Seon-ho, who had been asked a question, slowly looked around instead of answering.
The participants’ gazes turned to him, drawn by his leisurely demeanor that didn’t match the situation.
“It’s become a direct competition between the two photographers now.”
“A competition?”
“Yes. The main photographer will do their best not to lose their position, and the second photographer will give their all to seize this opportunity. So, wouldn’t that lead to even better profile shots?”
Han Seon-ho glanced toward the photo set and added,
“At least, logically speaking.”
The gazes that had been focused on Han Seon-ho naturally shifted toward the set.
The indoor set, where the shoot was well underway.
A place that should have been filled with the photographer’s shouts was instead filled in silence.
The only sound that could be heard was the clicking of the camera shutter.
There were no words of encouragement or directing for the model.
Not even a single complaint. Even when shooting with professional models, it was rare to have absolutely no complaints.
A photographer wasn’t just someone who took good pictures.
They were someone who set the mood and captured emotions that made a great photo possible.
And by that standard, the current photographer was not a good one.
Photographer Kim Taesu seemed distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere, and still looked visibly upset.
“That photographer still seems pissed off.”
“Hey, don’t call him that.”
“Oh, my bad.”
The two participants stole a glance at Han Seon-ho and awkwardly glossed over their words.
In the meantime, Han Seon-ho, who had finished handing out coffee, left the participants with some words of encouragement and walked away.
The murmurs behind him became background noise as he moved on.
His next stop was where the photo assistants and other studio staff had gathered.
“Please have some coffee while you work.”
“Oh, thank you. But didn’t the manager already bring some earlier?”
Team Leader Joo Mi-yeon, the highest-ranking staff member in the studio apart from the two photographers, smiled as she accepted the coffee.
From what he had heard, she was the head of the PR team, responsible for everything in the studio except for taking pictures.
“The ones earlier were just a greeting. These are more of an apology for the commotion.”
“Come on, there’s no need to apologize. You see worse fights happen during shoots. If this was a commotion, then those would be outright disasters.”
“Team Leader, are you making a joke right now?”
A playful stylist chimed in.
“What, you got a problem with that?”
“Are you flirting too much just because the manager is good-looking? And aren’t you married?”
“Don’t you know that good-looking people are all potential clients? You should start flirting too.”
“I’m a guy, though. How am I supposed to flirt?”
“With looks like that, you can at least endure it.”
“Endure what?!”
“You’re getting way too specific with your imagination right now.”
Seon-ho chuckled at the lively exchange between the stylist and Team Leader Joo.
The atmosphere was more welcoming than he expected.
Not just the second photographer’s team, but even some of the main photographer’s people showed no hostility toward him.
Maybe the main photographer isn’t the type to earn goodwill.
At that moment, Team Leader Joo spoke to him.
“Manager.”
“Yes, Team Leader?”
“Don’t worry too much about Taesu. He had a bad experience with something similar before, so he’s probably just overreacting.”
“A similar situation?”
“There was an incident with a female actress during a shoot before. I heard she even slapped him.”
Seon-ho asked,
“Was it over clothing that time too?”
“I think so? He apparently gave her something much more extreme than the original concept, and she got mad. I wasn’t there, so I didn’t see it myself.”
The stylist listening in added,
“I was there, and yeah, he did suddenly demand an outfit that wasn’t on the list.”
“It wasn’t on the list? Then where did that outfit come from? He wouldn’t have gotten it himself, right?”
“No, he did. He got it from a designer friend. It was meant for a fashion show, but the show got canceled, so he suddenly arranged a sponsorship.”
“Really? Well, I guess he does know a lot of designers.”
“Oh, now that I think about it, that actress was also from MOK.”
“Really?”
At the stylist’s words, Han Seon-ho’s eyes gleamed.
He wanted to hear more about the actress and photographer Kim Taesu’s past incident.
But the topic soon changed.
“Seon-ho, I know today might’ve given you a negative impression, but don’t doubt the quality of Bay Studio. Taesu might have a terrible personality, but he’s one of the top photographers in Korea.”
“I understand. That’s why we feel even more sorry about what happened.”
