Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All - Chapter 247: Drama Wars (2)

Although I wasn’t an entrepreneur, I had experience as a vice president of an entertainment company.

Given the current situation, I was confident that Jang Ji-Hye of Womans would agree even if I were to ask for up to an additional 10% margin.

However, that would be short-sighted.

The appropriate margin to ask for without significantly upsetting Jang Ji-Hye was 5%.

Ahn Seok-Hoon of Yetterang laughed incredulously at my suggestion.

-You’re doing advertising and sales for us, Mr. Jung. You’re worth ten people.

“Womans is so excited about the remarkable sales that they are very likely to accept our conditions.”

Womans magazine sales depended heavily on samples.

It had been a long time since Womans‘ sales did so well to the extent they had to reprint extra copies. As such, Jang Ji-Hye was desperate to secure Yetterang’s samples even if she had to pay.

Given the current situation, a slight margin increase would be acceptable. After all, increased sales would bring Womans additional advertising revenue and this money would help relieve Yetterang’s financial strain.

-In that case, I’ll leave this matter entirely to you, Mr. Jung. After all, you’re a shareholder and part owner of the company.

“Then I’ll negotiate for an additional supply at a 5% margin over cost. How many units can you send them immediately?”

-We can have 30,000 units ready before the afternoon if we hurry.

“Got it.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I called Jang Ji-Hye again.

“Ms. Jang, 3% won’t work; we’ll need about 5%. They said they are very short on funds for additional production.”

Jang Ji-Hye hesitated for a moment.

-A sudden raise in margin like this is a bit unexpected…

However, I had already anticipated her reaction.

“In return, I’ll have my celebrities advertise Womans magazine on their Instargem. You know it’s because of my celebrity that people are seeking Yetterang products, right?”

When I offered to have the celebrities advertise Womans August issue on Instargem, I could hear Jang Ji-Hye’s cheerful response.

-You should have mentioned that earlier! Alright, I’ll transfer the money right away. By the way, how many units can you send immediately?

“They can package 10,000 units right now and the remaining 20,000 can be sent before the afternoon.”

-That should put out the immediate fire. Let’s do that then.

Jang Ji-Hye was quite excited as she mentioned that Womans was reprinting for the first time in almost three years.

“Thank you so much! Then I’ll inform Mr. Ahn right away.”

-I’m the one who should be grateful. I keep bothering you because it’s easier for me to talk to you than Mr. Ahn.

‘We got cash thanks to this, so it’s all good,‘ I thought to myself.

If Jang Ji-Hye had contacted Ahn Seok-Hoon directly, the good-natured Ahn Seok-Hoon might have given the samples for free.

However, due to the urgency of the matter, the situation turned out interestingly well. Getting money and gratitude felt great.

I ended the call with Jang Ji-Hye and called Ahn Seok-Hoon this time.

-They’ll transfer the money in cash instead of giving a promissory note?

“Yes, she said she’ll transfer the money within 30 minutes. You can discuss the details with her directly.”

Ahn Seok-Hoon chuckled in a dumbfounded voice.

-It seems like I have nothing left to do. Thank you so much for your hard work.

Ahn Seok-Hoon’s laugh was filled with relief. I was about to hang up after suggesting we meet again soon when Ahn Seok-Hoon spoke.

-I won’t forget your help today.

“It’s nothing, Mr. Ahn.”

I ended the call after exchanging a few more words. Only then did the tension in me release, making my legs tremble.

‘Wow, what did I just do?‘ I wondered.

A transaction worth billions was handled with just a few phone calls.

When I regained my composure to get back to work, I noticed the intense gazes of the staff in the meeting room.

Gu Seong-Cheol stammered. “Y-Yoon-Ho, what did you just do?”

It seemed unbelievable to Gu Seong-Cheol that someone like me who had only managed celebrities was now bridging the work of two presidents.

Oh Duk-Gu and Ju Yung-Hoon stared blankly, while Lee Yung-Jin and the other staff had their mouths agape.

