The Genius Manager Who Sees Algorithms, Episode 18
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18. The Standard of the Algorithm
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A shimmering energy radiated from the top of the document envelope. It was unmistakably related to an algorithm.
[Q: ????]
[Yes] or [No]
But unfortunately, everything was a question mark. There was no information available to discern either the choices or the outcome.
‘Is it not the right time yet?’
Since I felt it so suddenly, I was sure there was something to it, but I couldn’t just rummage through the Team Leader’s belongings. It was a real dilemma.
‘What on earth is inside that makes the algorithm react?’
I couldn’t just wake up the Team Leader, who had finally fallen asleep. It was the first time I’d seen him sleep like that, and if I woke him up to ask questions, I might get chewed out. That would be the fastest way to become a pariah.
For now, I kept the energy of the envelope in mind and headed toward Seoul. Whatever that was, I needed to focus on the web drama *Academy Romance* for the time being.
We arrived at the company parking lot after 10:00 PM. After watching her all day, it was clear that Yang Jimin was definitely A-list.
‘Honestly, her acting skills aren’t earth-shattering, but the image she naturally exudes is truly captivating.’
She was an actress who created a romantic atmosphere just by standing there. She was the type of actress whose emotions naturally deepened depending on the look in her eyes. Yang Jimin was exactly the kind of actress people referred to as someone who "makes a living off her image." That wasn’t an insult. That, too, was a formidable weapon.
As I stepped out of the car, Yang Jimin’s vehicle arrived right behind us.
"Why? Not heading straight home?"
"I’m going to stop by the PR team to pick out some photos."
To think she’d come back to the company while dragging such an exhausted body—Yang Jimin was quite the workaholic.
"Alright, then. Everyone worked hard. Jung-woo, you can head out now."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, everyone."
I said my goodbyes and was just about to turn away when a familiar face approached us. I looked closely to see who it was, and it was Go Arin in a tracksuit.
"Oh? What are you doing here at this hour?"
"I felt restless at home, so I’m on my way back after catching a movie."
It looked like she had been watching movies again to get into character. She really was a practice bug.
"I was just about to head off, so let’s go together. I’ll give you a ride."
"Really? Then I won’t refuse. Our manager is the best!"
Go Arin trotted over, smiling brightly as if she had been waiting for this.
At that moment, Go Arin and Yang Jimin naturally crossed paths.
"Oh? Jimin unni."
It was Go Arin who saw her first. A meeting between two actresses from the same company, the same team, and the same project. I thought the kind of catfights between actresses you see in movies might start, but…
"Long time no see, Arin. You’ve been well?"
"Yes, thanks to you, unni. By the way, I heard today was your last shoot? You worked hard."
I guess those scenes were only meant for the movies. They seemed to get along just fine. No, they seemed to have such perfect chemistry that it went beyond just "getting along." My heart was already racing.
If these two appeared together, success was a given. At this point, I was excited to see what kind of incredible results would come out of it. Even though it was a web drama with less buzz than a movie or a major drama, I couldn’t help but be excited.
"Team Leader, I’ll be heading out now."
"Alright, get home safely. You too, Arin, keep it up."
"Yes, goodbye."
"See you soon, Ms. Jimin. You know about the shoot this weekend, right?"
"Ah, yes…."
I offered a friendly greeting, but for a split second, Yang Jimin’s expression darkened. What was that? Did I see it wrong?
Just then, Go Arin and Yang Jimin passed by each other right in front of me. And at that moment, an algorithm appeared above Yang Jimin’s head.
[Q: Did she appear with Go Arin?]
[Yes] or [No]
The rhombus contained the choices for this project.
It seemed the heavens were helping out, as the algorithm appeared at a time like this, suggesting the project would go well. I naturally followed the flow lines to check the outcome. This time, the results for both choices were visible.
‘It’s good that the grade was upgraded, after all.’
However, contrary to my expectations, the result was somewhat shocking.
If I chose [Yes], it was [A].
If I chose [No], it was [C].
‘Huh?’
I checked again, thinking I might have misread it. But no matter how many times I looked, the result didn’t change.
Based on what I’d seen with Go Arin, the alphabetical initials indicated the actor’s grade. That meant if Yang Jimin did the project with Go Arin, her grade would drop. By a whopping two levels, at that.
‘Why on earth would it drop?’
The sudden change left me brain-dead. It felt as if someone had just smacked me in the back of the head.
Two A-list actors met, so why did it drop by two levels? Was there actually bad blood between them?
"Jimin unni, I’m really enjoying this project. You’re not called the Romance Queen for nothing."
"I’m glad it’s doing decently, but I feel like something is lacking. It feels like I’m not making any progress."
"Why? You’re the icon of romance dramas."
