Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 281: Jung Yoo-Jin's Showtime (3)

"Complaints?" I asked in a puzzled tone.

-Yes. People are angry that the main cover model is Jung Yoo-Jin, but there’s not a single mention of her playing both Manshin Wol-Ah and Cheongmyung!

Womans magazine was published today, a day after the articles about Manshin Wol-Ah went viral.

People expected to find something about it in the magazine since Yoo-Jin was the cover model. However, due to the nature of monthly magazines, articles had to be finalized at least two days before printing, leaving no room for last-minute changes.

For this reason, there wasn't a single line about Yoo-Jin playing Manshin Wol-Ah in this month's Womans magazine.

-Team Leader Jung, you have to help me out! You have no idea how much criticism we’re facing right now, do you?

Fortunately, I had prepared for such a situation.

"I have some exclusive photos and articles we can upload to the online edition of Womans magazine. How about that?"

-R-really? Exclusive?

"Yes, exclusive. And if we announce a detailed interview in the October issue, it could double the sales and the excitement."

Jang Ji-Hye’s voice lit up with joy.

-Oh my. If you had told me that earlier, you wouldn’t have given me such a heart attack!

"Well, I just woke up."

-I-I'm sorry. You must have been really busy as well.

Jang Ji-Hye apologized, saying it's been hectic for her too with all the complaint calls from partners since early that morning.

That's when Jang Ji-Hye unexpectedly offered a gift.

-More than that, you are doing so much for us...I should return the favor. I’ll make Yoo-Jin the cover model for the October issue too. How about that?

With Jang Ji-Hye's suggestion, Yoo-Jin would be the cover model for two consecutive months. Becoming the cover model of Womans magazine was a rare opportunity that happened only once or twice in several years.

"Thank you, Ms. Jang!" I replied energetically.

-Don’t mention it. With the current buzz, I might even put her on the November cover which will be out when the drama ends.

In the Name of God had only aired nine episodes so far with 15 more to go.

After promising that Yoo-Jin would be the October issue's cover model, Jang Ji-Hye hinted that Yoo-Jin could potentially be on the cover for three consecutive months if things went well.

"I'm assuming you want a lot of materials sent to you in return, am I right?"

-Exactly! You are always so quick-witted and perceptive, Team Lead Jung.

"I’ll send you the content and photos for the online edition right away!"

-Okay!

After hanging up, I turned to Yoo-Jin, who had been waiting nearby, and told her the good news about being on the cover of Womans magazine for two consecutive months.

Yoo-Jin jumped up, causing the blue ice pack to fall from her eyes and let out a cheer. "Woooo. Really~?"

I nodded. "Yes, really. I just got the confirmation."

Overjoyed, Yoo-Jin hugged Miso next to her. Miso’s small body swayed and her eye mask fell as well.

"Miso, I'm going to be on the cover of Womans magazine in October too~!" Yoo-Jin exclaimed with excitement.

"Really? Congratulations, Mom~!" Miso cried out with joy.

The two of them hugged and rubbed their cheeks together.

I was as thrilled as them but managed to keep my excitement in check. Then, I said to them, "Alright, we have a busy day ahead. Let’s get moving."

"Okay!" Yoo-Jin answered cheerfully and headed toward the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To take a shower."

"What about your detox juice?"

Yoo-Jin smiled awkwardly. "Hearing the good news made me feel so much better~ I don’t think I need it today."

"But you said you weren't feeling well just now?"

"No. I'm all better now," Yoo-Jin insisted.

Then, Miso suddenly grabbed Yoo-Jin's hand. "Mom. Let's drink it together! Please~!"

Yoo-Jin sighed deeply at Miso's determined attitude. "Fine..."

We headed to the kitchen and drank a glass of detox juice each.

Surprisingly, Yoo-Jin drank it the best. Wiping the red liquid from her lips, Yoo-Jin tilted her head. "Hmm~ it seems to taste better after drinking it many times."

"Then do you want another glass? It's good for your body and tastes good too..." I quipped.

Yoo-Jin immediately took two steps back. "Nope! I must have momentarily lost my mind. I take back what I said about it tasting better!"

Claiming she wasn't fully awake yet, Yoo-Jin ran off with Miso.

After cleaning up the remaining juice, I began organizing materials to send to Womans.

***

[Womans September issue. Sold Out!]

[Internet Womans. Jung Yoo-Jin. From Cheongmyung to Manshin Wol-Ah. The Spectacular Challenge of One Person Playing Two Roles!]

Less than ten minutes after I sent over the materials, the article was already uploaded.

At the same time, comments started flooding in on the online edition of Womans. Thanks to that, Yoo-Jin's name and Womans began trending in real time search rankings.

