In This Life, I Want an Oscar, Not a Husband - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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This life, I choose The Oscars over a husband.
Chapter 25

【You mentioned this was your first time filming a music video. How do you feel about the experience?】
【….】

The moment I saw myself on screen—mechanical, lifeless—I turned away.
“Ugh….”
Jang Hee-ja burst into laughter watching my reaction.
“I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this. It was hilarious, Eun-rae.”
Manager Jang laughed heartily, as if the mere memory was enough to set her off again.
She even wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke.
“Is this really your character? You’re being consumed as a literal capital I.”
“….”
I scrolled through the comments in silence.

– Wow, impressive. Robot technology has advanced so much it can even act now.
– There’s a video of someone running past with their face covered in front of the Music Video Filming Set. That’s hilarious lolololol
└ I saw it too lololol Her face was completely pale. Looked like a monster was chasing her
└ She’s naturally pale anyway. Her skin is insanely fair. Did you see her work as an internet shopping model back then?
– She has a composed face, but her actions are so timid it’s twice as cute lololol
– No, everyone only consumes funny reels, but our Eun-rae unnie is also good at actingㅠㅠㅠ Please watch the music video tooㅠㅠ
– Does Ha Eun-rae have other filmography? Where can I find it? After seeing the music video and behind-the-scenes, the contrast is killing me. I’d buy her other work if there was any
└ There is only 1 photo on SNS haha ​​Qㅠㅠ It seems like you hardly ever use SNS.

Every single comment was favorable toward me.
‘People like me.’
They weren’t just evaluating Ha Eun-rae’s acting—they were embracing me as a person.
That realization pressed heavily against my chest.
“Thanks to that, we’ve received five advertisement offers for you now. Two are fairly modest—internet shopping mall level—but three came from recognizable brands. I think it would be wise to carefully select from these five, keeping in mind the image you want to build going forward.”
“Pardon?”
Advertisements?
Already?
I couldn’t gather my thoughts amid this cascade of good news.
“You’re not opposed to this, are you?”
“Of course not!”
“I’m relieved. Going forward, I’d like us to take some photos for SNS posts and secure a few of these advertisements. That way, we can maintain your visibility during the gap before your next project.”
Manager Jang was right. There was no time to luxuriate in emotion.
This kind of buzz fades quickly.
Before this momentum dissolved, I needed to establish my name and face in the public consciousness.
Manager Jang proceeded to explain the advertisements that had come in.
Two of the five were essentially Internet Shopping Mall model inquiries, while the remaining three were genuinely noteworthy opportunities.
“This one is a print ad for a trendy sneaker brand. They’re planning to bundle it with SNS content, and if the response is good, they want to continue working together. If you become their seasonal model, they’d likely contract you for six-month terms with significantly higher compensation. Since they’re targeting college students, it suits your age perfectly, and it would help with future projects like romantic comedies.”
These sneakers.
I knew them.
They were trending during this period.
With cute frills and a Mary Jane aesthetic, they were an essential item that every college student owned.
“Do you know ‘Roll the Tape’?”
Roll the Tape!
A fashion platform that was just beginning to take off at this time, it was a place where scattered internet shopping malls could be viewed in one location.
“Yes, I’m familiar with it.”
“They’re launching their own brand called ‘Cassette Tape,’ apparently. I’m hesitant to recommend it since it could collapse immediately, but Roll the Tape itself wants to do bus ads, print ads, and even billboard advertising. As a new brand, they seem to want a completely fresh face. The pay is substantial, though I’m uncertain if follow-up advertisements would materialize.”
“Ah… I see.”
At twenty-one, my past self couldn’t have dreamed of advertisements like these pouring in.
Was this Min Se-ye’s doing? Was this MillionX’s influence?
No… no.
‘This is my ability.’
My acting skills—honed through constant study and refinement despite the criticism—had finally shone through.
At last.
All those hours hadn’t been wasted.
“And the final advertisement is…”
The moment Manager Jang showed me the screen, I tilted my head in confusion.
“This place? Why would they…”
Surprisingly, the screen displayed Gyodong Chicken.
“As you know, the making film has become quite the sensation.”
“Ah….”
I bit my lip.

