Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 41: Luxury or Quirky (2)

The new burger from Burger Queen was named 'Truffle Monster Burger.' It was a premium burger featuring a thick beef patty brushed with truffle oil and topped with crisp lettuce, various secret sauces, tomatoes, cheese, and even bacon.

To highlight this luxurious image of the burger, JUN Planning created an advertisement which featured handsome men and beautiful women in extravagant dresses elegantly eating the burger with forks and knives in a hotel restaurant.

『Truly an aristocratic taste! Don't you want to try it too?』

Right after this advertisement was released, there were numerous complaints on the Burger Queen website. People were criticizing and asking if burgers had become too elite for the average person to enjoy. As a result of this backlash, both the advertisement and the product were eventually discontinued.

I couldn't let Yoo-Jin become the model for such a failed product.

After I criticized JUN Planning's advertisement, the atmosphere in the meeting room became awkward.

Unable to comprehend my firm stance, Gu Seong-Cheol questioned, "But why? The product and proposed advertisement concept align perfectly."

Oh Duk-Gu agreed with him. "I share Mr. Gu’s thoughts. Eating a burger in a hotel restaurant isn't too strange, is it? It even reminds me of the recent trend of gourmet burgers."

‘If only I had the storyboard, convincing them would be much easier.’

I checked again to see if the storyboard had arrived, but as confirmed by Kim Mi-Hye, only the initial proposal had been sent.

It was a serious situation.

If we were to decide on JUN Planning’s proposal, Burger Queen would likely give their approval without much objection.

‘What should I do?’

Gu Seong-Cheol asked for the reason for my objection again. "Yoon-Ho, are you against JUN Planning because you know something?"

I briefly considered revealing that Yoo Myung-Hoon, a famous CF director, would be involved in an adultery scandal with a female model. However, that incident wouldn't happen for another five years.

I was at a loss for how to argue against JUN Planning without an excuse and felt utterly frustrated.

That was when an idea struck me.

"M-Mr. Gu! Do you know about Prime Minister Cameron?"

"Cameroon? In Africa?"

"No, I mean the British Prime Minister Cameron."

"Ah, the one who caused trouble with Brexit? What about him?"

"I remember seeing somewhere that Cameron was heavily criticized for eating a hotdog with a knife and fork. People said he was trying to connect with common folk in a way that just didn't resonate well."

"Eating a hotdog with a knife? Is that some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder?"

"No, it's just how he always ate them. Cameron is actually from a noble family in Scotland."

Then I showed them a photo of Prime Minister Cameron that I found on my phone.

"Hmm, it kind of does look bad."

Seizing the opportunity, I criticized JUN Planning's storyboard depicting a model in a luxury evening dress cutting a hamburger with a knife, similar to Cameron's situation. When I explained that this could lead to similar backlash, Oh Duk-Gu cleared his throat awkwardly in response.

"Isn't that too much of an exaggeration? Even so, one advertisement couldn't possibly ruin Yoo-Jin's image that much..."

But I was firm in my stance as I knew the outcome of this advertisement in my past life.

"Mr. Gu, please trust me just this once. I really have a bad feeling about this. Look at the goosebumps on my arm. See?"

I showed them my arm, which actually had goosebumps from the cold. Nonetheless, my provocative statement seemed to have deepened everyone's concerns in the meeting room.

"Well...Mr. Kang did say to give you full authority this time..."

The atmosphere in the meeting room slowly began to change. And just like that, I managed to draw everyone away from the luxury concept advertisement plan.

***

"Well...having no negative publicity is better, right?"

"Yes. Also, a quirky and absurd concept might fit better considering the current trends. It could also increase the approachability factor for Yoo-Jin."

The advertising concept was finally decided after several discussions between Gu Seong-Cheol and Oh Duk-Gu—it was to be a quirky ad concept proposed by Marine Boy Agency.

"Deputy Kim, let our company know that we prefer the ad concept sent by Marine Boy Agency."

Kim Mi-Hye recorded Gu Seong-Cheol’s instructions on her tablet. "Yes, sir."

Then, Gu Seong-Cheol stopped giving out instructions and turned to me.

"By the way, Yoon-Ho. Yoo-Jin doesn’t happen to dislike hamburgers, does she?"

