Chapter 84: Chapter 83

Advertising.

It was the reason Ha-eun first stepped into the entertainment industry as a child and now, the clearest indicator of her current popularity.

This time, the offer was particularly significant: a bed advertisement for the renowned furniture company Sears, which held the number one spot in the industry. Not only was the company itself a powerhouse, but the ad series was already well-known. The previous models featured in their campaigns were almost exclusively top-tier celebrities.

‘What exactly was so special about my sleeping appearance?’

Ha-eun still couldn’t fully understand what had made Sears choose her as their model for a bed advertisement. However, one thing was certain: Ha-eun was now being evaluated on the same level as the many star celebrities who had previously represented the brand.

Most striking of all was the immense advertising fee.

The countless zeros on the contract—

“…Is this real?”

“In today’s world, drafting a fake contract would land us in serious trouble.”

This effectively erased the option of refusal from Ha-eun’s mind. Regardless of how her sleeping appearance in Two Days, Three Nights had looked, she decided to take the bed advertisement.

Thus, the advertising discussion wrapped up in just ten minutes.

Then came the next topic that had led Jung Do-chul to call Ha-eun into his office: a new drama casting.

“It’s a drama called The Sunshine. It’s not airing on a major network but on cable. Still, the lineup of actors and the screenwriter’s reputation make it stand out.”

The Sunshine.

A drama praised as a masterpiece, with exceptional plot, direction, and acting.

Something about the lead female character’s family background triggered a sense of déjà vu for Ha-eun. It left an impression on her in a way different from other dramas.

“They want you to take on the lead role, Kim Jung-hyun.”

Do-chul handed Ha-eun a thick script, encouraging her to take a look. As she flipped through the familiar story, a strange thing began to happen.

The character Kim Jung-hyun started to overlap with the memories of Ha-eun’s past life.

“I’ll do it.”

Without hesitation, Ha-eun agreed to the role.

Her quick decision caught Do-chul slightly off guard. “Are you sure? You don’t need more time to think it over?”

He added that the drama’s pre-production nature meant the filming period would be quite lengthy.

Even so, Ha-eun’s resolve didn’t waver.

“I’ve always wanted to try a role like this, playing a rich girl. I’m confident I can do it well.”

“Well… if that’s what you want.”

The discussion about the drama casting concluded much sooner than anticipated.

However, since Ha-eun’s decision to appear in The Sunshine was made so quickly, Do-chul brought up another related suggestion earlier than planned.

“A few of our child actors are auditioning for the younger version of Park Joo-ho. So, I was wondering—”

He asked if Ha-eun, as Kim Jung-hyun, could work briefly with the child actors during the audition.

Apparently, the role was for the younger version of a significant character, and interacting with Ha-eun would greatly help the auditioning kids.

“Practicing with the actual Kim Jung-hyun will be much more beneficial than with an acting coach. What do you think?”

After a moment of consideration, Ha-eun agreed to the request. It didn’t seem like a particularly difficult task, and she wanted to help where she could.

Once all of Do-chul’s business was wrapped up, he confirmed she could leave.

But just as Ha-eun stood and politely prepared to leave the office—

“Wait a moment.”

“?”

Do-chul stopped her, handing a black corporate credit card to Ju Jung-yoon, who had been waiting nearby.

“This is the company card. Make sure to treat our precious Ha-eun to the most expensive and delicious meal possible.”

“C-CEO, there’s no need for this—”

“This is an official order. If I find out you didn’t spend enough on this meal, I’ll mark it as non-compliance on your performance review. Keep that in mind.”

Ha-eun’s head filled with a completely different kind of confusion. Despite that, she followed Jung-yoon out of the office without further questioning.

“What do you want to eat?” Jung-yoon asked urgently as soon as they stepped outside.

“Hmm… Salad?”

“That’s too cheap!”

“Then maybe a slice of cake? Tiramisu sounds nice.”

“Those are snacks! I meant real food!”

