Chapter 89. CF Proposal

"Melt my heart."

"Ah, thank you."

It feels like I've said it over a hundred times.

The signing event, which started in the morning, has been going on for more than four hours.

Originally, it was supposed to end at 1 PM, but I skipped lunch to give back to the fans who had been waiting since the morning.

Fortunately, we closed the waiting line in the middle, so there aren't many fans left to wait.

"Jia, it's already morning. You need to wake up."

"Let's do our best today, Juyeon."

"Melt my heart."

The fan services requested by the fans were diverse.

Some recorded it to use as a morning call, while others filmed Yenwoo's appearance to listen to when they were feeling down.

Among them, the most overwhelming request was "melt," which no one knows where it started.

After it appeared in a movie, idols started to mimic it as a cute gesture, and it has now become somewhat of a meme.

Yenwoo, the original creator of the gesture, was also puzzled when she first started the signing event today, but after doing it all day, she has adapted to the point where it feels like pressing a button.

"Thank you, writer and actor."

Finally, the signing event ended, and the staff came in to pack the gifts received into boxes.

Writer Kim Jin-ju, who was sitting next to her, stood up and approached Yenwoo.

"Yenwoo, thank you so much. Really."

"Thanks to you, it was fun."

"I don't know how to thank you. How about I treat you to a meal?"

At that moment, manager Kim Min-sung approached.

"Um, Writer, it might be difficult today. You should go to the agency right away. There's a meeting scheduled."

"Oh, I see. Then, if you need any help, just let me know! I'll do anything for Yenwoo, no matter what."

With Min-sung's words, Writer Kim nodded and bowed to Yenwoo again before leaving.

"Min-sung, do you have a schedule today?"

"Team leader Jung said to take you to the company right after your schedule ends. I'm not sure what the schedule is."

"Okay, then let's hurry."

Yenwoo, heading to the agency, got in the car and said to Min-sung.

"Ah, Min-sung, please get me a decent guitar and violin. Director Park Chan-hong said to practice them."

"Okay, but is that possible in a short time?"

"I guess so. I can play a little, but I just remembered because of the drama's end."

Since it's a music film, Yenwoo, who plays a composer in the movie, is fortunate that she doesn't have to sing, but there are many scenes where she has to play instruments, so she needs to practice urgently.

Arriving at the headquarters, not far from a bookstore in Gangnam, Yenwoo found Team Leader Jung and the practical team members in a meeting.

Opening the door and entering, Team Leader Jung greeted her warmly.

"Oh, Yenwoo, welcome. Since your schedule is close to the company, I thought it would be faster to have you come here and discuss it directly."

"Yes, I see. Hello."

Yenwoo sat in the seat indicated by Team Leader Jung.

Then, a practical team member turned on the screen and began to speak.

"The CF proposal we've been continuously checking was mainly about cars and bank apps, but we are currently prioritizing a new proposal that came in yesterday."

"Okay, I see."

As Yenwoo nodded and looked at the screen, the employee turned to the next page.

"Ihantechnology"

"I assume you know about Ihangroup, but Ihantechnology might be unfamiliar."

"An arms manufacturer."

Yenwoo's words made Team Leader Jung widen his eyes in surprise.

"You know? When I received the proposal, I knew it was a subsidiary of Ihangroup, but I didn't know what kind of company it was."

"Yes, it's a large company."

An arms manufacturer (防衛産業體) is a company that develops and produces equipment necessary for national defense or constructs facilities. In simpler terms, it's a high-tech company that produces weapons.

While it's a company that ordinary people rarely encounter, Yenwoo, who worked in the domestic department, had numerous connections with arms manufacturers, monitoring industrial spies related to new weapon development.

Since Yenwoo had used the equipment produced by Ihantechnology in the field, it was a company she couldn't be unfamiliar with.

"Yesterday, Ihantechnology proposed an advertisement. The amount is quite large."

Yenwoo tilted her head at Team Leader Jung's words.

"Do arms manufacturers do advertisements? I've seen it in the U.S., but not in Korea..."

In the U.S., where lobbyists are active, companies need a good image to win business rights and often engage in other businesses besides defense, such as making civilian aircraft in addition to military planes.

However, in Korea, companies are usually selected by the government and operate exclusively in the business areas they win, so they don't need advertisements due to concerns about information leaks.

"Well, that's unusual. We also couldn't figure out why they suddenly proposed an advertisement. The concept is not bad, though."

Team Leader Jung pressed a button to turn the screen to the next page.

The screen showed a man in a uniform dedicating himself to protecting the nation in various versions.

