Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 215: Her Transformation (1)

Kim Jong-Hoon made a shocked expression when I showed my confidence in promoting Kang Ha-Na without the plan to call reporters or hold a showcase.

"Yoon-Ho, how do you plan to make Ha-Na popular within just three months? Is that even possible without spending much money?"

I replied, "Of course it's possible. But I can't tell you how."

I knew how Kang Ha-Na would succeed based on my knowledge of my past life. With my experience added on top of that, I could easily make her known in the shortest time.

But I couldn't share those detailed stories with everyone.

I looked at Kim Jong-Hoon, who had an incredulous look on his face, and smiled. "If it takes longer than three months, you can reveal your name first."

Kim Jong-Hoon stared at me intently. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

After a moment of silence, Kim Jong-Hoon eventually extended his hand. "Okay. I'll do that."

I announced that the name 'Singer-songwriter Kang Ha-Na' would be established in just three months. Because of this declaration, everyone's faces began to fill with anticipation.

"But Jong-Hoon, what will the pseudonym be?" I asked him.

Kim Jong-Hoon answered with a proud expression. "EOD."

"You don't mean Explosive Ordnance Disposal as in bomb disposal, do you?"

"No, It means End of Day. The end of the day!"

"Ha ha. Is-is that so?"

When I smiled awkwardly, Kim Jong-Hoon clicked his tongue. "How could you think of a bomb disposal team when I said EOD?"

I raised my eyebrows. "It could happen."

Kim Jung-Hoon shrugged. "Anyway, you're really something. You're probably the only one in Korea who doesn't want to sell my name."

"I always tell you this, Jong-Hoon, but you're not as great as you think," I teased him.

Kim Jong-Hoon grumbled, "I know. And you don't need to point it out like that."

Despite his grumbling, Kim Jong-Hoon's face was filled with laughter.

Previously having preferred solitude and being a deep thinker, Kim Jong-Hoon had brightened up enough to enjoy such jokes. Being around geniuses like Bang Seon-Woo significantly lessened the pressure and resulted in this change.

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee raised her hand excitedly and said there was something she really wanted to discuss.

"Mr. Jung! What are we going to name Ha-Na's fan club? Surely not something like 'Ha-Na Family' like 'Cherry Blossom Family,' right?" Do Ran-Hee asked excitedly.

The fans of Cherry Blossom were still using Cherry Blossom Family, which was a temporary name because they had only maintained a fan cafe without officially forming a fan club yet.

"What, you don't like Cherry Blossom Family? Don't worry. We'll change the name when we turn it into an official fan club. It's not like we are going to use that name forever," I replied.

Distrust filled Do Ran-Hee's eyes. "Oh. I thought it was your taste..."

'What? My taste isn't that bad. What does she think of me?' I remarked inwardly.

"Then what would you like the fandom name to be? You go first," I replied.

Do Ran-Hee cleared her throat and said, "wanja[1]."

"What?"

I wondered if I heard her correctly.

"'One' for Ha-Na[2], and the ‘Ja’ for person (者) for people who like her, hence 'wonja.' It might sound plain if we just say 'wonja,' so how about 'wanja'? Wouldn't it be memorable and fun?"

Seeing Do Ran-Hee's proud expression, I thought she was out of her mind.

"Do you want to see the fandom end up being called meat wanja or seafood wanja?" I questioned.

"Hey, who would call it that? Wanja sounds pretty good~" Do Ran-Hee insisted.

It seemed she had already settled on Kang Ha-Na's fan club name in her heart, but it was absolutely impossible.

Kang Ha-Na also made an awkward expression. "Uh, wanja is a bit..."

"Don't you like it?" Do Ran-Hee asked.

"No," I answered with a firm expression.

Do Ran-Hee asked me with a perplexed expression. "Then what about you, Mr. Jung? What were you planning to name it?"

"Me? I was going to leave it to the fans."

Do Ran-Hee looked incredulous. "You're really going to dodge responsibility like that?"

I responded, "What? What's up with that rebellious look on your face?"

"What do you mean?"

For the sake of protecting the team lead's authority, I decided to speak my mind. "If you asked me to come up with a fandom name, I was thinking of 'OnlyOne' or 'OneAndOnly,' to signify the fans are the only ones for Ha-Na."

Do Ran-Hee looked surprised.

I continued, "And if not that, following the pronunciation of Ha-Na's 'One,' calling it 'WantU' might be nice. It carries the meaning of wanting Ha-Na."

Kang Ha-Na's face brightened more than when the name 'wanja' was suggested.

Do Ran-Hee asked Kang Ha-Na. "Ha-Na, do you like any of these?"

Kang Ha-Na nodded. "Yes. I really like them all."

Do Ran-Hee pouted her lips. "Ha-Na, you always think all of Mr. Jung's ideas are good, don’t you?"

The flustered Kang Ha-Na waved her hands. "N-no, that's not true..."

