Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Viewers couldn't stop laughing at Kang Ha-Na's wild dancing.

(Live chat)

- Dasom’s Dad: Ha ha, she sings well, but her dancing is a bit clumsy.

- Pretty 09: Who cares if she can’t dance well? I’m becoming a fan from today.

- House: She's amazing. She chose the hardest song 'Fantasy Mirror' with that level of dancing skill? Ha ha, mad respect for her mental strength.

No matter how hard I looked, there were no positive comments about her dancing. People commented that her hands and feet were out of sync and that her audacity was admirable and brave.

However, it was clear that viewers were enjoying Ha-Na's MeTube.

Do Ran-Hee read through the chat and asked with a puzzled look, "Mr. Jung. She can't dance, but why is the reaction so good?"

"Because it's funny," I said.

"Her image isn’t getting ruined; she's becoming more relatable," I explained.

Do Ran-Hee nodded reluctantly while looking at the chat. "Still, she won’t rap, right? She shouldn’t. Ha-Na is really bad at rapping."

But Kang Ha-Na proved Do Ran-Hee wrong.

As soon as she heard the request for a rap, Kang Ha-Na shouted with a lively voice, "Rap? Of course I can do it. But it’s a bit worse than my dancing, so don’t be too harsh on me."

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee reached out toward the recording booth and desperately tried to stop Kang Ha-Na. "Ha-Na, no. You can’t just do everything they ask! That’s not right!"

But Do Ran-Hee’s voice didn’t reach Kang Ha-Na in the soundproof booth.

Kang Ha-Na cleared her throat and leaned into the mic to start rapping. "Yeah! Check it out! Check! One-two. One-two. Ah, ah~! Drop the beat! Ay yo! Look who's here~!"

Kang Ha-Na kept getting off-tempo even with the slow beat. She rapped with a serious face, but her rapping was awfully terrible.

Do Ran-Hee looked at me with a defeated look as if she had given up on everything. "Mr. Jung, what do we do?"

I smiled and pointed to the chat.

(Live chat)

- MK. Rapper: Wow, this is hilarious. She’s so bold. Ha ha, but her clumsy rap is oddly charming for some reason.

- Mercy Venom: I didn't know you could rap to this beat like the way she does. It’s like a traditional rhythm with lyrics. Ha ha.

- Cheonghakdong Girl: Totally a Joseon dynasty-style flow. Amazing.

- MeTube Veteran: Let’s get Ha-Na into the National Gugak Center! Ha ha.

"What? Why is the reaction good?" Do Ran-Hee remarked with surprise.

Kang Ha-Na's unique vocals gave her rapping a weirdly addictive quality. On top of that, Kang Ha-Na was even showing her hip-hop swag with hand signs.

At the same time, viewers were continuously typing positive comments in the chat.

After 30 minutes, the live viewer count peaked at 3,523 and ranked third in real-time MeTube viewers in Korea. The channel subscribers reached 1,923, and the music video views surpassed 42,000.

In my past life, Kang Ha-Na's channel only had three subscribers and one live viewer on the first day, and five views on the music video.

The results in my past life and now were incomparable.

***

Sweat was beading on Kang Ha-Na’s face as she came out of the recording booth.

The booth had air conditioning, but she was drenched in sweat because she danced and rapped so enthusiastically.

However, her face was full of smiles.

"Kang Ha-Na, you’re the best!"

"Ha-Na, well done! This is amazing for a first broadcast!"

Kang Ha-Na clasped her hands and bowed at the cheers from everyone.

"Thank you, Mr. Jung, Ran-Hee, Ms. Eun, Seon-Woo, and Mr. Lee. It seems like it went well thanks to all of you."

"No thanks needed. You handled it well despite being surprised by the chat," I praised her.

"Not at all, oppa," Kang Ha-Na said shyly.

Do Ran-Hee shook her head and handed Kang Ha-Na a towel. "What’s with you? You need to take care of your image!"

Kang Ha-Na wiped the sweat from her forehead and answered, "I know how hard everyone has worked for my debut, so how could I hold back? Besides, do I even have an image I need to take care of?"

Then Kang Ha-Na looked at me."The chat was pretty harsh as you said, oppa."

I had prepared Kang Ha-Na for malicious comments beforehand by making her read harsh comments on MeTube and Paprika TV.

I gave her a pleased smile. "You handled it well. And never engage with high-level sexual comments. We’ll filter them out anyway, but it's best not to get involved."

"Okay, I won't."

Kang Ha-Na drank the water Do Ran-Hee handed her and checked the MeTube subscribers and views. "Oppa, did this many people join?"

"They're still increasing."

Currently, Ha-Na Tube had 2,522 subscribers and the music video views had surpassed 45,000.

"Is this considered a success?" Kang Ha-Na asked.