It includes various concepts, from the army, navy, and air force to research scientists and white hackers.

"Seeing that they planned several short image ads with different concepts, it seems like it's not just a simple image refreshment ad. There are two other unusual points."

"Unusual points?"

In response to Yenwoo's question, Team Leader Jung cleared his throat, extended two fingers, and began to speak, folding one finger at a time.

"First, the advertising fee is quite high. It's about ten times the amount of the last communication company ad you did."

"..."

Yenwoo was surprised by the unexpected figure.

The last guarantee was around 200 million won annually. Even if her value had increased, she had expected it to be two or three times higher, not ten times.

"Other ad proposals usually range around 500 million won. This one is four times larger, so we're actually worried. We checked the contract proposal, but there are no particularly toxic clauses. In fact, a large company like this wouldn't play around with contracts."

Yenwoo, listening to Team Leader Jung, stroked his chin.

'Ihantechnology definitely has a lot of money, but why me? Especially since I'm still a conscript.'

She hadn't played a special agent or soldier in a drama, and even though she's popular now, considering the nature of the company, they should prioritize trust over popularity.

Anyway, Team Leader Jung said there were two unusual points.

"What's the other one?"

In response to Yenwoo's question, Team Leader Jung folded the remaining finger and continued.

"Seo Tae-gwang, the chairman of Ihangroup, wants to have dinner with you. So, we also wonder if this large guarantee is just because he's a fan."

Yenwoo, hearing Team Leader Jung's words, fell into deeper thought.

In her previous life, when she was in charge of Ihantechnology in the domestic department, she, as a mere agent, never had the chance to meet the chairman or even the executives.

'Is he really just a fan?'

Recalling her filmography, which targeted a relatively young audience, she found it strange.

It was hard to imagine Seo Tae-gwang, in his 70s, watching young romantic comedies.

"Then, let's set a schedule. Having dinner isn't a big deal."

"Okay, I'll let you know as soon as the schedule is set."

After discussing other CF proposals, Yenwoo returned home.

"Car and bank app... and Ihantechnology."

While resting at home and organizing her thoughts, the phone rang.

"Did Team Leader Jung already set a schedule?"

Picking up the smartphone on the table, she saw it was Director Park Chan-hong, not Team Leader Jung.

"Yes, Director."

- Yenwoo, the shooting schedule and route are almost set. The casting is done, and we've hired a music director.

This independent film is a music film with added music sources, so the music director is crucial.

"Thank you, Director. Who is the music director?"

- He'll be arriving in two days. His name is Chrissy Monroe, an American of Norwegian descent. We spent a lot of money to hire him.

"Considering that, it's important."

- How about you? The guitar and violin.

Yenwoo scratched her head while looking at the guitar and violin in a corner of the room.

They were the instruments Min-sung had quickly found during the meeting.

"Yes, it should be fine."

- We can edit it to some extent, but it's better to have the basics.

In her previous life, she had played instruments to blend naturally into the upper class in Europe, but it had been a while since she last played.

Still, having played for over ten years, she could regain her sense after a few years of not playing.

And Director Park Chan-hong's voice came through the phone again.

- Oh, by the way, the female lead. How about finding an actress who you think would be a good match?

"That's Inari's role, right?"

- And the manager role. If you have a suitable actor, let me know. We have some candidates, though.

Usually, a casting director would handle this. Even in an independent film, there should be a casting director in Director Park's team, but since they decided to create the film together as a persona, he asked for Yenwoo's opinion on finding a female actor who would work well with her.

Actresses who had good chemistry with her came to mind.

"I'll look into it."

- Great, once the roles are set, let's start shooting right away. We've set up a minimal crew. Our shooting team will be less than ten people.

Director Park Chan-hong's voice on the other end of the phone sounded excited.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Director."

- Ha ha, I guess so. It feels like I'm a new director making my debut.

A master of domestic commercial films who has attracted ten million viewers twice, this Master Plan also aims for ten million viewers.

And the lead actor of that film, who has recently made both dramas and films successful, is a blue-chip in the film industry.

The fact that these two are suddenly making an independent film, not a blockbuster, would cause a stir in the entertainment industry if it were to be known.

Whether they know this or not, the two men are simply enjoying the pure passion of the project.

Artists often find joy in doing quirky things, don't they?

Yenwoo, ending the call with Director Park Chan-hong, fell into thought.

"An actress I want to work with comfortably..."

The first ones that came to mind were the three she had worked with before.

Yenwoo called her friend, Jung Su-yeon.

The call connected after a short while.

- Oh? Yenwoo, how did you know to call? I was about to call you.

"Huh?"