Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

I thought it would take at least a few days to persuade Jo Soo-Yung.

However, thanks to Yoo-Jin and Yu-Mi, the problem was solved immediately.

"Then let's proceed as planned after signing the contract with Altoran tomorrow morning," I suggested.

"Okay. I'll upload the photos and text in the afternoon and report to the police after signing the contract," answered Jo Soo-Yung with a stern expression.

Yoo-Jin held her hand to give Jo Soo-Yung courage.

At that moment, the front door opened and Jo Soo-Yung's mother, Lee Ji-Ae, appeared.

Holding black bags in both hands, Lee Ji-Ae looked surprised upon seeing us. "Soo-Yung, who are these people?"

"Oh, Mom, you're here."

Seeing the flustered Lee Ji-Ae, Yoo-Jin jumped up and ran to the entrance. Then she reached out her hands toward the plastic bags.

When Yoo-Jin took the plastic bags, Lee Ji-Ae stared in disbelief. "Oh, uh...okay. By the way, are you by chance Miss Jung Yoo-Jin?"

"Please feel free to speak comfortably, ma'am. I'm like an older sister to Soo-Yung from now on."

"Ol-older sister? To my daughter?"

"Oh, ma'am, come on. Please speak comfortably."

Lee Ji-Ae nodded with a bewildered expression.

I heard that Lee Ji-Ae had become extremely wary of strangers after Kim Do-Jin came to the house and caused a disturbance. However, thanks to Yoo-Jin, her wariness was easily lifted.

"Soo-Yung, what’s going on?"

Jo Soo-Yung began to explain how she found a new agency with Yoo-Jin and my help.

When Lee Ji-Ae learned about the plan to take revenge on Kim Do-Jin for neglecting the child, her eyes widened and she asked, "Is, is that really true?"

"Yes, Mom. Mr. Jung and Yoo-Jin unnie said they'd help a lot in the future, so don't worry about anything anymore."

At that moment, tears started to stream down Lee Ji-Ae's face. "Oh, my dear child. That's wonderful. That's really wonderful."

The mother and daughter tightly embraced each other and began to weep loudly.

"Sob sob. Mom, I'm sorry for all this time. Meeting that man, Kim Do-Jin, made things hard for you too..."

As the mother and daughter continued to comfort each other, Yoo-Jin holding the black plastic bags at the entrance also wiped away tears.

Then Yu-Mi, still in my arms, shouted, "Granny~!"

Lee Ji-Ae turned her head to look at her granddaughter. "Oh my! Yu-Mi, you're in that uncle's arms?"

"Um-ba-ba!" Yu-Mi laughed and answered while still clinging tightly to me.

"Mom. Yu-Mi is really funny, isn’t she? It's already past her bedtime but she's been clinging to Mr. Jung since earlier without any hesitation."

Jo Soo-Yung shook her head and began to introduce us.

"Oh, right. Mom, this is Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho, Miss Yoo-Jin's talent agent. And this is Mr. Lee Dong-Min, a chief of Hoop Entertainment."

Because I was holding Yu-Mi, I greeted Lee Ji-Ae while seated.

Lee Ji-Ae grabbed my knee and expressed her gratitude. "Please take good care of Soo-Yung, Mr. Jung."

"Of course, ma'am. Don't worry too much," I assured her.

However, Lee Ji-Ae's expression seemed a bit dark as she spoke.

"What’s wrong, Mrs. Lee?" I probed.

"Well... I'm worried if Soo-Yung can be on the broadcast because of Yu-Mi."

She asked if her daughter, raising a child, could appear on the broadcast.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin stepped forward and spoke. "Why not? I'm living proof of that!"

Lee Ji-Ae nodded. "Oh, you're right...!"

Yoo-Jin was living proof that one could be a successful celebrity despite having a child. Thanks to Yoo-Jin, detailed explanations were no longer necessary.

"This offer was made knowing from the start that Ms. Soo-Yung is raising Yu-Mi. Altoran Planning, who will take care of Ms. Soo-Yung for the time being, is well aware of that fact as well."

Lee Ji-Ae nodded. "I have more unnecessary worries as I get older. It's foolish of me."

Delighted that her daughter's dream would belatedly come true, Lee Ji-Ae wiped away tears in joy.

"Well... you haven't had dinner, have you? I bought noodles. Would you like some Janchi Guksu?[1]" Lee Ji-Ae asked.

"That would be wonderful, Mrs. Lee," I replied.

When I swallowed hard, Yoo-Jin stood up and rolled up her sleeves. "I'll help too."

"No, Miss Yoo-Jin. How could you..."

"Trust me, I’m quite good at cooking. Soo-Yung, you stay seated."

"No, unnie. I’ll help too."

Not wanting to make the guest work, Jo Soo-Yung also stood up. Thanks to this, only Lee Dong-Min and I holding Yu-Mi in my arms were left in the living room.

"Yoon-Ho, play with Yu-Mi. I need to check the light here."

