"Am I really supposed to use this?"
"Use it. She didn't say so, but So-hee was sincerely grateful."
"She could have just thanked me in words."
"So-hee is still young. Please try to understand."
A good manager needed to know how to offer a sharp rebuke at times like this.
Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju was a good person, but becoming a good manager seemed unlikely for her.
Park Geon-ho put the card in his pocket, returned to the company, and climbed into the car parked in a corner of the underground garage.
"Ah, damn it. What's that smell?"
As one of Korea's five largest agencies, Wooju Entertainment provided shared vehicles for its managers.
Was it because the people who used them were managers without cars of their own?
The interior was a complete mess.
"Did someone take a shit in here? Good grief. My clothes are going to stink."
He opened the windows as he drove, unwrapped an Obmint, and popped it into his mouth.
He had received seven, so six remained.
He needed to ration them, but his hand had moved out of habit.
The Ilsan studio entered into the navigation system was about 40 kilometers away.
The estimated travel time was one hour and ten minutes.
"The moment I make some real money, I'm buying a car first. No exceptions."
The traffic light had barely turned green when Park Geon-ho stepped on the accelerator.
VROOOOM.
The unusually loud exhaust note echoed down the road.
6
"This way, please."
As an employee guided her, Jo So-hee wondered how she should greet them.
Ahn Hye-ju had said they should take this opportunity to clear away their old resentment, but Jo So-hee was not so sure.
She was the one who had been unilaterally ignored(?), so she wondered whether she really needed to apologize too.
But then.......
"So-hee. Welcome."
When she opened the door and entered, Writer Woo Yeon-hee greeted her with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jo So-hee."
"I'm sorry I'm late. Something urgent came up unexpectedly."
"Geon-ho already explained everything, so let's eat first. Is that all right?"
"Of course. The meal comes first."
At first, she thought the intention was merely to eat and wrap things up since they were already there.
Throughout the meal, CP Yang Do-hyeon did, in fact, pour out one irritating remark after another.
"The drama So-hee filmed instead of WYSe was White Blood, right?"
"CP Yang. It's WYSL, not WYSe."
"No, if you're abbreviating it, WYSe is right. What kind of abbreviation is WYSL? Don't you agree, Writer Woo?"
"Call it whatever is convenient."
"Anyway, if you'd appeared in WYSe—no, WYSL, this gathering would've been much more pleasant. Isn't that right?"
"At the time, So-hee was fixated on the prosecutor role. She had already met with the writer, and we decided it would be discourteous to reverse the casting."
"Then why did she reject At Summer's End?"
"At that time, her advertising schedule made it unavoidable......."
"That's an excuse. There are a truckload of actors who want to work with Writer Choi Ah-hyeon. Does it make any sense that you couldn't adjust the schedule?"
Production Director So I-hyeon shot him warning looks from the side, but CP Yang Do-hyeon kept running his mouth without batting an eye.
Jo So-hee, however, was no ordinary person either.
She moved her chopsticks and focused on eating as if she were listening to a story about someone else.
"You eat better than I expected, So-hee."
"I've always had a healthy appetite."
"Some actresses eat no more than a bird and put down their chopsticks to protect their image. It's nice to see you eat well."
"My philosophy is to eat well and work hard."
Writer Woo Yeon-hee studied Jo So-hee from time to time.
As if she had developed a scholarly curiosity about the character named Jo So-hee, she sometimes stared so intently that it became uncomfortable.
'Look at that rude little b— eating as if nothing happened after arriving nearly an hour late. Writer Woo must hate the sight of her too, right?'
CP Yang Do-hyeon never doubted that Writer Woo Yeon-hee felt the same way he did.
But even after the meal ended and the table was cleared, Writer Woo Yeon-hee did not move from her seat.
"Writer Woo. I'll buy the coffee."
"Doesn't this place serve dessert?"
"Goodness, what more is there to discuss? I think we've heard enough by now."
CP Yang Do-hyeon spoke as he rose from his seat.
He thought Writer Woo Yeon-hee would pretend to give in and follow him out.
Instead, Writer Woo Yeon-hee revealed the feelings she had been suppressing.
"CP Yang. That's enough."
"......?"
"What are you trying to do after asking So-hee to come here? Does working for the broadcaster give you the right to act like this?"
"......!"
For a moment, CP Yang Do-hyeon was dumbfounded.
