Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 692: Show Appearance (2)

When CP Baek Seok-Joo appeared, the waiting room hallway became tense.

He was the original planner of The Omniscient Viewpoint and thanks to this program, he was being called a candidate for the next department chief. But with talk of canceling a program that was like his own face, his expression was much sharper than usual. Still, the seasoned Baek Seok-Joo began by handling the scene before blaming anyone.

"PD Lee, turn off the camera first."

Baek Seok-Joo first gave instructions to Lee Seon-Ae, PD of MBS Documentary 7 Days.

Lee Seon-Ae protested, "Mr. Baek, our show's purpose is to capture real everyday life. Why would we turn off the camera?"

"Hey, PD Lee! If that airs, not just you, but your CP and even the department chiefs could be summoned to the president's office one after another. Want to shoot this program and then head to Antarctica for a documentary?"

At the mention of Antarctica, Lee Seon-Ae lowered the camera with a sullen expression.

Baek Seok-Joo then began calming Yoon Joo-Yeon. "Ms. Joo-Yeon. If you do this to a rookie, it'll blow up with talk about power abuse. You know that better than anyone, so why act like an amateur?"

Yoon Joo-Yeon looked indignant. "If he had acted politely, I wouldn't have done this. But how could he get a bit popular and immediately act so rude?"

Baek Seok-Joo half-listened and let Yoon Joo-Yeon's words pass. While Yoon Joo-Yeon had more experience and recognition, this week Deok-Bae was the most popular. In other words, Baek Seok-Joo was as concerned about Deok-Bae and my side as he was about Yoon Joo-Yeon. In show business, even a rookie was king if they had popularity.

"Come on~ there must've been a misunderstanding. Since I'm here, let's leave it at this. We have to start filming soon."

When Baek Seok-Joo mediated again, Yoon Joo-Yeon reluctantly pulled back. But then she made an unexpected demand. "Well, since Mr. Baek's reputation is on the line, I'll stop here. But only if they apologize."

Baek Seok-Joo looked at me and shrugged, hinting that it was best to just let it go as if bitten by a mad dog. "Chief Jung, let's leave it at that."

From our perspective, it was like being sucker punched. There was no way I would let that slide. And I couldn't let Deok-Bae, who had just stepped into the entertainment industry, be seen apologizing for something he didn't do. With a mad dog, I had to fight back so they wouldn't dare try it again.

"Sorry, Mr. Baek. But I'm afraid we can't do that."

Baek Seok-Joo looked displeased. "Do you really have to do this?"

"She grilled Deok-Bae mercilessly just for not greeting her, and now she's telling us to apologize? If we do, it's admitting fault. I won't allow that."

I was essentially asking Baek Seok-Joo to decide who mattered more for this week's viewership ratings—Deok-Bae; who helped Hwaranjeon hit 30.5% viewership ratings as Kim Beop-Min, or Yoon Joo-Yeon; a former top star who was steadily losing relevance.

At that moment, Yoon Joo-Yeon jumped in without reading the room. "Mr. Baek, you saw it too, right? With the talent agent holding his head so high, of course the actors will act the same!" Even as Baek Seok-Joo frowned, Yoon Joo-Yeon shouted again. "Mr. Baek! What are you doing?"

Then, Baek Seok-Joo turned his head as if making a decision—not toward us, but toward Yoon Joo-Yeon. "Ms. Joo-Yeon, that's enough."

"Yeah, that's right! You need to...W-wait. You mean... you're talking to me?"

"Yes. When I say let's move on, you should move on. Don't you know what enough means? Or do you want to be known as a power-abusing actress?"

"P-power-abusing actress? I told you it's because he didn't greet me!"

"Are you kidding? This isn't the first time you've picked on rookies just because your scenes were cut. I've let it slide whenever you got annoyed, but there's a limit. How long do you expect me to put up with it?"

"I..."

By bringing up past incidents, Baek Seok-Joo shut Yoon Joo-Yeon up.

"I've tolerated it because you're a sunbae and have contributed a lot to MBS, but no more. If you cause trouble like this again, I won't let it slide. Now apologize to Deok-Bae and go start filming."

