I'm Not Doing It
The CEO's office at Mystic Entertainment.
CEO Kim Iseo walked them through the contract point by point, then through every caution a Mystic talent would need to keep in mind. Sua, for her part, had ascended to a higher plane — one in which she deployed the infinite Sua-nod, and nothing else.
Even so, she stole a glance at Kim Seonil.
…Yeah. I'm sure. He doesn't look at me like he dislikes me.
She'd heard that even Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Seonil hadn't been offered terms this good on their first contracts, and yet neither of them showed so much as a flicker of puzzlement or jealousy. If anything, they looked thoroughly glad to have her.
Good terms, good atmosphere. Mystic is the best.
There wasn't a part-time job Sua hadn't tried in the search for something she was actually suited to, and looking back, people had always been harder than the work. The mere presence of someone you couldn't stand was enough to turn an easy job into a grind.
By that measure, Mystic felt remarkably warm. As if, the moment she stepped into the industry, she'd fastened the very first button right.
While Sua quietly congratulated herself on the choice, CEO Kim Iseo finished her explanation and regarded her, steady and unblinking.
"That should cover it for now. Sua, Mystic will give this everything we have."
With that, she held the contract out again.
What? I already signed.
This time, though, it was a little different. Kim Iseo's finger was planted squarely on the exact line where the signature was meant to go.
Oh. So that's where it goes.
She barely smothered the blush trying to climb her face. Sua-shame.
"Please do."
Sua signed once more, as if nothing at all had happened.
Kim Iseo, who had never once let a large expression cross her face, finally showed one. She smiled, bright and open.
"Thank you. Let's be good inspiration for each other. You and I."
She caught Sua's hand in both of hers and shook it briskly, up and down.
Sua spent a brief moment wondering whether she was allowed to find the CEO herself — the CEO — cute, and at the same time the simple fact of having an agency felt wonderfully strange.
Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Seonil each offered a word.
"We're finally family, Sua. Look after me from here on, okay?"
"Good. Next schedule's tight. Let's go."
"Hey, would it kill you to say one warm thing before you leave? Honestly. You were the most excited of anyone when you heard Sua was joining…"
Sua gave them a light wave as the two headed out, still at it. Only then did it feel real. Wow. She was in the same agency as actors that far up the ladder.
…Oh. And the moment an agency existed, one particular thing came to mind.
She decided to ask right away.
"Ms. Kim."
"Yes. Mystic's Sua."
Kim Iseo laid special weight on the name Mystic.
"An agency is there to help with all sorts of things, right?"
"Of course. It wasn't a lie when I said we'd give it everything."
"Then…"
Sua held out her phone.
"Could you take care of these?"
A little cheeky? She worried it might be, but she resolved to push ahead anyway. She'd signed, fair and square. As their actress, she was allowed to ask for this much, wasn't she?
This was the whole reason she'd gone looking for an agency. Mm-hmm.
Meanwhile, Kim Iseo was in a state of considerable shock.
I expected as much… but this many?
That Sua would be popular was easy enough to predict. The problem was the scale. At this rate, the phone was practically on fire. Kim Iseo was staring blankly at the flood when Sua spoke.
"I can't deal with them one by one."
"…"
Kim Iseo swallowed, her throat dry.
The popularity Sua currently enjoyed among industry people was without precedent, and the attitude she was showing the agency was every bit as unprecedented in its boldness. An agency didn't usually leap straight into the work. First came the announcement that Sua and Mystic were together; the jobs came after. But Sua's attitude now?
Sua's smart. There's no way she doesn't know that. Which means…
Several pieces of information clicked together in Kim Iseo's head.
Ah.
And she understood.
…Sua wants to see what I'm capable of.
She wanted to test Kim Iseo's skill. It was too soon, in other words, for a working trust to have formed.
"You're absolutely right. Sua."
"?"
"I've watched your acting any number of times, but you've never once seen how I handle business. That's genuinely unfair. From this moment on, I'll show you the way I work."
Kim Iseo scrolled through the phone with meticulous care.
…What is this?
In any case, her work was both seasoned and swift. She cleanly divided what could be handled quickly from what would take time, and she meant to start with the lighter matters.
"So you applied for a commercial audition. Then we'll begin with this…"
That was when it happened.
Sua's phone rang, right on cue, a bright little spill of notes.
"Hello. This is Kim Iseo of Mystic Entertainment."
She answered with the speaker on, of course, so Sua could hear. The matter was simple: a hair studio wanted a contract with Sua. There could hardly have been a better stage on which to demonstrate her negotiating ability, and she didn't deliberate long.
"I'll bring Sua over right now."
Lee Yeonhwa's Hair Studio.
Four people sat with a square table between them — owner Lee Yeonhwa and Manager Seo Jaewoo on one side, Sua and Kim Iseo opposite.
This is a chance. A chance to look good in front of Sua.
Why is the CEO of Mystic out here…? Don't tell me…?
