Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

"This is how you do it!"

Miso explained the secret behind her acting, saying she imitated a scene from a movie.

Everyone blinked in shock.

"W-what did I just see?"

"That was acting?"

"You can just imitate what you see?"

Miso tilted her head. She looked confused as to why everyone was surprised.

"T-then how did your face turn red?"

"I just held my breath. Like this! Huff!" Miso replied.

When Miso held her breath and her face turned red, Sae-Ri held her chest in surprise and sat back down. "That's impossible. This is a scam. A scam!"

Miso responded quickly. "Unnie! I'll show you how to do it!"

"Really?"

At that moment, I intervened and separated the two. If Sae-Ri tried acting, she would only get frustrated.

"Miso, an actor must monitor their performance well. How about we continue watching the drama first?"

Miso nodded. "Hmm...alright! Okay!"

As Miso turned her attention back to the TV, the Cherry Blossom members who were staring at her in a daze also refocused on the drama.

Even the most surprised Sae-Ri turned her gaze back to Master of Mukbang.

I thought she had given up on acting, but I guess I was mistaken. Sae-Ri started watching the drama intently, saying she had given up too easily before.

We became so engrossed in episode 3 of Master of Mukbang that we lost track of time.

A little later when the drama ended, enthusiastic reactions from viewers started appearing on social media.

(Real-Time Reactions)

-As expected, today's episode was great as always. I just finished a bowl of rice watching Master of Mukbang!

-Miso was so cute.

-Today's episode was carried by Miso!

-Haru, I love you so much!

-Lee Tae-Poong's acting was better than expected. He's surprisingly good at everyday acting. He should've taken on more of such roles earlier.

-True. Before, his intense gaze made it uncomfortable to watch his acting.

-I agree. He just set the mood and everything else used to be awkward. But he was completely different today. It's like he relearned acting from scratch.

-Every time I see Haru smile, my heart feels like it's going to explode. His eye color is super unique. Is he wearing lenses?

-He's mixed. He's half-Russian.

-Haru eats food so deliciously. Makes me hungry every time.

-Today was a visual treat with Lee Tae-Poong, Haru, and Miso.

The cast also received high praise along with the food scenes.

Then I received a call from Yoo Hyun-Ji.

-Mr. Jung! The viewership ratings hit 5%!

"Really? Is it really 5%?"

-Yes. It's chaos not just in the drama department but in the entire station. This is the first time a cable mini-series of 12 episodes hit this record by the third episode!

I could hear Jo Eung-Cheon's voice behind Yoo Hyun-Ji's emotional words.

-Let me talk to him. Team Lead Jung, can you come to the company immediately?

"I'm sorry?"

-Mrs. Yang from CK Foods can't wait until the weekend. She's a bit impatient. I know you're busy, but can you come right now?

Jo Eung-Cheon and Promotion Director Yang Eun-Jung of CK Foods were growing impatient, worried another company might snatch Haru away.

Then, I received another call.

Just as Jo Eung-Cheon had feared, numerous food companies were calling for advertising inquiries.

I could see the bright future ahead for Haru.

***

After parking the car at TVM Headquarters' parking lot, I got out with Lee Yung-Jin.

On the way here, I instructed Lee Yung-Jin, who was in charge of Haru, to lead the advertising contract discussions with CK Foods.

The extremely nervous Lee Yung-Jin held a lip balm in his right hand and moistened his dry lips with it.

"Should we have brought Haru along?" Lee Yung-Jin asked.

I shook my head. "No. We came here prepared to walk away if needed, so it's better he's not here today."

"Walk away? What do you mean?"

When Woo Sung-Chan was the lead in my past life, Master of Mukbang hit a 7% viewership rating and secured a 100 million won ad deal with CK Foods.

I was confident we could aim for even higher viewership ratings with Haru as the lead since the initial statistics show an even higher upward trend.

However, we had to be ready to walk out and renegotiate the contract again later, because CK Foods' promotion director, Yang Eun-Jung, wasn't easy to deal with.

"You need to stay strong because they might try to lower the contract fee. Showing any sign of weakness could hurt us," I warned Lee Yung-Jin.

