Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Image Management
“Let’s not disrupt the shoot too much.”
“…”
“Understood?”
Yu Yeon-seo patted the speechless An Hyeon-seong on the shoulder encouragingly before approaching the director.
“I’m sorry. I damaged the wall.”
“That’s… it’s fine. We have things to cover it up with.”
It was in a spot cleverly out of the camera’s view. A place that could easily be hidden with a prop.
Did he calculate even this? The director wondered, watching Yu Yeon-seo’s back with a peculiar expression. The director had seen Yu Yeon-seo’s manager grabbing his waist, trying to stop him, and had anticipated that something would happen. That was why he hadn’t intervened, sensing the intent.
‘Unimaginable in the past.’
The ‘old Yu Yeon-seo,’ who was supposed to be the one causing trouble, was now solving it.
Even if Yu Yeon-seo had acted on a simple whim, to the director, it looked like he was calling out An Hyeon-seong for his unprofessional behavior on set.
Well, if one person was making everyone get off work late, I’d also… Director Son approached An Hyeon-seong.
“Hyeon-seong, are you okay?”
“…Yes, Director.”
“I should have stopped it sooner… Let’s take a short break for now.”
The director said this with a completely unapologetic expression before preparing for another actor’s scene. An Hyeon-seong’s face turned red under the stares directed at him.
“Manager.”
“Just stay put.”
An Hyeon-seong’s agency manager hardened his expression and crossed his arms. A manager-level executive doesn’t usually get assigned to a rookie. It meant they had high hopes for An Hyeon-seong. To be precise, for the An Hyeon-seong who had gained popularity from ‘People Who Lack.’
Realizing that a manager was assigned to him, an extraordinary rookie, An Hyeon-seong developed a sense of entitlement, which led to a case of ‘celebrity disease.’
‘I’ve been too soft on him.’
But he didn’t intervene now because the backing behind Yu Yeon-seo was too powerful. He had threatened him, but it wasn’t an actual assault, which made the situation ambiguous. He was cautious, unsure of what repercussions a protest might bring.
‘He’s been quiet and well-behaved, so why the sudden change?’
No, this was who Yu Yeon-seo originally was. He had been too complacent, believing only the rumors that he had changed. The manager sighed.
“This is why I told you to act like a rookie. Getting a big head, already catching celebrity disease…”
Scolded instead, An Hyeon-seong pressed his lips together and sat down.
Lee Tae-gyeom watched Yu Yeon-seo sit down, his mouth slightly agape. He knew of his movements from action school, but this was faster and more menacing than before. So this is what it meant to intimidate someone… He’d certainly done a thorough job of it.
“Wow, what did you just do? That was insane.”
“Image management.”
I’ve never seen someone manage their image like this in my life. Lee Tae-gyeom chuckled.
‘Manager Park did tell me to stop him no matter what he did…’
But is that necessary anymore? Before, he was unpredictable and a source of anxiety, but now, his outbursts are for the better, so it seems fine. Lee Tae-gyeom stared intently at the hand Yu Yeon-seo had slammed into the wall earlier.
“Don’t you think you scared him a bit too much? What about your hand?”
“It’s fine.”
Yu Yeon-seo raised his hand to show Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon. It was perfectly fine, not even a hint of red. It would be foolish not to be able to control that much.
“That manager is staring at us. He’s not going to say something, is he?”
“To me? How?”
“How… he can’t.”
“The most he could do is spread some rumors behind my back.”
And that was exactly what he wanted. He had hoped to slightly improve the original body’s trashy image, but not to this extent.
Lately, there had been many favorable reactions, a ‘re-evaluation’ of Yu Yeon-seo, but maintaining a moderately troublesome image would make his life in the entertainment industry easier. If people were wary of him, there wouldn’t be anyone like An Hyeon-seong disrupting filming.
“Wow, so satisfying.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“Why? I thought it was great.”
“Still, what if he’d actually gotten hit…”
Hearing the nearby whispers, he let out a small laugh. If he’d actually hit him, it would be assault. The original Yu Yeon-seo never committed crimes.
