Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

As I walked into the meeting room of Actor Division 1, I saw Jo Min-Sung sitting in the center with Bang Sang-Yung on his right and Choi Eun-Seok, who had become the chief of Actor Division 1, sitting on his left.

Once I sat down, Jo Min-Sung spoke with a stern expression. "Let's cut to the chase since we don't have time. What exactly do you mean by getting me more ad money?"

I responded without a moment to catch my breath. "Mr. Park deliberately pitted you and Tae-Poong against each other to cut the ad fees. If things continue this way, you're just playing into their hands."

Jo Min-Sung frowned as if he couldn't believe it.

At that moment, Bang Sang-Yung turned on me. "Team Lead Jung! The discussion is already settled. Why are you still dragging this out? You refused to back down on the HY ad just yesterday, didn't you? So what's this new game you're playing?"

I glared at Bang Sang-Yung and answered. "All I did was turn it down just once and you think I'm playing a game? Think logically. If I had accepted the offer immediately without hesitation, what would that have done to Tae-Poong's reputation?"

Lee Tae-Poong was now a 10-million-viewership actor and an S-class lead.

At the mention that I was trying to protect my actor's reputation, Jo Min-Sung finally nodded in understanding. "I get that. But even so, why the sudden change of heart to help me? I'm not even your actor."

"As I said, I was just trying to push back a bit. I had no intention of causing you any harm, Mr. Jo Min-Sung."

Jo Min-Sung eyed me suspiciously as he scanned me from head to toe.

I tried to persuade Jo Min-Sung once again. "Think about it. If I were only looking out for myself, would I have shared the roles from Hwaranjeon with other divisions?"

Thanks to my previous efforts to maintain a good reputation, Jo Min-Sung's gaze softened slightly. "Alright, I'll give you that. But let's get to the point. How exactly are you going to get me more ad money?"

"From what I know, Vice President Lee Tae-Jun, the eldest son of HY Auto Inc., is a huge fan of yours, Mr. Jo Min-Sung."

Jo Min-Sung nodded. "That's right. He personally chose me as the model for HY Auto Inc. five years ago."

"Then this will be easy to explain. Mr. Lee Tae-Jun doesn't know about this ad negotiation," I replied straightforwardly.

The relationship between Lee Tae-Jun and Jo Min-Sung began eight years ago, after Lee Tae-Jun was appointed director of HY Auto Inc. and saw the mid-sized SANTA series fail miserably.

At the time, Lee Tae-Jun, who had just completed an MBA at Harvard, faced criticism from both inside and outside the business world, with many calling him a nepo baby.

After being promoted to vice president three years later, Lee Tae-Jun launched the GX-7, a four-door sports sedan. Then, he secured Jo Min-Sung, who was the hottest actor at the time, as the ad model.

Thanks to Jo Min-Sung's popularity, the GX-7 achieved unprecedented success followed by the equally successful GX-8 SUV and GX-9 luxury sedan.

As a result, Lee Tae-Jun believed that half of his success was thanks to Jo Min-Sung.

On the other hand, Park Sang-Jong, the newly promoted director and a veteran marketer from a major ad agency, was infamous in the industry for slashing actors' ad fees to boost his own performance.

This entire negotiation was something that Park Sang-Jong had pursued on his own for his own gain.

I laid all of this detail out to Jo Min-Sung.

Jo Min-Sung tried to digest all the information. "You're saying... Mr. Lee Tae-Jun doesn't know about this ad negotiation?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. He's been in the Czech Republic for two months dealing with the establishment of a factory. Didn't you know?"

Jo Min-Sung quickly glanced at Bang Sang-Yung.

Bang Sang-Yung's face flushed with embarrassment. "Well, I hadn't heard that. When I contacted the company's secretarial office, they just said he was busy..."

"Don't you have Mr. Lee's phone number?"

"I do. But isn't it a bit much to bother someone as busy as him over something like this?"

I immediately pulled up a photo of Lee Tae-Jun at a signing ceremony with the Czech Prime Minister and showed it to them. It was a fresh article from just yesterday.

As Jo Min-Sung carefully examined the article, he turned his attention back to me. "So you're telling me you knew all of this from the start?"

"To be honest... yes I did."

Jo Min-Sung laughed incredulously. "Haha. You completely played me."

"I apologize if that's how you felt."

I was sorry, but I didn't put on a submissive face. Showing weakness in front of someone like Jo Min-Sung, who only worked with top-tier people, was something I absolutely couldn't do.

"Do you know why I desperately need that advertisement?"

"I do. Should I explain it here?"

When Jo Min-Sung nodded, I immediately mentioned the confidential contract clause about receiving a tuned sports car every year.