He had never expected her to change her tune after agreeing to cast Kim Hye-rin as the female lead.
But Writer Woo Yeon-hee also wanted to keep the promise she had made to Park Geon-ho.
"Hah. Do whatever you want."
When the situation failed to go his way, CP Yang Do-hyeon left the room as if staging a protest.
"Please excuse me for a moment."
Production Director So I-hyeon followed CP Yang Do-hyeon out.
Once the room fell quiet, Writer Woo Yeon-hee apologized to Jo So-hee in his place.
"I'm sorry, So-hee."
"No. It's all right."
"I meant to come with only Production Director So I-hyeon, but......."
Today's meeting had been arranged at the request of Blue Media, the production company.
Blue Media held the authority to cast the lead actors.
Therefore, it had not been CP Yang Do-hyeon's place to interfere.
"We also sincerely apologize again. Something suddenly happened to So-hee's mother. We had to rush to her family home, so we couldn't keep the appointment."
Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju seized the moment to explain their lateness.
Writer Woo Yeon-hee nodded.
"It can't be helped when something urgent happens to your family. I would have done the same."
"Thank you for understanding."
"Since we're talking, let's clear up what happened in the past too. I apologize for judging you carelessly, So-hee. I must have gotten a little full of myself after winning an award for a one-act drama and becoming a television writer."
Having come this far, Writer Woo Yeon-hee dredged up the past.
She had won an award in a one-act drama competition for a work titled <To You, Yesterday>.
While preparing a twelve-episode miniseries, she had evaluated actors under the pretext of fantasy casting, never imagining the remarks would reach Jo So-hee's ears.
"I understand, Writer Woo. And as for the casting of WYSL, the company opposed it. I later found out there had been a verbal agreement for me to join a weekend drama."
Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju fitted another piece of the puzzle into place.
The industry rumor that Jo So-hee had rejected Writer Woo Yeon-hee's drama because of personal feelings had been somewhat(?) distorted.
"You didn't reject it because of me?"
"Of course not. So-hee wanted to do WYSL. To be even more honest, she wanted to show you."
"Ah....... Then the scales don't balance."
Jo So-hee's ears instantly perked up.
The scales did not balance.
That was a phrase calculating lawyer Ha Do-yeon, whom she had played in <White Blood>, habitually used.
'Did she watch a clip of me?'
It was slightly absurd, but after realizing that Writer Woo Yeon-hee wanted to repair their relationship, Jo So-hee decided to play along.
"You don't need to feel that sorry. Or would you like to buy me a drink tonight?"
"Hey! What do you mean, a drink?"
Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju hurriedly tried to stop her from beside her.
She thought Jo So-hee was acting however she pleased because she liked that Writer Woo Yeon-hee had apologized first.
But Writer Woo Yeon-hee exclaimed in admiration instead.
"That isn't the female lead's line?"
"It's a store employee's line."
"Don't tell me you memorized the entire script?"
"I just happened to remember that line."
Jo So-hee had just borrowed a line from <First Skin>.
More specifically, she had taken the line Lee Seo-jin used to hit on a female store employee. He was supporting female lead Lee Seo-woo's half brother and appeared briefly early in the drama before causing trouble and disappearing.
A few days earlier, Kim Hye-rin had also arrived with the script memorized cover to cover and shown them Go Ha-neul.
Her manager had given her the opening line for each scene, but she knew the script well enough to begin filming immediately.
Yet Jo So-hee even remembered scenes in which neither Go Ha-neul nor Lee Seo-woo appeared.
Could she have prepared in advance?
'No. It's not like she knows what I'm going to say.'
If she had not prepared it, she truly had memorized the script.
It was a common line, but she also had the sense to adjust her delivery to the situation.
"How many times have you read the script?"
"First Skin? I haven't finished it yet."
"......?"
"I think I need to read it a little more. I haven't made it my own yet."
"......!"
Beyond the light smile on Jo So-hee's face, Writer Woo Yeon-hee sensed a fierce obsession.
It seemed she would not be satisfied with merely devouring the entire script on top of her own scenes; she had to chew it thoroughly and digest it too.
Writer Woo Yeon-hee reflected on the words Park Geon-ho had left behind.
'So-hee is young and stubborn, but she's a truly good actress. Do you realize that if you let So-hee go, you'll be the only one who loses?'
