Hobbyist VTuber

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Kang Eun-tae had already completed the advertisement proposal before he scouted Ha-eun himself.

The overall concept of this CF and what kind of image it aimed to convey to consumers had already been communicated to the advertiser, Handong Pharmaceutical.

However, due to the model for the advertisement not being confirmed until the shoot date was almost upon them, Han Min-ah, the advertising team leader at Handong Pharmaceutical who acted as a bridge between them and Kang Eun-tae, felt a growing sense of urgency each passing day.

This was also the reason why she had called Kang Eun-tae, the CF director and her junior from university, to the café.

“This is it, tomorrow the sun will rise from the west. Seeing you directly called me in, senior.”

“I was curious if you were alive. Why are you ignoring my calls and answering that Min-soo guy’s?”

It might be because of the memories of her past struggles trying to reach Kang Eun-tae, who had cut off contact exclusively with her. Another sigh escaped from Han Min-ah.

It was right after that when the topic of the current silence on the child nutritional supplement advertisement model came up.

“Eun-tae, when are you going to select the model—”

“I’ve already selected one.”

“…Huh? You’ve selected one?”

“Yes.”

His unwavering gaze gave her pause. Knowing that Kang Eun-tae, although a bit slick, was not one to lie since their university days, Han Min-ah asked, slightly embarrassed, about the model he claimed to have chosen.

Kang Eun-tae sifted through his bag for a moment and pulled out a crumpled newspaper, responding with a gesture instead of words.

< A child pitcher who throws better than a starting pitcher >
– Lee Ha-eun, who showcased perfect form as she pitched during the match against OG on the 19th in Suwon, is creating a fresh shock. A male fan who attended the game with his girlfriend humorously remarked that it was the first time he had seen the ball enter the strike zone of the Sehwa Eagles.

Coincidentally, the tip of Kang Eun-tae’s index finger was pointing at a photo of Ha-eun right in the center of the newspaper.

With one knee raised and locking eyes with the catcher, Ha-eun exuded a certain charisma for some reason. Her somewhat rare and graceful appearance played a significant role in that as well.

However, regardless of whether her pitching form was impressive or she possessed an attention-grabbing appearance.

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

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

“Then are you really going to shoot an ad with this girl?”

“Why not? I already have her consent.”

Being selected as the protagonist of a CF was a slightly different matter. For now, she decided to hear what Kang Eun-tae was really thinking.

She hoped he wasn’t just basing his selection on a momentary impression without any deeper thought.

“The kid is quite calm. But she already knows how to set the mood.”

“The mood?”

“When Ha-eun’s eyes came on the screen, oh boy. She was glaring like she was about to eat the catcher, Min Kwang-cheol.”

The subsequent conversation focused on the atmosphere Kang Eun-tae directly witnessed with his own eyes concerning Ha-eun. Predictions and forecasts about a future that had yet to be confirmed were also included, rationalizing Kang Eun-tae’s choice.

“Ads featuring child actors all look the same. They’re always laughing and playing around, lacking any seriousness.”

“That’s why they shoot it that way, there’s a demand for it.”

“That demand will fade quickly. I think it’s better to distinguish ourselves from other ads.”

It was a reasonable point. If it had been a completely ridiculous ad concept, it would have been scrapped at the moment they received the advertisement proposal.

Since they believed Kang Eun-tae’s concept had the potential to resonate with consumers, the higher-ups must have signed off on it.

However, the fact that Kang Eun-tae was a typical perfectionist left Han Min-ah feeling uneasy.

He might be well-liked by advertisers, but it wouldn’t be easy for those in the shooting crew or cast to see him in a favorable light.

Just a few days ago, Ha-eun was just like any other ordinary kid, but if they pushed her too hard, various issues could arise.

It could easily create misunderstandings that they were just chewing her up and spitting her out.

“If rumors start spreading, it will make it tough for you too, Eun-tae. You need to be flexible, got it?”

She offered what sounded like advice or a plea to leave a little room for compromise. In return, Kang Eun-tae nodded a couple of times.