【It’s chicken! Actress! What kind of Gyodong Chicken do you like?】
【Oh, Gyodong Chicken? Gyodong Chicken really is delicious.】

I was recalling my response, which had been no different from an AI’s.
“They said they want to do a TV commercial based on this meme. They even gave me a script, and it’s quite entertaining. The pay is naturally substantial since it’s a TV commercial.”
All three were undeniably attractive advertising opportunities.
I suppressed my racing heart and opened my mouth.
“Then the one with the highest price is-”
“After Gyodong, it’s sneakers. We were thinking, what if we do these two-”
“Is it possible for my opinion to be reflected as well?”
When I asked, Manager Jang lowered the tablet and tilted his head.
“Of course? We’re managing Eun-rae’s career, and you can accept or decline whichever way feels comfortable for you.”
As expected.
This was different from Kanna, who had forced me to do advertisements I didn’t want to do.
Then-
“I’d like to do these two.”
I pointed to the two advertisements with my fingers.

* * *

A directly-operated Gyodong Chicken location in Seongsu-dong.
The Marketing Team Lead of Gyodong Chicken was present at the Film Set.
He was also the planner of this advertisement.
With the contract ending with the girl group that had been the exclusive advertising model, the Gyodong Chicken model position had become vacant.
Gyodong Chicken was a chicken brand ranked around fifth domestically, essentially a chicken franchise that couldn’t break into the top three.
Recently, however, the market share had been steadily rising through aggressive marketing led by girl groups.
The problem was-

“The advertising expenses seem excessive. There’s quite a bit of pushback from shareholders due to operating profits.”

A decrease in operating profits due to excessive advertising expenditure.
Because of this, the Marketing Team Lead was constantly being pressured from above.
The message remained consistent.

“Let’s use a cheaper model. But make it edgy.”

“The model’s cheap, but how do we maintain our edge?” he’d complained.
It was absurd, but such was the fate of a corporate employee—you did what you were told.
Models cheaper than the existing girl group models were essentially just entertainers who thrived on variety show appearances—
‘They have nothing to do with our brand!’
How many brands had collapsed after half-heartedly hiring variety show personalities for marketing? More than a few.
It was then that one of his team members brought in the problematic video.

“Team Lead. There’s this rookie actress who’s trending lately. Do you think we could get permission from LP Entertainment and upload this video to our SNS?”

Ha Eun-rae.
An actress he’d never heard of, caught on a music video filming set giving an oddly mismatched answer to a question about Gyodong Chicken.

【…Gyodong Chicken really is delicious.】

Not “truly delicious,” but “really is delicious”—the phrasing was peculiar.
Her rigid expression combined with her doll-like beauty created an ironic, almost comedic effect.
With over a decade of experience as a Marketing Team Lead, he instinctively checked the Reels view count first.
800,000.
The video had been up for 24 hours—
‘This is huge.’
The numbers would climb even higher as time passed.
What’s more, members of MillionX were already liking the video one by one.
‘At this rate, it’ll hit ten million.’
The moment that thought struck him, the Marketing Team Lead made a counter-proposal to his team member.

“Let’s sign her.”
“What? A rookie like this?”
“A three-month contract would do. Plus, her rates are low, and most importantly, she’s already generating buzz.”

The team member nodded in agreement at those words.
Most celebrities command premium rates for TV commercials.
But a newcomer of this caliber?
A face that hasn’t been used by any other brand.
Most importantly, someone who became recognizable through the MillionX music video—a trending figure among the 10-20 demographic that Gyodong Chicken is currently targeting.
Certainly not a bad choice for a short-term campaign.
The advertisement had proceeded based on that assessment.
Honestly, expectations weren’t particularly high.
She’d performed well in the music video, but she’d only appeared for roughly four minutes.
‘Seeing how she trembles in those Reels, she probably can’t pull off subtle, cunning acting.’
Still, finding a model was urgent, so the process moved forward quickly.
‘If nothing else works out, we just use her for four weeks and swap her out.’
The Marketing Team Lead was sitting in the client’s chair, relieved to have escaped the pressure from above, when—
“Hello.”
The newly arrived model entered the Film Set.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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