After Jaesung left the meeting room, the remaining team members began tidying their desks and chatting.
"Wow, isn't our director kind of cool?"
"Oh, stop grinning. It's not like he's handing out the bonus right now," Kwon Hyuk-jae said.
Jang Hana huffed, rolling her eyes at him.
"You should praise people when they do well. Are you going to keep being so cynical?"
"What did I do?"
"You've been sulking ever since the director chewed you out earlier."
"No, I haven't!"
"Ugh, your heart's smaller than a soy sauce dish."
As Jang kept teasing, Kwon, who was particularly weak to her, muttered under his breath.
"Well… I'll give credit where it's due. He does seem to be working properly lately…"
"What was that? I can't hear you."
"Ugh, forget it! I'm getting back to work."
Kwon stormed off, stomping, while Jang followed, laughing.
That afternoon, Jaesung headed to the chairman's office with the revised ad campaign neatly organized.
Entering the spacious secretarial office, Chief of Staff Jung Tae-kyu greeted him.
"Welcome, young master."
"Please use my title at the company."
Jung looked at him with surprise at the firm response.
It was as if Jaesung had changed overnight—his attitude was completely different from before.
"My apologies. I'll call you Director from now on."
Following Jung's gesture, Jaesung stood before the chairman's office.
As he opened the door, Chairman Park Kyung-su, who was reviewing documents, looked up and said, "Well, look who it is. The Marketing Director himself."
"…"
"It's quite something to see you in my office. Take a seat."
"Yes, sir."
Sitting on the wooden sofa, Jaesung watched as Chairman Park walked around his desk to sit at the head.
"So, what brings you here?"
"I've completed the campaign plan for the new phone launch."
He placed the folder on the table in front of Chairman Park.
Without a word, Chairman Park picked it up and reviewed the plan.
Jaesung maintained a calm exterior, but inwardly, his nerves were on edge, unsure of the reaction.
After some time, Chairman Park set the folder down and looked up.
"Highlighting the DMB and wide-screen features in a way that appeals to the younger generation… Do you think this can outperform competitors?"
It was a calm but sharp question.
Meeting his gaze confidently, Jaesung answered, "Yes. Emphasizing one core feature rather than listing multiple functions will resonate more with consumers."
"That's true."
"Being able to watch DMB broadcasts anytime, anywhere on a wide screen that other phones don't have—that alone can spark consumer desire and drive demand."
Chairman Park, who knew better than anyone that Jaesung lacked professional expertise despite being placed as Marketing Director, was taken aback.
Jaesung's position was secured as part of the owning family.
It was meant to be a temporary role, so it hadn't been an issue.
But had he secretly studied marketing?
His concise, clear explanation felt unfamiliar.
In truth, Jaesung had stayed up late studying to lead his team, but Chairman Park had no way of knowing that.
"Fair enough, but why change the ad model? I heard it was a popular actor, secured with difficulty."
"The actor didn't fit the campaign concept, and more importantly, they overshadowed the product, reducing the ad's impact."
"That makes sense. But if the model's too unknown, it might not grab attention."
"You're right. That's why we're focusing on a concept that draws interest through the ad itself. Of course—"
"…"
"—as you said, using a famous actor might make the ad memorable, like, 'Oh, that actor's ad?' But that's all it does. Attention from the actor doesn't fully translate to sales. Isn't it more effective for consumers to remember 'That phone ad!' rather than the actor?"
For a moment, Chairman Park was speechless.
Was this really his timid son who always avoided him?
He feels like a stranger.
But he didn't dislike this change.
Even more surprising was that Chairman Park, who considered himself strict, found himself swayed by Jaesung's words.
Hiding his surprise, he stared at Jaesung and said in a serious tone, "You know how much money and effort went into developing this product."
"Yes."
"You can't afford any mistakes if you don't want it all to go to waste."
"That won't happen. This campaign will give wings to the product's sales."
Chairman Park nodded slightly at Jaesung's unwavering confidence.
"Confidence is necessary to push things forward in a company. But if the results fall short… you'd better be ready to take responsibility."
"Of course."
Without hesitation, Chairman Park handed back the plan.
"Alright. Let's see what you've got."
Thanks to the promise of a bonus, the team worked tirelessly, even through late nights, and a few days later, shooting began at a studio in Gangnam.
As Jaesung stepped out of his parked car, Kwon Hyuk-jae, who'd been contacted in advance, greeted him.
"Has shooting started?"
"They just finished preparations and are about to begin."
Jaesung entered the studio, where a set caught his eye amid the bustling staff.
The stage, decorated like a real club with a shiny mirror ball hanging from the ceiling, was ready.
The director, wearing a Boston Red Sox cap and sporting a scruffy beard, barked orders as shooting was about to start.
"Who left equipment there? It's in the frame! Move it! And add more light to the center."
With editing in mind, they had to finish shooting today, so the director was on edge.
Jaesung quietly stood in a corner, observing without interfering.
"All standby! Hi, cue!"
Music played, and male and female extras swayed to the beat.
The ad model, Park Chan-su, lounged outside with glamorous women, then stood under the spotlight.
