Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 579: Their Plan (4)

Fortunately, the indoor sets for MBS' The Omniscient Viewpoint and Boy of Heaven, where Yang Ji-Seon was filming, were right next to each other.

So I called Jung Sang-Bong over to MBS and had him keep an eye on Yang Ji-Seon while I rushed over here with three major ad offers in hand that would surely catch Park Eun-Sung's attention.

"We've received offers for three big ad campaigns."

Right now, Park Eun-Sung's biggest concern was exposure. Usually, when TV appearances decreased, popularity naturally dropped and eventually even ad deals dried up. To ease his anxiety, I brought him the most direct symbol of popularity—commercials.

As expected, Park Eun-Sung's eyes widened. "Wh-What are they, Chief Jung?"

"The first is for Daechon Department Store, the second is from Yoomyung Construction, and the third is an outdoor ad for Hope Hospital."

I had received personal requests from Vice President Kim Ae-Ryeon of Daechon Inc. and Han Myung-Joo, president of the construction company and husband of Women's President Jang Ji-Hye, to find good ad models. Naturally, I recommended Park Eun-Sung.

The final ad was for Hope Hospital, which Choi Eun-Tae would soon be sponsoring. With the hospital preparing to relocate and expand in Guro, they needed a public face for their new image. This was the perfect opportunity to steer Park Eun-Sung, who had begun showing signs of hypothyroidism, toward a health check.

Hearing he had landed three major ad campaigns, Park Eun-Sung blushed. "Uh... to be honest, I haven't been that active lately. How did I land those ads?"

"They say class is permanent, right? And while we still need to finalize the negotiations, the ad fees from Daechon and the construction firm should each be over 700 million won."

"Hahaha! So I'm not washed up after all, huh?"

"Come on, washed up? Ask anyone on the street. Who doesn't know the great Park Eun-Sung?"

Only then did Park Eun-Sung break into a wide smile. He must have been under a lot of stress, as his relieved laughter was louder than usual.

At that moment, Baek Sae-Gi exited the restroom and our eyes met. He clearly hadn't expected me to show up at this location, and his face twisted in displeasure.

However, I ignored him and brought up the last ad offer to Park Eun-Sung. This final one was different in nature from the other two.

"But the Hope Hospital ad pays only 100 million won."

Since the fee was far less than the others, Park Eun-Sung tilted his head. "Huh? 100 million? Hmm... If it's just an outdoor ad, wouldn't it be better to decline? It might cheapen my image."

"Didn't I say it was a major campaign?"

"Yeah, but still..."

The price seemed too low for a major ad, and Park Eun-Sung looked genuinely puzzled. Yet, this ad came with a bonus.

"While you're the model, Hope Hospital will provide you with their premium VIP health checkup package."

"Oh..."

"You've mentioned you haven't been feeling well lately, right? That's why I secured this one. If you want to keep working for a long time, it's best to start managing your health now."

When I explained that this top-tier health screening was the kind usually reserved for members of the National Assembly or even the president, Park Eun-Sung looked slightly embarrassed. Despite the modest ad fee, he now understood this final ad was actually the most valuable.

Then Park Eun-Sung cautiously spoke with a sheepish look. "I feel kind of bad... I didn't realize how much you were looking out for me, Chief Jung..."

He seemed about to confess he had wavered because of Baek Sae-Gi, but a good talent agent never let an actor feel guilty.

I cut him off with a grin. "You should thank Mr. Oh here. He's the one who told me you haven't been feeling well. He's easily the most attentive agent in all of Division 2."

I deliberately praised Oh Duk-Gu, because deepening the trust between him and Park Eun-Sung would prevent something like this from happening again.

Park Eun-Sung then turned to Oh Duk-Gu with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Oh. Thanks to you, I'm really getting treated well."

Oh Duk-Gu smiled, saying he had only done what anyone should.

Then I eased Park Eun-Sung's final concern. "And I know you've been worried about the decrease in shows lately, but once your health improves, we'll give you a proper push. Just trust us and wait."

"Got it."

"Now then, shall we move forward with all three ads?"

At that moment, Park Eun-Sung looked to Oh Duk-Gu for his opinion. "What do you think, Mr. Oh? Should I take them?"

By asking for Oh Duk-Gu's input, Park Eun-Sung was acknowledging and apologizing for having ignored his talent agent's efforts.

Oh Duk-Gu smiled warmly. "Of course you should take them, Mr. Park."

"Hahaha, alright then. Let's do it."

Park Eun-Sung turned to me with a grin.

"Okay, Chief Jung. I'll take all three. When do we start?"

"We'll need to coordinate the fees and schedules, so I'll work out the details with Mr. Oh and let you know."

