The Genius Manager Who Sees Algorithms Episode 028
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28. That Kim Jung-woo, what’s he like?
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Director Oh Hyung-min leaned his back against the car and took a deep drag of his cigarette.
“Director, will it be alright?”
The assistant director approached and asked.
“What?”
“I’m talking about Go Arin. The staff is already in an uproar. They’re saying she’s not just a character who causes trouble, but a genuine liability. At this rate, it’s impossible to finish filming today. Won’t we have to book a motel and extend the schedule?”
“Ugh, da-da-da, it’s noisy enough to kill me. I’m the most frustrated one here, so keep it down.”
It was his honest sentiment.
Director Oh himself was the most frustrated.
The manager had taken her away to calm her down, but he didn’t have the slightest expectation.
An actor’s mentality isn’t something you can find as easily as loose change in your pocket.
“Hoo….”
Director Oh exhaled a long plume of smoke.
The actor Go Arin.
Putting her acting skills aside, he had agreed to cast her because her visuals were a cheat code, but he was already regretting it.
‘Did I make the wrong choice?’
When he first said he was working with Go Arin, the reactions around him weren’t good.
He had chosen it because it was a web drama and felt low-pressure, but it felt like he’d stepped squarely on a landmine.
Come to think of it, he’d had a bad feeling since their first meeting.
‘Arin might have a bit of a hard time on set. She has symptoms similar to stage fright. But once she overcomes it, she can perform as if nothing happened, so I would appreciate it if you could be a little understanding. Of course, please keep it a secret from outsiders.’
Right. Team Leader Dokgo, you clearly told me it might be “a bit of a hard time.”
You didn’t say it could be *this* hard, did you?
Resentment toward Team Leader Dokgo began to stir.
It wasn’t even a difficult scene, yet they had to reshoot it fourteen times; it was enough to drive a man crazy.
What was he supposed to do about the afternoon shoot, which had complex emotional beats?
His head was already aching.
‘I can’t just give up now, this is insane.’
At this rate, as the assistant director said, they might end up stuck in a motel for a two-day shoot.
What about the ballooning production costs… Ah, whatever. PJ Entertainment will figure it out.
Just then, Manager Kim Jung-woo approached.
“Director. Arin is ready. Let’s go.”
His expression was bright, as if something had happened in the meantime.
What is this guy so happy about that he’s smiling?
He doesn’t even know how much I’m burning up inside….
However, Director Oh just let out a sigh and swallowed his anger.
They say you can’t spit on a smiling face, and the old saying was never wrong.
“Haa. Fine. Let’s go, let’s go.”
Whether it’s hell or the abyss, he had to go anyway.
Once filming starts, a director’s role is to see it through to the end.
Director Oh dragged his heavy feet back to the set.
Because of the consecutive NGs, the gazes directed at Go Arin were already far from kind.
“Alright, let’s go again. Ready… Action.”
It was the 15th time he’d shouted it for just one scene.
With Director Oh’s voice, the atmosphere on set turned silent.
Everyone held their breath, afraid even the sound of their breathing might be recorded.
And the camera slowly scanned the beach before capturing Go Arin’s face.
“I’ve never been to the beach before. And it’s my first time being here with someone. So, you have to remember this forever. Today.”
In an instant, an energy that couldn’t be felt just a moment ago began to emanate from her.
That gaze, cold yet burning at the same time.
It was clearly ‘Su-jeong’ from *Academy Romance*.
At the same time, charismatic lines flowed smoothly from her red lips.
‘Huh…?’
Naturally, Director Oh’s eyes leaned closer toward the monitor.
“Sorry, but it’s not my first time.”
“It doesn’t matter. Because it’s my first.”
Dong-woo looked at her, seemingly tense at Su-jeong’s one-sided remark.
“You… do you know you’re scary sometimes?”
“That’s good.”
“What is?”
Su-jeong turned her head to look straight at Dong-woo.
Even though there was a significant height difference, her gaze overwhelmed him.
“Being scary. That’s something that’s remembered for a long time. I’d rather be the wave that flips you over than the sand that gets swept away so easily.”
She kicked the sand nonchalantly, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up, barely visible.
In her eyes, desire rippled as if blue flames were flickering.
‘Whoa….’
For a moment, goosebumps rose along Director Oh’s spine.
