The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 126 (Part 2)
Chapter 126: Unmanned Café (Part 2)
Despite the scolding, Seo Arin just smiled warmly.
Considering their friendship from working on several projects together, even this chit-chat was enjoyable.
After all, she was the only actor friend who had survived.
“But we’re really amazing, aren’t we? Surviving until the 8th round.”
“That’s true.”
“Apparently, there are only a handful of people left in the entertainment industry who survived.”
“Did that many die?”
“Of course! You still don’t know? Almost all seniors, juniors, singers, and idols have died. About 70% of celebrities are dead.”
“Can’t be. I didn’t think it was that bad…”
“It seems that you’ve been attending too many funerals that you lost your mind.”
Hong Sun-ah clicked her tongue.
“So you didn’t know this either? Our value has skyrocketed!”
“Huh? Our value has increased?”
The entertainment industry, heavily populated by people in their 20s, was doomed to fail.
But what about the players who survived?
They became elite celebrities, monopolizing public popularity.
This was the current state of the entertainment industry after the cataclysm.
When Hong Sun-ah mentioned this, Seo Arin looked as if she was hearing it for the first time.
“Our value has increased, and we’re more famous than before?”
“Do you really not know? Haven’t you searched your name on the internet?”
“I don’t really do ego searching…”
“Try searching now.”
Seo Arin did as suggested, albeit reluctantly.
Then she let out an unwittingly dumbfounded voice.
“Uh?”
There were more articles than she expected.
[The list of the celebrities in their 20s who survived the 8th round: Seo Arin, Hong Sun-ah, Gu Yeon-seung, Jang Bok-chul, and a total of 19 people!]
[In a gloomy situation, leading stars like Seo Arin, Hong Sun-ah, and others, celebrity players! Inquiries from advertisers are pouring in.]
[Jang Bok-chul, who appeared as an extra for 10 years, rises as a star following Seo Arin…]
[Jang Bok-chul, a nameless actor player gaining fame, confesses his ideal type is Seo Arin.]
[The advertising value of Seo Arin and other 8th-round surviving players has risen by 2.8 times overall.]
These were articles that came up when searching for Seo Arin’s name.
She seemed unaware that her name had been mentioned so frequently.
“What, what is this? When did my value increase?”
“As celebrities decreased, advertising revenue increased and our value went up. That Jang Bok-chul mentioned in the articles was a nameless actor, but by surviving the 8th round, he has rapidly gained recognition.”
“……”
“You didn’t know about this? Are you lying to me just to tease me?”
Seo Arin was genuinely startled and waved her hands.
“No, no. I really didn’t know. I haven’t been on the internet for a while…”
“Even if you didn’t go online, someone from the management or the company must have mentioned it.”
“Manager…”
Seo Arin thought of An Sang-cheol, then shook her head.
“No one told me anything…”
“How could there be so many articles and no one said a word? Who is the head of your agency, exactly?”
Although it is not an official agency, the representative of the company that provides support is Ma Kyung-rok…
She hadn’t heard anything from him either.
Seo Arin shook her head with a bitter expression.
“No one told me. What the situation is like now.”
“Ha, can you believe it? A celebrity doesn’t even know her own value.”
Seo Arin looked at Hong Sun-ah who was sighing.
Somehow, she seemed to be smiling. Was it just her imagination?
“You should quit your company quickly. What a bunch of assholes, keeping information so tightly sealed just to suck up the signing bonus.”
“……”
“The articles about the value increase were published 3 months ago. So they knew for at least 3 months but kept their mouths shut. How could they do that?”
“It’s hard to say this, but… you didn’t mention it either. You didn’t contact me for months and suddenly called today.”
“Hey! I thought you knew! Who doesn’t look at internet articles? Especially a celebrity!”
Seo Arin became speechless.
She regretted bringing it up, having not gained anything in return.
“I’ve been busy. You know how dangerous the world has become, so I’ve been avoiding all contact for a while…”
“Ugh, really! So dumb, so dumb!”
Hong Sun-ah, who had been harsh the entire time suddenly offered a favor.
“Why not come to our company? Our CEO treats us really well. You, Arin, would definitely receive good treatment. You have some reputation among the new actors.”
“No, it’s okay. What’s the use of moving now? There’s still time left on my contract.”
“Break that damn contract. Should I talk to our CEO? I bet he’d even pay the penalty for you.”
“It’s okay, I don’t like moving around like a migratory bird.”
Hong Sun-ah’s eyes suddenly turned cold.
“Are you saying that for me to hear?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Anyway, it’s a shame. It would be nice to work at the same company.”
“What work? The life of a celebrity is practically over. Even in the next round, we can’t guarantee survival, let alone long-term projects like dramas.”
“You only know one thing but not the other. Why would there be no work? Just landing a decent ad can earn you the equivalent of 10 years of an average office worker’s salary. Not just ads, right? Even if you can’t film dramas or movies, you can still appear in variety shows and various programs.”
It made sense when she thought about it.
“But didn’t your company bloc even those job opportunities? You didn’t even work properly since the cataclysm!”
Seo Arin nodded cautiously, fearing she might get scolded.
“Uh-huh…”
Sure enough, she was right, Hong Sun-ah slapped her forehead in response.
“Really, that company is no good. What kind of stupid place did you join…”
“Sun-ah, even so, that’s a bit harsh…”
“Let’s go!”
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere, Hong Sun-ah stood up, grabbed Seo Arin’s wrist, and pulled her.
“I’ll introduce you to someone, so let’s go.”
“Who?”
“There is someone who will save you from this mess!”