressed to the wall,
slowly turned their gazes toward the camera.
Despite sharing the exact same face,
they exuded utterly contrasting impressions: a gentleman and a beauty.
With that wondrous and intensely captivating scene as the finale, a single phrase appeared on screen.
Crossing the Boundary.
Boundary - Bounder.
The previous Venaris cosmetics ad had felt somewhat incomplete.
This new ad seemed to perfectly complete it, deeply imprinting itself in people's minds alongside the shock of the Queen Dowager's true identity revealed in the drama.
As a bonus, Chae Soo-jeong's stunning beauty shone through in both the male and female forms, boasting porcelain-like skin.
And the result.
"20%?"
"Yes, Manager. The branches are going absolutely wild. They're already requesting additional stock."
"And this figure is from a month ago—it's expected to climb even higher this month."
Choi Manager and Lee Manager spoke with beaming smiles.
With the graph that had been scraping the bottom now sharply rebounding, genuine smiles adorned their faces.
The long-awaited sales rebound
was, of course, thanks to the newly produced ad.
The ad maximized the motto of the new unisex product.
The visuals were outstanding, but above all, the fact that the ad model, actress Chae Soo-jeong, had delivered a massive twist in her currently skyrocketing drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception synergized perfectly with the ad's content, dramatically boosting its recognition.
The YouTube views for the uploaded ad video had already surpassed several times those of the other ads posted long ago.
With 90% of the comments below mentioning the drama, it was crystal clear where the traffic was coming from.
And the number one contributor behind all this success.
That person was none other than the wildcat—no, their highly capable Han Jeong-hwa Manager sitting right in front of them.
"As expected of Manager Han. Thanks to your bold decision, we can finally breathe easy."
"It was tough for a while, but I always believed you'd deliver a massive hit like this someday!"
Han Jeong-hwa, who had personally gone to the broadcasting station to sign the ad model contract.
At the time, there was no twist reveal or anything—zero public info leaked, and Chae Soo-jeong's fame was nothing special outside drama viewers.
The contract fee was 300 million won—a hefty sum generally, but rather cheap in this industry.
There were incentive clauses, but those meant nothing if it flopped.
Still, some had grumbled that it was overly generous for a rookie.
Frankly, even Choi and Lee Managers and a few others had thought, "The manager's neck is on the chopping block, so she's pulling out all the stops in desperation..."
But now, they realized.
Han Jeong-hwa Manager's moves
were a divine stroke that the likes of them could never even conceive.
From the drama's massive twist, to the perfectly tailored ad, to the ensuing sales surge.
Everything was unfolding exactly according to her plan.
There was a reason she held the manager position at her age.
As their trust in their superior—who had been mired deeper than the plummeting sales—soared sky-high, they watched the manager still focused on work amid it all.
Sales climbing steadily, ad views skyrocketing even faster.
Yet Han Jeong-hwa Manager remained utterly composed as she reviewed them.
"Aren't you happy, Manager?"
"No more pressure from the higher-ups for a while, and if things go well, maybe even a promotion."
The two managers spoke with laughter and anticipation.
But unlike their cheerful vibes, Han Jeong-hwa let out a small sigh before speaking in a serious tone.
"What's the point of making a fuss over something like this? Report's done—head back. With sales up, make sure actress Chae Soo-jeong gets her full incentives without skimping."
"Yes, Manager."
"We'll handle it."
With her usual stern expression, Han Jeong-hwa acted as if the current situation was utterly routine, nothing worth fussing over.
On any other day, it might have seemed annoyingly obnoxious, but right now, even that consistency felt admirable as the two exited the office.
Now alone in the spacious manager's office,
Han Jeong-hwa tossed the documents in her hand carelessly onto the desk amid the brief silence.
And...
"Aaaargh!!! Sales number oneeeee!!! Whooooaaaaaa!!!"
Fist clenched tight, she unleashed a fierce shout of joy, empowered by the near-perfect soundproofing.
The joyous smile filling her face was a rare sight that might have shocked onlookers into stunned silence.
"Ahahaha! My instincts were spot on! Long live Han-seo Big Brother! Long live actress Chae Soo-jeong!!!"
Han Jeong-hwa flailed about in near-dance ecstasy, shadowboxing wildly to express her intense delight.
However, sadly, the moment didn't last long.
Ring ring ring!
