The Excessive Politeness of Ahn Jinbae
—Hope it's a good match. Even if not, he won't be bad. It's hard to find a manager as good as Jinbae.
'What's his personality like?'
—Sweet. Hardworking, too. How would I put it in one word… impeccably polite?
'You never mentioned he was this polite….'
Watching Manager Ahn Jinbae hold his ninety-degree bow, the hazy memory of my phone call with actor Lee Jeonghyeon drifted past.
I'd bent at the waist in such a rushed hurry that I didn't even have time to breathe, and Ahn Jinbae flinched in alarm before bowing even deeper. Stop, please….
"Manager."
"Yes! Actor-nim."
"Shall we move somewhere else first?"
Only then did Ahn Jinbae seem to register the eyes around us, and he nodded quickly.
His hair was cropped so short it bordered on severe, a stark contrast to the remarkably gentle eyes that caught my attention.
After trading a swift greeting with Noh Bihyeok—who was wearing a bizarre expression in his struggle to hold back laughter—I headed toward the car Ahn Jinbae had brought around.
Just as I reached for the passenger door, a thudding came from behind me and a huge hand swept into view, opening the door for me.
"…Thank you."
"Not at all! Mind the door."
I climbed in feeling slightly sheepish, and Ahn Jinbae kindly shut the door behind me.
Was this simply his nature, or was he just nervous on the first day? Questions drifted through my mind as I quietly fastened my seatbelt.
In the meantime, Ahn Jinbae circled around the car and slid into the driver's seat.
"Actor-nim, I heard you like rice cake desserts. Would it be all right if we headed that way?"
"Yes. And please, feel free to speak casually with me."
"Oh no, I'm more comfortable with formal speech myself. But if it makes you uncomfortable, Actor-nim, I'll do my best to change."
Being addressed in the most deferential form by someone nearly a decade your senior—that's an awkward position for anyone.
Still, I doubted casual speech from this particular man would actually ease the discomfort, so I simply told him to speak however felt natural.
Apparently that was the right answer, because his expression relaxed considerably.
We walked into the same rice cake café I'd visited with actor Lee Jeonghyeon before, and the moment we sat down, cakes began arriving in a neat procession—no order placed, none needed.
Looking them over, I realized they were all the ones I'd eaten with particular enthusiasm last time.
"I went ahead and mentioned five, but just say the word if you'd like more."
"Oh no, this is plenty. You really went out of your way. Thank you."
"Not at all! It's only natural."
Despite his words, Ahn Jinbae's face looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
Unlike his thick, scarred eyebrow, the eyes watching me sparkled brightly.
"Actor Lee Jeonghyeon had only good things to say about you. It's an honor to get to work with you!"
"No, I should be the one saying—"
What on earth is an honor about this? The strange flustered expressions kept coming, and my head was starting to spin.
Left with nothing to say, I dutifully picked up my fork—only then realizing there was a single set of utensils.
Ahn Jinbae, catching my hesitation, hurriedly spoke up.
"Don't mind me at all. Please, eat comfortably."
"Why… do you not like rice cakes, by any chance?"
"I have a memory of making myself sick on them as a child… But in unavoidable situations at work, I can eat them without letting it show, so please don't worry. In fact, I can demonstrate right now!"
"I wasn't worried about th—no, please, you don't have to. Put the fork down."
He'd suddenly reached for the fork on the neighboring table, and I yelped at him to stop.
Even as he insisted he really could eat them, he obediently lowered the fork.
I could see the tension slowly draining from his jaw.
He seemed to have a strong tendency to push himself for others' sake even when he didn't want to. I'll need to choose my words carefully around him.
"I read the drama script I received yesterday, and I'm so looking forward to your Yuhyeon, Actor-nim. Are you having any trouble with practice?"
"No, it's been fine so far."
"What a relief!"
We spent a long while after that talking about the drama. The rice cake desserts were melt-in-your-mouth soft, as always.
Around the time our third empty plate stacked up, Ahn Jinbae ventured his words carefully.
"Actor-nim. There's something I'd like to say."
"Yes?"
"Just because actor Lee Jeonghyeon spoke for me, you are under no obligation to sign with me."
Where did this come from? When I looked at him in surprise, he drew a deep breath and, as though he'd been waiting for the opening, the words came pouring out.
"It's only a six-month contract, but it's still your first manager contract, so I think you should proceed carefully. A manager is someone an entertainer spends more time with than their own family, and if your temperaments or styles don't match, things can become very difficult. Even if you don't continue acting, this will be a time you look back on as a memory, so meeting a good manager would make it all the better. Of course, I'm not saying I lack confidence in becoming that good manager—if you choose me, I will naturally do my very best! But I personally believe I have many shortcomings, and I worry those shortcomings might make things uncomfortable for you. That's why I wanted to tell you before any contract. I have no stake in the decision either way, so please decide whatever feels right to you."
Having emptied himself of that long speech, Ahn Jinbae gulped down water as if he'd run out of breath.
Half a glass vanished in a single swallow.
Then he stole a glance at my face and declared that he'd said everything he wanted to say.
So that's it. I nodded once or twice, then threw out the one question that had been burning in me the entire time.
"Did you, by any chance, practice that?"
"Uh…."
At my words, those gentle eyes went wide—and then froze solid.
He stammered and floundered, so I apologized right away.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be mean."
"No, it's… the truth is, I did practice a little. At home."
"I could tell. You spoke very well."
"Th-thank you!"
Ah, I really shouldn't tease my elders.
I bit my lip for dear life to keep the laughter in. I hadn't meant to show it, but his quietly proud expression was too much.