‘I should have done this sooner.’
Yu Yeon-seo didn’t avoid An Hyeon-seong’s piercing gaze.
‘The one to be afraid of isn’t Go Hyo-jun, it’s me.’
So, you’d be better off dropping that pathetic pride and focusing on the shoot. An Hyeon-seong turned his head away under Yu Yeon-seo’s intense gaze.
“Yeon-seo.”
He stood up at the director’s call.
Filming for ‘People Who Lack Season 2’ was nearing its end. With a lot of screen time towards the finale, Yu Yeon-seo was a constant presence on set, playing Lee Tae-o.
“Did something arrive outside?”
“Whoa, what’s that?”
When lunchtime arrived, the faces of the staff, who had expected their usual lunch boxes, lit up.
“Young Master, I think you should go outside.”
“Why? Ah, don’t tell me…”
A sense of déjà vu washed over him… Yu Yeon-seo, with a weary expression, followed Im Seung-hyeon to the buffet truck set up next to the film set.
“…Juseong Hotel?”
“Wow, it’s not just any buffet, it’s a hotel buffet?”
“Who sent it?”
The staff practically ran over. In a society where greetings often start with ‘Have you eaten?’, providing good food was a surefire way to boost morale.
Next to the buffet truck, a tent was set up as a dining area, where tables lavishly decorated with flowers were laden with gifts for the staff, including neck pillows, wine, and cigarettes.
‘The secretaries must have worked hard.’
His father had said he was planning something, and he really went through with it. It was so elaborately prepared that anyone would have thought it was from a fan.
“Wow, this wine is expensive…”
“Damn, are those luxury goods?”
“Really?”
Moreover, the gifts were all high-end, with no distinction made between junior staff, the director, or minor actors. The sound of everyone taking pictures in awe echoed loudly.
“Yeon-seo, thank you for the meal.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting a support buffet from the chairman of Juseong Group in my lifetime.”
“The Chairman?”
Yu Yeon-seo furrowed his brow at Director Son’s words. Not his father?
Yu Yeon-seo checked the banner hanging outside and let out a dry laugh.
Go, my grandson!
Chairman Yu Chang-ho, Juseong Group
“…Did my grandfather really do this?”
Why is my grandfather involved? He was the last person who would do this kind of thing. He immediately made a call.
“Grandfather.”
(So you’re finally calling me first. It seems it was prepared on time.)
“What is this? Was this really your idea, Grandfather?”
(Of course it was me! Who else would it be!)
Yu Yeon-seo held the phone away from his ear. No, it was just so hard to believe.
“But why would you do something like this…?”
(That boy Geon-min was bragging so much, so I thought I’d try it too.)
Mixed in with his gruff tone was the sound of a cough, a sign of his embarrassment. Rather than just trying to one-up his father, Yeon-seo figured there was affection for his grandson behind it, enough to keep track of his filming schedule, and he felt a warmth spread through his chest.
‘So this day has come.’
It was hard to imagine this was the same person who had yelled at him to get his act together when he first entered this body.
(Is that all you have to say?)
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”
Chairman Yu was displeased with the short answer, which was different from what he’d hoped for, but he couldn’t expect more after how brusquely he had treated him all this time. He decided to find meaning in the fact that his grandson, who never called, had phoned him right away.
(Alright, if you’re grateful, stop by the house. It’s been a while.)
“…I’ll go after filming is done.”
The annex at his grandfather’s house weighed on his mind, but after receiving something like this, it would be strange to say he’d visit later.
After hanging up, Yu Yeon-seo stood next to the banner at Lee Tae-gyeom’s suggestion to take a picture.
Yu Geon-min saw the support verification photo posted on his son’s social media and rushed to Chairman Yu’s study.
“Father. What is this?”
“You don’t even knock.”
Chairman Yu, who was about to scold him, smiled faintly after seeing the screen his son held out.
“Honestly, making a fuss over nothing…”
Y__Yeonseo
A #support meal from someone with more money than me #grandfather
Thank you for the meal.