"Alright. Sounds good."

Just then, the AD of The Omniscient Viewpoint called out while moving around the set. "We'll be resuming shooting soon! Cast, please take your seats!"

Park Eun-Sung apologized for the misunderstanding and hurried back to his seat.

Then Oh Duk-Gu turned to me with a thankful look. "Thanks to you, we got through a tough one."

"No, you would've done fine even without me."

"You're being modest..."

"Anyway, Mr. Oh, please prioritize the Hope Hospital ad. And when he goes in for the health check, ask them to focus on his thyroid."

"Thyroid? Why that?"

"Sudden fatigue in otherwise healthy people often turns out to be something like hypothyroidism."

The reason I had reduced Park Eun-Sung's schedule while raising his individual appearance fee was due to one particular schedule entry in the Everyday app.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: November 12, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. <Entertainment Everywhere> "Actor Park Eun-Sung suspends all activities due to hypothyroidism."

That future schedule entry still remained unchanged, so I urged Oh Duk-Gu to act quickly.

"Hypothyroidism... Got it. I'll make sure they check that specifically."

Oh Duk-Gu muttered the diagnosis under his breath a few more times before heading back to his seat on set. As for me, I began looking for Baek Sae-Gi to have a word. However, he had already vanished.

"Figures. That guy's always a sneaky one..."

Buzz.

Just then, my phone vibrated and a notification popped up. Fortune of the Day had been updated.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 20, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: Sweet comes after bitter. The hard times are over, and joy is coming.

(Deleted Fortune: The big fish you've caught may escape. Tighten the loosely woven net. Watch out for enemies from within.)]

'There it is!'

The fortune had finally changed. A smile tugged at my lips as I felt satisfied that I had protected my actors. Nevertheless, I had no plans to stop here. If they came to take my people, they were going to pay the price.

First, though, I needed to finish my responsibilities as a talent agent.

I left a message in the Actor Division 2 group chat summarizing what had happened, then headed over to the Boy of Heaven set at MBS, where Yang Ji-Seon was filming.

***

At White Dragon Chinese Restaurant in front of the MBS building, Table 4 was already full of kaoliang liquor and dishes.

Baek Sae-Gi, the first to arrive, was waiting for the other ex-Gwanwoo Entertainment agents. In the meantime, he poured himself a glass of kaoliang and began drinking alone.

Gulp gulp.

Even as the 50-degree kaoliang burned down his throat, Baek Sae-Gi felt nothing. His body was already overheated with frustration.

The Jung Yoon-Ho he knew had never been this competent. Back then, he didn't have this kind of quick thinking. He wasn't someone who could directly work with advertisers and land deals.

So when people started praising Jung Yoon-Ho of Hoop Entertainment, Baek Sae-Gi had always scoffed. He believed that if he joined Hoop himself, those compliments would eventually come his way.

But now, he had to admit the truth. The Jung Yoon-Ho he met on set today was no longer the same man. Once overly cautious and always scribbling in a planner, that greenhorn was long gone. What stood before him now was a seasoned professional who made bold decisions with confidence.

"Damn it... What do we do now..."

For what was essentially a declaration of war, the results were embarrassingly poor. He had no idea how to clean up the mess from the operation he had initiated.

Click.

Just then, the door opened and So Ji-Min walked in. Without a word, she sat down and grabbed a bottle of kaoliang. She poured herself a full shot, then downed it in one gulp.

"Ms. So, what's wrong?"

"That bastard Jung Yoon-Ho humiliated me today. And I lost Ji-Seon too."

Having watched Yang Ji-Seon taken right in front of her, So Ji-Min drowned her burning frustration with shot after shot of liquor.

Moments later, the door opened again.

Click.

This time, Chiefs Baek Sang-Beom and Ju Ho-Sung entered together.

Baek Sae-Gi looked at them, ready to ask what happened. But before he could, both men sat down and began chugging from the bottles themselves.

"Urghh..."

Even without asking, it was clear everything had failed.

After downing his second, then third shot, Baek Sang-Beom spoke with a weary tone. "There's no opening. Jang Joon-Hyuk just said one thing to me. He told me that I should go workout if I'm bored and that my gut is sticking out. Damn it!"

Ju Ho-Sung shared a similar story. "Same here. Song Ji-Hwan lectured me. He said I shouldn't live my life like that. Shit."

No matter how they tried to shake the actors, nothing worked. It was a testament to how well Jung Yoon-Ho had managed them.

Yet, Baek Sae-Gi wasn't ready to give up. If he backed down now, he would have to shoulder all the blame alone.

