NOVEL FROG Chapter 109
The shocking storyline of Star Fisher featuring a catching a dodam!
It stirred quite the buzz, especially when some of that expensive dodam was turned into spicy stew.
==
Post: “Isn’t this a fabrication?”
Wasn’t there a fishing variety show before?
Remember how a diver secretly helped catch the fish underwater?
Is this one of those too?
==
Such remarks occasionally floated around.
However, those claims were surprisingly easy to refute.
– What do you mean by broadcast manipulation?
└ What?
└ Huh?
– Seriously, how can one fabricate a dodam?
– I saw it being caught, it’s alive; if it was fabricated, you should just admit it, right?
– For real, lol.
Since the fish caught was indeed a living dodam, it couldn’t possibly be fake.
Honestly, any viewer watching would not even think it could be faked, considering the size of the dodam.
Just looking at its visuals, it looked like it could swallow a person whole.
While such discussions were happening in the general community,
[Joo Seo-yeon wielding a fishing rod vs. Cha Seo-ah]
In Joo Seo-yeon’s fan community, serious debates were underway.
– Honestly, Joo Seo-yeon with a fishing rod seems stronger.
– Axes and kitchen knives have short reach though.
– Cha Seo-ah is quick and just grabs it.
– Have you seen her swing a fishing rod? If it hits Cha Seo-ah, it’s just splitting her in half.
– Ultimately, if they both get injured fighting, Hong Jeong-hee takes the win, sigh.
It was a fan community for actresses, yet posts comparing the two often dominated the forums, though not every post was like that.
– Seo-yeon is really pretty.
– You can feel her excitement whenever she’s on a variety show, which is nice.
– Yup, she’s genuine.
– She’s nice.
– Honestly, she doesn’t look that nice, does she…?
– She’s nice!
Seo-yeon’s fan community had gradually been increasing in numbers.
Viewers who enjoyed Past, Looking at Memories started filtering in.
Those who watched Close Your Eyes came looking for the actors.
After The Chaser and Dream Future, the numbers of fans began to rise significantly.
And with the appearance in Star Fisher, even a broader range of fans was embraced.
The registered user count reached 5,000.
Moreover, Seo-yeon’s influence didn’t simply confine itself to the fan community; it had unexpected impacts elsewhere.
“Boss, our fishing rod sales have doubled recently??”
“What??”
Yuseong Enterprises, a renowned domestic fishing rod manufacturer, was experiencing an unexpected boom.
During a period when Japanese brands dominated, such a sales increase was quite unprecedented.
“Why?”
“Recently, a female actress caught a dodam during Star Fisher…”
“A female actress caught a dodam? Isn’t that manipulated?”
“Some said that, but she caught it in a shocking display.”
He immediately showed the video, already circulating as a short.
Not just casually caught; the dodam flew right out!
“Is this CG?”
“…Some people do say that. Ahem. Anyway, this fishing rod is from us.”
Yuseong Enterprises had continuously sponsored fishing rods for Star Fisher.
The newly launched rods were quite expensive; they wouldn’t break easily.
“But look, it withstood catching a dodam. And if you search YouTube, there’s a video of a dodam being caught… look at the 7-minute mark, it just splits in half.”
“Um. But ours broke at the end…”
“Honestly, even American or Japanese rods would have snapped by now. Anyway, that’s why it became a big topic.”
Sponsoring a rare fishing variety show turned out to be unexpectedly beneficial.
“…Do we have an advertising model?”
“Of course we do.”
“How about this Joo Seo-yeon actress?”
The branch manager pondered for a moment.
Joo Seo-yeon had gathered quite the attention lately; if they used her, it would probably be her prime time.
“…Shall we contact her?”
At the manager’s suggestion, CEO Kang Dae-sik nodded.
But he felt a twinge of regret at the same time.
“If I had known, I should have contacted her sooner.”
Until recently, Seo-yeon’s value was similar to that of a newcomer.
But now?
She was probably worth at least double.
Bubble or not, she was certainly the hot topic of the moment.
As Seo-yeon became the hottest potato in the world of commercials,
“It rose again.”
One brand had already snagged Seo-yeon at her lowest point.
“Seriously, I’m amazed by your foresight.”
“Wow, truly the myth of a luxury brand! It didn’t happen by chance.”
“They say heroes emerge in troubled times…”
Éclat Étoile.
They showcased Joo Seo-yeon at her lowest value, and now her worth was climbing day by day.
“Ahem, I knew it from back when I saw her in The Moon That Hid the Sun ten years ago.”
These days, every day at work, Baek Min-chan constantly got gold dust thrown at him by those around him, so he felt joyful.
Sales, which had plummeted to rock bottom, were rapidly rebounding.
If it kept going this way, they might just break their previous sales records.
“Ah, but we do have some ambiguity here.”
However, there’s always someone there to burst the bubble.
Team Leader Jeong Tae-soo was that person.
“What’s ambiguous?”
“CEO, aren’t we a luxury cosmetics brand?”
“Right.”
“Our cosmetics are indeed selling a lot these days, but among them, the most popular is…”
“The best seller?”
“Sun cream.”
“….”
Sun cream.
Well, that’s still a beauty product, but…
“Our actress Joo Seo-yeon gets so excited whenever she appears in a variety show, she apparently grabs a lot of attention.”
Survival Without Humans, and Star Fisher.
Both are variety shows that actresses tend to avoid.
Why?
Because they could easily end up causing trouble and ruining their image.
They also have to stay under the scorching sun for prolonged periods.
Skin gets burned, and texture deteriorates.
