Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All - Chapter 272: Team Lead Wang Long (3)

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: September 5, 2020]

-07:00 p.m.: Wang Long’s fiancée, Lily’s, funeral.

I couldn’t understand why the schedule hadn’t been deleted from the planner despite both Ju Yung-In and Wang Long being positive about the meeting.

‘Is there some unforeseen variable in China? Or is something happening to Ju Yung-In?‘ I wondered.

In the meantime, Wang Long had just finished his call and spoke to me with an excited expression. “Lily is very excited to meet Miss Yung-In! Thank you!”

“Ha ha. I’m glad.”

Given how proactive both Wang Long and Lily were, the remaining variable was likely on Ju Yung-In’s side.

While I was worrying about what might happen, the smile on Wang Long’s face was getting bigger and bigger.

At that moment, the high-spirited Wang Long suddenly suggested making a large concession in the contract. “Although the final decision for this partnership rests with Mr. Zhang, I will convey that Hoop Entertainment’s opinion makes sense.”

Wang Long, one of the few who could speak directly to the president of the Shanghai New Media Inc. Group, said he would support our company.

I bowed my head. “Thank you very much.”

Wang Long nodded with a broad smile.

***

Next, it was Yoo-Jin’s turn to film.

Scene 152 involved Ju Yung-In fighting a criminal and Yoo-Jin’s character, Cheongmyung, arriving late to take down the criminal.

“Ready~ Action!”

The moment Kim Sung-Woon called for the shot, Yoo-Jin rushed toward the criminal with her dress fluttering.

Seeing another actress who didn’t spare her body, Wang Long’s eyes widened once again.

When Yoo-Jin appeared with an exorcism tool in her hand, the stunt actor playing the criminal attacking Ju Yung-In immediately began to flee, with Yoo-Jin chasing him behind.

『Hey~~!! You evil spirit! You’re dead today~~!』

Yoo-Jin ran quickly with a wire wrapper around her waist, stepped on the wall, and jumped up to the sky. Then she delivered a spinning kick in mid-air.

Yoo-Jin’s clean spinning kick hit the possessed criminal’s neck precisely.

With a thud, the stunt actor who was running away instantly fell to the ground.

Wearing shorts underneath her dress, Yoo-Jin landed with her dress fluttering and dusted off her hands proudly.

『You jerk. Acting up like that!』

Yoo-Jin was indeed a student worth teaching.

“Cut~! Okay! That was great!”

After finishing the scene, Yoo-Jin, still attached to the wire, hurriedly approached the stunt actor to check on him.

The stunt actor gave Yoo-Jin a thumbs-up when she repeatedly bowed in apology.

“Wow~ Miss Yoo-Jin, your kick was really clean!” The stunt actor exclaimed.

“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Jin-Hyuk,” Yoo-Jin apologized.

“No worries. It’s actually safer when it’s done that cleanly.”

As the stunt actor nodded his head from side to side, Yoo-Jin finally sighed in relief.

Wang Long was surprised by Yoo-Jin’s intense action performance. “My goodness! Miss Yoo-Jin can do Kung Fu?”

“It’s not Kung Fu, it’s Taekwondo. I only taught her a few moves but she picked them up quickly,” I replied.

Wang Long stared intently at Yoo-Jin and fell into deep thought for a moment. After gathering his thoughts, he spoke to me.

“If you’re free this evening, could we talk privately for a moment?”

I nodded.

After all, I had become close friends with Wang Long because I took him wherever he wanted to go after work in my past life.

***

Zhang Xuan had spent several hours conversing over drinks with Kang Gam-Chan at Treviang Hotel located in Gangnam before returning to his suite.

A cold shower brought him back to his senses. “Hmm. I feel alive.”

After his shower, Zhang Xuan changed into a robe and sat on the sofa. After about five minutes, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

“It’s open. Come on in,” said Zhang Xuan.

Creak.

The door creaked open and a man entered.

It was Chief Kim Dong-Soo from Hoop Entertainment.

“Hello, sir. Thank you for your hard work today.”

Satisfied with Kim Dong-Soo’s polite greeting, Zhang Xuan pointed to the sofa in the living room. “Alright. Have a seat over there. You know why I called you separately, right?”

After sitting across from him, Kim Dong-Soo mentioned Choi Man-Sik’s name. “Yes. I heard you know Mr. Choi Man-Sik personally. He’s reminded us several times to take good care of you when you come to Korea.”

Zhang Xuan smiled contentedly. “Right. So you’re someone whom President Choi values?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Choi looks after me despite my shortcomings. And this… is a token of his appreciation.”

When Kim Dong-Soo subtly placed a briefcase on the table, Zhang Xuan took a glance at the case and asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s something safe to use,” Kim Dong-Soo replied.

Zhang Xuan smiled as Kim Dong-Soo explained it was laundered money that couldn’t be traced.

“You want me to seal the partnership with Hoop Entertainment?”

Kim Dong-Soo nodded. “Yes, please.. And if you could adjust it slightly in our favor, we’d make sure you’re well taken care of.”

