Rookie Manager (6)
The vast lot was packed with cars of every kind.
This was the parking garage of Studio Initial, where the script reading would take place.
People in sharp suits mixed with others in casual crewnecks or hoodies. Maybe it was because I was a manager myself, but every single one of them looked like a manager to me.
I had gone with a simple gray crewneck and jeans, a crossbody bag slung over my shoulder to serve as my Pocket.
At first I had wondered if I ought to wear a suit, but Chun Yeonho had told me not to talk nonsense. Only managers with a certain rank got to wear those.
“Now that I think about it, a suit might’ve been fine,” Yeonho said. “You’re a representative, right? One-man agency. Happens all the time—people start out with just a single actor.”
“Representative, my ass.”
“Who knows? You might end up running a huge agency someday. This is just the beginning.”
That felt way too grand. I wasn’t that serious about being a manager. I was only doing this because Park Seoh-ah had told me to, because I wanted to be useful to her.
An agency would mean recruiting multiple celebrities. That was never going to happen.
Of course… if Seoh-ah became a top star someday, and if I had been the one who made it happen—if my support had actually helped her rise—then yeah, that would feel pretty electric.
Even now, just watching her eat made me want to show her off to the whole world.
Still, founding an agency was a distant fantasy.
Park Seoh-ah and Han Ahyoung were still in the car. Seoh-ah said she wanted a little more time with the script; Ahyoung claimed she had something to do as well.
Seoh-ah wasn’t just memorizing her own lines. She had read the original webtoon and was learning every other character’s dialogue and settings too. Understanding the overall flow would let her immerse herself more deeply, so the memorization took longer—and she was still at it.
She said the feeling was completely different the second and third time through. And it showed: her acting and immersion kept getting stronger.
My fingers trembled.
Ah. I couldn’t sit still. I was getting antsy. I wanted everyone to see Seoh-ah’s performance right now. They would all be stunned; they wouldn’t be able to stop marveling.
I’d heard that roles sometimes expand during filming—when an actor nails it so perfectly that the writer or director takes notice. Today felt like that day for Seoh-ah. With looks that good and acting to match, how could they not give her more lines?
All that blood-and-sweat effort was finally about to bear fruit.
“Hello, Team Leader Chun! Looking forward to working with you again today.”
“Aigoo, Team Leader Chun. Looking sharp as ever. Why are you still out here? Where’s Han Ahyoung?”
While I stood with Yeonho, several people came over to greet him. Every one of them treated him with careful respect, their eyes full of either familiarity or genuine admiration. Tiny dick or not, the industry clearly knew him as someone important.
I ended up exchanging greetings too, almost by accident.
Sky Music, Star Conic, Nexium—even people who didn’t follow entertainment had heard of those agencies. Add Yeonho’s R&E and you had the so-called Big Four.
Among them was even a director. Did executives still work the field? I had just shaken a hand that felt weathered by years. The whole aura around him carried the weight of experience—like a veteran who had climbed through every kind of hardship.
I stared absently at the rough residual sensation on my palm, then watched the two figures walking away. Beside Director Young was a woman. Probably the actress he was handling. An agency the size of Sky Music wouldn’t be short on staff, so she had to be someone the executives were watching closely.
For some reason a tight tension settled over me.
“Who’s the actress Director Young brought?”
“Oh Jihyeon. Same rookie level as Seoh-ah. She’ll probably have the most scenes with her.”
“…”
“Come to think of it, both of them are debuting in Ghost Story Company. Pretty flashy start.”
Two rookies in closely linked roles. One of them—no, one of those bitches—was going to get buried, right? Everything was relative.
I worried for a second that Seoh-ah might get overshadowed, but the fear vanished almost immediately. After watching her practice up close, I knew she would never disappear into the background. If anything, she would devour the other girl. Hell, I half-believed she could even outshine Han Ahyoung.
Yeonho tapped my arm.
“Those vitamins you gave me are great. Body feels light. Ahyoung even praised the gum.”
“Oh, yeah? Glad to hear it.”
“The cigarettes too. Where the hell do you even get this stuff?”
I glanced at his face. The dark circles were still there, but his eyes looked clearer, more alert. His condition had improved a lot. The cigarette frenzy from the day before had mostly settled down.
The vitamins, the gum, the cigarettes—all of them had come out of my Pocket. I couldn’t tell him the truth. He wouldn’t believe it anyway.
