Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 852: Misos Wings (2)

"Did I... do okay? I couldn't really hear myself in the jar because the sound was all echoey... Should we film it again?"

It was technically spring, but the weather was still cold enough to need a jacket. And Miso had just spent twenty minutes inside a frigid jar wearing only a thin hanbok. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and her body trembled, but the first thing she asked was whether her performance was good enough.

Miso's question, so full of pure intent, made my chest tighten. She really was becoming a true actress.

'I can't believe how much she's grown.'

Overwhelmed, I answered Miso's question with all the certainty I had. "There's no need. You were incredible! See how everyone here was completely focused on your performance? Look around."

Still holding Miso in my arms, I turned slowly so she could see everyone's reactions. The crew, the actors, and the village elders were all staring at us, eyes wide with amazement.

"Our drama's going to make waves from the first episode."

"Wow. Like mother, like daughter."

"Actors who come on this set better brace themselves."

"My wife said Miso's acting was better than mine. I've got nothing to say to that now. Sigh..."

Everyone was shaking their heads in disbelief, praising Miso's acting. Seeing their reactions, Miso finally relaxed and gave a bashful smile, snuggling deeper into my arms. Then she mumbled softly, just loud enough for me to hear.

"I'm so glad."

I chuckled and gently patted her back. Just then, Miso leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"But honestly, I was... a little scared. Hehe."

Even for a fearless kid, it was only natural to be scared at eight years old. So I leaned down and whispered back in her ear.

"That's why I didn't take my eyes off you for even a second while you were in the jar."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm your talent agent, remember?"

Miso hugged my neck a little tighter.

"Thank you, Uncle Yoon-Ho."

"No, thank you for growing into such an amazing actress. But remember, if things ever get too hard, just say so. Okay? It's fine to make mistakes. It's fine to fail."

"Okay!"

I was so proud of Miso for proving herself as an actress. However, I couldn't keep holding her like this forever. There was still one more scene to shoot—Miso emerging from the ritual jar.

"Miso, what about the next scene? Should I tell Mr. Oh to do it tomorrow?"

Miso loosened her arms from around my neck and answered bravely. "No. I want to finish everything today!"

"Alright. I'll let him know. Just don't forget that I'm always watching, okay?"

"Okay."

I finally put Miso down. She hadn't shown any signs of pain, but I still checked her artificial nails. All ten special prosthetic nails were broken. But thankfully, her real nails weren't hurt.

Only then did I feel truly relieved. I turned to PD Oh Sang-Do, the crew, and the village elders.

"Let's keep filming, shall we?" I asked.

Oh Sang-Do asked again. "You want to keep going?"

"Yes. Miso wants to finish it today."

Faced with Miso's clear determination, even Oh Sang-Do relented. "Well then, hell yeah. If the actress says she's ready, how can the director back down? Let's go! Let's shoot!" Oh Sang-Do turned to the crew and shouted, "Alright! Our actress Jung Miso, who gave an incredible performance today, says she wants to keep going! Everyone, standby!"

In an instant, the entire crew snapped into motion.

"Yes, Mr. Oh! Let's move, people!"

"Camera team, all in position! We're going straight into Scene 13!"

"Sound team! Check the boom connection and double-check the mic receivers! If our actor's performance gets ruined because of a glitch on our end, you're dead meat!"

"Yes, sir!"

The crew, clearly moved by Miso's acting, bustled around prepping for the next scene with loud urgency. While they scrambled, I dusted off Miso's clothes, smoothed them out, and gently let go of her hand.

"Jung Miso. You got this!"

Miso took a deep breath and clenched her little fist. "I got this!"

She marched forward confidently, and a staff member carefully lifted her back into the ritual jar.

Drrrrk.

The lid of the jar closed again. The internal camera showed Miso already slipping back into the near-death state from the previous scene, her expression quickly shifting.

Meanwhile, I gave a few words of encouragement to Park Sang-Gyu, who was preparing for the scene. He would be closest to Miso's cries, and it was bound to be hard on him.

"Sang-Gyu hyung, I know this must be exhausting, but I hope you'll hang in there for the rest of the shoot."

Park Sang-Gyu gave a faint smile of gratitude. "Miso's the one doing the hard work, not me. But thanks. I'll give it everything I've got."

Then, like the professional he was, he hunched his back slightly and instantly transformed into Wolryeong, ready to act.

With my actors now fully prepared, I resumed my role as her talent agent. To promote her performance, I pulled out my phone again and started recording. I filmed the village elders looking shocked as Miso was placed in the ritual jar and I caught the crew murmuring in awe over Miso's unshakable focus. I even recorded the other actors glancing toward the jar with mixed anticipation and nerves.

I captured it all.

Then, with everything in place, Oh Sang-Do grabbed the loudspeaker and called out, "Scene 13, continuing! Village elders, hold your torches and spears. Let's go. Ready~ action!!"

***

In the following Scene 13, the residents of Yeonmudo storm in with torches and spears to kill the evil shaman Wolryeong and save Illyeong. But Illyeong, too weak to recover, ultimately dies.