“Um, well…” I stuttered, finding myself at a loss for words.

I had no idea how to give an explanation. In the end, I shouted and asked if this was the time to worry about such things.

“We have a lot of work today, so what are you all doing? Come on. Yung-Jin and Sang-Bong, check the social media reactions and gather article materials. Ms. Kim, please select the photos to post on Instargem!”

We had a busy schedule today ahead of us with Yoo-Jin’s cosmetics ad, followed by the drama’s first broadcast.

I urged the bewildered staff to resume their hectic tasks.

***

Womans magazine’s sold-out incident shook the portals all day.

The content of Womans was usually aimed at those over their twenties, but this August issue drew in middle and high school girls as well as older male fans of Cherry Blossom to bookstores in droves.

As a result, the magazines placed in bookstores nationwide were sold out in an instant.

Simultaneously, Womans, Yoo-Jin, and Yetterang’s names kept trending on social media. In the Name of God naturally began appearing in related search terms as well.

As a result, the articles funded by Han Se-Hwa began to disappear by 3 p.m.

It was now 9:30 p.m., just 30 minutes before the drama’s broadcast, and the entertainment news sections were dominated by In the Name of God.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon called.

-Mr. Jung! What did you do?

In the Name of God was falling behind Festival of Money despite MBS spending heavily on promotion, but the situation flipped at once.

Kim Sung-Woon reported the status at the broadcasting station with an excited voice.

-The CP asked me to convey his thanks to you. He thinks we can expect good viewership ratings tonight. Posts are rapidly appearing on the program’s bulletin board.

After a brief contemplation, I made a request.

“Mr. Kim, could you inform me as soon as the viewership ratings come out? I just can’t wait until tomorrow.”

-It’s no trouble. I’ll call you as soon as the drama ends.

Since I had been involved from the start of this drama, Kim Sung-Woon was doing me a special favor.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kim.”

I suddenly felt hungry after ending the call with Kim Sung-Woon. All the staff of Team Jung had been working without eating due to the excitement of trending all day.

Lee Yung-Jin, who sat next to me, was shaking his legs. “Why are my legs shaking? Is it because the drama is about to start?”

“No, it’s because you haven’t eaten anything,” I replied.

Then, Lee Yung-Jin started to speak in a weary voice. “Oh. Now that you mention it… I haven’t eaten at all today.”

At that moment, the door burst open and Gu Seong-Cheol along with Oh Duk-Gu and Park In-Ki entered carrying armfuls of lunch boxes.

“Come on! Let’s eat first.”

The three laid out the luxurious lunch boxes on the meeting room table.

The staff reached for the lunch boxes like crazy, but everyone’s eyes still remained glued to their laptops.

Then Gu Seong-Cheol tapped the table and said, “No matter how much you love your work, we all do this to make a living. You need to eat to keep going.”

Despite not having eaten himself, Gu Seong-Cheol was looking out for us.

‘Thank you, Mr. Gu,‘ I silently thanked him in my heart.

The team finally let out a sigh and began stepping away from their laptops.

It was now 9:50 p.m.

Although I had suggested eating slowly, everyone ended up gobbling down their food because Yoo-Jin’s Yetterang TV commercial was about to air.

The team members quickly devoured their meals and focused on the monitor. “Mr. Jung, it’s coming on!”

The ad time before the drama’s broadcast was the prime slot and Yetterang had placed a 30-second Miso cosmetics ad in that very slot.

The ad by the rising star director Park Bull-Chool started playing on the TV.

At that moment, the actors from Actor Division 2 and the members of Team Jung were entranced by the screen.

***

Morning sunlight began to shine through the green pine forest of Acha mountain.

Yoo-Jin stood on the path through the forest while wearing a white dress before approaching the camera.

She moved very slowly and leisurely.

Yoo-Jin approached with such a slow pace that her dress barely moved and her face was filled with a smile.

At that moment, a catchphrase appeared at the bottom of the screen.

