Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

"Team Lead Jung, did President Son say it's okay even if we push for a rookie?" Bang Sang-Yung asked.

"Kang Ha-Na is also a rookie and hasn't appeared on terrestrial or cable TV yet. I asked if that was okay and he didn't mind," I replied.

Bang Sang-Yung smiled. "In that case, we have a promising rookie in Actor Division 1..."

At that moment, Lee Gi-Cheol intervened. "Chief Bang, don’t think of monopolizing this opportunity. Why are you being greedy when this is an opportunity every chief and team lead needs?"

Bang Sang-Yung argued, "Mr. Lee, this is not just about pushing anyone. We need to push someone with potential to succeed. I recommend Jeon In-Soo."

Jeon In-Soo, who would be called the blue chip of the advertising industry in two years, was mentioned.

However, Lee Gi-Cheol brought up rookie actress Jo Ye-Rin from Actor Division 3.

"There is much more potential in pushing for Ye-Rin instead of In-Soo! Ye-Rin from Actor Division 3 has over 100,000 followers on Instargem. She could make it big with a bit more support!"

"That's not fair. Ye-Rin already had a chance, didn't she? And who was the one who messed it up big time with weird jokes after getting a hard-won sport on a variety show?"

Jo Ye-Rin was an actress who was given a permanent spot on a terrestrial TV variety show with the company’s support but got cut in less than a month after just being a background prop.

"Mess up big time? Hey, you better watch what you say!"

Lee Gi-Cheol reacted vehemently, but Bang Sang-Yung showed no signs of backing down. Then, even the team leads joined in the battle and started promoting their own actors.

As the atmosphere became heated with raised voices, Gu Seong-Cheol cleared his throat to mediate the fight.

"Hold on. Before we start fighting among ourselves, let’s hear what Team Lead Jung has to say. It seems like he has more to say."

At that moment, all eyes turned to me. The chiefs and team leads seemed willing to do whatever I wanted. Since I couldn't use both programs alone anyway, I thought it was better to show my ability and get what I wanted.

"Uh... Also, I’d like to ask for the replacement of the old vehicles assigned to Team Jung. The cars have been rattling these days and I’m afraid they might cause an accident."

Although Yoo-Jin's car was replaced with a new one, the two 250,000 km vans assigned to Lee Tae-Poong and Haru were still in poor condition. Hence, to ensure their safety, Lee Tae-Poong had been using his own van and Haru had been using my Merciless Bends.

However, this was the opportunity for me to override the rule of replacing cars only after a mileage of 300,000 km.

"Ahem. Well, it's true the cars are quite old..."

"Indeed, it's about time to replace them. Ahem."

When everyone cleared their throats and didn’t object, Kang Ji-Yung scanned the surroundings and spoke.

"Then we'll replace one with a Bends Springer and the other with a new domestic van. Is that okay with you, Mr. Jung?"

"Thank you so much, Ms. Kang!" I exclaimed with glee as I had managed to settle a long-standing issue.

***

-Mr. Jung, can we meet?

Choi Ji-Yung, whom I had helped during the scandal with Choi Jong-Hyuk, called.

She said she met Jo Soo-Yung after she joined Altoran and assured me that she would take good care of her.

However, she mentioned that she had something to tell me and suggested meeting at Jo Soo-Yung's house, saying it was a bit awkward to discuss over the phone.

I ended the call after agreeing to meet and headed straight to Jo Soo-Yung's house with Yoo-Jin.

When I arrived at Jo Soo-Yung's basement room, Park Woo-Min of Altoran and Choi Ji-Yung were already there waiting.

After greeting Park Woo-Min and Choi Ji-Yung, Jo Soo-Yung welcomed us with a bright smile.

"Mr. Jung, you came at the perfect time. Yu-Mi has been looking for you~. Please take her."

Yu-Mi in Jo Soo-Yung's arms smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Um papa pa!"

"Yu-Mi, how have you been?" I asked with a gentle smile.

"Papa!"

I took Yu-Mi from Jo Soo-Yung's arms. Yu-Mi welcomed me by burying her face in my chest and rubbing her face against me.

"Yes, yes. I'm glad to see you too."

"Papa!"

After calming Yu-Mi down by patting her back, I sat down on the living room floor.

"How have you been?" I asked Choi Ji-Yung.

"I've been good. It's all thanks to you, Team Lead Jung. Oh, and try this."

Choi Ji-Yung smiled and offered the traditional sweets she brought.

"Thank you."

I took a bite of the sweets Choi Ji-Yung brought. The soft sweets melted in my mouth, bringing a smile to my face.

At that moment, Yu-Mi tugged at my collar and asked for some sweets too.

"Um pa papa! Ah~!"

When I cut the round sweet into small pieces and put them in Yu-Mi's mouth, she smiled brightly.

"Papa!"