Yoon Joo-Yeon trembled and glared at Baek Seok-Joo. "Seriously, you're going to do this, Mr. Bael?"

"Yeah. Got a problem?"

At that moment, Yoon Joo-Yeon played her final card. "Seems like you're quite fond of Deok-Bae, huh? Then why don't you shoot without me and just take Deok-Bae? Problem solved."

Park Eun-Chan panicked and tried to stop her. "M-Ms. Joo-Yeon, please don't do this..."

However, Baek Seok-Joo answered without a shred of hesitation, "Oh? Really? Then quit!"

Yoon Joo-Yeon's face showed shock. "W-what did you say?"

"I said if you don't want to do it, then quit!" Baek Seok-Joo then snapped his head toward me. "Chief Jung, can we increase Deok-Bae's airtime today for the trailer and next week's broadcast?"

Yoon Joo-Yeon had been scheduled to appear in both the trailer today and next week's main episode. If those were scrapped and replaced with Deok-Bae, of course I would be fine with it. I had no intention of missing a chance to increase his airtime. And I had no intention of forgiving someone who messed with my actor for no reason.

'Goodbye, Yoon Joo-Yeon~.' 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Without giving Baek Seok-Joo any time to reconsider, I answered immediately. "It's absolutely possible, sir."

"Yeah? Then it's a deal!"

Yoon Joo-Yeon was furious as her airtime vanished in an instant. "A... are you really going to do this, Mr. Baek?"

"What is it? You told me to shoot without you and with Deok-Bae. I'm just doing as you said, so what's the problem?"

In the past, everything would have revolved around Yoon Joo-Yeon. Now it revolved around Deok-Bae. She was feeling firsthand that her popularity wasn't what it used to be. This would be a tough pill to swallow for even the most humble actor, so for someone as arrogant as her, it was bound to be a shock.

Sure enough, Yoon Joo-Yeon began trembling as if electrocuted. She clenched her teeth, glared at me with dagger eyes, then stormed off to the other end of the waiting room hallway without a word. As a former leading actress, her pride wouldn't allow her to apologize.

Chief Yang Sung-Taek started to follow Yoon Joo-Yeon but stopped to say one more thing. "Mr. Baek, I'll be informing our president about this."

Baek Seok-Joo scoffed. "Go ahead. Oh, and while you're at it, tell President Kim that we've got the whole power abuse incident with Yoon Joo-Yeon on video. If things get ugly, we'll release it."

Yang Sung-Taek froze for a moment, then quickly closed his mouth and followed after Yoon Joo-Yeon.

Once they were gone, Park Eun-Chan let out a heavy sigh. "Mr. Baek, what about next week? If Yoon Joo-Yeon's cut completely, won't we be short on footage?"

"What do you mean? We'll scrap all the pre-recorded footage of her and find someone new. Damn, how long are we going to keep catering to her?"

"Understood, but..."

"But what?"

"Even if Ace Entertainment got split in half, it's still Ace Entertainment. Do you think they'll just sit quietly?"

Baek Seok-Joo chuckled as if the idea was absurd. "PD Park, you haven't read the news today?"

"What news?"

"No matter how busy you are, keep up with the world! Do I have to spoon-feed you everything?"

Baek Seok-Joo unfolded his Galactica Fold phone and showed a news article.

[Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong, Arrest Motion Passed.]

[Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong, Arrested.]

"Their political backer of Ace Entertainment just got taken out. And that's not all. Look at this."

Baek Seok-Joo scrolled down.

[Ace Entertainment Expected to Face Five Billion Won in Back Taxes.]

"Sure, the tax evasion happened under President Im Sung-Hak, so Kim Dong-Soo isn't responsible. But after paying that, do you think they'll have the capacity to operate? By the end of this year, Ace Entertainment might disappear entirely."

There was no wonder Baek Seok-Joo had been so bold today.

Park Eun-Chan's expression changed as he understood. "I see."

"Right. So PD Park, pick the right side. Hoop Entertainment is the big thing right now." Baek Seok-Joo said it loud enough for me to hear, then gave me a sideways glance. "Right, Chief Jung?"