Considering such exhausting filming schedules, female actresses avoided these two shows.
Yet, despite her appearances in both shows, Seo-yeon’s skin remained radiant.
Not an ounce of tan or even small blemishes anywhere.
At this point, rumors spread online that Éclat Étoile’s sun cream is just that good.
“We might just end up becoming a sun cream brand at this rate.”
“…Ahem.”
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with good sales.
The atmosphere at the company was thriving, and everyone was busy praising Baek Min-chan.
But ‘we are a luxury cosmetics brand,’ after all.
There’s nothing wrong with selling well, but they also need to maintain their image.
“Of course, there are many advantages. When people use the sun cream, they sometimes switch to our other products.”
“So, we should film another ad to promote not just the sun cream but the rest too… how about one for our upcoming premium line?”
This premium line was set to launch in a month.
“Yes. While filming, how about we invest a little to make it high quality?”
“Hmm…”
Internally, there was talk of hiring one more actor for the new premium line.
They discussed needing someone with a more sophisticated image, because…
Age.
Seo-yeon, being a younger actress, primarily attracted the purchasing power from teens to early twenties.
In truth, her ads were focused on that demographic.
And the new premium cosmetics targeted a considerably broader audience.
Thus, the proposal on using an adult actor came up…
“Okay, I’ll suggest it to the CEO.”
“Thank you!”
Jeong Tae-soo bowed in response.
Honestly, he wasn’t too convinced about Seo-yeon at the start.
After all, her recognition was vague back then, and he doubted how impactful a young actress could be.
Yet, her beauty seemed fine enough.
“But the CEO’s opinion was spot on.”
Although a bit lightweight, Baek Min-chan’s insights were accurate.
Sales were currently proving it, weren’t they?
And with The Chaser and Dream Future, Seo-yeon’s recognition was skyrocketing.
Her bright image from the variety shows favored her well.
“We can manage the image of our products just fine.”
Taking care of the image of an actor is also something advertising companies should consider.
With Seo-yeon, that was undoubtedly feasible.
Team Leader Jeong Tae-soo felt confident now.
*
As the advertising world buzzed with excitement,
Star Fisher recently had its own topic of discussion, and they finally gathered for an after-party.
Typically, it would occur immediately after filming wrapped, but things had been chaotic due to the dodam catch.
“Thanks to you, Seo-yeon, I got to try dodam stew!”
“I… didn’t know it was that expensive.”
Seo-yeon replied in a small voice.
It was true.
She had no idea it was a fish caught only a few dozen times a year.
After filming, while dreading her daily ego-searching, Joo Seo-yeon stumbled onto the “scandals/controversies” section of her own Wiki and realized.
That scandal about the dodam stew was quite boldly there.
‘Is this really the first scandal I’m facing…?!’
Still, that dodam seemed a bit much, didn’t it?
How could she even label it?
Doesn’t it just make her seem a tad foolish?
Seo-yeon was quite conscious about her image.
Actually, at the convenience store she went to yesterday, the employee asked, “Why did you make stew out of dodam?”
She never realized it was such a big faux pas.
“Well, it’s a huge fish, so making stew from it isn’t out of the question.”
“True, true.”
While Lee Sang-soo and PD Jeong Seung-hyun conversed that way, Seo-yeon wore a somewhat peculiar expression.
But the one placed behind the spotlight was Liam from Thunderst, who felt a little gloomy.
It made sense since Seo-yeon’s big triumph overshadowed him completely.
Honestly, many might not even realize they were on the same show.
Liam, who was slowly nibbling on some grilled meat, turned his head away from the gazes on him.
Then, he locked eyes with Seo-yeon, staring right at him.
“Why, why are you looking?”
“Oh, no. Just…”
Seo-yeon squinted at Liam.
‘Now that I think about it, he looks familiar….’
Back during filming, she didn’t notice much due to the makeup, but now she had a memory of him.
‘Not really for a good reason….’
It must have been some sort of incident.
It didn’t blow up into huge news but was briefly mentioned in an internet article.
An incident leading to Thunderst’s disbandment.
“By the way…”
At that moment, Lee Sang-soo spoke to Seo-yeon.
“I watched Seo-yeon’s film this weekend.”
“Yeah?”
“The Chaser.”
“Honestly, I’m not the type to watch thrillers.”
Lee Sang-soo, reaching for his soju cup absentmindedly, halted midway.
Thinking about it, they hadn’t ordered alcohol for today’s gathering; after all, Seo-yeon was underage.
“Honestly, as a viewer, I can hardly believe you’re the same person.”
Lee Sang-soo said with a chuckle.
Cha Seo-ah in The Chaser had gathered all the darkness.
But the Seo-yeon he saw in the variety show was like a ray of sunshine.
Even though Dream Future didn’t resonate with him, there was still something that drew attention.
An actress.
A term that sparkled too brightly for an actor like Lee Sang-soo, who had lost the desire to act.
Seo-yeon was genuinely an actor who suited that title.
“If I ever get a chance, I’d love to act with you… Ah, this is just some rambling, so don’t worry about it.”
At his remark, Seo-yeon unconsciously recalled the actor Lee Sang-soo.
An actor who had faced significant failures in Hollywood.
To put it accurately, his pride as an actor was utterly crushed, leaving him lost.
‘If memory serves correct, Lee Sang-soo will retire completely in five years.’
After Star Fisher, he would no longer be seen in broadcast.
But….
“Senior.”
Watching him fidgeting with his empty cup, Seo-yeon spoke up.
Personally, she didn’t want to see him retire.