Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Lee Dong-Min and I entered the old building that didn't even have an elevator. As we climbed the stairs, we saw Park Hyung-Gu ahead of us panting heavily as he ascended.

From the third floor where Ye-Eum Planning's office was located, we could hear the voices of two women. One was Go Yoo-An, a singer from Ye-Eum Planning, and the other was President Ahn Ye-Eum.

-Just stop it! Ms. Ahn, no matter what you say, I won't change my mind.

-Yoo-An, just give me one more month, okay? Just one more month and I'll do whatever it takes—beg on my knees if I have to—to get you a broadcast spot. I'll even find you a new song. Please!

-No thanks. Ms. Ahn, I heard you've been borrowing money from loan sharks lately. Yesterday while I was at Hongdae, TK Entertainment approached me with an offer. I'm moving there, so don't try to hold me back.

-What are you saying? You're the only singer we have left at this company! What are we supposed to do if you leave? And don't forget you're still under contract!

I had assumed the company had two singers left, but it seemed one had already left.

-Then file a lawsuit or something! But it'll only hurt you in the end. And by the way, I want my earnings settled today.

At that moment, a third voice chimed in. This time, it was the twenty-eight-year-old Producer Kim Ae-Ran.

-Settle your earnings? Hey! How many gigs have you done this year? Do you know how much we're in the red after covering your wardrobe, your road talent agent's salary, and your meals? It's 30 million won! 30 million!

-I don't care about that. Just transfer me 10 million won today and I won't take this to court.

-10 million won? Where are we going to get 10 million won from in just a day? And wasn't it you who clung to Ms. Ahn's coattails and begged to join this company? Now that things are tough, you're threatening us?

The argument grew louder followed by the sound of someone screaming inside the office.

That's when Park Hyung-Gu ahead of us huffed and muttered, "Damn it. This is why I said I should've come in with her. Ugh!"

Park Hyung-Gu spat on the floor and turned his head, noticing Lee Dong-Min and I following behind.

"Who the hell are you two?" Park Hyung-Gu questioned.

I met Park Hyung-Gu's gaze and replied, "We're here on business with Ye-Eum Planning."

Park Hyung-Gu's face twisted into a scowl. "Well, today's the last day this place stays open. So why don't you turn around before things get ugly?"

Park Hyung-Gu threatened us before turning back and storming up the stairs.

Lee Dong-Min tugged at my arm. "Yoon-Ho, let's just call the police."

"No, it's fine."

People like Park Hyung-Gu didn't respond to words or warnings. If we called the police and he got out later, he could show up at Hoop Entertainment and cause trouble.

This needed to be resolved here and now.

***

"Hey, Go Yoo-An! What the hell is taking so long?" shouted Park Hyung-Gu as he stormed into the office. Go Yoo-An turned to look at him. "Well, we've been through a lot, so I wanted to at least talk it out."

Scoffing, Park Hyung-Gu stepped past Go Yoo-An and pointed angrily at Ahn Ye-Eum and Kim Ae-Ran. "Listen up! Hand over Yoo-An's settlement statement now! If you don't, I'll see to it that you all end up in prison for fraud!"

Having worked briefly as a talent agent, Park Hyung-Gu knew the weak spots of small agencies and particularly how they often lacked proper financial records.

Hearing Park Hyung-Gu's shouting, I stepped into the office without hesitation and called out, "Hey, big guy. If you don't want things to get messy, why don't you turn around and leave?"

Although his face appeared to be in his mid-thirties, Park Hyung-Gu was actually a year younger than me at twenty-six.

Park Hyung-Gu looked furious as he turned to face me. "This is ridiculous. What the hell did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. Leave while you still can."

"Look at you fancy-looking punk running your mouth. I've had enough. You gave me bad vibes from earlier so this is actually perfect. You're about to feel what it's like to face the 'Bulldozer of the Ganghan gang.'"

Park Hyung-Gu fumed with anger and ripped off his shirt. Around his neck was a gold chain and his arms were covered in tattoos like a human canvas.

In my memory, Park Hyung-Gu was nothing but a low-level thug with no real connections. Claiming affiliation with the once-notorious Ganghan gang was just a bluff.

To make matters even more laughable, the Ganghan gang was the organization Kang Eun-Gi once belonged to before he disbanded it himself.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the absurdity.

Seeing my laughter, Park Hyung-Gu grew even angrier. "What the hell are you laughing at? Think this is funny? Today's your funeral, you bastard!"

I quickly stepped back and raised my voice. "Hey. Before we get to the funeral rites, let me make one phone call."

"Fuck you. You think you can pull something here?"