I could have used the same “got it from an acquaintance” line as with the cigarettes, but since these were all things you put in your mouth, a different excuse came to mind. I had no idea what else I might end up giving Yeonho and Ahyoung. If something perfectly suited to the moment appeared, it would be weird not to hand it over—and if every single item supposedly came from “an acquaintance,” that would start looking suspicious.
“My dad’s got a business on the food side. These are products they’re testing right now.”
“For real? Feels like they could just release them as is.”
“I don’t know the details. Probably soon.”
Honestly, excuses and cover stories didn’t matter much. No one was going to dig deep, and even if they did, it wouldn’t lead anywhere.
Yeonho took a sip of the coffee he’d bought from a café.
“Ugh.”
He grimaced like a kid forced to swallow bitter medicine and shook the cup.
“What the hell did you do to that coffee? I can’t drink anything else now.”
I had offered him coffee again this morning—just instant mix, with a secret pinch of Red Salt. Since the Red Salt was the real star, it didn’t matter whether it was cheap mix or high-end beans.
I answered casually.
“You’ve got to get the water ratio right. Like iced tea. Coffee’s one of those things that really depends on the cook’s hand.”
“True. After she drank that coffee yesterday, Ahyoung went on a binge. Appetite just exploded.”
So she had binged. The effects of the Red Salt were becoming clearer. Not exactly what I’d aimed for, but it might still be useful for a manager.
“I was glad she ate well, but then she got pissed at me afterward. Asked why I didn’t stop her.”
“…”
“And weirdly enough, after the coffee her mood completely turned around.”
Yeonho stared straight at me.
“You’re a born manager. Why’d you only start now?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“What do you think is the most important part of a manager’s job?”
The question came out of nowhere, but I thought it over.
“The ability to develop a celebrity? Planning skills? Connections seem pretty important too.”
“Well, all of those are right. Nothing’s unimportant.”
“…”
“And managing your celebrity’s condition is essential too.”
Condition management…
“You pick up the work side of things gradually. In the end a manager’s job is making sure they can handle their schedule properly.”
“…”
“Knowing good products and hunting them down is a skill.”
Yeonho spoke offhandedly.
“So from now on, be Ahyoung’s coffee shuttle. And if you’ve got anything else good, offer that up too.”
“…”
“Especially the cigarettes—keep them coming on time. Haaah.”
So that last part had been the real point. Was being a manager always about circling around the main request like this? Not an easy job.
“Tired? Your cheeks look hollow. Must’ve pumped out a lot last night.”
It took me a second to parse what he meant. Was he asking if I’d come a lot?
I had. I’d taken the same vitamins I’d given Yeonho and Ahyoung—the ones that restored the stamina I needed so I wouldn’t die of exhaustion mid-session. So I was holding up fine. More than fine; I felt completely normal.
Since we were outside, I kept it vague.
“So-so. Moderately.”
“Did you think about Ahyoung while you did it? She said she spit for you. Said you came all over the place because of it.”
“…”
What the hell was this guy saying? I glanced around nervously. Thankfully no one was nearby. Yeonho just shrugged as if to say hurry up and answer. I couldn’t read his intention at all. It didn’t feel like jealousy. If anything… there was a strange expectation in his eyes.
I was innocent, so I told the truth.
“I didn’t. I’ve got… Seoh-ah.”
“Didn’t want to get stepped on?”
“…Nah, not really.”
“Then that’s fine. …But you really didn’t think of her?”
He asked several more times. I denied every single one firmly. I still didn’t understand why he was pushing it.
While we talked, Park Seoh-ah and Han Ahyoung climbed out of the car one after the other.
Seoh-ah wore a bright, refreshing smile that healed just by looking at it.
“Thank you so much, Yeonho oppa. Because of you, our Jiwoo oppa has someone he can rely on.”
“Aigoo. This is nothing.”
Yeonho answered with a pleased smile. Seoh-ah was kind and gentle with everyone. Any man who saw that smile would feel his heart flutter. Was that why Yeonho had been so desperate to be touched by her before? But now there was no trace of that in him. After that incident, Ahyoung had probably trained him thoroughly.
I glanced at Ahyoung without thinking and our eyes met. She smirked.
I flinched♥
It was the smile of someone looking down at a worthless underling. The sensations carved into my body rose up again—the image of myself on all fours like a dog, catching her spit. I quickly looked away.
My heart pounded♥
I was a masochist who couldn’t defy women, so of course I got excited. Especially with a superior woman like Han Ahyoung. Still, I had to hide it as much as possible outside. Inside there would be plenty of beautiful actresses. I couldn’t afford any ridiculous mistakes.
We headed into the production company building.