Chapter 250: Drama Wars (5)

Chapter 250: Drama Wars (5)

Seeing So Yi-Yung's phone number on the screen, I began to have all sorts of thoughts.

'Why is she calling me? This rubs me the wrong way.'

I had experience handling So Yi-Yung's relationship issues in my past life.

Men usually ended the sponsorship with female celebrities when they got tired of the relationship, but So Yi-Yung was an exception.

Being the number one actress men wanted to date, she set the sponsorship period herself and ended it if she didn't feel like continuing it.

Every time that happened, I had to deal with sponsors barging in suddenly. I had to beg for forgiveness from third-generation chaebols demanding to know where she was. Some even brought their company's security team with them which almost led to a fistfight.

So Yi-Yung wasn't someone I wanted to deal with because of these memories, but I was curious why she called.

"This is Jung Yoon-Ho."

As I answered, a voice full of charm came through.

-Oh my! Mr. Jung. Hello. This is So Yi-Yung. You know me, right?

"Yes, hello."

-Did you by chance watch my drama today? It's my first time acting in a drama so I made a few mistakes, but I worked really hard~.

I decided to cut straight to the chase.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit busy right now. Can you get to the point?"

-You're a bit impatient, aren't you, Mr. Jung? Alright then. I actually called because I want to switch companies.

Her reply was so absurd that I didn't know how to respond.

I had no intention of accepting her if she came to Hoop Entertainment. Moreover, I did not believe she would come.

However, a minimal check was necessary because if it were true, it would be a bothersome matter.

I immediately checked through the planner to see if she was telling the truth.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: November 11, 2020]

- 07:00 p.m. Regular meeting of Actor Division 3. (Report: Main role in You Are My Destiny, confirmed So Yi-Yung from TNT Entertainment.)

There was no mention of her leaving TNT Entertainment. In other words, So Yi-Yung was lying to me right now.

Fully convinced the reason she called wasn't because she wanted to change companies, I drew a clear line.

"Don't talk nonsense if you have no intention of coming."

At that moment, her voice became more nasal.

-Aren't I tempting?

Even I would have felt my heart race at her enchanting voice if I didn't know her true nature. But now, her voice was nothing more than just noise to me.

"No. Not at all."

-What? What did you say?

"I'm not tempted at all, so please look for someone else. And I have another schedule now, so I'm hanging up."

-W-wait a moment...

Click.

After hanging up, I immediately blocked So Yi-Yung's number.

I knew her purpose the moment I heard her nasal voice. She was always involved with chaebols or top stars, but this time she was trying to seduce me.

I briefly wondered, 'Why me when I don't even have much money?'

However, I didn't want to try to find out more.

More urgent than her ridiculous antics was Yoo-Jin, who was probably having a tteokbokki party at home.

'Every piece of fried food adds an extra kilometer to your run, Jung Yoo-Jin!' I thought. Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

As the thought of Yoo-Jin dipping fried food in tteokbokki sauce filled my mind, I grew increasingly anxious.

Because of that reason, I quickly started the car and headed home.

***

"What the hell is with this guy?" So Yi-Yung cursed as she stared at the phone in a daze.

She had no intention of changing companies, but she didn't expect to be turned down either. No matter which entertainment company in Korea she called, they would come running to her with good offers.

"Wait a minute. Did he reject me? Just now? A mere team lead rejected me?" So Yi-Yung continued in her belated angry realization.

She was already upset over the lower viewership ratings of her drama against the competitor, but she never imagined being treated as if she were worthless.

"This is ridiculous. Is he out of his mind?"

Seeing So Yi-Yung's face turn red out of anger, Han Se-Hwa frowned and asked, "Miss Yi-Yung, did it not go well?"

"Well, it doesn't always work out on the first try, does it!?"

So Yi-Yung shouted in a frustrated voice, but she didn't know what to do because it was the first time she had been rejected like this.

'Why did this have to happen in front of Han Se-Hwa of all times? What a fucking disgrace,' So Yi-Yung thought to herself.

Each time So Yi-Yung showed a slight interest in a man, they would fall in love with her as a woman and a celebrity because she was simply that desirable to anyone. However, Jung Yoon-Ho seemed to think otherwise.

Han Se-Hwa subtly provoked So Yi-Yung.

"Miss Yi-Yung, try a bit harder. If the viewership ratings continue like this... things will be difficult for both of us."

So Yi-Yung glared at Han Se-Hwa.

