Reason for the Visit
"Are you saying you won't sign any bread-related advertisement contracts at all?"
"Yes. I do still have a conscience."
Ahn Ji-Yoon glared at me for a moment and opened her mouth.
"Fine! It's a deal! Let's sign the contract! But let me make just one call to the president of Burger Queen first! Okay?"
'Great. That settles it.'
Ahn Ji-Yoon's hand was trembling as she grabbed her phone.
"Hello, sir. This is Ahn Ji-Yoon speaking..."
While Ahn Ji-Yoon was updating the president on the current situation, I secretly made a victory sign with my fingers under the table.
Today was indeed a merry Christmas.
***
Complaints constantly poured out from Ahn Ji-Yoon's mouth as she drafted the contract. However, they were merely the grumbles of the defeated, of course.
"I wonder if I've been bewitched by a fox."
"Trust me, Ms. Ahn. You won't regret this."
"You are so annoying."
The negotiation over the advertising contract terms with Burger Queen and Yoo-Jin ended with my complete victory. This was all thanks to the revelation that Yoo-Jin was scheduled to appear in a drama written by either Lee Ji-Yeon or one of her protégés.
Ahn Ji-Yoon, who had been glaring at me, soon let out a sigh and stood up from her seat.
"Anyway, moving forward, Miss Lee Yung-Sook over here will be the one communicating with Mr. Jung. Please take good care of her."
Lee Yung-Sook bowed politely to me.
"Hi. I will contact you as soon as the advertising storyboard is ready!"
At that moment, I glanced at them and muttered to myself.
"I've heard that Marin Planning and JUN Planning make really good advertisements."
But Ahn Ji-Yoon scoffed.
"Mr. Jung, you do know that one is the top advertisement company and the other is the most prominent rising company among the newcomers, right?"
Of course, I knew—they were the most famous advertising companies in my previous life too.
"Oh, is that so? I just heard they are quite famous these days."
"They are not just quite famous. They are the most expensive too!"
As I made a puzzled and clueless expression, Ahn Ji-Yoon looked annoyed with me once again.
After seeing Ahn Ji-Yoon and Lee Yung-Sook off at the elevator, Gu Seong-Cheol clicked his tongue at me.
"You're ruthless!"
"Me?"
"You're so good at this that it's scary!"
Gu Seong-Cheol clicked his tongue again.
"Now that the negotiation is done, you should keep your promise and treat me to steak, Mr. Gu. Oh, by the way, I prefer Two-Horn Matured Hanwoo KING near the company."
Gu Seong-Cheol quickly turned his head to avoid my gaze.
"It's up to me what kind of steak I'll buy you."
I felt like I had been backstabbed by someone I trusted.
"Wow! I suppose the saying about how people change before and after going to the restroom[1] is true after all. "
"What? Weren't you the one who wanted a double-double burger earlier? Oh, it has a steak patty too, right?"
Suddenly, tears obscured my vision.
'This is why one shouldn't trust in empty promises.'
"Keuk. The truth is, our division has been running low on funds recently…" Gu Seong-Cheol said as he struggled to squeeze out non-existent tears.
"Ah, I get it. You can stop now. Cancel the steak. Let's just indulge in some pork ribs."
But Gu Seong-Cheol grinned and opened his mouth.
"No, not the pork ribs. Let's just go to Chunja Grandma's Place and have a bowl of soup. They say their beef soup is out of this world."
"Ah, seriously! …Wait, can we go now?"
I started to get angry but immediately changed my mind because Chunja Grandma's Place indeed has the best beef soup.
"Yes. I'm quite thirsty as well, so let's also have a shot of soju there."
I nodded at Gu Seong-Cheol's suggestion.
"That sounds like a plan, Mr. Gu."
But then Gu Seong-Cheol looked at me with a warm gaze and spoke.
"By the way, Yoon-Ho."
"Yes, sir?"
"You really did a great job today."
He praised me for my hard work in saving Jang Jun-Hyuk and also for the successful negotiation.
"Thank... you."
In my past life, I had never heard the words "good job" from anyone no matter how hard I tried. But lately, I had been hearing them quite often. It was a simple phrase, but my heart inexplicably swelled with emotions every time I heard it.
***
"Slurp, burp! Now, don't just eat, have a shot of soju too."
Drip drip drip.
Gu Seong-Cheol poured a generous amount of clear soju in my shot glass until it overflowed.
Gulp!
"Ahh! The hot soup paired with soju warms my cold body. Here, let me pour you a shot, Mr. Gu."
"Alright."
After receiving his shot glass, Gu Seong-Cheol looked content and scooped some of his meat into my bowl.
"Eat a lot. After all, beef is the best when you're injured."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu."
When I finished a bowl brimming with special beef soup, sweat poured down my forehead like rain. The beef chunks were so substantial that it felt like I had eaten more meat than at a barbecue restaurant.
Thanks to that, the stiffness in my neck from the car accident seemed to have completely disappeared. Indeed, beef seemed to be the cure-all.
"Ahh, that was a good meal. Well, I should be heading back in," Gu Seong-Cheol said as he stretched his arms.
"Aren't you going home, Mr. Gu? Your wife must be waiting."
"I need to pass the documents you signed to the legal team and do some final adjustments as well."
Recalling that the entertainment industry didn't have nights, holidays, or weekends off, I nodded.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Suddenly, I felt as if the food I had eaten was sitting like a rock in my stomach.
"No, sir. I won't work as much as you do unless I earn a salary like yours."
"You cheeky kid. Anyway, I'll put it down as sick leave, so take tomorrow off. Your body must be still in shock, so go see a doctor."
"Yes, sir."
At that moment, my phone began to ring. It was a number I didn't recognize.
"Huh? Who's calling you on Christmas? Is it your girlfriend?"
"You know I don't have a girlfriend, so why do you ask?"
"Answer it."
"Okay."
When I answered the phone, I heard a feeble male voice.
-This is Jang Jun-Hyuk. Can we meet today?
***
Kim Dong-Soo's right-hand man, Team Lead Kang Myung-Gil, went to the Asan Medical Center in Seoul where the top star Jang Jun-Hyuk was admitted.
As the news spread that Jung Yoon-Ho from Division 2 had saved Jang Jun-Hyuk, an urgent order from Kim Dong-Soo came down. After all, there was no bigger star without agency representation than Jang Jun-Hyuk.
-Go to the hospital right now and secure a contract first! Give him whatever terms he asks for!
Kang Myung-Gil glanced around and noticed a crowd of journalists that had gathered.
"Ah. Just let me get a shot of your face, please?"
"Hey, don't push! Ugh, I'm going to file a report!"
"Call the police! Ouch! The hospital security is hitting people!"
Kang Myung-Gil stuck close behind a visitor who seemed to be the family of another patient to avoid the journalists who were fighting with the hospital staff.
However, he was soon stopped at the entrance to the VIP ward.
"You cannot enter past this point."