What Kind of Place Is This?
An Jun-ho’s honor had been restored, but that did not mean an immediate green light for his return to the entertainment industry.
He had never carried major roles—only bit parts and supporting ones—so public recognition of An Jun-ho had, in truth, been built almost entirely through the variety show Summer’s Table. It would not have been an exaggeration to say so.
As Yeon-woo and Son Jin-uk continued their meteoric rise, the variety program the three of them had appeared in together was rebroadcast again and again until it became an annual fixture on JNBC. In fact it had grown more popular than the original drama; by now there were plenty of people who had watched Summer’s Table without ever seeing Summer’s Closet.
Even though the show had never been produced as a seasonal series, posts begging for a Season 2 of Summer’s Table still appeared regularly on JNBC’s viewer boards. The topic occasionally surfaced in online communities as well, but the conversation always ended the same way: no variety department on earth could afford Ryu Yeon-woo’s skyrocketing appearance fee.
And beyond his recognition as an actor, An Jun-ho faced another problem. His career had already been interrupted. After the scandal broke he had taken a full two-year break from entertainment work. On top of that he was currently serving in the military, with more than a year left on his enlistment, so no management company was looking to sign him. Whether any would after his discharge remained an open question.
But there was one agency that wanted him.
“We have to bring this actor in, Representative.”
Yeon-woo handed Jeong Hyeok a printed article and An Jun-ho’s profile as he spoke.
“Ah, An Jun-ho. I saw the articles myself recently. Still, as the representative now I naturally have to stay sharp on how the industry is turning.”
Yeon-woo smiled at the way Jeong Hyeok still looked a little bashful saying the word “representative” out loud.
“I’m not trying to recruit him simply because of our connection.”
“Oh? So Actor Ryu sees high potential in him?”
Yeon-woo nodded. The An Jun-ho he had watched was an actor with considerable untapped potential.
“Yes. And there’s one more reason.”
“One more?”
“Going forward, whether film or drama, content won’t end as one-offs. It will be turned into intellectual property and leveraged endlessly through OSMU.”
Jeong Hyeok nodded. If he had been the sort of man who stood at the cutting edge of the industry yet failed to grasp the currents of change, Yeon-woo would never have seated him in that chair.
“One Source Multi-Use, you mean.”
It was a marketing strategy that applied a single source material across different genres to maximize its impact. In fact the variety show Summer’s Table, which had aired on the strength of Summer’s Closet’s success, was itself a textbook example of OSMU.
“Han So-hyun is about to sign with our agency. If we secure An Jun-ho as well, we’ll hold all four IPs.”
The entire main and supporting cast of Summer’s Closet would be under Saebyeol Entertainment. Except for the idol Dong-ha, everyone from White Blood was already signed; with Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun from Sketch, plus Jin Yu-han who would soon join, the leads of Star Beyond the River would be complete.
“In effect, aside from Master Plan, we’ll hold every one of Actor Ryu’s works.”
Of course, having the actors under contract did not mean they could freely exploit original content that still had creators attached. But when the public saw those combinations, they would naturally think of the works themselves.
An Jun-ho, treating himself to a rare good day, went into town, bought some beef, and grilled it with his mother.
The next day he went out to the cornfield to help prepare for planting and came home covered in dirt, only to find the house phone ringing.
“Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Actor An Jun-ho?”
An Jun-ho tilted his head.
They called me an actor, so it isn’t a sales call… but who would even know the house number…
Since the other party was waiting, he answered.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“This is Saebyeol Entertainment. If you’re not busy, would you have a moment to talk?”
“Pardon? Entertainment?”
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Ryu Yeon-woo snatching the free-agent prize and a string of big-name actors joining had set the world buzzing, yet the military was a special group that remained largely oblivious to such news. In the first place, soldiers’ entertainment talk never went beyond female idols.
“Ah, just a moment, please.”
Voices murmured on the other end of the line, then the call was transferred. And a familiar voice came through.
“Hey, Jun-ho.”
An Jun-ho recognized the owner of the voice at once.
“Huh? Jin-uk hyung?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Congrats, you bastard. You’ve been through a lot.”
The sincerity in Son Jin-uk’s voice made tears well up in An Jun-ho’s eyes for a moment.
“……”
“Hey. Are you crying?”
“K-khm. No. Who’s crying?”
Clearing his throat and trying to hide the catch in his voice, An Jun-ho continued.
“But what’s Saebyeol Entertainment? Did you change agencies, hyung?”
“Huh? You’ve been in the army and don’t know a thing. Don’t you even go to the computer room? I hear they use smartphones these days.”
“Ah, I just train and keep to myself.”
Even after enlisting, An Jun-ho had lived somewhat withdrawn.
“My contract with LN Entertainment expired, so I moved agencies with Yeon-woo. So-hyun will be joining soon too.”
“Ah, I see.”
As An Jun-ho nodded, unexpected words reached him.
“And you have to come in too. Yeon-woo said he sent a car this morning. It should arrive soon.”
“…What?”
“What, did another agency already make a deal?”
He knew perfectly well that wasn’t the case, but Son Jin-uk threw out the joke anyway.
“No, Jin-uk hyung, what are you talking about…”
As An Jun-ho floundered, Son Jin-uk’s serious voice came through.