"It's not just a success, it’s a huge success," I corrected her.

Even though Yoo-Jin promoted it, I never expected so many people to join at this late hour. Moreover, this result was almost miraculous because Ha-Na had no previous recognition.

"The important thing is to keep this momentum. Don’t forget how you felt today. Got it?" I reminded Kang Ha-Na.

Kang Ha-Na nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"And you should call your mother," I added.

Although she didn’t achieve her long-desired dream of debuting as a K-pop idol, becoming a singer alone would make Kang Ha-Na’s mom happy.

I returned Kang Ha-Na her phone which she had given me before entering the recording booth.

Taking the phone with trembling hands, Kang Ha-Na called her mom. "Hi, Mom… It’s Ha-Na. Yeah… yeah."

As soon as she said "mom," tears began to well up in her previously smiling eyes.

Kang Ha-Na had endured six years as a trainee facing all kinds of temptations, even attempts by the company to debut her as a trot singer for night performances.

But Kang Ha-Na overcame it all and started making the music she wanted. "I…I finally debuted… So stop worrying about me. I’m okay. No, I’m not crying."

Do Ran-Hee was wiping her tears while watching this.

But at that moment, Kang Ha-Na handed me the phone with tearful eyes.

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

"My mom wants to talk to you, oppa," Kang Ha-Na replied tearfully.

"Me?"

Unable to continue speaking, Kang Ha-Na handed me the phone.

I took it and greeted Kang Ha-Na's mother politely. "Hello, ma'am. This is Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho, Ha-Na’s talent agent."

But there was no response from the other side. I checked if the phone had turned off, but it was still connected.

Then a deep male voice spoke.

-Honey, he's waiting.

Finally, Kang Ha-Na’s mom, Kim Hyun-Ji, spoke in a tearful voice.

-Hello. This is Ha-Na’s mom.

Her voice was a bit more delicate than Kang Ha-Na’s.

"Yes, ma'am."

-Thanks to you, Ha-Na was finally able to debut. Thank you so much, Mr. Jung.

"Not at all. Ha-Na would have done well even without me," I replied.

-That’s not true. Ha-Na is persistent but not very resourceful.

Kim Hyun-Ji, having experienced the rough underbelly of the entertainment industry as an impersonator of the famous singer Kim Hyun-Ja, repeatedly thanked me and said her daughter might have faced the same hardships she went through if she had been alone without me.

"Please don’t worry. She will do even better in the future," I assured her.

-I trust you, Mr. Jung. Please take good care of Ha-Na.

"Of course, ma'am."

I was about to hand the phone back to Kang Ha-Na after hanging up.

KkTalk!

But suddenly, a KkTalk notification popped up on the phone screen.

[Park Ye-Seul: Unnie, the song you sang today is the one I begged you for, right? When did you finish it? Adding lyrics made it even better.]

Park Ye-Seul, a former trainee from Eyestone Entertainment, had stood on stage with Kang Ha-Na in Global Produce 47.

I hadn’t intended to read the message but the notification preview made it unavoidable.

I handed the phone to Kang Ha-Na and said, "I'm sorry for reading the message."

"It’s okay. I don't mind you reading it," Kang Ha-Na replied.

"But do you still keep in touch with the trainees from your previous agency?" I asked.

"I don’t contact them, but they’ve been reaching out to me lately," said Kang Ha-Na.

"Why?"

"Well…they’re contacting me about the Global Produce 47 voting. They're asking me to vote for them."

Do Ran-Hee suddenly burst out angrily. "Those crazy bitches. They never treated you well, and now they want you to vote for them? Ha-Na, their rival is Choi Hye-Won, right? Let’s support Choi Hye-Won instead!"

As a passionate viewer of Global Produce 47, Do Ran-Hee knew the contestant list by heart.

I calmed down the fuming Do Ran-Hee and asked Kang Ha-Na, "Ha-Na, can Ran-Hee and I manage your phone from now on? You’ll get more calls than you can handle from now on."

Calls came from elementary school classmates to salespeople they met in passing for a newly debuted celebrity, and even just receiving greeting calls 24/7 could lead to health issues and hospitalizations.

Seeing unreasonable messages could not only shake their mental stability but also lead to psychiatric help if it got worse.

Young celebrities often refused to give their phone to the talent agents to protect their privacy, but Kang Ha-Na fortunately handed over her phone without any complaint.

I checked in with her again. "Are you okay with this?"

Kang Ha-Na nodded. "I don't have anyone to call anyway. Mom and Dad hardly call me unless there’s something special."

"Then just tell me who you need to stay in touch with," I replied.

Kang Ha-Na pointed out a few people in her KkTalk contacts. Besides her family, there were only three high school friends.

"Are you okay not contacting the rest?" I asked.