Eventually, it was decided to leave the fandom name up to the fans. But if something like 'wanja' came up, we would choose one of the names I had come up with.

However, Do Ran-Hee was quite persistent. "Ha-Na, it's not too late. Let's go with 'wanja,' okay?"

Kang Ha-Na smiled contentedly and replied. "No way. I don’t like that name."

Do Ran-Hee raised her hands and playfully wiped the corners of her eyes. "Okay, fine. I got it. Poor wanja. It will disappear without ever seeing the light..."

No one responded to Do Ran-Hee's muttering.

***

At 5:30 in the morning, Miso was holding Jung In-Ji's hand as she came out to see us off.

Wearing Powertuff Girl pajamas, Miso climbed into the back seat of Springer 2 with sleepy eyes. Then she gave Yoo-Jin a hug before speaking in a half-asleep voice. "Mom, don’t be sad or lonely at the set without me."

"Okay, I won’t," Yoo-Jin replied with a smile while hugging Miso tightly.

Miso added, "And listen to Uncle Yoon-Ho. Got it?"

Yoo-Jin nodded. "Got it."

Miso continued with her advice. "And um, oh! Don't drink too cold water because it’s summer. I heard it hurts your stomach!"

As Miso grew more knowledgeable, her parting advice became longer.

At that moment, Miso looked at her left hand. Three of her tightly clenched fingers had unfolded while the remaining two were still bent.

"What was it? Uh. I had thought of something..."

Miso rubbed her sleepy eyes and tried to remember.

"Miso, I need to go now," Yoo-Jin replied.

Suddenly, Miso's memory returned and her eyes sparkled.

"Oh, right. Mom. You have to act well!"

Another finger unfolded and there was only the last one left.

When I was curious what it would be, Miso unfolded her last finger and exclaimed as if she remembered.

"Mom! Powertuff!"

Yoo-Jin laughed and mimicked Miso. "Powertuff!"

At that moment, Jung In-Ji and I struck the same pose. Afterward, Miso kissed Yoo-Jin's cheek before getting out of the car.

"Mom, have a good trip. I'd be really happy if you came back sooner!"

"Okay, Miso. Have fun while I'm away."

Just like that, we headed to the set accompanied by Miso and Jung In-Ji's send-off.

***

As we approached the filming location in Yangpyeong, Yoo-Jin, who was sitting in the back seat reading the script, cautiously asked a question. "Oppa, have you not received any offers from Ace Entertainment or TK Entertainment recently?"

I shook my head. "No. They've been quiet lately. I guess they gave up after I drew a clear line."

"But still, don't let your guard down. There's a lot of talk among the actors about how good you are at your job," Yoo-Jin said with concern.

Recently, my name had been coming up more frequently among veteran actors at the site. Because of this reason, Yoo-Jin's wariness was increasing by the day.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you. To be honest, it would be better to go independent than switch companies, right?"

"I guess. That's true."

Only then did Yoo-Jin relax.

A little while later, we arrived at the shooting site located in front of the Yangpyeong post office.

"Oh, here you are," greeted Cha Soo-Yeon, like how she usually did. But she seemed in a better mood than usual.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Oh, LM Apparel has provided us with a generous amount of clothing support. They said sales increased by 10% thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin," replied Cha Soo-Yeon with a pleased look.

"10%?"

"Didn't you hear? Not only the lineup Miss Yoo-Jin advertises but the overall brand image of LM Apparel has improved," Cha Soo-Yeon explained.

Considering LM Apparel's revenue, this meant an increase of hundreds of billions.

"We're saving a lot on production costs thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin. I'm always grateful, Miss Yoo-Jin," said Cha Soo-Yeon with a smile.

Yoo-Jin smiled and replied, "Oh, don't mention it."

As Yoo-Jin's popularity rose, the way Cha Soo-Yeon treated us had been slowly changing.

"I guess I'll have to visit the President of LM Apparel soon."

"Please tell them how much I appreciate their support."

"Yes, I will."

LM Apparel had been our benefactor, protecting us from the aggression of HK Apparel and helping us secure an exclusive contract.

I had been trying to set up a meeting with the president out of gratitude, but he had been too busy and we still hadn't met.

After finishing our greetings with Cha Soo-Yeon, we also greeted the staff and actors. However, Ju Yung-In was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?"

Even though Yoo-Jin and Ju Yung-In had agreed to be friends, it was customary to greet her since she was a sunbae actor and the lead role.

That's when Choi Ill-Seop informed us that Ju Yung-In was at the empty lot behind the post office. After expressing my gratitude, Yoo-Jin and I headed to the empty lot behind the post office.

But the moment I saw Ju Yung-In, I inadvertently muttered to myself. "Why is she like that?"

In my memory, Ju Yung-In had never shown signs of nervousness at any filming site. She focused more on networking with powerful staff and actors rather than practicing. But today, she was engrossed in her script with a tense expression and did not even bother looking around.

"Did she eat something wrong? She's not the type to be like this..." I remarked.

