Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

During Team Jung's morning meeting, Lee Yung-Jin burst through the meeting room door and shouted, "Mr. Jung! Mrs. Yoo Sun-Jung is here!"

When Han Woo-Ju didn't show up at the office, Yoo Sun-Jung quickly figured out what was going on and came to Hoop Entertainment with her lawyer.

As soon as she arrived, she claimed that she held the copyright to the Hwaranjeon synopsis.

'So that's why the schedule hasn't disappeared,' I realized.

It seemed she had also registered the copyright for the synopsis. Since anyone could register a copyright, what mattered was who did it first.

"Where is she right now?" I asked.

Lee Yung-Jin replied, "Ms. Kang is meeting her in the meeting room on the sixth floor. I heard she's causing a scene with her lawyer."

"Got it. I'll go see her."

I quickly wrapped up the meeting. "We'll discuss the rest later."

I immediately rushed to the elevator after ending the meeting. As I reached the sixth floor and approached the meeting room, a shrill voice pierced through the walls.

-Where's Team Lead Jung? Get that bastard here right now!

-Mrs. Yoo, please calm down...

I could hear Kang Ji-Yung and Gu Seong-Cheol trying to calm Yoo Sun-Jung down.

Currently, Kang Gam-Chan and Kwak Moo-Hyuk were meeting with Yoo Sun-Jung's former assistant writers, suspecting that similar incidents might have occurred in the past. On top of that, they were also analyzing Han Woo-Ju's laptop to see if there was any additional evidence.

Since Yoo Sun-Jung had claimed to also have the copyright, I didn't hesitate to knock on the meeting room door. Not knowing what would be said, I made sure to start recording the conversation.

Knock, knock.

-Come on in.

Hearing Kang Ji-Yung's voice, I opened the door.

Across the long meeting table sat Yoo Sun-Jung and a female lawyer.

Yoo Sun-Jung, who turned 40 years old this year, had her long hair pinned up and was wearing a mint-colored two-piece suit from the Balanc brand. She was also wearing brown sunglasses as if she was at the beach.

I was about to greet her when a sharp voice erupted from Yoo Sun-Jung. "Is it you?"

Yoo Sun-Jung glared at me.

"Yes, I'm Writer Han Woo-Ju's talent agent," I replied nonchalantly.

Without warning, Yoo Sun-Jung picked up the file in front of her and threw it in my direction. "Look at this!"

The black file labeled "KJ Law Firm" flew in an arc toward me.

Clang!

When I dodged it slightly, the hard file hit the wall and fell to the floor. At the same time, papers that had been inside the folder fluttered through the air.

Shocked by Yoo Sun-Jung's rude behavior, Kang Ji-Yung and Gu Seong-Cheol shouted.

"Mrs. Yoo! What are you doing?"

"Isn't this too much, Mrs. Yoo?"

Gu Seong-Cheol stood up abruptly and rushed over to me. "Team Lead Jung, are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine."

Yoo Sun-Jung shouted at me. "Hmph! Take a look at my synopsis there! Then you'll see just how shameless Han Woo-Ju really is!"

She was so brazen in her claim that the synopsis was hers that I almost began to doubt the facts I knew from my past life.

With Gu Seong-Cheol's help, I gathered the papers that had fallen to the floor and put them back into the folder.

However, when I looked at the printed synopsis file titled Flowers of Silla, the author's name was listed as "Yoo Sun-Jung."

The content was identical to Hwaranjeon, with only the title being different.

Holding the file in my hand, I stood up and tilted my head in confusion. "I don't know about that... It seems to me that you might have taken our Ms. Han's synopsis instead."

"Hey! Don't you see my name on that synopsis?" Yoo Sun-Jung retorted.

"I see it. But if you're claiming it's yours just because your name is on the A4 paper..."

I paused mid-sentence, picked up a pen from the table, and casually crossed out Yoo Sun-Jung's name on the synopsis. Then, I wrote Han Woo-Ju's name over it.

After changing the name, I handed the file back to her. "Now, does that make it Ms. Han's?"

"What the... What kind of crazy..." Yoo Sun-Jung cursed.

I mimicked Yoo Sun-Jung's arrogant behavior on purpose.

Seething with anger, Yoo Sun-Jung reached for the file again.

I was ready to call the police and reporters the moment she hit me. However, before she could grab the file, her lawyer who was next to her quickly restrained her. "Mrs. Yoo, please calm down. This won't solve anything."

Furious, Yoo Sun-Jung glared at her lawyer. "Let go! I said let go of me!"

"Mrs. Yoo!"

Only when the lawyer shouted again did Yoo Sun-Jung reluctantly let go.

'What a shame,' I thought.

The female lawyer introduced herself as Lee Moon-Yung from KJ Law Firm and stared at me intently. "Mr. Jung."

"Yes?"

"I'll be straightforward with you. The synopsis of Flowers of Silla which Ms. Han Woo-Ju claims as her own is actually owned by my client, Mrs. Yoo. If Ms. Han would sign a statement acknowledging that it isn't hers, we can avoid taking this to court."