I shared Yang Eun-Jung's personality in detail with Lee Yung-Jin.

"So what should be the minimum amount we ask for?" Lee Yung-Jin asked.

"At least 100 million won."

Lee Yung-Jin's eyes widened. "Pardon? 100 million won for a rookie actor's ad fee? Isn't that a bit too high?"

"If we can't get that much, it's better to walk away. The final episode will increase Haru's value and more advertisers will come knocking anyway."

Lee Yung-Jin pondered for a moment and asked again, "What's your estimate for the final episode's viewership ratings?"

"We got 5% at the third episode, so maybe over 10% by the end? Depending on the situation, it could be even higher."

Lee Yung-Jin's eyes widened. "10% on cable?"

"Why not? There are works hitting 20% on cable these days. I'm already giving a safe estimate since it's only got 12 episodes. It's possible as long as the drama maintains its current popularity."

Lee Yung-Jin's legs were trembling even before starting the contract discussions.

"Mr. Jung, can I speak casually to you for a moment?"

"Of course. I told you to do so when no one's around."

Lee Yung-Jin let out a deep sigh. "Yoon-Ho. As you know, Haru is the first actor I'm managing on my own."

"Yeah."

"I really want to make Haru a big success. But what if they see me as a mere talent agent and lowball the ad fee? What if you could get 100 million won, but they offer only 50 million because of me?"

"You'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Sigh~ Yoon-Ho, I honestly don't mind if I get disrespected. I just can't accept Haru's ad fee being cut."

Lee Yung-Jin was afraid of causing harm to Haru because of himself.

A celebrity's future and life could change based on the ads and roles they landed. As such, most entertainment companies didn't let anyone below the team lead level handle ad contracts.

However, I wanted to nurture my team members differently.

I intended to give them as many opportunities as possible to participate in contract discussions, allowing them to experience both success and failure. After all, that was the fastest way to grow.

That said, I would always cover them to ensure no harm comes to the celebrities.

"Don't be scared! That's why I'm here with you! And I heard that Director Yang doesn't discriminate by rank. This is a chance to gain experience, isn't it?"

Listening to me, Lee Yung-Jin looked at me intently. "Yoon-Ho, why are you so good to me?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You didn't trust me before. You used to call and check everything when I handled Ju Yung-In's schedule..."

I felt a pang in my heart.

It was true I didn't trust even my peers and friends in my past life and always kept my distance.

Growing up an orphan, I found it hard to trust the world and naturally did everything alone. I handled most things myself even after I became the vice president.

'Maybe that's why I had no friends...' I silently reflected on my thoughts.

But now, I was a completely different person. I still did a lot of work, but I shared as much as possible.

Perhaps because of that reason, Lee Yung-Jin, who had spent the first year with me, looked confused.

At that moment, I felt a little guilty thinking about the past when I couldn't trust my friend and colleague, Lee Yung-Jin.

'I'm glad I came back…' I remarked inwardly.

I felt relief as I looked at Lee Yung-Jin.

"That's not true. I trust you a lot. It might have looked that way because I was barely able to take care of myself until last year, but I wanted to help you out like this whenever I got the chance."

Lee Yung-Jin's eyes filled with deep emotion. "Is that… so?"

"Yes. So stop with the unnecessary talk and let's go inside. We'll be late."

I quickly changed the subject, but Lee Yung-Jin added one more thing.

"Thank you for trusting me. Really… I'll do well today."

It didn't matter if he was a little lacking because I could cover for him. And what I lacked, my team members would fill in.

"Take a deep breath and let's go inside. Your first ad contract is waiting."

Lee Yung-Jin took a deep breath and finally calmed his trembling body down.

Then he gave me a slightly more determined look and said, "Yes, Mr. Jung!"

***

Jo Eung-Cheon was waiting on the sofa in his office together with Yoo Hyun-Ji and the 47-year-old Yang Eun-Jung.

After a brief greeting, we got straight to the point.

"70 million won a year! Let's just go all in without any fuss!" Yang Eun-Jung said loudly.

