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Chapter 249: Drama Wars (4)

She took on a boxing stance and threw neat punches while her kicks were a mix of Muay Thai and Taekwondo.

As she showed well-formed movements, Oh Duk-Gu and Ju Yung-Hoon shivered.

"Ouch... That must hurt. We might need to pay the action actor a bit more."

"Yoo-Jin has a strong punch..."

At that moment, Park In-Ki, who was watching Yoo-Jin\'s movements, asked, "Team Lead Jung, Yoo-Jin\'s action skills are impressive. Where did she learn them?"

"She practiced a bit before this drama."

"She practiced?"

"Yes. I taught her how to punch and Sang-Bong taught her the kicks."

I, a former national boxing team member, and Olympic medalist Sang-Bong trained her.

"No wonder. Learning from professional athletes made her action moves so clean," Park In-Ki remarked.

Yoo-Jin absorbed our training like a sponge and though her kicks were not as powerful, her kicking stances were perfectly executed. Her punches with the knuckles, in particular, were as clean as mine.

"She could take on full-fledged action roles at this level."

"A female actress throwing punches in a dress... She definitely stands out, but is that really okay for her image?"

"Who cares as long as it looks cool?"

"True. If she\'s this good, it’s a different story."

Everyone was amazed and could not take their eyes off on Yoo-Jin\'s flawless action scenes.

***

Fifty minutes passed without a moment of boredom.

Yoo-Jin\'s role as Cheongmyung was on par with the main characters, sometimes even more eye-catching.

Though the shaman Cheongmyung was a supporting role, the story of chasing a possessed criminal couldn\'t progress her.

When the drama ended and the commercials started, Kim Mi-Hye from the publicity division checked the social media reactions breathlessly.

"Mr. Jung! Check the real-time reactions quickly!"

Everyone hurriedly opened their laptops at Kim Mi-Hye\'s exclamation.

And the social media reactions were beyond our expectations.

(Real-time reactions)

-I got goosebumps~ Did you see that 540-degree spin kick just now?

-Jung Yoo-Jin successfully transformed her acting style again.

-She seemed calm in episode 1, but I guess she was just gauging the situation.

-LOL. A shaman beating up ghosts with knuckles? This is hilarious.

The staff of Actor Division 2 were full of continuous exclamations after seeing the social media reactions.

"We are getting good reactions and no bad comments. This is smooth sailing," Gu Seong-Cheol said with relief.

Oh Duk-Gu nodded in agreement with Gu Seong-Cheol\'s relieved comment.

Ju Yung-Hoon chimed in as well. "Don\'t you think it\'s time for Yoo-Jin to aim for a lead role?"

Gu Seong-Cheol looked at me. "You heard that, right?"

I looked around at everyone and said, "The next project must be a lead role for her."

"Do you have something in mind?" Gu Seong-Cheol asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I do."

My planner was still filled with projects that hadn\'t been erased, so I answered confidently.

At that moment, a call from Kim Sung-Woon came.

I looked up and said, "Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Kim is calling."

"Okay. Everyone, quiet down."

Everyone fell silent and wore tense expressions.

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

Kim Sung-Woon\'s cheerful voice came through when I answered the call.

-Hi, Mr. Jung~

"Hi. How\'s everything?"

-The average viewership rating was 15.3%.

15.3% was an astounding figure.

\'We are only on episode 2 and the ratings are 15.3%?\' I thought to myself.

With terrestrial broadcast viewership ratings declining sharply recently, reaching 15% by the second episode was incredible.

"Then what about Festival of Money?"

-They averaged 13.2%!

"Really?"

-Yes, they\'re doing well too, but we won again.

Festival of Money saw a significant increase in viewership ratings thanks to So Yi-Yung\'s one-man show, but we surpassed even that.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kim."

-The congratulations should go to you, Mr. Jung. I think a barrage of ads is coming your way.

I responded with a laugh to his meaningful words.

"I look forward to working with you."

-This time, let\'s aim for an award with Miss Yoo-Jin.

"Absolutely."

Our current goal was to surpass the viewership ratings of the final episode of Blue Sky. If we achieved that, awards would surely follow.

-Alright then. I have to go; the director is calling me. Let\'s talk again soon.

"Yes, sir. Take care."