"Relax. I'm not calling the police. Just wait a second."

When I held up my phone and showed him the number I was dialing, Park Hyung-Gu tightly clenched his fists. "Fine, go ahead. Make your little call. Think of it as your last words before I put you down."

'Look who's talking,' I scoffed.

The call rang twice before the other person answered.

-Yes, hyung-nim.

-Hey, Soo-Chan, I just need to ask you something.

-Of course. Go ahead.

-Do you know a guy named Park Hyung-Gu? He claims he's the 'Bulldozer of the Ganghan gang.'

-Hm...I've never heard of him.

If Lee Soo-Chan didn't recognize the name, then it was clear that Park Hyung-Gu was faking any ties to the Ganghan gang.

That's when Park Hyung-Gu shouted, "Who the hell is that on the phone?"

Just then, Lee Soo-Chan said in a cold voice.

-Me? I used to be the enforcer for the Ganghan gang before it disbanded. Who are you?

At that moment, Park Hyung-Gu's body began trembling as he stammered nervously. "W-Wait... are you really Soo-Chan hyung-nim?"

Lee Soo-Chan's voice turned icy.

-Who are you? How do you know my name?

Sweating profusely, Park Hyung-Gu stammered, "I-I'm Park Hyung-Gu, sir. I used to be under Gwang-Chil hyung-nim in Osan. Back then, they called me Bul-Gu. I wasn't in the Ganghan gang...but I was just part of the smaller Osan gang under them."

'Hah. Bulldozer? What a joke,' I remarked inwardly.

-Bul-Gu under Gwang-Chil, huh… You were the doorman for the 99 Nightclub, weren't you? Yeah, I remember you. So, what do you want?

"N-Nothing, sir. Nothing at all."

-Nothing? You think I'm going to believe that? This is the first time Yoon-Ho hyung-nim has ever called me about someone like you. Spill it. What did you do to him?

Now visibly drenched in sweat, Park Hyung-Gu stuttered. "I-I mean... uh..."

Lee Soo-Chan interrupted Park Hyung-Gu in his lethal tone.

-Hey, Bul-Gu. Do you have a death wish? Do you even know who you're messing with?

"Wait... is he someone you know, sir?"

-Of course I do. He's Eun-Gi hyung-nim's blood brother and someone I consider a goddamn legend, you fucking idiot!

At that, the color drained from Park Hyung-Gu's face. His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the cold marble floor with a loud thud.

Thud!

"P-Please, spare me, hyung-nim!" Park Hyung-Gu pleaded.

-Spare you? Are you joking? Asking me for help won't do you any good. Even Eun-Gi hyung-nim bows his head to Yoon-Ho hyung-nim. And you thought you could mess with him?

Sweat poured off Park Hyung-Gu's head as he trembled on the floor. I had hoped to avoid drama with a simple phone call, but things were spiraling out of control.

I decided to step in. "Hey, Soo-Chan. Knock it off. The guy's already sweating enough to fill a pot."

-Understood, hyung-nim. By the way, that guy isn't even from the Ganghan gang. He's just some low-level thug from a wannabe group called Osan gang. Don't kill him. He's not worth it.

"Why would I kill him? That's ridiculous."

Lee Soo-Chan laughed.

-If he ends up in your hands, it'll be worse than death.

Click.

I shook my head and muttered under my breath. "Seriously. I call for help and he just spouts nonsense."

After hanging up, I looked at Park Hyung-Gu who was now groveling on the floor with his hands pressed together and pleading for forgiveness. "P-please spare me, hyung-nim!"

The massive frame of Park Hyung-Gu visibly shrank as he groveled.

At that moment, Go Yoo-An shrieked, "O-oppa, what are you doing? Who even is this guy?"

The irritated Park Hyung-Gu snapped at Go Yoo-An "Shut your mouth if you don't get what's going on!"

"Oh my gosh! Why are you yelling at me?"

Thanks to Lee Soo-Chan, the situation had become much easier to handle.

I gestured at Park Hyung-Gu with my finger. "Stand up."

"Pardon? I-I'm fine right here."

"Shut up and stand up."

Park Hyung-Gu scrambled to his feet. "Yes, sir!"

"If you want a settlement statement, you'll need to wait. Once we've acquired this company, it'll take some time to sort things out. Surely, you can understand that?"

When I said with my fist clenched, Park Hyung-Gu replied, "She's not my girlfriend anymore."

"What?"

"I was getting sick of her anyway. It's time to break up. I don't know her anymore."

Go Yoo-An's mouth fell open in shock. "O-Oppa… What are you saying right now…?"

