Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 218: Colleague

"What? They're really going to buy that?" I asked in shock.

"Yes. They’re offering a hefty price too," Kim Mi-Hye replied.

Miso's mammoth fishcakes were listed at a whopping 1 million won while her T-rex fishcakes were listed at 500 thousand won.

Yoo-Jin made the post just to have fun with the fans, but it seemed like they took it seriously and were naming prices. However, if Yoo-Jin made a post saying that it was for jokes, that would be awkward in its own way.

“What should we do...”

Although the fishcakes wouldn't go bad for a while since they were stored in an acrylic case with desiccants, the legal issue bothered me.

At that moment, a solution suddenly came to mind.

I clicked on Samjin King Fishcake among the comments on Instargem and managed to find the company's official Instargem account.

“Is Samjin King Fishcake really going to buy Miso's fishcake?”

“Yes, and they even asked if we’d like to shoot a commercial with them.”

“Then let’s sign a contract with them.”

Even though it was a joke, Yoo-Jin had planned to sell Miso’s fishcakes and donate the proceeds anyway. So if we received a little more than the fishcake price as advertising fees, we could donate the extra money and solve the problem.

Feeling relieved, I asked Kim Mi-Hye. “How much are they offering for the commercial fee?”

“They offered 50 million won for Miso. It's a one-year contract and if we renew the contract for another year, they’ll add an extra 20%. If Miss Yoo-Jin joins, they'll match the same amount for her. That makes a total of 100 million won.”

The fishcakes were meant as gifts for the elderly at the senior center, but to land a commercial deal like this was unbelievable.

“Miso is our lucky charm.”

“Indeed.”

But that's when Kim Mi-Hye received a call.

“Yes. You're calling from Whale Whale Fishcake? How much? 70 million won each for Miss Yoo-Jin and Miso? And you're willing to buy all the fishcakes too?”

The entire team members burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

After that, numerous calls came from Midorak Fishcake, Fantasy Fishcake, and every other fishcake company in Korea as they all wanted to sign contracts with us.

At the same time, 'Miso's Fishcake' became the top search on portals.

***

When we mentioned that other companies had contacted us, Samjin King Fishcake offered double the original advertising fee.

In the end, we decided to film the fishcake commercial with Samjin King Fishcake which had promised 100 million won each for Yoo-Jin and Miso.

Additionally, Samjin King Fishcake bought Miso’s Mammoth fishcake for three million won, the T-rex fishcake for two million won, and the rest combined for one million won. When Yoo-Jin said she would donate the fishcake sales proceeds, Samjin King Fishcake’s president offered a higher price.

After finalizing the contract, everyone burst into laughter.

“I can't believe this really worked out.”

“Right? This is so unexpected.”

As soon as Yoo-Jin was informed, she posted a comment on Instargem saying she would donate the earnings to the senior center and a single-mother facility.

Thanks to this, the noisy matter was neatly resolved leaving behind the incredible results of topping the live time search rankings, today’s news, and securing a CF contract.

“Good job, everyone,” I said with a smile.

Lee Yung-Jin smiled. “Mr. Jung, then how about a team dinner tonight? Deal?”

I agreed without hesitation. “Deal!”

“Yay~. We’re having a nice dinner all thanks to Miso~”

At that moment, a cheerful voice was heard.

“Hey~ Why is everyone in such a good mood? What's up with the nice dinner thanks to Miso?”

Jang Jun-Hyuk, who previously had a heart attack while driving but survived, appeared at the office accompanied by his personal Talent Agent Lee Seung-Hoon, and his new Talent Agent Park In-Ki.

"Oh? Mr. Jun-Hyuk?" I said in a surprised tone.

"Oh, come on! I told you to call me hyung. You're hurting my feelings!" Jang Jun-Hyuk replied.

"Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim, how has your health been recently?"

Jang Jun-Hyuk shook his head. "I’m exhausted because of Team Lead Park here. He visits every day to control my diet and even forbids me from drinking... There’s no one more annoying than him."

Knowing it was a joke, Park In-Ki played along. "You should quit smoking too."

"That’s not happening! I'd rather skip meals," Jang Jun-Hyuk protested.

Lee Seung-Hoon burst into laughter watching the two. He said it was a relief that Park In-Ki had come for help since he used to struggle managing the very stubborn Jang Jun-Hyuk alone until now.

Jang Jun-Hyuk explained he had taken plenty of rest and focused on his health. Perhaps for this reason, he appeared even healthier than before the incident.

"So, what brings you here today?" I asked.

"Oh, right. I have something to discuss," said Jang Jun-Hyuk.

"Then let's move to the meeting room," I gestured.