The moment the call ended, everyone turned their attention to me.

"What was the viewership rating?"

"An average of 15.3%. Festival of Money got 13.2%."

Gu Seong-Cheol\'s face lit up. "We won again! Ha ha ha!"

All the team leads and staff shouted joyfully.

"I can\'t believe we beat So Yi-Yung..."

"We might really win an award this year at this rate, don\'t you think?"

The moment the room filled with excited voices, Kim Mi-Hye called me urgently, "Mr. Jung! Check the live search rankings."

"Why?"

"Just a moment please."

Kim Mi-Hye showed the search results on the meeting room monitor.

[Live Search Rankings]

1. In the Name of God

2. Festival of Money

3. Cheongmyung\'s Fiery Punch

4. So Yi-Yung

......

7. Manshin Wol-Ah Grandma

8. Cheongmyung\'s Dress

9. Cheongmyung\'s Pink Bag

10. Ju Yung-In

Six out of the top ten search terms were related to In the Name of God.

However, questions related to Yoo-Jin\'s character Cheongmyung\'s fashion were pouring in unexpectedly.

"The dress Yoo-Jin wore in this episode. Mrs. Lee, where is it from?" I asked.

Lee Mi-Ri quickly answered, "Channy. The bag is from Channy too."

Then, Lee Mi-Ri\'s phone suddenly rang.

"Ah, I\'m sorry," she apologized.

When Lee Mi-Ri tried to turn off her phone, I told her to answer it. However, her expression changed subtly as she checked the number.

"Um, this number is from Channy\'s headquarters\' publicity department," Lee Mi-Ri said.

"Answer it quickly," I urged her.

Lee Mi-Ri answered the call with trembling hands and switched it to speakerphone. At that moment, everyone in the room paused what they were doing to listen intently.

-Emily, it\'s Lisa. I called after watching the drama.

Emily was Lee Mi-Ri\'s English name, and Lisa was the name of the publicity representative from Channy\'s headquarters.

They were close when Lee Mi-Ri was in New York, and Lisa was the one who sponsored all the outfits Yoo-Jin wore in this drama.

"Our drama? But it doesn\'t even have subtitles..."

-We sponsored the outfits, so of course we have to see the reaction. Miss Yoo-Jin really brought the clothes to life. I heard our outfits are trending on Korean portals.

"You know that much?"

Lisa was well aware of the current situation. Then she made an unexpected proposal.

-In fact, I called to talk about a contract. Let\'s do an ad together and make Miss Yoo-Jin the ad model for the Asia region. What do you think?

Everyone in the meeting room opened their eyes widely at the direct ad offer from Channy\'s headquarters.

Lee Mi-Ri responded in a flustered voice, "Just, just a moment. Our team lead is here; you can discuss it with him."

-Really? That\'s even better. Mr. Jung?

Since she already knew about me, I gave a brief introduction.

"Hello, Lisa. I\'m Jung Yoon-Ho. And you\'re on speakerphone by the way."

-Oh, wow~ Your English is quite good. So, are you interested in our proposal? If you are, I\'ll send a formal proposal.

"Thank you for the offer, but we already have a contract with LM Clothing for domestic apparel."

-I know, but we\'ll cover all of the penalty fees. Plus, we\'ll pay 1 billion won per year for ads in the Asia region. And after the second ad, we\'ll add 500 million won per additional ad. What do you think?

It was a jaw-dropping opportunity to be Channy\'s Asia advertising model. The advertising fee alone was immense, but becoming a Channy model would significantly boost the model\'s recognition.

It would naturally elevate the model\'s status, leading to invitations to numerous parties and fashion shows to increase the model\'s profile.

They were confident in their offer because they understood that.

Gu Seong-Cheol and the other team leads looked at me with their mouths open.

\'Take it! Definitely take it no matter what!\'

\'Why are you even contemplating? Accept it immediately!\'

Everyone had eager expressions, knowing this was a rare opportunity.

I also knew how amazing this opportunity was. Even though the drama wasn\'t over, they wanted to exclusively feature Yoo-Jin as the Channy model for the remaining episodes.

If we managed to successfully sign the contract, Yoo-Jin could grow into a highly recognized actress across Asia.

Every media outlet would cover her name and broadcasters would scramble to interview her.

Channy\'s reputation alone was worth that much and more.