Lee Dong-Min took off his jacket and looked at the light that had been flickering. After a brief observation, he shouted toward the kitchen as if realizing it wouldn't do.

"Mrs. Lee, the living room bulb seems like it needs changing. I’ll go buy a bulb. Is there anything else you need while I'm out?"

"It’s okay. There’s nothing I need in particular."

However, Yoo-Jin shouted, "Mr. Lee, please get some eggs, zucchini, and Cheongyang chili peppers."

"Alright. Anything else?"

"Milk and yogurt for Yu-Mi! The squeezable kind!"

Yoo-Jin knew exactly what was needed after just one brief look in the fridge.

As the small semi-basement room started to buzz with people, Yu-Mi’s laughter grew louder in my arms.

However, Yu-Mi suddenly pointed to a corner in the living room with one hand after babbling in my arms for a while. "Mama, Papa!"

In the corner of the living room was a messy pile of fairy tale books.

"Yu-Mi, do you want to read a book?" I asked her.

Yu-Mi nodded.

"Alright. Yu-Mi, I'll read you a book."

I took a fairy tale book from the side of the living room and started reading. The title was The Goblin's Club.

'All fairy tales start the same way,' I thought to myself.

"A long, long time ago~ in a faraway place~"

Yu-Mi in my arms clapped her hands excitedly as she listened to my voice.

"Hooray~give me gold~ Thud~ Thud!"

"Thuuuud!"

"Give me silver~ Thud~ Thud!"

"Thud thud thud!"

Yu-Mi repeated after my cheerful voice but started dozing off after about five minutes. I slowly lowered my voice as I continued to read and patted Yu-Mi's back who was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the savory smell of Janchi Guksu broth wafted into the living room from the kitchen. The flickering light had also been replaced by Lee Dong-Min, making the room bright.

Jo Soo-Yung’s house began to feel warm and lively with people in just one day. Everyone bustled around, setting the table, and bringing out dishes, chopsticks, and spoons.

Though I tried to hand over the sleeping Yu-Mi to Jo Soo-Yung, she wouldn't leave my arms.

"Yu-Mi, come to Mommy," Jo Soo-Yung called out to her daughter.

The sleeping Yu-Mi burrowed even deeper into my arms despite Jo Soo-Yung's call. However, eventually, she relaxed her grip and moved away from me.

My heart suddenly felt empty for some reason as the warmth of the baby left. At the same time, anger toward Kim Do-Jin, who had hit such a young child, surged within me.

'How could anyone lay a hand on this precious being tiny enough to fit in my arms?' I fumed.

I had no intention of letting the inhuman Kim Do-Jin go unpunished.

"Mr. Jung, are you alright?"

The moment I heard Jo Soo-Yung’s voice tremble, I quickly erased my angry expression and nodded.

"Oh, yes. I’m fine."

Jo Soo-Yung looked apologetic as she pointed to the drool mark Yu-Mi left on my clothes. "Your clothes look expensive... I’m sorry."

Joo Soo-Yung appeared fidgety and apologetic, perhaps because she thought I was frowning because of the drool mark. I waved my hands and reassured her, explaining that the clothes weren’t expensive and a wash would do.

I explained that I just felt empty when Yu-Mi left my arms.

"I guess I felt empty suddenly when Yu-Mi left my arms... ha ha."

Only then did Jo Soo-Yung finally look relieved. "Mr. Jung, you really like kids, don't you?"

Yoo-Jin agreed. "He really does. Oppa loves Miso so much."

"Really, unnie?"

They spoke informally, calling each other unnie and younger sister.

I scratched my head and smiled at Yoo-Jin's words.

In my past life, I never thought I liked children. However, when I encountered Miso, Chae Eun-Byul, and Yu-Mi, I found them all so adorable and cute. That’s when I realized I liked children.

"Oppa, enjoy the meal."

I smiled at Jo Soo-Yung and picked up the chopsticks at her words.

"Shall we see your cooking skills then?"

At that moment, Lee Ji-Ae brought the seasoning sauce in front of me.

"Add plenty of seasoning sauce, Mr. Jung."

I added two spoonfuls of seasoning sauce to Janchi Guksu topped with egg strips, zucchini salad, and seaweed before taking a bite.

Slurp!

The combination of the elastic noodles and the broth was perfect. When I picked up the bowl with both hands and drank the broth, it warmed me up from the inside. The taste of the hearty Janchi Guksu I hadn't had in a long time made me clean the bowl to the bottom.

"Wow~ this is amazing, ma'am!"

"You ate so deliciously that just watching you eat makes me full. Would you like another bowl?"

"Oh, no. This is enough."

After assuring Lee Ji-Ae, who tried to give me more food, that I had enough, I stood up.

"Well, we have work to do so we’ll be going now. See you tomorrow."

Lee Ji-Ae nodded with a disappointed expression.

Holding Yu-Mi in her arms, Jo Soo-Yung followed us to the entrance and bowed her head.

"Thank you so much for coming today."

