Possessed 10 Million Actors - Chapter 154:

“Insurance?”

Go Seoyeong asked, tapping Jang Sunho on the back of his head. Without looking at her, Jang Sunho casually replied.

“Yes, it’s a kind of spy… No, it’s more like a bodyguard.”

“You hired a bodyguard?”

“Not exactly. I’ve assigned someone to follow Actor Kang Jinseok.”

She looked at him with a puzzled expression and cautiously said, “You ordered stalking? If Actor Kang Jinseok finds out—”

“Stalking? I didn’t send someone with bad intentions. I informed Actor Kang Jinseok as well. I told him that it would be another manager following him, not me.”

“If it’s not Team Leader, then another manager… Ah.”

Go Seoyeong seemed to have figured something out.

“The new employee who recently joined, Ha Jun, right?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a complete newbie. You assigned Actor Kang Jinseok to him?”

“Yes.”

Go Seoyeong felt a bit disappointed with Jang Sunho’s brief answers. However, at the moment, she was more curious about the intention behind assigning Jinseok to a newcomer.

“CEO! Could you take a photo with me too?”

As Go Seoyeong was about to ask about it,

“Sure. Come in.”

“CE-CEO, me too!”

“Come in. Let’s take a photo together.”

“CEO, um, can I post this on my SNS…?”

“Of course. But you need to post the one where I look good.”

At the entrance of the restaurant, Oh Haneul, who was as popular as most celebrities, was visible. Jang Sunho pointed to Oh Haneul and said, “Deputy, won’t you take a photo with the CEO?”

“Well, I don’t really… Haha.”

Go Seoyeong smiled charmingly as she looked at the crowd gathered around Oh Haneul.

“More importantly, leaving Kang Jinseok to the new guy. It’s not like Team Leader Jang Sunho to make such a decision.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because the Team Leader always emphasizes that Kang Jinseok should receive the best treatment, almost to the point of obsessively repeating it. So, it’s surprising that Team Leader left Kang Jinseok to a newbie.”

Listening to Go Seoyeong’s words, Jang Sunho nodded slowly. Rather than expressing agreement, it seemed more like he was thinking, ‘I guess people could see it that way.’

“At least in Japan, that guy will probably do better than me. Especially in supporting Kang Jinseok’s personal vacation like this.”

Jang Sunho glanced at Go Seoyeong and spoke.

“…?”

As Jang Sunho had always been someone who relished in his own excellence, it was quite rare for him to admit that someone else might be better. Instead of conveying a sense of agreement with her words, it felt more like a thought of ‘I suppose one could think that.’

“Let’s have lunch. Today, they have sausage and vegetable stir-fry. It’s a menu you like, Deputy.”

—

Hokkaido, Sapporo.

While Jang Sunho and other employees returned to Korea, Jinseok came to Sapporo to fulfill Tadano’s request by finding a ramen restaurant.

As Jinseok walked towards the Sapporo Station exit, he spoke to the man next to him.

“I apologize if you couldn’t go back to Korea because of me.”

There was no hierarchical relationship between celebrities and managers.

However, when Jinseok bowed his head and apologized, feeling overwhelmed to apologize to himself, whom everyone else recognized as a “top star,” Ha Jun awkwardly extended his hand.

“Ah, no! I’m truly honored. It’s only been three months since I joined, and now I get to accompany a star like you all by myself.”

“Haha… accompany? Please don’t say that. Just treat it like we’re traveling together and feel free to be comfortable.”

While Jinseok was trying to make Ha Jun comfortable, Ha Jun naturally couldn’t treat Jinseok casually.

‘Hmm. Even though we got a bit closer while taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sapporo, he’s still nervous.’

Although Ha Jun was modest in his words, he was quite, or rather significantly, a high-spec man.

He had successfully passed the competition with a competition rate of over 100 to become a manager at OS Entertainment.