"But I’m a little worried about that this time."
The two chatted during the short time it took to pull the car out. They weren’t exactly best friends, but it wasn’t like there was any problem, either. If I had to ask whether it was good or bad, it was definitely on the good side, but…
Then, could it be… a synergy issue?
* * *
As soon as Go Arin got into the car, she poured out her concerns about her character.
"It’s not simple, so it’s even more worrying. She’s clearly a villain, but you can also feel her heart for the protagonist. So, I hate her evil deeds, but I can’t bring myself to hate her…"
True, it was a fairly three-dimensional role. It wasn’t a character you’d typically see in Korean films, either. That must have been why she was analyzing movies at the company until this late hour.
She was commendable. And for that reason, I was even more worried. Yang Jimin’s algorithm, which showed a two-level drop if she appeared with Go Arin, kept bothering me. This project had to be a success, no matter what.
"Arin, are you close with Yang Jimin?"
"Hmm. We’re pretty close, right? When I first joined, Jimin unni was the one who took care of me the most."
Even from my perspective, they seemed quite close. If that was the case, this was definitely a synergy problem.
Did their synergy just not match? But interestingly, it was Yang Jimin’s grade that dropped, not Go Arin’s.
‘Ah… I see. She’s getting overshadowed.’
There are times like that. When two popular actors come together, the synergy just doesn’t happen. When you think they’re evenly matched, but one gets pushed aside by the other and completely crushed. Their relationship was exactly that.
Come to think of it, Arin is an acting-focused talent. On the other hand, Yang Jimin is an image-focused talent. Given the nature of a web drama with a small cast and many scenes where they face off, Yang Jimin’s acting skills will definitely be overshadowed.’
It was a synergy problem, after all.
"Manager?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you recommend some movies that might help with character analysis?"
That was my specialty. Back when I was obsessed with directing, I’d stay up for days watching films by the masters. Ah, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
"I’ll curate a list for you."
"Yes, thank you."
Before I knew it, we had reached the alley near Go Arin’s house. I dropped her off in front of her place with a heavy heart and got back into the car.
‘What should I do?’
It was a problem that couldn’t be solved by the algorithm alone.
* * *
A situation where Yang Jimin would be "killed off" if the two met. And a situation where I had already seen the obvious outcome with my own eyes.
Should I avoid it? But the press releases had already gone out. I was stuck in a situation where I couldn’t do anything.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
There was nothing I, a rookie, could do by stepping in. But I couldn’t just sit on my hands, either… I spent the night almost wide awake before heading to work.
As soon as I arrived at the office, work poured in. It was because of Yang Jimin’s schedule ahead of her final broadcast. Right. It was better to be so busy that I couldn’t think about anything else.
Before I knew it, it was lunchtime. My alarm went off.
[Lunch with Oh Seri]
It was the schedule alarm Park Hyung-soo had mentioned yesterday.
"Senior, when am I supposed to see Oh Seri?"
"Ah, right. Seri said she had an upset stomach and couldn’t sleep well, so we decided to meet in the evening."
Park Hyung-soo said.
A variable from the very first appointment. She was an actress who wasn’t easy from the start. But postponing from the first meeting? Was she that sick?
Thanks to that, I was able to use my lunch hour. After grabbing a quick rice ball, I headed to the rooftop. I sat cross-legged on a bench like I was meditating and sank into thought.
‘What will happen if the drama proceeds like this?’
A C-grade was a dangerous grade to be confident in for success. If Yang Jimin was crushed, it was a natural flow that I, who chose the script, would be crushed too, and even Go Arin, who appeared in it, would be crushed. This was basically a triple collision. A major accident, literally.
‘But I can’t just stop Yang Jimin from appearing without any rhyme or reason. That would be completely insane.’
The company had even invested in production costs. Naturally, the biggest reason for the investment was Yang Jimin’s appearance.
But then, the conversation I’d had with Yang Jimin last night suddenly crossed my mind.
‘See you soon, Ms. Jimin. You know about the shoot this weekend, right?’
‘Ah, yes….’
The moment Yang Jimin’s expression, which rarely showed signs of stress, darkened for the first time. I thought I might have seen it wrong, but looking back, it was definitely an expression of feeling burdened.
‘Could it be that Yang Jimin also feels burdened by her own acting skills?’
It was entirely possible. The person who knows their own flaws best is oneself. Having seen the script and knowing Go Arin’s acting ability, she could definitely feel the pressure.
‘But if she can’t bring herself to say it because of her kind personality…’
In an instant, a completely different picture formed in my mind. It was a picture of Yang Jimin stepping forward to quit first.
It would be noisy, but it could be patched up to some extent. If it was PJ Entertainment, they could easily find a replacement for a web drama. Anything was better than Yang Jimin ending up as a C-grade.
