Chapter 6

Genius Ad Man Myung Do-hyuk, Episode 6

Tak Gi-jun gave him a mission, and exactly four hours later, Do-hyuk returned to the company.

Naturally, no one was in the conference room, and Do-hyuk went into the Planning Team 1 to find Tak Gi-jun.

"Senior, I'm back."

"What? You're already back?"

Tak Gi-jun tilted his head with a puzzled look.

"Yes. What's the big deal? It's been four hours."

Do-hyuk, looking down at his wristwatch, pulled out five contracts and thrust them in front of him.

"The advertiser is Illera Furniture. A total of five contracts. I've secured advertising slots for NBD Radio's five programs, including 'Park Kyung-a's Radio Days.'"

"Five? You got the contracts?"

"Yes, that's right."

Tak Gi-jun raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Do-hyuk, his eyes saying, 'What's with this guy?'

"Good job. You're the winner of this mission. Go on."

"There's something I need to tell you, Senior."

"What is it?"

"The advertiser also requested a radio commercial for the evening commute. So, I agreed to bring the proposal and design by tomorrow."

Tak Gi-jun's eyes widened.

They grew so large that it was visible to the naked eye.

"Commercial? You got a radio commercial?"

"They want a radio commercial."

"Hey, intern! You can't just walk into NBD-AM. This guy must be over the moon."

"I explained the options. If you have the option, you can get in, right?"

Surprised, Tak Gi-jun turned completely to face Do-hyuk.

"Options too? Do you even know what options are, intern?"

"Of course, I sold them. You told me to sell them. Anyway, Senior, could you prepare the proposal for me? They said I need to bring it by tomorrow."

"No, a proposal doesn't just pop out of nowhere."

"Then I'll trust you, Senior. I'll be on my way."

"Hey! This guy is really something. Hey, Myung Do-hyuk!"

It sounded like he was cursing, but I pretended not to hear and walked out.

I could almost hear Tak Gi-jun's voice scolding me for thinking that copy should just pop out.

This is kind of fun. This is why Tak Gi-jun could bully the production team.

I put coffee in my mouth, understanding Tak Gi-jun's feelings with a broad mind.

The Americano without syrup had never tasted so sweet.

'It's time to reappear.'

"Hey!! Myung Do-hyuk!"

Of course.

I walked straight ahead without looking back at the urgent voice of Tak Gi-jun.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the lobby.

"Hey, Myung Do-hyuk, what are you going to do if you just leave like that!"

"Yes?"

"You should give a briefing before you leave, right?"

"Oh, briefing."

That was exactly what I was waiting for.

I recalled an old briefing from Tak Gi-jun.

-Why don't you, you know? Make it catchy, pretty.

-What?

-Don't you, the copywriter, not get a feel just from the advertiser's name?

Tak Gi-jun was known for giving a rough briefing and thoroughly confirming it, hence the nickname 'FeelTac.'

I confronted Tak Gi-jun with the pain of 'FeelTac.'

"Don't you get a feel? It seems like you'd get a strong feel just from the advertiser's name."

"Well, I do, but this time, I didn't meet the advertiser directly..."

"Come on, you're the ace of Planning Team 1, right? There's no real briefing. I'm just an intern, so I don't know much. The advertiser just asked for a proposal."

I conveyed the message as politely as possible, implying that he shouldn't expect much from an intern and that I would handle it.

Tak Gi-jun, in a hurry, wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Wow, even the great Tak Gi-jun is nervous?

After all, it would be quite a sight to see a junior agent land a radio ad that an intern brought in.

If word got out, it could ruin his career.

Tak Gi-jun, realizing he couldn't handle it, took Do-hyuk to a bakery on the first floor.

He forced him to buy a cake and coffee and started to calm him down.

"Tell me everything the advertiser said. I'll listen, considering you're an intern."

"There's really nothing to tell. The advertiser didn't say much."

It was true. I did all the explaining.

Mr. Kim Young-seok just nodded and signed the contract.

"About the commercial, they said they want it included."

"Of course. It's a must."

It was the era of radio commercials.

The golden age when everyone sang along with the commercials that played on buses during commutes.

It was an indispensable card.

Tak Gi-jun had to draft a commercial script within a day.

Seeing his crumpled face, I felt a great sense of relief and sipped my coffee with a light heart.

Tak Gi-jun, thirsty, drank cold water.

"Is the company president related to your family? Do you have any connection with Illera Furniture?"

"No, I met Mr. Kim Young-seok for the first time today."

"Then you really got the contract? A request for an ad in just four hours? Who do you think you are? Tell me the story. What did Mr. Kim say?"

Of course, Tak Gi-jun found it absurd, thinking I must have used connections.

After all, it was impossible for an intern to secure an ad request in just four hours without using connections.

But Mr. Kim Young-seok really didn't say much?

I couldn't help but smile. Tak Gi-jun exploded at my smile.

