Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 846: Be Nice

[Everyday V13]

[Date: April 5, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. [NEW. Choi Deok-Bae]

[Baro Star] The role of Baek Ill-Seung in She Was Beautiful wasn't originally given to Choi Deok-Bae but to actor B. The reason for B's rejection wasn't a lack of talent but supposedly Casting Director J? (Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee)

[Starpatch] Rising star B recently expressed frustration, saying he unfairly lost a role he auditioned for to a hoobae actor, C. (Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun)

'Bong Tae-Sik, that bastard. So now he's blaming his failed audition not on his own skill, but on me—the casting director?'

He was pulling a cowardly move, leaking it through female entertainment reporters he knew personally.

The problem was, when gossip articles like this came out in initials, production companies couldn't really act on it. If Bong Tae-Sik kept denying he ever gave that interview, it would just look like those entertainment reporters went rogue. That was why I had to secure proof that they had taken money or favors in exchange for publishing it.

Luckily, Everyday let me know which reporters would be posting the story tomorrow at 10 p.m.

I immediately messaged Chief Choi Go-Yoon, whom I had already contacted earlier.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee from Baro Star and Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun from Starpatch. Please have someone follow both of them right away. Bong Tae-Sik will be meeting with them soon.]

Whenever Bong Tae-Sik spread this kind of gossip, he always did it face-to-face, never over the phone. He knew that if the other party recorded the call, he wouldn't be able to deny it later.

Just then, a message came in from Choi Go-Yoon.

[Chief Choi Go-Yoon: I just happened to be in Samseong-dong and followed Bong Tae-Sik from LT Entertainment into Café K. He's currently meeting Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee there. I've attached a photo. I'll also assign someone to follow Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun separately. (Photo of Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee at Café K)]

In the photo Choi Go-Yoon sent, Bong Tae-Sik—half his face covered—was linking arms with Lee Gyu-Hee, looking cozy. It seemed like he still used flings with female reporters to generate favorable press.

Since Bong Tae-Sik was moving faster than expected, I had to pick up the pace too. I turned to the two heads of the behind-the-scenes team tucked away in the corner of the audition venue.

"Mr. Kim, Mr. Oh. Could you back up the footage of Mr. Bong Tae-Sik's and Deok-Bae's auditions onto this USB?"

Team Leads Kim Myung-Taek and Oh Sang-Gon, who were folding up their cameras, tilted their heads.

"Why?"

"We're not supposed to give these to outsiders..."

At that moment, Shin Jong-Ki, seated at the judges' table, spoke up. "Isn't Chief Jung the one in charge of casting? Go ahead and give it to him."

"Oh, yes, sir. Sorry about that."

The two camera leads clipped out the relevant footage of Deok-Bae and Bong Tae-Sik's auditions and transferred them to the USB I handed over.

"Here you go."

"Thank you very much." After a short bow, I addressed the group. "I'll try to wrap this up as quickly as I can."

Managing Director Lee Eun-Joo waved. "Come meet us at Daewang Hotpot down the street~"

"Got it."

I gave a bow to Lee Eun-Joo and stepped out of the audition hall. Then another Kk Talk message came in.

[Chief Choi Go-Yoon:Mr. Jung, our staff member in front of Café K just spotted Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun at the café next door, Café M.]

So Bong Tae-Sik had summoned both reporters to the cafés right next to LT Entertainment—Café K and Café M.

I let out a laugh at the absurdity.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: I'm heading to Café K now. If you take any more photos, please send them immediately.]

[Chief Choi Go-Yoon: Will do.]

As soon as I sent the message, I headed straight to Café K right in front of LT Entertainment.

***

Café K located in Samseong-dong was an upscale café. In the innermost private booth divided by partitions, Bong Tae-Sik sat across from Lee Gyu-Hee and silently took her hand.

Lee Gyu-Hee didn't pull away and smiled brightly. "Mr. Tae-Sik, how did the audition go today? You said it was a role you really liked for the first time in a while, right?"

Bong Tae-Sik let out an exaggerated sigh. "Sigh... Don't even ask."

Lee Gyu-Hee asked, voice full of concern. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen?"

"I don't think I'll get the part."

"What? Why not?"

Bong Tae-Sik pressed his lips together.

Lee Gyu-Hee's tone turned insistent. "Mr. Tae-Sik. I'm a reporter, remember? If something unfair happened, tell me everything. I'll take care of it. What is it? Did someone push another actor over you?"

Seeing the opportunity, Bong Tae-Sik answered with a pitiful look. "Actually... Deok-Bae auditioned right after me today."