Park Hyung-Gu ignored Go Yoo-An and rubbed his stomach with both hands. "Hyung-nim, may I leave now? I suddenly really need to use the restroom."

His pathetic display left me too dumbfounded to even consider hitting him. "Sigh…Fine. Get out of here."

"Thank you, hyung-nim!"

Park Hyung-Gu bowed deeply and hurried off.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of his hefty frame thundering down the stairs two at a time reverberated through the building.

Left alone, Go Yoo-An's gaze darted around as she was unsure of what to do. Now that her ally was gone, she glanced at the soft-hearted Ahn Ye-Eum.

However, Kim Ae-Ran stepped forward and blocked her line of sight. "What are you looking at? Get ready to receive the lawsuit papers!"

At that moment, Go Yoo-An cast a quick look at me before bolting for the door.

With the tension finally broken, the utterly drained Ahn Ye-Eum and Kim Ae-Ran both collapsed into chairs.

***

In the president's office at Ye-Eum Planning, Lee Dong-Min explained the situation thoroughly to clear up the misunderstanding that I was part of some criminal organization.

The fifty-year-old Ahn Ye-Eum who sported a short bob sighed deeply. "For a moment, I thought Mr. Jung was from that side of the world."

With pink-dyed hair, a slightly stretched-out T-shirt, black-rimmed glasses, and the exhausted look of someone who hadn't slept in a week, Kim Ae-Ran nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Ahn Ye-Eum chuckled and said, "But thinking about it, I've never seen a gangster this handsome. Right?"

Lee Dong-Min laughed and said, "Sunbae, enough teasing Team Lead Jung. Let's focus on discussing the company acquisition."

Ahn Ye-Eum nodded but looked concerned. "As you saw earlier, we don't have any singers left. Wouldn't it make more sense for Hoop Entertainment to let the company close and just hire the two of us instead?"

Lee Dong-Min shook his head. "If that happens, you'd have to handle all the company's debt yourself. Mr. Kang was clear: he wants us to take good care of you. So please don't suggest that, sunbae."

Kang Gam-Chan had stressed repeatedly that Ahn Ye-Eum's composing and producing skills were invaluable. With her experience in global idol projects, she was a crucial addition to Hoop Entertainment.

Ahn Ye-Eum looked uneasy and said, "Sigh. I really don't need such special treatment…"

"Just accept it, sunbae. If you take on the debt alone, there's no way out."

"But still… I have my pride."

"Sunbae, hold on."

Having already anticipated Ahn Ye-Eum's resistance, Lee Dong-Min called Kang Gam-Chan and put the call on speakerphone.

Kang Gam-Chan's deep voice came through the speaker.

-Ms. Ahn. Chief Lee can't handle the global idol project alone. With your experience, we need your help.

"Thank you, but... all I've experienced are failures."

-We haven't even had that much. If it weren't for that accounting staff's fraud back then, your group 'Troika' would've achieved much greater success.

Ten years ago, Troika was a girl group made up of three members: Ari from Korea, Siri from China, and Yuri from Japan.

They received a decent response during their one year of activity. However, the group disbanded after the company's accountant entrusted by Ahn Ye-Eum embezzled company funds, leaving no budget for their next album or promotions.

Recalling that difficult time, Ahn Ye-Eum reluctantly nodded. "Sigh…Alright, I understand. I'll do my best."

-Thank you so much. And…You've worked hard over the years.

At that moment, tears began streaming down Ahn Ye-Eum's face.

Drip, drip.

Ahn Ye-Eum's emotions overflowed with regret at closing the company she had poured twenty years of effort into and gratitude for Kang Gam-Chan's heartfelt words of encouragement.

***

Ahn Ye-Eum was brought into Hoop Entertainment as a producer and composer receiving executive-level treatment. Meanwhile, Kim Ae-Ran joined Team Jung as a team lead.

Feeling it was unnecessary to hold back, I decided to bring up Sae-Ri's situation right away. Sae-Ri is showing symptoms of a panic disorder."

"Panic disorder?"

Kim Ae-Ran's expression immediately shifted. After all, few understood how devastating panic disorder could be for an artist as well as she did.

I handed my phone to Kim Ae-Ran, showing her the recording of Sae-Ri's practice. "Yes. It first appeared today while she was singing her solo track. Here's the video."

Kim Ae-Ran watched the video intently and replayed it over and over. Despite being only a 30-second clip, she reviewed it countless times before nodding.

"I think I can help," said Kim Ae-Ran.

We had found a way to support Sae-Ri. Coming here was the right decision.

Ristretto's Thoughts

Why did Go Yoo-An even date Park Hyung-Gu 😕I mean, she's still a celebrity and could have found someone better?

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