"Even if you commission a private tuning company, the fine-tuned work from HY Auto Inc. is honestly unmatched. That's why you need this ad, isn't it?"

Jo Min-Sung laughed in disbelief. "You even know about that? I've really been playing into the palm of your hand, haven't I? Hahaha."

As Jo Min-Sung's laughter grew louder, Bang Sang-Yung's face gradually turned pale.

Once he stopped laughing, Jo Min-Sung asked, "Then let's get to the point. How can I get more money?"

"It's not difficult. Call Mr. Lee Tae-Jun right now and arrange for dinner."

"A dinner?"

"Yes. He'll be back in Korea in a few days, so express your interest in renewing the contract over the dinner. Just tell him you'll leave the amount entirely up to him."

Since Lee Tae-Jun was someone who valued appearances, it was certain he would raise the amount.

After all, the scheduled event in my planner remained the same.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: October 27, 2020]

-7:00 p.m. Dinner at Sambuja Galbi. (Jo Min-Sung from Actor Division 1. HY Auto commercial. Annual 1.5 billion won, 5-year renewal celebration dinner)

After a brief thought, Jo Min-Sung spoke to Bang Sang-Yung. "Mr. Bang, please call Mr. Lee right now."

Bang Sang-Yung stammered in a flustered tone. "Min-Sung, there's a process to things. Skipping over Director Park and calling Mr. Lee directly is…"

"The fight started from their side the moment they tried to cut my fee. Honestly, I held back because of Mr. Lee's standing. But if that's not the case, there's no reason to hold back, right?"

"Well, that... that's..."

"Call him right now. Or should I call him myself?"

Bang Sang-Yung stepped back. "No, I'll do it."

He grabbed his phone and started heading out.

Then, I stood up as there was something I had to do."Then I'll take my leave. Miso has her audition today."

Jo Min-Sung nodded. "Tell Miso I'm rooting for her."

"Thank you."

Just as I was about to leave after saying goodbye, Jo Min-Sung spoke up. "And once this contract is settled, let's meet separately."

Jo Min-Sung subtly hinted at his intention to switch teams.

"Of course. Just let me know when."

Not only had I saved him from losing billions in ad fees, but I had also demonstrated my ability to control major deals. The outcome was practically decided.

"M-Min-Sung..." Bang Sang-Yung called out in a desperate voice, but Jo Min-Sung didn't pay him any attention.

I left the meeting room, watching as Bang Sang-Yung's face turned ghostly pale.

***

On the way to the MBS station, I got a KkTalk message from Jo Min-Sung.

[Jo Min-Sung: I called the Vice President as you suggested, and he was the one who brought up renewing the contract first. We're meeting when he's back in Korea next week. After that, let's also meet.]

It turned out Lee Tae-Jun, unaware of what Park Sang-Jong had done, apologized and offered to renew the contract under even better terms than before. He even asked Jo Min-Sung to be the model for the upcoming VIP luxury sedan, the CX-10.

I didn't have to see Bang Sang-Yung's face to know how he must have looked.

I finally let out a sigh of relief and made my way to the MBS broadcasting station.

***

I arrived at the MBS broadcasting station where the Hwaranjeon child actor auditions were held.

The auditions were held for kids who had passed both the initial document screening and a second round of video submission reviews.

The 30 girls and 30 boys who were shortlisted would go through live auditions today and tomorrow.

Miso, who had easily passed both the first and second rounds, was waiting with Jung Sang-Bong and Yoo-Jin for her third-round live audition in the audition room on the seventh floor.

As Do Ran-Hee was driving, she asked, "Mr. Jung, why am I coming along?"

"We're here to scout any promising child actors. If we find someone good, we'll try to recruit them. You should also watch what I do and learn."

Some of the kids who passed the auditions didn't have agencies, so talent agents often hung around audition sites to recruit promising talent.

Still, Do Ran-Hee didn't seem convinced and asked, "But Mr. Jung, I'm in charge of singers."

"Do you want to manage singers for the rest of your career? You need to gain diverse experience if you want to climb higher."

As a talent agent, it was fine to specialize in either singers or actors. However, being able to handle both would make someone more versatile and valuable. If Do Ran-Hee aimed to rise above her current level, that experience would be crucial.

Do Ran-Hee asked cautiously as if she read my intentions, "Mr. Jung, how far do you plan to help me grow?"

I pointed ahead and said, "As long as you keep your eyes on the road and drive safely, I'll help you reach whatever goal you've set for yourself. Just don't get us killed, okay?"

Do Ran-Hee quickly turned her gaze back to the road and said, "Thank you so much!"

"There's no need to thank me. As your team lead, it's my job to guide you."

I felt a bit guilty for the heavy workload I had always given Do Ran-Hee. In return, I planned to reward her with substantial bonuses and rapid promotions.

