Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

After the filming was over, Ju Yung-In took off her stockings as soon as she got back into the car. Her feet were scraped from running at full speed on the asphalt and there were even small stones embedded in her skin.

Stylist Ji Soo-Hyun yelled at the sight, "Unnie, how could you run without shoes? Your feet are all scraped up!"

"Ouch, ouch! Hey, stop nagging and quickly bring me some disinfectant and band-aids!" Ju Yung-In cried out.

Ji Soo-Hyun let out a deep sigh and brought the first aid kit. Once Ju Yung-In cleaned and disinfected her wounds, Ji Soo-Hyun sighed once again.

"Unnie, did you really have to tear your skirt like that? It was a super expensive piece from Choi Hyun-Ho's Boutique..."

Ju Yung-In smiled. "Don't worry. It's not like that's the only sponsor we have, is it?"

Ji Soo-Hyun made a sulky face. "It's not about the next sponsor; we probably can't return it."

"Hey, I'm Ju Yung-In. Just tell them I messed it up. And if they complain, I'll just buy it."

"Really?"

Ju Yung-In nodded before changing the topic. "Yeah. By the way, did you keep an eye on Team Lead Jung like I told you? How was he? Did he watch me act?"

Ji Soo-Hyun looked around and whispered. "He was staring at your acting the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off you."

"I knew it," Ju Yung-In replied with a grin.

At that moment, Ji Soo-Hyun suddenly looked worried. "Unnie. It's not like what I think, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

When Ju Yung-In furrowed her brow slightly, Ji Soo-Hyun quickly lowered her head. "Oh, no, it's nothing. I'm sorry."

"What is it? You can tell me. Shouldn't I know what my personal stylist is thinking about?"

After moving to Ace Entertainment, Ju Yung-In had a particular fondness for Ji Soo-Hyun among the many stylists. Thanks to this reason, Ji Soo-Hyun led a comfortable life while her peers struggled through sleepless nights working. Ju Yung-In even gave her luxury bags and expensive outfits.

Recently, Ji Soo-Hyun had even received a Channy bag worth 5 million won as a gift.

Ji Soo-Hyun gathered her courage and carefully asked. "Unnie...by any chance, do you like Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho?"

Ju Yung-In smiled faintly. "Yes, you're right. I like Jung Yoon-Ho."

Ji Soo-Hyun looked shocked. "U-unnie!"

"What? You already suspected it, didn't you?"

"Well, no. I'll pretend I didn't hear that. And I'll definitely keep it a secret."

Ju Yung-In's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "But why? Is it because you're scared of Chief Lee Chan-Dong?"

Ji Soo-Hyun found herself at a loss for words. "..."

"He must have put you on surveillance, worried I might cause trouble. Right?"

"Th-that's…well, unnie..." Ji Soo-Hyun stuttered.

"That's enough. I understand you didn't have a choice. But things should be different from now. From this moment on, make your allegiance clear. The company or me?" Ju Yung-In asked in a serious tone.

Ji Soo-Hyun rolled her eyes and cautiously replied, "Unnie, will you take responsibility for me?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I said I'd take care of you. And do you remember how I told you from the first day to treat each other like sisters? I even gave you my clothes and bags."

"I'm-I'm sorry," Ji Soo-Hyun apologized.

"Just trust and follow me. I'll take you with me even if I change companies. Let's stick together for life," said Ju Yung-In firmly as she looked into Ji Soo-Hyun's eyes.

Ji Soo-Hyun nodded after a brief hesitation. "Alright! Okay. I'll trust you from now on."

Having made Ji Soo-Hyun completely loyal to her, Ju Yung-In gave her first order.

"Then from now on, observe how Jung Yoon-Ho looks at me and report every detail. That's your first mission."

Ju Yung-In was already aware that Jung Yoon-Ho disliked her.

