episode_0099

Unlike the slender and agile Kwon Hanguil, his colleague was quite bulky.

The man who had rushed over after receiving a call slammed his head onto the cafe table as soon as he saw my face.

It was a clear and gentle voice.

The man, raising his head and lowering his voice, asked me, “Are you Mr. Acklert?”

… Are we really playing this game? Out of the blue like this?

Seeing my surprised expression, he handed me a business card.

KJ Entertainment’s subsidiary in the YouTuber division, casting manager at KaiJu, a subsidiary. Manager Oh Seokjin.

“For now, let’s move to a quieter place. It would be awkward if someone overhears us and recognizes Mr. Acklert, wouldn’t it?”

I was grateful for his consideration of me and followed him as we got up from our seats.

“How about we have a meal and chat? I’ll guide you to a nice place where you won’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

“Yes, then.”

As Oh Seokjin left to retrieve the car from the parking lot, Kwon Hanguil looked at me with a resentful gaze and asked, “You said you didn’t want to eat when I suggested it…”

“I really have no interest in the entertainment industry.”

While Kwon Hanguil’s meal was filled with ulterior motives, Oh Seokjin’s meal was filled with consideration for me.

That’s why I accepted.

The place we moved to was a beef restaurant.

As I had appointed KaiJu, a subsidiary under KJ, to handle the early morning, I used the excuse of going to the restroom to leave my card at the counter.

If they started taking advantage of the situation, the two of them might start making various requests, so it was to preemptively shut that down.

“First of all, thank you once again.”

Oh Seokjin, the manager, lightly tapped his forehead on the table for the second time. I asked why he was expressing his gratitude so much.

“What did I do to deserve this?”

Oh Seokjin tapped his head on the table again. His exaggerated actions almost made me burst out laughing, but I managed to hold it in.

“Mr. Jindun. In fact, we had tried to contact you several times. But since it was an unknown number, you never picked up, so we were about to give up…! But then Mr. Acklert suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave us hope.”

“I see.”

“Yes, Mr. Jindun. Are you… applying?”

After all the talk about going viral, it turned out that Oh Seokjin had lied to Kwon Hanguil.

Judging by the reaction, it seemed that there weren’t many applicants with star quality.

“Yes, I recommended you. You seem so busy these days… Whether you pass the audition or not, we’ll have to see, but could you tell me what the compensation is for successful candidates?”

“Most of it is written in the announcement.”

“I want more detailed information. I need to know for sure so I can persuade my sister.”

Oh Seokjin hesitated, clasping his fingers and bowing his head.

It seemed like he was debating whether to disclose internal information.

Unable to make the decision alone, Oh Seokjin glanced at Kwon Hanguil and then nodded with a strange expression. Soon, Oh Seokjin clapped his hands.

“Alright. Let’s say Mr. Acklert has revealed his identity only to us. Let’s make a deal with that secret.”

Even though he couldn’t show me all the data he had, Oh Seokjin carefully selected and shared only the parts that I would be curious about.

Out of consideration for him, I didn’t bother to take notes. I didn’t want to risk Oh Seokjin using the information against me if I left a record.

“It’s a difficult request, so thank you for listening.”

“Oh, no. I could have pretended not to know earlier, but you insisted on calling me Mr. Acklert. That’s enough.”

“Just in case, I want to mention that it would be awkward if you give me more points just because we met.”

“Don’t worry about that. There are separate judges for that. I’m just a busy person looking for good candidates.”

With that, Oh Seokjin casually touched his phone. He soon proudly proved that he was a top-tier member of the Aclerct Channel.

He didn’t even subscribe hastily to meet me. He had been a subscriber for a whopping 30 months. He was an early member of Aclerct and had left a lot of comments.

It’s safe to say that his username is still in Chaewon’s memory.

“Hey. But really…. Why aren’t you an idol?”

At the mention of being an idol, Kwon Hanguil burst into laughter on his own.

“Why are you laughing, hyung?”

“Oh. I’ve already said that a few times and got rejected.”

“Oh. You got rejected. I’m sorry, I said something unnecessary.”

At first, I thought it was nonsense, but as industry experts kept saying it repeatedly, it gradually gained credibility.