"Did you just smile, Myung Do-hyuk? This guy is really something. Where did you get the nerve to pull a fast one?"

"The contract is real. If you're curious, check it yourself."

"What's going on here!"

Tak Gi-jun's raised voice made Jo Tae-jin, who was passing by, shout.

"Is the team leader here! I'm Jo Tae-jin from the production team. Nice to meet you!"

"Hey, Myung Do-hyuk! How's your first day? It's your first day, right?"

"Yes, thanks to Mr. Jo, my first day went well."

Do-hyuk bowed and shook hands with Jo Tae-jin, making Tak Gi-jun look at them in surprise.

An intern securing an ad on the first day and knowing the team leader, Jo Tae-jin, was enough to surprise anyone.

Jo Tae-jin, frowning at Do-hyuk's temporary employee badge, asked.

"Why was Myung Do-hyuk, who started today, in trouble? Was Tak Gi-jun bullying the intern?"

"It's a misunderstanding, Mr. Jo."

"I saw it. It was noisy, so I came to check!"

"It's part of the training. I was teaching him for making unrealistic statements."

"What could an intern do to deserve that? Is this the army? Do you know about a horizontal organizational culture?"

The word 'horizontal' almost made me laugh, but I managed to hold it back.

Ad agencies may seem to have a free atmosphere, but it's far from horizontal.

It's more like a combination of a bureaucratic system and an apprenticeship culture.

A strange mix of seniority and mentorship.

A flexible yet strict, unique corporate culture.

Jo Tae-jin, noticing Do-hyuk's smile, frowned more and sat down.

"Then, let's hear how our AE, Tak Gi-jun, was bullying the aspiring copywriter, Myung Do-hyuk."

"It's a misunderstanding, Mr. Jo. Please wait a moment. I'll get some coffee."

Tak Gi-jun jumped up to buy coffee.

In the meantime, Jo Tae-jin spoke.

"Is Tak Gi-jun a bit strict? What did you do to get in trouble with your senior?"

"I wasn't in trouble. Senior Tak Gi-jun asked for a pre-briefing, a bit strongly."

"Pre-briefing?"

Jo Tae-jin's eyes sparkled.

He leaned forward, curious, and looked at Do-hyuk.

"Does an intern have a reason to brief a senior AE?"

"It's part of the mission. I secured a contract."

"An intern secured a contract?"

"The mission was to secure a coupon ad."

"Starting with sales on the first day, our intern students are really getting a taste of it."

"The coupon ad was easy, but the radio commercial request came with it."

"Commercial?"

Jo Tae-jin frowned, a smile spreading on his face.

"Go on."

"I secured five coupon slots and a commercial request for the evening commute today."

"What? You got five coupon slots and a radio ad by yourself?"

"It's for NBD-AM. I explained the options, of course."

"Options?"

"Yes, to get into AM..."

Tak Gi-jun, who had been listening to their conversation while bringing coffee, interrupted.

"I was educating him on that part."

"What kind of education were you giving?"

"Um, well..."

"You seem to know a lot about radio, don't you?"

NBD-AM was, of course, the most popular channel even before Do-hyuk's regression.

The crown jewel of radio ads, mainly listened to by drivers and bus passengers.

Naturally, to get into this good channel, there were conditions.

You had to buy unpopular time slots or enter a channel with low ratings.

This was called media options, but Tak Gi-jun didn't really educate on such things.

Jo Tae-jin, noticing this, set aside the options and asked in detail about the radio ad contract.

"So, how do you plan to proceed with the radio ad?"

"Mr. Tak said he would meet Illera Furniture tomorrow and prepare the proposal and a draft of the commercial script tonight."

"The advertiser is Illera Furniture. You're meeting them tomorrow?"

Jo Tae-jin's eyes smiled, while Tak Gi-jun's face turned pale.

"That's impressive."

"Yes, he said we need to move at the speed of light before the advertiser changes their mind."

I wanted to get back at Tak Gi-jun, but it's true that quick action is important.

From experience, you need to act fast before the contract is signed.

An advertiser's mind is like a reed.

A competitor could come in, or the market could change.

Especially this advertiser, Kim Young-seok of Illera Furniture, was known for his quick temper, though they didn't know it yet.

But Jo Tae-jin was very satisfied with the quick progress of the ad contract.

"Having young blood like this in the company is reassuring!"

"Thank you for the compliment."

Tak Gi-jun, looking excited, bowed 90 degrees to Jo Tae-jin.

Jo Tae-jin patted his shoulder, encouraging him.

"It's almost quitting time. Are you going to work all night?"

"Working all night is nothing special. It's one of the basic tasks of an AE."

"Right, I'll expect it. Whether you get Illera Furniture or not."

Now that even the team leader knows, I really have to stay up all night to prepare the proposal.

Tak Gi-jun's face quickly turned sour as he finished his bow.

'Oh, Tak Gi-jun, you're in trouble.'

Do-hyuk smiled lightly.