On the central stage, Park Chan-su danced stylishly to a trendy club routine.
"Cut! It's good, but more energy, and glance at the women around you while dancing."
"Got it."
"Camera, tighter than before, pan down!"
"Yes."
"Let's go again. Hi, cue!"
Watching the resumed shoot, Jaesung frowned.
"Something's off."
"What?" Kwon, standing beside him, turned.
The storyboard did say Park Chan-su would dance surrounded by women.
But this wasn't the dance Jaesung had envisioned.
The dance is completely different.
It was trendy, sure, but not the quirky, comedic moves that had made the ad a hit in his past life.
The ad's success hinged on that unique, funny dance.
Without it, it was like a bun without filling.
"Tell them to pause."
"Uh, yes."
Kwon, puzzled by Jaesung's sudden seriousness, hurried to the director and whispered.
"Cut! Break for now!"
The director stopped the shoot with a wave and approached Jaesung.
"Is there a problem?"
"The dance doesn't match the ad's concept."
"But we're following the storyboard."
The director flipped through the storyboard, checking.
Finding no issues, his face showed slight irritation, likely thinking the young client was nitpicking.
"What do you mean it's following the storyboard?"
Jaesung, stone-faced, snatched the storyboard and pointed to the dance scene.
"It clearly says a comedic, distinctive dance, but that was just a generic trendy dance. And you're saying it's the same?"
Stung by the sharp critique, the director averted his gaze, mumbling excuses.
"Well… time was tight… and this works fine, doesn't it?"
Jaesung's voice was firm.
"No. This completely changes the ad's concept!"
"It's not like the perfect dance will just fall from the sky. What do you expect me to do?"
The director yanked off his cap, scratching his head in frustration.
Glancing sideways, Kwon, caught in the middle, shifted uncomfortably.
Ugh. I picked this guy because he seemed decent since I didn't know the original director. Was I too hasty?
After a moment of thought, Jaesung spoke up.
"Fine. I'll demonstrate."
"Director!" Kwon exclaimed.
"What?" the director gasped.
Ignoring them, Jaesung tossed his jacket to Kwon and strode to the lit stage.
"What's going on?"
The staff, already glancing over, murmured.
Park Chan-su, watching from the sidelines, leaned in with an amused expression.
With all eyes on him, the assistant director looked to the director for guidance.
"Uh… what do we do?"
The director shrugged, at a loss.
"He says he'll demonstrate. Just play the music."
Crossing his arms to watch, the assistant director had no choice.
At the cue, the booming rhythm of the Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha, a global hit, filled the studio.
Jaesung began moving awkwardly to the upbeat rhythm, shrugging his shoulders.
Standing in place, he bounced his knees slightly, moving his hands from chest to stomach.
Then, he stretched his neck like a turtle, swaying it left to right.
"Pfft, what's that?"
"It's hilarious."
The comedic, distinctive moves drew giggles from the staff.
"It's growing on me."
"Yeah, it's kind of cool."
"I'm trying that at the club next time."
[Luck Activated!
Due to the Charm stat, ?? increases by 1.]
[?? +1!]
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Jaesung, awkwardly but earnestly recreating the dance from memory, blinked at the flood of message windows.
What's this now?
Curious about the question marks but focused on the task, he continued.
After a bit more dancing, he approached the director.
"How's that?"
"It's easy to follow and definitely eye-catching."
"Then switch to this."
The director, instantly convinced, nodded enthusiastically.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"
He hurried to Park Chan-su, who was getting makeup touch-ups.
"Chan-su, you saw that dance?"
Park glanced at Jaesung and nodded.
"Yeah."
"We're switching to that. Can you do it?"
"It's not too complex, so I'll give it a shot."
"Great."
As a rookie, Park couldn't afford to be picky, but he also found the dance intriguing and agreed readily.
Soon, at the director's cue, Park Chan-su stepped forward, swaying to the music.
He mimicked the dance Jaesung had just performed.
"Not bad."
"It looked silly before, but it's oddly captivating."
"Same."
As the staff and team members whispered, Jaesung finally smiled with satisfaction.
This was the vision he wanted.
"Director, where'd you learn that dance?" Kwon asked, wide-eyed.
"Let's just say it's from years of clubbing."
"Oh, right."
Kwon nodded, accepting the vague answer.
Amused by how easily Kwon bought it, Jaesung teased, "You're just going to believe that? Is my image that bad?"
"N-No, that's not it."
"Even if I was a reckless playboy, I wasn't a club rat."
"I didn't say that…"
Kwon's face flushed with embarrassment as Jaesung toyed with him.
"Haha, just kidding."
Jaesung grinned playfully.
"Of course, it's from club experience. How else would I know it? I'm heading back to the office, so keep a sharp eye out for any issues."
"Yes, sir!"
Kwon quickly responded as Jaesung strode off.
Was this payback for challenging him in the meeting?
Jaesung, who'd never joked with staff, acting so casually felt strange.
My damn mouth's my worst enemy.
Kwon sighed, cursing his past impulsiveness.
Millstone Dance?!