Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 21



Only Noblemtl

Episode 21

“I was wondering if you could collect some of the money you owe me back then.”

Director Lee Tae-ji widened his eyes in puzzlement at Hee-seong who suddenly brought up the topic of debt.

“Debt? What debt? Huh? Did I ever borrow money from Heesung? No, how much? I’m not the type of person to make a mistake like that.”

Heeseong smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, “That’s not it.”

“It’s not that kind of debt, it’s something the director told me a while ago. He told me to let him know if I ever needed help with anything, and that he would help me with anything I could. I wonder if I can use that voucher right now.”

“A ticket? I gave it to Heesung… … .”

Lee Tae-ji, who was usually very forgetful, started rolling his eyes to recall when he had said such a thing.

Then, I opened my mouth wide as I remembered something that happened exactly half a year ago.

“Ah! Right, that’s right? I remember now! Hey, haha. Right, right. If it weren’t for Hee-sung, I would have been in big trouble back then. Thanks to Hee-sung, I’m still surviving without a break, otherwise I would have hit rock bottom a long time ago. And I got all sorts of humiliating words from him. Phew.”

Even thinking about it again, Itaewon’s body trembled as if his spine was tingling.

The events of that time were truly like going back and forth between heaven and hell.

Itaewon asked again, blinking his eyes.

“But you came here to collect that debt? You said you weren’t asking for a job at our company. What else could our Heesung possibly be asking me to do?”

Heeseong didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly.

“Director, I have some commercials coming up this year. I’d like you to audition a friend of mine for one of them. Is that possible?”

Lee Tae-ji was a well-known music video director and commercial director.

Originally, music videos and commercials had similar endings, so if a director was capable, he would receive requests to do them at the same time, and Lee Tae-ji is exactly that type.

And while Heeseong was working at Line Planning, most of the advertisements for communications, beverages, etc. were shot by Lee Taeji, and so they naturally became close.

Since Heeseong was the youngest in the team and took charge of many tasks, he often went with him to meetings or ran errands or went alone.

As a result of the ‘big incident’ mentioned earlier, Lee Tae-ji was in a huge debt to Hee-sung.

Lee Tae-ji tilted his head in confusion at Hee-sung’s story and asked back.

“The friend that Hee-sung is working with? You said it’s only been a week since you started working there? But who are you already in charge of? Who is he?”

“He’s a friend who came from a theater company and has pretty good acting skills. He hasn’t been exposed to TV or the media yet. In fact, he auditioned for an MBS mini-series and received good reviews, but he was cut by the higher-ups because he wasn’t well-known. So he needs some kind of justification at this point.”

“Justification? Are you talking about recognition?”

“Yes, the PD and writer in charge want to cast him as the main character, but the higher-ups are strongly opposed to it, saying that an unknown actor can’t get any ratings or advertisements. However, if the director and writer acknowledge him, that means his acting skills are beyond anything else.”

“Hmm… … That’s true. The fact that they boldly chose a newcomer as the lead role means that, beyond just acting ability, the image they had of the role fit perfectly. It’s not easy to make that kind of choice unless you’re completely hooked. And both writing and directing at the same time.”

Although Lee Tae-ji readily agreed with Hee-sung’s words, he rubbed his chin as if he still didn’t understand and asked.

“But you want me to audition for an advertisement? Can an advertisement really have that much of an effect? ​​And, it’s common for advertisement models to be paid hundreds of millions of won and only famous stars are chosen. Don’t you think Heesung knows that? He personally selected the candidates and made all the internal decisions.”

“Yes, as you said, most ads are like that. Except for some very ‘exceptional cases’.”

Heeseong looked at Lee Taeji and immediately added.

“I’m telling you about that exceptional case now, because it seems like you, the director, are taking advantage of that opportunity.”

“… … A chance? For me?”

Heeseong nodded with a meaningful smile.

“It’s a telecommunications advertisement. If I remember correctly, it was about a month later. When I checked, I heard that the model hasn’t been decided yet. That’s why I came to see you like this to ask you a favor.”

The telecommunications advertisement that Heesung talked about was also the last task he was in charge of while he was in charge of Line Planning.

As a famous domestic news agency, they put out a new concept advertisement every few years, and this was the time, and Lee Tae-ji was also supposed to be in charge of filming the advertisement.

Hee-sung, who quit the company while working on that project, knew the concept, content, and schedule better than anyone else.

Itaewon also seemed to have finally realized Heeseong’s intentions and let out a laugh.

“Oh, right. That’s what you came to see me for, huh? So, what you’re saying is that you want me to use the actor that Hee-seong is in charge of as the model for that telecommunications company’s advertisement, right? To raise awareness?”

“I don’t really like the expression ‘I’m being biased’, but I’m asking for at least an audition opportunity. Fairly.”

“Hey, you! You’re so transparent, what the heck. If you wanted a fair chance, you could have just quietly submitted your application. Why did you come here and take a bribe? At this early in the morning?”

“I happened to see the director’s studio sign while I was passing by, haha.”

Hee-sung scratches the back of his head with a sly smile.