After a brief hesitation, Kang Ha-Na nodded. "It's fine."

"Okay then. And it’s best not to meet Ye-Seul anymore. Being involved with her won’t benefit you in any way," I advised.

"Got it."

As soon as Kang Ha-Na agreed, I took the opportunity to call Park Ye-Seul.

After all, I couldn’t let her disturb Kang Ha-Na again.

***

When I called, Park Ye-Seul answered in a cheerful voice.

-Ha-Na unnie! You were quite something today! I never imagined you had such entertainment skills. You were hilarious!

Her voice sounded friendly, but it was laced with sarcasm and mockery.

Park Ye-Seul was currently ranked first in Global Produce 47 popularity polls while Kang Ha-Na had switched companies and debuted only as a MeTuber.

Although their standings would soon change, I didn’t call to discuss that matter.

"This is Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho."

A sharp voice responded.

-Oh, what? Why the heck are you answering Ha-Na unnie’s phone?

In my past life, Park Ye-Seul had often used Kang Ha-Na’s channel as a billboard for her group EVE*ONE after Kang Ha-Na's success as a MeTuber.

But that wouldn’t happen as long as I was here. I wouldn’t let my celebrity be exploited by others by any means.

"Ha-Na’s phone is managed by the company. She won’t be receiving calls from anyone except family from now on, so please understand and cooperate."

Park Ye-Seul’s startled voice came through.

-This is ridiculous! Who are you to decide who contacts her? Let me talk to Ha-Na unnie myself...

"I’m ending the call."

Click.

I hung up and immediately added Park Ye-Seul to the blocked list. I didn’t stop there and blocked all celebrities from Eyestone Entertainment.

"Drawing a clear boundary like this is better. I’ll clear away anything that hinders your path," I told Kang Ha-Na.

Then, Kang Ha-Na asked worriedly, "But what if we run into them at the broadcast station in the future?"

"What are you so worried about? Just greet them warmly. Then use me as an excuse, saying your talent agent took your phone and is really strict," I replied.

I also gave instructions to Do Ran-Hee who was standing beside Kang Ha-Na. "Ran-Hee, make sure to filter out anyone trying to meet Ha-Na privately. If you can’t handle it, call me right away."

Do Ran-Hee saluted in a playful manner. "Got it!"

Kang Ha-Na was a kind person who had endured six years of broken promises from her agency about debuting her.

To manage a celebrity with such a personality, the talent agent needed to be firm.

From then on, I started blocking unimportant contacts from Kang Ha-Na's KkTalk chat list. But as I had said, the notifications kept coming in. Only then did Kang Ha-Na finally understand why I insisted on managing her phone.

"Wow…this girl is contacting me after five years," Kang Ha-Na remarked.

"Who is she?" I asked.

Messages poured in from people she barely knew from trainee connections to elementary school classmates.

Even a message from someone saying that they wanted to meet up because they were getting married soon came in.

Kang Ha-Na clicked her tongue when she saw the message from someone named Kim Song-Yi. "Does she not remember bullying me in middle school?"

Kang Ha-Na explained that Kim Song-Yi had been a bully who briefly made her life miserable back in middle school.

"I told you you’d get ridiculous messages," I told her.

With that, I blocked Kim Song-Yi.

Then Do Ran-Hee grinned widely at that moment. "Ha-Na, want to go to her wedding with me?"

"Why would we go there?" Kang Ha-Na asked.

"Let’s go with you in full celebrity makeup and a white dress," Do Ran-Hee replied with a smirk.

"Th-that’s a bit…." Kang Ha-Na stuttered.

Despite Ha-Na's flustered expression, Do Ran-Hee continued casually, "And I’ll wear a bright red dress and cry my eyes out. Or better yet, cling to the groom’s pants and scream, 'Why did you leave me?'"

Hearing Do Ran-Hee’s revenge plan sent chills down my spine.

'Yep. Do Ran-Hee is definitely crazy,' I noted silently.

Fortunately, Ha-Na stopped the plan and said we should focus on the positive things ahead rather than dwelling on the past.

After blocking contacts for ten minutes, I looked at the rapidly increasing subscribers and said, "At this rate, you’ll hit 100,000 much sooner than expected."

The subscriber count had reached 3,327 within less than an hour since the broadcast started.

In my past life, it had taken three months to reach 100,000 subscribers. I had aimed to achieve it in a month this time, but it seemed it would happen much sooner.

Just like that, Kang Ha-Na’s first MeTube broadcast was giving results beyond my imagination.

Ristretto's Thoughts

Ristretto: Yesss, Ran-Hee. To make it even better, add "What about our baby!!?"

Yojj: Ristrettooooooo noooooo

Maggy: HAHAHA we all need a friend like Ran-Hee

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