The Best Advertisement (2)
"Cut!" With the director's shout, the filming paused briefly before resuming. Watching the scene unfold, Yoon-gi wore a satisfied expression. 'That’s exactly the picture I wanted.'
The Famicom was 8-bit, the Super Genesis was 16-bit. It was while reading the report that he realized he didn't need to explain the tedious technical differences; he just needed to focus on that one point. In fact, in the original world, Sega Genesis had marketed itself using the term "explosive." In the US, they used the word "Blast," but Yoon-gi, naturally, hadn't known that. Even though he had occasionally stumbled upon game consoles by chance as he grew older during his days as a laborer, it was impossible for him to have known such marketing tactics. The marketing strategy Yoon-gi was currently using was one he had crafted entirely on his own. Of course, even in the original world, the Sega Genesis had boasted its 16-bit power before the "Super Famicom" was released, but that was merely a coincidence; Yoon-gi was filling in the gaps of history himself.
'Now, shall we move on to the next step?' Yoon-gi headed toward Choi Cheol-jae's agency.
Choi Cheol-jae, the fifth son of Choi Ki-hyun. Thanks to Yoon-gi, Cheol-jae had spent his military service very comfortably as an orderly for JSD, and afterward, with full support, he had achieved his dream of becoming a singer. However, realizing he lacked talent, he changed direction, and the result was an entertainment agency. Of course, Cheol-jae was still young and had no relevant experience. But the fact that he was a scion of a chaebol family made it possible. Most chaebol families wouldn't let their children work in the entertainment industry, but the Samwoo Group was different. They were the type not to particularly interfere with what their children wanted to do. On top of that, because Yoon-gi was supporting him from behind, Cheol-jae's agency was considered quite decent for a startup. Could you call it a mid-tier second-rate agency?
The connections Cheol-jae had built while aspiring to be a singer, his connections with JSD, and Yoon-gi's support. Thanks to this, when he heard Yoon-gi had come to visit, Cheol-jae ran out in his socks to embrace him.
"Wow! Yoon-gi! I can't believe you actually came here!"
Outside the office building, the sight of Choi Cheol-jae hugging his nephew tightly was the very definition of a doting uncle, but Yoon-gi liked this behavior. Expressing affection physically—he knew well that this wasn't something to be embarrassed about, but something good.
"Have you had lunch?"
"No, not yet."
"Then, shall we go out and eat?"
"Why don't we just order some jjajangmyeon inside?"
"Just that?"
"We can order some tangsuyuk too."
"Just that?"
Because the desire to do even one more thing for him was clearly evident, Yoon-gi wore a satisfied expression.
"That’s enough."
"Alright. I'll order from the best place around here!"
As they entered the CEO's office, Cheol-jae guided Yoon-gi to the seat of honor without a moment's hesitation. Whatever the reason, Yoon-gi was currently the number one in the family. Of course, his father, Choi Ki-hyun, was the number one of the Samwoo Group, but everyone in the family knew that the real number one of the household was Yoon-gi.
"Boss, delivery is here."
As Cheol-jae's secretary placed the jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk on the table and left, Yoon-gi and Cheol-jae started mixing the noodles without a word. Yoon-gi shaking the bowl to mix the jjajangmyeon, and Cheol-jae using chopsticks. They were so close that they could enjoy a conversation even over trivial topics.
"Ah, seeing the jjajangmyeon reminds me, back when I was a college student, people were incredibly moved when they saw jjajangmyeon."
"I suppose that would be the case, wouldn't it?"
Until the 70s, jjajangmyeon was a high-class dish. Because Cheol-jae was a chaebol child, his pockets were relatively looser than other aspiring singers, and thanks to that, he often bought jjajangmyeon for those around him.
"Back then, the kids were really, really grateful to me. Honestly, there were many kids who worried about their next meal. In this industry, only 10 out of 100 don't worry about food, and you have to be one of those to eat whatever you want, right?"
"That's true."
As Yoon-gi nodded, Cheol-jae slurped the jjajangmyeon with a loud sound, chewed, and continued.
"But it's not like that these days."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If I only buy jjajangmyeon for the staff, they show signs of disappointment. These days, you have to buy at least tangsuyuk for their faces to brighten up, and even that doesn't compare to buying jjajangmyeon for friends 10 years ago."
"It's certainly an era where there's no major trouble in making a living."
The 80s were a time when the whole world was truly growing. Japan's bubble didn't happen in the 80s for no reason. While it fell far short of Japan's growth power, it is true that Korea was also experiencing explosive growth in the 80s. Of course, it was a time when polarization deepened because distribution wasn't handled properly, but because the growth was so immense, it is a fact that it was a time when people's food supplies became relatively abundant.
"What do people go eat when they graduate these days? When I graduated middle school, it was jjajangmyeon."
"Oh, did you go eat jjajangmyeon too, Uncle?"
"Just because I'm from a chaebol family, does that mean anything is different? And when I graduated middle school, Samwoo didn't have the status it has now. Instead, we didn't just order jjajangmyeon; we ordered enough dishes so that each person had one."
Ordering one dish per person in the 60s certainly meant you were rich.
"That's quite a graduation meal! These days, kids seem to mainly go to galbi restaurants."
"Galbi restaurants?"
"Yes. There are still families that go to eat jjajangmyeon, but it definitely feels like they've decreased compared to before. Even at Jung-ah's entrance ceremony, I heard more talk about going to eat galbi."
If the popular dining out from the late 60s to the early 80s was Chinese restaurants, the dining out that gained popularity from the mid-80s to the late 90s was pork galbi. Of course, the rich ate beef galbi.
"Galbi... I should buy galbi instead of Chinese food for staff dinners from now on."
