Chapter 19. The Wrap-Up and Contract

As Director Kim Hansu called out the final cut, the lights in the restaurant dimmed, and Yenwoo, who had been hiding, appeared with the cake and the staff who had been hiding. The sound director quickly helped by playing music through the connected speakers.

"What? When did you prepare this? Everyone!"

Sohyun's eyes quickly welled up, and her nose tingled.

Although the previous historical drama was also a box office success and won awards, the atmosphere was not particularly warm and friendly.

In terms of scale, "Summer Wardrobe" was a smaller production, but the atmosphere on set was so good that Sohyun's affection for this work was even greater than the previous one.

The lights gradually brightened again, and Director Kim Hansu stood up, holding his phone and said,

"Let's gather our three main actors. I'll take a commemorative photo."

"Director, with so many good cameras around, why are you using a phone?"

The staff all laughed at Jinwook's comment as he looked around the set.

"Commemorative photos are usually taken with phones. Haha."

Yenwoo brought the cake to the two of them, and the three of them stood with Sohyun in the middle.

"Okay, let's take it. One, two, three."

Click.

The director, who was delighted by the picture-perfect scene, asked for another shot.

"Let's take one more. One, two, three."

Click.

"Ah!"

Sohyun's small scream echoed with the click of the camera.

Yenwoo had used his finger to scoop a bit of frosting from the cake and lightly smeared it on Sohyun's cheek during the photo.

"Yenwoo, you!"

Hahaha.

The lively scene of the main actors brought laughter to the set.

"Wow, Director. This photo looks so natural and good. We could have used it as our drama poster. A bit late to say it, but."

"Really? It was a great work. Well done, everyone."

Director Kim Hansu nodded, looking at the photo, and then thanked the assistant director.

"Wow, Director. I always feel so much respect for you during filming."

The assistant director's words, filled with genuine admiration, made Director Kim Hansu smile.

The staff also smiled and thanked their colleagues around them.

At that moment, the youngest, Yenwoo, shouted,

"Directors, seniors, and everyone! Let's take a group photo with the supporting actors before we start the after-party. Let's take a photo of us all together!"

"Hahaha. We can't ignore our youngest."

As Director Gang In-chan moved first, the staff began to gather.

"Actors, come over here! Let's take a photo together."

The supporting actors, who were sitting at the table behind Seo Jun and Yeon, slowly stood up and began to gather.

They moved the table to make space, and as they started to gather, there were dozens of people.

In the center, the visiting writer Choi Mihyeon, the supporting actors, Director Kim Hansu, and the three main actors stood, surrounded by the staff and supporting actors.

The filming team set up a tripod and connected a remote control to the field camera.

"Okay, look at the monitor on that side. We'll take just one shot. Don't close your eyes. I won't be responsible if your closed eyes appear on the internet."

Hahaha!

"Okay, one, two, three."

Click.

Thus, the filming of "Summer Wardrobe" came to an end.

Ironically, the only person who closed their eyes in the commemorative photo was the staff member who pressed the remote control.

***

It had been two weeks since the final filming in Daejeon.

"Summer Wardrobe" had already aired up to episode 6.

Given its genre, "Summer Wardrobe" spread more through SNS than through ratings, and short video clips were circulating everywhere, increasing its popularity.

Of course, the interest in the meteoric rise of Ryu Yenwoo also grew.

In his previous life, Yenwoo was a timid student who seemed to live as if he didn't exist, so he didn't have many friends who remembered him clearly throughout his school years.

Even if they knew him, they wouldn't have recognized him after he lost weight, so the information that journalists could gather was limited to his school life in Daejeon after he transferred.

Yenwoo, known as a model student with excellent academic performance and good peer evaluations, continued to have positive stories about him, and the YouTubers who covered the news enthusiastically spread these stories.

Now, he had become a complete blue chip, and just putting "Ryu Yenwoo" in the thumbnail guaranteed a certain number of views.

Since Yenwoo didn't use SNS, the occasional photos posted on Seongsik's Instagram account saw a surge in followers.

Thanks to the enthusiastic support of Seongsik's fans, Seongsik was frequently visiting Yenwoo's house, taking various daily photos, and acting as his exclusive photographer.

"Wow, I'm getting the hang of taking photos. Maybe I should become a photographer."