It was a performance that perfectly captured the character ‘Su-jeong,’ who was both a villain and a pure-hearted devotee.
‘W-what is this… is she the same liability from a moment ago?’
The surprised Director Oh’s gaze naturally turned toward the manager.
* * *
“This is driving me crazy.”
Team Leader Dokgo, who had arrived at the set an hour late because his car broke down, quickened his pace.
He knew Go Arin’s condition better than anyone, which was why he had come all the way to Gangwon-do, but he had ended up being late.
‘Director Oh must be furious. Jung-woo must have been flustered too….’
He had told him in advance, but experiencing it in reality was a different story.
First impressions are the most important, and it felt like he was always at a disadvantage.
He had sought counseling several times, but there was no proper solution, leaving him even more frustrated.
‘This is all because of that bastard Director Choi. Haa….’
Of course, in the past, he didn’t even know the exact reason.
He only found out after grasping the situation with Director Choi thanks to the new recruit.
But that didn’t mean it was solved… Team Leader Dokgo’s insides were burning black.
‘If it comes down to it, I’ll just have to get on my knees.’
Team Leader Dokgo arrived at the set, worrying about a thousand different things.
But contrary to his concerns, the filming atmosphere wasn’t bad.
“You like me, don’t you?”
“You?”
“Yeah. I’m good at studying, I’m pretty, and my family is well-off. Is there any reason you’d dislike me?”
That’s Arin’s voice, right?
The sharp, clear lines struck his ears.
It wasn’t through a speaker or audio equipment; it was completely live, and it was this good.
The situation was breathless.
Team Leader Dokgo held his breath as well.
“You have high self-esteem. Yeah, that’s not a bad thing.”
“Self-esteem? No. It’s that my value is high.”
“…What?”
“So, you’d better be prepared. Because I, who am this valuable, have taken you into my heart today.”
Burning eyes.
A moment later, the director’s shout echoed across the set.
“Okay! That’s good. Let’s move on to the next scene.”
Good?
They’re moving on to the next scene?
Team Leader Dokgo found the situation unfolding before his eyes hard to believe.
He just kept repeating the same question in his head.
‘Why is she doing so well?’
* * *
Fortunately, filming ended before the sun went down.
There were 14 NGs and a short break, but they actually finished two hours early.
Of course, it was thanks to Go Arin’s inspired acting.
“Once she caught fire, she was incredible.”
“I know, right? It’s not just talk, but her character analysis was perfect, too. I thought she’d crawled inside the writer’s head and come back out.”
“Arin, what’s your secret? Let the others know, too.”
Team Leader Dokgo and Director Oh asked, looking excited.
Go Arin, who had been listening, glanced at me and opened her mouth.
“That’s all thanks to our manager.”
“Oh? Jung-woo?”
“Yes, the manager helped me a lot when I was analyzing the character.”
“Ah….”
The two looked at me, surprised.
I naturally turned my gaze away.
I felt embarrassed for no reason.
“Now that I think about it, wasn’t it Jung-woo who steadied Arin’s mentality earlier?”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for the manager, I really would have been a liability.”
“What on earth is the secret? Getting a runaway mentality back on track is like picking stars from the sky….”
Director Oh asked, looking at me.
His eyes were full of curiosity.
At this point, I had to give some kind of answer.
“Rather than a secret, Arin actually worked really hard for this project. But earlier, it wasn’t coming out right, and I was heartbroken for her. So I told her to do well, and Arin just realized it on her own.”
A lot of details were omitted, but this was enough.
There was no point in bringing up Go Arin’s problems again.
Director Oh, who had been listening, nodded without asking further.
“Well, what does the reason matter? It’s enough that the actor acts well. But it was really dizzying earlier. I regretted doing this project back then… but not now. Now, I’m worried she’ll become so famous I won’t be able to afford her later.”
I could tell by his expression that it wasn’t an exaggeration.
Now that I see it, Director Oh has a good eye for people.
“Actually, while we’re on the subject, I need to score some points with Ms. Arin… looking at the relationship between you two, should I start by targeting our manager friend here? How about it, shall we go for a drink sometime?”
“Please call me anytime. I’ll drop everything and run over immediately.”
“Haha. Wow. This guy is brilliant at social life. I knew from the first impression he was good.”
At Director Oh Hyung-min’s words, the four of them burst into laughter.
We finished our greetings and returned to the van.
