Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All - Chapter 271: Team Lead Wang Long (2)

The moment Wang Long asked for Ju Yung-In’s autograph for his fiancée, I looked at his left ring finger and spoke.

“Seeing the engraving W & L on the ring on your left ring finger, I’m assuming your fiancée’s name is Lian? Or perhaps Lily?”

Wang Long stared at me in shock. “Y-yes, it’s Lily! How on earth did you know?”

“I simply guessed. Ha ha.”

I laughed awkwardly and made an excuse. The reason I knew her name was because of a tragic event that would happen in a few days.

Wang Long’s girlfriend, Lily, was currently a popular model and actress in China. Unfortunately, about a week from now on August 28th, she would die at a fashion show in Sichuan Province due to a sudden 4.0 magnitude earthquake.

There was only one casualty in Sichuan as it wasn’t a major earthquake. Nonetheless, Lily died because a wall at the event venue would collapse on her.

The reason for the building’s collapse was because it was shoddily constructed with bamboo instead of rebar, and Wang Long’s father, Deputy Secretary Wang Min, would exact harsh revenge on the construction company responsible for the event venue.

In my past life, they held a funeral for Lily to console her spirit subsequently on September 5th.

Back then, I had flown to China to express my condolences to Wang Long and attended the funeral, so I remembered the whole situation clearly.

Unaware of this future, Wang Long was looking at me in amazement. “I’m truly surprised you guessed my fiancée’s name. I heard earlier at the company that you have good intuition, Mr. Jung. But…”

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable,” I quickly added.

Wang Long waved his hands. “Oh, that’s not what I meant. I was just really surprised. Anyway, I should just tell you who my fiancée is.”

Wang Long revealed that his fiancée is Lily, an emerging model currently making a name for herself in the Shanghai fashion scene.

Wang Long proudly talked about his fiancée for a while and promised to introduce her to me when I visit China.

Talking about his fiancée made us feel a bit closer.

“Then I’ll go get Miss Ju Yung-In’s autograph for you first. Should I ask her to sign it with Lily’s English name?” I asked.

“Yes, please. I appreciate it.”

I left Wang Long with Jung Sang-Bong for a moment and headed to Ju Yung-In’s waiting area with a cold drink, some paper, and a pen.

Ju Yung-In’s forehead was covered in sweat due to the hot weather.

Fortunately, PD Lee Chan-Dong was not around and the stylist who was always with her was fanning her with a handheld fan. When Ju Yung-In frowned in discomfort from the heat, the stylist grabbed her wallet and ran off somewhere.

‘This is my chance,’ I thought.

I confirmed that no one else was around and slowly approached her. “I see you’re working hard.”

I handed a cold iced coffee to the sweating Ju Yung-In.

“Huh? What’s this? Why the sudden coffee?” Ju Yung-In uttered in surprise with eyes wide open.

Fearing she might misunderstand my intentions, I quickly pointed toward Wang Long. “The gentleman over there is a guest from China and his girlfriend is a huge fan of yours.”

Ju Yung-In sighed briefly and pouted. “Hmph! I was wondering why you were being so friendly unlike usual. So you want an autograph?”

“Yes, please.”

In the meantime, the stylist who had briefly disappeared returned with a drink.

“Unnie, have this and… Oh? Mr. Jung, what are you doing here?”

At that moment, Ju Yung-In lifted the cold coffee cup I had given her. “Soo-Hyun, I’m sorry. Yoon-Ho oppa brought this for me. Give what you got to AD Choi. You like him, right?”

“Unnie! I told you I don’t like Mr. Choi!” Ji Soo-Hyun replied as she blushed and ran off in a hurry.

Ju Yung-In giggled at the scene and took out autograph paper from her bag. “What are their names? That gentleman and his girlfriend.”

‘Wait. She’s going to give me the autograph so easily like this without any conditions?’ I wondered.

I thought she would be difficult, but it seemed I was worried for nothing. I told Ju Yung-In the names of Wang Long and his girlfriend.

“Wang Long and Lily.”

“Wang Long… Lily…They must be from China. What should the message be?”

“Since they are engaged, how about ‘Wishing you eternal happiness’?” I suggested.

“Really? Wow, I’m jealous.”