At that moment, Lee Yung-Jin, sitting beside me, quickly bowed his head. "No, I'm sorry. But considering Haru's rising popularity, please consider 150 million won."

Yang Eun-Jung's expression turned grim upon hearing the amount was double what he had suggested and questioned, "What do you think you're doing? Why is this person speaking instead of you, Team Lead Jung?"

I bowed to the angry Yang Eun-Jung. "Talent agent Lee Yung-Jin is in charge of Haru's management. He knows Haru better than I do, so I entrusted him with the contract discussion. I will take responsibility as the team lead."

As Yang Eun-Jung's voice rose, Lee Yung-Jin's shoulders shrank.

When I tapped Lee Yung-Jin's knee with my head lowered, Lee Yung-Jin glanced at me.

I looked at him to reassure him. 'It's okay, Yung-Jin. Relax. Take a deep breath.'

Lee Yung-Jin seemed to understand my gesture and took a shallow breath. When he lifted his head, Yang Eun-Jung nodded. "Alright. So I should talk with Talent Agent Lee Yung-Jin about this matter, right?"

Perhaps seeing him as an easy target, Yang Eun-Jung smiled slightly and continued with a louder voice.

"How can you recklessly demand such a high fee for a rookie actor? I've been in this business for over 20 years, but this is the first time I've encountered such absurdity!"

However, Lee Yung-Jin argued logically. "As you know, Mrs. Yang, an actor's value changes from day to day. A rookie actor's fee rises if there's demand and a veteran's fee drops if there's none."

"That's enough! I don't want to beat around the bush! Let's just go with 80 million won a year! If you're going to ask for more, let's just part ways here!"

Lee Yung-Jin clasped his hands together and bowed his head. As I had instructed earlier, he remained courteous no matter the situation.

"If 80 million won a year is the maximum offer, we can't accept it. I'm sorry."

Yang Eun-Jung stared intently at Yung-Jin and then turned her gaze to me. "Team Lead Jung, do you feel the same way? Should we end the contract here?"

"I told you from the start that I entrusted this to Talent Agent Lee Yung-Jin. Unfortunately, his thoughts align with mine. We'll see you next time."

Yang Eun-Jung snorted in frustration. "Alright then. Let's call it off!"

She started gathering the documents on the table in annoyance.

That's when Jo Eung-Cheon stepped in as if he had been waiting.

"Oh, Mrs. Yang. You can be so quick-tempered sometimes. Let's hear more of what they have to say, shall we? There's always a price difference between seller and buyer, right?"

Yang Eun-Jung took her hands off the documents and said, "I understand that, but the price has to be reasonable! Asking for 150 million won right off the bat is too much. Don't you think so? Isn't there any business ethics here?"

Jo Eung-Cheon nodded repeatedly. "Of course. Yes, yes. That's right."

Then, he looked at us and added, "You too. How can a deal be struck if all you do is just make bold demands? Let's each take a step back."

At that moment, Lee Yung-Jin came up with an idea. "How about this method?"

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's agree to the 80 million won as Mrs. Yang mentioned for now. But if the viewership ratings exceed 10%, please add an extra 30 million won. Everyone here knows that an actor's popularity skyrockets once they gain momentum, right? Please consider this."

'He's not bad,' I thought to myself.

Lee Yung-Jin was maintaining the 100 million won target I mentioned while leaving room for negotiation with the other party.

Yang Eun-Jung's tone finally softened a bit. "Are you suggesting a conditional contract?"

"I believe this is only the beginning of Haru's rising popularity. Here's a Goggle Trends graph."

Lee Yung-Jin took out a tablet and started showing the prepared data.

"As you can see, the search volume is increasing rapidly," he explained.

The expressions of the people looking at Lee Yung-Jin's data started to become serious.

The moment Yang Eun-Jung showed signs of contemplation, Jo Eung-Cheon stepped in once more.

"Mrs. Yang, isn't this quite reasonable? Given the trend, you might even gain significantly from this contract."

But at that moment, Yang Eun-Jung set a condition and showed she wouldn't back down easily.

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