Yu Geon-min frowned. When I sent one, he asked why I’d send such a thing! But here he is, with two whole lines of text! Two hashtags! And the public reaction was on a completely different level from when Yu Geon-min sent his.
[Hot Topic☆] Yu Yeon-seo proves he’s showered with family love with support meal post
Special Support for ‘People Who Lack’ Cast and Crew Becomes a Hot Topic… A Hotel Buffet Sent by None Other Than Juseong’s Chairman Yu Chang-ho
Yu Yeon-seo Posts Photo of Lavish Support Meal for ‘People Who Lack’
-Whoa damn, did Chairman Yu really send this?
-This is insane for real lol
-The scale of the chairman’s love for his grandson is insane...
Countless articles and related posts poured out. To exaggerate a little, every online community was talking about Yu Yeon-seo and Chairman Yu.
This was a support meal sent by Chairman Yu, a man who had only been seen in stern-faced news photos or at presidential banquets, a figure shrouded in mystery due to his lack of media exposure. Naturally, the reaction was explosive.
“What do you think it is? A food truck.”
Chairman Yu replied, casually crossing his arms.
“You know how to send things like this, Father?”
“Is it that hard? You just tell the people under you to do it…”
The staff in the chairman’s office, who had bustled around following his orders, were scheduled to receive incentives. Many were happy, saying they were getting bonuses thanks to the Young Master.
Sitting in front of Chairman Yu, Yu Geon-min’s mind raced. I have to think of a support meal even grander than Father’s.
“Weren’t you against Yeon-seo being a celebrity?”
“A brief deviation is fine, isn’t it? I’m only letting it slide until he graduates from school.”
“You still haven’t given up on that. I told you, we should let Yeon-seo do what he wants…”
“We need more people to support Eun-ho! From what I saw on that show, he seems like he’d be good at business too.”
His sons helping him with the company’s business? Yu Geon-min grinned from ear to ear.
“You shouldn’t make that face in front of others, you know? This is why everyone says you’re a fool for your sons.”
“To me, that’s a compliment… By the way, did you have a visitor?”
Yu Geon-min said, noticing a teacup that hadn’t been cleared away yet.
“Yeon-seo stopped by.”
“Father, why are you only telling me this now?”
“Hey! Vice Chairman!”
Yu Geon-min shot up and rushed out of the study. But Yu Yeon-seo would have long since gone back to his own place….
“Tsk, tsk. I raised my son wrong.”
Chairman Yu shook his head, watching Yu Geon-min leave without a proper goodbye.
Having come up empty-handed, Yu Geon-min trudged back home.
“Do you know that Father sent a buffet to Yeon-seo?”
“I saw. I’ve scheduled one too. Is it tomorrow?”
“You too?”
No wonder Yu Yeon-seo’s lunch schedule on filming days was packed. First Chairman Yu, and now his wife… Feeling the competition grow, Yu Geon-min’s eyes narrowed. Choi Yu-jin burst out laughing.
“Do you know about this?”
“What?”
“I heard Eun-ho is sending something too.”
Apparently, Yu Eun-ho was sending one without much thought, simply because his father was doing it, thinking ‘I should send one too…’ Yu Geon-min smiled contentedly.
“Eun-ho knows how to look after his little brother.”
“If Father sent it through Juseong Hotel, won’t the young ladies hear about it too?”
His sisters would probably join in since it looked fun. At that thought, Yu Geon-min lamented as if he’d lost his country.
“…Supporting my son was my greatest joy.”
His older aunt, Yu Min-jeong, and younger aunt, Yu Seon-yeong, also heard the news and sent lavish food and snack trucks, and even his attention-seeking cousin, Park Seon-woo, sent a coffee truck. They were sent so insistently that he couldn’t turn them away.
For a full week, the crew of ‘People Who Lack’ enjoyed the luxury of hotel buffets and coffee. Naturally, the staff’s attitude towards Yu Yeon-seo became more than just favorable. The troublemaker image he had painstakingly tried to restore went up in smoke.