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Ad.

The moment when Ha-eun first stepped into the entertainment industry during her childhood.

At the same time, the clearest symbol representing Ha-eun’s current popularity.

Especially in the case of this bed advertisement.

It’s an ad for the famous company ‘Sears,’ which holds the unrivaled number one position in the furniture industry, and the ad itself is also widely recognized.

Most of the celebrities featured in advertisements up until now have been star celebrities.

“What on earth was my sleeping appearance like?”

Although it remains a mystery exactly what made Sears choose Ha-eun as the bed advertisement model.

One thing is for sure: Ha-eun received similar evaluations as many star celebrities who had been models for Sears.

Above all, that enormous advertising cost.

The countless zeros in the advertisement contract.

“…Is this for real?”

“In this day and age, you’d be in big trouble if you wrote a fake contract.”

With the option of refusal completely erased from Ha-eun’s mind.

Regardless of how Ha-eun’s sleeping appearance was in <2 Nights 3 Days>, it was decided to go ahead and shoot the bed advertisement.

Thus, within ten minutes, the advertisement discussion came to an end.

It was right after this that Jeong Do-cheol called Ha-eun to the representative office to discuss another reason: drama casting.

“It’s a drama called <The Shunshine>. It’s not broadcast on public channels but on cable, and the actors and the drama’s writers seem to have some name value.”

The Shunshine.

A drama that was praised for its content, direction, and performances of the actors.

And the lead actress’s home environment, which brought about a sense of déjà vu.

It stood out in a slightly different way compared to other dramas.

“They want our actor to play the role of ‘Kim Jeong-hyun,’ the lead actress.”

After being told to take a look, a thick script was handed over to Ha-eun.

As she slowly skimmed through the story she already knew.

At that moment, the memories of Kim Jeong-hyun and her past life began to overlap.

“I’ll do it.”

Feeling like there was no need to worry any longer, she immediately decided to participate.

Jeong Do-cheol’s slightly surprised voice asked if she really didn’t need to think more about it.

“It’s not that urgent. I think you can think it over and decide.”

He then added that, given the nature of pre-produced dramas, the filming period would likely be quite long.

Even so, Ha-eun’s thoughts remained unchanged.

“I really want to try acting as a wealthy lady. I feel confident I can do it well.”

“Well… If our actor feels that way.”

Ultimately, the discussion regarding the drama casting ended earlier than expected.

However, Ha-eun’s participation in <The Shunshine> was decided much faster than Jeong Do-cheol had anticipated.

“We have some child actors participating in the child audition for <The Shunshine>. So….”

Another proposal related to <The Shunshine> came up much sooner than expected.

“I hope our actor can briefly interact with them as ‘Kim Jeong-hyun.’”

It turned out that this child audition was for casting the role of “Young Park Joo-ho.”

It was also said that just giving them some experience of acting alongside Ha-eun would be a big help.

“I thought working with the real Kim Jeong-hyun would be better than being taught by an acting academy teacher. What does our actor think?”

After pondering for a while, Ha-eun felt it was right to help where she could and accepted the proposal.

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t too difficult of a request.

It was only after confirming that all of Jeong Do-cheol’s business was finished that she received the know-soon.

Just as the moment came to say she could leave.

“Um, Representative.”

“?”

“That is, today at school—”

Ha-eun revealed her worries that had been occupying her mind to Jeong Do-cheol.

After all, Jeong Do-cheol was not only the head of Ha-eun’s agency but also a veteran who had been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years.

I thought that with all the entertainers he had managed so far, he could give Ha-eun some effective advice.

Maybe that’s why.

“That’s something unavoidable. That’s just how this industry works.”

Ha-eun was taken aback when Jeong Do-cheol said there was no way to solve her worries.

If even Jeong Do-cheol, who had experienced countless incidents in the entertainment world, said there was no way, then it must be true.

“Of course, from the actor’s standpoint, it may be uncomfortable. But from those friends’ standpoint, it’s harder for them to treat the actor comfortably.”

“Why…?”

“Well, not only did you debut as a singer first, but you’re also close with those Dimwits.”

For Ha-eun, Dimf is a group of people she has known for over ten years and is thoroughly familiar with.

However, for her fellow classmates who are trainees, Dimf is truly a successful senior.

That’s why the trainee friends were overly respectful toward Ha-eun.

Of course, no one would say anything if Ha-eun didn’t show respect, but there was more than just Ha-eun for the trainees to consider.

“Even the tiniest things like greetings are nitpicked by idiots in this industry. To avoid being criticized by those trashy people, they have no choice but to treat you with respect.”

After all, for trainees, the most important thing is their reputation among their peers.

If any rumors about being disrespectful to seniors start to spread, it can become uncontrollable.

In the end, the one who bears the heavier burden isn’t ‘Lee Ha-eun’ as a friend of the same age but ‘Pinocchio,’ a singer close to Dimf.

It didn’t matter that Ha-eun and the trainees had remained close friends until now.

“Well, they probably don’t actually want to distance themselves from you, so you just need to maintain some decorum in front of others.”

“…Alright.”