"!... Ahem... He... Hello? Ah, yes, Chairman. N-No, this is all thanks to everyone's hard work. Yes. Yes, thank you."
The brief call from her superior marked the end of Han Jeong-hwa's exuberant celebration; she meekly sat down.
No matter how secure the locks and soundproofing, one could never be too careful—such theatrics needed restraint at the office.
Wishing to head home quicker than usual today, Han Jeong-hwa checked her phone for the time off.
'Ah... Right, tonight's the night? Next episode of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager...'
She'd always enjoyed the drama, but after unintentionally spoiling herself ahead of others, she'd fallen even deeper into it.
It was regrettable that such a drama was nearing its finale.
Anticipating how the remaining story would wrap up, she reluctantly returned to the work that suddenly felt intangible.
For some unknown reason, the Queen Dowager had hastily departed.
Thanks to that, Lee Su-ryeon and her comrades, taken prisoner, avoided summary execution and were dragged to the capital's Royal Guard Bureau instead.
Amid this, Su-ryeon still pondered whether to accept the Queen Dowager's offer.
Then, salvation arrived from an unexpected quarter.
"Who are you! How dare you... Ack!"
Sudden ambush by enemies during the march.
The Inner Guard, already depleted for the Queen Dowager's escort in the emergency, faced a larger force than anticipated and had no choice but to retreat.
Lee Su-ryeon and her comrades barely rescued.
Before her stood that person...
Kim Seong-ryong, whom she'd doubted, misunderstood, and ultimately abandoned.
Su-ryeon wept endlessly, pouring out the apology she'd desperately wanted to say in her final moments.
Embracing her trembling form, Seong-ryong spoke calmly.
"It's fine. I'm not a man who shakes from something like that."
"Ah..."
Seong-ryong's words carried resolute conviction.
From that point, they not only mended their estranged bond but forged emotions even deeper than before.
Realizing once more that the most trustworthy person in this world was one's longtime friend... no, lover.
And this development elicited varied reactions from the drama's viewers.
In this conclusion to what had been a fierce fan battle, some felt regret, others joy—but no one complained about the outcome.
From the start, with one side being a woman, unless someone was dead set on dragging things to the depths, acceptance was inevitable.
Leaving the love triangle's end—with Seong-ryong's victory—behind, viewers' attention now shifted to how the story would conclude... specifically, the Queen Dowager's fate.
With their burdens lifted, the two began discussing future plans.
With the coup failed, it was obvious they'd soon face backlash—not just them, but the aiding nobles and many others.
For now, they planned to warn everyone to prepare for danger while considering fleeing abroad themselves.
Then, a sudden piece of news reached them.
The king's death.
This unforeseen event presented another opportunity.
The Queen Dowager wielded power solely through regency as the king's mother.
With the king dying unmarried and childless, a massive crack formed in her authority.
Above all, the shock of losing her son was so profound that since that day, the Queen Dowager had made no moves against them.
This vulnerability gave Su-ryeon and her "enemies" another chance.
Not only those involved in the incident, but even those who'd silently harbored grudges out of fear of her power.
All the political foes the Queen Dowager had amassed now drew swords to settle old scores—and for survival.
Thus erupted a massive counter-coup.
Led by the Left Prime Minister—Seong-ryong's father—this uprising aimed to enthrone the late king's uncle as the new sovereign while executing the Queen Dowager for toying with state affairs.
With secretly trained private troops and pre-bribed officials.
They clashed fiercely with the palace Inner Guard, turning the palace interior into a bloodbath.
In the chaos, Su-ryeon and Seong-ryong hurried toward the Queen Dowager's palace.
One thing they couldn't leave to others: ending this with their own hands.
After brutal combat, they reached the Queen Dowager's palace.
And...
"!"
"Ngh..."
The vast front courtyard of the Queen Dowager's palace.
It was already strewn with countless corpses.
Bodies of assassins in black garb, presumed sent by the Left Prime Minister in advance.
At the center stood one woman.
Her white mourning garb bloodied, she stood alone with sword in hand.
The Queen Dowager.
Gazing at the bright moonlight, her figure emanated
an otherworldly beauty that inspired awe alongside a ferocious, murderous aura.
And.
"...Come in. I've been waiting."
The Queen Dowager slowly turned her gaze toward them.
With chilling killing intent in her eyes, a smile began to form on her lips.
An utterly ephemeral,
vacant beauty in her smile.