When we moved to the meeting room on the fourth floor, they finally told me the reason they had come to see me.

***

"We approached the staff in charge of The Wife’s Secret that you recommended for Mr. Jun-Hyuk’s next project, and..."

"Did something go wrong?" I asked with concern.

"Yes."

KBC’s The Wife’s Secret was a well-made drama that would achieve a 15% viewership rating. It would sell in over 60 countries because it gained lots of popularity overseas and it would also minimize viewership ratings overlap since it would air after In the Name of God ended.

"They said they could only offer 60 million won for the appearance fee."

"What? 60 million won? But Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim’s usual fee starts at 100 million won."

Jang Jun-Hyuk's appearance fee was almost halved. They were currently negotiating the fee for this reason, but another drama had offered double the fee in the meantime.

"What drama is that?" I asked.

Park In-Ki scratched his head and answered, "Festival of Money."

"What?"

Festival of Money was a competing drama that would air at the same time as In the Name of God.

"President Han Se-Hwa is offering 120 million won per episode. Plus, they said they'll give an additional 30 million won bonus per episode based on viewership ratings."

'A maximum fee of 150 million per episode?' I thought to myself.

Both Park In-Ki and Jang Jun-Hyuk gave an awkward smile. The difference in per-episode fees ranged from 60 million won to 90 million won—and this difference was enormous for a 24-episode drama.

It was too much money to simply refuse.

"What should we do?" Park In-Ki asked.

After pondering for a moment, I asked why the fee for The Wife’s Secret was cut.

"Why did PD Kim Yung-Soo reduce the fee so drastically? He’s not usually that unreasonable," I questioned.

Park In-Ki sighed deeply. "PD Kim tried to match the original fee as much as possible, but it was cut off at CP Choi Eun-Ho’s level. He said it was too risky because they don’t know when Mr. Jun-Hyuk might fall ill again."

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. "Wait a minute, Mr. Park. Did you say CP Choi Eun-Ho, not CP Lee Chul-Yung?"

Park In-Ki nodded. "Yeah. What is it?"

The CP in charge had changed from that of my past life.

'No wonder the fee was drastically reduced unlike the usual PD Kim Yung-Soo or CP Lee Chul-Yung,' I thought to myself.

That's when I suddenly remembered an entry in my planner. "Just a moment please."

Upon checking my phone, I could confirm one schedule which had remained in my planner.

[EVERYDAY V10.1]

[Date: November 13, 2020]

-10:00 p.m. Meeting about CP Choi Eun-Ho. 6th floor conference room. (Report: KBC CP Choi Eun-Ho. Under investigation for embezzling production funds.)

It would be revealed that Choi Eun-Ho had embezzled production funds due to a report from an external production company. Because of that reason, all the dramas under Choi Eun-Ho at the time were investigated in my past life.

It turned out that the broadcasting company had requested cooperation from the agency, which led to the discovery that Choi Eun-Ho had been embezzling small amounts from all the cast and staff members to line his pockets.

‘I can make good use of this information,’ I thought.

A solution came to mind and I asked Jang Jun-Hyuk, "Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim, what do you want to do?"

Jang Jun-Hyuk replied with hesitation, "To be honest with you, I’m tempted by Writer Hong Jang-Mi. Not only is the episode fee higher than before but the writer is also top-tier. Her work always has enough buzz despite the makjang elements."

Jang Jun-Hyuk took a sip of water before continuing. "But what bothers me the most is that Yoon-Ho, you’re involved in the competing drama along with Yoo-Jin and Writer Lee Ji-Yeon. No matter how I look at it, it feels like we can’t win in the viewership ratings war."

Even if he received a higher appearance fee, it would be difficult to expect any additional revenue from commercials or other sources if the drama failed. Hence, he and Park In-Ki were asking for my advice.

"Would you consider taking my advice?" I asked.

Jang Jun-Hyuk nodded. "Of course. I may not listen to others, but I’ll always listen to you."

I began by explaining the current production status of our drama. "Our project’s filming atmosphere is fantastic. You know I don’t easily make bold claims about a project, right?"

"I know."

"Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim. What you need now is a successful drama, not just one with a high appearance fee. I believe The Wife’s Secret is the right project for that purpose. And of course, I’m not saying this because I'm trying to stop you from appearing in the drama competing against Yoo-Jin's."

Even though Hong Jang-Mi received a 20 billion won investment from Han Se-Hwa, her work was highly likely to be overshadowed by In the Name of God.

Jang Jun-Hyuk, who had been listening quietly, nodded. "I should follow if that's what Star Jung the Fortune Teller says."