"She's crazy about them. She just can't eat them because of her strict diet."

Yoo-Jin was currently on an extreme diet, and as a result, she constantly sent me KkTalk messages, threatening to break her diet and indulge in some high-calorie foods. This morning, she even joked about downing a 1.5L bottle of regular cola, not even the zero-calorie version.

To be honest, I kind of wanted to see her do it just for fun.

Anyway, the concern was that if given the opportunity, she might indulge in excessive hamburgers and gain too much weight.

"Okay then. Mr. Kim, please inform the agency that Yoo-Jin should be confident about enjoying a hamburger on camera. Also, go gather some feedback from the publicity division but make sure they don't deviate from the plan, okay?"

Kim Mi-Hye nodded and immediately headed to the publicity division.

At that moment, it dawned on me that I had forgotten to discuss the advertisement with Yoo-Jin. In my eagerness to prevent Yoo-Jin from shooting the luxury ad, none of us had considered consulting Yoo-Jin about her preferences for the ad.

But the solution was simple.

‘Whatever. I can discuss it with her the day before she shoots the ad. A good talent agent delivers potentially unsettling news as late as possible, right?’

I thought that with Yoo-Jin's acting skills, one day of practice should suffice.

‘After all, how hard could it be to act like a bear, chicken, rabbit, or caterpillar for a day?’

***

When the chief of Burger Queen's publicity department, Ahn Ji-Yoon, was updated by the publicity division of Hoop Entertainment, she grabbed her throbbing head in disbelief. "They chose Marine Boy Agency’s proposal over JUN Planning’s?"

"Yes. They emphasized multiple times that they preferred the quirky ad concept."

Ahn Ji-Yoon was briefly taken aback but soon regained her composure and asked again. "Mr. Kim, you sent them the correct proposal, right?"

"Yes, it's the 24-page proposal from Marine Boy Agency."

"But why would they choose the quirky ad over the luxury one? It doesn't make sense."

Ahn Ji-Yoon had actually dismissed Marine Boy Agency’s ad proposal. It was a common strategy to present two contrasting concepts during an ad pitch—one good and one bad— expecting that people would naturally choose the better one. However, Hoop Entertainment surprisingly chose the less favorable one. Understandably, this development became a headache for Ahn Ji-Yoon.

"What do you think, Miss Yung-Sook? What do young people like these days?"

Lee Yung-Sook fell into contemplation as she knew that Ahn Ji-Yoon favored JUN Planning's concept. However, in all honesty, she found the Marine Boy Agency's concept much more interesting. Lee Yung-Sook decided to take a risk and share her views, which ran contrary to that of the chief of the department.

"Looking at the ads and banners on streaming sites, this kind of approach seems to be becoming popular. It's unconventional for network TV ads, but..." Lee Yung-Sook hesitated before continuing. "Personally, I think going even bolder might be more effective!"

"What? You mean we should spice up the current plan even more?"

"Yes. If we plan to make things interesting, we might as well go all out."

Lee Yung-Sook gulped and waited nervously for Ahn Ji-Yoon's response.

"I see..." Ahn Ji-Yoon nodded before gathering the entire publicity team for a vote.

The vote concluded with an 11 to 9 majority in favor of the quirky ad concept.

"Okay. Let's trust Miss Yung-Sook's judgment this time." Ahn Ji-Yoon decided to go with an option she usually wouldn't.

Previously, her decision to hire the popular idol Park Eun-Bin as a model had resulted in a disastrous outcome. This time, she was willing to bet on something different.

***

[Nave Live Search Rankings]

1st The Last Episode of The Morning Takes Off

2nd Viewership of Episode 26 of "Morning Is Going"

...

6th Jung Yoo-Jin

7th Burger Queen Part-Timer

8th Burger Queen's Burger Maiden Jung Yoo-Jin

Finally, Yoo-Jin's first acting role in The Morning Takes Off had concluded. The final episode achieved a viewership rating of 25.9%, causing a stir at MBS broadcasting station.

Even Kim Myung-Hak, a famous CP, personally called Hoop Entertainment. Gu Seong-Cheol was flustered by the rare call from such an influential figure, and even Kang Ji-Yung sent her personal congratulations.