Yoo-Jin also nodded. "That's strange. Even though I haven't seen much, Yung-In's personality would normally have her greeting people around here by now..."

"Let's be careful. The atmosphere feels weird today," I said to Yoo-Jin.

Yoo-Jin nodded. "I'll go prepare my makeup and costume."

Seeing Ju Yung-In so absorbed in the script, I realized that it wasn't the time for casual greetings. For this reason, Yoo-Jin returned to the van to prepare for the shoot.

Meanwhile, it was Ju Yung-In's turn for the shoot.

"Miss Yung-In, it's time for the shoot."

Without a word, Ju Yung-In got up from her chair and followed the AD without greeting me as she tried not to break her concentration.

'Wow. Ju Yung-In has really changed,' I thought to myself.

***

The first scene Ju Yung-In was to shoot today involved a female prosecutor leaving the post office, spotting a pickpocket, and giving chase.

But the slow-moving female prosecutor would fail to catch the thief. Instead, the male lead, a policeman who was removing a parking violation sticker, catches the thief and the two main characters meet for the first time.

For this first scene, the two main characters, Ju Yung-In as Bang Shin-Ae and Park Nam-Cheol as Choi Kang-In, entered the rehearsal.

As soon as the check of the movement path was finished, Kim Sung-Woon grabbed a megaphone and shouted, "Alright, Miss Yung-In. This is the first scene with the adult actors, so please do your best."

Ju Yung-In nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Scene 30. Get ready, everyone. Ready~ Action!"

At the moment the cue sign was given, the extra, who had been preparing in advance, started running away after stealing an old lady's wallet.

『Oh, my! My wallet! That, that thief! Someone help me! Please!』

As the extra playing the role of the grandmother slumped down and shouted, Ju Yung-In also began acting.

『Is there really no one who's willing to help and stop a pickpocket in a crowd this big? People live so heartlessly these days!』

The fuming Ju Yung-In threw off her high heels. At that moment, she suddenly ripped the side of her skirt.

The stylist's face turned pale. On the other hand, Kim Sung-Woon's face lit up with joy upon watching the lead actress fully immersed in her role and disregarding her appearance.

Simultaneously, Ju Yung-In wearing only stockings started chasing after the pickpocket.

『Huff, huff! Hey, hey! You scoundrel! Stop right there and I'll go easy on you! Hey! Ugh, that fucking son of a bitch! Why is he so damn fast!? 』

Ju Yung-In kept cursing as she ran slowly. She played the role of a rookie prosecutor, Bang Shin-Ae, who had a sense of justice but was terrible at physical activities.

Due to her slow running, the distance between her and the pickpocket grew. Taking advantage of this, the actor playing the pickpocket even looked back to mock her.

At that moment, Park Nam-Cheol playing the role of Choi Kang-In, a passionate young police officer demoted to the district after being an ace in the detective department, noticed the situation.

While attaching a parking ticket to an illegally parked Ferrori, he stretched out his arm to block the pickpocket. The pickpocket actor was hit in the neck by Park Nam-Cheol's arm and rolled on the ground.

Ju Yung-In belatedly arrived, caught her breath, and climbed on top of the pickpocket actor.

『Huff, huff. You little bitch. I'm going to kill you.』

Then Ju Yung-In raised her head and asked,

『Huff, huff. By the way, I fucking appreciate your help. Huff, huff. What's your name?』

Park Nam-Cheol replied with a dumbfounded expression.

『Why are you so damn rude? What's your name?』

『Me? Bang Shin-Ae.』

『What? What's with that name?』

『Huh? What's your name? Your name is...Choi Kang-In? Pfft. Ha ha ha ha!』

Ju Yung-In burst out laughing after seeing the name tag on Park Nam-Cheol's chest.

『A-are you out of your mind? How dare you laugh at my name!

『What? Did you just say I'm out of my mind? Hey! Watch your mouth! How dare you...』

Ju Yung-In and Park Nam-Cheol continued to bicker after capturing the pickpocket.

And just like that, scene 30 where the two characters meet for the first time was coming to an end.

Kim Sung-Woon shouted "Cut" with a satisfied expression. "Cut! Okay! Miss Yung-In, are you okay? Staff, check her quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

The staff rushed to check Ju Yung-In's condition because she had thrown off her high heels and ran on the sidewalk wearing only stockings.

"I'm fine, Mr. Kim. It's nothing," Ju Yung-In replied.

Ju Yung-In was sitting on the ground, laughing and saying she was okay. But contrary to her words, her stockings were all torn and her feet were scraped.

In my past life, Ju Yung-In had always used a stunt double as she said her body was her asset. But now, she was performing as if she had become a true actress.

I found this change utterly unbelievable because acting had always been just a means to make money for her.

‘What on earth are you thinking, Ju Yung-In?’ I wondered.

1. Wanja ☜

2. Ha-na means one and Ran-Hee is making a word play on One and Won ☜

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