The excessive politeness that had felt slightly uncomfortable only minutes ago now landed entirely differently.
"Thank you for being so considerate. As it happens, I had a very similar conversation with Jeonghyeon-hyung just last night."
I set my fork down on the last remaining plate and recalled the phone call with actor Lee Jeonghyeon from the night before.
—Yeonjae, nothing's been signed yet, so talk things through with him, and if anything feels off or rubs you the wrong way—even the smallest thing—you have to tell me. Promise.
'Yes. But since you're the one who recommended him, I'm not too worried.'
—Someone who's good to me isn't guaranteed to be good to you. You never really know a person until you've experienced them yourself.
His voice sounded faintly bitter as he said it.
—Especially at your age, you have to be careful with every single person you meet. Managers more than anyone. When you're young, people try to bend you to their will. Even without physical violence, they can torment you mentally. You understand what I'm saying?
'Yes. I understand.'
—Good. You're already doing more than well enough, Yeonjae. Just go meet him and see. The only thing to remember is that you don't have to sign anything.
I was beginning to understand why actor Lee Jeonghyeon had recommended him.
I didn't know anything about Ahn Jinbae's financial situation, but speaking so openly and honestly about a job that pays the bills is no easy thing.
It meant he was the kind of person whose principles came first.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to work with you, Manager. May I leave myself in your care going forward?"
"…! No, the honor is mine! I'll be in your care as well. I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll show you only work worth trusting."
Disappointed, huh. The shoot would wrap in a month or two at most, and as nothing more than a supporting child actor, my schedule wouldn't pick up even once the drama began airing.
Over a six-month contract, we probably wouldn't cross paths all that often anyway.
There was little room in that span for anything worth expecting.
So I wanted to tell him not to worry—but pointing out that I had no expectations seemed unlikely to land as anything positive, so I swallowed it down.
It's not as though I'm in any position to be picking apart someone's qualifications.
Both actor Lee Jeonghyeon and Ahn Jinbae had their reasons for saying what they did, and I understood them.
But really—who would qualify, by that standard?
If such a flawless manager existed, then surely the celebrity beside him would have to be flawless too.
Viewed that way, it was never a question I'd been able to choose in the first place.
I picked up my fork while fending off Ahn Jinbae, who was eyeing more rice cake desserts with an eager face.
The slightly softened cake clung to the tines, squishing gently.
"It's an honor to meet you, Actor-nim!"
"Hello, hyung."
Time passed, and the day of the script reading arrived.
It was only my third or fourth ride in Ahn Jinbae's car, but I'd already grown used to it. As I climbed in, the cool air inside struck me as a world apart from the thick, muggy heat outside.
"Is the air conditioning all right? Shall I turn it down further?"
"No, it's perfect. Thank you."
"There's a blanket beside you if you get cold. I've filled a thermos with lukewarm water, so please don't drink anything cold."
Just as I'd sensed at our first meeting, Ahn Jinbae was truly meticulous.
Not a single thing I mentioned escaped his notice.
I tucked the script, smudged and worn from handling, into my bag, and Ahn Jinbae handed me a crisp, fresh-printed copy he'd prepared in advance.
"This is your first reading—aren't you nervous? I brought some calming herbal medicine packets. Would you like one?"
"Oh no, I'm fine."
Surprisingly, I wasn't all that nervous. Then again, I hadn't been that shaken at the audition either.
When I lightly declined, his voice came back calm and matter-of-fact, as if to say he understood.
But the face of Ahn Jinbae, glimpsed sideways in the rearview mirror, told a different story.
I swallowed a sigh and spoke quietly.
"Hyung, come to think of it, maybe I should have one after all."
"Oh, of course! Take whichever you like from here."
His face brightening all at once, Ahn Jinbae pulled a whole heap of them from the console box.
Individually wrapped herbal calmatives, chocolate, chewable vitamin jellies… He truly had prepared for everything.
I fished out one of the calmatives with a sticker reading 'for children', popped it into my mouth, and turned my attention back to the script.
The bitter scent of herbal medicine spread through the car.
Ahn Jinbae, who had seemed on the verge of chattering on about this and that, drove on in respectful silence after that.
"Actor-nim, we've arrived."
"Ah."
I'd been lost in the script when the sudden voice brought me back to myself.
It seemed we'd been parked for quite a while, and when I apologized, Ahn Jinbae shook his head quickly, his face going pale.
"Please never apologize for something like that. If you absolutely must, then simply say thank you instead."
"All right. Thank you."
"Not at all! We have about an hour yet, but since you're the newcomer, I think it's best for you to be waiting first. Shall we go in?"
I nodded and stepped out of the car.
Ahn Jinbae must have been here many times before, because he led the way through the maze-like corridors without a moment's hesitation.
When we reached the reading room, no one was there yet.
I sat quietly in a corner seat with a name card reading Lee Yeonjae, and, as I'd been told in advance, stood to give a polite bow whenever someone entered.
"Hello. I'm Lee Yeonjae, playing the role of young Yuhyeon."
"Yes, hello there."
The first person to greet me—someone who wasn't staff, but a fellow actor—was a girl with strikingly clear, bright eyes.
Anyone could see she was around my age, yet the composure radiating from her expression and posture belonged to someone far older.
"I'm Han Seyeong, playing Nabi as a child. It's a pleasure to work with you."
She bowed her head with a perfectly polished smile. As she stepped closer, a distinctive scent reached me.
Too heavy to call floral—an unmistakably mature fragrance.
"The pleasure is mine."
When I bowed in return, Han Seyeong flashed a grin and brushed past me.
The lingering floral scent swayed in the air behind her.
I barely managed to keep my face from crumpling.