“…Nothing specific comes to mind…”

Frustrated, Jung-yoon gave up asking Ha-eun and pulled out her phone to search nearby restaurants. Sorting the options by price, she declared:

“Ooh, let’s go for omakase!”

“Hmm…”

“What? You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that. I’ve just never had omakase before.”

“This will be a good experience for you. Let’s just go and see!”

Thus, the van headed toward a high-end omakase restaurant.

About 20 minutes later, Ha-eun found herself seated in an elegant private room across from Jung-yoon.

“This is freshly steamed abalone.”

‘…Why is there only one piece?’

The tiny portions stunned Ha-eun, especially considering the exorbitant prices. The food was delicious, but—

“Can’t they just serve everything at once?”

“That’s not how it works here. You’re supposed to savor each dish, one at a time.”

It felt like a massive waste of money, leaving Ha-eun with the distinct impression of overspending.

***

“Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun.”

“Ah, Ms. Lee Ha-eun. Welcome.”

It was finally the day of Ha-eun’s advertising meeting with Sears. Right on time, Ha-eun and Ju Jung-yoon arrived at the company’s headquarters and were greeted by a man who introduced himself as Park Hwan-soo, the head of Sears’ advertising team.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they were guided into the Sears headquarters by Park, whose demeanor was polite and professional.

‘It’s a furniture company, so it makes sense… but the interior design is impressive.’

Following Park, they boarded a sleek, high-end elevator. It brought them to the very top floor, where an elegant meeting room awaited them.

-Slide.

“This is the contract. Please take your time reviewing it, and let us know if you have any questions.”

Ha-eun spent the next few moments meticulously scanning the dense text of the contract. However, since Luna Entertainment’s legal team had already reviewed it in detail, she mainly focused on key points like the advertising fee and terms.

“Mr. Park, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

After double-checking the critical details, she finally spoke up.

“What about my sleeping appearance made it so memorable?”

“Y-Your sleeping appearance?”

“Yes.”

It was the question that had been on her mind ever since she’d received the offer for the bed advertisement. Park hesitated briefly, clearly caught off guard, before managing a response.

“Well, it… uh… it looked incredibly peaceful? Like you were having the best sleep of your life.”

To be honest, citing Ha-eun’s appearance while sleeping in Two Days, Three Nights as the reason for casting her was more of a convenient excuse. The real reason was her soaring popularity and favorable public image.

Fall was just around the corner. And with it, the furniture industry’s prime season for newlyweds and movers—the “autumn marriage and relocation boom.”

To capitalize on this, Sears decided to cast Ha-eun, one of the most buzzworthy celebrities of late, as their bed advertisement model.

Her stunning visuals.

Her skyrocketing recognition fueled by endless news articles.

And most importantly, the refined “noble young lady” and “responsible honor student” image she had crafted on Two Days, Three Nights.

‘It’ll definitely enhance our brand’s premium appeal.’

This solidified Sears’ decision to invest in Ha-eun as their model. Even the eye-watering advertising fee, which had left Ha-eun momentarily speechless, was part of this calculated plan.

However, despite having agreed to the deal initially, Ha-eun hesitated to sign the contract.

“Is there something wrong with the contract?”@@novelbin@@

Park inquired gently, careful not to pressure her. Losing this contract at this point was simply not an option.

Ha-eun’s voice, cautious yet sincere, broke the silence.

“Um, I… I’d like to give this bed as a gift to my parents. Is it possible to order one now?”

“O-Order?”

“Yes.”

To say Park was taken aback would be an understatement. Ha-eun was the first advertising model he’d ever encountered who asked about ordering rather than receiving a product through sponsorship.

Perhaps that’s why—

“If you sign the contract, the bed will be delivered within a week. It’ll be provided free of charge, so all you need to do is make sure it’s installed properly.”

“F-Free of charge?”

“Providing the product to our models is a standard practice. It’s nothing unusual. We’ve done the same for every other model as well.”

This time, it was Park who proactively offered to provide the bed as a sponsorship. If Ha-eun signed the contract, granting her such a request was a trivial matter.

With that reassurance, the negotiation was one step closer to completion.

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