"Please watch what you say. It's not my fault the viewership ratings are low! If you want to blame someone, talk to the writer!"

I could feel a gentle tremor from her hands.

"Thank you for saying that, Mr Jung."

"Not at all. Isn't it only natural to uphold contracts?"

"It's a world where most people don't."

Then Moon Yung-Mi made a new proposal with a serious look on her face.

"We will match all conditions offered by Channy for L.M.L's advertisement. Additionally, we'll give 1% of the sales over two years as an incentive. How about it?"

'1% of the sales?' I thought.

Considering that L.M.L had achieved 50 billion won in sales in my past life, 1% would mean an additional 500 million won every year.

I wanted to agree immediately, but a thought came to mind.

I looked at Moon Yung-Mi and said, "I'll sign the contract right if you meet one condition."

"Tell me."

"We have a staff member who was an ace in the Vogue editorial team. So please allow us to choose the outfits for the shoot. I believe it will help LM Clothing's sales as well."

When a celebrity became a model for clothing brands, they usually couldn't choose their own outfits. However, mentioning Lee Mi-Ri's career piqued Moon Yung-Mi's interest.

"Can I first meet her in person?" Moon Yung-Mi asked.

I immediately called Lee Mi-Ri and she quickly came up to the director's office with a tablet and introduced herself.

Moon Yung-Mi smiled broadly and extended her hand. "It seems like Yung-Ah will need her help occasionally. Okay, let's do it that way."

After shaking hands with Moon Yung-Mi, I promptly informed Yoo-Jin of the news and Yoo-Jin gladly accepted LM Clothing's offer.

Additionally, Moon Yung-Mi proposed using Miso as a children's clothing model in the future.

Just by keeping my principles, I ended up receiving more than I expected in return.

***

Finally, it was July 31, 6:30 p.m., and the first episode of Haru's new drama, Master of Mukbang, was about to air following Yoo-Jin's drama.

There were still a lot of things to handle regarding In the Name of God, but I had to take care of Haru as well.

"Mr. Jung, what are we doing for dinner?"

Everyone seemed hungry since all we had today was a quick lunch.

"Let's all go eat some korean barbeque after monitoring the viewership ratings."

"Yay!"

Since Master of Mukbang was a 30-minute show, I suggested we head to Myeongnyun Satto Galbi after the monitoring.

However, we regretted that decision the moment the first episode of Master of Mukbang started after the ads.

"We should've just ordered some lunch boxes..."

The food in the first episode of Master of Mukbang was Baekban Jeongsik.[1]

The moment steam rose from the soybean paste stew Haru made, all the team members started to drool with regret.

Everyone's stomach began to growl.

"Oh, this is driving me crazy."

"Wow, that looks really delicious."

The tofu and zucchini in the bubbling hot pot looked so tasty. Moreover, the rice with a piece of kelp in it was exceptionally glossy.

Saliva pooled in my mouth without realizing it.

As I contemplated whether to go eat right now, Haru started the mukbang scene.

From that scene on, we began to pull our hair out.

The slurping sound of him eating soybean paste stew, the munching sound of chewing rice, the sound of taking a big bite of soft rolled omelet, and every sound of eating food stimulated our imagination.

'This is amazing ASMR,' I remarked inwardly.

Thanks to the sound effects, we desperately craved warm rice with soybean paste stew and rolled omelet. Moreover, Haru's genuinely happy expression while eating made it clear he was not just acting.

Seeing Haru's happy face while eating delicious food made me certain his nickname would be Mysterious Charm again in this life.

All the members of Team Jung couldn't take their eyes off the screen and suffered in agony until the drama ended.

The moment the drama ended, everyone stood up simultaneously.

"Mr. Jung, let's go eat Baekban Jeongsik!"

"Deal!" I exclaimed.

Just as we forgot about tidying up and were about to dash to the restaurant, Yoo Hyun-Ji called.

"Wait! Let's hear the viewership ratings first!" I quickly added.

I suppressed my excitement and answered the phone.

"Yes, Ms. Yoo."

-Have you eaten?

"No, what about you, Ms. Yoo?"

-Not yet. But I thought I was going to die from hunger because of the drama.

Yoo Hyun-Ji said she almost died of hunger watching the first episode of Master of Mukbang.

"So, what were the viewership ratings?"

At that moment, Yoo Hyun-Ji replied with an excited voice.

1. Korean meal course that consists of rice, soup, main dish and side dishes ☜