After the fan meeting, Seoyeon suddenly realized she hadn’t properly thanked Park Jung-woo. She wasn’t exactly sure why he had given her the coffee, but she suspected it was because she had looked a bit down, and he wanted to cheer her up.

But still…

'I just took the coffee without even thanking him.’

All she had said to him was, “Why are you here?” after receiving the coffee. Since she had another reason to talk to him, Seoyeon thought maybe she should treat him to a meal as a way of making it up.

And without wasting any time, she texted him.

• Are you crazy?

 

That was the reply she got.

He was apparently too worried about getting caught in a scandal if they were seen eating together. After all, she was still a minor, and being seen alone with a young actress could easily lead to rumors, Park Jung-woo explained.

'Well, that can’t be helped.’

Seoyeon decided she’d make it up to him another time. Since he didn’t reply after that, she didn’t dwell on it.

Truthfully, the real reason she wanted to meet with him wasn’t just to buy him a meal.

‘I wanted to ask him about writer Min Se-hee.’

With Sky Garden currently filming, she could probably speak to the writer directly if she wanted to. But it still felt awkward, and she thought it might be easier to ask Park Jung-woo about what the writer liked. Unfortunately, she had failed.

‘Did he catch on?’

Park Jung-woo, being the perceptive actor he was, must have sensed that she was trying to ask a favor.

Still, the fan meeting had left a lasting impact on Seoyeon. She hadn’t expected to run into someone there.

"……."

Thinking about it made her thoughts a bit jumbled.

‘I’ll deal with that later.’

With that thought, Seoyeon turned her attention back to the present. She was currently in the car with her manager, Park Eun-ha, heading to a meeting.

Today, she had a meeting scheduled with the chair brand "Aidis."

 

"Hello, I’m Gwak Hyun-woo, the head of advertising for Aidis."

"Hello, I’m actress Ju Seoyeon."

As they greeted each other, Seoyeon could sense him sizing her up. It wasn’t anything new to her—she’d seen that kind of gaze many times before.

People often looked at her like that, especially because of her young age and her relatively short career, which led some to doubt her abilities.

But this felt like a different kind of skepticism. She had seen it before from the PD of Turn on the King.

It was the kind of look that asked, Why is this person here?

But today, it seemed to go a step further, as if he were thinking, Why is someone like her here? And how much is she going to demand?

‘Well, that’s understandable. Aidis isn’t known for hiring expensive models.’

Expensive models hadn’t worked out for them in the past. Seoyeon knew this not from her past life but from recent articles she had read.

Even though Aidis was expanding its business, the chair market was highly competitive, so they were likely searching for new avenues.

"I’ve seen you quite a bit on TV recently. Your ad for Éclat Étoile was fantastic," Gwak Hyun-woo said as they sat down.

Starting with a compliment—it was a basic tactic. First, you flatter the other person to make them feel good, which in turn makes them more likely to reveal their intentions.

But Seoyeon could tell he was still trying to figure out why she was there.

‘He wants to know why I’m here.’

Of course, he couldn’t ask directly. And Seoyeon, with her calm demeanor, didn’t seem like someone he could joke around with easily.

‘She’s still a high school student, right? About to turn eighteen soon.’

For an actress, she was very young. But her expressionless face and the red glow in her eyes made it hard to tell what she was thinking. Even as Gwak Hyun-woo talked about her past roles, she only nodded without much reaction.

‘Her manager seems to trust her completely.’

The manager simply listened quietly, not intervening in the conversation. It was rare to see such confidence in a young actress’s ability to handle a meeting.

"So, may I ask what brought you to this meeting?" Gwak Hyun-woo finally asked, unable to hold back any longer.

After all, if this was about an ad, he needed to find a polite way to decline.

He’d complimented her enough that she wouldn’t take offense if he turned her down. He didn’t plan on using Seoyeon as a model but didn’t want to burn any bridges either.

Seoyeon, who had been quietly observing him, finally spoke up.

"To be honest, I’m interested in becoming a model for Aidis."

Of course.

Internally, Gwak Hyun-woo felt relieved that his assumption was correct. Now he just had to figure out how to decline.

"Sky Garden."

"Huh?"

"We’re currently looking for brands to sponsor Sky Garden. There’s even a public announcement about it."

Why was she telling him this?

Why would an actress talk about sponsorships for a drama?

Although Sky Garden was looking for sponsors, advertising a chair in a drama didn’t seem like a natural fit. And he wasn’t even sure what the drama was about.

"Sky Garden focuses on the lives of students," Seoyeon continued.

Specifically, it satirized the education system and academic elitism, which meant there were many scenes of students studying—at school and at home.

With this, Gwak Hyun-woo’s interest was piqued. He began to understand why Seoyeon had brought up the drama.

‘She’s suggesting that if we sponsor the drama, we’ll get good exposure.’

Seoyeon didn’t outright ask for sponsorship—after all, it wasn’t her place to do so. But she continued.