Park In-Ki fell in deep thought for a moment before nodding as well. "Yes, the appearance fee can always be raised later. Let’s go with that."

They would never have agreed so easily if it had been the past. However, they both seemed willing to heed my words despite their disappointments.

"Alright then. I’ll go ahead and tell President Han Se-Hwa that we’re not doing it."

Jang Jun-Hyuk stood up while trying to force a smile. "Let’s stop with the gloomy talk and have an awesome team dinner today, shall we? I haven’t treated the Actor Division 2 to a meal yet since joining Hoop Entertainment."

Jang Jun-Hyuk announced that he would treat the entire Actor Division 2 to a barbeque in celebration of his return.

At that moment, I said with a smile, "Why don't we do that a little later?"

"Why?"

I asked them to wait a moment, then called Kang Ji-Yung on speakerphone. "Ms. Kang, would you be able to have a drink with the KBC executives tonight? Yes, yes. Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim, Talent Agent Lee Seung-Hoon, and Team Lead Park In-Ki will be joining as well."

-Why would I do that? Did something happen?

I explained what Choi Eun-Ho in charge of The Wife's Secret was up to.

-What? 60 million won per episode? Is he out of his mind? He offered Mr. Jang Jun-Hyuk that little for the appearance fee?

I also mentioned the ‘rumor’ that Choi Eun-Ho was skimming off actors’ appearance fees, to which Kang Ji-Yung replied in a cold voice,

-Do you have any evidence?

"I’m sorry, but I don’t have any concrete evidence."

-So there's no evidence but there are rumors at the filming site, huh?

"Yes. If the KBC executives conduct an audit, they’ll likely find out."

No one had questioned Choi Eun-Ho yet because he was a CP who had successfully led five consecutive projects. But everything had a limit. This time, he had definitely pushed too far.

-Then you attend the meeting tonight as well, Team Lead Jung.

"What? Me too?"

-Well I can’t go alone not knowing what might happen. You should come with me.

At that moment, I turned to look at Park In-Ki beside me. He nodded continuously, signaling me to go instead of him. However, I declined Kang Ji-Yung’s request.

Despite Park In-Ki's lack of experience, he too had survived in this harsh industry. If I stepped in again, it would undermine the meaning of entrusting Jang Jun-Hyuk to him and the significance of going together.

"Ms. Kang, isn’t it Mr. Park who manages Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim? I don’t think this is something I should step into."

-Pardon me?

"And I believe Mr. Park can handle this situation with no problem."

Then I spoke to the flustered Park In-Ki. "Mr. Park, why would you leave this to me when you can handle this on your own? You should be the one taking care of Jun-Hyuk hyung-nim now."

Most of the talking during the meeting would undoubtedly be done by Kang Ji-Yung anyway. By subtly suggesting that he use this opportunity to prove his worth to Jang Jun-Hyuk, I saw Park In-Ki harden his resolve.

"Ms. Kang, I'm confident I can handle this myself. And I’ll make sure Mr. Jun-Hyuk’s appearance fee goes back to 100 million won. Just give me a little support," said Park In-Ki confidently.

Kang Ji-Yung responded favorably to Park In-Ki’s confident words.

-Alright. Then Team Lead Park will join me instead of Team Lead Jung. Come to my office right away.

"Yes, Ms. Kang."

Park In-Ki ended the call decisively.

At that moment, Jang Jun-Hyuk looked at me intently and said, "Yoon-Ho, you're quite something."

"Huh? What do you mean...?" I asked.

Jang Jun-Hyuk patted my shoulder without a word. Then he turned to Park In-Ki and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Park."

"Of course. You can count on me, Mr. Jun-Hyuk," Park In-Ki said with a smile.

That's when I realized what Jang Jun-Hyuk meant—he saw firsthand how much I trusted Park In-Ki to manage him. If I didn’t trust Park In-Ki, I wouldn’t have entrusted him with Jun-Hyuk. If I didn't trust him, that alone could give Jang Jun-Hyuk the right to reject Park In-Ki. But Jang Jun-Hyuk also showed his trust in Park In-Ki after seeing my full trust in him.

'What a relief,' I thought.

It was a great relief that I decided to leave it to Park In-Ki. If I had stepped in again, Jang Jun-Hyuk might have asked me to manage him instead of Park In-Ki.

The beaming Jang Jun-Hyuk spoke to everyone, "Alright then. Why don't we postpone the dinner since today will be busy?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you later."

"Alright, take care!"

Jang Jun-Hyuk waved and left the meeting room with Park In-Ki.

But a moment later, I received a sudden KkTalk message from Park In-Ki which made me smile without realizing it.

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