The office of Top Entertainment.
Woosung looked outside the window.
A crowd of fans was waiting for the black van to open.
“We love you!”
“Lee Ari! We wanna see you!”
“You’re the best, Ari!”
The fans ranged from teenage girls to grown men in their 30’s. Standing next to Woosung, Jang Gwanchul murmured.
“Wow, she’s definitely a big star.”
“How about you? Do you like her too?”
Jang Gwangchul replied. “Of course I like her, but I have no chance with her.”
“Why not? With your success, it might happen. Even today’s meeting was possible because of your status.”
Jang Gwangchul looked outside and answered bitterly. “Haha, I have been working so hard all my life. Then I suddenly realized that I’m over 40. Lee Ari is over 20 years younger than me. I have no chance with her.”
“Age difference is only a number. There are plenty of couples with large age gaps. What matters is love.”
“You sound like you want me to date her.”
“Haha, it’s not like that. I’m just wondering why you aren’t dating anyone.”
“Well, all I have left in me is greed. I have no energy for relationships. It’s you who should be dating right now. Lee Ari is in your age group, right? Good luck!” Jang Gwangchul murmured.
While they chatted, Lee Ari, her manager, and their boss walked in. Woosung bowed to them.
“Nice to meet you. I’m KND’s Kang Woosung.”
“My name is Lee Ari.”
It was true that most celebrities looked better in person. Lee Ari was beautiful, magnificent even, much more so than on TV.
Her features were delicate, yet she had an aura of subtle sexuality. Woosung shivered but tried his best to act nonchalantly.
“Let’s have a seat. I’m sure you guys are all busy, so let’s get to the business.”
Lee Ari’s eyes shined. Woosung was different.
Usually, whenever she met a stranger, they always gawked at her.
“You are so much more beautiful than on screen.”
“You look gorgeous.”
“Can I shake your hand?”
“I went to the same junior high as you did!”
Every man she met always tried to impress her, but this man was different. Lee Ari’s interest grew.
Woosung opened his laptop to start a presentation for her. He had done many major presentations in front of a large crowds before. This was a piece of cake.
Steady voice.
Confident eye contacts.
Simple yet direct presentation.
Accurate data.
It was perfect.
Woosung spent about 30 minutes on where Lee Ari’s career should head. After the presentation, the CEO of the Top Entertainment asked.
“So you’re saying she should give up her cute girl image and aim to become a classy yet sexy star?”
“Yes.”
Lee Ari smiled and asked. “Thank you for your presentation. I appreciate how hard you worked to hire me for your product. What I don’t understand though is why I should become a model for Coconut Talk.”
“Let me ask you first. Did you like my presentation?” Woosung answered immediately.
Lee Ari nodded with a small smile.
“Coconut Talk is a messenger system. In the future, users will converse about everything via this app, including you.”
Woosung looked at her. Lee Ari was the daughter of a politician. She understood what Woosung was suggesting, but her manager was oblivious.
“You haven’t answered her question…She asked you why she should become the spokesperson for Coconut.”
Woosung turned to the manager and answered.
“Well, firstly, I am offering a good compensation for the role. I will double whatever you usually charge other companies.”
Lee Ari and the CEO seemed surprised. The manager tried to hide his reaction and continued.
“But…Lee Ari can’t be bought. She hasn’t done many commercial works and it wasn’t because she wasn’t offered enough.”
“I am well aware of that fact, and that’s why I brought this presentation.”
The manager pointed at the report and complained. “I am also unhappy with this report. What you suggest doesn’t suit Ari. Classy sexy? That’s not right for her. What people want is innocent girly Ari.”
CEO Moon Yongjun seemed to feel the same way. “I agree with you that her first album was a success, but it may not have been necessary because of its sexy concept. The second album wasn’t as big of a hit, but not necessarily because it lacked sex appeal.”
Both the manager and CEO didn’t like Woosung’s suggestion despite the data Woosung provided as proof. Woosung turned to Lee Ari.
She seemed to have a different opinion but remained silent.
Woosung was out of ideas.
‘What should I do now…Is this not going to work after all?’
Woosung felt the strong need to hire Lee Ari. He changed the future of Coconut Talk including its release date and format. Woosung worried this could change the success of the app as well.
‘All I need is for Lee Ari to like my idea. The other two don’t matter.’
While Woosung waited, the manager added. “The entertainment industry is not something you can predict with data. Lee Ari is not someone who can be analyzed and judged by internet data.”
“1.5 million dollars.”
“Pardon?”
“I will offer you 1.5 million dollars for a one-year contract. All you have to do is upload photos of yourself using Coconut Talk on Facebook.”
The CEO suddenly looked interested. The manager glanced at his boss. When neither replied, Woosung offered.
“2 million dollars. Same conditions.”
The CEO looked at Lee Ari, who stared at Woosung. Her manager started to pant.
two million dollars. It was a lot of money. Woosung looked at of them. None of them replied.
“How about three million dollars.”
“What?”
Three men exclaimed. The manager, CEO, and Jang Gwangchul.
“But that would require TV commercial too,” Woosung added.
Jang Gwangchul poked Woosung but was ignored.
Woosung looked at Lee Ari. She was the one who had the power to make this decision. Three million dollars was a lot of money, but she would be worth it. The number of users she could attract was limitless.
“What do you think? Would this be enough?”
When Woosung asked, the manager and Moon Yongjun looked at Lee Ari. 3 million dollars was definitely worth it. They no longer cared about Woosung’s presentation and what he recommended. They wanted the money. Lee Ari looked at them in disappointment.
“It’s enough money, but…”
When Lee Ari hesitated, Woosung offered again. “5 million dollars.”
Lee Ari was shocked. “… pardon?”
“I will give you 5 million dollars.”
Jang Gwanghcul’s eyes widened. Moon Yongjun and the manager couldn’t even breath. The room was filled with tension. Woosung stared directly at Lee Ari.
When she didn’t answer again, Woosung said one more time.
“10 million dollars.”
“…”
No one breathed. Lee Ari’s eyes were in shock. Jang Gwangchul laughed awkwardly.
“H…aha, Woosung is very funny. He likes to joke.”
“I’m not kidding. I believe Lee Ari is worth every penny.”
Jang Gwangchul shook his head. “Hahaha. O..of course I know Lee Ari is the biggest star out there, but…Can we talk in private, Woosung?”
Woosung had eyes only for her. He asked her.
“What do you think?”