Though the situation was awkward, I smiled and replied to Baek Seok-Joo. In moments like this, playing along was the basics of social life. And more than anything, I agreed that Hoop Entertainment was the big thing right now.

"Thank you for recognizing that."

"Haha. Well then, let's hurry to filming. Look at the time already."

Because of the scene Yoon Joo-Yeon had caused, the shoot was delayed. Park Eun-Chan also glanced at his watch and rushed things along. "Chief Jung, then I'll count on you for today's trailer and next week's footage."

"Yes, Mr. Park!"

"Okay. Then finish up the makeup and check the mirror. Your face looks like a floating egg spirit right now."

'No wonder Yoon Joo-Yeon seemed even angrier when she saw me.'

I smirked and headed back to the waiting room.

As I walked back, I thought to myself.

'See you on set, Yoon Joo-Yeon.'

I had no intention of letting her off after she suddenly lashed out at Deok-Bae. She was bound to be jealous again and take another shot at him.

***

After getting my makeup done by Yang So-Ri, I left the waiting room.

On the way quickly to the set, I patted Deok-Bae on the shoulder. "Deok-Bae, this won't be the last time you clash with sunbae actors over trivial things. In a world where popularity is everything, sunbaes get edgy when rookies start climbing up."

Deok-Bae shrugged. Having lived a rough life at the bottom, he wasn't hurt at all by Yoon Joo-Yeon's words. "Hyung, you know I'm fine. You know me."

"Are you sure?"

"Finding petty faults like that? That's child's play. Where I grew up, people would pull knives over getting their food a little earlier. Compared to that, it's nothing..."

The entertainment industry was full of scheming to steal screen time, but for Deok-Bae, it was still a flower garden compared to the world he came from.

'He really does have a strong mentality.'

For a talent agent, nothing was more of a blessing than having an actor with a strong mind. I was about to tell him that when he said something unexpected.

"And most of all... I've got you, hyung."

'Deok-Bae sure knows how to work people.'

I smiled. "Deok-Bae, the entertainment industry suits you perfectly."

Deok-Bae gave an embarrassed grin. "I think it's the same for you, hyung. The PD, the CP, even the MBS Documentary 7 Days crew—everyone's looking for you. You're better at getting airtime than Yoon Joo-Yeon."

Come to think of it, my own screen time had increased too.

"Hahaha, you're right."

We laughed together as we arrived at the studio.

Park Eun-Chan enthusiastically gave instructions. "Alright, Mr. Deok-Bae, sit in the middle. Chief Jung, take the chair next to camera one."

"Yes, sir."

The moment Deok-Bae and Seon Hye-Joo, next week's guest, sat down, Park Eun-Chan called out.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Let's roll. Ready~~ Action!"

***

Even for his first studio shoot, Deok-Bae didn't get flustered and kept filming smoothly. Normally, the cameras and the environment would feel strange and overwhelming, but with his strong mentality, he had no trouble.

Then it was my turn to film. The camera focused on me and the lights blazed down. I endured the dazzling brightness as the MCs fired questions one after another.

-Mr. Jung, it really doesn't seem like this is your first time on TV.

-Why be a talent agent? Ever think of becoming a celebrity yourself?

-Come on, they say you make great money. Chief Jung, isn't it true your salary's no joke?

-What's been the hardest thing about managing Mr. Deok-Bae?

I brushed off the questions that could hurt my image and answered only the ones worth responding to.

'What, you think this is my first interview?'

I wasn't naïve enough to fall for variety show PD tricks designed to squeeze out something provocative. Before the regression, I had done more interviews than I could count. Of course, even in the middle of it, I made sure to hype up Deok-Bae.

"Okay, that's a wrap! But Chief Jung, is this really your first time on TV?"

"Yes, it's my first time."

Inside, my answer was very different.

'Yes... in this life.'

Park Eun-Chan shook his head in disbelief.

Click.

The lights went off, and the heat pouring down on me vanished.

After giving the staff a few directions, Park Eun-Chan called out to me. "Chief Jung, come here for a sec."

Park Eun-Chan also called over Lee Soo-Chan from Reverse Entertainment. Without even greeting the actors, I followed him with Lee Soo-Chan.

"Today's shoot was great. Neither Deok-Bae nor you acted like rookies, so we finished way faster than expected."