After signing the two autographs, Ju Yung-In capped the pen and handed the signed sheets to me. “Here you go.”

“Is that all?” I asked hesitantly.

Ju Yung-In looked at my face and scoffed. “Why? Did you think I’d ask for something in return just for signing an autograph?”

To be honest, I did think that. I had even prepared a small reward, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Ju Yung-In looked at me with eyes that seemed to say she was disappointed. “Oppa, don’t look at people so suspiciously. Thanks to you, I’m doing well as the lead in this drama.”

“That’s because your acting has improved, Miss Yung-In.”

“Enough with the flattery. Just feel free to ask for small favors like this next time.”

Ever since Ju Yung-In became the lead actress in In the Name of God, her reputation had been rising. Her short hair transformation and her character who fought against corrupt senior prosecutors resonated well with the viewers. The consecutive hits following Blue Sky had successfully established her as a leading figure in the living room.

At that moment, Ju Yung-In waved toward Wang Long who was waiting for the autograph. Seeing Wang Long’s ecstatic reaction as he waited, an idea to save Lily came to mind.

‘I need to set up a meeting.‘

If I arranged a meeting for Wang Long and Lily to meet Ju Yung-In, Lily would likely come to Korea immediately. As Ju Yung-In was very busy at the moment, I subtly revealed Wang Long’s identity to persuade her.

“Miss Yung-In, you should take this opportunity to introduce yourself. He’s not someone you can meet easily.”

Ju Yung-In tilted her head in curiosity and looked at Wang Long. “Why? Who is he?”

“He’s the team lead of the Overseas Business Division at Shanghai New Media Inc. He can be a great help if you plan to expand into China.”

“Really?”

Ju Yung-In looked around and then whispered, “Then please introduce me to him.”

“He’s currently a guest of our company, so it’s a bit difficult to arrange a direct meeting… I’ll set up a time on August 28th. You can meet him then.”

“August 28th?”

“Yes. If you keep that day free, I can recommend a project for you to participate in that Shanghai New Media Inc. is producing.”

Ju Yung-In always targeted the projects I chose. Initially, she did so just to outshine Yoo-Jin. But upon tasting success, she kept monitoring the projects that I would pick next.

When I mentioned recommending a project produced by Shanghai New Media Inc., Ju Yung-In began to show great interest.

“Wait. But isn’t it difficult for Korean actors to enter the Chinese market because of the ban?” Ju Yung-In asked.

“There is a way.”

Due to the current ban, Korean movies could not be shown in Chinese theaters. However, China’s video platform Yooko will start uploading selected Korean movies and dramas by the end of this year.

The project I planned to recommend to Ju Yung-In was Wolf of the Battlefield which was included in that list.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: March 15, 2021]

-08:00 p.m.: Director Jang Tae-Yoon’s Wolf of the Battlefield on Yooko. 200,000 simultaneous viewers crashing the server. (Note: Discovered a way to bypass the Chinese ban)

Wolf of the Battlefield was a global location film directed by Korean director Jang Tae-Yoon, invested by Shanghai New Media Group Inc., and produced by a production company based in Australia.

It will be released in February next year, attracting four million viewers in Korea alone and causing Yooko’s server to temporarily crash in China.

As Ju Yung-In pondered over my suggestion, she suddenly asked an unexpected question. “Um, hey. You’re not suggesting a doomed project to get rid of me…are you?”

“Why would you think such a ridiculous thing?” I responded.

Ju Yung-In hesitated before speaking. “Well, it’s because you always recommend the best projects to Yoo-Jin first.”

While she made a good point, this suggestion was to save Wang Long’s girlfriend. Moreover, I had another good project in mind for Yoo-Jin.

I decided to explain myself. “More than half of the filming for this project is done overseas, so Yoo-Jin isn’t even considering it because she has to take care of Miso in Korea. Anyway, the project is good and the production team’s capabilities are excellent. Anyway, with your experience, you can easily tell from the script if it’s a failing project. Right?”

Ju Yung-In stared at me intently. “Everything sounds good… but what’s the reason for this favor? Be honest with me!”

“I need to make a good impression on that guy,” I replied in a straightforward manner.

“Is that really all?”

“It’s not a trivial matter like you think it is. I told you he is an important guest.”

