Monster Rookie of the Variety Scene (1)
I closed the gallery with a smile on my face.
This should count as a success.
The gallery reactions were red-hot, and of course I’d earned points too.
18,000 PT
The Persona - Sang-cheol ability consumed more points than I’d expected, so I hadn’t earned as much as I could have. Still…
Eighteen thousand points, huh.
Compared to starting at zero, this was nothing short of a complete transformation.
And there had been unexpected help along the way.
The tofu commercial that had been uploaded to NewTube suddenly caught the algorithm and went viral. I’d wondered what was going on—until I found out that Kim Chan-uk, the guy who had vanished without a word after the Flower Falls broadcast, had openly mentioned my tofu CF during one of his recent solo idol live streams.
“Something that left a strong impression on me lately? Ah! It wasn’t acting, but I saw this one commercial. Samryong Juicy Tofu… Huh? You don’t know it? It’s pretty famous in the regions for being delicious. The model’s acting? Just, not bad? But honestly, that tofu was insanely good.”
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to help me or just trying to mess with me. Kim Chan-uk’s true intentions were impossible to read.
Is that guy a tsundere or what?
Whatever his reasons, thanks to Kim Chan-uk’s broadcast the NewTube video shot up the trending charts, and Samryong Tofu…
“As expected of our Doyun!”
Han So-yeon noona beamed as she pulled me into a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against me.
“Noona… I’m dying here!”
I really was going to die. Crushed to death by softness…!
Just before I actually suffocated under the pressure of that plush chest, Han So-yeon released me and burst into hearty laughter.
“You’re the one who skyrocketed Samryong Tofu’s sales by one hundred and twenty percent! We can’t have you dying on us!”
“It increased that much?”
Kim Chan-uk really came through. Han So-yeon nodded proudly.
“Why even ask? The number of individual customers visiting stores has gone up a bit—that’s cute. But restaurants that never used to carry our tofu are suddenly getting flooded with requests. We’re running out of stock.”
Han So-yeon sat me down on the office sofa, her eyes gleaming with an almost terrifying intensity as she continued.
“And those Daryeong bastards who dared to eye our territory? This is the perfect chance to flatten their noses completely! Riding this momentum from the individual customers, we’ll slash the wholesale price and—”
Scary! Those were the eyes of a total miser!
“Haha… Did you call me here today just to brag about how well the tofu is selling?”
“Can’t I?”
Han So-yeon looked at me with a slightly hurt expression.
“Of course not. Watching you get all excited is pretty fun too. You can call me anytime.”
I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her as well.
At my words, Han So-yeon leaned over me where I sat and spoke in a playful tone.
“I’m just kidding. You’re busy—would I really call you over just to brag?”
“Haha…”
I wasn’t that busy.
Han So-yeon slid a single document across the table.
“You said you’d become Samryong’s first actor. But when I thought about it, we only made a verbal promise. There wasn’t even a proper contract.”
As expected of the woman who would one day lead the massive agency SL Entertainment. Her work ethic was impeccable.
With deep emotion, I picked up the document. Excluding the time I’d been scammed out of ten million won, this was the first real exclusive contract of my acting career.
My heart raced as I read through the clauses.
…Wait, what?
I couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Noona?”
Han So-yeon smiled at my gaze.
“Why? Are the conditions a bit lacking? Keep reading.”
At my stunned expression, Han So-yeon lifted her chin proudly. I read the contract out loud.
“For the duration of one year, all revenue generated from activities under this contract shall be distributed at a ratio of company 0% to actor 100%…?”
And the clause below it was even more ridiculous.
“In the event that the actor has no entertainment activities during the contract period, the company shall pay a minimum of eight hundred thousand won per month under the name of dignity maintenance fee and living support allowance…?”
Han So-yeon smiled proudly.
“How about it? Worth signing, right?”
Cancel that. Every word I said about her being meticulous—I take it all back!
I set the contract down with a thud and let out a disbelieving laugh.
“This is just straight-up exploitation!”
“What?! Is this still not enough?”
“No! I’m saying I’m the exploiter here! You’re basically telling me to suck the company dry!”
At my words, Han So-yeon pressed a finger to her own chest with an embarrassed look.
“Still… Our management side has no real scale yet, and you’re our only face. There’s nothing we can actually do for you. We can’t bring in work like the big agencies…”
Han So-yeon kept offering excuses.
It was a sense of debt toward me for kicking away the Cheongram contract. She seemed to be worrying unnecessarily that her proposal had made me reject other offers.
“What on earth is this living support allowance at the bottom?”
“That’s… in case there are no jobs, it would be difficult, right? Then both the boss and you would be in trouble…”
The boss? She must be talking about my mother.
I rubbed my forehead.
This person is way too soft on me!
There was nothing bad about accepting this contract. But I had zero intention of living off the goodwill of someone who trusted me this much.
“No way. This doesn’t even establish a proper actor-manager relationship. This is basically a nanny contract.”
“B-but…”
“We start at a minimum of 7:3. That’s the unwritten rule.”
Han So-yeon shook her head in panic.
“Then 9:1! Think about it. Even if Samryong is your management, we can’t actually do anything for you yet, can we? And don’t forget how much you contributed by selling our tofu!”
“Ah, noona! I’ll compromise at 8:2. Anything less and I absolutely won’t stamp it.”
A miraculous world where the company insisted on taking zero profit and the actor angrily demanded they take some money. In this absurd situation, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What? I’m being so serious here!”
“Sorry. It’s just funny.”
I let out a chuckle and met Han So-yeon’s eyes.
“I’m investing myself as an asset into Samryong. So the standard 7:3 is more than enough.”
“But…”
I lifted the corners of my mouth.
“Instead of support money or adjusting the ratio, give me stock options in the Samryong Entertainment we’ll build going forward.”
“Stock options? What’s the point of shares in a hole-in-the-wall company with almost no capital…”
Han So-yeon looked worried. I smiled leisurely.
“It’s fine. It may not mean anything now, but I’ll make it mean something.”
Han So-yeon stared at me blankly for a moment, then pulled me into a tight hug with a deeply moved expression.
“How did I end up meeting such a good kid!”
“Ahaha…”
I smiled while wrapped in her arms. To think I’d just casually swallowed up the early shares of the future giant agency SL Entertainment.
This really is the best win-win contract, isn’t it?
Hahaha!
It was then.
Right in the middle of our warm atmosphere, the old flip phone in my pocket started ringing loudly.
“Noona, just a moment.”
I gently pried the clinging Han So-yeon off me and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Kim Doyun?”
It was a voice I felt like I’d heard somewhere before.
“Yes, that’s me.”
Who could it be? The only people who would contact me were…
“This is PD Kang Min-ju. Do you remember? I gave you my business card last time.”
I held my breath.
It was here. It had finally come…!
A call from the genius variety PD Kang Min-ju. This was exactly what I had been waiting for.
“Yes, of course I remember. Hello, PD-nim!”
“Still so polite. I like that.”
Kang Min-ju gave a light greeting, then asked in a meaningful tone.
“Kim Doyun. Do you happen to like getting roughed up?”
“Getting roughed up?”
My eyes flew open. If Kang Min-ju PD was talking about a show where people get roughed up, there was only one possibility.
The hottest variety show in Korea at this time. A masterpiece of variety entertainment that defined an entire era and appealed to every generation!
“I was thinking of using you as a guest on Oji 1 Night.”
Jackpot.