"Are you asking us to give up?" I responded.

"Yes. The copyright registration for the synopsis was completed two days ago."

Yoo Sun-Jung had registered the synopsis a day earlier than we did. Despite exploiting her student's work, she was quick to take legal action.

"So you registered it on the exact date when Ms. Han showed you the synopsis, huh?"

Yoo Sun-Jung snapped back. "I registered it as soon as I finished the synopsis that night! What do you mean she showed it to me? She stole it from me!"

"Hold on a second. Did you just say you finished the synopsis two days ago?"

At that moment, Lee Moon-Yung quickly covered Yoo Sun-Jung's mouth. "That's not the point! The key issue is that my client registered the copyright first!"

Han Woo-Ju had mentioned that she showed the script to Gae Eun-Sook first in the KBC writers' room a week ago. If I could get a statement from Gae Eun-Sook, I could prove that Yoo Sun-Jung was lying.

Though I was tempted to confront them right then and there, I decided to play dumb for now. After all, I could push them once I had solid evidence and witnesses.

I furrowed my brow and glared at the lawyer. "So, what do you propose?"

Lee Moon-Yung let out a short sigh of relief and began to speak calmly. "Ms. Han is still very young. If she gets caught up in a copyright lawsuit, it could ruin her career as a writer."

"So you're saying she should give up on this project and write something new?"

"Exactly. In return, we'll compensate her. Mrs. Yoo is willing to pay up to 10 million won for her troubles."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 'Is she serious? How can someone be so brazen?'

I scoffed and responded sarcastically, "How about this? We'll give you 20 million won if you give up."

Yoo Sun-Jung couldn't hold back any longer and screamed, "Hey! Does Hoop Entertainment not want to work with me anymore?"

I calmly replied, "No. How could we work with someone who's threatening to sue one of our writers?"

Thinking about what Han Woo-Ju had gone through, I wanted to curse Yoo Sun-Jung out on the spot. Yet, without solid evidence, I had no choice but to hold back.

Trembling with anger, Yoo Sun-Jung suddenly stood up. Her swivel chair rolled back and crashed into the wall.

Then, she let out an angry breath and turned to her lawyer, "Mrs. Lee, there's no point in continuing this conversation. Let's go!"

"But Mrs. Yoo.."

"I said let's go!"

Lee Moon-Yung reluctantly stood up and said to me, "I'll give you until tomorrow to carefully think it over."

"We'll give you until tomorrow as well. You might lose everything you've built up until now if you're too greedy, so think carefully," I retorted.

Yoo Sun-Jung shot me a look that could kill before storming out of the meeting room.

After Yoo Sun-Jung and Lee Moon-Yung left, Gu Seong-Cheol finally let out his anger and threw his fists in the air. "Damn, I would’ve flipped the table if not for the fact that we haven't gotten any solid evidence!"

"Mr. Gu, why didn't you just blow up in front of them? Why hold back?" I asked.

Gu Seong-Cheol looked at me and scratched his head. "Maybe I should have..."

At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung let out a deep sigh. "Mr. Kang is trying to persuade the witness, but it seems like it's not going well."

"It makes sense. Standing up to Mrs. Yoo isn't exactly easy."

Since the other side registered the copyright a day earlier, we needed to find another way to solve this.

'I need to meet with Writer Gae,' I thought.

The first person Han Woo-Ju had shown the synopsis to was Gae Eun-Sook. If I could get her to testify that she saw the Hwaranjeon synopsis a week ago, we'd have a significant advantage in the copyright lawsuit.

Once all this was over, I planned to compensate Han Woo-Ju for all the damages she suffered.

The phrase I liked so much crossed my mind. 'Good triumphs over evil.'

'Writer Yoo, let's see how this plays out,' I remarked inwardly.

***

Less than an hour after Yoo Sun-Jung left the meeting room, articles began to surface.

[KBS A Wife's Mistake Yoo Sun-Jung Accuses Her Student of Stealing Her Next Project's Synopsis.]

[Jung Yoo-Jin’s Next Drama Project Allegedly Involves a Script Stolen by Writer Yoo Sun-Jung.]

I furrowed my brows. 'What a lowlife...'

She offered us a day to think it over, but went ahead to publish articles within just an hour.

The situation was so outrageous that I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

As soon as the articles went live, an emergency team leads' meeting was convened right away to discuss the issue. This issue involved almost everyone as Hoop Entertainment had planned to cast actors from all divisions in Hwaranjeon, Han Woo-Ju's next project.

During the meeting, Kim Dong-Soo immediately brought up Jo Ye-Rin from Actor Division 3, who was currently starring in A Wife's Mistake, and suggested that we avoid confrontation.

"Mr. Kang! We're dealing with KJ Law Firm, the best in Korea! And why would Writer Yoo make such a fuss over her student's work if she wasn't sure it was hers? Let's not fight and just reconcile," Kim Dong-Soo urged.

As Kim Dong-Soo spoke, Kang Gam-Chan looked around at the team leads. "Do you all feel the same? Are you saying that because Writer Han is young and inexperienced, she couldn't have written such a work?"