While checking the article, Yoo-Jin finished her basic makeup and got ready to go to the shop. "Oppa. I'm ready."

"Shall we go then?"

Since it was a kindergarten day for Miso, she grabbed Yoo-Jin's hand with her yellow bag on her back.

That's when the intercom on the second floor started ringing.

"Yoo-Jin, just a moment," I said.

When I checked the intercom, unexpected guests were standing at the door: SBC's CP Jung Sam-Ryong and KBC's CP Yang Jun-Seok along with their bodyguards.

The fact that CPs from SBC and KBC, not MBS, had come for a visit could only mean one thing.

'Could they be here to propose a new project already?' I wondered.

Having a bit of time, I decided to let them in.

Beep.

When the front gate on the first floor opened, the sound of someone taking two steps at a time echoed. Soon after, the two rushed in one after the other as I opened the front door on the second floor.

"Come on in," I said to them.

"Huff huff. I-I got here first."

"What are you talking about? We came together!"

When I offered them drinks, Jung Sam-Ryong downed his in one go and started speaking first. "Team Lead Jung! You haven't decided on the next project yet, have you?"

At that moment, Yang Jun-Seok covered Jung Sam-Ryong's mouth and made his proposal first. "Team Lead Jung. We're preparing a 40-episode special drama at KBC. Would you be interested? It's called Lights of Gyeongseong. It's not focused on the male lead but has the female lead at its core. You know how rare this opportunity is, right?"

Lights of Gyeongseong, which KBC described as a 40-episode special drama, was set to air next January with an expected top viewership ratings of 17%.

It was a decent project, but not particularly compelling.

Jung Sam-Ryong bit Yang Jun-Seok's hand covering his mouth.

"Ouch! What the hell are you doing?" Yang Jun-Seok cried out.

Jung Sam-Ryong wiped his mouth and spoke. "Yuck! Why is your hand so salty? Anyway, hyung-nim. You're the one who said we'd play fair, but what is this? No matter how urgent the situation, you can't lie about a project where the female lead is a side character! That's low of you."

Yang Jun-Seok retorted while shaking off his hand. "Hey! What do you mean low? As the main character leading the plot, it's a significant role!"

"Ha! I read the script. Where do you get off with such lies?" Jung Sam-Ryong retorted.

The two were only a year apart in age and their rivalry had been intense since their school days where they were sunbae and hoobae in the same broadcasting club.

Nonetheless, Jung Sam-Ryong was right this time.

Lights of Gyeongseong mainly revolved around the male lead, who was a special forces operative fighting for independence. The female lead played a supporting role as a gisaeng[1] aiding the male lead.

She gathered information from the Japanese military and handed it over to the male lead. While the role wasn't bad considering that there were action scenes as well, it didn't hold enough weight to be considered a lead role.

Then, Jung Sam-Ryong started to promote his drama. "Ours is a drama called Yuri's Family. Everyone's been praising it and saying it has an amazing script. Have you heard of it?"

I nodded.

Yuri's Family was about Yuri, who becomes the head of the household right after graduating high school, supporting her sick mother, her younger brother still in high school, and her youngest sister in middle school through her writing career.

It was set to air next January as a Wednesday to Thursday drama and would do quite well with a viewership rating of 20%.

In my past life, the lead actress was Choi Eun-Joo, who was known for being the center of many scandals in the broadcasting industry.

"So? What do you think?" asked Jung Sam-Ryong as he looked at me with an excited expression.

Between the two projects, Yuri's Family was better. However, I had my mind set on another project for Yoo-Jin's next role.

Hence, I subtly diverted the conversation. "Unfortunately, it's hard to make a decision right now. I need some time to think."

When I didn't give a definite answer, Yang Jun-Seok seemed to have misunderstood. "If it's about the pay, we can offer 50 million won per episode."

Currently, Yoo-Jin's pay for Cheongmyung in In the Name of God was 10 million won per episode.

'Wow. A fivefold increase at once?' I wondered in amazement.

Jung Sam-Ryong went a step further. "Oh come on. Just 50 million won? I thought this guy was only a liar, but it seems like he sold his conscience too!"

"Hey! For a 40-episode series, 50 million won is a generous offer!" Yang Jun-Seok yelled.

As Yang Jun-Seok raised his voice, Miso widened her eyes in surprise.

Jung Sam-Ryong admonished Yang Jun-Seok for shouting in front of a child. "Hey, you need to chill. There's a kid here, you know. Lower your voice."

"Uh, right. I guess I got a bit excited. I'm sorry, Miso," Yang Jun-Seok apologized quickly.

Miso stared at him and then nodded. "It's okay! But both of you have to shake hands."

Jung Sam-Ryong burst out a hollow laugh. "Ha ha. Shake... hands...?"