Yu-Mi clapped her hands as if to say it was delicious.

"Is it tasty?"

"Upa papa!"

Choi Ji-Yung laughed with a dumbfounded expression. "Yu-Mi never comes to me but she's basically stuck to Team Lead Jung."

Apparently, Choi Ji-Yung had tried to hold Yu-Mi before I arrived but failed.

Jo Soo-Yung also tilted her head as if she didn't understand. "Right? Yu-Mi always acts like this around Yoon-Ho oppa."

"Really?"

"Yes. And when Yoon-Ho oppa leaves, she buries her head in the ground and cries."

Jo Soo-Yung showed me a video on her phone with a slightly cracked screen. In the video, Yu-Mi had her face to the ground and her bottom in the air while crying loudly. It was a video taken after I had left her house last time.

"Ha ha. Why is she crying like she lost her country?" I chuckled.

Yoo-Jin laughed as well. "Yoon-Ho oppa is always popular with kids, Soo-Yung."

"Is he?" Jo Soo-Yung asked.

Yoo-Jin smiled and explained what happened with Miso.

"Yoon-Ho oppa is a magical guy with kids."

As Yoo-Jin joked around with a playful smile, her gaze fell on Jo Soo-Yung's phone. "By the way, Soo-Yung. Let's go buy a new phone later. I'll get you one as a gift for becoming your big sister."

"Oh, no, Yoo-Jin unnie. My phone is still fine," the embarrassed Jo Soo-Yung replied.

"No. I don't like it, so let's change it."

When Yoo-Jin took away Jo Soo-Yung's phone in a playful manner, Choi Ji-Yung laughed and said it was great news.

"Soo-Yung is lucky. It's nice to have a new big sister to take care of you like this, isn't it?" Choi Ji-Yung remarked as she nudged Jo Soo-Yung.

"Yes..." said the clearly pleased Jo Soo-Yung who blushed.

After patting Jo Soo-Yung in the back, Choi Ji-Yung finally began to explain why she wanted to meet me today.

Choi Ji-Yung's expression hardened slightly as she straightened up before speaking.

"Yoo-Jin, do you know you're mentioned in tabloids?"

"Tabloids?" Yoo-Jin asked with a surprised look.

"It's a bit hard to say..."

I asked Choi Ji-Yung to tell us, saying it was okay.

Choi Ji-Yung nodded. "Yoo-Jin, are you dating Team Lead Jung?"

The flustered Yoo-Jin waved her hands at Choi Ji-Yung's shocking statement. "N-no, ma'am."

I quickly answered as well. "We're not in that kind of relationship."

'A scandal between an actress and the talent agent, huh?' I wondered.

I was always cautious because I knew some gossipers would see us that way for being so close and being always together. However, it seemed that more people had been talking about us recently.

When I said it was nonsense, Choi Ji-Yung sighed in relief. "Right. It's such an important time for Yoo-Jin and you can't make such a mistake."

I hadn't expected this was why she wanted to meet. However, what was more important was the reason Choi Ji-Yung brought this issue up.

"However, Ms. Choi, where did you hear that rumor?"

"It came up in a meeting of actresses. They said Yoo-Jin is dating her handsome talent agent."

A chill ran down my spine for a moment.

If this gossip was circulating among the actresses, it would reach the talent agents in no time—or it might have been the other way around.

However, either way, it was only a matter of time before it reached the reporters' ears.

"The drama is about to be released and we can't have such rumors circulating. I called you to verify and warn you," Choi Ji-Yung explained.

"Thank you so much for letting me know. I'll take immediate action," I replied.

The last time the scandal between Yoo-Jin and Choi Jong-Hyuk broke out, the drama's ratings had plummeted.

We couldn't allow such a thing to happen again.

While I urgently sent a KkTalk message to Gu Seong-Cheol, Choi Ji-Yung patted Yoo-Jin's hand.

"Yoo-Jin, think of it as growing pains on your way to becoming a star."

"I'm fine. I've already been through it once with Mr. Choi Jong-Hyuk anyway. Don't worry too much. And thank you for caring."

"Don't worry. There won't be any issues. However, still..."

Choi Ji-Yung started sharing her experiences in the entertainment industry with Yoo-Jin, saying she was speaking from concern. She talked about how it was common for sunbaes and hoobaes to fight over the size of their waiting rooms and to argue over sponsored outfits.

She even mentioned that she once got into a hair-pulling fight with a sunbae.

Jo Soo-Yung, who had been exploited by a man, also started paying close attention to the story.

After a while, Choi Ji-Yung made sure Jo Soo-Yung kept her mouth shut.

"Soo-Yung, you know how scary rumors can be in this industry, right? I'm saying this out of concern. Don't ever say a thing to the tabloids about Yoo-Jin."

Jo Soo-Yung nodded. "Of course not. I haven't said a word about Yu-Mi either."

