Samryong's CF Model
Han So-yeon twirled the glowing tip of her cigarette playfully as she asked, "Doyun, do you know what my dream used to be?"
"I heard from the uncle that you wanted to be an idol…"
She nodded.
"Yeah. That's right. An idol."
Han So-yeon raised her hand as if to shield the moonlight.
"That was the plan. But somewhere along the way, I forgot about it."
The way she said it, there was a faint trace of melancholy in her expression.
"At first it was just to survive. Then it was about keeping the company my father left me afloat. After that, it was making sure none of our employees went hungry."
She turned around and struck a lively pose, one that felt oddly familiar.
"Just a little longer. If I can hold on a bit more, then someday I'll chase my dream…!"
She spread her fingers wide, releasing the moonlight she had been holding back.
"When I was young—back when I didn't have to worry about making money or how the world worked—I used to watch those girls on TV and fall completely in love with them."
She gazed at the light spilling between her fingers.
"They looked so dazzling to me."
…Huh?
That sounded familiar. It reminded me of something the president of SL Entertainment had said in a documentary.
Han So-yeon spoke with a hint of regret.
"This Han So-yeon… I guess by the time I remembered to dream again, it was already too late."
So the president of SL Entertainment was named Han So-yeon. The pieces clicked into place—the woman standing before me was the future head of that agency. More than anything, the sparkle in her eyes confirmed it.
She's beautiful. Someone who can still talk about a shining dream like that… really is stunning.
As the thought crossed my mind, Han So-yeon turned around with a smile and met my gaze.
"What? Are you thinking this noona's being ridiculous right now?"
She squinted playfully and tapped my forehead with a long finger.
"N-no, not at all."
I stammered without meaning to. Under the moonlight, the sight of her talking about her dream had been so captivating that I'd completely zoned out. Not that I could say that out loud.
Han So-yeon smiled at my flustered expression.
"You know, I actually regret watching that performance a little."
"What?"
"Because I had forgotten all about it. Even if it doesn't look like it, this noona was doing pretty well for herself."
She stubbed out her cigarette and asked, "Watching you made me realize something. Light only shines when you're chasing after it. I might be too late, but…"
"…!"
Han So-yeon stepped closer, bringing her face near mine.
"I still want to watch it up close."
"So… the management offer?"
When I answered with a hint of tension, she laughed as if I were adorable and took a step back.
"Yeah. Thanks to working myself to death all this time, this noona's got more money than she knows what to do with."
"That's impressive."
I meant it. She really was an amazing person.
"I've spent so long forgetting about things like sparkle that I started thinking money was everything. So now… I want to buy your sparkle too."
Han So-yeon had shifted back into the sharp-eyed CEO, leaving the dreamy girl behind.
"I'm not lying or saying anything unrealistic. And I'm not planning to lose money on this either."
She spun her finger in the air before poking my shoulder.
"I probably can't offer the same level of care as the big agencies already in the market. But if there's something you want to do, do it. I just want to watch you from right beside you."
She was bold—pushing forward without any hesitation or calculation.
"I see."
After a moment of thought, I answered. Han So-yeon let out a small sigh.
"This must've been sudden for you too. I'll give you time to think it over."
"Thank you, I—"
Before I could finish, she grabbed my collar and pulled me close, close enough that I could feel her breath against my ear.
"But I really hope you'll say yes. This noona's fallen for your acting… for that sparkle of yours."
"…Okay."
Then, as if embarrassed, she quickly stepped back, waving her hands energetically. With her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, she looked just like a shy girl.
"And thank you. For letting me feel that flutter in my chest again."
"She's really something…"
No wonder she became the president of SL Entertainment.
As I watched her retreating figure, the cigarette butt she had stubbed out was still glowing faintly.
***
Han So-yeon buried her face in her office chair and screamed.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
After yelling into the cushion like she always did, her heart felt a little lighter.
"Ugh."
What on earth had she done while drunk? She couldn't remember ever acting this impulsively before.
Only after the hangover faded did yesterday's events come rushing back. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"What's done is done. Doyun wouldn't… hate me for it, right?"
Despite her bold appearance, Han So-yeon was surprisingly delicate, and the worry gnawed at her.
