Chapter 196 Haru VS Woo Sung-Chan (1)
The relationship between a talent agent and a star was not that of superior and subordinate but that of partners and family.
It was not uncommon for them to stick together for a lifetime once a connection was made, and there were stars who even bought homes in central Seoul for their talent agents when they got married.
And the talent agent, in turn, sacrificed everything for their star.
Even if they left the care of their sick parents to others, talent agents didn't hesitate to care for their star's minor illnesses day and night because that was the nature of their job.
But when I treated the fans to a luxurious lunchbox and it hit number one on live search rankings, the company turned upside down.
Apparently, all the stars were pushing their talent agents so hard asking why they couldn't do the same. It was like when the neighbor's kid topped the school, every student in the neighborhood felt the pressure as their parents nagged.
As talent agents troubled by comparisons to me came seeking advice, I planned to give them help while gradually making them turn to my side.
'I didn't put effort into Cherry Blossom's event for nothing...' I thought to myself.
"Feel free to speak, Mr. Yang," I said.
Yang Hong-Seok from Singer Division 1 cleared his throat and asked, "Ahem. Team Lead Jung. You held this reverse fan support event recently, right?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"How much did it cost?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, Mrs. Lee Mal-Soon was just too curious."
When Yang Hong-Seok asked hesitantly, I answered him frankly. "It was 70 thousand won per person. Once on Saturday's music show and twice on Sunday for a total of 450 people."
"Is that so? Hmm, 70 thousand won per person seems a bit expensive. The dinner show tickets are 150 thousand won..."
"Did Mrs. Lee Mal-Soon ask you to do the same?"
Yang Hong-Seok sighed deeply.
"Sigh... Yes, she saw that this lunchbox was number one on live search rankings and was showing me the comments. She complained about why I couldn't do the same when the newly promoted Team Lead Jung was doing it. Singer Division 1 is in chaos right now because of that event. Not just Mrs. Lee but other senior singers are complaining as well."
I almost burst out laughing as the impact was greater than I expected.
I held back my laughter again and suggested a solution to Yang Hong-Seok as if I never had a conflict with Singer Division 1.
"A meal is served anyway at the dinner show, right? I'm assuming you usually budget about 15 thousand won per person?"
"Yes."
"Just spend an extra 5 thousand won."
"Uh...was your lunchbox 20 thousand won? But it looked like it could be around 30 thousand to 40 thousand won in the photo."
"Call the company I told you about and 20 thousand won will be enough. And if you order light sticks in units of one thousand they only cost 5 thousand won each."
Yang Hong-Seok's eyes widened. "Whoa. Is it really that cheap?"
"Yes. And don't include the glowing headbands in the ticket price since it's too expensive. Take pre-orders and place a direct factory order instead. Since Mrs. Lee simply wants to be ranked first on the live search rankings, just the meal and light sticks should be enough."
Yang Hong-Seok's face brightened. "So I just need to spend an extra 10 thousand won in total?"
"Exactly. And if you sell promotional scarves and balloons at the venue with a small markup, it will barely cost you anything extra."
At that moment, Yang Hong-Seok pondered for a moment.
But I hurriedly spoke since his intentions were clear to me. "Mr. Yang, don't try to make a huge profit or raise the ticket prices too much. You'll only earn criticism despite holding the event for the fans."
"Oh, no! Who would do that?" Yang Hong-Seok quickly denied it.
His thoughts were obvious, yet he pretended otherwise.
Yang Hong-Seok's greed was due to the current situation where Lee Mal-Soon's dinner show was only filling about 50% of the seats.
I reassured the disappointed Yang Hong-Seok. "Mr. Yang, I guarantee Mrs. Lee Mal-Soon's new song will definitely make a big impact if you handle this event well."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely. Don't you know my nickname? 'Star Jung the Fortune Teller.'"
Although I said I was able to give him this advice thanks to already having had experience holding a similar event, the truth was I was simply relying on the remaining schedule in my planner.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: July 17, 2020]
-03:00 p.m. (Meeting Items) Lee Mal-Soon’s 12th album <Trust Noona This Time!!> hits big. Dinner show sold out. Schedule meeting. Singer Division 1 meeting room.
Lee Mal-Soon's title track for this album, 'Trust Noona This Time!!' composed and written by Oryong Dosa, was going to be a huge hit. As a result, Lee Mal-Soon would manage to sell out tickets for all her dinner shows for the next five years.
Yang Hong-Seok asked again with a bright face, "Really? Are you sure about that?"
I nodded. "Yes, I'm confident."
