Chapter 83

Advertisement.

The moment Ha Eun stepped into the entertainment industry in her childhood.

At the same time, a distinctive marker that vividly represents the buzz surrounding current Ha Eun.

Especially in the case of this bed advertisement.

It was an advertisement from the famous company ‘Sears,’ which holds the unrivaled number one position in the furniture industry, along with the high recognition of the ad itself.

Most celebrities who had appeared as advertisement models until now were mostly star celebrities.

“What did my sleeping appearance look like, anyway?”

What exactly made Sears choose Ha Eun as the bed advertisement model was still a mystery.

Nevertheless, it was certain that both the various star celebrities who had been models for Sears and Ha Eun received similar evaluations.

Above all, that enormous advertising cost.

The many zeros in the advertising contract.

“…Is this for real?”

“In today’s world, it’s a big deal to write a false contract.”

Erasing the option of refusal completely from Ha Eun’s mind.

Regardless of how her sleeping appearance was in [2 Nights and 3 Days], she decided to film the bed advertisement.

Thus, the discussion about the advertisement, which ended in just 10 minutes.

The other reason Jeong Do-cheol summoned Ha Eun to his representative office was the discussion about drama casting, which began immediately after.

“It’s a drama called [The Shine Sign]. It’s not on public broadcasting but rather on cable, but it seems the confirmed actors and the drama writer have some name value.”

The Shine Sign.

A drama acclaimed for its storyline, direction, and the acting of its cast.

And due to the somewhat familiar home environment of the female lead, it remained memorable for somewhat different reasons than other dramas.

“They want our actor to play the lead role ‘Kim Jeong-hyun.’”

Then, a thick script was handed to Ha Eun with a suggestion to take a look at it.

As she carefully reviewed the story she already knew, the moment Ha Eun’s memories of Kim Jeong-hyun began to overlap with her past life as Ha Eun.

“I’ll do it.”

Feeling that there was no need to think any longer, she immediately decided to participate.

Surprised by this, Jeong Do-cheol’s voice asked if she could think it over more.

“It’s not that urgent. I think you can definitely take your time to decide.”

Then, he added that, given the nature of pre-produced dramas, the filming period would likely be quite long.

Still, Ha Eun’s thoughts did not change.

“I’ve really wanted to try acting as a rich girl. I’m confident I can do well.”

“Well… if that’s how you feel.”

In the end, the discussion on drama casting wrapped up much earlier than expected.

However, since Ha Eun’s participation in [The Shine Sign] was confirmed much faster than Jeong Do-cheol had anticipated.

“Our child actors are planning to participate in the child audition for [The Shine Sign]. So, I wanted to ask—”

Another suggestion or request related to [The Shine Sign] was also brought up earlier than expected.

“I’d like our actress to interact with those kids as ‘Kim Jeong-hyun,’ even if it’s just for a moment.”

Then the news came that this child audition was for casting the role of “Young Park Ju-ho.”

It was also added that it would be a great help for them to practice acting with Ha Eun.

“I think practicing with the real Kim Jeong-hyun would be better than with a drama school teacher. What does our actress think?”

After a while of deep consideration.

Ha Eun felt it was right to help, so she accepted this suggestion as well.

To be honest, it wasn’t a particularly difficult request.

It was only after confirming that all matters had been completed that Jeong Do-cheol indicated they could leave.

At that moment, just as they heard it was time to go.

“Um, Representative.”

“?”

“Well, today at school—”

She brought up the worry that had been occupying a corner of her mind to Jeong Do-cheol.

After all, Jeong Do-cheol was not only the representative of Ha Eun’s agency but also a veteran who had been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years.

Given that he had managed numerous celebrities until now, she thought he would be able to provide effective advice to Ha Eun.

Perhaps that’s why.

“That’s something you can’t help. The industry operates that way.”

Ha Eun was taken aback when Jeong Do-cheol said there was no way to solve her concerns.

Hearing that even someone like Jeong Do-cheol, who had gone through all sorts of incidents in the entertainment world, said there was no method to handle it, truly highlighted the hopelessness of her situation.

“Of course, it would be uncomfortable for our actress. But from their perspective, it’s harder for those friends to treat our actress casually.”

“Why…?”

“Because not only did you debut first as a singer, but you’re also close with those mean members of Daulby.”

For Ha Eun, Daulby were people she had known for over 10 years and had become familiar with.

However, for the trainee friends of Ha Eun, Daulby were nothing short of successful senior figures.

The reason her trainee friends treated Ha Eun with the utmost respect was precisely because of that.

While no one would say anything if Ha Eun didn’t treat them with respect, she wasn’t the only person her trainees needed to be considerate of.

“There are countless jerks in this industry who nitpick even the smallest details like greetings. They can’t avoid treating our actress with respect just because they don’t want to be caught up with those rotten people.”

Regardless, the most important thing for trainees was their reputation.

If rumors started spreading about not treating a senior with respect, it could spiral out of control.

Ultimately, the weight laid upon Ha Eun wasn’t her friend ‘Lee Ha-eun,’ but the title of the singer Pinocchio, who was close to Daulby.

It didn’t matter that Ha Eun and the trainees had gotten along as close friends so far.

“Still, I don’t think those friends really want to distance themselves from our actress. They just have to endure in front of others.”