It was an intense scene with heavy emotional swings, but everyone seemed inspired by Miso's performance. One by one, they fully immersed themselves in their roles and gave everything they had. The supporting actors and village elders, holding torches in one hand and spears in the other, charged toward Park Sang-Gyu with determined, deadly expressions.

Thud.

Thud.

『Die! Die... die!』

Having rehearsed countless times, the supporting actors struck Park Sang-Gyu's padded torso with the spears right on cue. Fake blood oozed out from his thick costume.

Suddenly, Park Sang-Gyu grabbed one of the spears embedded in him and collapsed to the ground with blood-red eyes.

Thump.

『Kegh... You ignorant island fools... How dare you ruin my grand plan...』

Twitching in pain, Park Sang-Gyu cursed them.

『I will return... When the fog descends... and the moon hides... I will return... and strangle you all in your sleep...』

Park Sang-Gyu spat fake blood from his mouth, glaring at each of them as if he truly meant to kill. Seeing the hatred and rage burning in his eyes, the supporting actors instinctively clenched their spears tighter. They were genuinely frightened by the killing intent in his stare.

Splurt.

Fake blood sprayed everywhere.

『Gaaaahhh!』

Park Sang-Gyu let out a final, desperate scream as his outstretched hand fell limp. With blood-red eyes wide open and his tongue dyed blue hanging out, his appearance was terrifying. It was almost grotesque.

Even knowing it was just acting, the supporting cast couldn't help flinching and turning away. They were instinctively unsettled by the sheer realism of Park Sang-Gyu's expression.

Then, one of the supporting actors rushed toward the ritual jar.

Clunk.

He opened the lid and pulled Miso out.

『Illyeong! Hey, hey! Oh no! What happened to you, girl! Illyeong! It's me! Snap out of it! Wake up!』

Miso, cradled in the arms of the actor who spoke fluent Gyeongsang dialect, slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly into the air for a moment, then whispered weakly.

『I... I'm... hungry...』

And with that, Miso let her whole body go limp. Her neck, arms, and legs drooped heavily. At the same time, the faint rise and fall of her chest came to a complete stop. Portraying death, Miso had even stopped her own breath. Her chest and stomach were still and motionless.

I captured that breathtaking moment on my phone, then turned to film the reactions of those watching her performance. Everyone including the actors, extras, the village elders, and even the crew had their mouths covered, stunned once again by Miso's acting. It was all caught on camera.

Moments later, Oh Sang-Do shouted with gusto, "Cut! That was beautiful!"

At the call, Miso suddenly gasped for air. "Phwaah—"

Miso panted, catching her breath.

Right then, the crew burst into applause and cheered loudly for the cast.

"Our actors are the best!"

"Great job, Mr. Sang-Gyu!"

"Miso, seriously, you were amazing!"

As the cheers continued, Park Sang-Gyu brushed the dirt off and stood up, bowing his head. Miso, still in the elder's arms, stood up as well and bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

Clap clap clap.

The applause didn't stop. Crew, supporting actors, village elders—everyone kept clapping for Miso and Park Sang-Gyu, applauding their powerful performances. It felt like a scene straight out of an award ceremony.

Just then, Park Sang-Gyu walked over to Miso and took her hand, not as a sunbae to a child actor but as a colleague who had shared the stage with her and given a truly moving performance.

"Miso, shall we thank them one more time?" Park Sang-Gyu asked.

"Yes."

Miso gripped Park Sang-Gyu's hand tightly and bowed her head once again.

"Thank you very much!"

Clap clap clap.

Another round of thunderous applause erupted.

"Great work, everyone. That's a wrap for today's shoot."

The crew erupted in cheers.

"Wow, thanks to the actors nailing it in one take, the schedule just got way ahead!"

"Looking forward to working with you again, actors!"

Miso beamed and answered brightly. "Okay~!"

My chest swelled with pride, and I picked out a few photos from earlier and uploaded them to Stargram.

I hoped the world would come to recognize my actor.

***

"What the hell is this?" Just as we were wrapping up, full of praise and gratitude, President Han Yoo-Sik suddenly shouted.

Oh Sang-Do turned to him in surprise. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Our on-site shoot just hit the top of the entertainment news!"

"What?"

"Check the number one entertainment article on the portal right now."

Oh Sang-Do and Production Chief Hyun Jong-Yeon quickly pulled out their phones to search.

I did the same.

[(Exclusive) What on earth happened on set today at KBC's Haze? (Reporter Jang Moon-Ki)]

(Photo: The set, everyone looking shocked by something. JPEG)

-Set of Haze—what could have made these people react like this?

A monster?

A zombie?

Or maybe... something else?

(Photo credit: Jung Yoo-Jin & Jung Miso Instargem)

(Comments)

-Whoa, what is this setup?

-Why is everyone staring at the same spot? And with those expressions?

-Why are they all in hanbok looking so shocked?

-What the hell? A new Korean zombie series or something?

-Seriously, why would you post these photos without explaining anything?