Zhang Xuan crossed his arms and remarked, “Tsk. Cash bundles like this can only be used in Korea. If we get audited, I’m the only one who’ll be in trouble. Take it back. I don’t need it.”

Kim Dong-Soo grinned. “This is just a sample. Mr. Choi Man-Sik has already set up a secret account in China. Once the deal is finalized, the account will be transferred to you.”

Only then did Zhang Xuan show interest. “Ahem. In that case…”

Zhang Xuan then began to discuss the terms of the deal with a pleased expression.

“So we get 7 in China and Hoop Entertainment gets 7 in Korea?”

“If possible, please hold out for a 9-to-1 ratio until I step in, then change it to 7-to-3. We’d appreciate it.”

Zhang Xuan laughed heartily at Kim Dong-Soo’s words. “You want to boost your performance, huh? Sure. I can help with that.”

Thanks to Choi Man-Sik’s prior arrangements, the conversation proceeded smoothly.

Then, Zhang Xuan spoke cautiously. “By the way, Chief Kim.”

“Yes?”

“Could we have a light drink tonight? I mean, I don’t expect anything big, but it’s lonely to drink alone…”

Kim Dong-Soo quickly responded as soon as he saw Zhang Xuan trail off. “Actually, I’ve already reserved a nice place in Gangnam. It’s still a bit early, but shall we go now?”

The current time was 6 p.m. By paying an additional fee at the club, the aces of the club could be called in a bit earlier.

However, that wasn’t what Zhang Xuan wanted.

“No, no. Not those kinds of girls. If I’m in Korea, I should have a drink with Korean actresses. Someone like Ju Yung-In or Jung Yoo-Jin who are popular these days…”

At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo lowered his head and had to struggle to hide his emotions.

He knew that the mere mention of Jung Yoo-Jin would make Yoon-Ho furious. Additionally, he also still had feelings for Ju Yung-In, despite her leaving Hoop Entertainment.

‘This fucking bastard…’ Kim Dong-Soo remarked inwardly.

Kim Dong-Soo tried hard to conceal his true feelings and replied cautiously, “I’m sorry. I can’t just bring in actresses of that caliber without permission.”

Zhang Xuan furrowed his brow. “Hah! Look at this guy. Don’t you want to do business with me? Forget it. Take your account and leave.”

Kim Dong-Soo hid his trembling voice and replied, “I’ll prepare other actors for tonight, but next time…”

Zhang Xuan scoffed. “Who knows when I’ll be back in Korea? If it’s not those two, I’m not interested. Handle it yourself.”

Kim Dong-Soo remembered Choi Man-Sik’s instructions to appease Zhang Xuan no matter what.

Ultimately, Kim Dong-Soo was left with no choice when he picked up the phone to call one of the two actresses.

“Mr. Lee? This is Kim Dong-Soo from Hoop Entertainment.”

Kim Dong-Soo decided to contact Ju Yung-In who was at least more approachable than Jung Yoo-Jin and began to devise a plan to arrange a meeting between her and Zhang Xuan.

***

We arrived at the underground club at Treviang Hotel as Wang Long was curious about how people around his age in Korea enjoyed themselves.

Wang Long was excited by the noisy atmosphere and by the time we had dinner, Wang Long and I had become friends, chatting comfortably and casually.

I picked up a bottle on the table and filled Wang Long’s empty glass. “You handle your drink well. You said at the office you couldn’t drink, didn’t you?”

Wang Long grinned. “I only said that because I didn’t want to be with Director Zhang. That guy’s drinking habits are terrible.”

We had to shout to converse over the loud music.

“By the way, you come from a pretty well-off family, right?” I asked.

Wang Long raised his eyebrows. “How did you know?”

“Since Lily’s family is high-ranking, I figured you must be too if you’re dating her.”

“Well, it’s true that I don’t fall short of her family’s status.”

We had gotten somewhat closer, but Wang Long still hadn’t revealed his father’s identity.

At that moment, three women approached our table—one in a tight white t-shirt and jeans, one in a black dress, and one in a white dress.

All three were stunningly beautiful, like celebrities.

The woman in the white t-shirt and jeans smiled brightly and called out. “Oppas, will you buy us a drink?”

Wang Long took a glance at me and answered in English. “I have a girlfriend, so ask this guy. He’s single.”

The women laughed and responded back in English. “We have boyfriends too. We just want to hang out together for the night, that’s all.”

Then the woman in the black dress pointed to the woman in the white t-shirt and said, “Oppas, do you know the drama In the Name of God? Hyun-Joo here just passed an audition for a supporting role today.”

“We came to celebrate, and we thought it’d be nice if some handsome oppas congratulated her!”

The woman in the white t-shirt and jeans was named Hong Hyun-Joo.

‘But really? It had to be In the Name of God?’ I thought.

I was about to decline immediately to avoid getting involved in any way, but her face and name seemed familiar.

Then, I suddenly remembered that the second daughter of HK Textiles, a subsidiary of HK Clothing, was named Hong Hyun-Joo.