Immediately after, Ha-eun rose from the plush couch in the representative’s office.

After politely bowing to Jeong Do-cheol, she was going to step out of the office with Jo Jung-yoon.

“Wait a moment.”

“?”

For some reason, Jeong Do-cheol asked her to wait a moment.

More precisely, just a few seconds later, Jo Jung-yoon was handed a black credit card by him.

“Since this is a company card, make sure our actor eats somewhere nice and expensive.”

“Re… Representative, you really don’t have to do this—”

“This is a work instruction. If you buy something cheaper than I expect, it will reflect poorly in your work evaluation, so keep that in mind.”

A whole new type of doubt filled Ha-eun’s mind.

Nonetheless, she had to leave the office without knowing anything properly.

“What do you want to eat?” Jo Jung-yoon asked urgently right after.

“Uh… salad?”

“Too cheap!”

“Then how about a slice of cake? Tiramisu is also good.”

“Those are all snacks! I need something for a meal!”

“…I can’t think of anything else…”

Ultimately, giving up on asking Ha-eun, Jo Jung-yoon began searching for nearby restaurants on his phone.

Then, sorting them by high prices.

“Oh, let’s go for omakase!”

“Um…”

“D…on’t you like it?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it, but I’ve never had omakase before.”

“Experiencing new things is all part of it. Let’s just go and think about it.”

Thus, Jo Jung-yoon’s van eventually started heading toward a high-end omakase restaurant.

About 20 minutes later, sitting across from Jo Jung-yoon in some extremely fancy room, Ha-eun found herself in disbelief.

“This is freshly caught abalone.”

‘…Why is there only one?’

She was taken aback by how meager the food was compared to the exorbitant price.

Of course, it tasted good, but somehow…

“Can’t you just serve it all at once?”

“This kind of place usually serves one plate at a time.”

The value for money was incredibly low.

It felt like a complete waste of money.

*

“Hello. I’m Lee Ha-eun.”

“Oh, Ms. Lee Ha-eun. Welcome.”

It was now the day of the advertisement meeting between Ha-eun and Sears.

Arriving right on time at the Sears headquarters, Ha-eun and Jo Jung-yoon faced a man named Park Hwan-soo, who introduced himself as the head of the marketing team at Sears.

After receiving a warm welcome and being guided inside the Sears headquarters.

‘Is it because it’s a furniture company? The interior is…’

Following Park Hwan-soo into an elevator that looked very classy.

They soon arrived at the meeting room on the top floor.

-Swoosh.

“Here’s the contract. Please read it slowly, and if you have any questions, just let me know.”

After a while, Ha-eun leafed through the densely packed text in the contract.

However, the Legal Team at Luna Entertainment had already completed a rough review.

“Um, Mr. Park, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

After rechecking vital aspects like the advertising fee and terms and firmly closing her mouth.

“What was it about my sleeping appearance that left an impression?”

“Uh, my sleeping appearance?”

“Yes.”

She asked the question that had been nagging at her ever since she was offered this bed advertisement.

Park Hwan-soo seemed slightly flustered but eventually responded after a moment of contemplation.

“Well, I’d say it looked incredibly comfortable… Like you were having a ‘deep sleep.’”

To put it more accurately, saying that Ha-eun’s sleeping illusion in <2 Nights 3 Days> was impressive was on shaky ground.

The reason for casting Ha-eun as the model for this bed advertisement was strictly due to her high popularity and that image.

Autumn was just about to start.

That meant the ‘Autumn Wedding & Moving Season,’ which is typically a booming time for the furniture industry, was also about to commence.

Thus, they wanted to recruit Ha-eun, a currently popular celebrity, as a model for the bed advertisement.

To bring meaningful change to Sears’s somewhat stagnant sales.

Her stunning looks.

The soaring awareness from the endless articles.

And dramatically, the ‘noble lady’ and ‘model student who wakes up on time’ image forged by Ha-eun in <2 Nights 3 Days>.

Surely would appeal to premium brands.

This allowed Sears to see the value Ha-eun brought as an advertisement model in a different light.

The enormous advertising cost, which bewildered Ha-eun, stemmed from this extended perspective.

However, Ha-eun, who had apparently accepted the bed advertisement contract right away, was hesitating with her signature for some reason.

“Is there something strange in the contract?”

He gently asked the reason for Ha-eun’s hesitation.

Now that the advertisement agreement couldn’t fall apart, it was crucial.

A timid voice from Ha-eun reached him right after.

“Um, I… I want to give the bed I’ll be advertising to my parents as a gift. Is it possible to order it now?”

“O…order?”

“Yes.”

Honestly speaking, it took him aback.

Ha-eun was the first advertisement model to suggest an ‘order’ rather than a ‘sponsorship.’

Maybe that’s why.

“Well, once you sign the contract, the bed will arrive within a week. Since it’s provided at no charge, just make sure everything’s set up properly.”

“No, no charge?”

“It’s not that special to provide advertising products to our advertisement models. We have provided it for other models as well.”

Now, Park Hwan-soo was the first to express his willingness to sponsor.

As long as they signed the contract, that level of additional condition could be easily granted.