“It’s time to act again. Come sign the contract before you go back from leave. You trust hyung and Yeon-woo, right?”
“……”
A brief silence fell, then An Jun-ho smiled brightly. His mouth was smiling, but tears stood in his eyes.
“Is this one of those ‘Do you trust your oppa?’ things?”
“You little… Still cracking jokes even when you’re about to die.”
An Jun-ho climbed into the car Yeon-woo had sent and headed for Seoul.
The car’s insanely high-end.
It wasn’t the domestic RV he had always ridden during his active days, but a luxury-brand vehicle that looked expensive at a glance.
The car carrying An Jun-ho arrived in Seoul and entered the Mokhwa Building parking garage.
“We’ve arrived. Please get out.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for coming all the way to Gangwon-do. I appreciate it.”
He bowed his head and followed the staff member out. Passing through the security door connected to the underground parking, they took the elevator up. Arriving at the third floor, the elevator doors opened and An Jun-ho stepped out with the staff.
Hmm? A café?
Expecting an office, An Jun-ho tilted his head.
“Please go in.”
“Ah, yes.”
Following the staff’s guidance inside, he saw a barista operating a coffee machine in the center of the café. But the face looked somehow familiar.
Huh…?
An Jun-ho rubbed his eyes, thinking he must have misseen.
Representative Kim Ju-seong…?
Ordinary people might not know Representative Kim Ju-seong well, but as such a legendary figure in the industry, no one in entertainment was unaware of him.
Why is someone like that making coffee here…
Just then, from farther back, Son Jin-uk and Yeon-woo waved.
“Over here!”
“Ah, Jin-uk hyung. Yeon-woo.”
At the welcome faces he set aside his questions for now and walked over. Across from Yeon-woo and Son Jin-uk sat a man who looked to be in his early forties. An Jun-ho approached and first greeted Yeon-woo and Son Jin-uk.
“Wow, look at that short hair.”
Son Jin-uk playfully ruffled An Jun-ho’s closely cropped hair.
“Hyung, it’s tough, right? It’s been snowing a lot lately too.”
“When the snowflakes start falling, the first thing that comes out is a sigh.”
Yeon-woo smiled at An Jun-ho’s exaggeration.
“This is Representative Jeong Hyeok of Saebyeol Entertainment.”
“It’s a pleasure. I’ve heard a great deal about Actor An.”
At Yeon-woo’s introduction Jeong Hyeok extended his hand in greeting, and An Jun-ho hurriedly shook it.
“Ah, yes! Hello. Private An Jun-ho.”
An Jun-ho, momentarily debating how to introduce himself, presented himself as a soldier rather than an actor.
“Nice to meet you, An Jun-ho. Please have a seat first.”
Jeong Hyeok offered a seat and sat; An Jun-ho followed suit. After that the discussion of the management contract proceeded smoothly and was completed. He was already grateful just to have a management company that would take him, and because he trusted Son Jin-uk and Yeon-woo he simply nodded in agreement to the contract terms. Even from a rough listen it seemed far better than his previous contract with Plus10 Entertainment.
Jeong Hyeok shook hands again, telling him to take good care of himself for the rest of his military service, then went upstairs, leaving only An Jun-ho, Son Jin-uk, and Yeon-woo at the café table.
“But there’s something I’m curious about.”
Hunching his shoulders, An Jun-ho whispered quietly, and Son Jin-uk tilted his head as he answered.
“What is it?”
“What is this place, exactly? Isn’t that person over there Representative Kim Ju-seong from LN?”
At An Jun-ho’s question Yeon-woo nodded and answered.
“That’s right. He retired from LN and is serving as the café’s representative here while he sorts out his thoughts for a while.”
“I see. But on the way in the car was luxury, the parking lot was full of high-end cars, the café interior too—the company representative here must be incredibly rich.”
At An Jun-ho’s words Yeon-woo awkwardly scratched his cheek. Then An Jun-ho excitedly continued.
“Well, with Jin-uk hyung and even you signed, the funding power here must be enormous, right? Thanks to that I got into an amazing company. Honestly, I didn’t even do much when I was active.”
At An Jun-ho’s self-deprecating words Yeon-woo shook his head.
“What do you mean you didn’t do anything? Hyung Jun-ho’s acting ability is something I know and Jin-uk hyung knows.”
“Right. And we also know about the coward who came back from the island saying it was scary even though there was a camera director and a writer and everything.”
At Son Jin-uk’s added remark An Jun-ho’s face flushed as he recalled the variety filming, and he cleared his throat. Then Son Jin-uk continued.
“About this company. It’s a company two people founded together. One of them is Representative Kim Ju-seong over there making coffee.”
At Son Jin-uk’s words An Jun-ho nodded with a “well, of course” expression.
“Yeah, he’s such a legendary figure in the industry. I was startled seeing him holding a coffee machine when I came in. So is the other one Representative Jeong I just met?”
Son Jin-uk shook his head.
“No? He’s right in front of you. The owner of the company.”
“What?”
Son Jin-uk pointed to Yeon-woo, who was scratching his cheek with an embarrassed expression in the next seat.
“Yeon-woo founded the company. Both Saebyeol Entertainment and Saebyeol Media.”
“…What?!”