[The first encounter with, Miso (美笑)]

Simultaneously, the smile on Yoo-Jin’s face grew deeper. The camera which had been capturing her whole body began to zoom in. By the end of the 30-second commercial, the screen was filled only with Yoo-Jin’s smiling face.

As Yoo-Jin’s flawless and clear skin appeared on the screen, the catchphrase appeared again.

[Turning back time, Miso (美笑)]

Although it was a 30-second ad with no dialogue, it left a deep impression like an art piece.

When Yetterang’s commercial ended and another ad started, Kim Mi-Hye exclaimed in admiration, “I didn’t know Miss Yoo-Jin was that beautiful…”

At that moment, Kim Mi-Hye couldn’t hold back and hurriedly opened her laptop. “Mr. Jung, I’ll just check the reactions for a moment.”

Even though I had told them not to work until the drama ended, it was no use.

(Real-time reactions)

-Probiotic: That commercial was amazing.

-Stopwatch: I’m playing it on repeat.

-Tuna Nigiri: I need to save this ad forever. Can someone please make a gif?

-Tangshik Pushik: Is Jung Yoo-Jin the top beauty among actresses in their 20s right now?

Despite it not being long since the commercial aired, commercial video clips were already being uploaded to major communities and portals.

Soon it was 10 p.m.—the time for the first broadcast of In the Name of God, which we had been preparing for a long time.

“It’s starting. Everyone, focus!” Gu Seong-Cheol cried out.

Everyone stopped working on their laptops and turned their attention to the monitor.

***

In the Name of God was about a detective, a female prosecutor, and a female shaman university student who caught criminals possessed by ghosts.

The long-awaited drama opened with the child actors’ scenes.

The child actors playing the main characters were already familiar faces who appeared on several dramas before, but the standout performances were from Miso and Jin Gong-Ju.

Despite being child actresses, Miso and Jin Gong-Ju captivated the viewers with their lively expressions and acting skills.

After about 20 minutes, the child actors’ scenes ended and the main story began with Ju Yung-In’s performance as the female lead.

A hot-blooded detective, Choi Kang-In, who was demoted for arresting a congressman’s son, appeared. Following him were Bang Shin-Ae, a rookie female prosecutor full of enthusiasm, and Cheongmyung, an eccentric shaman university student who drove a Ferrari.

The actors started showcasing scenes full of strong personalities clashing.

However, just before the end of the first episode, an unexpected scene began to appear.

“Um, wasn’t that supposed to be in episode 2, Mr. Jung?”

“Yeah, it was supposed to be…”

The screen showed Manshin Wol-Ah, a character meant to appear in episode 2.

『Tall like a wooden post, face like a tray, eyes like lanterns, ears like straw shoes, nose like disease, hands like iron pots, feet three feet and three inches long, sitting like a wooden post…』

Manshin Wol-Ah dressed in a white shroud walking through the darkness while chanting a ritual song immediately captured everyone’s attention.

The previously bright and cheerful atmosphere disappeared at once. The face of the old woman with white hair in a shroud was the epitome of a horror movie cliché.

But the drama ended at that moment.

As the preview and credits rolled, Lee Yung-Jin exclaimed urgently, “What the…what happens in the next episode?”

Gu Seong-Cheol, who had been silently focusing on the drama, also expressed his admiration with a shake of his head. “The atmosphere was chilling. That scene was directed outstandingly.”

I heard Kim Sung-Woon had spent countless nights in the editing room, but I didn’t expect the first episode to end like this.

I immediately checked the viewer reactions on my laptop.

(Real-time reactions)

-Who was the old woman at the end?

-Shaman? Ghost?

-Final boss?

-She had a huge presence. She reminded me of Legend of the Evil Spirits.

The reactions were better than expected.

Kim Sung-Woon had successfully captured the viewers’ attention with the appearance of Manshin Wol-Ah, making them curious about the next episode.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon called.

-Mr. Jung! The viewership ratings are out.

Ristretto’s Thoughts

So basically, you guys are Lee Yung-Jin wondering what’s gonna happen in the