Itaewon smiled as if he found that kind of humor cute and yet cheeky.

“It seems like working at an advertising company was quite helpful. If not, Heesung wouldn’t have come up with that idea. The advertising concept, schedule, and even the fact that the models are all ordinary people, that’s something only someone who’s not a Line planner would know, right?”

“Haha, that’s right. Of those, the biggest benefit is that I have the contact information of such a famous director and the friendship of being able to visit his studio in person.”

“Hey, Heesung, you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you. You’ve been flattering me in ways you wouldn’t normally say. It seems like your social skills have improved by leaps and bounds. Huh?”

“I’m not a flatterer, but I think I need to change. My job is different now, and my position has changed a lot.”

It may seem quite strange that a famous advertising director who was in charge of the country’s largest advertisements and Heeseong, who was only a part-time worker at the time, maintained such a close friendship.

But there was a reason for that. It was because Hee-sung had found the final version tape that Lee Tae-ji had lost half a year ago.

These days, unlike in the past, it is common to directly transmit the final version of the film as data, but at that time, an ENG camera was chosen for filming due to concept and color issues.

As a result, the final version of the film was left on tape, but cinematographer Lee Tae-ji lost it.

It was a truly precarious situation where not only would everything that had been filmed have to be re-filmed, but Lee Tae-ji would also have to pay all the costs involved.

Without being able to tell anyone, Lee Tae-ji searched for the tape in a state of panic. And the only one who noticed Lee Tae-ji’s situation and approached him was Hee-sung.

So, just the two of them started a minesweeper mission, like an intelligence operation.

Exactly two days after that.

The tape was discovered by Hee-sung, and Lee Tae-ji, who had been refraining from eating or drinking, ran to the studio barefooted and hugged Hee-sung tightly.

If I could, I would spend the whole day just washing my face.

It was then that Lee Tae-ji made that promise.

If a situation ever arises where I need your help, I will listen to you unconditionally, without asking any questions.

If you tell me to die, I’ll even pretend to die, so don’t hesitate and tell me anytime.

If Heeseong had not found the tape at that time, it would have been natural for Lee Taeji to suffer a huge financial loss along with the damage to his image as a director.

And today, Heesung came to fulfill that promise.

“Hmm, let’s see. First of all, I understand what Heesung is talking about. What about your profile? Surely you didn’t come here empty-handed to ask for something like this?”

Hee-sung said, “How could that be true?” and took out the profile file from his bag and handed it to Tae-ji.

“Huh? I had an image of you because you came from an extreme background. This is completely different from what I had imagined. It’s a very clean image. Very clean.”

“That’s right, so there are aspects where your acting skills stand out more. What do you think, Director? Doesn’t it fit perfectly with the concept of this telecommunications company advertisement?”

“Ah, don’t pressure me too much. I’ll think positively. Don’t pressure me too much. I’m scared to review this. Review it.”

Now that he had come this far, Heeseong had no intention of backing down, so he immediately took out his cell phone and held it out in front of him.

Kim Ye-seul’s audition scene began to play on the LCD screen.

“This is the audition scene I told you about. If you listen closely, you can hear small exclamations of admiration from people around you. That’s the judges’ reactions.”

“Oh, me. I’ve become a full-fledged salesperson. I’ve become a full-fledged salesperson. It’s so sad that someone this good at sales is stuck in the office all the time. Ugh.”

Lee Tae-ji watched the audition scene with his eyes fixed on Kim Ye-seul’s acting, his gaze fixed on Hee-seul’s acting, without losing focus until the very end.

Then he put the phone away again and spoke to Heesung.

“But you know, this isn’t something I can just stick to. I’m sure Heeseong would know better, but this is something that needs to be reviewed internally and then confirmed by the advertiser. How can I make such an important decision by myself?”

Heeseong smiled leisurely at Itaewon’s sudden appearance of taking a step back.

“Usually, yes. But as I said earlier, this advertisement is a very ‘exceptional case.’ Is there anyone among us who doesn’t know that the advertiser and the director communicate directly?”

Lee Tae-ji is that kind of director. He has more sense and ability than anyone else in the commercial field, and he proves himself only through results.

So, not only advertising companies, but also advertisers in a powerful position are looking for a CF director as their number one priority.

Especially in the telecommunications and beverage sectors, there was no comparable competitor.

This was the scenario that Heesung had in mind from the beginning.

Something that can raise Kim Ye-seul’s profile in one go, and create a lot of buzz and fandom at the same time.

So, a leading actor who can generate economic benefits no less than that of Cheon Si-eun.

The first step on that path was being selected as a model for this telecommunications company’s advertisement.

This was possible because it was the last task I was in charge of in line planning and I knew the process better than anyone else.

Plus, the expensive ticket I had received without knowing that this day would come.

Lee Tae-ji was truly a ‘magpie that repaid the favor.’

The magpie looked at Heeseong as if it had raised both its hands and feet and raised the corners of its mouth.

“Let’s try it. Let me pave the way for Heeseong to go.”

Genius Manager Who Hears Voices