Fate is Gathering (1)
I was greeted with good news when I returned to the company after receiving a call from Lee Dong-Min.
"Mr. Lee. Is it true that Wheelies is sponsoring shoes for us?"
"Yes, I just got the call."
Apparently, the white casual shoes Cherry Blossom wore on stage became a hot topic on social media after making it to the trending live searches. Thanks to that, Wheelies, the manufacturer of those shoes, offered a sponsorship.
"They said they can send it over right now via express delivery as soon as the order is placed. So make sure you call them first thing tomorrow morning and receive them."
"Yes, sir."
Han Myung-Ho happily received the contact details from Lee Dong-Min.
Sponsorships were usually requested by agencies. No matter how many proposals agencies throw around and how they bribe the advertising companies, the success rate was less than 10%. Of course, the treatment was different for popular celebrities, where the advertising companies would be the ones to beg for a sponsorship contract. Hence, Wheelies making the first move to reach out to us was a good sign.
"It's a pity it's not an ad offer, but still, it's something. Oh, also ask for several pairs in different colors for the girls' outfits. Make sure to receive them properly."
'Yes. We should definitely take whatever we can while we are offered.'
Han Myung-Ho nodded continuously, but I felt a bit disappointed. If Cherry Blossom were a little bit more popular, we might have even gotten an ad offer along with this sponsorship opportunity.
"But Yoon-Ho, where did you get those shoes from?"
"Wait, you didn't buy them with your own money, did you?"
Lee Dong-Min and Han Myung-Ho finally asked about the origins of the shoes.
"They were in the storeroom."
"What?"
I had taken the shoes from the company's storeroom, which had been collecting dust. I couldn't afford to buy expensive shoes that cost 100,000 won per pair with my own money.
"I got permission from Deputy Choi to get them from the storeroom. They were originally sponsored for Golden Road, but they didn't want to wear them. He just told me to sign the paperwork and take them."
"Haha, Golden Road rejected the luck that came their way."
"That's how it seems."
Realizing they had one-upped the competitive Division 1, both Lee Dong-Min and Han Myung-Ho's expressions brightened.
That was when Lee Dong-Min brought up the topic of Cherry Blossom's new song with a serious expression.
"Oh, by the way, Yoon-Ho. I'm going to personally produce Cherry Blossom's new song. Keep that in mind."
Han Myung-Ho looked surprised. "Wait. You are producing the song yourself, Mr. Lee?"
"Yes."
Lee Dong-Min had not been producing songs for a while, but his producing ability was still among the top in Korea. Having Lee Dong-Min produce a song for Cherry Blossom would mean that the chances of their next song being a hit were extremely high. After all, the completeness of a song depended on the producer.
"Mr. Lee, do you mind if I ask if you have any composers in mind?"
Lee Dong-Min chuckled. "Why? Do you have someone in mind?"
"N-no, not really…I was just curious about the level of experience of the composers you are considering."
"I'm thinking of meeting top-tier, S-grade composers I know in person. I won't scrimp on the expenses for the song fee."
The fee for S-grade composers averaged around 20 million won but Lee Dong-Min seemed determined to pay even more if necessary, of course, below a few hundred million won.
"I don't feel too pressured since it's just one song and not an entire album. We'll choose something good among various songs."
"What if you like all the songs?" Han Myung-Ho joked.
"Then we'll buy them all."
Lee Dong-Min, who had always been passive in his work, was showing a change. If we could get an S-grade composer, it would be half the battle won. I was excited to see which song would match the blockbuster hit in my memory.
"So, that's settled then. Team Lead Han and Yoon-Ho, I'm counting on you guys."
"Yes, sir!"
"Leave it to us, Mr. Lee!"
Spring seemed to have arrived for Cherry Blossom, marking the start of a new dawn where their talents would be on full display for all their fans.
***
Before heading to Actor Division 2, I heard from Lee Dong-Min about a fight between Gu Seong-Cheol and Kim Dong-Soo. Although I did not know the reason for the fight, I instinctively checked my planner when I heard it concerned Ju Yung-In.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: April 1, 2020]
-10:00 PM
(Deleted Schedule: SBC
'So Ju Yung-In got the lead role.'
But I wasn't surprised because this was as expected. Given Ju Yung-In's recent recognition and acting skills, it was easy for her to outshine the originally cast newbie actress, Choi Yeon-Ah, for the role of Kim Sky.
However, I still couldn't figure out why the two chiefs had fought over this.
Curious, I headed to Actor Division 2.
Ding-dong.
I arrived at the office on the fourth floor. It was 11 PM but the lights were still on. Gu Seong-Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu sat in a corner of the office, both looking utterly exhausted.
"Ah, Yoon-Ho is here."
"Good work today."
Gu Seong-Cheol greeted me with a wave. "Star Jung. I heard you did a great job today."
"I was just lucky."
Gu Seong-Cheol chuckled. "Well, repeated luck seems to point to skills and expertise. But you're not planning to move to the Singer Division 2, are you?"
"Come on, Mr. Gu. I am forever a part of Actor Division 2."
"Really? Are you sure about that?"
I held out my finger at his doubtful tone. "Do you want me to write a blood oath?"
As I joked, Gu Seong-Cheol nodded and responded. "Team Lead Oh, hang on to Yoon-Ho. He says he'll write a blood oath. I'll bring the knife."
"Yes, Mr. Gu."
Oh Duk-Gu playfully wrapped his arm around my shoulder, but soon stopped the joke and cleared his throat when I didn't show much reaction.
"Ah, you're so boring. Anyway, did you hear about Ju Yung-In getting the lead role?"
"I did."
"And the fight between Chief Kim and me?"
"Yes. Mr. Lee told me."
As I asked what happened, Gu Seong-Cheol began to explain with a bitter smile. "Actually, Chief Kim was giving a phone interview to the Bangbang News this afternoon and he called Yoo-Jin a 'push-in' actress, so we had a fight."
"Push-in?"
'Push-in' referred to a less talented actor who was cast as a favor by the production company in gratitude for getting a talented actor they desired.
"Wow, that's just unbelievable."
As I raised my voice, Gu Seong-Cheol calmed me down. "Well, at least they know Yoo-Jin auditioned first and Ju Yung-In applied later. Don't worry too much about it."
It seemed I might need to win over a few entertainment reporters. If Kim Dong-Soo decided to use the media as part of his underhanded tactics, I needed to be prepared as well.
"But it's not all bad news. Yoo-Jin shot the Burger Queen CF, right?"
"Yes, she did."
"Let's hope the ad will be a hit. Then Yoo-Jin will be even more recognized. Right, Team Lead Oh?"
"Yes, that's right, Mr. Gu!"