"Restore that insurance policy."
"Then our operating expenses will increase."
"Cut what should be cut. You should cut the slush money wasted entertaining associates and marking anniversaries. Why are you cutting the money we spend on our employees?"
"Every other company does it too."
"Have you never considered that everyone might take those perks for granted because every company offers them? Anyway, restore the insurance to what it was. No. Add riders to cover incidents like today's. That way, the actors can film without worrying. How are they supposed to act properly if they're afraid of the camera?"
Division Director Kang Young-jin clicked his tongue.
It had been six years since he had brought Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan into the Actor Division.
By now, Jo should have been capable of running things with an understanding of the field, yet he still could not move beyond the mindset he had developed in the Finance Team.
His one saving grace was that he followed orders well.
"......Understood. I'll take care of it."
"And cancel Manager Park Geon-ho's disciplinary action."
"......Pardon?"
"How could you discipline him when he deserves a reward? Just look at what happened yesterday. What do you think would have happened if he'd raised his voice over the cost of the broken lens?"
"Even so, shouldn't he have said what needed to be said?"
"What happened when Actress Jo said what needed to be said on set? Have you forgotten all the articles accusing her of abuse of power? Even if we were completely blameless, the media would tear Wooju Entertainment apart. Negative articles would pour out, and our stock price would fall. The board would convene. And after that? Don't you think someone would have to take responsibility?"
"......."
Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan immediately fell silent.
If the board convened, the matter would not be settled by getting rid of one lowly rookie manager.
If they could not touch Division Director Kang Young-jin, the fallout might land on him instead.
"Manager Park Geon-ho handled yesterday's incident extremely well. I would have done the same thing in his place. No, I probably would have made a show of doing them a favor. It's not as though we've only filmed with that company once or twice, is it?"
"No. I remember them being very good at what they do."
"Ten million won? Of course that's a lot of money. But losing it isn't going to leave us starving, is it?"
"......No."
"I'll say it again: Manager Park Geon-ho did well. That's why I called him in earlier and praised him. So you apologize to him too, Deputy Division Director."
"Pardon? Apologize?"
Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan jerked his bowed head up.
He was a deputy division director, for heaven's sake, and Kang was ordering him to apologize to a bottom-rung manager over something like this.
It was an outrageous order.
But Division Director Kang Young-jin had already decided to put Park Geon-ho through his paces properly.
"What else? You humiliated him in front of every employee. Were you planning to let it slide?"
"But Division Director......."
"Manager Park Geon-ho will receive a bonus tomorrow. Make sure no employee objects to that compensation."
"......Yes."
"And please develop some sense for what happens in the field. How long are you going to sit behind a desk? Ah, right. You do make sure to attend all those entertainment dinners, don't you?"
"......."
"I tell you this all the time...... Don't overdo it. And don't come running to me once things get out of hand. Understood?"
"Yes, Division Director."
"You may leave."
Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan rose from his seat and headed for the door, only to stop.
He turned halfway around and asked.
"Then what should I do about tomorrow's meeting with the production company?"
"Production company? What production company?"
"The advertising contractor from earlier......."
"Sigh. Why are you asking me? Wasn't this your doing, Deputy Division Director?"
"Then I'll cancel it."
"What do you think they'll make of it if you cancel out of nowhere?"
"......."
"Don't look at me. Go and think for yourself. If you really can't work it out, ask Manager Park Geon-ho."
He had said it because he found the man so frustrating.
Kang figured that if he put it that way, Jo would think for himself if only to protect his pride.
But Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan was every bit as stubborn.
"Yes. Understood."
After leaving the division director's office, Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan shouted at Team 5 Leader Han Sang-woo, who had remained at his post.
"Where's Park Geon-ho?"
"Pardon? Ah! I'll find out right now."
4
Unlike those at other companies, the walls of the division director's office at Wooju Entertainment were made of glass.
The blinds could be lowered to hide the interior.
But they could not completely contain Division Director Kang Young-jin's shouting.