“Oh, there’s no need to apologize. Just keep handing out coffee. The assistants are practically drooling from exhaustion.”
At Team Leader Joo’s words, Han Seon-ho nodded with a soft smile.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t smile like that in front of married women. It makes their husbands look bad in comparison.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“No, but don’t take it so seriously either.”
Seon-ho laughed off her joke and continued handing out coffee to the assistants.
Then, he overheard Team Leader Joo and the playful stylist talking.
“Don’t you think Taesu’s been acting way too selfish lately? He seems to have forgotten that a studio is a team effort.”
“Well, he’s successful.”
“But not on his own.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m starting to think things could get dangerous if this keeps up. I put everything into building this studio.”
“Yeah, yeah. You dedicated your youth to it. I’ve heard it a million times.”
“Then dedicate your youth to it too!”
He didn’t catch the rest of the conversation, but he had already heard everything he needed.
If I play this right…
It could lead to the best-case scenario.
Next, he turned his attention to the broadcasting staff.
“Don’t worry too much, Seon-ho. This will probably get edited out anyway. It’s the kind of drama that’s exciting at first but leaves a bad aftertaste.”
“Thank you.”
“You handled things really well. If you hadn’t stepped in quickly, Hye-mi would’ve taken all the blame.”
The chatty assistant director’s words reassured him.
The final round of coffee delivery was to the entertainment agency representatives.
“Thanks to you running all the way to the restroom to warn me, we were able to fix things quickly. I really appreciate it, Director.”
“I’m just glad it worked out well. And I must say, you’re much more capable than I expected, Han Seon-ho.”
“Not at all. W Entertainment has plenty of far more outstanding managers.”
It wasn’t just flattery.
W Entertainment was a top-tier company in South Korea’s show business industry.
“Anyway, thanks for the coffee.”
“Of course.”
While Seon-ho made his rounds delivering coffee, the first profile shoot wrapped up.
Now, it was time for the second team’s shoot.
The second team consisted of Cha Hye-mi and Jung Su-rim.
The meeting had ended sooner than expected, and both Hye-mi and Su-rim were already done with their makeup and styling.
Seeing their looks, Seon-ho realized that photographer Park Taeseok had included his suggestions.
The reluctant main photographer finally stepped aside, and Park Taeseok’s profile shoot began.
His approach was completely different from the previous photographer’s.
“Jung Su-rim, are you kidding? Didn’t you say you were a fan of Cha Hye-mi?”
“I’m sorry!”
“Don’t say sorry. If you feel bad, then be Cha Hye-mi and feel that emotion.”
Jung Su-rim looked flustered by the sudden shift in Park Taeseok’s demeanor. He was no longer the calm man from the earlier meeting.
“And Cha Hye-mi. Are you the same person you were last year? Have you not changed at all? Have you not thought about anything?”
“No, I have.”
“Then why do you have the same expression as last year? Do you not want to take this profile photo?”
“That’s not it!”
Hye-mi was also being criticized.
However, Park Taeseok’s criticism didn’t feel unpleasant.
The louder Park Taeseok’s voice grew, the more noticeable the changes in Hye-mi and Su-rim became.
The other participants watching murmured among themselves.
“Hyung, don’t you think that guy is better?”
“I heard he’s really well-known abroad. The main photographer holds a strong grip on the domestic industry because of his connections.”
“Oh, right. In that French competition, the main photographer barely placed, but the second photographer won a silver medal.”
“It’s not a silver medal, it’s ‘Silver Pictures.’”
“Whatever.”
The ones whispering the loudest were the two participants who had just finished their profile photoshoots.
As soon as their shoot ended, they grumbled that Kim Taesu, the main photographer, had taken their pictures carelessly.
It was understandable why they were dissatisfied—the contestants of Season 3 were having their profile pictures taken for the first time.
Kim Taesu’s lack of direction during the shoot was bound to be frustrating.
As the shoot went on, the murmuring grew louder.
Eventually, one of the Season 2 contestants approached her manager.
“Manager oppa, I want to change my photographer.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I don’t want the main photographer anymore. I want the guy who’s shooting right now. Park Tae… something? Anyway, him.”
“Se-hee, that’s not something you can just decide.”