"Deok-Bae? That guy who does Real Ramen commercials?"

"Yeah. And the casting director today was Jung Yoon-Ho. He's Deok-Bae's talent agent. So... it's probably not looking good for me."

Lee Gyu-Hee's eyes lit up. "What? So you were just used to filling the schedule?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far..."

Lee Gyu-Hee fumed. "Of course you were! How dare they treat you like that? Don't worry. I'll get back at them for you!"

She told him to leave everything to her, but Bong Tae-Sik quickly pretended to stop her. "No, Gyu-Hee. If you go against LT Entertainment in this industry, how am I supposed to survive? Don't write an article. Networking is part of the game. If I don't have connections, I just have to accept it."

"You're too nice for your own good! How is networking a skill? If you let them walk all over you when something this unfair happens, they'll just keep doing it. You have to show them that messing with you has consequences, so they never try it again. Just trust me. Who knows, you might even get the role back."

At that, Bong Tae-Sik clasped both of Lee Gyu-Hee's hands with an emotional look. "Gyu-Hee, you're the only one who truly understands me."

"Of course I am. If not me, then who's going to look out for you?"

After holding each other's gaze for a moment, Bong Tae-Sik gently let go of Lee Gyu-Hee's hands and stood up.

Lee Gyu-Hee blinked her big eyes. "Mr. Tae-Sik, where are you going?"

Bong Tae-Sik sighed regretfully. "Sorry. I've got another schedule, so I have to go."

"What? Now? But I just got here."

"I don't want to leave either, but while you were coming, a PD from the network messaged me. They said it won't be fun if I show up late." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Lee Gyu-Hee pouted in frustration. "Ugh, you're so mean! Is this the only way I get to see you?"

Bong Tae-Sik lightly touched Lee Gyu-Hee's cheek and spoke gently. "Once my next project is set, the company said I can take three days off. Let's go on a trip then. Korea's kind of boring, so maybe Japan?"

Lee Gyu-Hee's gloomy face lit up instantly. "You promise?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then I'll head out too. What's the point of coffee alone?"

"No, I already ordered your favorite cold brew latte and steak sandwich. For dessert, I got wine and a whole cake. Enjoy it slowly. If you don't want to eat dessert here, just get it to go."

"Tch. Fine, then go already. I'll stay here and write the article. Oh, and it'll go up tomorrow."

"Thanks, Gyu-Hee. You know I love you so much, right?"

After giving Lee Gyu-Hee a gentle hug, Bong Tae-Sik pulled his cap low and walked out.

Tap.

The door to the booth closed. Left alone, Lee Gyu-Hee, furious that the man she loved had been unfairly rejected and had cut their date short, began typing out her article like a madwoman.

"Jung Yoon-Ho. How dare you screw over my Tae-Sik?"

Clack, clack, clack.

The small café room filled with the violent clatter of keys, like the keyboard might break under her fingers. Thus, a gossip piece written entirely in initials based on assumptions and rage was coming together.

A moment later, someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

"Who is it?"

-Your order is here.

Without looking back, Lee Gyu-Hee replied. "Just leave it."

Creeeak.

The door opened, and a steak sandwich with a cold brew latte was placed beside her laptop. Still without turning around, Lee Gyu-Hee kept typing furiously. However, the server didn't leave.

Annoyed, Lee Gyu-Hee whipped her head around. "Why aren't you—wait, huh? Jung Yoon-Ho?"

Standing beside her was none other than Chief Jung Yoon-Ho of Hoop Entertainment, the same man who had supposedly sabotaged her boyfriend.

Startled, Lee Gyu-Hee slammed her laptop shut. "Chief Jung? What are you doing here?"

Jung Yoon-Ho held out his phone with a regretful expression. "Ms. Lee Gyu-Hee, can we have a quick word?"

Lee Gyu-Hee burst out angrily. "What the hell? Get out right now! If you don't, I'm calling the police!"

"I'm afraid you'll want to see this first. This photo was taken just a minute ago at Café M, right next door."

Jung Yoon-Ho held the phone up so Lee Gyu-Hee couldn't ignore it. On the screen was a photo of Bong Tae-Sik, her boyfriend, snuggling and kissing the cheek of none other than her rival Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun from Starpatch.

"W-What is this?"

"A photo of Bong Tae-Sik meeting with Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun at Café M next door. It was taken one minute ago."

This meant he had gone straight there after leaving her.

A string of profanity burst from Lee Gyu-Hee's mouth. "Bong Tae-Sik, that son of a bitch! He played me?!"

