Aura of a Genius Actor

༺ Reversal of Roles ༻

Unfazed by Director Min’s bewildered reaction, she continued to express her opinion.

“Director Min, the primary reason is because of the buzz factor. We didn’t hire the rookie actor because it would save us money, but because he was ‘worth it.’ Isn’t it possible to link that to Crude’s image? We can even release press statements saying ‘Rookie actor signs contract at a record-breaking fee.’”

Her argument was clear and logically structured.

“What else?”

“For us, it would be best if this actor refrains from shooting minor commercials. Imagine our Crude model doing chicken advertisements. It wouldn’t match our advertising concept, right? Instead, by raising his fee, we would be able to prevent him from doing small ads.”

“Hmm… I get what you’re saying. But he only has one drama under his belt so far. And while the independent film did gain some viewers, it’s not seen as a major production.”

“That’s exactly why we should hire him under these terms. By next year, we won’t be able to get him for this price. If we impress him now, it could benefit us when it’s time for him to renew his contract.”

Director Min looked doubtful at her words.

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, Team Leader Park, but is he really that good of an actor? I haven’t seen that drama… we were able to confirm it because of his fresh appearance and the positive public opinion, but still…”

“Director Min, he’s a rising star. The fact that officials from the Cannes Film Festival and director Joel Schumacher acknowledged his acting talent has created a buzz. This image of a ‘young and talented actor who stands out for his skills’ aligns perfectly with our brand, Crude. Plus, we’ve heard from insiders that his upcoming film is very good. The movie’s release and Crude’s launch will create a chain reaction.”

“Really?”

Director Min was taken aback by her words.

“Yes. Moreover, we have information that the character he will play in the movie aligns closely with our advertisement concept. Won’t it amplify the effect if the ad concept and the actor’s on-screen character overlapped? Some people do it on purpose, but isn’t it like fate if it happened by accident?”

“Is that true? Where did you get that information, Team Leader Park?”

“It’s from a personal source, so I can’t disclose it… I’m sorry.”

She deftly avoided the question, and Director Min was easily persuaded by her ‘seemingly credible’ words in the end.

“Team Leader Park, you have quite the foresight. Compile all these points and submit a report. I’ll present it to the CEO.”

“Yes, Director Min.”

Exiting Director Min’s office, she let out a triumphant smile and swallowed one of the colorful supplements from her pillbox.

*

‘The actors I pick always become famous.’

Park Jinhee was confident in her eye for talent. 

As someone who loved movies and dramas and had a hobby of discovering hidden gems, she felt delighted as she watched the actors she spotted soar to stardom.

She was completely hooked by the character Bohyung in <Showbiz Studies> and the actor Shin Yoomyeong. She had never been so captivated by something to this extent.

When she became the team leader of the marketing team for Crude’s new car, she selected Shin Yoomyeong as the top advertising model candidate.

Unmask.

There were no personal motives in choosing the model. 

She personally made Crude’s marketing concept, and Yoomyeong was the best fit for it. As a matter of fact, she could confidently say that he was the one who could handle this campaign the best among all the male actors in their twenties.

It wasn’t just because of her passion as a fan; she would bet her entire fortune that this actor would skyrocket in the next year or two. That was how confident she was in her judgment.

She was especially elated after hearing the official Q&A at the recent fan signing event.

— Tell us about the movie <Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty >. Promote it too! What’s the concept behind your character?

— Lee Bang-won is a character who is good at hiding his true nature, so I focused on portraying the gap between his outward expressions and his true feelings. If you keep that in mind while watching, you’ll enjoy it even more.

Eureka!

It perfectly aligned with Crude’s ad concept. 

She couldn’t believe her ears. 

Images of various promotional materials and potential user-generated content (UGC) flashed through her mind.

That was how she acquired that valuable piece of information, though she could never reveal that to the company.

[Hyunseong Motors Crude 2006 CF Proposal ‘Unmask’]

She revisited the proposal and the rough storyboard she had written. 

Although the advertising agency handled the detailed ideas and content, the concept and main ideas were purely hers. 

The campaign reflected her—or rather, an office worker’s fantasy.

The ordinary office worker, who had to work to survive unless they were born with a golden spoon in their mouth. 

While there are moments of fulfillment and value in their job, it was only a small part of their working hours. Most of the time, they were overwhelmed by chronic fatigue and stress.

The younger ones might dream of achieving their life goals through their work—but then there were the fantasies of the ‘salarymen,’ who’ve worn themselves out somewhat and had begun separating work from life.

It was to complete the tasks that were due quickly and accurately during office hours. Then, after clocking out, they would enjoy a ‘reversed’ life that would be unimaginable at the workplace. 

That moment when they clocked out and threw off their office worker persona… Unmask. 

‘It’s perfect!’

No matter how much she thought about it, the perfect candidate was Shin Yoomyeong.

*

“Hello.”

“Good day.”

“Ah? …Hello.”

At Hyunseong Motors’ headquarters. 

Yoomyeong, who had come for a meeting about the Crude ad contract, was surprised by a familiar face and then closed his mouth. 

It was because Park Jinhee gave him a meaningful glance and shook her head slightly.

“Hello. I am Min Ho Sang, the Marketing Director at Hyunseong Motors.”

“I’m Park Jinhee, the Team Leader of Marketing Team 2.”

“I’m Moon Yu-seok, the Director of Good Entertainment.”

“Hello, I’m Shin Yoomyeong.”

The four people involved sat across the table from each other.

“Thank you for coming.”

“It’s our pleasure. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Shin Yoomyeong. I really enjoyed the drama. My daughter is a fan, so would you mind giving me an autograph before you leave? Haha.”

Park Jinhee stifled a snicker at the Director’s words.