Being such a high-spec person, when Ha Jun told his parents that he had joined an entertainment company as a “manager,” they were extremely disappointed.

They had pressured him, saying, “Did I send you to Japan to study abroad so that you could work behind celebrities?” However, as soon as they heard his salary, they said, “You had a plan all along. Mom and Dad are proud of you.”

Glancing at Jinseok, who was heading toward the exit, Ha Jun made up his mind.

‘Anyway, this is my first solo assignment. I have to do well no matter what.’

To do that, he needed to eliminate the slight awkwardness between him and Jinseok. Ha Jun gathered his courage, smiled, and spoke to Jinseok.

“We finally arrived, Actor. The time… it’s past 6 p.m. It’s quite late. How about having dinner first?”

“Yes. I’ll pay for the meal.”

“That’s what I thought. Team Leader Jang Sunho gave me a black card and told me to use it no matter what.”

Ha Jun showed a black card from his wallet and smiled.

“But, Actor, I still don’t know why you came here. Could you tell me?”

“Oh, Manager, he didn’t tell you? Team Leader said to support whatever you do with all our might and to handle any problems that might arise.”

“I see.”

Somehow, Jinseok’s voice felt like it was providing reassurance. Jinseok smiled appreciatively and said,

“I have a ramen place recommended by my acquaintance. Let’s go there.”

***

“Ramen?”

I must have seemed perplexed. Ha Jun blinked and asked,

“R-Ramen? Did you come all the way to Sapporo to have ramen? From Tokyo?”

“Haha, yes.”

“Wow… Is it a really famous place?”

“Not really. It’s an old place, but it has a local gem vibe. It’s not far from the station. This way.”

As I led the way, Ha Jun followed closely behind me.

‘Anyway, what should I do?’

Although I was heading to a ramen shop in Sapporo to fulfill Tadano’s request, I didn’t have a clear solution for ‘how to revive a failing restaurant.’

If I were with Jang Sunho, he might casually ask and provide a good solution. However, in reality, I didn’t have a concrete way to help a struggling restaurant.

While walking, I pondered various thoughts, but I didn’t have a good solution. If Jang Sunho were here, he might ask subtly and offer a helpful solution.

‘Jang Sunho Manager recommended Ha Jun, right?’

The employee recommended by Jang Sunho, who stuck with Jinseok, would undoubtedly be a capable person.

Although he was currently nervously saying, ‘I’m a newbie!’ with an anxious expression beside me.

‘Even so, maybe I should ask once?’

Rather than having an uncomfortable journey with awkward glances, it might be less awkward to put our heads together and think about how to save the ramen shop.

As I glanced at Ha Jun, who was nervously glancing at me, I made up my mind.

‘Let’s ask once.’

Ha Jun, showing an awkward smile, asked,

“Did I… make a mistake or something?”

“No, no. It’s not that. There’s something I’d like to ask.”

With a slightly tense expression, Ha Jun leaned toward me and asked,

“Please, ask me anything.”

Thinking about how to phrase it, I decided to be straightforward. Instead of beating around the bush, it seemed better not to hesitate. I didn’t even know how to phrase it differently.

“How can you revive a failing restaurant?”

“…Yes?”

Ha Jun’s expression crumbled. It seemed that suddenly bringing up the topic of a restaurant had thrown him off guard.

Even I felt my explanation was insufficient, and perhaps it was natural that Ha Jun’s expression changed due to the sudden shift to a discussion about a restaurant.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure, and Ha Jun looked at me again with a serious gaze.

“I don’t know why you’re asking about this, but it might be a bit challenging. Are you okay with that?”

“Uh… yes. I’ll listen first.”

“First, you need to determine whether the restaurant is a franchise or an independent one. Most franchises have operational guidelines, so even if you know what the problem is, you can’t make significant changes.”

The person who was anxious just a while ago spoke in a surprisingly knowledgeable manner, sharing his experiences with a prominent owner in the food industry and even referencing a well-known paper.