Their separate thoughts tangled together, and the negotiation began.
The studio staff eyed Kim Iseo with the look of people wondering why some kid was sitting there, but Manager Seo Jaewoo, at least, knew that the person across the table was a grim reaper. This was Kim Iseo, CEO of Mystic Entertainment, wasn't it?
So Mystic scooped her up after all? More than that — this is going to make it seriously hard to look good in front of Yeonhwa…
Kim Iseo was notorious for never compromising in a negotiation. Thanks to that, stories of Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Seonil being guaranteed excellent terms no matter what they did had spread thick through the industry. Yeonhwa, of course, knew none of this.
…I just have to hold on to this woman, no matter what. That's all, right?
Mutube this, blogs that, social media the other thing — Lee Yeonhwa didn't understand a bit of it. What would she know? She had spent her years abroad devoted to nothing but honing her craft.
Yeah. This much even I can tell. I absolutely have to keep her.
But even she, the moment she faced Sua again, felt certain. This woman would save the hair studio. Without fail.
A thousand faces.
A look that would suit whatever you did with it. Desire stirred in Lee Yeonhwa, too. For a beautician, simply being allowed to style a person like this was exciting all on its own — and if it doubled as promotion, then it really was two birds with one stone.
Kim Iseo broke the silence first.
"I hear you'd like a contract with our Sua."
She put particular weight on the word our. Quite a lot of weight.
"That's correct. We'd like to care for Miss Sua with everything this studio has, and film the process. Mutual benefit."
Kim Iseo watched the pair across the table closely as he spoke. Lee Yeonhwa, swallowing dryly. Seo Jaewoo, anxious.
I can feel it. All of it.
Every person carried a scent all their own, and Kim Iseo could catch it like a ghost. It took her no time at all to read that they were impatient and, at the same time, desperately earnest.
Mutual benefit? Don't make me laugh.
Mutual benefit. Using a word like that was a shallow little gambit. They dressed it up as something helpful to both sides, but pick it apart and Sua's side held every last card. Sua could not be replaced. A hair studio, in the end, could simply be swapped out. In truth, Kim Iseo hadn't strictly needed to be in the room at all.
Even if Sua had come alone, she'd have handled a negotiation perfectly well. She knows her own strengths and her own worth. She's a genius at the table.
You only had to look at the terms Mystic had promised Sua to see it plainly. Even Kim Iseo, who had prided herself on her confidence in a deal, had ended up offering three cars. The percentage had been picked clean, too. And still, she had come along.
However extraordinary her ability, she still has only one body. So she wants to know whether her agency can move like an extension of herself. Sua is here to evaluate me.
The thought reached that far, and a hollow laugh slipped out of her.
"Ha."
The more she turned it over, the more that dry laugh was all that came. The CEO herself, straining to prove her ability to a mere newcomer. Not just anyone — her. Kim Iseo. She spoke in a cold voice.
"Mutual benefit. And what does mutual benefit look like, on your end?"
"Miss Sua's styling would be entirely free of charge. In return, we'll use what we film as various promotional materials. Any revenue from Mutube or blog views will, of course, belong to Miss Sua."
But here was the surprise. To Kim Iseo's ear, the terms they were offering were remarkably good. She could even feel the sincerity in them, and the courtesy. This was already a long way from any attempt to lowball Sua. If anything, they were begging — we'll pour everything we have into taking care of her, so please, just let us advertise the fact that we're the ones looking after her.
…There's nothing left to haggle over?
Looking now, she could tell the contract had been hastily revised. Aha. Her name had done the work. The moment they learned Mystic was in the game, they must have scrambled to change the terms. From Kim Iseo's perspective, that was actually perfect. Explain all of this to Sua, and she could sell the value of the Mystic name — an excellent little piece of face-saving. As things stood, she didn't have much to say on the spot. But making the other side sweat was an essential technique.
"Give us a moment. I'd like a word with Sua."
· · ·
Outside the hair studio.
"Sua, it's excellent, isn't it? Nothing here that needs touching."
Kim Iseo smiled, bright and pleased.
"This is what's good about an agency with a name. They don't try any lowballing tricks. I could tell the contract had been revised in a hurry — they must have seen Mystic was involved and thought, oh no."
She went on, just a little flushed with triumph.
"Sua, I'm going to keep giving it everything, just like this. I'll grow Mystic until the perks come chasing you on their own, even when I'm not standing right beside you."
"Mm."
"Would you say this has earned me some trust?"
She added a few more words, voice full of confidence.
"Remember this. Mystic thinks of you as family. And I'm a CEO who will do anything for family."
But little by little, her mood turned strange.
Nothing.
Sua's answer still had not come.
"Mm. Was this a little short?"
It was quite a while later when Kim Iseo, CEO of Mystic, appeared again. She climbed into the van and spoke quietly.
"Sua."
"Yes."
"I adjusted the terms a little further."