But no matter how suitable a person is for being an idol, the dream this girl truly desires is becoming a stronghold for Jung Siwoo.

Therefore, she would never sell her face on a broadcast for no reason. Life would only get more tiring if she were to be known for no reason.

“By any chance, how about debuting as a YouTuber?”

Kwon Hanguil glared at Oh Seokjin with a sharp look. Even though they were close, it seemed like he didn’t like the idea of taking away a talented person.

“I have no interest.”

“I thought so.”

Glaring at Kwon Hanguil, who seemed to be waiting for a response, this time Oh Seokjin looked at him with a resentful look.

“To be honest, I’ve been a fan for 3 years and today I luckily met the real person, right?”

“That’s right?”

“Just reveal your face. Then you’ll easily hit 5 million.”

Kwon Hanguil cut off Oh Seokjin.

“What nonsense are you talking about. Then the mystery will be gone. You’re a YouTuber casting manager.”

“Well, that’s true. But you’re not going to do YouTube, right? It’s much better to just reveal your face. To waste such a pretty face….”

It was all true words… But I didn’t urgently need money, and was there a need to show this charming appearance to many people?

This lovely appearance of Min Chaewon belonged to Jung Siwoo alone, so I didn’t want to show it to others.

“There’s a reason for it. I would appreciate it if you could understand.”

During the hour-long meal, Oh Seokjin’s manager praised Aclerct to the point where it was embarrassing for me to listen, and eventually, Kwon Hanguil had to shut his mouth with meat.

But wasn’t I a former fan of Aclerct?

The praise-filled evaluation was truly pleasant to hear, and I even joined in the praise a few times.

I might have looked like a strange woman praising herself, but Aclerct’s performance truly moved many people.

In fact, isn’t it proven by 1.2 million subscribers?

As I finished the meal and received my card back at the counter, the amount on the receipt was much lower than what I had eaten.

“I was going to treat you to a meal, why go Dutch?”

Kwon Hanguil smiled and handed me a strawberry-flavored candy he took out of his pocket.

“Because of the bribery method, it would be awkward for us to keep taking advantage of you.”

“But it must have been quite a bill….”

“It’s okay. I’ve earned enough. Right, Seokjin?”

“Of course. Honestly, just seeing the real Aclerct today is worth at least 500,000 won.”

“Stop exaggerating.”

“No, really. I didn’t know how precious Hyung’s Acleart was!”

I chuckled and tucked the card into my wallet.

Both of them are good people. They are passionate individuals who give their best in what they do, sometimes boldly diving in and other times listening attentively with seriousness.

Debuting with these kinds of people gives a feeling that everything will turn out well for them.

“Manager Kwon Hangil, please take good care of Baek Cheongha. Manager Oh Seokjin, please take care of Jin Saeyub… I mean, Saebyeok.”

I nodded in gratitude.

As if waiting, Oh Seokjin greeted me politely, and Kwon Hangil quickly grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

“Well then, let’s meet again when the opportunity arises.”

“If you ever feel like becoming a YouTuber, please contact me!”

“Hey, don’t feel pressured!”

“Regrets, regrets!”

I waved goodbye to the two laughing individuals and let out a long sigh.

Baek Cheongha, who finally found her path after wandering, and Jin Saeyub, who faced economic difficulties but never gave up. The third act of their lives.

I wonder how they will turn out. I’m already looking forward to it.

Maybe we’ll see them next year?

Hoping that no bad stories will fill their Wikipedia pages, I started walking towards the main road to catch a taxi.

But when I checked my phone, there were over 30 missed calls. I put it on silent to avoid being disturbed during the meeting, but someone kept calling incessantly—

“Excuse me.”

I heard a familiar voice from behind.

Surprised, I turned my head and saw Siwoo standing tall under the streetlight, looking at me.

“Uh, what’s up. How did you know where to find me?”

Even if this guy shares the same ego as me, it’s suspicious for him to follow me all the way here.

Just as I was about to ask if he was tailing me, Siwoo walked up to me and hugged me as if he couldn’t hold back.

“I was worried because you disappeared without saying anything.”