"Thank you, Mr. Park."

"Oh, and..." Park Eun-Chan looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. "President Kang Eun-Gi's appearing as a duo with Ms. Chae Mi-Hyun, right?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything you want me to keep in mind?"

When I highlighted the most positive aspects of Kang Eun-Gi, Park Eun-Chan frowned slightly in thought. "Hmm... definitely strong."

With Chae Mi-Hyun, Kang Eun-Gi's appearance could boost viewership ratings. However, there was a risk too. Still, the network could always cut them if things went south, so the real risk wasn't that big.

Nevertheless, if his hesitation dragged on, it could lead to unwanted results. That's when I decided to speed things along. I gave Lee Soo-Chan a small signal.

Right on cue, Lee Soo-Chan made an offer following the advice I had given him on the way to the station. "Mr. Park, how much does this program cost to produce?"

Park Eun-Chan tilted his head. "Why do you ask?"

"I'll cover it. All of it. And we'll pour money into promotion too."

As vice president of the 5th largest company in the industry, Lee Soo-Chan went all-in.

Instantly, Park Eun-Chan's face lit up and he grabbed Lee Soo-Chan's hand. "When can we start filming? Just say the word."

Park Eun-Chan, too, knew how to play the game.

***

Because Kang Eun-Gi's appearance involved a lot of considerations, I had to negotiate not only with Park Eun-Chan but also Baek Seok-Joo. But since Baek Seok-Joo was desperate for viewership ratings, he agreed to take the small risk.

It was decided—Kang Eun-Gi would appear starting with next week's preview.

After that, I roamed MBS to do another round of promotion for Deok-Bae before finally leaving. I dropped Deok-Bae off at his place in Amsa-dong and headed home late at night.

As soon as I parked and stepped out, my phone buzzed with yet another Kk Talk message from Park Eun-Chan, who had been messaging me every five minutes since The Omniscient Viewpoint started airing.

[PD Park Eun-Chan: The Omniscient Viewpoint's viewership ratings at 11:40 p.m. is 4.1%. Damn, it keeps dropping...]

It was now 11:41 p.m. The preview with Deok-Bae and I was set for 11:50 p.m., and he was panicking because viewership ratings were slipping before that.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: It'll be fine, Mr. Park.]

[PD Park Eun-Chan: Sigh~ I hope so. Starting at 11:50 p.m., I'll send you the viewership ratings minute by minute.]

I had planned to rest after the packed schedule today, but now I would have to watch the show before sleeping. Just then, I noticed lights downstairs. I figured I would greet Jung In-Ji, so I opened the door.

Creak.

Inside, Yoo-Jin sat in pajamas on the couch watching The Omniscient Viewpoint while trimming bean sprouts. Across from her, Jung In-Ji was doing the same, probably preparing for tomorrow's visit to the senior welfare center to make bean sprout soup. Since seniors couldn't digest the bean sprout heads, they had to be removed by hand.

Suddenly, the image of steaming bean sprout soup popped into my head—bubbling broth with a perfectly poached egg floating in it—and my mouth watered.

"Um... oppa... are you hungry?" Yoo-Jin asked when she saw me licking my lips before I could even greet her.

"Do we... have some?"

"Yes. We made it earlier. Wait a second."

"No, I'll get it myself."

Yoo-Jin shook her head side to side. "Nope. You had a busy day. Just sit."

Sometimes it felt like Yoo-Jin was my talent agent instead. Yoo-Jin jumped up and went to the kitchen. After greeting Jung In-Ji, I washed my hands and came back to the living room.

"Here you go, oppa."

Yoo-Jin placed a steaming bowl of bean sprout soup[1] on the table, a soft poached egg bobbing on top.

"Thanks."

"Hurry and eat."

At Yoo-Jin's urging, I took a spoonful of the broth. My whole body shivered.

"Ah~ that hits the spot."

Before I knew it, I was devouring the soup.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin, still watching the TV, suddenly exclaimed. "Wow~ Oppa, you look amazing on camera!"

I looked up at the screen, but on TV I looked completely different from my usual self.

'Is... this even okay?'

1. Bean sprout soup ☜