So the method Ju Yung-In chose was to become someone even Jung Yoon-Ho would covet. To achieve this, Ju Yung-In was attempting an image transformation. She was even showing a determination she normally wouldn't—like running barefoot.

"Oh, and could you pass this note to Yoon-Ho oppa for me?"

Ju Yung-In handed a crumpled note to Ji Soo-Hyun.

***

My ears itched as if someone was talking about me.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin, who had just finished her makeup, got out of the van and asked, "Oppa, how do I look?"

With her soft wavy hair, Dolcha & Banana gold-frame sunglasses, and a Channy two-piece dress, she looked like a completely different person from the Yoo-Jin I saw yesterday now that she was adorned from head to toe in luxury.

The role Yoo-Jin was playing, Cheongmyung, was a shaman living alone in a 70-pyeong villa in Cheongdam-dong and driving a Ferrori while also studying art at a university.

"Mdm. Lee, did you have any trouble getting the luxury brand sponsorships?" I asked.

"No. We haven't yet connected with the large domestic boutiques, but foreign brands are clamoring to sponsor Miss Yoo-Jin," Lee Mi-Ri reported.

Major brands targeting the Asian market had a keen interest in Korean stars as their recognition in Asia surpassed even Hollywood actors. Thanks to this, even brands that couldn't get sponsorship approval domestically were stepping in at the headquarters level to sponsor Yoo-Jin.

With many connections in New York, it was very easy for Lee Mi-Ri to secure global luxury sponsorships. She said there were even talks about commercials.

"Speaking with brand marketers, it seems that we might get some commercial offers if this project does well," Lee Mi-Ri added.

I could almost hear the sound of money rolling in.

"But remember. We have an exclusive contract with LM Apparel for domestic ads, so keep that in mind," I reminded her.

Lee Mi-Ri nodded. "I've already mentioned that."

"We can still consider overseas ads after consulting with LM Apparel though, so don't completely reject any proposals," I told her.

"Understood."

"Anyway, my job has become so much easier thanks to you, Mdm. Lee," I thanked her with a smile.

Lee Mi-Ri smiled and said as she turned to look at Yoo-Jin, "Not at all. It's all thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin's popularity."

Talking about her popularity in front of her made Yoo-Jin blush. "O-oppa, please don't talk about that..."

I smiled at Yoo-Jin who was shy about compliments. "Luxury goods are really something, huh?"

Back when we were filming Blue Sky, all we had were school uniforms and gym clothes. But now it was all luxury from head to toe.

Yoo-Jin nodded. However, she had something else on her mind. "By the way, oppa. You watched Yung-In's acting until the end, right?"

Yoo-Jin, who had been getting her makeup done, hadn't seen Ju Yung-In's performance.

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on your acting as always," I assured her.

Yoo-Jin nodded with a disappointed look. "Okay. I'll be off then."

Yoo-Jin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she had transformed into a completely different person.

"Take care, Team Lead Jung~," said Yoo-Jin as she winked and walked toward the set with a haughty stride.

Lee Mi-Ri clicked her tongue in amazement. "Miss Yoo-Jin switches to her role so quickly. It's just incredible."

Most actors needed preparation time to immerse themselves in a character. They read the script and thought like the character before diving into the role. Some actors who were slow to immerse even struggled from the day before.

But Yoo-Jin had no such process. It was as if she had a separate room in her mind for each personality.

"I'm always amazed whenever I see it," I said with a smile.

"I haven't seen many actors, but it seems like there really are naturally born actors," Lee Mi-Ri remarked.

It made me think that having multiple personalities might be convenient for acting.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon saw Yoo-Jin dressed in luxury and looked surprised.

"She's already in character. Then let's get started right away. Everyone, hurry up."

Kim Sung-Woon quickly recognized the change in Yoo-Jin and immediately started filming scene 31, following the previous scene 30.

『What? Who put a parking ticket on my car?』

Scene 31 involved Cheongmyung getting angry about a parking ticket on her Ferrori and then declaring that the pickpocket caught by the two protagonists was possessed by a ghost. This early scene established the meeting of the two protagonists and the important supporting character, Cheongmyung.