“But that handsome manager oppa earlier said that the contract was made on a studio-wide basis, so it doesn’t matter.”
Seon-ho handed out coffee while fanning the flames among the Season 2 contestants.
He suspected that one of them might demand a photographer change from their manager.
If that happened, the complaints wouldn’t be directed at Hye-mi but at Kim Taesu, the main photographer.
Everything’s going too smoothly.
Now, it was time to wrap things up.
Seon-ho approached Joo Mi-yeon, the team leader, who was rummaging through something in the corner of the studio.
“Team Leader Joo.”
“Oh, Seon-ho. What is it?”
“I have a question.”
“Ask me anything—except for my phone number.”
Joo’s joke made Han Seon-ho smile softly.
“In a little while, the studio staff will be voting on the shoot results, right?”
“Yes. We’ll be voting on a total of ten works, including the ones taken yesterday.”
“Is the voting anonymous?”
“Of course, it’s completely anonymous.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried about what would happen if names were revealed.”
Joo looked at Han Seon-ho, who exaggeratedly sighed in relief.
“Why? Would it be a problem if names were revealed?”
“I hate to say this, but… if it weren’t anonymous, I don’t think we’d get a single vote.”
“Hmm…”
Joo narrowed her eyes.
What Han Seon-ho meant was simple.
If the vote wasn’t anonymous, the staff would be too afraid of Taesu to vote for Chae Hye-mi and Jung Su-rim.
However, the reason Joo’s expression changed wasn’t because of that.
Was this guy always like this?
His expression, tone, and gestures were the same.
But something about him felt little different.
Earlier, he had a soft and gentle aura.
Now, he was slippery and unreadable—something she instinctively didn’t want to touch.
Then, Seon-ho suddenly threw out an unexpected remark.
“But what if our team wins first place? That’s another concern.”
“Why?”
“Wouldn’t that shake up the studio’s hierarchy?”
Seon-ho whispered as he added,
“Of course, it would get rid of excessive arrogance, remind everyone that the studio is a collective, and show that success isn’t achieved alone.”
Joo widened her eyes at Seon-ho’s barely audible muttering.
Isn’t Taesu getting too full of himself lately? He seems to have forgotten that the studio is a shared entity.
Well, he is successful.
But he didn’t get here on his own.
If things keep going this way, it might get dangerous. This is the studio I built with my own hands.
In other words, Han Seon-ho was subtly suggesting, Vote for our team and give the main photographer a wake-up call.
However, his phrasing was clever—he never made it seem like it was his will.
“Anyway, I hope things turn out well. Team Leader Joo, please make sure to cast your valuable vote. It would be even better if it’s for our team.”
Seon-ho smiled gently and left after a polite farewell.
Joo watched his retreating figure, deep in thought.
Han Seon-ho…
At first, she had wondered why someone with a face like that was working as a manager. He looked more suited to being a celebrity.
But now, she understood.
He wasn’t the type to climb onto a stage someone else had set.
He was the type who needed to set the stage himself and place the players on it.
That kind of personality didn’t suit a celebrity’s life.
Celebrities lived under constant public observation, trapped in a fabricated image rather than their own lives.
What kind of work did he do before this?
Today’s events were clearly unexpected.
And yet, Han Seon-ho had skillfully set the board and placed the pieces on it.
On top of that, instead of making her a piece, he had invited her to build the board together.
He had precisely identified who was a pawn and who was a queen.
Did he already know about the studio’s dynamics? It’s not a huge secret, so maybe he did.
But regardless of what he knew, the way he utilized that knowledge was undeniably his own skill.
Joo Mi-yeon suddenly found herself curious about Han Seon-ho’s past.
A rookie manager wouldn’t be capable of what he had just done today.
He had to have lived in another world of power and hierarchy.
But if that were the case, wasn’t he too young?
After a moment of deliberation, Joo made up her mind.
If their goals aligned, there was no reason to reject his offer.
What Han Seon-ho wanted and what she wanted were the same.
Having finished her thoughts, Joo walked toward the photographer’s assistants.
Meanwhile, not far away, Yoo Ayeon, the head of casting at W Entertainment, watched the scene unfold with great interest.
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