However, I couldn\'t give an answer immediately.

In my past life, I would\'ve immediately agreed to break the contract with LM Clothing and become Channy\'s ad model. However, I couldn\'t betray LM Clothing which had supported me through Hong Sung-Beom\'s threat.

Besides, an actress couldn\'t last long in this industry if she lost credibility by only chasing money.

Gu Seong-Cheol and the other team leads knew this too but were briefly swayed by the enormous offer.

I responded calmly to Lisa\'s call. "This isn\'t something we can decide right away. I\'ll discuss it with the actress and get back to you."

-Okay. I\'ll be waiting, so please get back to me as soon as possible.

Her voice suggested she was confident that I\'d accept her offer.

Click.

As soon as the call ended, the excitement in the room rose once again.

"Yoon-Ho, such opportunities are rare."

"That\'s right, Team Lead Jung. We might feel bad for LM Clothing, but you need to consider this carefully."

"I\'ll call Yoo-Jin first," I said.

When I called, Yoo-Jin\'s bright voice came through.

-Oppa, did you watch the drama?

"Of course I did. It turned out well."

-Mr. Kim did an excellent job editing~

Yoo-Jin was delighted that both of her characters, Manshin Wol-Ah and Cheongmyung, were well-received.

"Oh, and today\'s viewership rating was 15.3%! Festival of Money got 13.2%," I updated her.

Cheers and screams erupted over the phone as if they had been waiting for this moment.

-That\'s amazing!

-Yayyyy!

Apparently, the Cherry Blossom members were also watching the drama together with Yoo-Jin at home.

Thanks to that, there was a lot of noise for a while.

Yoo-Jin finally calmed down and asked me.

-Oppa, should we have a tteokbokki party today? Are you coming home?

"Don\'t think about eating high-calorie food! More than that, I have something to tell you."

-Hmph, What is it?

"Channy offered an ad deal."

-What~?

I informed her that Channy\'s headquarters proposed a direct contract. I also mentioned that they wanted to terminate the ad contract with LM Clothing and do domestic ads as well.

I explained how famous she could become with such an incredible offer and ad fee.

After a brief silence, Yoo-Jin asked back.

-What do you think we should do, oppa? I want to hear your thoughts first.

My response could change Yoo-Jin\'s life. However, I chose to go down the "right path."

"I think we shouldn\'t do it."

The staff in the meeting room were shocked for a moment. Their reaction seemed to be asking "What are you saying?" but I didn\'t flinch.

Then Yoo-Jin replied on the phone without a second of hesitation.

-Okay. Then let\'s not do it.

Yoo-Jin\'s swift answer surprised me. I asked again, but Yoo-Jin\'s response was even more satisfying.

-I don\'t want to betray the two representatives of LM Clothing. And we\'re already making enough money, aren\'t we?

She said that while doing the Channy ad would earn more money, she didn\'t want to earn it by breaking promises.

At that moment, my heart felt full.

I said to Yoo-Jin, "Okay. Instead, I promise to take responsibility and ensure that we get a global Channy ad next time."

-Can I still have tteokbokki?

I didn\'t see the connection between the Channy ad offer and tteokbokki, but I allowed her to.

"Sure. Let\'s celebrate for hitting number one in viewership ratings. But you can have just one serving. That\'s it."

-Uh, hello? Hello? I can\'t hear you. Oppa~? Did you say I can have fried food too? Hello? Vegetable tempura, fried dumplings, seaweed rolls, and squid tempura too? Hello?

Click.

Yoo-Jin made strange sounds and abruptly hung up.

"Hey, Jung Yoo-Jin!" I exclaimed.

I shouted belatedly, but the call had already ended.

I hurriedly sent her a message saying no fried food was allowed and told the staff that we would grow Yoo-Jin to the point where Channy would come begging for her.

Gu Seong-Cheol nodded. "Well, since the actress and the talent agent are so firm, I have nothing to say. I\'ll explain it well to the director."

I comforted the disappointed Gu Seong-Cheol and suggested we go home.

After two nights of overtime, my whole body was aching.

As I reached the underground parking lot, a call suddenly came in.

[010-99XX-2020]

The last digits were 2020.

So Yi-Yung, who always kept the same last digits even when she changed her number, was calling me.