She'd acted her age—or rather, far younger than her age—after being moved by Doyun's performance and remembering something she'd buried. Offering to manage him made sense; she'd always been interested in that side of the industry. But the way she'd gone about it…
She genuinely wanted Kim Doyun to accept her proposal. She just regretted the method.
Before she could sink deeper into self-reproach, she shook her head.
"No. I'm still young, after all."
She looked at herself in the mirror. Even if it had been during her student days, her face had once been scouted on the street, and her skin still looked as youthful as a teenager's.
'It's all thanks to my genes…'
Her mother hadn't had a single wrinkle until the day she passed.
"I wonder if Doyun will accept."
She turned to her monitor, scrolling through NewTube videos about the masterpiece theater. There were quite a few comments mentioning Kim Doyun.
"At this rate, he must've gotten plenty of offers already."
The thought that she might be getting in his way with her own greed crossed her mind, but—
"What am I even hoping for?"
Han So-yeon stared at Kim Doyun's performance on the screen.
"He's really something else."
He would probably accept other offers. After all, she was just a former idol aspirant with no real knowledge of the entertainment industry or acting. All she could offer was freedom—under the guise of hands-off management.
'I should've thought it through more before saying anything.'
A knock sounded at the door.
"What is it?"
"President…!"
One of her employees rushed in, out of breath.
"President, something terrible's happened!"
She was a foreigner Han So-yeon had hired as a full-time staff member because of how efficiently she worked. They'd been together for over six years now, and this was the first time Han So-yeon had seen her this panicked.
"What's going on?"
"Right now! Daeryong Mart is…!"
"What's wrong with Daeryong?"
Han So-yeon frowned as she looked at the flyer her employee handed her.
"Meeting. Call everyone in right now."
***
The employees gathered in a hurry, all glancing nervously at Han So-yeon.
'Daeryong Mart.'
It was the rival that had boldly set up shop right across from them, aiming straight for Samryong's prime location and trying to steal their market share.
Han So-yeon turned to her planning team.
"How's Daeryong looking these days?"
"As you mentioned, President, they haven't made much of a dent in our sales."
"That's right. No matter how many new marts open, we still have the restaurants as our main clients."
Han So-yeon nodded. Samryong had a solid pipeline through bulk orders from the restaurants in Wolhwa-dong, so she hadn't even considered Daeryong a real threat.
"What do the aunties and uncles on the floor think?"
When she asked the frontline staff, opinions poured out immediately.
"Some of the regulars who used to come often aren't showing up anymore."
"We don't really do any advertising, after all…"
"And we're a bit rough around the edges compared to them."
Han So-yeon shook her head.
'As expected, we're losing some individual customers.'
Seeing the worried faces of her staff, she smiled.
"Even if we tried running ads like that, they still couldn't beat our minimum distribution and unit prices, could they?"
"Exactly!"
"Of course not! Not when our President Han is in charge!"
The overwhelming support from her employees was reassuring. Still, their polished advertising was slowly siphoning off individual customers—barely noticeable, but steady.
'It's not worth worrying about yet.'
But then—
"Still…"
Han So-yeon held up one of the flyers. Bold text was printed across the glossy paper.
100% Domestic Soybeans! Smoother! Tastier! Safer!!! Cheaper! All with juicy tofu!
It was clearly targeting Samryong Tofu's signature feature—the juicy burst of flavor that came from their secret recipe, the very thing that made their tofu their pride and joy.
Han So-yeon sighed.
"Looks like they started handing these out this morning."
The employees reacted with outrage.
"W-what is this?!"
"Juicy… tofu?!"
"That's going too far!"
Their anger made sense. Samryong Tofu was the foundation of the company—their pride and identity.
'They went after that…'
The loyal staff were clearly furious.
Then one of them spotted something and shouted.
"T-this is…!"
"They're really trying to pick a fight now?!"
"Copying us wasn't enough, so now they're doing this?!"
At the end of the employee's pointing finger, beneath a photo of a model happily eating Daeryong tofu, was another image—cleverly obscuring the brand—of a model grimacing while eating what was unmistakably Samryong Tofu.
It was a hate ad, but executed with clean, clever style.
Han So-yeon pressed a hand to her forehead.
"An advertisement…"
Kim Doyun's face flashed through her mind—Doyun promoting Samryong Tofu with that dazzling acting of his. Unlike Daeryong's sleek flyer, it would make people's mouths water just looking at it.