Chapter 4

Ming Do-hyuk, the advertising genius, Chapter 4

'Returning to the past isn't all good. Phew.'

Ming Do-hyuk, who had ambitiously taken the first step in this new life, now found himself in the middle of the hell train. Amidst the murderous crowd in the Seoul Subway Line 1 from twenty years ago.

Various food smells and sweat mixed, causing his brows to furrow involuntarily.

'Is this what life without a car is like?'

It was good to have his youth back, but his car was gone too.

He resolved to save money and buy a small car as soon as possible, and finally got off the hell train.

After obtaining a student certification from the school in Sinchon, he arrived at Gwanghwamun.

In the middle of the Gwanghwamun intersection stood Taekang Ad.

At that time, advertising agencies were incredibly popular.

The so-called X generation, known for their free-spirited and expressive nature, preferred jobs that allowed them to express themselves.

The trend of favoring traditional professions like judges and doctors was changing, and the number of elite students aspiring to work in broadcasting and advertising was rapidly increasing.

Taekang Ad was at the top of the advertising industry at that time.

Do-hyuk looked up at the towering building he had worked in until the day before his regression, or more accurately, the day he was discarded by the company.

His eyes were filled with a mix of nostalgia, regret, joy, resentment, and sadness.

-Taekang Ad

Seeing the four characters on the sign made his heart tighten.

He would eventually take over Taekang Ad, but for now, he decided to apply for an internship.

"I've come to apply for the university student internship."

"Yes, please leave it there."

As Do-hyuk was leaving after submitting his application, he bumped into someone.

The iced coffee the other person was holding spilled onto Do-hyuk's chest.

But, huh?

"Oops, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

He was not fine at all. The iced coffee left a stain on his shirt, and the man he bumped into was someone he knew.

That person is Vice President Jo Tae-jin, right?

Jo Tae-jin, who had been promoted to vice president just before Do-hyuk's regression, was a representative copywriter of Korea and Do-hyuk's role model.

Looking at Jo Tae-jin's employee card, which now read "Manager," Do-hyuk felt genuinely happy.

He almost didn't recognize him. Seeing Jo Tae-jin's youthful appearance made Do-hyuk smile.

Oh, our vice president. You had such thick hair back then.

Jo Tae-jin quickly wiped Do-hyuk's clothes with tissues, feeling apologetic.

"Your shirt is so wet. How about I pay for the laundry...?"

"It's fine. It's a dark shirt, so it's not very noticeable."

Do-hyuk shook his head.

He had learned a lot from his department head, and a shirt like this was nothing to him.

Jo Tae-jin, who had done him a great favor in his previous life, was like a benefactor to him. He had helped Do-hyuk from the moment he joined the company.

Jo Tae-jin was surprised that Do-hyuk didn't even frown after spilling coffee on him and took him to a cafe.

"Let me buy you a drink to apologize."

"Oh, it's fine."

"I was going to buy a new coffee anyway. By the way, I saw you quickly just now. Are you applying for the university student internship?"

"Yes, I applied for the copywriter position."

At the mention of copywriter, Jo Tae-jin's eyes lit up. He was known for taking good care of his copywriting juniors.

"Your name is?"

"I'm Ming Do-hyuk from P University. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Jo Tae-jin. Do-hyuk, it's a good name for a copywriter, isn't it? I'll remember it."

By chance, he had impressed his future vice president and even got a free coffee. It felt like a good omen even before he started.

Although he hadn't done an internship before, he knew how it worked.

He had attended a few lectures after being promoted to manager.

Taekang Ad continued to run the university student internship program and sometimes hired full-time employees from it.

Many passionate future advertisers participated, and the applicants were often from prestigious universities.

For the company, it was an opportunity to test and secure talented resources early.

Taekang Ad was the most proactive in the industry when it came to internships.

It was early summer, and he had a couple of months before resuming his studies. He planned to focus on the internship during this time.

'Before resuming my studies, I'll give this place a good run for its money.'

Do-hyuk smiled faintly as he looked at the Taekang Ad building he had a love-hate relationship with.

* * *

The opportunity to take on Taekang Ad came quickly.

Jo Tae-jin was on the interview panel for the internship.

Even if he hadn't been there, Do-hyuk would have been accepted.

As an interviewer, Jo Tae-jin focused on interviewing Do-hyuk, who had applied for the copywriter position.

He asked a very common question, which was fresh at the time but had since become a cliché in the advertising industry.

"What does ice become when it melts?"

"Spring comes."

By answering "spring" instead of "water," Do-hyuk welcomed spring.

He was immediately accepted into the university student internship and decided to work full-time during the summer break.

When the school term started, he would adjust his working hours.

On his first day of work, the thought of working at Taekang Ad again made his fists clench.

Do-hyuk closed his eyes and then opened them sharply.

With a determined look, he walked into the Taekang Ad lobby.

With the resolve to overcome everything and come out on top.

As he stood there with a serious expression, a man approached and tapped his shoulder.

"Do-hyuk, what are you doing? Are you performing a ritual in the lobby?"

"Oh, Han Su-cheol!"

"I heard you got the internship. Why are you doing this before resuming your studies? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Han Su-cheol, a contemporary who had interned with Do-hyuk, was a close friend from the university's advertising club, "Adpoint."