At that moment, my phone started ringing.

[Caller ID: Jung Yoo-Jin]

"Hey, Yoo-Jin."

-Oppa, I'm in the PD's office. You can come here.

"Why are you there?"

-My disguise got busted.

Apparently, Yoo-Jin had escaped with some staff members while Miso was with Jung Sang-Bong.

I had Yoo-Jin in disguise for this exact reason, but it seemed that wasn't enough.

"Got it. I'll head there with Ran-Hee."

***

As I opened the door to the PD's office located on the seventh floor of MBS, I saw a large LCD screen on the wall displaying a storyboard for the child actors to perform.

The scene showed three young princesses smiling at each other set against the backdrop of a palace from the Silla period, which was the setting of Hwaranjeon.

CP Ryu Han-Joon and PD Oh Bok-Hee were discussing the storyboard while scrolling through it.

Exhausted from writing, Writer Han Woo-Ju was dozing off on a sofa. Everyone looked completely worn out after spending the past week working on the storyboard.

"Mr. Ryu, Mrs. Oh. I'm here."

Hearing my voice, Oh Bok-Hee and Ryu Han-Joon looked up from the monitor. "Oh, you're here."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin, who had been quietly reviewing the storyboard in the corner, shyly waved her hand. "Oppa."

"I told you to stay well-hidden. How did you get caught?"

Yoo-Jin stuck out her tongue and answered, "Miso waved at me and I thought she was so cute so I waved back. That's how I got caught."

Apparently, Miso had enthusiastically waved at Yoo-Jin. Getting caught up in the moment, Yoo-Jin waved back excitedly—which, of course, led to her being recognized.

It seemed like bringing Yoo-Jin to crowded places might be a challenge from now on.

Judging by her disappointed expression, Yoo-Jin seemed aware of this too. "I really wanted to watch Miso's audition..."

At that moment, I came up with a way for Yoo-Jin to watch Miso's audition.

I immediately turned on my tablet and initiated a video call with Jung Sang-Bong at the scene.

"Oppa, what are you doing?" Yoo-Jin asked.

"Hold on a second."

A moment later, Jung Sang-Bong answered the KkTalk video call. Simultaneously, the screen showed both Jung Sang-Bong and Miso.

-Mom!

Miso, who had been sulking because her mom wasn't there, brightened up instantly and waved happily at the screen.

Yoo-Jin opened up the tablet and waved back at Miso. "Miso!"

-Mom, where are you right now?

"I'm in the PD's office. I'll keep watching you through this, so hang in there, Miso."

Miso, who had the number 30 sticker as the last contestant, nodded. Beside her was her kindergarten friend, Jin Gong-Ju, who had number 25.

Oh Bok-Hee had carefully arranged the order, giving the more experienced kids later numbers to avoid intimidating the others.

"Now that Mr. Jung is here, shall we head to the audition room?"

Oh Bok-Hee nudged Han Woo-Ju who was still sprawled on the sofa."Writer Han, wake up. It's time to go."

Han Woo-Ju blinked awake. "Oh? Mr. Jung is here..."

"Ms. Han. Once the audition is over, go home and get some rest. Ran-Hee will drive you," I said.

I helped the unsteady Han Woo-Ju to her feet, then turned to Yoo-Jin. "Yoo-Jin, you'll have to stay here until the audition is over."

"Got it."

Just then, Do Ran-Hee quickly volunteered and said she would stay with Yoo-Jin. "Mr. Jung, I'll watch the child auditions here with Yoo-Jin."

"Will you?"

I had wanted to give Do Ran-Hee some field experience, but there was no choice given the situation.

At that moment, a familiar face appeared on the tablet screen in front of Yoo-Jin.

'Wait, is that...?'

A future star had arrived at the audition room for Hwaranjeon: it was the ten-year-old child actor, Kang Si-Ah.

In my past life, she had become a rising star by the time she was in her mid-teens. She was also a tragic figure who had been exploited for years by the acting academy, ES Academy, that she was part of.

'If she's here, that woman must be nearby too,' I remarked inwardly.

I urgently called out to Jung Sang-Bong who was still on the video call. "Sang-Bong, can you move the camera a bit to the right?"

-Oh, sure.

Jung Sang-Bong panned the camera to the side.

Just as I thought, sitting beside Kang Si-Ah was a middle-aged woman wearing Channy sunglasses with her arms crossed.

It was Choi Yi-Sun, the president of ES Academy. She was the scammer who would exploit Kang Si-Ah's earnings for the next six years.

In that instant, I knew exactly what I had to do.

As soon as Miso's audition was over, I planned to take down Choi Yi-Sun and save Kang Si-Ah from her fate.