The Wealthy and Kind Advertiser
“Understood.”
The moment I agreed, Chae Seoyun’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
“What is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you come here to persuade me?”
“Yes. And I failed.”
“Asking just once whether I prefer movies or dramas—that’s your idea of persuasion?”
“Yes.”
Coming all the way out here to ask in person was more than enough sincerity.
“Ha…. What is this.”
But damn, she really is beautiful.
She was definitely a subject that looked incredible on camera.
Since Chae Seoyun turned down the role, should I ask Hyejin instead?
Nike was completely hooked on my CG, so swapping actors shouldn’t be difficult.
Wouldn’t this turn a young rookie into a world-star mega actress overnight?
“Then please rest.”
As I rose to leave, Chae Seoyun’s hand snagged the sleeve at my elbow.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I have to get back to work. Business is finished.”
“Haa, fine. I’ll admit it. Your negotiation skills are excellent.”
What is she talking about?
“I’m sorry, but no means no. This isn’t a CF—it’s a movie. An advertising film where the product, not the role, is the protagonist.”
Does she think I’m bluffing right now?
“I know the company covets this 420-billion-won project. The audience numbers will be embarrassingly low, but it’ll be a chance to make my face known worldwide. However.”
Normally I was the yes-man who hit Yes without a second thought the moment a teammate voted to surrender, even in a winning game.
“A project starting with nothing but a concept and no script yet. An advertising film where the shoes, not me, are the star. My filmography with not a single work below break-even. From the start there’s nothing I like about it…. Wait. Why are your eyes like that?”
“I’m listening seriously. I plan to report every detail to the team leader.”
“….”
Chae Seoyun’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms again. Heightened wariness in her gaze, she scrutinized my face from every angle.
“It wasn’t a bluff?”
“I said it wasn’t from the beginning.”
“You really planned to just report back without even trying to persuade me?”
“You’re an adult. Asking once is enough.”
Chae Seoyun stared at me intently, then let out a light sigh.
“If our manager oppa were like you, it would have been so much easier.”
“Manager Kim must be quite persistent. But I’m not.”
“I understand. I’ve clearly grasped that your style is the complete opposite.”
“I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.”
Her lips seemed to move soundlessly as if she had something more to say, then she turned her head away.
“Seoyun-ssi, let’s say that I spent over three hours trying to persuade you and failed.”
“…Fine.”
The instant I turned my back—
“Wait a moment.”
A slightly urgent voice called after me.
Had her mind changed already?
“Come here. I have something to give you.”
“Pardon?”
Chae Seoyun raised her fingertips slightly to indicate the direction, then led the way. She entered some room—surely not the bedroom?
Chae Seoyun, who had gone in first, poked half her body out and asked,
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Even if we’re colleagues, the two of us alone in Seoyun-ssi’s house, going into the bedroom together is a bit….”
“It’s not the bedroom.”
“Still, going into the same room is a bit….”
“Manager oppa came in too, so just come in. I can’t lift this. It’s heavy.”
Heavy?
Curious, I stepped inside and found a room used for storage. Paper boxes of various sizes were stacked neatly. In the center of the room, a large box boasting brilliant colors stood alone, radiating presence.
A laptop box?
Looking at the photo on the box, the design automatically brought a fighter jet to mind.
“It’s yours. Take it while you’re here.”
“What is this?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
“I can tell it’s a laptop, but why is it mine?”
“It’s a gift.”
“So why would I get something like this….”
“Last time the video wouldn’t even play properly and kept stuttering. As a CG director, can you go around with that piece of junk? While using a good camera.”
This is a development I never imagined.
Did Pine Tree Entertainment have a tradition of gifting electronics to new employees?
I took out my phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Um, unboxing photos?”
“You’re going to open it here?”
“Well, since you gave me the gift, shouldn’t you see what’s inside? Aren’t you curious?”
“Then open it.”
Chae Seoyun crossed her arms and took a step closer.
But the box was really big. Judging by the size alone, it felt like a small washing machine could fit inside, not a laptop.
I removed the styrofoam and took out the cold laptop wrapped in plastic.
Crazy. What am I supposed to do with this magnesium texture.
“Looks like you like it.”
“I really do like it. But it’s quite heavy.”
“You don’t like that?”
“Of course not. High-spec gaming laptops being heavy is only natural.”
In the middle of Chae Seoyun’s expressionless face, I caught the corners of her mouth smiling faintly.
Is my expression that funny right now?
But this was the first time in my life I had received a laptop like this as a gift. Any man would have his heart race.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well. Um, if it’s not too shameless, one more request….”
“What is it?”
“Could you sign the laptop?”
Chae Seoyun uncrossed her arms and chuckled. A clear smile without any wrinkles. A smile I wanted to properly capture on camera with full costume and makeup.
Damn, she really is beautiful.
Her bank balance must be as pretty as her face, seeing how she casually buys things like this.
“Here?”
“Yes. Ah, and here, here, and here too, please.”
“You’re greedy.”
“When receiving once, isn’t it better value to get a ton of them?”
I got signatures all over the box, the warranty, the top of the laptop case, and more. Fortunately my camera backpack had ample laptop storage space. As expected, expensive professional backpacks were different.
I loaded the box into the company-issued work SUV and said goodbye to Chae Seoyun, who had come to see me off at the parking lot.
“Thank you. I feel like I’m the only one getting something good and leaving.”
“Don’t feel burdened. I prepared it because I’m also grateful that thanks to you, the Nike CF turned out so nicely.”
