Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

"How high were the viewership ratings that got you this excited?" I asked.

-We hit 29.1%! They went up again!

While I had expected the viewership rating to soar with Yoo-Jin revelation of her identity as Manshin Wol-Ah yesterday, I had expected today's rating to drop by about 2% since there wasn't any shocking revelation.

'But 29.1% in the 10th episode?' I thought in awe.

At that moment, I realized what the phrase "My Heart Swells with Pride" from Jang Moon-Ki's article meant.

While exchanging compliments with Kim Sung-Woon, I could hear someone urgently calling out for him over the line.

-Oh! The president wants me to come up right away. I'll see you on set later.

"Alright, Mr. Kim."

After hanging up the call with Kim Sung-Woon, I informed Yoo-Jin about the viewership ratings.

Miso also looked up at me with her eyes twinkling with excitement. "UncleYoon-Ho, is Mom really the best?"

"Yes. Right now, your mom is the most successful actress in the country~"

Miso cheered and hugged Yoo-Jin tightly. "Wow~ Mom, you're the best!"

Yoo-Jin hugged her back tightly. "Thank you~"

As the two celebrated, news articles began to pour in.

[Even after that truth is revealed, the transformation is still surprising—Jung Yoo-Jin's dual personas.]

[Breaking news! In the Name of God hits 29.1% viewership ratings with its 10th episode!

[Jung Yoo-Jin! A God-given acting talent!]

[Acting genius Jung Yoo-Jin! She's taken over Korea, and she's taken over my heart!]

Typically, viewership ratings weren't reported until the next day.

But thanks to the growing interest in Yoo-Jin since yesterday, entertainment reporters were publishing articles about her, as if covering a big sports event.

After checking Yoo-Jin's articles online, I checked my planner this time. Some of the scheduled events were missing here and there due to the changes Yoo-Jin triggered.

However, I noticed that several Japan-related events had been removed as well.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: November 24, 2020]

-03:00 p.m. <Deleted Scheduled Event>

(Deleted Scheduled Event: Welcome event for Japanese partner (President Hiroshi from AMOSE). Small underground auditorium.)

Upon checking the planner, I recalled that Kang Ji-Yung was about to replace the Japanese partner Aris Production with a company called AMOSE.

'Is that why it got canceled?' I wondered.

This scenario seemed plausible considering that the timing of the partner replacement had sped up significantly compared to my past life.

At that moment, I received a call from Kang Ji-Yung.

-Congratulations, Mr. Jung. I heard the viewership ratings were a huge hit. Please pass my congratulations to Miss Yoo-Jin as well.

Kang Ji-Yung said that she was surprised by the sudden celebratory atmosphere she faced when she returned to the company after meeting a victim of Oh Sang-Jong. Nonetheless, upon hearing about the viewership ratings, she also let out a cheer.

After all, Yoo-Jin winning a big award at the end of the year was practically a given at this point.

However, her voice sounded heavy for some reason despite delivering good news.

"Ms. Kang, has something gone wrong?"

At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung spoke in a weary tone.

-Actually, the change in the Japanese partner got a bit complicated.

I couldn't understand what she meant and quickly asked again, "Didn't you say it would be finalized with just a signature on the contract?"

-Yes, that was the plan. However, Aris Production, our current partner, suddenly proposed extremely favorable terms out of nowhere. My father also received the news and said there was no valid reason to refuse.

Until now, Hoop Entertainment had been locked into a highly disadvantageous contract with their Japanese partner. The deal split the profits generated in Japan with a 80:20 ratio—80% for them, 20% for us. We did all the work, and all they did was use their existing distribution network to take the lion's share of the profits.

This was why Kang Ji-Yung had been working tirelessly to secure AMOSE as a new partner. But this evening, the terms were changed to a 50-50 split.

-Thanks to you, Mr. Jung, Hoop Entertainment's valuation has skyrocketed. That's why Aris Production made this new offer. They even suggested that Hoop Entertainment could become the number one entertainment company in Korea at this rate…

I was dumbfounded and left speechless for a moment.

The success I had achieved inadvertently interfered with Kang Ji-Yung's efforts. Knowing her personality, she wouldn't have given up easily. So it was clear that the higher-ups had made the decision and informed her afterward.

"Did the Japanese side make the first offer?"

-Oh, no, it wasn't that. Chief Kim Dong-Soo went to Japan and secured the contract.