It felt like I was attending one of Jang Sunho’s lectures after a long time.

“So, you need to comprehensively understand these factors first. I don’t know if this was helpful.”

“Haha… Yes, thank you. It was a big help.”

To be honest, I didn’t understand anything as much as when Jang Sunho gave difficult and professional advice. Ha Jun hesitated and said, seemingly aware of my bewildered voice.

“Um… The theory might be difficult, but applying it in reality is simpler than you think. Just like an actor shining when they act well if the food at a restaurant is good, customers will recognize it. Such restaurants only need promotion. On the contrary, if the food isn’t good… no matter what methods you use, it’s inevitable that it will fail.”

In the end, taste is the most important factor. Ha Jun, who seemed embarrassed to talk about something trivial, provided me with the most realistic advice.

‘The ramen shop that Tadano mentioned. He said the taste is good. In that case…’

I thought about promoting the ramen shop on SNS so that others could discover its taste.

The problem was that Jang Suhon had been in charge of managing SNS until now. I had never posted a photo I took myself, and I didn’t know how to write a good caption.

Looking at the delicious-looking photos of food on SNS, anyone could become hungry. At that moment, someone came to mind.

‘Should I ask for help from author Yang Chihoon?’

***

“Manager, I’ve compiled the list of production companies that can handle Japanese, as you requested. Also, here’s a list of agencies with Japanese-speaking actors or actors from Japan. I’ve sent the files separately via messenger.”

Go Seoyoung handed several documents to Jang Sunho.

“Thank you. By the way, when will the list of actors who applied for our auditions and can speak Japanese be ready?”

“I’ll check right away.”

While they bantered and exchanged words when it was just the two of them, Go Seoyoung was serious when it came to work. Seeing Go Seoyoung return to her seat, Jang Sunho stretched.

“I wonder what Kang Jinseok is doing now. I heard he arrived in Sapporo a while ago.”

He had heard that report from Ha Jun about an hour ago.

“As long as there’s nothing special, he said there’s no need to report. No news is good news. Yeah, let’s just hope there’s no contact.”

Wooong.

At that moment, Jang Sunho’s phone buzzed.

“Check KANGREALSTONE’s Inbyulgram post.”

“…”

A ‘notification’ arrived, completely ignoring Jang Sunho’s intentions a while ago. Since Jang Sunho only followed Jinseok, this was a rare sight of a social media notification, who usually had little interest in it. Even more unusual was the fact that Jinseok rarely used social media, and whenever he needed to post something, Jang Sunho usually helped him organize the photos and captions. In a hurry, I checked the post.

“Is Kang Jinseok, the actor, uploading to SNS…?”

[Currently enjoying Miso Ramen in Sapporo. It’s really delicious.]

(Photo: Kang Jinseok eating ramen)

“…”

As expected, Jang Sunho, who had not used SNS much, was at a loss for words at the description and the hastily taken photo of his face. It seemed like there was a need for quick editing, but there were already constant ‘likes’ and comments accumulating, so it seemed too late.

However, there was a bigger problem than that…

[@YANGisSheepPHOTO✓]

The shooting technique I mentioned is not like this… But still, a perfect picture came out thanks to your shining appearance.

The familiar nickname, a comment from the photographer Yang Chihoon. I didn’t know what he meant by ‘the mentioned shooting technique,’ but Jang Sunho first checked other comments.

[Wow, I’m in Sapporo right now. Is anyone familiar with this place?]

[Wow, amazing. I’m in Sapporo right now too.]

[Anyone who knows, quickly. Before Jinseok disappears after eating.]

[Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry]

People began to locate Jinseok. And with fierce determination.

Among the numerous comments, the most problematic one emerged.

[Oh? This is a ramen shop deep in the alley near Sapporo Station.]

(Photo: Ramen shop map)

Someone had figured out Jinseok’s location.