Han Su-cheol, a graduate of the advertising and public relations department and the treasurer of the club, was a born advertiser.

After the internship, he became one of the most successful planners at Taekang Ad.

Both were divorced and "goose fathers," so they got along well. Neither had a family to return to, so they often worked late together and lived like permanent fixtures in the office.

Han Su-cheol, a "goose father," had transferred to a Canadian advertising agency shortly before Do-hyuk's regression.

The departure of his close friend left Do-hyuk feeling empty for a while.

Seeing his young self made Do-hyuk's heart tighten.

"Nice to see you. Really."

"You've matured since the army. Oh, you even know how to greet your seniors. We'll see each other every day now."

Yeah, we really did see each other every day. For over twenty years.

"True, to see each other every day, we need to survive until the end as full-time employees, right?"

"Of course, we'll survive. Don't worry."

"Alright, Do-hyuk, you're full of confidence? I heard the workload at Taekang Ad is intense. I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll push us around."

"It's just an internship, after all. Let's go up."

The elevator opened, and they arrived at the conference room.

Do-hyuk recalled the internship program from his memory.

'Right. They put us in here without desks or PCs, give us missions, and have us do ideation (idea generation meetings) and competitive presentations among interns.'

Those who didn't make it here would only do menial tasks and leave, while the best ones were assigned to the business department.

If you survived there, you would follow the process to become a full-time employee.

Do-hyuk looked around the conference room.

It was 8:30 AM, and about thirty out of fifty interns had arrived.

Some were reading books, and others were fiddling with their non-smartphones that couldn't access the internet.

'Oh, there's Choi Min-a, and even senior Kim Yun-ki from the media team.'

In his previous life, Do-hyuk had joined through the regular recruitment process, so Choi Min-a and Kim Yun-ki, who had started as interns, were his seniors.

They were the same age as him, but he always called them seniors.

Wow, now they're all my contemporaries. He almost went to greet them out of habit.

He lowered his hand, which he had raised to greet them, and a smile spread across his face.

Han Su-cheol, noticing Do-hyuk's gaze fixed on Choi Min-a, approached curiously.

"Who are you looking at? I think I'll have a coffee and sit down. I'm tired."

"Did you stay up all night studying again?"

"It's my first day, so I was looking for materials and stuff."

He had studied late into the night, searching for Taekang Ad's advertising materials. Typical of the hardworking Han Su-cheol.

This industry is dominated by intuition and sensitivity. Advertising agencies need to read the market trends and understand consumer demands better than anyone else.

It might seem like a field where people with unique and quirky sensibilities succeed, but from Do-hyuk's experience, that wasn't always the case.

Rather, those who were slightly less sensitive but persistent and diligent, as the slang goes, "enduring" advertisers, ultimately developed their skills and created many successful ads.

Thinking of Han Su-cheol's hit works, Do-hyuk admired his friend internally.

Unaware of Do-hyuk's thoughts, Han Su-cheol glanced around and whispered meaningfully.

"I got some information about Taekang Ad through a senior in our department..."

"Really?"

Isn't Taekang Ad in the palm of my hand?

He thought this but was still curious about what Han Su-cheol would say.

"The intern program will be run by a crazy person."

"A crazy person?"

"Yeah. They're preparing a special 'crazy person' to discipline the interns."

Do-hyuk thought of the many crazy people at Taekang Ad. There were more than just a few.

It was said that to be an advertiser, you needed a brain structure that was a bit different from normal.

Of course, Do-hyuk himself was known as a "revolutionary crazy person" for his excessive eccentricity.

This company is a real paradise for crazy people.

Who is it?

Han Su-cheol looked around again, lowering his voice.

"From what I heard, they're not just crazy but completely unpredictable. If you don't have a strong mindset, you won't last a week."

"Do you know their name?"

"Their name is... what was it? Oh! It's Tae-joon."

"What??"

Do-hyuk's eyebrows furrowed sharply.

He let out a sigh, and Han Su-cheol looked at him curiously.

"Why, do you know this person?"

"Not really. Just the name feels ominous."

He knew better. It was a name he knew better than anyone. Damn.

The crazy dog, Tae-joon AE (Account Executive, a position in advertising agencies responsible for client communication and overall advertising and PR activities).

He was the crazy person who had tormented Do-hyuk for ten years after he joined the company. Not just Do-hyuk, but the entire production team hated him like a mortal enemy.

He was famous for rejecting ads dozens of times before confirming them. He was so ruthless that he was called the "internal abusive client."

A real crazy person who didn't care even when the production director went ballistic.

'The overtime I've done just for this guy could add up to three years. Ah, it makes me so angry.'

I feel like punching him when I see his face.

As if hearing Do-hyuk's muttering, Tae-joon burst into the room.

"Are all the interns here?"

His arrogant attitude was still the same.

Do-hyuk swallowed his anger and glared at Tae-joon. Their eyes met.

"Some of you are looking at me like I'm a god, and some of you are just ridiculous."

Tae-joon shouted, his eyes fixed on Do-hyuk.

Do-hyuk didn't look away and stared back.

Crazy guy, I'll somehow educate you properly. You bastard.

Like any workplace, Taekang Ad had too many people who needed to be educated.