Ju Ho-Sung from Actor Division 3 cautiously voiced his opinion. "We can't say for sure because we haven't seen the work, but realistically, fighting Mrs. Yoo could be risky."

Due to security concerns, Han Woo-Ju's synopsis and script hadn't been shown to anyone yet. Because of this, Ju Ho-Sung's opinion seemed quite persuasive.

"Risky?"

"Yes. If we cross Writer Yoo, Jo Ye-Rin’s role in her current drama could be cut immediately."

"Is that all?"

"No. Also, Miss Yoo-Jin who's currently starring in In the Name of God will likely see a drop in this week’s viewership ratings. It seems wiser to cancel the contract with Writer Han to avoid unnecessary trouble. There are plenty of writers and projects out there. Why not just pick a new one?"

Kang Gam-Chan stared at Ju Ho-Sung for a moment before turning his gaze to me. "Team Lead Jung, do you share their opinion?"

Kim Dong-Soo and Ju Ho-Sung both looked at me.

I stared at Ju Ho-Sung and replied, "Our company's writer is about to be accused of theft, and you're worried about risks? I absolutely cannot give up on this project."

Ju Ho-Sung cleared his throat and said, "Team Lead Jung, you've only been under contract with that writer for a day. Just say you didn’t know the backstory, pay the penalty, and we can wash our hands of this. There’s no need for us to get involved in this mess. Be realistic!"

Ju Ho-Sung spoke as if he were the wise adult in the room.

I hardened my expression and responded, "To you, are the actors and singers you manage just things to be used when convenient and discarded when not?"

Ju Ho-Sung's face twisted with anger. "Hey, watch your mouth!"

"But you didn't watch your mouth, did you!?" I retorted.

"Hey! Team Lead Jung!"

Ignoring him, I turned around and addressed the room full of team leads. "Let me be clear: Ms. Han did not steal from Mrs. Yoo. In fact, it was Mrs. Yoo who stole from Ms. Han!"

Ju Ho-Sung interrupted and shouted, "That's just your claim! And what if you're wrong? If this goes south, our actors will be blacklisted from all of Mrs. Yoo's future projects!"

"Enough!!" Kang Gam-Chan shouted, silencing Ju Ho-Sung.

Once Ju Ho-Sung clammed up, Kang Gam-Chan looked around the room.

"It seems some of you are worried because she's a star writer and think we should pick a different project. Well, wake up! I’ve seen the synopsis, and it's not easy to find a work of that quality!"

Kang Gam-Chan was clearly impressed with Han Woo-Ju's synopsis and script as well, determined to proceed no matter the outcome.

His statement made everyone in the room sigh.

At that, Kim Dong-Soo made a request to Kang Gam-Chan.

"Then could you show us the synopsis and script? We need to see it to fully understand and get on board."

Kang Gam-Chan shook his head. "Do I need to convince you and get your approval, Chief Kim?"

"..."

Kang Gam-Chan scanned the room.

"It seems there's a misunderstanding. This project was entirely entrusted to Team Lead Jung by MBS's President, Mr. Choi. We're just riding along!"

"B-but Mr. Kang..."

"Everyone, shut your mouths. I called this meeting to give an update on the situation and get some good ideas, not for you to hinder the process!" Kang Gam-Chan said in a booming voice, causing the room to fall silent.

Just as Kang Gam-Chan had said, no one here could stop me even if I went ahead without the team leads' support.

Nonetheless, I planned to convince them knowing they were essential to the company’s success.

"I understand your concerns for Hoop Entertainment, but I ask that you trust me one more time. If I'm right, Writer Yoo will be ousted from this industry," I said as I made eye contact with each of the team leads and division chiefs.

Actor Division 1 remained neutral while Actor Division 3 was clearly opposed.

Seeing this, I played my final card. "And if this leads to us losing the lawsuit, I'll accept any consequences that come my way! I’ll cancel the contract with Ms. Han and switch to another project."

Kim Dong-Soo's eyes lit up as if he had been waiting for this opportunity. "Are you serious?"

Gu Seong-Cheol from Actor Division 2 tried to stop me urgently. "Team Lead Jung! There's no need to go that far..."

Even Kang Gam-Chan looked surprised. "Why are you taking this so far?"

The only reason the team leads and chiefs hesitated to fully support me was the fear of losing access to future projects by Yoo Sun-Jung if we lost this battle.

Now that I had declared that I'd take on the risk myself, Kim Dong-Soo and Ju Ho-Sung exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.

After a moment, Kim Dong-Soo cleared his throat and said, "If you’re that confident, fine. I’ll support Team Lead Jung’s decision on this one."

I had anticipated this response. However, I seized the moment to make one more request.

"In return, I’d like a commitment to grant Team Jung full autonomy to make future decisions if we succeed in this."

At that moment, murmurs started to ripple through the room.

Essentially, I was asking for my team to be elevated to a division.

Ristretto's Thoughts

Wow, that's bold. But I mean…go big or go home 😂

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