"That's a good idea."
Cheol-jae, having finished mixing the jjajangmyeon, picked up a piece of tangsuyuk smothered in sauce and asked a new question.
"Come to think of it, what brings you here today? Is it because you missed me?"
At Cheol-jae's playful demeanor, Yoon-gi nodded.
"That's right."
"Huh? Really?"
As Yoon-gi smiled brightly at the surprised Cheol-jae, Cheol-jae gave a bitter smile as if he had expected it.
"You have something you want to say, don't you?"
"Yes. I'm thinking of having Jung-ah join your agency."
For a moment, Cheol-jae dropped the tangsuyuk he was holding.
"...Huh?"
"I'm thinking of making Jung-ah a celebrity. But judging by your reaction, it seems you're a bit hesitant?"
Cheol-jae shook his head hurriedly.
"No, no! Absolutely not! That can't be!"
Of course. As far as Cheol-jae knew, Yoon-gi cherished his younger sister Jung-ah terribly. Entrusting such a Jung-ah to him was a testament to how much he trusted him, and it also meant that even more support would flow into his agency. And yet, refuse Jung-ah? That was out of the question.
"I'll take responsibility and make her the ace of our agency!"
Watching Cheol-jae speak confidently with jjajangmyeon sauce on his lips, Yoon-gi burst into a chuckle.
"You don't have to push others aside just to make room for her if you don't have the capacity. Just make sure that since Jung-ah is young, no one bullies her and she doesn't see anything dirty."
"Huh? Ah, of course! I'll make sure that never happens."
Child actors are easily influenced by their surroundings because they are young. This was the very reason Yoon-gi was entrusting Jung-ah to Cheol-jae. He judged that even if he couldn't make her the best celebrity, he could provide the optimal care.
"Ah, do you have any thoughts on what kind of activities Jung-ah will do?"
At Cheol-jae's words, Yoon-gi nodded.
"You know I'm filming a movie at MEV recently, right?"
"Huh? Ah, I've heard about it. Cheol-jun hyung was praising you to the high heavens and mentioned that too."
"Is he that happy?"
"Of course. Cheol-jun hyung had been an outsider all this time. But now he has a CEO title and a social name. In a sense, he received benefits later than I did."
In reality, even when he set up the agency for Cheol-jae, Choi Cheol-jun had to continue his corporate life at Samwoo.
"I'm glad to hear he's satisfied now."
"Satisfied is an understatement. He looks like he'd jump into a fire if you told him to."
Yoon-gi gave a slight bitter smile and returned to the main topic.
"Jung-ah will appear in that movie as the child next door to the protagonist."
"Wow, then she could be a lead-level supporting role?"
"Yes. As such, I'd like you to provide her with various training in advance. I've only told the director that the role is cast, but I haven't told him who it is yet."
Listening, Cheol-jae expressed one doubt.
"Wait, does Jung-ah know how to speak Japanese? Isn't the time too tight? Or is Jung-ah a genius like you?"
Yoon-gi smiled and shook his head.
"For now, Jung-ah's lines will be dubbed by a Japanese voice actor. Of course, I'll ask for Japanese language training as well. It'll be helpful to learn it later."
"Then, I'll provide Japanese training, but prioritize acting training, right?"
"Yes, and she'll be filming advertisements almost simultaneously."
"Acting and advertisements... Okay!"
"Ah, and you can handle the profit-sharing contract for Jung-ah just like a standard contract."
"Hey, we're family, you can't do that!"
It was Cheol-jae's consideration, but Yoon-gi shook his head instead.
"If Jung-ah receives special treatment in the contract, she might become an outsider in the agency. Make the first contract a standard one but keep the duration short, or something like that. Jung-ah's market value will skyrocket in a short time."
"You seem very confident about something."
"Of course."
Watching Yoon-gi grin, Cheol-jae thought that a one-year contract for Jung-ah would be appropriate.
Choi Ki-hyun's bloodline was generally competent. Of course, there were always exceptions, but Choi Cheol-jae belonged to the competent side. Therefore, as soon as Jung-ah entered the agency, he sought out Choi Cheol-jun to confirm what movie Yoon-gi was filming, and also checked the script. Accordingly, he selected an instructor suitable for Jung-ah and assigned them to her, and thanks to that, Jung-ah was growing as a celebrity day by day.
"Jung-ah must have been born to be a celebrity."
Jung-ah's greatest strength. It was the fact that she could pull off crying scenes—which even veteran actors find difficult—without eye drops. If you watch TV, you can see many scenes where actors are acting out crying, but no tears are flowing. However, Jung-ah was born with the natural talent to cry whenever she wanted. It was obvious that this would show immense power in the acting-related industry later on.
"I'm really glad I don't run an agency exclusively for singers."
Because it was an entertainment agency, Cheol-jae ran around even harder for Jung-ah, finding that he could form a deeper bond with Jung-ah and Yoon-gi. However, as much as he ran around, the employees under him began to know to some extent what Cheol-jae was doing, and could also make predictions. The worst disadvantage of an entertainment agency. It was the fact that there were trainees who received sponsorship, and sponsors could easily obtain internal information about agencies through the trainees. Cheol-jae's agency was the same. Although Cheol-jae didn't take the lead in inducing sponsorship, the fact that trainees themselves sought out sponsors for living expenses or luxury existed naturally in this era, and matters related to Jung-ah also flowed into the ears of sponsors.
"Ho-ho, the granddaughter of the Samwoo Group is going to appear in a movie?"
One of the "Three Heos," Heo Cheong-won, who was in bed with a 20-year-old aspiring singer, stroked his chin and smacked his lips.