"Even after seeing your selfies? It's not that you're taking photos of Yenwoo; it's that Yenwoo is in the photos."

Seongsik's self-praise was met with a challenge from Junsoo.

"We'll take several photos, and I'll only post one a week with Yenwoo's permission."

Seongsik, who was absorbed in photography, barely listened to Junsoo's challenge.

After playing at Yenwoo's house for a while, Seongsik and Junsoo returned home, and the next day arrived.

Today, Yenwoo was visiting LN Entertainment with his father.

After the drama filming ended, Jung Chulmin and Son Jinwook whispered to each other at the after-party and immediately had a conversation with LN Media representatives over drinks.

After some discussion, they decided to sign with LN Entertainment, and Jung Chulmin, who had been given authority by Yenwoo's father, was there to help with Yenwoo's first contract.

Of course, this was possible because Yenwoo trusted Jung Chulmin's character as his first acting teacher.

Jinwook, who was tying his contract, happily helped the beautiful younger sister he had met through the drama, and he also helped to slightly increase Yenwoo's value and check for any toxic clauses.

After this process, the conditions offered by LN Entertainment were quite good compared to other agencies, and today they were going to sign the contract.

Yenwoo, along with Jung Chulmin, arrived at the LN Entertainment building in Chulmin's car and soon met the agency's CEO, Kim Joo-sung.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a hot actor these days. I'm also meeting Mr. Yenwoo's father and Mr. Jung Chulmin for the first time."

A middle-aged gentleman with a well-groomed pompadour and a neat appearance stood up, shook hands, and greeted them politely.

Satisfied with the good first impression, they greeted each other and smoothly signed the contract.

"It's an honor for our agency to have such a talented actor. Mr. Ryu Yenwoo is still young, so he will continue to grow, won't he?"

CEO Kim Joo-sung's words were responded to by Ryu Chul-woong.

"During the filming of the first work, you took care of him in many ways, and the contract is also very good. As a father of a son who is just entering the entertainment industry, I am very grateful."

"Haha. Our agency is directly operated by LN Media, one of the leading production companies in the country, so we don't aim to make excessive profits from managing actors. That would be like cutting open the goose that lays the golden eggs."

If Yenwoo joins LN Entertainment, although there are no mandatory requirements, he will likely appear more frequently in works produced by the parent company.

From LN Media's perspective, this allows them to exert more influence in the industry, so it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.

In fact, for a new actor like Yenwoo, this could be an advantage, as he can easily access works whenever he wants.

"Then, as stated in the contract, I understand that you will take a break from acting activities and focus on your studies until you turn 18."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding."

Yenwoo responded to the CEO's words.

"Given your excellent academic performance, it's a welcome move for the agency from an image perspective."

"Summer Wardrobe," which just started, will end on March 1st, including a break for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Even if Yenwoo doesn't act until the college entrance exam, it's only about 8 months, which is not much different from the break other actors take between works.

"Then, if you need anything during the break, you can request it through Team Leader Jung, who has been in charge."

Everyone stood up and shook hands with the CEO, and the three men returned to Daejeon in Chulmin's car.

Yenwoo returned to his daily routine, combining exercise and study from the next day.

Of course, the internet was in an uproar among the younger generation, and he was recognized a lot when he went to the grocery store without a cap and mask.

However, the diligent and regular lifestyle he had maintained since his previous life didn't change.

He continued with his usual bodyweight exercises and regular study habits.

He also met his school friends occasionally and, most importantly, consistently practiced acting.

The only difference from his previous life was that he watched more dramas for acting practice.

"Summer Wardrobe" had already aired up to episode 10, and the ratings continued to rise, reaching 13.7%.

Compared to the dramas aired by JNBC last year, it was already the highest rating.

The drama team's group chat was filled with good news every week as the ratings continued to break records.

Despite this, Yenwoo maintained his regular life and planned to go to Jung Chulmin's acting school for practice on Saturday afternoon, as usual.

His parents had gone out early for a couple's gathering, and Sohyun had also gone out early with her friends.

Yenwoo was waiting at home for the gas inspection.

Ding-dong.

Yenwoo, who was slowly getting ready to leave his room, heard a sound at the front door and thought the inspector had arrived. However, when he heard the door lock open, he went to the living room.

"Huh? Sohyun, you're already back?"

His sister entered the front door, followed by two of her friends.