"That's unbelievable…"

-Right? It's strange that this offer came out of nowhere, especially since Chief Kim went to Japan months ago.

Ever since my return, Kim Dong-Soo had been nothing but a string of failures. Rumor even had it that Actor Division 3 was now practically non-existent, so it didn't make any sense how he could have advanced such a significant deal without anyone knowing.

'They must think I'm a fool,' I thought.

I knew there was only one person capable of pulling off something like this. "President Choi Man-Sik must have intervened."

-To be honest, I suspected the same thing.

It was obvious why Choi Man-Sik had used Kim Dong-Soo's name: He was trying to prevent the collapse of the Suhyaejong line at all costs.

'No wonder why this event remained in my planner…' I contemplated while looking at my planner.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: November 11, 2022]

-01:00 p.m. Top Entertainment Inauguration Ceremony.

'Kim Dong-Soo, you're more tenacious than a whale tendon.'

I never thought it would be easy to prevent Top Entertainment's inauguration, especially since the Suhyaejong line was fiercely protecting Kim Dong-Soo.

Nonetheless, I was sure that once I brought Choi Sung-Ae back from the U.S., there would be no way they could protect him any longer.

However, this wasn't something I could discuss with Kang Ji-Yung right now.

-Phew. Still, I feel a bit better after sharing this. Thanks for listening to me.

"It's nothing, Ms. Kang."

Perhaps because she finally had someone to confide in, Kang Ji-Yung's voice brightened slightly.

-Even though we missed out on Japan, we still have the Chinese market that you opened up. So we won't fall too far behind.

I ended the call with Kang Ji-Yung on a hopeful note. "I agree."

At that moment, I heard a voice from beside me.

"Oppa, what did Ms. Kang say? Is it something bad?"

I turned to see Yoo-Jin and Miso standing nearby, eagerly waiting for my call to end.

I knew that telling them would only cause unnecessary worry, so I gave a vague response. "No, it's just that the Japanese partner offered good terms and the contract was renewed."

Yoo-Jin tilted her head in curiosity. "Really? Does that mean I'm going to Japan? I only know 'Ogenkidesuka' and 'Arigato' in Japanese."

Miso proudly chimed in while sticking out her belly. "I know 'Oishii~' and 'Konnichiwa!'"

I smiled and replied, "You both know quite a lot. You might be ready for a Japan debut!"

Yoo-Jin then seriously asked if she should start studying Japanese now, but that wasn't necessary.

I shook my head. "No, just focus on your activities in Korea for now."

For singers, the revenue difference between album sales and concert earnings was so significant that they often prioritize the Japanese market over the Korean one once they made it big.

However, things were different for actors. While many actors shuttled between Tokyo and Seoul for marketing events like fan signings, it was much more profitable to work on a good project in Korea. Ultimately, the money naturally followed if actors performed in a lot of quality productions in this industry.

I cleared my throat and suggested the two of them head to bed. After all, tomorrow will be an even busier day.

"Anyway, congratulations. 29.1% in the 10th episode is amazing! You really worked hard for this."

Yoo-Jin shook her head with a smile. "Oh, come on. It's all thanks to you for pushing me to take on a dual role, oppa. I just did what you suggested."

"That's easier said than done," I replied.

Yoo-Jin stuck out her tongue shyly in response.

As calls for advertisements and program appearances flooded in, I put my phone on silent and stopped checking it.

While the eventful day was finally coming to an end, the celebratory moments awaiting Yoo-Jin were far from over.

In my past life, Yoo-Jin was already hailed as a genius actor and recognized as the best talent Asia had produced.

And now, she had me, the top talent agent in Korea, by her side.

I started to wonder just how far she could go this time.

***

As soon as I arrived at the office the next day, I saw the staff from Actor Division 2 glued to their phones.

Since the revelation of Manshin Wol-Ah's identity two days ago, our phones had been ringing non-stop with inquiries about Yoo-Jin.

"Yes, Director~ I'll check if she's interested in movies and get back to you as soon as possible."

"Mr. Choi, we're getting drama offers not just from the three major broadcasters but also from cable networks. Do you think it makes sense we only give you special treatment?"

"Please have mercy, Mrs. Yang. I'm telling you, that can't be done!"

"200 million won? The minimum rate is now 500 million won for ads!"