"Okay! Then I'll listen to Star Jung this time. Could I possibly get the phone number of that vendor?"
"Of course."
Bongbong Light Sticks and Mani Mani Lunchboxes were new companies known only to me in our company.
But I had no intention of keeping these companies a secret, knowing these companies alone was less important than maintaining good relations with other talent agents in the company.
And the more I influenced other talent agents, the higher the chances of preventing the company from splitting in half.
"I’ll tell you, Mr. Yang. But please, speak well of me to Mrs. Lee Mal-Soon," I added.
Yang Hong-Seok grinned, "Of course. And thanks for the advice. I owe you a meal."
I smiled and said, "Any time, Mr. Yang."
"Then take care!" said Yang Hong-Seok as he waved his hand and headed to the elevator.
At that moment, it seemed like I could hear the carefully built tower of Kim Dong-Soo and the Suhyaejong line starting to crumble from the bottom.
***
Haru, dressed in the uniform of Hanyoung Arts Junior High, was ready to go to school.
Hanyoung Arts Junior High was located on the same premises as Hanyoung Arts High School, and was mainly attended by actors and trainees from Hoop Entertainment.
Not only was it located in Apgujeong, which was close to the company, but it was easy to pick up the celebrities since the middle and high schools were on the same premises.
Haru would be taking the school bus, but I had to accompany him today as a guardian due to his transfer procedures. Since I had to go to work much earlier than Haru, he and I headed to the company together.
As I brought Haru to the company, employees began to arrive and greeted him.
"Haru, are you going to school? Nice uniform," Lee Yung-Jin commented.
"Hello, Mr. Lee Yung-Jin," Haru greeted him in return.
"Hey, don't call me that. We're closer than that, aren't we? Call me hyung!" Lee Yung-Jin replied.
Haru nodded. "Okay. But hyung... why are you so tanned?"
"Don’t even mention it. I ended up like this working alone in the Philippines," Lee Yung-Jin said nonchalantly.
I shook my head. 'This guy. Making things up.'
When I glared at him slightly, Lee Yung-Jin avoided my eyes.
Haru took a glance at me and then tilted his head. "Is that true, Yoon-Ho hyung?"
But rather than doubting, his expression seemed not to show that he did not understand.
"No. He’s making it up," I said with a straight face.
As Haru looked convinced, Lee Yung-Jin grumbled, "Wow, Mr. Jung. What’s this fabrication? Really, you lack wit..."
"Wit, my foot. I told you several times to apply sunscreen, but you said it was fine! By the way, have you talked to PD Yoo Hyun-Ji of Master of Mukbang?" I interrupted Lee Yung-Jin.
Lee Yung-Jin stopped joking and replied. "Yes, I talked to her. But she won't set up a preliminary meeting yet."
Haru was scheduled to audition for TVM’s 12-episode series Master of Mukbang in a few days.
But PD Yoo Hyun-Ji of the program, although talented, was infamous for her authoritarian management style.
"PD Yoo is like that with everyone. She would have done the same even if I had contacted her myself. She always wants someone higher up than the first contact to arrange a meeting," I remarked.
Lee Yung-Jin's steps abruptly halted. "Wait a minute. Mr. Jung, it seems like I’ve become a scapegoat, haven’t I?"
"Yeah, that’s right," I said with a smirk.
Lee Yung-Jin looked betrayed, but there was nothing to be done. Having a conversation with the tricky Yoo Hyun-Ji meant that someone had to be the scapegoat to smooth things over.
Then, I added, "I'll treat you to lunch. Cool off."
Lee Yung-Jin blurted out suddenly. "Eels."
"Sure. Whether it's eel, whale, or shark, you can eat whatever you want, Yung-Jin."
"You're not talking about the sea eel, are you?"
He was quick to catch on that I had planned to treat him to sea eel.
I lifted my brows and said, "Freshwater eels...do taste better than sea eels, indeed."
"Then it's a deal!" Lee Yung-Jin exclaimed.
Just like that, a simple meal turned into a whole freshwater eel rice bowl.
After cheering up Lee Yung-Jin, I handed Haru the scriptbook for Master of Mukbang.
Since it was Haru’s first time receiving a script, he cautiously turned the first page with an excited expression.
I thought about teaching him how to read the script, but it wasn't necessary.
Haru was instantly engrossed in the densely written scriptbook and enjoyed it as if it were a comic book. His talent was unmistakable.
In the meantime, I checked the planner.
[Everyday V10.1]
[Date: July 3, 2020]
-5:20 p.m. <Master of Mukbang> Woo Sung-Chan audition.