Ju Yung-In looked at me for a moment and then nodded more readily than I expected. “Alright then. If he’s that important to you, oppa… I’ll do it. But I’ll make the final decision after I see the script and the director’s profile. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I’ll arrange the meeting for the 28th then.”

“What time works?”

“If it’s okay with you, lunchtime would be preferable.”

“Alright, you arrange the place and let me know.”

“Thank you.”

I quickly checked my planner after getting Ju Yung-In’s permission, but the schedule hadn’t disappeared yet.

After confirming the meeting date, Ju Yung-In headed to the set for the next shoot and I returned to Wang Long with the autographs.

Wang Long was deeply moved by the autographs. “Thank you so much, Mr. Jung.”

Seeing how he was at a loss for what to do with the signed papers, I could tell he was a genuine fan.

“You can keep the signed papers here.”

His face lit up when I handed him a file folder to store the autographs.

Then, I turned to him and said, “Alright, Miss Ju Yung-In’s shoot is about to start. Let’s go watch it together.”

“Shall we?”

I led the delighted Wang Long towards the set.

The scene 151 being filmed next was a chase scene where Ju Yung-In’s character runs from a criminal in a redevelopment area set. The set was filled with broken windows and brick fragments, making it very dangerous and risky for the actors.

Even so, when Ju Yung-In said she would perform the scene herself, Wang Long looked very surprised.

“Don’t they use stunt doubles here?” Wang Long asked.

“It depends on the situation, but most action scenes are performed by the actors themselves.”

“It’s different from what I expected. I heard that Korean actors have high standards and use doubles for most scenes…”

“It’s case by case.”

Originally, Ju Yung-In also used stunt doubles, but she was doing most of her scenes herself for this project.

After checking the preparations, Kim Sung-Woon grabbed a megaphone and shouted. “Alright. Scene 151, the chase scene with the hammer-wielding serial killer. Ready~ action!”

Ju Yung-In began to run frantically at the director’s cue. She screamed while dodging debris scattered around the set. She was eventually caught by the actor playing the criminal and started a physical struggle, swinging a glass jar of mango butter in her left hand.

After three minutes of intense acting, Kim Sung-Woon finally called a cut. “Cut~! Okay~! Miss Yung-In, are you alright?”

Ju Yung-In got up with her hair disheveled, her face covered with mango butter, and her body covered with dirt. “Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

As the staff rushed to check on her, Wang Long fell into deep thought. I waited till he slowly came out of his reverie and asked quietly, “Miss Yung-In has a lot of fans in China too, doesn’t she?”

Wang Long slowly turned his gaze to me. “Yes, the works she starred in before the ban were quite popular.”

Wang Long’s eyes sparkled with desire. He was not only a personal fan of Ju Yung-In but was also impressed by her acting in person, which made him eager to work with her.

I quickly added, “Miss Yung-In is very interested in expanding overseas. I heard Shanghai New Media Inc. recently established a production company in Australia to set up a global production system. Is that correct? And they’re making a movie with a Korean film crew…”

Wang Long was taken aback. “H-how did you know? That was just a few weeks ago.”

I smiled. “I have my sources. More importantly, Miss Yung-In has some free time on the 28th. Why don’t you meet her then? It could be a great opportunity for both of you.”

Wang Long nodded eagerly. “Mr. Jung! If that happens, I’ll never forget this favor.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. By the way, I mentioned it to her, and she said she’d love to meet your girlfriend Lily too. I told her she’s a big fan.”

Wang Long’s jaw dropped in joy. “Lily would absolutely love to meet her! If Lily hears about this, she’ll drop everything and come to Korea right away.”

I never imagined that Wang Long and Lily being fans would come in handy like this.

Wang Long excused himself and immediately called his girlfriend, Lily. Judging by his constant laughter, I figured she must have agreed.

I felt relieved and carefully checked my planner again. However, the schedule for Lily’s funeral hadn’t disappeared.

‘Why isn’t it going away?‘ I wondered.

Ristretto’s Thoughts

LOL. I didn’t know it was that easy to guess someone’s name just by looking at one initial 😂 I would have been like HMMMM THAT’S SUSPICIOUS. THAT’S WEIRD.