"I’ve been cast as the lead in Sky Garden."

"The lead?"

"Yes."

Gwak Hyun-woo quickly processed this information.

‘She hasn’t starred as a lead yet.’

He recalled that she had recently won a lead role in a film after a highly publicized audition. But so far, she hadn’t actually appeared in a leading role.

In her previous films, her roles had been significant but not exactly "lead" roles. One was a villain, and the other was a secondary lead at best.

‘But now she’s the lead.’

It seemed like Seoyeon’s career was progressing at a rapid pace. She was taking on multiple projects a year, just like many successful actors.

‘A lead role in Sky Garden and the potential to advertise student chairs…’

The idea had merit, but he wasn’t sure how effective it would be.

"But is it okay to tell me this? Isn’t revealing casting information risky?"

"It was made public yesterday, so it’s fine."

Oh, really?

Checking his phone, Gwak Hyun-woo found an article confirming that Ju Seoyeon had been cast as the lead in Sky Garden. It wasn’t exactly a secret anymore.

‘What a coincidence.’

Aidis was about to launch a new line of student chairs, and they were still deciding on a release date and advertising model.

‘This new product is crucial.’

With the local chair market saturated and international brands crowding in, Aidis needed a breakthrough. Their new focus on student chairs was their latest effort to stand out.

Sky Garden could be the perfect opportunity, especially with Seoyeon as the lead.

‘But…’

Gwak Hyun-woo hesitated. Was it really necessary to hire an expensive model?

Seoyeon noticed his uncertainty.

‘Good.’

Seeing his reaction, Seoyeon felt a small sense of relief. She didn’t know much about Aidis in this life, only that they were about to launch student chairs, and in her past life, they had suffered a huge blow when they were overshadowed by another brand due to Sky Garden.

That other brand had benefited enormously from their sponsorship in the drama, while Aidis had been left behind.

‘But that brand has its own issues.’

That brand would face scandals in a few years, including cheap Chinese imports and accusations of exploiting its workers. Even the models who appeared in their ads had their reputations tarnished by association.

That’s why Seoyeon hoped Aidis would step up and take that spot.

Not to mention, Aidis had been the brand of chair Seoyeon used in her past life when she finally got a job after much struggle.

‘If Aidis takes that spot, it’ll be fine.’

Aidis’s products were known to be of higher quality, and their new chair line was specifically designed for students.

After considering this, Seoyeon spoke again.

"I’m not asking for a high contract fee."

This caught Gwak Hyun-woo off guard.

"You can just pay me the same amount you’re paying your current models."

"Really? Is that true?"

His eyes widened in surprise. If that were the case, there was no reason to hesitate.

"If you’re serious about that, then…"

"Of course, there’s one condition."

"I knew it."

There had to be a catch. He braced himself for some unreasonable demand.

"Make sure I look really pretty in the ad."

"…Huh?"

"Especially intellectual-looking."

"…??"

At first, he thought she was joking. But seeing Seoyeon’s serious expression, he realized she was dead serious.

"That’s all you’re asking for?"

"Yes."

"Then…"

"Just make sure I look as beautiful as possible."

"Of course."

How many times would she emphasize that? He was caught off guard by the simplicity of her request.

‘Is that really all?’

Gwak Hyun-woo was stunned. He didn’t expect things to go this smoothly. All she wanted was to look good in the ad, something they’d already aim for.

"Alright, we’ll make it happen," he agreed without hesitation. After all, it wasn’t every day you could hire a rising star for such a reasonable fee.

 

And so, Seoyeon wrapped up the negotiation. She could only hope Aidis would secure the sponsorship deal with Sky Garden.

‘I remember that spot was filled last minute.’

It had even made the news. Apparently, the drama had almost gone without a chair sponsor, but the brand that stepped in had unexpectedly hit the jackpot, securing a dominant position in the student chair market.

One day, while filming Sky Garden, Seoyeon overheard a conversation.

"Oh, we’ve got another sponsor," said writer Min Se-hee with a somewhat conflicted look.

It seemed Aidis had agreed to sponsor the drama, just as Seoyeon had hoped.

"Don’t worry about the product placement. I’ll handle it in the script," said Director Kim Il-soo with a reassuring laugh.

Seoyeon let out a sigh of relief. Everything was falling into place just as she had planned.

"This chair ad you’re doing—it looks great," the director added, smiling.

"That’s why the product placement came through," Min Se-hee mused, finally understanding the connection.

"It’s a great opportunity," she admitted, though she couldn’t shake her doubts.

‘Will it really succeed?’

Even though everyone had high hopes for the drama, she couldn’t help but worry.

"Haa…"

Min Se-hee sighed as she felt someone’s gaze on her. She turned to find Seoyeon standing nearby, staring at her.

Startled, she flinched.

"Min Se-hee, can I speak with you for a moment?" Seoyeon asked calmly.

Min Se-hee froze in place.