Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom, who had overseen the set that day, arrived carrying coffee in both hands.
Perhaps someone had tipped him off through KkaeTalk, because he entered the conference room looking cheerful.
"Manager Park. Have some coffee."
"You should give it to the CEO first."
"No. You come first, Manager Park."
"Did you hear that I've been assigned exclusively to Actress Jo So-hee?"
"Goodness, is that so? Does that mean I'd better make an even better impression now?"
"I'm the one who should be asking for your help."
Since they had agreed not to make a mountain out of nothing, they exchanged pleasantries and wrapped up the meeting.
As they were about to leave, Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom sidled over and spoke to him.
"Manager Park. I'm sorry about what happened. I was so overwhelmed myself that......."
"It's all right. It wasn't your fault, Team Leader."
"Oh, and we've processed that employee's resignation."
"......What? Her resignation?"
"Ah....... You hadn't heard about that?"
"Did the Deputy Division Director request it?"
"No. He didn't. She was careless on set, and we'd only hired her temporarily, so we ended things on good terms."
Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom waved his hands in denial, but under the circumstances, Deputy Division Director Jo Yeong-chan had clearly engaged in abuse of power.
He had undoubtedly told them to fire the employee and send the CEO to apologize in person.
'He left this massive pile of shit behind and took the afternoon off?'
He wanted nothing more than to run straight to Division Director Kang Young-jin and tell on him, but sorting this out came first.
"Could I get that employee's contact information?"
"Her contact information? Should I tell her to come apologize in person?"
"No. That's not it. Actor Han Do-hoon felt terribly sorry, you see. So I wanted to meet her and apologize."
That wasn't just an excuse. Han Do-hoon had regretted it later at the street tent bar.
"Did I deny it too hard? That was pretty pathetic, wasn't it?"
"Everyone does that when they're flustered. She'll understand."
"Phew....... But that employee. She was trembling like a leaf. She isn't going to suffer because of me, is she?"
"I'll make sure nothing like that happens."
"You mean it, right? I'm counting on you, Geon-ho."
He hadn't kept his promise to stay with Han Do-hoon for life.
But at least he wanted to keep this promise, so he asked Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom for a favor.
"Then would it be all right if I called her and passed along your message?"
"Yes. Please do."
"What date would work for you?"
"Even today would be fine with me."
Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom stepped away for a moment and returned with the answer Park Geon-ho wanted.
"She says she'll come to the company this afternoon. Would that be all right?"
"I'd be grateful. If she gives my name at the first floor, I'll come down."
"And I hope you won't misunderstand. We truly didn't pressure her to resign."
"Yes. I understand."
Working with Reve Enterprise a few times didn't mean he knew everything that went on inside the company.
Whatever its reputation in the industry, they couldn't have ignored pressure from Wooju Entertainment, one of South Korea's five largest agencies.
"Our side was at fault too, so I should smooth things over."
To celebrate becoming Jo So-hee's manager, Park Geon-ho bought the team a meal.
"Geon-ho. Tell me anytime it gets too hard."
"Are you going to reassign me?"
"Reassign you, my ass. Actresses younger than me make me uncomfortable. What if she falls for me later?"
"Hahaha. Sure."
"You little punk, are you laughing at me? Team Leader, he just laughed at me, didn't he?"
"Quit talking nonsense. Here, let's have a drink."
"How are we supposed to toast with glasses of water?"
"Oh, really? Not going to raise it? Are you ignoring your team leader now?"
"All right, all right! Cheeers~"
They said a team's atmosphere followed its leader's temperament.
Since Team Leader Han Sang-woo wasn't the type to pressure people for results, Team 5's managers generally got along well.
When Park Geon-ho went to pay after the meal, Team Leader Han Sang-woo sidled up and asked him.
"How much was it?"
"120,000 won."
"What did you order for it to cost that much?"
"Are you going to chip in?"
"I'd like to, but I'm in the red too. And spend a little at times like this. You got a bonus, didn't you?"
"It hasn't even hit my account yet?"
At 9:10 that morning.
A company-wide notice had gone up on Wooju Space.
[Notice from the Actor Division.]
1. Manager Assignment Change
Actress Jo So-hee's dedicated manager has been changed as follows.
Previous: Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju (Team 5)
New: Manager Park Geon-ho (Team 5)
2. Special Bonus Award.
At the direction of the Division Director's Office, a special bonus will be awarded to Manager Park Geon-ho in recognition of his outstanding work ethic and recent performance.
At the word bonus, Park Geon-ho had immediately contacted the Human Resources and General Affairs Team and learned it was 1,000,000 won.
They added that this was the first time a newly hired manager had been awarded that much.
But to be honest, Park Geon-ho wasn't satisfied.
Back when he was a director at SH Entertainment, the smallest bonus he had received was in the tens of millions of won.
His bonuses had shriveled to a pitiful fraction of what they once were, and seeing a 120,000-won receipt made his stomach hurt.
'This is why I worked myself to the bone in the first place.......'
To avoid turning into a miser who begrudged spending money on the people around him, Park Geon-ho resolved to climb the ladder faster.
He returned to his desk and was browsing ClipForge when the security team called.
"Ah, yes. I'll be right down."
When he reached the first-floor lobby, a security officer pointed to one side.
"That's her over there."
When he walked over, a familiar-looking woman was checking her phone.
"Hello. Are you Song Ha-min?"
"Ah! Hello."
"Do you recognize me?"
"Yes. You're Manager Park Geon-ho, right?"
"I'm sorry for making you come all this way."
"Not at all. Thanks to you, everything was wrapped up properly. Thank you so much."
Team Leader Yoon Tae-beom had insisted there had been no unfair measures, but that was merely the company's position.