[Date: July 31, 2020]
-06:30 p.m. TVM <Master of Mukbang> Episode 1 Woo Sung-Chan monitoring (Viewership ratings 2.3%)
I thought to myself after looking through the schedules, 'As expected. There are no changes yet.'
Woo Sung-Chan remained the original main character of Master of Mukbang. He was a 19-year-old senior at Hanyoung Arts Junior High who stood over 185 cm tall with a sharp nose, thick eyebrows, and distinct facial features which gave him a more foreign look than the half-Korean Haru.
He had been with the company for only about a year, known for his roles in several shows. However, his strong presence had always drawn attention from the industry and fans.
Thanks to that, Woo Sung-Chan’s Instargem followers numbered over 220,000 even without ever having a leading role.
'But what good is that if his personality is rotten...' I remarked inwardly.
Woo Sung-Chan had been a notorious bully since middle school, intelligently tormenting schoolmates for three years along with his gang.
But in my past life when Master of Mukbang became a hit and he rose to stardom, one of the victims, Lee Si-Yoon, released evidence of the bullying online in a single stroke. Soon after, several other victims posted their evidence too.
Woo Sung-Chan, who had suddenly fallen from a rising star to a school violence perpetrator, was investigated by the police and eventually retired from the entertainment industry.
I had no intention of just watching such a bully commit his crimes. After all, the suffering of the victims Woo Sung-Chan had harassed was indescribable.
But first, there was work to be done.
Setting up a preliminary meeting and appealing to Yoo Hyun-Ji for Haru was necessary to make him the top candidate for the lead role once Woo Sung-Chan was gone.
I sent a cake gift from Paris Croissant to Yoo Hyun-Ji and then cautiously messaged her on KkTalk.
Soon after, a call came in to set up a preliminary meeting.
"Ah, yes, Ms. Yoo. This is Team Lead Jung from Hoop Entertainment. Did you enjoy the cake? Ha ha ha. Yes, I'll bring Haru to the company tomorrow," I said.
***
It was 8 o'clock when Lee Ju-Yung arrived at the company with Sae-Ri.
"Haru~!" cried Sae-Ri as she ran toward Haru, her childhood friend, waving her hand.
Haru, who had been reading the script, greeted Sae-Ri with a bright face. "Good morning."
"Wow, are you already preparing to debut?" Sae-Ri asked.
"No, I'm just auditioning..."
Haru had been living brighter and more confidently since staying with me for a few days. After all, he was regularly attending the Life Clinic for growth plate checks and doing his Confidence Enhancement Training.
But it seemed like he still turned into a child around Sae-Ri, like the male lead in a story like 'The Shower.'[1]
Seeing Haru's bright face made me smile without realizing it.
'Haru, you're making it too obvious,' I thought to myself.
I decided to turn a blind eye for the time being since it wasn't yet time to worry about scandals. After all, there wasn't much time left for this innocence anyway.
Lee Ju-Yung stood up due to another schedule. "Mr. Jung. I'll be leaving then."
"Yes. I'll take Sae-Ri to the hospital later," I told her.
"Oh, would you? That’s great. The other kids need to go to the hospital too. It worked out well."
Cherry Blossom was practically exhausted, requiring daily hospital visits. But I could only take Sae-Ri to the Life Clinic around lunchtime because she needed to attend morning classes for now due to insufficient attendance days.
After taking charge of Sae-Ri, I got up to take Sae-Ri and Haru to school.
As we rode the elevator down to the underground parking lot, Sae-Ri chattered non-stop.
"Haru, the friends I hang out with the most at school are..."
Despite the potential annoyance, Haru seemed happily nodding continuously.
That's when Ju Ho-Sung waved from across the parking lot. "Team Lead Jung. Taking the kids to school?"
I nodded, "Yes, Mr. Ju."
Next to him was Woo Sung-Chan, smirking in his Hanyoung Arts Junior High uniform.
"Hello, Mr. Jung," Woo Sung-Chan greeted me.
"Hi," I replied.
They approached closer when I returned the greeting.
Then Woo Sung-Chan, who stood at 185 cm with a model's build, looked down at Haru.
I turned to Haru and said, "Haru, this is Woo Sung-Chan. Your sunbae from Actor Division 3. Say hi."
Haru quickly bent his waist in half and greeted him politely. "Hello! My name is Haru."
However, Woo Sung-Chan responded with a nod with an arrogant expression.
'What a disrespectful jerk,' I remarked silently.
At that moment, Woo Sung-Chan began to make a disdainful comment.
1. famous movie about first love in Korea ☜
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