On Set (2)
Lee Sa-Rang held Yoo-Jin's hands, continuously showering her with praise.
"I didn't know my daughter could act so well. I'm impressed as a mother."
Such compliments from a renowned actress like Lee Sa-Rang were a big deal. Reporters would love to write articles about this if they had seen it.
'What a missed opportunity.'
Yoo-Jin blushed and smiled shyly, overwhelmed by praises from such a distinguished sunbae.
"No, not at all. I just improvised because I couldn't quite get the feel. And even now, I'm not sure what I did."
Lee Sa-Rang smiled. "Do you know how demanding Mr. Kang can be? But look at his expression right now."
She pointed toward Director Kang Soo-Hoon and the assistant directors, who were joking and laughing.
"See? You did great. I really mean it."
Yoo-Jin held Lee Sa-Rang's hands firmly to show her gratitude. "Thank you. It's all thanks to your great lead."
"Acting becomes really fun when there's good chemistry between the actors, don't you think?"
"It really does. I had lots of fun too."
"Anyway, my acting only became really good after a long time. Let's keep up the good work, okay?"
Yoo-Jin's ears turned red, from the unexpected high praises that she received.
"But what do you think of when you act?"
"I just think...what would Twilight do in this situation? That's all."
"Is that so? Is this a method that you thought of? Or did someone teach you to do this?"
I shrugged when Yoo-Jin glanced at me. All I had advised was to immerse herself in the role. It had been over four months since her last acting lesson, so today's stellar performance was entirely a result of Yoo-Jin's own interpretation of the script and decision-making.
"Mr. Jung, I see that you have been a great help to Yoo-Jin."
"Not at all, Mrs. Lee."
Lee Sa-Rang grinned. "By the way, I've heard a lot about you recently, Mr. Jung. Do you have some kind of sixth sense or something? Don't even try to deny it. Ms. Kim Soll-Ip already told me everything about how you tried to build rapport and land Yoo-Jin this drama before it even started."
The idea of having a 'sixth sense' in the entertainment industry wasn't unusual. Those with a 'sixth sense' were often known to have good intuition and could predict things such as who would be successful.
I awkwardly cleared my throat. After all, I didn't have a 'sixth sense' or good intuition—I simply knew the future because I had traveled back in time.
Regardless, it seemed Kim Soll-Ip and Lee Sa-Rang were closer than I thought, given that Kim Soll-Ip had shared that much information with the latter.
"No, nothing like that. Oh, would you like some coffee, Mrs. Lee?"
Lee Sa-Rang's laughter deepened when I quickly changed the subject. "Coffee sounds good in this chilly weather. Can you recommend a future drama for me with your special talent? I'll pay well for it."
I kept my mouth shut tightly and poured coffee into a cup.
Lee Sa-Rang teased me as she took the coffee. "Hmm? Are you charging me high rates because we're not from the same company? If this drama becomes a big success, I might consider moving to your agency. So treat me well."
'That would be perfect.'
I knew all of Lee Sa-Rang's successful and unsuccessful roles from my past life like the back of my hand. If she were to join Hoop Entertainment, I could manage her career with a near-perfect track record for at least a decade.
Just then, Lee Sa-Rang's eyes widened when she took a sip of my coffee. "What's this? It's really good. Mr. Jung, do you want to work with me starting right now? I'll meet any condition you want. What do you think?"
At that moment, Yoo-Jin stepped in front of me and blocked Lee Sa-Rang. "No! If he goes somewhere else, I'll be in big trouble!"
Lee Sa-Rang burst into loud laughter. "Haha. I'm just kidding, just kidding! You're so serious~."
"Ah, no, I-I didn't mean..."
As Lee Sa-Rang gave her a playful glare, Yoo-Jin's face turned even redder with embarrassment.
***
The morning meeting in the Actor Division 2 had started. Today's atmosphere was unusually warm and cheerful, unlike most days, perhaps because Lee Sa-Rang's recent interviews praising Yoo-Jin had stirred quite a buzz.
[Blue Sky's Veteran Actress Lee Sa-Rang: "Jung Yoo-Jin is a talent who will surpass me one day."]
[Esteemed Supporting Actress Lee Sa-Rang Praises Rookie Jung Yoo-Jin's Acting!]
[From Burger Queen's Burger Maiden to Actress: Jung Yoo-Jin Is the Name to Remember.]
"Haha! Should we send a ginseng set[1] to Mrs. Lee Sa-Rang?"
I scratched my head and responded to Gu Seong-Cheol. "I've already bought a ginseng set. I'm planning to give it to her talent agent at the set today."
"Good job. You really got this."
I shared how much Lee Sa-Rang seemed to care for Yoo-Jin on the set.
In response, Gu Seong-Cheol shared some valuable advice. "In the entertainment industry, it's important to cherish such connections. Though celebrities live off public attention, relationships among fellow actors cannot be ignored."
"I'll keep that in mind, sir."
"Oh, and submit the receipt. Why would you use your own money to buy the ginseng set? It should be paid for by the company."
"Then, can I submit it today?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you to do."
Saving 200 thousand won felt great. As I grinned, everyone else chuckled, understanding my relief.
That was when the door burst open and Team Lead Seong Min-Suk from the publicity division rushed in.
"Mr. Gu! Oh, Mr. Jung is here too?"
"What's up?"
"We've got an advertising offer for Miss Yoo-Jin."
"Well, we've been getting lots of ad inquiries for Yoo-Jin recently. What's the big deal about this one?"
"This one's pretty big."
"Which company?"
"It's HK Apparel's new brand launch campaign."
"What? HK Apparel?"
The entire Actor Division 2 began to buzz with excitement. HK Apparel was the top clothing company with over 1 trillion won in annual sales. It was also a part of the HK Group which ranked 12th among conglomerates. An advertising inquiry from a big corporation was always special news, but one from HK Apparel was exceptional.
Gu Seong-Cheol asked eagerly about the advertising fee with a nervous expression.
"They offered 200 million won for a year."
Gu Seong-Cheol stood up in shock. "What? 200 million won?"
It was an unusually large fee for a rookie actress, especially before the drama had even aired. While Yoo-Jin had previously landed a lucrative deal with Burger Queen, that was only an exceptional case due to the opponent's desperate circumstances.