“…Yes.”

Getting up from the soft sofa in the representative office right afterward.

After politely greeting Jeong Do-cheol, she was about to exit the office with Ju Jung-yun when.

“Hold on a second.”

“?”

For some reason, Jeong Do-cheol asked her to wait a moment.

More precisely, it wasn’t long after that a black credit card was handed to Ju Jung-yun.

“Since it’s a company card, make sure to buy our actress something as expensive and delicious as possible.”

“D-Dear Representative, you really don’t have to do this—”

“This is a work order. If you buy something cheaper than I expected, it will reflect on your work evaluation, so keep that in mind.”

Another kind of suspicion filled Ha Eun’s mind.

Even so, she had to leave the meeting room without knowing anything properly.

The desperate question of what Ha Eun wanted to eat came from Ju Jung-yun just after.

“Um… salad?”

“Too cheap!”

“Then, how about a slice of cake? Tiramisu would be fine too.”

“That’s all snack food. We need something for a meal!”

“…I can’t think of anything in particular…”

Finally, Ju Jung-yun, giving up asking Ha Eun, began to search for nearby restaurants on her phone map.

And sorted by the highest prices.

“Oh, let’s go for omakase!”

“Um…”

“Y-Yo, don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it. I just haven’t had omakase before.”

“It’s all part of the experience. Let’s just start and think about it.”

Thus, Ju Jung-yun’s van headed toward a fancy omakase restaurant.

About 20 minutes later, Ha Eun found herself seated across from Ju Jung-yun in a very upscale room.

“Here’s the freshly steamed abalone.”

‘…Why is there only one?’

She was taken aback by the meager amount of food compared to the exorbitant price.

Of course, it tasted good, but somehow.

“Can’t they just serve it all at once…?”

“This kind of place usually serves one plate at a time.”

The cost-effectiveness plummeted.

It felt like she was wasting money.

***

“Hello. I’m Lee Ha-eun.”

“Ah, Lee Ha-eun. Welcome.”

The day of the advertisement meeting between Ha Eun and Sears had finally arrived.

Ha Eun and Ju Jung-yun arrived perfectly on time in front of the Sears headquarters, where they met a man who introduced himself as Park Hwan-soo, the advertising team leader at Sears.

They were then ushered into the Sears headquarters with a gentle smile.

‘Since it’s a furniture company, the interior is…’

Following Park Hwan-soo, they entered a luxurious-looking elevator.

Eventually, they arrived at the meeting room on the top floor.

-Swoosh.

“Here’s the contract. Please take your time to read it, and feel free to ask any questions.”

After a moment of scanning the densely packed letters in the contract with her eyes.

However, since the legal team at Luna Entertainment had already completed a rough review, she firmly opened her mouth after briefly looking over the advertisement fee and conditions.

“Um, Team Leader Park, can I ask just one thing?”

“Of course.”

Carefully considering the advertisement contract, she asked.

“What specific part of my sleeping appearance impressed you?”

“U-Your sleeping appearance?”

“Yes.”

She asked about what had been bothering her since receiving the bed advertisement proposal.

Park Hwan-soo appeared slightly flustered, pondering for a moment before managing to respond awkwardly.

“Well, it looked incredibly comfortable, to say the least… It was as if you were having a ‘sweet sleep.’”

To be precise, stating that Ha Eun’s sleeping appearance in [2 Nights and 3 Days] was impressive felt like an excuse.

The reason Ha Eun had been cast as the model for this bed advertisement was primarily due to her immense buzz and image.

Autumn would soon commence.

This meant that the ‘autumn wedding & moving season,’ which could be considered the peak for the furniture industry, would also begin.

Hence, they aimed to recruit Ha Eun, currently the most spotlighted celebrity, as the bed advertisement model.

They hoped to effectuate a meaningful change in Sears’ sales, which had somewhat stagnated until now.

Striking good looks.

Growing recognition due to continuously published articles.

Crucially, the ‘noble lady’ and ‘model student who wakes up on time’ image that Ha Eun had created in [2 Nights and 3 Days].

“It’s bound to appeal as a high-end brand.”

Made it clear to Sears the value Ha Eun possessed as an advertisement model.

The staggering advertising expenses that left Ha Eun flabbergasted were a continuation of this logic.

However, it was puzzling that Ha Eun, who had straightforwardly accepted the bed advertisement, was hesitating to sign.

“Is there something unusual with the contract?”

He gently inquired about the reason for Ha Eun’s hesitation.

It was crucial that the advertisement contract did not fall through at this point.

The following voice that seemed uncertain came from Ha Eun.

“Um, I… want to gift the bed I’ll be advertising to my parents. Is it possible to place an order now?”

“An o-order?”

“Yes.”

To be honest, it was surprising.

Ha Eun was the first advertisement model to suggest an ‘order’ rather than a ‘sponsorship.’

Perhaps that’s why.

“If you sign the contract, the bed will arrive within a week. It’s complimentary, so you just need to make sure it’s installed properly.”

“C-Come again? Complimentary?”

“Providing an advertising product to an advertisement model isn’t something that special. We provide it to all models.”

This time, Park Hwan-soo voluntarily expressed the intention to sponsor.

If Ha Eun was to sign the contract, such additional conditions were something they could accommodate easily.

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