And Wooju Entertainment's secretaries tended to share news of incidents with impressive speed.
> Holy crap! Deputy Division Director Jo is getting chewed the fuck out. (Actor Division/Yoon Chae-rin)
< What happened, what happened? Did he screw up again? (Singer Division/Choi Yu-jin)
> The division director is going ballistic over why he disciplined Park Geon-ho this morning. LOL. (Actor Division/Yoon Chae-rin)
< To be fair, it isn't right to chew someone out for cleaning up a mess. (Content/Baek Seung-hoon)
< So? Is Deputy Division Director Jo getting fired? (Marketing/Seo Da-hye)
< Da-hye, why don't you settle it with Deputy Division Director Jo in the ring? No-rules street fight. (Vice President's Office/Oh Min-seok)
< Will you arrange the ring, Senior Oh? Then I'll sign up at a boxing gym right away. (Marketing/Seo Da-hye)
< I'll referee for you. (Vice President's Office/Oh Min-seok)
"This is nuts. A no-rules street fight?"
"What is a no-rules street fight, anyway?"
"A straight-up fistfight?"
"Oh. Then my money's on Secretary Seo."
"She's a woman, though?"
"Secretary Seo's built like an athlete."
When the door opened and Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan emerged, Yoon Chae-rin, the senior secretary, and Song Ye-ji fixed their eyes on their monitors as if nothing had happened.
The instant Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan disappeared, they began giggling again.
"Anyway, let's go eat too."
"I brought a sandwich."
"What? That's not fair. Are you dieting?"
"A financial diet, perhaps?"
"You spent your whole paycheck already?"
"Don't ask. You'll make me cry."
The salaries of Wooju Entertainment's secretaries were even lower than the already meager industry average.
They made about 2.5 million won a month before tax.
That was why many left for other companies once they had built up a reasonable amount of experience.
"By the way, where did Seo-hyeon go?"
"I sent her to eat first, but she still isn't back."
"Sigh. What kind of rookie slacks off like this?"
"Rookies slacking off is universal, regardless of the industry."
Just then, a notification appeared on the PC version of KkaeTalk.
< Whoa, this is huuuuuge! (Junior/Kim Seo-hyeon)
"What is it this time?"
Yoon Chae-rin frowned when she checked the notification.
After spotting Jo So-hee and Park Geon-ho having coffee at a café, the rookie Kim Seo-hyeon was spinning an entire drama in her head.
> That's Manager Park Geon-ho. (Actor Division/Yoon Chae-rin)
< He's a manager with Actor Team 5. (Actor Division/Song Ye-ji)
< Oh....... I see. (Junior/Kim Seo-hyeon)
"Oh, I seeee? So she's in a café right now?"
"I didn't send her on a coffee run."
Her seniors were holding down the fort because Division Director Kang Young-jin was there.
Meanwhile, the junior secretary was out playing paparazzo.
Yoon Chae-rin irritably hammered at her keyboard.
> If you're done eating, hurry back. (Actor Division/Yoon Chae-rin)
< Ah! Yes! Understood! (Junior/Kim Seo-hyeon)
< Does anyone want coffee, by any chance? (Junior/Kim Seo-hyeon)
> No, thanks. (Actor Division/Yoon Chae-rin)
< I'm fine too. (Actor Division/Song Ye-ji)
< Okay. I'll come back right now. (Junior/Kim Seo-hyeon)
"Ye-ji?"
"Yes. I'll handle her training separately."
"Check her phone and delete the photo too."
"Yes."
People commonly assumed that working at an entertainment agency meant becoming friends with celebrities, but that was a misconception.
That was only possible at small, family-run agencies.
At a large agency like Wooju Entertainment, even taking unauthorized photos of the artists was forbidden.
"She's so damn pretty."
Before deleting the photo, Yoon Chae-rin zoomed in on Jo So-hee and frowned.
Even celebrities usually looked a little awkward from the side, but Jo So-hee was different.
She was beautiful, of course, but how should one put it?
Was it that she seemed like a different species?