-I knew it! Just from the headline I could tell it was bait. Classic Jang Moon-Ki!

...

Reporter Jang Moon-Ki had written an entire article using the photos I had just uploaded to Miso's Instargem.

Those photos showed the crew, actors, and village elders reacting in awe to Miso's performance, but not a single shot of Miso herself. By only capturing the reactions and omitting the actual scene, he had maximized intrigue. As a result, even though Miso wasn't in the photos, interest in her was through the roof.

On top of that, the scene had been shot in the misty night, making the shocked expressions look like something out of a horror movie as if a monster had suddenly appeared.

As I scanned through Jang Moon-Ki's bait-filled article, I checked Miso's original Instargem post too. Unsurprisingly, it was blowing up. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

[@miso1004]

Title: Shooting Haze!

(Photo: Set_Scene_Shock_Reactions_JungMiso_Rules!)

(Comments)

-Miso definitely did something again, didn't she?

-Why only post the reactions and not the actual scene? That's just cruel!

-Did something bad happen on set?

-This is driving me nuts with curiosity.

-You could use this as a poster. The vibe is amazing.

...

Smiling, I explained to Han Yoo-Sik what had caused all this."It's probably because of the photos I posted for PR."

I showed him the images I had uploaded to Instargram.

"I see. But why isn't there Miso in them?" Han Yoo-Sik asked.

Han Yoo-Sik, who was an executive director at KBC, had always lived on the 'power' side of the industry and wasn't exactly used to this kind of clickbait. But for on-site talent agents like me, this kind of baiting was a basic strategy to catch a sliver of public attention.

Hyun Jong-Yeon glanced at the photos and article and grinned. "Mr. Jung really knows how to draw attention. Sir, this kind of thing always gets a reaction."

"Oh, is that so?"

As soon as he said that, the phones of Hyun Jong-Yeon, Han Yoo-Sik, and Oh Sang-Do began ringing at the same time.

"Huh? It's Reporter Choi."

"Mine's Reporter Park from Spotlight Daily. That guy never calls first."

Suddenly, phones all over the crew started ringing from different outlets. Even President Oh Han-Guk of KBC, the broadcaster for Haze, was calling in.

At that moment, Han Yoo-Sik shouted, "Hold on. Everyone, don't answer your phones. Quiet, please."

All the staff quickly silenced their phones.

Han Yoo-Sik took a deep breath and answered. "Yeah, President Oh. What's going on? ...What?"

His expression turned serious as he listened. I waited nervously, wondering if he was going to ask us to take the photos down.

"Yeah. Got it. I'll think it over and get back to you as soon as I can. Alright. Thanks."

Click.

Han Yoo-Sik ended the call and turned to us. "President Oh wants to move our drama's premiere up to the end of May."

Originally, Haze had been slotted as a Wednesday-Thursday drama tentatively scheduled between June and July. But because of today's media buzz, they were getting so many inquiries that he suggested pulling the schedule forward to the end of May.

For a new production company, airing even a day sooner was a huge advantage. Daily labor costs and equipment rentals all added up to a staggering sum. However, pulling the schedule forward posed big challenges from cast availability, script readiness, to other logistics.

"What do you think, PD Oh? Can we make that happen?" Han Yoo-Sik asked.

After a brief pause, Oh Sang-Do made up his mind and answered. "If our actors can perform at this level, we won't have any trouble speeding up the shoot. And since our scripts are already complete, all we need to do is adjust actor schedules."

Normally, changes to a drama's schedule were nearly impossible due to last-minute scripts and tangled actor calendars. However, Haze had already been scrapped and rebooted once, so the biggest hurdle was taken care off.

Only cast schedules remained.

"Alright." Han Yoo-Sik immediately turned to the lead actors, Ju Yung-In and Sung Gyu-Hwan, who had been watching the shoot from the hilltop. "How's your schedule looking? Can you do it?"

Sung Gyu-Hwan and Ju Yung-In both nodded without hesitation.

"My calendar's wide open. As long as Yung-In's good, I'm in."

"Me too. With the energy on set like this, I'm all in."

"Okay, excellent." Then Han Yoo-Sik looked at me. "What do you think, Chief Jung? About moving up the schedule?"

Han Yoo-Sik knew better than anyone that an earlier air date would benefit Mirinae. And I knew it too. The sooner Mirinae aired a successful show, the better. Half of Mirinae's shares belonged to a social welfare foundation that ran Angel Orphanage. So if Mirinae generated revenue quickly, that money would go to the living expenses of the children my mom looked after.

In short, the faster Mirinae grew, the more people it could help.

I nodded. "I agree as well."

"Alright then. Let's move forward with that."

Han Yoo-Sik was ready to confirm the new schedule. But having always lived on the broadcaster's side—as the one calling the shots—he was overlooking something crucial from the production company's side.

"Sir. If we're going to move the schedule up, there's one condition we have to set for the network," I said.

Han Yoo-Sik tilted his head. "What condition?"

Without hesitation, I began laying out the most important point we had to secure in the drama's broadcast schedule.