"Well, it's true that you've been silent like a monk. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"

After finishing her story, Choi Ji-Yung mentioned that she had prepared a gift.

"Soo-Yung, let’s move you to a better place soon. I'll find a place where you can live with your mother."

Altoran Planning had several newly built two-room apartments with good security facilities.

"R-really?" Jo Soo-Yung asked with a brightened expression.

"Yes. It’s not too far from here, so you should raise Yu-Mi in a better environment and work hard. Got it?"

"Th-thank you so much," Jo Soo-Yung replied tearfully.

Seeing Jo Soo-Yung wipe her tears, Yu-Mi in my arms waved her hands. "Um mama! Aaah!"

As if telling her mom not to cry, Yu-Mi's shout made Jo Soo-Yung quickly wipe away her tears.

Yu-Mi began to squirm in my arms as if she wanted to go to her mom. When I placed Yu-Mi on the living room floor, she crawled to Jo Soo-Yung.

Jo Soo-Yung looked at her daughter crawling towards her and said, "Yu-Mi, should we move to a nice house?"

Yu-Mi tilted her head and burst into laughter when Jo Soo-Yung smiled "Kyaaah!"

While holding Yu-Mi in her arms, Jo Soo-Yung smiled at the thought of finally being able to start her life anew.

***

President Son Yang-Seop of KNET started handling things swiftly.

When the internal audit revealed evidence of embezzlement, he merged Eyestone Entertainment into another subsidiary called Apple Planning.

Then he handed Na Woon-Seok and Yang Eun-Cheol over to the prosecution after thorough investigations.

Kim Do-Jin was imprisoned for charges including threats, assault, fraud, and extortion, making it difficult for him to be released any time soon.

Park Ye-Seul and Choi So-Yung, who were appearing on an audition program under Eyestone Entertainment, were transferred to Apple Planning.

Meanwhile, Kang Ha-Na's subscriber count was rapidly increasing and headed toward 120,000.

With the two promised programs from Son Yang-Seop, I decided to create a reality TV variety show titled Hit the Bottom and Rise Again, Ha-Na! featuring Kang Ha-Na.

Hit the Bottom and Rise Again, Ha-Na! was planned to air from August 20th to September 11th, spanning eight episodes. It was designed as a variety show covering Kang Ha-Na's practice and daily life until the day before her debut on a music show.

The proposal we submitted was accepted without any revisions as promised by Son Yang-Seop and a producer was assigned right away.

After handling the urgent tasks, the first broadcasts of In the Name of God and Master of Mukbang were just around the corner.

I gathered the employees in the meeting room and began checking the preparation status.

"Alright, Yoo-Jin and Haru's first broadcasts are next week. Let’s check the preparation status. How far are the press releases updated?"

Kim Mi-Hye confidently spoke up. "We've updated everything from the actors' histories, drama summaries, and on-set still cuts."

Everything was progressing smoothly.

Then Lee Yung-Jin brought some more good news.

"Mr. Jung, there's an urgent interview request for Miss Yoo-Jin from Womans. What should we do?"

"Womans?"

The women's magazine, Womans, was currently the top-selling women's magazine in Korea.

The main feature articles for Womans' August issue were set as 'Festival of Money VS In the Name of God.'

However, they did not concern Yoo-Jin, a supporting actress, as those articles involved interviews with the lead actors and writers only.

However, now, they had proposed dedicating an entire section to Yoo-Jin, titled 'The Hottest New Actress' and an interview. Furthermore, the section would be on the page right after the main feature articles too.

"We absolutely have to do it if they’re giving her a dedicated section. However, when is the interview?" I asked.

"They suggested the 25th."

"The 25th? That's the day after tomorrow, isn't it?"

The schedule was tight with the drama airing soon, but we had to make time.

Editor-in-Chief Choi Yung-Eun was expected to hold the top position for the next decade, and we needed to stay in her good books.

"Tell them we'll do it," I said.

"Then I'll contact Womans' editorial department right away and get the preliminary questionnaire," Lee Yung-Jin replied.

"Alright. Send me a copy of the questionnaire once it arrives."

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

Next, Jung Sang-Bong began reporting the on-site progress of Master of Mukbang.

"Haru's filming is going smoothly with almost no NGs on set."

In the Name of God was set to air its first episode on July 29th while Master of Mukbang was set to air on July 31st.

With about a week left until the first broadcasts of both dramas, we had to ensure all preparations were perfect for Yoo-Jin and Haru’s success.

Within two hours, the preliminary questionnaire from Womans arrived.

Ristretto's Thoughts

Ristretto: Oh, wow. I didn't know that Son Yang-Seop giving Jung Yoon-Ho programs with no condition meant he could literally create a new show. That's awesome although Jung Yoon-Ho could have definitely come up with a better title LOL

Yojj: Too bad he doesn’t have your talent in coming up with names

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