Yoon Chae-rin could understand why other actresses avoided standing next to Jo So-hee at production presentations.
"But...... Manager Park Geon-ho photographs well, doesn't he?"
Yoon Chae-rin moved the cursor slightly, bringing Park Geon-ho into view.
As befitted one of South Korea's leading entertainment agencies, Wooju Entertainment had plenty of handsome managers and employees.
But looking at him like this, Park Geon-ho was fairly easy on the eyes too.
"Did he always look this good?"
"Who?"
"Never mind. It's nothing."
Yoon Chae-rin quickly deleted the photo from KkaeTalk.
Young people used filters so excessively these days that she decided Park Geon-ho must have benefited from one too.
Jo So-hee, however, could not take her eyes off Park Geon-ho.
When she had briefly encountered him yesterday afternoon, Park Geon-ho had merely been a tall, fairly presentable manager.
That was why, when Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju recommended him, Jo had remarked that he might need some polishing before they could be seen together.
Yet his whole impression had changed in a single day.
His face was the same, but perhaps he looked a little more sophisticated?
It was as though someone had styled him.
"What is it?"
"......Pardon?"
"Did you visit a salon this morning?"
"When would I have had time for that?"
"Then what could it be.......?"
Park Geon-ho grew uncomfortable under Jo So-hee's unwavering stare.
So before she could scrutinize him any further, he volunteered an explanation.
"Could it be the clothes?"
"The clothes?"
"Actor Han Do-hoon gave me a few things he doesn't wear yesterday. Fortunately, they seem to suit me."
Everyone at the company was making a fuss about what had happened on set yesterday.
But his real ordeal had come afterward.
"Geon-ho, this is so unfair."
"Yes. I understand."
"I honestly didn't know someone would walk through there?"
"It's a shame we didn't control the set more thoroughly."
"So we've agreed to pay for the whole thing?"
"It can't be repaired in Korea. They said sending it to Germany for repairs and getting it back would take six months at the outside, and the rental compensation would cost even more."
The daily rental fee for that lens was 100,000 won.
Even with a long-term rental discount, calculating the maximum six months, or 180 days, would make the incidental expense greater than the original cost.
It made more sense to accept the damaged lens and have Wooju Entertainment arrange the repair.
"But isn't it insured?"
"The rental company probably has insurance."
"Then can't they file a claim?"
"We aren't the policyholder, so probably not."
"Then they should at least give us a discount."
"I brought that up too, but the terms were spelled out in the contract. Anyway, don't worry too much, Actor Han. I'll report it properly."
Actor Han Do-hoon had sighed the entire drive home. Apparently feeling guilty, he gave Park several items of clothing that he no longer wore.
Park said he was fine because until yesterday he had been wearing the luxury suit Jo So-hee had given him, but Han refused to take no for an answer.
"Take them. I feel bad."
"I'm really fine."
"Is it because they're used? I only wore these briefly during shoots, and they've all been dry-cleaned. Or would you prefer money?"
"Oh, no."
"Are you going to keep embarrassing me by refusing?"
On the condition that Park accept the clothes, he drank with Han over grilled hagfish at a tent bar in front of Han's home until late at night.
"What if they really tear into me?"
"Come on. Who would scold you, Actor Han Do-hoon?"
"The deputy division director is incredibly strict."
"Just tell them you didn't know anything, Actor Han Do-hoon. You knew nothing, and your manager handled everything. Understood?"
"Can I really do that?"
"It's the truth. You didn't know a staff member had passed beside you, did you?"
"I really didn't. I swear to heaven."
"Then do exactly as I say. You did nothing wrong, Actor Han Do-hoon. You were simply...... too passionate."
Actor Han Do-hoon was not entirely blameless.
But Park did not think a drinking session was the time to chastise an actor who was already dejected, so he gently reassured him.
'The real surprise was that he insisted he had done absolutely nothing wrong.......'
After all that trouble, the clothes Park received as his fee(?) suited him rather well.
To be precise, they were exactly the sort of style Jo So-hee liked.