She was about 170 cm tall with a model-like figure, a cat-like face, and a cute mole on the tip of her nose.

Later, Hong Hyun-Joo would become quite well-known as she was supported extensively by the HK Group. She was also the cousin of Hong Sung-Beom, who had harassed Yoo-Jin.

However, she was still under 19 years old.

“Aren’t you too young to be here?” I asked.

Hong Hyun-Joo snorted and glared at me. “Oh, what did you say? Do you even know my age?”

At the same time, the woman in the black dress said, “If you don’t want to buy us drinks, just say so. Why bring up underage nonsense? You are so annoying!”

Hong Hyun-Joo echoed her friend’s sentiment. “Ugh. We just came to have a good time, and this is what we get…”

I cut her off.

“Hong Hyun-Joo, second daughter of HK Textiles. You’re not 19 yet, are you? Oh, should I mention your birthday too?”

Hong Hyun-Joo froze in shock. “W-what? Who are you?”

“Me? Well… we’ll meet on set soon,” I replied.

Hong Hyun-Joo’s eyes wavered. “Wh-what the heck…Oppa, are you an AD… or a PD?”

I ignored her question and added, “As far as I know, if an underage person gets caught drinking, their role gets canceled. Are you aware of that?”

At that moment, Hong Hyun-Joo and the other two girls turned pale and looked at each other.

“There must be some misunderstanding. We only came here to dance and we haven’t touched any alcohol!”

“Th-that’s right. It’s our first time at a club with Hyun-Joo. Right, Yeon-Woo?”

“Uh, y-yes. It’s really our first time!”

The three of them who were chattering noisily until just now suddenly started pleading respectfully in honorifics.

“If you turn around and leave for the exit right now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything tonight,” I replied.

Hong Hyun-Joo quickly nodded. “I-I’ll leave!”

She turned to her friends and urged them. “Guys, let’s go!”

“Y-yeah. Okay”

As they were about to turn around and leave, I asked them to wait for a moment and handed them the soft drinks from the table.

“Take an Aligatorade each on your way out.”

After thanking me, the three girls scurried away.

Wang Long laughed incredulously as they disappeared. “What was that? Do you know them? Yoon-Ho, you sure have a wide network.”

“They’re just kids I happened to know.”

“Still, they must have been really surprised. Ha ha.”

Wang Long looked at the spot where the girls had vanished as he chuckled, commenting on how I seemed to know everyone in Korea.

After chatting idly about Hong Hyun-Joo for a while, I checked my phone again when the club music quieted down. However, there was still no change in the planner’s entry about Lily’s death.

Instead, I realized that I had several missed calls and texts from Ju Yung-In.

‘Huh? What’s this?‘ I wondered.

[Ju Yung-In: Oppa. What do you think you’re doing right now? If you don’t call back soon, I’m canceling our plan to meet on the 28th!]

Wondering what was going on, I quickly called her. “Miss Yung-In, what’s going on?”

Ju Yung-In finally picked up after several attempts.

-Where are you? Are you trying to mess with me?

“Wait a minute. Don’t just shout and tell me what happened. What’s going on?”

Ju Yung-In spoke in an agitated voice.

-Mr. Lee said there was an urgent meeting with Shanghai New Media Inc., so I came to the place you mentioned. But some fucking pig-like man is telling me to pour him a drink!

I could tell how furious she was by looking at her using harsh language.

“If it’s Shanghai New Media Inc., could it be Zhang Xuan?”

-I don’t know. They called him Director Zhang, I think.

“What did Chief Lee say?”

-You know Chief Lee’s the kind of a person who tells me to just go along with it. I thought you and Wang Long were there, but what’s this about?!

Apparently, Ju Yung-In had tried to call me multiple times before entering the room to check if our meeting on the 28th had been rescheduled. Unfortunately, I missed her calls because I was dealing with Hong Hyun-Joo.

-Anyway, please get me out of here right now. I don’t want to be here for another second!

Ju Yung-In didn’t usually accept sponsors, but attending drinking parties to appease clients was nothing unusual in this industry. After all, it was not something she’d be criticized for.

Surprisingly, her attitude was different from my past life.

Of course, now was not the time to ponder this. I had to help Ju Yung-In first in order to delete the planner entry.

“Do you think you can come out alone?”

-No. The corridors here are very complicated. And there are security guards, so it’s hard to get out.

Ju Yung-In explained it was difficult to leave as it was her first time there.

‘Damn it.‘

Only then did I finally understand why the planner entry hadn’t disappeared yet.

“Where are you exactly?”

-I think it’s called La ParMang? Le ParMang? Or something like that.

“You must be at Gangnam Le ParMang. Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

I ended the call and turned to Wang Long to explain the situation.

“Your Director Zhang has forced Miss Ju Yung-In to pour drinks.”

At that moment, Wang Long exploded with anger. “What? That crazy bastard dared to make her pour drinks?”

Ristretto’s Thoughts

My advice to everyone: Never mess with fans. Never.