Even the small motion of waving just one hand while arms crossed was pure actress.
I want to shoot a work with Chae Seoyun as the protagonist someday. And of course cast Hyejin too.
How about a setting where they’re sisters who don’t get along?
I started the engine and left the parking lot. While waiting at a traffic light on the road, I quickly searched the model name. I’d been dying of curiosity about the price since earlier, but had to hold it in because the gift-giver was right there.
“19 million won? Insane.”
I thought I had misread the number. It was proudly hanging at the top of the high-price ranking on the country’s number-one electronics shopping mall.
“Star actresses who make good money really are different.”
To casually gift a 19-million-won ultra-high-performance laptop. Just because I did a good job shooting a CF.
My laptop had been lagging a bit playing the high-bitrate videos made with the Future App anyway, so this worked out well.
Exactly three hours later, I reported by phone to Team Leader Jo Unseok of the 3rd Team.
“I’m currently leaving Actress Chae Seoyun’s house.”
How did it go?
Truthfully I had half-expected Chae Seoyun to suddenly change her mind on a whim, contact the company, and announce she would do it after all. That woman somehow gave off the image of someone who would act that arbitrarily—someone who wouldn’t be satisfied unless the entire world and everyone around her revolved around her.
“I failed.”
Haa. I still had high hopes for Manager Cha.
“For me? Hopes?”
Why else. Seoyun is extremely well-behaved and listens carefully in front of Manager Cha.
Are the Chae Seoyun I observed and the Chae Seoyun Jo Unseok sees beings from completely different dimensions?
What do we do about this.
“It’s true Nike is hooked on Chae Seoyun, but they decided to produce the advertising film because of the CG, right? I don’t think they’ll abandon the advertising film just because Chae Seoyun drops out.”
That’s true enough.
“How about making it with Hyejin as the lead instead?”
She’s shooting a drama right now…. Well, we can start after it ends, so that shouldn’t matter.
“30THC likes Hyejin just as much as Chae Seoyun, so they’ll participate enthusiastically out of pure fan spirit.”
But Nike probably doesn’t even know who Hyejin is.
“We’ll persuade them. And if we swing the CG around, they’ll fold easily.”
The important thing was that Nike had already tasted the air at the top floor of what the Future App’s CG could express.
Can Hyejin handle it?
“She will. And even if she struggles a little, we have to push her through. Chae Seoyun already said no, so of course we put it in our Hyejin’s mouth first.”
If 30THC’s intention is solid…. After all, the important thing is the CG technology.
“Actually I never mentioned it, but 30THC wanted Hyejin to appear in the film together from the beginning.”
They did?
“Yes. They’re disappointed Chae Seoyun dropped out, but they’ll be happy if Hyejin steps in as the replacement.”
Okay. Got it. Oh right. I reported this matter to the CEO, and he wants to produce it as an OTT drama rather than a movie.
“Because of the profits, I suppose.”
To make it as a movie, the production process excluding CG would have to be handed over to a major distributor. That would cut deeply into the company’s profits. Handing the entire CG-heavy outsource to my CG company would make production costs exceed the budget. Because I had raised my CG company’s value too high. From the CEO’s perspective, an OTT drama could be judged the most profitable for the company. That opinion had come up in meetings as well.
Profit maximization is one reason, but Manager Cha already knows. Our company is preparing a drama production business.
“Of course I know.”
The CEO has been exchanging signals with Netprince for quite a while, and he wants to properly seize this opportunity. He’s extremely excited, saying heaven-sent luck has rolled in.
So the CEO plans to expand the board by bringing in Netprince, the OTT emperor, as well.
Unlike domestic distributors, Netprince would be in a money-bag position like Nike, so the company’s profits could grow even larger.
“Uh, then…?”
Once this is confirmed, a drama business division will be formed. Manager Cha will probably transfer over there.
“If this project finishes well, don’t tell me I’m getting the team leader position?”
I said it as a joke, but after a brief silence Team Leader Jo Unseok spoke seriously.
Team leader isn’t the issue. The CEO seems to be thinking as far as the business headquarters director position later on—though that’s still a distant future matter.
“What?”
Judging by how he accidentally mentioned stock options, when we spin it off as a subsidiary later, maybe….
“Was that really an accident? Not a deliberate performance so it would naturally reach my ears?”
Ah, Manager Cha. Let’s just pretend we don’t know about this kind of thing.
How long had I even been at the company, and already I was being eyed for team leader, with a future business headquarters director seat on top of that?
I felt a slight thrill, but my heart wasn’t pounding all that hard. Maybe because I already had my own business in 30THC.
Nike was deeply disappointed by Chae Seoyun’s absence. They also felt a slight unease about unknown rookie Hwang Hyejin taking the lead role.
“The graphics director at the CG company is extremely fond of Actress Hwang Hyejin. Fond enough to willingly take on the CG for her debut drama at an outrageously low price.”
The power of the CG that had completely enchanted Nike’s executives was tremendous. Nike welcomed Hwang Hyejin’s appearance with open arms.
“As long as it’s made at the video quality level from that CF, we’re fine.”
Just like that, Nike was easily persuaded.
People grit their teeth saying Nike is the alpha of alphas in the advertising world, but from where I stood they seemed tamer than a ragdoll cat.
Wealthy, gentle, and kind.
Truly an excellent advertiser.
Now only the negotiations with Netprince, the world’s largest OTT platform, remained.
D-Day was set for after Chae Seoyun’s Nike CF was released worldwide. That way the OTT emperor would sit at the negotiation table with a slightly more humble attitude.