Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 27



Only Noblemtl

Episode 27

Park Kang-soo, whom I met after two months, looked very bright.

“Now, listen, Mr. Jeong Hee-seong. This is the tea I bought on my way back from my recent overseas business trip. I heard that it’s really good for calming the mind and body. I’ve been drinking it every morning and evening these days and it’s been really effective. Haha.”

Heeseong nodded slightly while drinking tea with steam rising from it.

“I will drink well.”

After taking a sip, Heeseong looked at Park Kangsu.

“How is your health? Are you overdoing it these days?”

“A bunch? What is that? Are you drinking it?”

Park Kang-soo shook his shoulders vigorously as if trying to show that he was in good condition.

“After going through this, I know one thing for sure: the most important thing is mental health. Physical pain and fatigue can be cured quickly, but mental problems are very fatal. When stress is gone, I can’t tell if this is paradise or heaven. Hahaha.”

In fact, Park Kang-soo’s complexion had brightened considerably compared to two months ago.

There were certainly enough times for that.

Because a lot has changed since that time when we were worried that we might lose our industry number one position.

All of this was thanks to the information Heesung gave me.

“Did you see the news this morning? The Single-Targeting Act was abolished. I actually didn’t know it would come to this, so I was quite surprised when I saw the article. I thought it would be at best a temporary deregulation.”

“Isn’t this a better situation for you, sir? You must have already made all the preparations.”

“Haha, that’s right. Other places are just now starting to hurriedly prepare, but we’ve already finished everything. In fact, an order has been given nationwide to put it into action starting today.”

“From today? Just because it was announced today doesn’t mean the bill will be implemented right away. It’ll take at least a few months.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t matter. I can take responsibility for all the problems. It’s a bill that was already decided to be abolished, so who would enforce it properly? It would be better if we could benefit more customers during that time.”

It’s not for nothing that he became CEO in his 40s.

His business style is to push forward like a bulldozer once he sets his mind to something without thinking about the consequences.

After completing all preparations in advance using the information provided by Heesung, aggressive marketing was launched at the same time as the government’s announcement.

While other competitors were just now meeting and formulating strategies, NS Telecom had already begun work to secure the market lead.

This meant that any government warnings or lawsuits or accusations from competitors that occurred during the process would be lightly ignored.

Because the little things are no problem at all compared to the benefits you will gain.

After slowly savoring the tea, Park Kang-soo looked at Hee-sung and smiled happily.

“How are you doing these days? I guess you must be quite busy as a manager because the status of the actors you have changed. You must be getting a lot of calls from all over the place.”

Heeseong smiled as if he would not deny it.

“I’ve never given out business cards before, so I’m just amazed at how they know and contact me. I can’t manage my battery at all, so this is the first time in my life that I’ve bought something like this. It’s a good feeling, but also a bit strange.”

Park Kang-soo looked at the auxiliary battery plugged into Hee-sung’s cell phone and chuckled.

“Wasn’t this something everyone expected? Even elementary school aspiring singers know that if you film a commercial for our telecommunications company, you’ll become a star overnight. It’s not surprising at all. Plus, this time, the new model launch coincided with it, so the size of the commercial was unprecedented.”

Kim Ye-seul had no recognition until just two months ago.

But now, he is receiving so much public attention that he receives dozens of love calls a day.

From entertainment shows and advertisements to interviews for various media, and even drama and movie scenarios.

Those who knew that Kim Ye-seul did not yet have an agency openly presented conditions to Hee-sung.

If she persuades him to come with her, he will give her the best treatment, from salary to title to benefits.

Since I received dozens of similar calls and texts every day, my phone’s battery was running low.

“It’s all thanks to the CEO’s great care. The scale of the promotion is enormous, not just TV commercials but also online virals. I was personally very surprised. With this amount of budget, it would be comparable to several other big commercials.”

There is a common misconception that TV commercials cost a lot of money to produce.

That’s because what we often see are the expensive salaries of famous celebrities.

However, compared to the total budget spent on advertising, the cost of advertising production, including model fees, is only a very small portion.

The cost of advertising broadcasting is incomparably high.

Even for a mere 10 or 20 seconds of advertising, hundreds or thousands of dollars must be paid, so the higher the frequency, the more the overall budget will skyrocket.

This NS Telecom advertisement featuring Kim Ye-seul as a model was exactly this case.

The information secretly received from Heesung, along with the launch of a new model and Park Kang-soo’s strong will to maintain the industry’s number one position, led to a huge investment.

Thanks to this, Kim Ye-seul, who was unknown without even one masterpiece, has now become a true ‘New Star’ who appears whenever you turn on TV or the internet.

“It’s only natural that we should give something back when we receive something. Didn’t Jeong Hee-seong say that from the moment we joined hands, it would be a mutually beneficial relationship that would benefit everyone? I think we’re halfway there now, right?”

Heeseong nodded at the word ‘half’.

The reason the two met today was to talk about the remaining half.

“Well, I think it’s time we first talked about. Shouldn’t we start putting it into action? It’s for Jeong Hee-seong’s sake, but we also need to get the timing right so that we can maximize our synergy. How can I step forward at this point?”

Hee-sung had already finished his work in advance.

The reason I planned this from the beginning was just for this moment.

To ensure a definitive ending, it was now his turn to pull the final trigger with his hands.

Heeseong nodded, checking the watch on his left wrist.

“Yes. I think the conversation is in full swing there by now.”