Right. This is the best way. Now, the only problem left was how to hear Yang Jimin’s honest feelings. Come to think of it, is it a problem again? Anyway, let’s just dive in.
* * * Even though it was long past clock-out time, work still remained.
Come to think of it, at some point, I had started living without even realizing the concept of a clock-out time.
Is this how I’m getting used to this life?
“Jung-woo, let’s go. Oh Seri has arrived.”
Without even a moment to settle down, I followed Park Hyung-soo immediately.
We headed to a nearby shabu-shabu restaurant with heavy hearts.
It was a meal meeting involving an actress that I had no choice but to attend.
As we entered the reserved room, Oh Seri, who had been waiting, stood up naturally.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Seri.”
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
A cat-like face and a slender height.
Her glamorous figure was not a physique you saw easily.
On top of that, the dimples that appeared when she smiled slightly were charming.
‘What is this? She’s much better than in her videos.’
Seeing her in person, her appearance was even more eye-catching.
“Long time no see, Seri.”
Park Hyung-soo greeted her naturally and sat down.
“This is Kim Jung-woo, who will be in charge of you from now on. Let’s have the newbies join forces and do a good job.”
“Hello. I’m Kim Jung-woo.”
“Hello. I look forward to working with you.”
Her frequent smiling made her personality seem good as well.
However, the way she kept scratching both her arms looked unsettling.
Is it some kind of anxiety symptom?
My gaze kept drifting toward her without me realizing it.
“I’m sorry. I changed my body cream recently, and I think it doesn’t agree with me.”
“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”
“By the way, is your stomach feeling okay?”
Park Hyung-soo asked.
“Oh, yes. I took some medicine and rested, so I’m fine. I’m sorry. The appointment was delayed because of me.”
“It’s fine. An actor’s health management is the most important thing. And as for your schedule… for now, there’s an audition for Director Jo Min-tae’s movie next week. It’s a character named Su-ah, but she still has quite a few scenes. Here is the script.”
The role she was auditioning for this time was a hostess.
A role similar to the works Oh Seri had taken on before.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
The sorrow she had endured could be felt in her bitter smile.
To be honest, there were roles in horror or thriller movies that were used in just that way.
Roles that grabbed attention with a momentary reveal and then disappeared early on.
However, Oh Seri smiled instead.
“Still, if there’s an opportunity, I want to keep challenging myself. Because the day will come when I can perform my own acting.”
A lively answer that showed her determination.
Unlike her appearance, her passion was extraordinary.
While eating, I naturally checked the videos Oh Seri had appeared in again.
As I expected, she was a case mainly used for exposure scenes in most of them.
‘Still, she’s quite a scene-stealer at this level….’
I couldn’t stop my eyes from being drawn to her.
No matter how I thought about it, the evaluation of Oh Seri was excessively harsh.
The acting she showed on the theater stage before her debut was quite impressive in its own way.
‘Honestly, she’s good.’
I couldn’t call it excellent, but she was still quite capable.
If raised well, she was a friend with star quality in many ways.
But at that moment, a strange energy flickered above Oh Seri’s head.
‘Huh, again?’
It was the third time I had checked the algorithm today.
[Q: Have you accepted my proposal?]
[Yes] or [No]
The result if I chose ‘Yes’ was hidden by a question mark.
However, the result if I chose ‘No’ was clearly visible.
[Death Probability 95%]
A shocking result.
The atmosphere was almost identical to the death notice I had received on the first day.
Even though this was the third time I had experienced this today, I had to pull myself together.
‘This is a matter of a person’s life….’
Based on my experience so far, the algorithm never lied.
It meant that if she refused my proposal, Oh Seri would definitely die.
The problem was that I didn’t know what that proposal was either.
Thump, thump.
My heart started beating fast without me realizing it.
Sweat filled my tense palms.
‘What kind of proposal should I make for this person to live…?’
Oh Seri’s life and death depended on my choice.
The conversation continued, but not a single word entered my ears.
‘What on earth is it….’
I gritted my teeth and racked my brain hard.
But at that moment, the conversation Park Hyung-soo and Oh Seri had earlier came to mind.
‘By the way, is your stomach feeling okay?’
‘Oh, yes. I took some medicine and rested, so I’m fine. I’m sorry. The appointment was delayed because of me.’
Having met her in person, she wasn’t the type to delay an appointment over a minor illness.
‘Now that I think about it, the fact that she keeps scratching both her arms is also strange….’
As my thoughts led to that point, it naturally connected to one conclusion.
Could it be….
I couldn’t be sure, but there was no time to delay.
I had to confirm it right now.
“Oh Seri.”
“Yes?”
“Are you by any chance on a diet lately?”
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