Talent agents were usually in a subservient position, bowing to broadcasters and advertisers. But thanks to Yoo-Jin's popularity, they were speaking with uncharacteristic authority. For this reason, everyone wore bright expressions despite the constant phone calls.

Just as I was about to compliment them for their hard work, everyone stood up simultaneously and raised their hands. They were signaling for my help with their respective negotiations.

However, Gu Seong-Cheol blocked all those pleading looks and stepped in front of me. "Follow me."

Gu Seong-Cheol grabbed me at the entrance of Actor Division 2 and pulled me outside to the hallway where he began explaining the situation. "We're getting endless offers for advertisements, programs, and movie roles right now. We'll handle the follow-up, so don't worry about the minor stuff and head up to the sixth floor."

I raised my eyebrows. "The sixth floor?"

"Yes, the meeting room on the sixth floor. The people from Yetterang are here to see you."

Since my phone had been off due to the flood of calls, Ahn Seok-Hoon and Ahn Myung-Hoon from Yetterang had come to the office in person.

Gu Seong-Cheol gave me a slight push on the back. "Hurry up and go."

I took the elevator up to the meeting room on the sixth floor, where Kang Gam-Chan was already engaged in a conversation with Yetterang's Ahn Seok-Hoon and Ahn Myung-Hoon.

"Hello."

When I greeted them, Ahn Seok-Hoon raised his hand in a warm gesture. "Oh~ Mr. Jung!"

After exchanging greetings and taking a seat, they quickly got to the point. "We're planning to launch another brand."

"Already?"

With the rapid growth of the current Miso line, they had secured sufficient funds. They mentioned that they had created a new product with anti-aging effects that were three times stronger than the existing products.

The new product was named Wol-Ah (月娥).

"So… we'd like Miss Yoo-Jin to be the advertising model again," said Ahn Seok-Hoon.

My eyes widened slightly. "But Yoo-Jin is already the brand model for the Miso line."

"We'd like her to do another one separately. We're offering an additional 500 million won per year."

Yoo-Jin's advertising fee was already set at 300 million won a year, 200 million of which was paid in Yetterang's stocks.

The price of Yetterang's unlisted stocks had roughly tripled by now. Despite this, they wanted to add a separate contract for the new cosmetics brand, offering exceptionally favorable terms.

Kang Gam-Chan smiled. "What do you think, Team Lead Jung?"

Without a moment of hesitation, I shouted, "We should absolutely do it!"

This was another moment where Yoo-Jin's value skyrocketed once again.

***

It was August 28th.

Even though I was swamped with Yoo-Jin's schedule, I had to clear my own schedule today since I had arranged a meeting with Ju Yung-In to rescue Lily from the Sichuan earthquake.

I had scheduled the meeting with Ju Yung-In at 1 p.m. at the Korean restaurant in LT Hotel in Sogong-dong, and now, I was waiting at Incheon Airport to welcome Wang Long and Lily.

The clock above the arrivals gate showed 10:30 a.m.

"They should be coming out any moment now…"

Just then, the doors of the arrivals gate opened and the business class passengers began to walk out.

Wang Long came out first, followed closely by Lily, a model who stood at 175 cm. She was dressed in a white see-through dress with a wide-brimmed hat.

"Hey~ over here!" I called out.

When I waved, Wang Long dressed casually strode over and gave me a big hug. "Hey, brother~"

"What's with the 'brother' all of a sudden?" I asked.

"I saw in the Korean movie New World that they greet like this."

"Ha ha. That movie's from ages ago!" I chuckled.

After exchanging a friendly greeting with Wang Long, I extended my hand to Lily who had followed him. "Welcome to Korea."

Lily greeted me in awkward Korean, "Hello, Yoon-Ho oppa. Thanks to you, I get to meet Ju Yung-In!"

She was bouncing on her feet like an excited child.

I grinned. "Ha ha. Then let's head straight to the meeting place. We're cutting it close on time."

Just then, Lily asked me to wait for a moment and looked around anxiously. "Where did she go…?"

At that moment, I immediately realized who Lily was looking for. "Did your younger sister come with you?"

Lily's expression, which had been joyful moments ago, suddenly became serious. "Yes, my younger sister, Ling Ling. She says she wants to be an idol in Korea! It's frustrating! She's so stubborn!"

Ling Ling, who would become the legendary star and leader of China's top idol group in three years, had tagged along.

It was a moment where yet another destiny was about to change.

Ristretto's Thoughts

New World is such a good movie!

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