"If we give up here, President Choi Man-Sik won't let it slide. You all know that, right?"

As soon as he mentioned Choi Man-Sik, everyone fell into anxious silence. There was no way out now.

So Ji-Min, who had lost her actress, was the first to speak up. "That bastard Jung Yoon-Ho is dangerous. If we leave him alone, he's going to take all of our people. We'll end up losing the very actors we raised like our own kids."

Baek Sae-Gi chimed in. "We're all in the same boat now. Today was just the beginning, so we'll keep pressing."

With the room's mood shifted, Baek Sang-Beom and Ju Ho-Sung could only nod.

They couldn't accept failure without a fight. And so, the night grew darker, filled with the resolve of those unwilling to lose.

***

The time was now 8 p.m.

After completing Yang Ji-Seon's packed schedule successfully, we arrived at her apartment in Gangnam.

As I parked the car in the underground garage, she looked at me with heart-shaped eyes. "Mr. Jung, this is crazy. Today's schedule was insane, but why don't I feel tired at all!"

While filming two shows at MBS and one at KBC, I made sure to manage her closely. I minimized the driving time between locations, shortened walking distances between sets and buildings, and ensured she had enough hydration and food to avoid fatigue. So even with her schedule wrapped, she still had energy to spare.

On top of that, I met with PDs and writers to secure extra screen time for her next week. Naturally, she was amazed.

"This is what a talent agent should be doing all the time."

"Oh come on~ You don't know how tough it is with other talent agents. What if I end up falling for you, Mr. Jung?"

I gave a quiet laugh and replied, "Not just me, but every talent agents in Actor Division 4 and Singer Division 2 operates at this level."

Yang Ji-Seon replied with a smile in her eyes. "That would be amazing. Anyway, thanks again for today. I'll see you at the office tomorrow so we can talk more, Mr. Jung."

"Yes. Get some rest. I'll send one of our Division 4 road talent agents in the morning."

With a bright goodbye, Yang Ji-Seon headed into her residence. "Okay~"

Having finished her care for the day, I rested my hands on the steering wheel and took a deep breath.

"Alright, time to begin."

From the start, my plan had been to drive out every senior-level talent agent from Gwanwoo Entertainment who remained at Hoop Entertainment, leaving them with nothing.

However, there was one person who had to go first: Baek Sae-Gi, the traitor who made me think of him as a close brother, only to stab me in the back.

So I pressed the gas on my way to meet the one person who knew everything about Baek Sae-Gi.

His girlfriend.

***

Before the regression when I still considered Baek Sae-Gi a brother, I was also close with his girlfriend, Lee Seon-Hye.

Lee Seon-Hye was a chief stylist at Eve Hair Shop in Gangnam, a place frequented by celebrities.

For ten years, she supported Baek Sae-Gi behind the scenes. Baek Sae-Gi sold the villa left to Lee Seon-Hye by her parents, and with the money she earned from working late nights, he wined and dined PDs and gave gifts to actresses so he could build his career.

For these reasons, I naturally assumed they would end up married. After all, the Baek Sae-Gi of that time was practically made by Lee Seon-Hye.

But one day, he dumped her with the excuse that she had cheated. Not long after, he introduced me to a third-year actress from Ace Entertainment, Han Jung-Yeon, claiming she was his new girlfriend.

It wasn't until after the regression that I learned the truth. Everything had been a lie, and presently Baek Sae-Gi was two-timing, still seeing both Seon-Hye and Han Jung-Yeon.

So I came here to tell Lee Seon-Hye the truth to make sure she didn't get used again, and to gather information on Baek Sae-Gi.

Screech.

I parked in the lot of the five-story Eve Hair Shop building. Opening the glitzy silver-decorated doors, I stepped inside. As a 24-hour salon, the lights were bright even at night.

Ding.

"Welcome!"

With the bell, a part-time staffer came running up.

"Oh, Mr. Jung! Hello!"

Being a stylist shop known for celebrity clientele, even the part-timer recognized my now well-known face.

"Hello. I was wondering if I could see Ms. Lee Seon-Hye?"

"She's on the 4th floor right now. But the elevator's down for maintenance until tomorrow, so you'll have to take the stairs. This way, please."

"Got it."

I followed the part-timer up the internal stairwell to the fourth floor. But as I reached the landing, I heard a commotion.

Smack!

The sharp crack of a palm meeting a cheek echoed through the floor, followed by a shrill scream.

"Hey! What the hell did you do to my hair?!"

Peering around the corner, I saw Lee Seon-Hye clutching her cheek and bowing to a customer. However, the person who had just slapped Lee Seon-Hye was someone who should not have been there.

'What are you doing here?'

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