83: Chapter 83 Celebrity Endorsements

At the end of May, the air conditioning in the SM Entertainment filming studio was running at full blast, but the heat from the dressing room lights still made it feel stuffy. Six swivel chairs were lined up in a row, with six girls seated as makeup artists applied products to their faces. As Chairman Wang Shunyi walked from the far end of the corridor, Choi Ji-yeon was already waiting at the door, holding a well-worn shooting script.

"Chairman, the members are still in makeup; it will take about another half hour."

Chairman Wang Shunyi took the script, leaned against the corridor wall, and began flipping through it. Three sets of commercials, three sets of styling, three scenarios. The low-calorie fire noodles went for a fresh and natural style, featuring white dresses and an outdoor picnic setting, with Park Soo-yeon, Lee Ji-eun, and Han So-hee—the three members with a softer aura—appearing in it. The instant bibimbap series went for a vibrant sporty style, featuring sportswear in a gym, handled by Kim Ye-rin and Jung Mi-lin, who had the strongest physical expression. The ready-to-drink makgeolli series went for an elegant urban style, with a high-end restaurant backdrop, evening gowns, and a close-up toast featuring Choi Min-ju and Park Soo-yeon.

He handed the script back to Choi Ji-yeon and walked into the studio.

The dressing room door was half-open, and he stood at the entrance without going in. The mirror reflected six faces being touched up. Kim Ye-rin had her eyes closed while the makeup artist drew eyeliner on her lids; her eyelashes were long and trembling slightly. Park Soo-yeon was pursing her lips toward the mirror, her lip gloss a very light shade of pink. Chairman Wang Shunyi watched for a few seconds before turning and walking away.

Half an hour later, the six girls filed out of the dressing room. Kim Ye-rin led the way in a white dress, her hair half-tied up to reveal a section of her nape. Park Soo-yeon followed behind her—tall, cool, her collarbone nestled above the neckline. Lee Ji-eun's skirt was the longest, and she had to lift it as she walked; Han So-hee helped her tidy the hem. Choi Min-ju came last, wearing a navy blue dress that differed from the others' white, as the makgeolli commercial had its own specific styling.

The first set, the picnic scene, was ready in the studio. A picnic mat was spread over artificial turf, and several beams of sunlight hit from the softboxes above, creating naturally blurred shadows. Park Soo-yeon, Lee Ji-eun, and Han So-hee took off their shoes and stepped onto the lawn barefoot, their toenails painted with clear polish.

The photographer was a man in his forties surnamed Park, who had been shooting in the advertising circle for nearly twenty years. He crouched behind the camera, gesturing constantly. "All three look at the lens, smile, yes, Soo-yeon a bit more to the left... Good, hold the noodle bowl, a bit higher, more natural... Ji-eun, tuck your hair behind your ear, yes, just like that."

Chairman Wang Shunyi stood by the monitor watching. In the frame, the three girls sat on the grass, sunlight falling on their faces, making their skin look brilliantly white. The low-calorie fire noodle bowls were held in their hands, with steam to be added in post-production, drifting as white mist before the lens. They smiled standardly—not a wide grin, but with the corners of their mouths curved just enough to show their teeth.

"Stop," the photographer straightened up. "Ji-eun, don't squint so tightly when you smile, just relax naturally." Lee Ji-eun flusteredly adjusted her expression on the lawn. Nearby, Kim Ye-rin, whose group hadn't come up yet, sat on a folding chair in the corner looking down at her phone, glancing at the shooting progress out of the corner of her eye before looking back. Chairman Wang Shunyi saw a sample of instant bibimbap on her lap; she was silently memorizing her lines.

The second set, the gym backdrop, was changed quickly. Equipment was moved in—treadmills, dumbbells, yoga mats—with vibrant colors. Kim Ye-rin and Jung Mi-lin changed into sportswear: tight black tops, pink leggings, and hair tied in high ponytails. The shoot involved sitting on a bench after exercising and eating bibimbap in large mouthfuls, with sauce at the corners of their mouths—not looking messy, but looking like it "tasted delicious." Kim Ye-rin didn't take the first bite well, and a grain of rice fell on her clothes, prompting the makeup artist to rush over for a touch-up. Jung Mi-lin held her pose nearby for a while without speaking, but the corners of her mouth drooped slightly. Chairman Wang Shunyi noticed this but said nothing, giving Jung Mi-lin an extra glance.