***

At the same time, in the MBS Director’s Office.

Director Baek Myeong-han, CP Oh Jae-ho, and PD Kim Jae-han were sitting on the sofa in a triangle formation.

Baek Myeong-han looked at Kim Jae-han as if he was frustrated and urged him.

“Hey, Kim Jae-han. It’s been two months and you still can’t let go of that stubbornness? What’s the matter with you? Do you have a special connection with him? Is there something personal?”

“Chief, isn’t it time for you to give up your stubbornness? The situation is completely different from two months ago. Back then, you were just an unknown actor with no name recognition, but now you’re a newcomer that everyone is looking for. At this point, I’m saying you’ve at least achieved the level of recognition required for a leading role.”

“Ha, you’re really just saying annoying things. How many years have you been an assistant director? Five years? How can someone who knows everything in five years say something like that? A single drama costs tens of billions of won, so you can’t just throw someone into a lead role just because they’ve barely gained some recognition. Hey, Oh Jae-ho. Why didn’t you teach your kid that? Huh?”

When sparks suddenly flew towards him, Jaeho Oh scratched his head and made a troubled expression.

“I watched the audition video, and I don’t know about anything else, but his acting skills were definitely there. Maybe it’s because he came from a theater company… .”

“These guys, for real. Hey! Who is this guy doing this because of his acting skills? Even though we’re the ones making dramas, we can’t help but look at the profits, right? Are you digging the ground to make a drama? Who’s paying for the production costs? If you have something to show off, you’ll beg or beg for something!”

With a long sigh and a further calming of his excited tone, Baek Myeong-han opened his mouth again.

“Hey, Jaeho, Jaehan. Don’t you know how I feel? I used to be like you guys, and when situations like this arose, I wanted to grab the hair of my superiors and shake them. But as time went by, I realized that everything has its own way of life.”

“… … .”

“Think about it. The director is a rookie, the writer is a newbie, and the lead actor is a total unknown without a single masterpiece. Who would invest in a drama like this? What about advertising? Even if we outsource it, even the production companies would reject it. Let’s put all our emotions aside and think rationally, okay?”

It certainly wasn’t a wrong statement.

Moreover, it was a concern that was understandable since I was in the position of director in charge of the drama department.

Oh Jae-ho also started to persuade Kim Jae-han as if he had no choice.

“Jaehan, this time let’s do as the director says. Now we really have to get ready. We have a lot of work to do in the future, so let’s go with Cheon Si-eun this time, and then when there’s a better opportunity next time, let’s do it with that friend. If Cheon Si-eun comes in, they’ll take care of all the other additional parts, right? Right?”

“… … .”

“If you give in just once, everything will be easy. You can’t just be an assistant director forever. You have to get a salary to gain power and authority. Fortunately, Cheon Si-eun is still active, so let’s do as the director says this time. Okay? I’ll help you with anything I can. Okay?”

Despite Oh Jae-ho’s persuasion, Kim Jae-han kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he just stared at someone’s cell phone on the table.

It’s about time I cried.

Jiying.

Jiying.

At that moment, the cell phone in front of Director Baek Myeong-han began to vibrate for a long time.

Baek Myeong-han turned away from his stuffy gaze toward Kim Jae-han and connected the call.

“Yes, hello.”

What appeared on the LCD screen were 11 unsaved numbers.

That’s why Kim Jae-han had no choice but to swallow his saliva.

Because it was easy to guess who the caller was.

As expected, the director’s expression began to change immediately.

“What are you talking about now… … . Are you hoping to get production support for our MBS drama? From NS Telecom?”

Production support by NS Telecom.

CP Oh Jae-ho’s gaze also turned to Director Il-sun at those two words.

“No, no. It’s not that we can’t do it… … It’s just that it’s so sudden. It’s also the first time for us to have a company sponsor the entire production cost… … Are you really serious about that, sir?”

“omg.”

All production costs, sir.

This time, those words made Oh Jae-ho’s eyes widen even more.

Only Kim Jae-han remained silent with a tense expression on his face.

At that moment, the face of Director Baek Myeong-han, who was on the phone, began to change drastically.

He opened his mouth and questioned the other person as if he had just heard an unbelievable story.

“Wait, wait. Who…? Jung Hee-sung? So the one who made that suggestion to you was actress Kim Ye-seul’s manager… … . You said that you would only invest the entire production cost if she was chosen as the lead role… … .”

A concise and clear answer from the other party can be faintly heard over the phone.

That’s right.

The investment that Hee-sung proposed to Baek Kang-soo two months ago was to support the entire production cost of this drama.

By joining as a sponsor for a terrestrial drama, in conjunction with NS Telecom’s aggressive marketing strategy, the synergy will be maximized even further.

This information had already been relayed to PD Kim Jae-han and the writer, and the writer had even gone so far as to change all the company names appearing in the script to NS Telecom.

In other words, Hee-sung was confident that if Kim Ye-seul’s popularity changed 180 degrees in two months and her only weakness, investment, was resolved, the broadcasting station would absolutely not be able to object.

Believing in that conviction, the director, the writer, and even the person on the other end of the phone that the director is holding now moved according to his plan.

After a while, the director ended the call and stared blankly into space for a while.

Then, he spoke to Kim Jae-han in a tone that was both empty and completely devastated.

“Now I have no reason to object? You can proceed with this drama as you wish, Kim Jae-han.”

Genius Manager Who Hears Voices