***

Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin continued the shoot without any NGs.

Unlike Blue Sky, which had attention leaned heavily toward Yoo-Jin, this time, both were showing equally strong performances. It was impossible to look away because the Ju Yung-In standing in front of me was a completely different person from the one who was my wife in my past life.

At that moment, a young woman in her early twenties with her hair tied back approached me nervously.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jung?"

"Who are you…?" I asked.

"My name is Ji Soo-Hyun. I'm Yung-In unnie's stylist."

"Ah, I see. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ji Soo-Hyun handed me a piece of folded paper. "Yung-In unnie asked me to give this to you."

The note from Ju Yung-In contained something I hadn't expected.

[Ace is attempting to poach Cherry Blossom.]

Currently, the other three members of Cherry Blossom aside from Eun-Ah hadn't renewed their contracts with Hoop Entertainment. With about six months left on their contracts and everyone exhausted from the latest activities, it wasn't the right time to discuss renewals.

But Ace Entertainment was trying to take advantage of this situation. However, it was absurd to think I hadn't anticipated this.

‘Did she really think I wouldn’t be prepared for this?’ I thought.

I had maintained strong ties with Cherry Blossom and had taken precautions knowing something like this could happen. While the members themselves trusted me, their families' influence on their contract decisions was significant as well.

What puzzled me more was why Ju Yung-In would send me such a note.

"Why would she send me such a risky note? If her company finds out she's helping me, they won't leave her alone," I said after reading the note.

Ji Soo-Hyun quickly said her piece and hurried back. "I don't know either. Anyway, I delivered her message. And she really wants to help you, so just know that. I'll get going now."

"Huh? What was that about?"

'They say birds of a feather flock together,' I remarked inwardly.

She seemed like a tough young woman in her early twenties who would likely survive well in this industry.

"I should make a call," I muttered to myself.

Regardless of the circumstances, I wasn't going to ignore the warning. I put the note away and called Do Ran-Hee to check on Cherry Blossom's situation.

-Yes, Mr. Jung!

"Are the Cherry Blossom members all home now?"

Cherry Blossom was on a month-long break starting this morning, although Sae-Ri had to come back immediately after spending the weekend at home due to school.

But according to Do Ran-Hee, someone hadn't gone home despite having a break.

-Eun-Ah didn't go.

"Why? Her mother said she'd take good care of her and she was going home."

-She changed her mind. Eun-Ah said she'd fight with her dad if she went home, so she decided to rest at the dorm.

"Is she alone there?"

-Yes, for now. But Ms. Lee Ju-Yung is visiting her daily and I'll also be checking on her later today.

"Alright. Ran-Hee, you're doing great. Continue to keep an eye on Cherry Blossom, especially since we need to renew the contracts soon. You understand what I mean, right?"

-Yes, Mr. Jung. Ju-Yung unnie and I will discreetly take care of them.

"Okay."

After confirming Cherry Blossom's whereabouts, I called Lee Dong-Min to explain the situation. He said he'd immediately start preparing for the contract renewals with the legal division. I then sent a lengthy message about the contract renewal meeting to the family group chat.

[Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho: We plan to hold a meeting in two weeks regarding the contract renewals of your children. Please attend to review our plans for their future and to renew their contracts with Hoop Entertainment. We will be transparent with you and disclose all financial aspects, so we urge you to participate if possible.]

All the members were adults except for Sae-Ri and didn't need their parents for the renewal. However, overlooking that fact would create a loophole.

Cherry Blossom members, now in their early twenties, were still not entirely free from their parents' influence. For this reason, it was always best to inform their parents about anything significant.

But replies from Cherry Blossom's parents started arriving one after another not even five minutes after sending the KkTalk message.

Ristretto's Thoughts

Avoiding copyrights is very hard sometimes 😂

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