The Tofu CF and Samryong Noona's Offer
The morning after receiving Han So-yeon's proposal, I lay in bed, lost in thought.
“I do plan to reject Cheongram's offer, but….”
What I was agonizing over was Samryong Noona's proposal.
She said she fell for my acting… right.
My performance might change the future of the person named Han So-yeon. Or perhaps it already had.
Honestly, from the moment I regressed, the future could change or it might not. And I didn't think it was something I could control.
I thought I just needed to do my best in every moment.
But once Samryong Noona got involved, my head became a complete mess.
Originally, she was destined to become the CEO of SL Entertainment, a major idol agency.
Is it really okay for me to interfere with that?
With those worries in mind, I opened the gallery.
Haha…. I had expected I'd get flamed in the actor gallery for turning down Cheongram.
As I was thinking that, a new reply appeared.
Aww. As expected, Princess is so warm. Even while getting beaten up by the gallery members, she always speaks kindly to me.
It really is an amazing offer….
Promising financial support while following the actor's opinion one hundred percent. There probably isn't anywhere in South Korea that would give a rookie those kinds of terms.
It was only possible because it was Samryong Noona's dream-filled proposal.
I froze for a moment. I hesitated to reveal my own pathetic side. But I wanted to be honest with the people in the actor gallery.
To be honest, it terrified me. For twenty years I had failed hundreds of auditions and bounced between bit parts. I had developed the habit of always shrinking back and reading the room, terrified my mistake might ruin a production.
I was used to failure. That was exactly why I didn't want this life to be the same.
But she had reached out to me with pure goodwill. Samryong Noona, whose brilliant future was already guaranteed, was just getting started.
I might ruin it all with my own inadequacy.
The ingrained instincts of a loser began to creep up from the depths of my bones.
That filthy feeling started gripping my throat once again. Had twenty years of failure not been washed away just because I succeeded once?
I was afraid. Afraid that my failure would lead to someone else's failure.
That was when it happened.
“The other way around….”
That was when it happened.
The words caught in my throat.
“I see.”
Why had I never once thought of it that way?
The twenty years of failure, the loser named Kim Doyun I had become in that time, had crept back up and covered my eyes and ears.
People who have tasted repeated failure easily forget how to imagine success.
I decided to live differently in this life.
I clenched my teeth.
My whole way of thinking was wrong.
I shook off the dark shadow trying to crawl up from my past.
And with sincere gratitude, I left a reply.
As expected, everyone was so kind. I closed the gallery and took a deep breath.
In this life, I wouldn't turn away any stones that rolled toward me. I would live solely to succeed as an actor.
With that thought, I opened my flip phone to contact Samryong Noona.
…Huh.
Now that I thought about it, I didn't have Samryong Noona's number. Did I need to go to the mart?
What am I even worrying about.
I roughly grabbed a jacket. It wasn't because I didn't have her number. I simply didn't want to convey this heart-pounding feeling through a phone.
I kicked the door open and started running. This time I wasn't running away out of fear of failure. I was running toward success.
“Haa… haa…”
The cold air filled my lungs. Running toward where my heart was leading felt completely different.
By the time my breath had reached my throat, the familiar sign of Samryong Food Ingredients Mart came into view.
“Huh?”
Behind the mart, on the wooden platform. Han So-yeon sat with her legs crossed, nervously smoking a cigarette. At the fierce-looking woman's feet, several crumpled flyers lay scattered.
“Samryong Noona!”
At my call, Han So-yeon looked up in surprise.
“Doyun?! Why are you sweating so much… Did you run all the way here?”
Han So-yeon stared at me in astonishment. Paying it no mind, I looked at her with a smile even as I panted for breath.
“Haa… haa… I've made my decision.”
“Decision…?”
She looked completely confused. No backing out now. Absolutely not.
I had decided. To become the first actor of the actor management company Han So-yeon would create.
Looking straight at Han So-yeon, I shouted.
“I want to become the first actor of your and Noona's actor management company. Not SL… but Samryong. I will accept CEO Han So-yeon's proposal!”
Han So-yeon froze in place, staring at me as if rooted to the spot.
“Really? Didn't other offers come in? Is it really okay to go with me?”
“I chose you, Noona. All the way to becoming a ten-million actor. You have to take responsibility.”
At my smile, Han So-yeon shook her head.
“No way!”
With widened eyes, Han So-yeon looked at me. The cigarette in her hand contrasted sharply with her expression, which was filled with overwhelming emotion like a girl stepping onto the stage for the first time.
“Good! Honestly, I didn't think you'd accept this quickly. There's nothing prepared yet, but first…!”
She seemed to be running millions of calculations in her head as her eyes darted around, then she snapped her fingers and stepped right up to me.
“Doyun. Since you believed in me, I have to respond with sincerity too. But the paperwork and everything else will take some time, right?”
“Yes, that's true.”
That was what I had expected.
“Good. So as your CEO, I'll give you your first job.”
“Huh?”
“Would you like to shoot a commercial? Of course, only if you want to.”
“What kind of commercial…?”
In response to my question, Han So-yeon smiled confidently and pulled something out.
?
What she held in her hand was a tacky flyer with a design that reminded me of a failed group project rainbow PPT.
100% Domestic Beans! Aha! The moment you chew, the bean juice bursts! Samryong! Juicy! Tofu!
“Using only 100% domestically grown beans, and with Samryong's special technology, the bean juice bursts the moment you bite into it! Samryong Tofu! It's our pride and joy.”
Samryong Noona nodded with a very serious face, looking proud.
She clearly thought the bizarre flyer she was holding out was beautiful too.
When I remained momentarily speechless, Han So-yeon laughed awkwardly and asked.
“…Is this kind of thing too lame for an actor's first commercial?”
Just yesterday I had been signing a contract with a view from the twentieth floor of luxurious Cheongram. After kicking away a major agency, my first commercial was a tofu ad.
…Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to make the best use of my abilities!
The newly acquired ability. Sang-cheol's persona. Who knew I'd get a chance to use it so quickly.
I took Han So-yeon's hand.
“Sure, why not? Let's shoot it!”