By the time the third set for the makgeolli commercial started, it was nearly four in the afternoon. Choi Min-ju and Park Soo-yeon changed into evening gowns—dark blue long dresses with halter designs that exposed a large area of smooth skin on their backs. Park Soo-yeon's collarbones were deep, and the pendant of her necklace rested exactly in the hollow; when the lights hit, the shadow was heart-shaped. Chairman Wang Shunyi leaned against the wall and watched for a while, his gaze slowly scanning from her collarbone to her shoulders and then to her earlobes, expressionless as if inspecting a batch of newly manufactured packaging boxes. He checked every corner, and once finished, seeing no flaws, he felt it was just so-so.

The two toasted according to the script. Choi Min-ju raised the makgeolli can, her wrist very steady, the can not wobbling at all. Park Soo-yeon tapped it lightly against hers, producing a crisp "clink." They took a sip; Choi Min-ju smiled first, followed by Park Soo-yeon, their smiles overlapping.

"Good! This take is a wrap!" the photographer shouted.

Choi Ji-yeon clapped from the side, and the staff also breathed a sigh of relief. Chairman Wang Shunyi walked over from the wall and clapped his hands, about to say something, when Kim Ye-rin—who had changed back into her own clothes at some point—walked up behind him. Her sneakers made almost no sound on the floor. She called out "Chairman" behind him. Chairman Wang Shunyi turned around; she was holding that bowl of instant bibimbap from the shoot. The rice was already cold, and the sauce had congealed on the surface, looking not very appetizing.

"Chairman, can I eat this bibimbap? I didn't get full during the shoot just now."

Chairman Wang Shunyi looked down at the bowl of rice. "It's cold. Have the cafeteria heat it up for you."

"It's okay, I'll eat it cold." She picked up the spoon, took a large bite, chewed twice, swallowed, and then smiled before walking away with the bowl. Jung Mi-lin followed behind her, also carrying a bowl. Chairman Wang Shunyi watched the two retreating figures, then retracted his gaze and turned to Choi Ji-yeon.

"All three sets of commercials are finished. When can post-production be ready?"

"Two weeks. The TV station schedule is already set; broadcasting starts in mid-June."

"Roll out the print ads first, starting in the first week of June. Major newspapers, fashion magazines, and convenience store end-cap posters. For short videos, cut thirty-second and fifteen-second versions. Release behind-the-scenes clips on social media first to build hype, and sync the official release with the TV premiere date."

Choi Ji-yeon lowered her head and scribbled quickly in her notebook. Chairman Wang Shunyi had already turned around, hands in his pockets, walking toward the exit.

At six in the evening, the setting sun reflected off the glass curtain wall of the SM Entertainment building, dyeing the parking lot orange-red. Chairman Wang Shunyi sat in his car and loosened his tie. Kim Young-jun started the car and glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Chairman, are we going straight back to the company?"

"Yes. Tell Lee Jung-hoon to send the final advertising schedule to my email; I'll review it tonight."

The car pulled out of the parking lot and joined the evening rush hour traffic in Gangnam District. Kim Young-jun didn't turn on the radio; the only sound in the cabin was the faint hiss of the air conditioning vents. Chairman Wang Shunyi leaned back in the leather seat with his eyes closed, his mind replaying the slow-motion toast between Choi Min-ju and Park Soo-yeon. The angle of the can was just right, the liquid swaying slightly at the rim without spilling—it was trained, a steadiness that only comes after practicing many times. It was just an advertisement; looking natural was enough, nothing special.

His phone vibrated. Kim Young-jun looked back from the passenger seat. "Chairman, VIVID's 'FLASH' became a first-place candidate on 'M Countdown' today."

"Entering the candidate list two months after debut is a good result." Chairman Wang Shunyi gave a grunt of acknowledgment. Being a candidate wasn't the same as being first; there was nothing to be excited about. But he didn't say that out loud.