Director Min had never seen <Showbiz Studies>, and his daughter had been studying abroad for the past two years.

Of course, one became used to hearing this kind of superficial flattery in the business world.

“We were impressed with the generous contract conditions you offered, Director Min. Thank you for valuing our actor so highly.”

“It’s only fair. Mr. Shin Yoomyeong is worth even more than that. The same goes for our new car, Crude.”

“I hope we can work together for a long time.”

After that, there were some practical negotiations.

“A one-year exclusive contract with three TV commercial shoots, three recordings, and separate discussions for print shoots.”

“Yes, I understand. Ah yes, and as mentioned earlier, Mr. Shin Yoomyeong’s contract is under ‘Bad Entertainment,’ which I represent due to certain circumstances. Please make sure to keep this confidential.” 

“We understand. Except for the direct line of approval, our employees believe that Mr. Shin Yoomyeong is with Good Entertainment, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

“Also, we’d like to present Mr. Shin Yoomyeong with one of our Crude cars.”

“That’s on the condition that he drives it to official events, right?”

“Haha… Yes. Well, you probably understand.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

As the discussion was coming to a close, Director Min discreetly glanced at Yu-seok and asked.

“By the way, do you have plans for any other advertisements apart from ours?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Then, by any chance, are you planning to shoot several commercials in the latter half of this year?”

“…Since we’re on an exclusive contract with Hyunseong, we won’t be doing ads for those in the same industry.”

Director Min gave a slight groan.

It was an expected response.

He had heard that the young CEO was very talented, and he was indeed no pushover.

Even though he knew the intention of Director Min’s question, he brushed it off with an obvious statement that meant, ‘It’s none of your business.’

In the world of advertising, the advertisers often took precedence over the celebrity. 

Especially in car or cosmetics ads. They were nearly always the top players because any celebrity would do.

But occasionally, when an advertiser thought, ‘We really need this actor,’ and the actor said, ‘I don’t necessarily need this advertisement,’ the power dynamics and roles could shift slightly.

Like right now.

Breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere, Yu-seok spoke.

“By the way, you’ve chosen a great concept. Our actor is very ambitious about his projects, so we initially didn’t want to push him into commercials. But the Crude ad is more like a short ‘acting performance’ than a simple advertisement, so our actor said he really wants to do it after seeing the proposal, haha.”

At that comment, Jinhee’s lips twitched a little, and Director Min clicked his tongue.

The man was an expert at playing cat-and-mouse.

He was clearly telling them not to unnecessarily interfere while also subtly scratching the part that bothered them.

He hinted that they weren’t originally planning to do commercials, but they were doing it ‘because the actor wanted to.’ 

In other words, this meant: ‘We won’t do just any advertisement, so don’t worry.’

Director Min stared intently at the young actor sitting next to him.

As an actor, he was definitely eye-catching. However, he wasn’t exceptionally handsome if you looked closely.

Seemingly quiet, he calmly listened to the ongoing conversation.

But the reputedly competent Team Leader Park praised this actor highly, and even he, a seasoned Director, felt somewhat pressured by the talented representative who fiercely defended this actor.

Just what kind of acting did he do?

‘I should watch his movie.’

Director Min, out of curiosity, had such a thought.

*

The shooting was scheduled sooner than expected.

Yoomyeong was so puzzled by this that he asked Yu-seok about it.

— Why was everything prepared so quickly?”

— When there’s money involved, anything is possible. Seeing how tight the schedule was, it seems they would’ve proceeded with Plan B if you weren’t available. Given how they waited till the very last minute, they must’ve really wanted you.

After signing the contract, Team Leader Park discussed details with Yu-seok, mentioning that it would be ideal if the shooting could be done by mid-October due to Crude’s launch schedule.

Yu-seok said there was no need to strictly adhere to their timeline and offered to postpone it. However, Yoomyeong was against delaying it and seemed to want to help Park Jinhee, who was apparently a member of his fan club.

— I’m really fine with it. I’d rather have the filming start sooner rather than later.

— But you just wrapped up the movie a month ago…

— I’ve fully recovered! Plus, the concept of the advertisement is ‘Unmask.’ It might be best to shoot when I’m still familiar with the feeling of unveiling a character. The characters are different, but the ‘acting method’ is similar.

— Then, take a break after this. Going straight from a film shoot to a fan signing event and another ad shoot would make people think I’m a wicked employer.”

— …

And then, when only the two of them remained on set, Park Jinhee whispered to Yoomyeong.

“Mr. actor, please keep my identity here a secret—”

“You’re… Emperor Bohyung, right?”

“…You remember my username! Yes, that’s right, but it’s a secret here.”

“Yes, I can tell that much. By the way, team leader, you’re really cool. It’s an honor to have a fan like you.”

“Please, don’t ever say that in front of the others. I won’t be able to keep a straight face…”

Team Leader Park’s face turned red, and she fanned herself.

“And about this casting, there were absolutely no personal feelings involved. I objectively evaluated your capabilities and cast you, so please deliver a great performance.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Today’s shoot was indoors; outdoor shoots would be done after three days. 

At the location he went to with her was a detailed office set already prepared. 

The CF director, along with the PD and CD from the agency, were discussing something and welcomed them.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Gook-cheol. I loved your movie. Did you know that Director Ki was my college classmate?”

“Oh, really? I’ll have to mention it to him.”

“I’ve already told him. He joked that I’d make easy money this time since all I’d need to do is turn the camera on and off while you act, haha.”

The friendly director, who seemed to have a refreshing personality, exchanged warm greetings with Yoomyeong. 

Yoomyeong had already met the PD and CD before, so they just exchanged casual greetings. 

After a brief meeting, he went to get ready.

Yoomyeong dressed up in a suit and glasses. 

Today, he was going to be an ordinary office worker. 

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