"Don't mention it. This is just the beginning, so stay strong."

I left after explaining I would come back tomorrow morning with Park Woo-Min from Altoran Planning.

After all, Altoran would be the one to handle the contract with Jo Soo-Yung and deal with the follow-up.

***

The next morning, I checked my planner as part of my habit right after waking up.

However, the schedule related to Jo Soo-Yung was deleted.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: January 13, 2021]

-07:00 p.m. <Schedule Deleted>

(Deleted schedule: (Report item) BJ Do-Jin’s ex-girlfriend exposes on Bodybook! Kim Do-Jin arrested.)

"Why did this disappear already?" I muttered in confusion.

This was a schedule that hadn't disappeared even when I met Jo Soo-Yung yesterday. Suddenly realizing something, I hurriedly checked Jo Soo-Yung’s Bodybook.

[Jo Soo-Yung's Bodybook]

Kim Do-Jin's private life.

-I am Jo Soo-Yung, a former trainee at Eyestone Entertainment.

Four years ago, I succumbed to the temptation of Kim Do-Jin, who is active under the name BJ Do-Jin, and crossed the line impulsively.

Such a relationship continued for several months, and I eventually left the company when I got pregnant with a baby.

Kim Do-Jin promised to marry me, but that promise was not kept. And what I received instead was violence.

(Photo: Evidence of Kim Do-Jin’s assault 1 – My bruises requiring 4 weeks of recovery.)

(Photo: Evidence of Kim Do-Jin’s assault 2 – The scar on the child’s neck)

(Photo: Evidence of Kim Do-Jin’s assault 3 – The scar on my mother’s arm)

...And everything BJ Do-Jin said about Kang Ha-Na is false. Ha-Na unnie spent all her time practicing singing and preparing for her idol debut, having no time for a boyfriend. This is not the first time BJ Do-Jin has made money by spreading fake rumors. I am posting this to prevent more victims…

We had agreed to make this post in the afternoon, but Jo Soo-Yung posted the text and evidence photos early in the morning.

‘Did she have a change of heart last night?’ I wondered.

I immediately called Jo Soo-Yung. "Ms. Soo-Yung, what’s going on?"

-Mr. Jung, I’m sorry. You told me to post it later, but I just couldn’t wait...

Jo Soo-Yung only sobbed in response to my question asking for the reason.

That's when I realized that something had shaken her emotions.

"It’s okay. Don’t worry since it was meant to be disclosed anyway. I’ll come right now."

I quickly dressed and headed to Jo Soo-Yung’s house.

If my hunch was right, there was a possibility that Kim Do-Jin might show up.

***

As I rang the doorbell and identified myself, the door to Jo Soo-Yung's house immediately opened.

"Mr. Jung…"

Jo Soo-Yung’s eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying. Behind her was Lee Ji-Ae holding Yu-Mi with a worried expression.

"Did something happen?" I asked with concern.

"I got a call from Do-Jin oppa early this morning. He threatened that he wouldn't let me be if I said anything unnecessary about Ha-Na unnie. He said he could ruin my future with just a word."

Apparently, Kim Do-Jin had tried to silence Jo Soo-Yung in fear she might testify about her trainee days with Kang Ha-Na as they used to be quite close before.

Moreover, he had even threatened to release intimate photos and videos taken during their relationship if she didn’t comply.

"On top of that, he said he’d upload a video burying Ha-Na unnie this morning, so…"

Jo Soo-Yung was understandably distraught.

It didn’t matter that she made a post earlier than agreed since it was content meant to be uploaded in the afternoon anyway. However, there was something more important.

"Ms. Soo-Yung, did you by chance take intimate videos while dating that guy?"

Jo Soo-Yung shook her head firmly. "No, absolutely not. I would’ve told you beforehand if I did."

Indeed, Kim Do-Jin had never released such videos even in my past life.

"Alright. First, take a deep breath and calm down. It was something to be posted anyway, so leave the rest to me. I’ll handle everything."

The sequence got messed up, but it was something that would have happened anyway. What was important from now on was how we responded.

"Did you record the call from this morning?"

"Yes. You told me to always record if Kim Do-Jin called."

"Well done."

As I reassured Jo Soo-Yung, Lee Ji-Ae holding Yu-Mi in her arms asked, "Mr. Jung, will Soo-Yung be okay?"

"Of course. Don’t worry and listen to me first."

I told them that Kim Do-Jin would probably show up soon. Knowing Kim Do-Jin, he was certainly the type to do such things.

I sent Lee Ji-Ae and Yu-Mi into the room and told them not to come out no matter what.

Then, I immediately called Park Woo-Min from Altoran Planning and informed him of the situation. Hearing that he would set out immediately, I also called Lee Dong-Min.

Then, I waited for Kim Do-Jin to come.

A while later, loud footsteps, accompanied by Kim Do-Jin’s voice and his banging on the front door could be heard, as if on cue.

"Hey! Open the door!"

1. a simple warm noodle dish made with thin wheat noodles ☜

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