***

As soon as I arrived at Café K, Choi Go-Yoon, who had been waiting outside, approached me. Before I could even ask if Bong Tae-Sik was still inside, Choi Go-Yoon told me he had just left and gone to Café M next door. Then he showed me a photo of Bong Tae-Sik hugging Reporter Ahn from Starpatch taken moments earlier.

-I've never seen a guy who hates hassle this much.

It was ridiculous, but I took the photo from Choi Go-Yoon and headed straight for the booth where Lee Gyu-Hee was. And instead of the server bringing the food, I took it in myself. Once I showed her the picture, there was no need to waste energy persuading her.

Feeling completely betrayed, Lee Gyu-Hee spilled everything about what Bong Tae-Sik had done.

"Sigh. I'm sorry, Mr. Jung. Let me kill that bastard first and we can talk later. And... I'll repay this debt someday."

Lee Gyu-Hee looked like she was about to storm into Café M, but I quickly stopped her.

"He's probably long gone by now. But there is a better way to get revenge."

"What way?"

"Reporters should fight with articles, right?"

Lee Gyu-Hee's eyes flashed sharply. "You got a source?"

"Here."

I pulled up the audition footage from She Was Beautiful on my phone. First came the clip where Bong Tae-Sik made a mistake, followed by Choi Deok-Bae's audition.

As the videos played, Lee Gyu-Hee's expression shifted in real time. "So that bastard Bong Tae-Sik told me he was unfairly dropped but he got completely owned by the hoobae?"

"Yes."

Lee Gyu-Hee clenched her teeth and exploded. "That piece of shit. He bombed after losing to Jung Yoo-Jin, and he thinks he outperformed Deok-Bae? My ass!" She muttered to herself, then took a deep breath and looked at me. "Phew. Can I use this video of Bong Tae-Sik embarrassing himself?"

"Just a moment."

Right then and there, I called President Shin Jong-Ki.

-Hey, Chief Jung. What's going on?

I laid out everything Bong Tae-Sik had pulled.

"So I'm asking if it's okay to release the footage of his audition."

Shin Jong-Ki replied.

-Alright. If that's the situation, then I think it's fine to release it. But don't be the first to publish it. If Bong Tae-Sik denies everything, then put it out.

"I'll relay the message."

-And come by Daewang Hotpot in Samseong-dong once you're done. Let's talk in detail.

"Yes, sir."

I hung up and turned to Lee Gyu-Hee.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to upload the video file."

"Ugh, it can't be helped. But I can still write based on what I saw, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. But if Bong Tae-Sik denies it, I'll release the full video."

"Understood. I'll be in touch when that happens."

"Sure."

"Then Ms. Lee, I'm counting on you."

Lee Gyu-Hee's eyes gleamed with fire. "Just wait. Once my article's out, Bong Tae-Sik won't be able to show his face anywhere!"

"Sounds great."

I had no more reason to worry.

After meeting with Lee Gyu-Hee, I went over to Café M and Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun from Starpatch. I showed her the photo of Bong Tae-Sik at Café K and explained the situation. Ahn Jung-Eun reacted with the same explosive fury like she had gone completely mad.

And just then, Everyday began deleting.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: April 5, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Choi Deok-Bae]

[Baro Star] The role of Baek Ill-Seung in She Was Beautiful wasn't originally given to Choi Deok-Bae but to actor B. The reason for B's rejection wasn't a lack of talent but supposedly Casting Director J? (Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee)

[Starpatch] Rising star B recently expressed frustration, saying he unfairly lost a role he auditioned for to a hoobae actor, C. (Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun))

The schedule entry had been erased, but I had no intention of stopping there. After all, I wasn't the same Jung Yoon-Ho as before.

***

Bong Tae-Sik sat with his legs crossed inside the meeting room at Ace Entertainment, waiting for an article about Choi Deok-Bae to go up.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Buzz~

Buzz~

[Lee Gyu-Hee: Babe~ I posted the article.]

[Ahn Jung-Eun: Baby, check out the story.]

Kk Talk messages came in almost simultaneously from both reporters he had just met. With a sly grin, Bong Tae-Sik opened the links.

However, something unexpected unfolded.

"What... what the hell is this?!"

[Popular actor B, who auditioned for the role of Baek Ill-Seung in She Was Beautiful, exposed for lacking even the basic skills to audition properly. Complete embarrassment. Baro Star – Reporter Lee Gyu-Hee]

[Popular actor B spreads malicious rumors out of jealousy toward hoobae actor C. Starpatch – Reporter Ahn Jung-Eun]

[The polite image of popular actor B, formerly known as a talent agent, is revealed to be fake. He seduced women even during his agent days, leeching off them for entertainment expenses.]

