Chapter 4: Chapter 3

Before Kang Eun-tae scouted Ha-eun, the storyboard for the commercial had already been finalized. Everything from the overall concept to the image they wanted to convey to consumers was submitted to the client, Handong Pharmaceuticals.

However, the model for the ad remained undecided up until just days before the scheduled shoot. Han Min-ah, the ad team leader from Handong Pharmaceuticals and the liaison between the company and Kang Eun-tae, was feeling the pressure mounting day by day.

This was why she invited Kang, who was also her college junior, to a cafe for a direct conversation.

“Well, well, the sun must be rising in the west tomorrow if you actually called me out,” he said with a teasing smile.

“I called to see if you were still alive. Why on earth do you ignore my calls and only answer Minsu’s?” she retorted, exasperated, remembering all her attempts to reach him as he’d kept her on radio silence.

The topic of the child model for the commercial came up immediately after.

“When are you going to choose the model, Eun-tae?”

“I already did.”

“…What? You chose someone?”

“Yes.”

His gaze was unwavering. Min-ah knew from college that, while he could be cheeky, he wasn’t one to lie. Her initial plan to give him a stern talking-to faded, and she asked who he had selected.

Kang rummaged through his bag and pulled out a crumpled newspaper, pointing silently at an article with his finger.

**"A Child Pitcher Who Throws Better Than the Starting Pitcher"**

- On the 19th at the Suwon game against OG, young pitcher Lee Ha-eun shocked spectators with her flawless pitching form. A fan, who had attended with his girlfriend, joked that this was the first time he’d seen a pitch hit the strike zone for the Sehwa Eagles.

Kang’s finger rested on the photograph of Ha-eun, positioned center on the page. The image showed Ha-eun lifting one knee, locking eyes with the catcher, radiating a charisma rarely seen. Her graceful features added to the effect.

Despite her striking pitch form and attention-grabbing looks, Min-ah raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me… the model you chose is…”

“It’s written here in big letters—Lee Ha-eun.”

“So, you’re actually planning to shoot a commercial with this child?”

“Why not? I already got her parents’ consent.”

Casting someone as the main face of an ad was a different story, though. Min-ah decided to listen to what Kang had in mind, hoping he hadn’t impulsively chosen Ha-eun just based on the impact of her first pitch.

“She’s incredibly calm for her age. But even more impressive, she knows how to set the mood.”

“The mood?”

“When Ha-eun looked at the screen with those eyes… she looked like she was about to devour Min Gwang-chul, the catcher.”

Kang then elaborated on Ha-eun’s aura, which he had witnessed firsthand, rationalizing his choice with a mixture of personal observations and future expectations.

“If you look at commercials with child actors, they’re all the same. Lots of laughing and grinning, but no real seriousness.”

“They do it because there’s demand for that.”

“That demand won’t last long. We’d be better off distinguishing this ad from others.”

Min-ah had to admit he had a point. If his concept had been entirely unreasonable, she would’ve scrapped it the moment she received it. The higher-ups had given the green light because they believed it had potential.

However, Kang was known as a perfectionist. While he was well-liked by clients, he didn’t have the best reputation with staff and actors due to his exacting standards.

If he pushed Ha-eun, who was essentially an ordinary child until recently, it could lead to various complications. There was a risk that they might be accused of exploiting her.

“If people start talking, it could get tough for you, too. Be flexible, alright?” she advised, leaving room for compromise.

Kang nodded a few times in response.

“I wouldn’t be too hard on a child,” he said.

“Already forgot about when you had to apologize to Song Seo-ah’s mom, have you?” she reminded him pointedly.

Caught off guard, he averted his gaze. He had clearly forgotten an incident from only a few months ago, and Min-ah shot him a look.

“This time, it’s a bit different from that. I probably won’t need to push Ha-eun too hard.”

“Don’t you think you’re expecting too much? She likely hasn’t even had any acting lessons.”

“If she can just maintain that natural aura, this isn’t the kind of ad that needs much acting.”

Frankly, Min-ah was beginning to wonder what was so special about this “mood” he kept emphasizing.

But three days later, at the scheduled ad meeting, her questions started to be answered.

“Oh, Ms. Ha-eun’s mom! Over here!” Kang waved.

Hand-in-hand with her petite mother, a quiet young girl approached. She paused, gently bowing before lifting her gaze to meet Min-ah’s.

“Hello.”

The calm greeting in her soft voice helped Min-ah finally grasp what Kang meant by Ha-eun’s “mood.”

…This is the girl he ran into by chance at a baseball game?

**‘Lucky guy.’**

She had once been furious at Kang for blowing off work to take in a game without even selecting a model. But now, she couldn’t care less. This was, perhaps, fate.

“…Why are you staring like that? You’re scaring me.”

“Ha! Don’t pretend you’re afraid of anything,” she scoffed.

***

“Ms. Ha-eun, you and your mother can sit in those black chairs over there.”

Following Kang’s guidance, we entered a surprisingly large conference room. Around the long table, a few people were already seated, including a particularly muscular man in the corner, likely part of the production crew.

“Would you like some water or orange juice?” a friendly woman asked as I sat down. After some thought, I chose orange juice, and she handed me a fresh 500ml bottle.

“Alright, let’s go over the commercial in more detail now,” Kang’s voice echoed as the meeting began.

He turned on the projector, and the storyboard for the ad appeared, drawing everyone’s attention.

“This commercial’s concept is ‘Healthy Children, Healthy Future.’”

The story was an expanded version of what he had explained to me earlier at the cafe. The sketched images on the screen provided a clearer picture of each scene to be filmed.

But then, a new detail emerged that made me do a double take.

“Ha-eun will receive a baton from Kim Min-jun, then jog around the track. Oh, by the way, we’ll be adding some CG effects to the baton, so don’t shake it too much.”

The moment I heard the name of the additional cast member, my mind filled with questions.

Wait, no one mentioned I’d be filming with a national athlete!

“Actually, we only confirmed him recently. Initially, we had someone else in mind, but after watching your first pitch, Kim Min-jun himself wanted to join. He thought it’d be fun.”

In other words, I was partly responsible for his decision to participate. If you think about it, who better embodies a healthy image than a national athlete? So it’s not entirely strange for him to appear in a vitamin commercial.

The problem is, this isn’t just any vitamin ad; it’s a children’s vitamin ad. That means I need to ensure my presence isn’t overshadowed by the national athlete’s.

**‘Why is this so challenging?’**

I realized I needed to come up with a strategy. It wouldn’t be easy for a child who had one day of fame to outshine a national athlete’s presence.

Whether or not I could meet him in advance to assess his aura, I asked cautiously.

“Hmm, I doubt you’ll meet him before the shoot day. But just in case, we’ll try reaching out,” Kang replied, sounding somewhat evasive.

That was when I started sensing that my commercial fee might be hanging by a thread.@@novelbin@@