Thanks to the publicity division’s hard work, the entertainment section of Nave was filled with articles about Yoo-Jin.

[Jung Yoo-Jin. The Discovery of a New Star!]

[From Cheonho-dong's Burger Maiden to Entertainment's Rising Star.]

[What's Next for Burger Maiden Jung Yoo-Jin?]

[Jung Yoo-Jin Ranked 21st in the World's Most Beautiful Women!]

The last article seemed to be a sensationalized one based on a blogger's personal ranking of beautiful women in the world, with Yoo-Jin coming in 21st on the list.

‘Okay, this is a bit of an exaggeration.’

Nonetheless, all the articles portrayed Yoo-Jin in a positive light, each garnering hundreds of comments.

(Comments)

-That was amazing. Yoo-Jin unnie's acting was phenomenal. Such a commanding presence!

-I’m really looking forward to the year-end award ceremony.

-Clearly, she's a strong contender for the Best New Actress award this year.

-She's captivating. Completely drawn to her.

Yoo-Jin's Instargem followers were also rapidly increasing.

"Oppa, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I’m just checking out your articles."

We were currently at Marine Boy Agency’s Studio in Apgujeong, waiting for a shoot for a CF. As I searched up the articles while waiting for the staff to pick us up, Yoo-Jin asked as she was unable to contain her curiosity.

“Are there any negative comments about me?”

"Not at all. Everyone is praising you and saying how much they enjoyed the drama."

Yoo-Jin said she was okay with everything else, but she was genuinely shaken by the idea of reading comments. I filtered out and read only the positive ones to her—after all, managing an actress' mental well-being was part of the talent agent’s job.

I omitted the comment saying that Yoo-Jin has a dough face, which seemed to have been written by Park Eun-Bin.

Hearing the positive feedback, a bright smile bloomed on Yoo-Jin's face. "That's a relief. I'll have to work even harder next time!"

Yoo-Jin’s joy from hearing the comments made her seem like a true celebrity.

‘Yes, this is how one slowly becomes a celebrity.’

"Anyway, let's aim to nail the CF in one go today."

"Okay."

A little while later, a staff member from the set hurried over to our vehicle. The staff led us into the studio where we saw the CF director sitting in front of several monitoring screens.

However, the director was someone I recognized.

'What? This person directed this ad? This is a big deal indeed.'

The future genius of advertising, Park Bull-Chool, was directing today's ad.

With disheveled hair and a pair of round glasses with no lenses, Park Bull-Chool approached Yoo-Jin. "Nice to meet you. I'm Park Bull-Chool and I’m in charge of today's set."

"Hello, Mr. Park."

Park Bull-Chool couldn't hide his delight upon seeing Yoo-Jin. "Haha. It's an honor to be called a director by you, Miss Yoo-Jin. I'm just a humble ad maker. Nothing more than that."

"Not at all, Mr. Park. I'm really looking forward to working with you today," Yoo-Jin said with a beaming smile as she mentioned how she loved the ad concept, giving a double thumbs-up.

However, that was a blatant lie. Yoo-Jin was horrified by the ad concept when I showed it to her yesterday.

-What?! Are you asking me to film the ad while wearing an animal costume?

-Didn't you say you've taken on mascot jobs before?

-Yes, but this is different! I mean, a bear costume is one thing, but a snake? I've never even worn a chicken costume!

-Hey, you've worn half of them already. That's good enough. Chickens and snakes are animals too, so it's all the same. Think of this as an opportunity to gain experience. And remember, it's like a part-time job. The ad pays well, right? Do you think earning 50 million won is easy?

-Well, that's true, but...

-Just focus on the money.

The promise of money, or rather the heartfelt appeal, eventually made Yoo-Jin agree reluctantly. The power of capitalism certainly triumphed over everything. However, what truly made Yoo-Jin let go of her reservations was Miso. To provide for young Miso, Yoo-Jin needed all the financial support she could get.

But when Miso started clapping her hands in excitement during practice for the ad saying it was fun, Yoo-Jin's attitude changed completely.

-Oppa, I'll give my all to this bear performance! I will make it a heartfelt one!

I wasn't exactly sure what giving her all to the bear performance meant, but that's how our conversation ended yesterday.

And now, it was time to witness that heartfelt bear performance.

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