“You think I’m going to be tough on a kid?”

“Have you forgotten about kneeling in front of Song Seo-a’s mom?”

And so, Han Min-ah’s eyes narrowed as she glanced at Kang Eun-tae, who was trying to cleverly avoid eye contact. It was unavoidable that she would glare at someone who had completely forgotten about a situation just a few months ago.

“Still, this feels different from back then. I probably won’t have to push Ha-eun.”

“Aren’t you overly optimistic? She’s probably never even taken an acting class.”

“Well, as long as she maintains that unique atmosphere. This ad doesn’t really require acting either.”

To be honest, she wondered why he emphasized that ‘atmosphere’ so much.

However, after three short days, the day of the advertisement meeting arrived.

“Oh, Ha-eun’s mom. Over here!”

The quiet figure of a girl walking from afar, holding tightly onto a petite woman’s hand, gently bent down, raised her gaze to meet Han Min-ah’s and said,

“Hello.”

As Ha-eun greeted them with a calm voice, Han Min-ah started to understand what Kang Eun-tae meant by that atmosphere.

…She ran into a kid like this in a baseball stadium, huh.

‘Talk about good luck.’

Although she had wanted to be angry that the CF director hadn’t even settled on a model for a shoot that was scheduled, it really didn’t matter now.

If this was fate, then so be it.

“…Why are you staring at me like that? It’s scary.”

“Keep your mouth shut and lie. Who are you scared of?”

*

“Ha-eun and Ha-eun’s mom, please sit over there on the black chair.”

The meeting room that Kang Eun-tae guided them into was bigger than expected.

Several people were already seated around the long table, with a particularly burly man sitting in the corner really standing out.

His massive arm muscles suggested he was part of the film crew.

“There’s water and orange juice available. What would you like to drink?”

As soon as she sat down, a soft-spoken woman asked, and after a moment of consideration, she opted for the orange juice.

Shortly after a 500mL fresh juice was placed in front of her, the meeting began.

“Now, I’ll explain the advertisement in more detail.”

Kang Eun-tae’s voice resonated in the meeting room.

Soon, a storyboard for the advertisement appeared on the projector screen.

In an instant, everyone’s attention was drawn to one side.

“This advertisement will proceed with the concept of ‘Healthy Children, Healthy Future.’”

The subsequent discussion was a slightly more detailed elaboration of what she had heard a few days ago in the café.

Sketch-style example images illustrated what scenes they planned to shoot, providing an intuitive sense of the content.

However, not long after, the new information she heard made her ears perk up in disbelief.

“When Kim Min-jun passes the baton to Ha-eun, she will jog along the track. Ah, we’ll add some CG to the baton, so don’t shake it too quickly.”

The fact that the accompanying co-star was an athlete and not an actor or idol, despite having only heard snippets about him, filled her head with a giant question mark.

No one had mentioned she would be doing an advertisement with a national representative, after all.

“The truth is, it wasn’t confirmed until recently. Originally, we planned to recruit someone else, but after watching your pitching footage, Kim Min-jun expressed his willingness to participate.”

In other words, one of the reasons the national athlete would be appearing in the advertisement was because of her.

Thinking it over, it wouldn’t be unusual for someone with a healthy image like that to appear in a nutritional supplement ad.

The problem was that this was not just any nutritional supplement ad; it was a children’s nutritional supplement ad.

That meant her image couldn’t be overshadowed by the presence of the national representative.

‘…Why is the difficulty level so high?’

She felt the necessity to come up with some kind of countermeasure.

It wouldn’t be easy for a kid who had just been the center of attention for a day to overshadow the presence of a national athlete.

Regardless, she thought she wouldn’t be able to devise any effective plan without having her aura firsthand, so she cautiously asked when she would get to meet Kim Min-jun.

“Well, unless it’s on shooting day, it’s unlikely we’ll meet. But just in case, we’ll make a contact on our end.”

That was the irresponsible answer she received.

She then realized her advertising budget was hanging by a thread.