If both parties had truly wanted to end the contract, Song Ha-min wouldn't have bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle in gratitude.
Still, it was a relief that things seemed to have ended amicably with Reve Enterprise.
"What would you prefer? Shall we go upstairs and talk for a moment? Or should we talk at a nearby coffee shop?"
"Um...... If it's all right, could I look around Wooju Entertainment?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Thank you. I've never been inside a company as large as Wooju Entertainment."
After ordering two coffees at the shop on the first floor, he got Song Ha-min a temporary entry pass and took her up to the sixth floor.
"Who's that?"
"I'll tell you later."
"She's not your girlfriend, is she?"
"Give me enough free time to meet a woman before you say things like that."
After getting Team Leader Han Sang-woo's permission, he showed her around the office.
The Actor Division was divided into six teams, each with its own clearly separated space, making it easy to work there.
"Wow, so this is what it looks like."
"Are you interested in this line of work?"
"What? Ah, it's a little complicated......."
"You're interested in working in broadcasting?"
"Yes, that's right! How did you know?"
"You just gave me that impression."
People who wanted to tour a major entertainment agency generally fell into two groups.
Those who dreamed of becoming celebrities.
And those who wanted to work in the entertainment industry.
Add her experience as a contract worker at the advertising production company Reve Enterprise, and the answer was obvious.
"First, I'd like to apologize. There was a misunderstanding during the reporting process at our company. I don't know if you heard, but the compensation for the damaged lens came to ten million won. Since it was such a large amount, we looked into whether Reve was at fault, and I sincerely apologize for the harm you suffered in the process."
On behalf of Wooju Entertainment, Park Geon-ho bowed politely to Song Ha-min.
Song Ha-min sprang to her feet and hurriedly waved her hands.
"No. It's okay. It really is. And...... I was at fault too."
"That kind of accident happens all the time on set. If an expensive lens hadn't been damaged, everyone would have laughed it off. So please don't blame yourself too much, Ha-min."
"All right. Thank you."
Consolation like that would ordinarily bring emotions surging to the surface, but Song Ha-min merely nodded calmly.
That allowed them to move on to a more constructive conversation.
"Then your contract with Reve has ended, correct?"
"Yes. I was only supposed to work there for three months. I was worried because I didn't finish my contract period, but the team leader took care of everything for me."
"Do they owe you any wages?"
"No. If anything, they even gave me a goodwill payment because they felt bad?"
"That's a relief, at least. Then are you planning to find a job at another production company?"
"No. A senior introduced me to the job, but I don't think that kind of work suits me."
Song Ha-min told him a little about herself.
She was born in 2001, making her one year younger than Park Geon-ho.
She had majored in video editing in the Department of Theater and Film at Geumgang University.
After graduating, she had done part-time video-editing work related to her major before moving blindly to Seoul, driven solely by her desire to live there.
She had stayed with relatives and eventually found work at Reve Enterprise.
"Then you're going back to freelancing, right?"
"Calling it freelancing makes it sound rather grand."
"You set your own hours and do specialized work, so you're certainly a freelancer. Have you registered with ClipForge?"
"Yes. I have."
"Really? Then could you tell me your nickname?"
"Ah....... It's a little embarrassing, but it's PlitterCut."
"PlitterCut?"
Park Geon-ho immediately opened his notebook.
PlitterCut was among the list of nicknames he'd jotted down while browsing editors he liked on ClipForge.
"Sorry, but could you prove it for me?"
"Prove it? Ah, just a moment."
Song Ha-min showed him her ClipForge account on her phone.
Nickname: PlitterCut.
Rank: Rookie Editor.
ClipForge Rating: 8.19
'It's her.'
There was no doubt she was the one he had liked best among the editors who had yet to settle into a fixed style.
"Wow, what a coincidence."
"What? What is?"
"The truth is, I've been transferred to Actress Jo So-hee's team. You know Jo So-hee, right?"
"Of course. She's incredibly famous."
"Jo So-hee has her own NewTube channel, and I'm planning to start developing it in earnest. I was looking through ClipForge for an editor, and the person I ranked first has the exact same nickname as you?"
"What? Really?"
"It sounds like a lie, doesn't it? Look at this."
Park Geon-ho showed her his notebook, covered in crooked handwriting.
Song Ha-min studied it for a long moment, then a smile spread across her lips.
"It's true! Then are you going to hire me?"
"I'm the one who should be asking you, Editor Song. I enjoyed your portfolio videos. Professionals might find them a little lacking, but I liked that they weren't overdone. How should I put it? You knew where to draw the line with your editing."
"Yes. That's exactly the kind of editing I pursue."
"Meeting like this must be fate. What do you say? Would you like to work with me?"
"So I'd be editing Jo So-hee's videos, right?"
"You can film them too, if you want."
"Eek!"
"......?"
"That's exactly what I've always wanted to do!"
In other words, Song Ha-min.
She wanted to shoot footage herself and improve it through editing rather than taking center stage like a director.
"Wow, maybe we really are destined to meet. That's exactly the kind of editor I'm looking for. Someone who doesn't just edit, but takes responsibility and helps manage the channel. If you had to sum that up in three syllables?"
"Song Ha-min?"
"Correct! This won't do. We'll have to sign a contract so you can't run away, Ha-min."
"I'd love that. But...... I won't have to commute every day, will I?"
"You'll only need to accompany us when we need you to film. Normally, you'll be responsible for editing and channel management."
"Then I'll do it!"
Park Geon-ho returned to his desk and drew up a simple contract.
Ordinarily, he would have needed Jo So-hee's permission first.
But since she had appointed him her dedicated manager, he didn't think Jo So-hee would object.
'This is my style. Deal with it, Jo So-hee!'