“How was it? Was I okay?”
Before we even got into the car, Go Arin asked, looking at me.
“You heard the director and the team leader, didn’t you?”
“You know me best, Manager. How was it? Was I okay?”
“Hmm. It was good. It felt like you were wearing your own clothes, didn’t it?”
“What does that mean?”
“Does it mean Go Arin is best suited for a liability character?”
“No, seriously….”
She narrowed her eyes and glared at me, but it wasn’t scary at all.
It was admirable and actually cute.
“It means you did that well.”
“Hmph. You should have said that sooner.”
Only then did she relax her eyes and climb into the van.
It was a relief that we could joke around like this now.
Of course, one day wouldn’t heal all her wounds, but it was a good start.
‘Right, everything starts with one step.’
Meanwhile, Team Leader Dokgo, who had finished his greetings with Director Oh, approached.
Team Leader Dokgo, who had heard everything about what happened in the morning, nodded.
“You did well. If you were only going to manage schedules, a manager wouldn’t be necessary. A schedule management app would be much more competent at that.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
“To be more precise, a manager doesn’t manage an entertainer’s schedule; they manage the entertainer themselves. Because a manager is someone who leads them while embracing their joys, sorrows, and even the wounds they don’t know they have.”
Naturally, the words Team Leader Dokgo had said during the first interview came to mind.
‘I’ll tell you in advance, our standards for you, Jung-woo, are very high. We wouldn’t go through the trouble of interviews and orientations just to hire a manager who only knows how to drive and be obedient.’
The height of the standards Team Leader Dokgo had set hit me anew.
His standards really are incredibly high.
“In that sense, you did well. You resolved your actor’s issue on your own. You’re finally starting to look like the real deal.”
The real deal.
He must mean a real manager.
Coming from Team Leader Dokgo, the words carried even more weight.
‘This feels pretty good.’
The atmosphere on set was as good as my mood.
If things kept going like this, there wouldn’t be any problems with this project.
Good, this is very good.
* * *
Late at night.
Back at the office, Team Leader Dokgo was in a great mood.
It was because Go Arin’s trauma, which had been clinging to her like a chronic illness, had shown progress.
Thanks to that, her hidden acting ability had exploded, and just as the impressed director had said, the results were already looking promising.
‘Yes. Let’s keep going like this.’
This was the true joy of being a manager.
And the one who had brought about that result was Kim Jung-woo.
‘That kid, he’s doing even better than I expected.’
It was a moment that made him feel proud as a team leader.
Knock, knock.
Just then, the office door opened along with a knock.
It was Director Choi Jong-myung.
“Oh? Director, what brings you here at this hour?”
“I was curious who was working hard so late. As expected, you’re a workaholic.”
“I had some work left over. Well, it’s proof that I’m not good at my job.”
“If you’re bad at your job, I should be the one handing in my resignation first.”
A compliment and encouragement mixed with half-jokes.
He had the stature befitting a director.
“Anyway. I heard Arin had her first shoot today? How was it?”
“She’s doing very well. Director Oh is satisfied as well.”
“I see. I’ve been hearing good things about Chang-woo lately, too?”
“Yes, he’s reviewing his next project. It’s called *Soul on the Edge of a Blade*, a story about a fencer who travels back to the Joseon Dynasty. The project itself is just okay, but you know how it is. Once you put a sword or a gun in the hands of these young kids, they lose their minds.”
“Ha, they need to shed some of that superficial style. I’ve told them time and again that the character is more important than the gun or the sword, but they don’t listen.”
“That’s how they all are at that age.”
“Anyway, our Team Leader 2 is working very hard.”
“Not at all. It’s only possible because everyone is doing their part. The kids on my team are good at their jobs.”
“Yes, they are. That’s why I wanted to ask…”
Director Choi leaned against the desk and drew out his words.
It meant the real business was just beginning.
Naturally, Team Leader Dokgo focused.
“That friend, Kim Jung-woo. What do you think of him?”
What did he mean by that?
He was puzzled, but the answer lay with Director Choi.
“He takes good care of people and is capable. But why do you ask?”
“Hmm. I see.”
Director Choi scratched his forehead with his index finger.
He seemed to be deliberating, pausing for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
“The thing is, there’s someone who wants that friend.”
It was a shocking piece of news he hadn’t expected at all.
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