...

The two reporters didn't just drop blind-item gossip, but they released articles with weak mosaics over Bong Tae-Sik's face and used initials that left no doubt about his identity.

"What the hell are they doing?!"

The articles were the complete opposite of what they had promised him. Panicked and confused, Bong Tae-Sik tried calling the reporters.

At that moment, the door burst open.

Bang!

Chief Yang Sung-Taek ran in, completely out of breath. "Tae-Sik! We've got a big problem!"

Furious, Bong Tae-Sik shoved his phone forward. "Bigger than these articles?!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"What the hell is it?!"

"You know that Jinseong Foods commercial we were about to sign? The chocolate snack ad you kept eating in The Infinite Job Hunt Era? They just canceled it!"

"What? Over this gossip? Can't we just tell Jinseong it's all lies?"

Yang Sung-Taek shook his head. "No. The PR director at Jinseong Foods already knows what you did and is raging. He said Jung Yoon-Ho and Deok-Bae are too important to their company for you to try and bury them with this kind of crap. They're refusing to work with you unless they hear that you've apologized to Jung Yoon-Ho first. Until then, forget about all future ads with them."

If Jinseong Foods knew, that meant Jung Yoon-Ho had to be involved. This also meant those female reporters had been turned by him too.

"Jung Yoon-Ho... how the hell did that bastard find out?"

Caught between shock and rage, Bong Tae-Sik considered confronting Jung Yoon-Ho himself. However, he hesitated.

'Shit. That guy used to be a boxer, didn't he?'

Fear settled in. In the end, Bong Tae-Sik gave up the idea and turned to Yang Sung-Taek.

"Forget Jinseong Foods. Focus on getting these articles taken down. We'll think after that."

"Alright, got it."

Then, another set of Kk Talk messages popped up.

Buzz~

[Lee Gyu-Hee: Babe, let's go all the way with this, yeah? (link)]

[Ahn Jung-Eun: Baby, I've got more fun stuff coming your way❤ (link)]

"What now?!"

Growling, Bong Tae-Sik clicked the links they had sent. The top trending post on a major community board loaded. And there it was—somehow, the reporters had dug up old photos from before Bong Tae-Sik's plastic surgery, back when he was completely unrecognizable.

[Bong Tae-Sik before fame]

[Bong Tae-Sik in his nobody days]

(Comments)

-Whoa, so this is what Bong Tae-Sik used to look like?

-So that whole "never had plastic surgery" thing was a total lie?

-What a shameless jerk. And he used to talk crap about other actors getting work done?

-Damn. Dude looked scary back in the day. What a personality.

...

Watching the live feed of comments, Bong Tae-Sik finally lost it and screamed.

"Aaaaagh!! Jung Yoon-Ho!!"

***

As I stepped through the door to Daewang Hotpot in Samseong-dong, every table was still stacked with untouched vegetables and meat, with only the broth pots bubbling away.

Shin Jong-Ki, along with the judges and staff, had all been waiting for me without starting the meal.

I hurriedly slipped off my shoes and stepped forward. "Wait, why haven't you all started eating?"

Shin Jong-Ki replied, "How could we eat when you were out there running around, sweating your feet off?"

"Come on~ you should've eaten anyway."

"Alright, now that you're here, let's dig in. I'm starving."

"Yes, sir."

Just as everyone began adding vegetables to the broth and preparing to eat, the articles started going live.

Lee Eun-Joo, reading the stories and watching the community's reactions, smiled proudly at Shin Jong-Ki. "See? Chief Jung is worth every penny."

Shin Jong-Ki burst out laughing. "Who doesn't know Chief Jung earns his keep?"

"Then let's forget about Bong Tae-Sik and just enjoy our meal."

"Exactly."

Just then, my phone rang.

Buzz~

[Caller ID: Bong Tae-Sik.]

'Well, of course he'd know by now.'

With the reporters and Jinseong Foods both moving, he couldn't miss it. He didn't realize that he was digging his own grave.

I immediately picked up the call on speaker.

"What is it?"

-Jung Yoon-Ho! You son of a bitch... you think I'm gonna let this go?!

As expected, there was no remorse but indignation and rage only. That was exactly why I answered on speaker.

I was about to fire back when Shin Jong-Ki, sitting across from me with a stiff expression, held out his hand. "Chief Jung. Give me the phone."

I respectfully handed it over. "Yes, sir."

The moment he took it, Shin Jong-Ki's booming voice thundered into the speaker.

"Bong Tae-Sik! You dare stab me in the back?"

'Goodbye, Bong Tae-Sik.'