"You did?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
"…You really didn't have to push it this far."
"What are you talking about? It wasn't a push at all."
That was when it happened.
"Ms. Kim! Aigoo! CEO Kim Iseo!"
Manager Seo Jaewoo came bursting out, his face crumpled as if he might cry.
"Just a moment! Really, just one moment!"
He plastered himself against the front of the van and begged. He was very nearly a suction-cupped octopus.
"CEO! This is really too much, isn't it…!"
Kim Iseo pressed the button by the window. Once the black glass had rolled all the way down, she fired back in a cold voice.
"It isn't the least bit too much. It's appropriate."
Sua was quietly startled. So CEO Kim Iseo was only this incredibly kind to her. It was nothing like the way she was being treated now.
"Well, of course it is. Ah — understood. Then, CEO…"
"No."
"Aigoo. Yes. This time it isn't about the styling contract. It's something else. Even a truly brief moment would do — please, just hear me out."
"What is it."
"The thing is…"
Only then did Manager Seo Jaewoo catch his breath.
"The styling deal — in any case, it was contracted overwhelmingly in Mystic's favor, wasn't it?"
"It came out exactly appropriate."
"Ah, slip of the tongue. Yes. So — since the contract landed so appropriately and all — couldn't you take just one look at this?"
He fumbled something out in a rush.
"If Mystic would be so kind as to review this one script…"
At the word script, two pairs of ears pricked up.
"A script? What script?"
This time it was Sua who asked, and the mere hint of interest was enough to make Manager Seo Jaewoo visibly brighten.
"This — this is none other than a work by Director Kim Jungi."
This time it was Kim Iseo who reacted to the name.
"…Kim Jungi?"
And just like that, the groveling of a moment ago was gone. Manager Seo Jaewoo threw his chest out.
"That's right! The director who finishes what he starts — Director Kim Jungi. Miss Sua, do you have any idea how many miserable shoots there are in this world? War movies, or getting stuck out in some mountain backwater — how hard is that?"
He pressed on, voice brimming with life.
"But this one will be fun from the very first day of filming. It's a story of high society. Every single scene is pure luxury. Wear the good stuff, eat the good stuff, ride the good stuff!"
From Sua's side of it, this was the kind of talk that made her eyes sparkle. Hadn't she, not so long ago, not even dared to imagine living through a torture scene? Set beside that, this was tempting. Just experiencing it sounded immensely satisfying.
"The role of the chaebol family's youngest daughter is open right now, and the audition is pretty fierce, I'll admit. But Miss Sua, your face alone is already a pass. I'll put in a strong word with Director Kim Jungi myself! This role — I'll tell him he has to cast Miss Sua, no question!"
Manager Seo Jaewoo flailed his whole body like a tube man outside a car lot, pouring out the pitch. Now and then, spit flew.
"Ah, what's the point of explaining any further? Just open the script. Whichever page you land on, it's lavish. Come on! Go ahead!"
Sua laid her palm on the script and closed her eyes for a moment. Everyone around her immediately killed even the sound of their breathing. It looked, for all the world, as if she had just declared that she was about to concentrate. A short while later she opened her eyes and turned the pages, one after another.
Beside her, Kim Iseo's thoughts were multiplying.
Director Kim Jungi? Luck like this, on the very first day of her contract with Mystic? Is she some lucky pouch that fetches fortune in its mouth?
Manager Seo Jaewoo opened his mouth again, careful now.
"And what else is Director Kim Jungi famous for? His connections, right? Just being part of this project gets you noticed by other directors. A red carpet, rolling straight out in front of you."
"Is that so."
Sua answered calmly, her hands resting on the script. From Seo Jaewoo's point of view, it was almost unbelievable that anyone could stay this composed after an offer like that. Around then, Sua tilted her head — a movement so fine that no one nearby would have caught it. That was also the moment Kim Iseo finished sorting her thoughts.
"Sua. Lend me your ear for a second."
She rolled the van window up, then spoke.
"Sua, even I'm a little tempted by the role of the chaebol family's youngest daughter."
"You seem to like it."
"Enormously. Take a role that fits your own persona, and the advantage is tremendous. Seonil played a germaphobic killer once — he came back from the easiest shoot of his life, and the response was the best he'd ever gotten. All he had to do was breathe, and it was a masterful performance."
"Mm. That's true."
"And it's also true that Director Kim Jungi has a wide network. For a newcomer like you, it's an outstanding stepping stone."
Certainty colored her voice.
"What do you think about taking it? Right after Special Task Force 808 wraps, your schedule stays full, which is good — and from the viewers' side, it means they'll be watching you all year long."
"Granted."
Kim Iseo nodded. Yes. In truth, from the moment the offer arrived, taking part had been a foregone conclusion. It was far too good an opportunity to simply let go.
"But."
That was when Sua pressed the button and rolled the window down — and, in the same motion, handed the script back to Manager Seo Jaewoo.