"Yes! My teacher said it's bad for both kids and adults to fight. It makes them bad people."

Convinced by Miso, Jung Sam-Ryong had no choice but to shake hands with Yang Jun-Seok.

At that moment, Miso beamed. "Great! Now you're friends again!"

Thanks to Miso, everyone started laughing which eased the tension a bit.

Still, competition was competition.

Jung Sam-Ryong's expression turned serious. "Team Lead Jung! SBC is ready to offer 70 million won per episode. How about that?"

"70 million won?"

This time, Yoo-Jin's eyes widened.

Compared to Yang Jun-Seok's offer of 50 million won, Jung Sam-Ryong added the price of a small car—and that was per episode.

Moreover, Yuri's Family was a 24-episode series. Although there were fewer episodes, it also meant that filming would wrap up sooner and this would allow Yoo-Jin to choose another project quickly.

For her first lead role, it was quite a good deal.

Nevertheless, I wasn't satisfied.

While it was nice that they were considering Yoo-Jin, the amount was too low given her current status that had made headlines across Korea.

If we were to ask anyone on the streets right now who the most talented actress in Korea was, nine out of ten would say Yoo-Jin.

The current average pay for an S grade actor was 100 million won per episode, and I wanted at least that much for Yoo-Jin.

Ju Yung-In received 90 million won per episode for In the Name of God, and Yoo-Jin, who left a bigger impact, deserved no less.

For this reason, I declined both offers once again. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't make a decision right now."

The two expressed their frustration in unison. "Geez! It seems you have many offers. Can you just tell us your preferred amount or style? Besides the mentioned projects, we can negotiate for other dramas too. Historical drama? Sitcom? Rom-com? Just name it."

They pleaded, saying they came with strict orders from higher-ups.

Finally, I had to speak up. "There's a project I'm considering for her next role, but it's still in the planning stages."

The project I had in mind for Yoo-Jin's first lead role was a drama titled Hwaranjeon - War of Flowers by Han Woo-Ju, a rookie writer. The drama was set to air next February.

It was a fictional historical drama set in the Silla period, about sisters and nieces fighting for the queen's throne. This drama would be hailed as the best historical drama in the past decade.

However, there was a serious issue with this project: A copyright dispute.

Han Woo-Ju, the original writer of Hwaranjeon, was an assistant writer for the star writer Yoo Sun-Jung.

When the project became a huge hit in my past life, Yoo Sun-Jung immediately filed a lawsuit, claiming Han Woo-Ju stole her synopsis. Subsequently, Han Woo-Ju suffered through a long and tedious lawsuit.

The result was a defeat for Han Woo-Ju as the lawyers from the large law firm hired by Yoo Sun-Jung tore her apart.

Because of this, Han Woo-Ju had to give most of her earnings to Yoo Sun-Jung.

Having spent a few years after high school working as an assistant writer who was slave-driven, Han Woo-Ju didn't know much about the world.

The bigger problem was that she was labeled as "a scumbag who stole her mentor's work" and was never able to take on another drama.

As such, my plan was to prevent that injustice this time and make Yoo-Jin the female lead of Hwaranjeon.

When I said I couldn't accept the offer because I had another project in mind, Jung Sam-Ryong made a troubled expression and asked, "Is that an external production? If it is, I'll grab our director by the collar and get it scheduled at SBC. Just say the word."

I had to calm the relentless Jung Sam-Ryong and Yang Jun-Seok once again. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you about it yet. Also, we need to get to the filming site now..."

Jung Sam-Ryong stood up and cleared his throat. "Well then, we'll leave for today. But do think about my offer carefully. I'll be back soon!"

Yang Jun-Seok responded similarly.

Both repeated that they wouldn't give up and left the house.

I looked at Yoo-Jin and said, "I told you today will be just as intense, didn't I?"

Yoo-Jin nodded.

However, the hectic day hadn't even properly started yet.

***

On the way to the set of In the Name of God, Yoo-Jin and I talked about the next project.

When I mentioned that there was a good project but it was still in the script development stage, Yoo-Jin left everything to me once again.

"Let me know once it's decided. You have the best eye for picking projects," said Yoo-Jin as she smiled brightly, showing her unwavering trust in me.

"Okay. You can count on me."

About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the site.

At that moment, something that I had anticipated was happening.

"Now it really begins," I muttered.

"What? What do you mean? What's beginning?" Yoo-jin asked as she tilted her head.

I pointed to the parking lot. "Look over there."

Murmur.

In the parking lot, more than a hundred reporters with glaring eyes were waiting for our arrival.

1. highly-trained artist woman in ancient Korea who entertained men with music, conversation, and poetry in much the same way as Japanese geisha ☜