At first, Writer Woo Yeon-hee had dismissed it as lip service from a manager about an artist at his agency, but it was not.
It had been genuine advice to experience Jo So-hee for herself.
'Jo So-hee instead of Kim Hye-rin? No. Why do I have to use only one of them?'
Kim Hye-rin was said to rank among the five best actresses in their twenties for acting ability.
Jo So-hee was an acting monster who had swept the newcomer awards after winning youth acting awards at all three broadcasters.
What if she cast them both?
It seemed she could secure both public attention and artistic quality.
"So-hee. Listen without getting the wrong idea."
"All right."
"I think Lee Seo-woo suits you better than Go Ha-neul. Ah, of course, if you take the role, its weight in the drama will be adjusted. What do you think? Will you join us?"
If she had asked Kim Hye-rin the same question, Kim would have stormed out in humiliation and disbelief.
Jo So-hee, however, readily nodded.
She preferred Lee Seo-woo, who allowed more freedom in acting, to Go Ha-neul, a somewhat predictable female-lead character.
"If you want me, Writer Woo, I'd be happy to do it."
"I do. Of course I want you."
Just then, the door opened and Production Director So I-hyeon, who had briefly left the room, came back in.
"What do you want?"
"I'm going to cast So-hee in our drama."
"Writer Woo, you made the right choice. Kim Hye-rin is good, but Jo So-hee is more......."
"No. Both of them."
"......What?"
"We can afford that much, can't we?"
Production Director So I-hyeon had just returned from a blowup with CP Yang Do-hyeon after declaring that they could not work with SBX like this, and now Writer Woo had suddenly proposed dual leads!
It felt as though a bomb had exploded inside her head.
"W-wait a moment! Are you saying you want to cast Jo So-hee as Lee Seo-woo?"
"I can't give Lee Seo-woo to Kim Hye-rin."
"And Jo So-hee agreed to that?"
"Production Director, shall you and I discuss the details?"
Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju pulled Production Director So I-hyeon into the next room.
Then she listed the conditions she had prepared in advance, just in case.
"First, you'll need to match her fee. You also need to emphasize to reporters that she was interested in Lee Seo-woo's role from the beginning, rather than Go Ha-neul's."
"She's really going to do it?"
"So-hee said she absolutely wanted to appear in a drama by Writer Woo Yeon-hee. And you'll need to accommodate her personal schedule as much as possible."
"Sigh. Right."
"And equal billing for the names. That's possible, isn't it?"
"You're not asking for Jo So-hee to be listed first, are you?"
"Kim Hye-rin debuted before So-hee. She's older too. We'll use alphabetical order."
"Thank you for yielding on that."
"And one more thing......."
After listening to Deputy Team Leader Ahn Hye-ju's requests for more than ten minutes, Production Director So I-hyeon called CEO Kim Sang-gyu.
The projected production budget for <First Skin> was around seven billion won.
Even considering that it was a twelve-episode series, the budget was not generous.
So she naturally expected an earful.
-Go ahead with it. We've already been getting calls asking whether Kim Hye-rin is appearing instead of Jo So-hee, so this works out well.
Blue Media CEO Kim Sang-gyu welcomed the idea without hesitation.
"What on earth is happening?"
Far too many things had happened in a short time.
Production Director So I-hyeon pulled herself together and called a reporter she knew well.
And a short while later.
[Exclusive] First Skin Goes With Kim Hye-rin & Jo So-hee as Dual Leads!
The exclusive article quickly put the rumors about Jo So-hee to rest.
7
On the way home after the meeting.
"That was fun."
"What was?"
"Nothing in particular. I'm saying today was fun."
Jo So-hee chuckled as she reflected on the day's events.
Between the sudden call from the hospital and the article about Kim Hye-rin.
She had thought it would be the worst day imaginable, yet everything had ultimately worked out.
Just then, her phone vibrated twice.
[SS Card]
The Red card belonging to customer Jo *-hee was successfully charged.
Prime Lens
10,000,000 won / 12-month installment plan
04/01 17:33
[SS Card]
If you did not make this purchase.
Please contact 1588-XXXX immediately.
04/01 17:33
Jo So-hee checked her phone without much thought, then opened her eyes wide.
She checked the text message once more and burst out laughing.
"Wow. This is fun."
She had told him to buy himself something expensive to eat, but ten million won?
She wanted to see the face of this audacious manager.