Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

At Yoo-Jin, Miso, and the Actor Division 2 talent agents' relentless urging, I headed down to the first floor. But even while we were going down, nobody would actually answer me. They just twitched their lips and held it in.

"No seriously, what kind of gift has everyone acting like this?" I asked.

Miso opened her mouth to answer. "Well, it's— mmph!"

Yoo-Jin quickly covered Miso's mouth with her hand. "No, Miso. He has to see it for himself."

"Mmph mmph."

Once Miso nodded with her mouth covered, Yoo-Jin finally let go.

Miso tilted her head. "Phew~ But Mom, why can't I tell him?"

"Because if we spoil it beforehand, the surprise disappears. Miso, how would you feel if you already knew what Santa Claus was giving you before opening it?"

"I'd be suuuper disappointed!"

"Exactly. So, shhh?"

"Okay! I won't say anything. Mmph," Miso covered her own mouth with both hands.

Honestly, I didn't understand why everyone was making such a big deal out of it. Knowing ahead of time wouldn't change anything anyway.

Before the regression, when I followed Ju Yung-In to Kenya National Park, I had a camera stolen by a vulture. In Taiwan, I had even been pickpocketed by a monkey. I had been chased by elephants and once spent ten full minutes staring directly into a lion's eyes. I had nearly fallen off Niagara Falls before, and I had even gone skydiving ahead of actors just to check their safety—not to mention all the times I nearly died doing car stunts and race driving.

'At this point, what's left that could really surprise me?'

There was a reason people who looked like they had lived a second life always gave off that detached vibe you often saw in online communities. Once you had gone through enough insane experiences, ordinary things stopped feeling all that dramatic. Still, I figured I should at least pretend to be appropriately surprised.

Just then, the elevator arrived at the first floor.

Ding.

As the doors opened, I saw the lobby packed with people staring outside.

Chief Gu Seong-Cheol waved his hands at the crowd. "Hey, move aside. Make way. The guy receiving the gift is here."

The people in the lobby split apart to both sides like Moses parting the sea, congratulating me as I passed.

"Man, I'm jealous, Chief Jung."

"Congratulations, Chief Jung."

At that moment, a gigantic truck parked in front of the company lobby immediately caught my eye.

'That's...'

Mounted on the back of the truck was a massive box-shaped display structure with transparent glass walls that let people see inside. And inside it was a massive Ventley Flying Spur, over five meters long and worth well over three hundred million won, gleamed elegantly in sleek black.

"Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon sent that?"

Honestly, even I was a little shocked. This had gone far beyond the normal boundaries of a gift.

At that moment, Gu Seong-Cheol smacked my shoulder lightly. "I'm jealous. Seriously jealous. Driving a Ventley in your twenties... that's been my dream car my entire life."

The other talent agents burst into cheers as well.

"Seriously. Signing that notoriously difficult Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon was already impressive enough, and now you get a Ventley too?"

"Mr. Jung! Please let me ride in the Ventley at least once!"

Just then, Yoo-Jin and Miso pushed me forward from behind.

"Hurry and go, oppa."

"That's right, Uncle Yoon-Ho. That mister's been waiting for you this whole time."

The man Yoo-Jin and Miso pointed at was the delivery driver from the transport truck, standing there in a formal suit. Saying I understood, I started walking forward, and the talent agents all followed behind me.

At that moment, Han Gwang-Hyun, the ace of Actor Division 3 who had recently been promoted to Team Lead, quietly approached my side. Lately, he had been producing such outstanding results inside the company that people were already calling him the second Jung Yoon-Ho.

"Mr. Jung."

"Yes?"

"Could we talk for a moment later?"

'Is this about Writer Lee Ji-Yeon?'

Lee Ji-Yeon had stated that she wouldn't use any actors from Actor Division 3 for Land of Happiness. Because of that, the talent agents in Actor Division 3 were practically panicking. They were worried their actors might start transferring to Actor Division 1 or 2.

Still, the timing worked out well. There was something I absolutely needed to say to him too.

I nodded and said, "Let's talk later."

Han Gwang-Hyun nodded and stepped back. I gave him a light nod in return before opening the door and heading outside.

The transport driver waiting in front of the company, a man in his thirties dressed in a suit, bowed politely. "Hello, Mr. Jung. My name is Lee Dae-Boong from Daeboong Motors."

Lee Dae-Boong of Daeboong Motors handed me his business card, a pen, several documents, and a card.

"Please review the paperwork while I unload the vehicle."

The English name on the card simply read: LEE.

"What's this card for?" I asked.

"Ah, Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon said this is the fuel card she's providing. She also asked me to let you know she'll personally cover the insurance as well, including comprehensive coverage, so you don't need to worry."

At that moment, I couldn't help but be genuinely stunned. "...Excuse me?"

The car itself already cost well over three hundred million won, but the bigger issue was the insurance. For luxury vehicles like this, insurance premiums alone easily ran into tens of millions of won every year. And because I frequently traveled for business trips outside Seoul, there were months when I drove over ten thousand kilometers.

If I drove this thing regularly, the fuel costs alone would probably reach almost five million won per month. Which meant that between insurance and gas, it would cost roughly another hundred million won every year. And Lee Ji-Yeon was saying she'd gladly pay for all of it.

No matter how wealthy someone was, this wasn't an easy decision to make, so I hurriedly stopped Lee Dae-Boong before he could unload the car.

"Excuse me, sir. One moment."

"Yes?"

"I need to speak with Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon first."

I immediately called Lee Ji-Yeon. After several rings, she answered in a bright voice.

-Yoon-Ho. Did you receive my gift?

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Lee. But this gift is too excessive. I'll gratefully accept the thought instead."

Everyone around me looked shocked. Team Lead Ju Yung-Hoon jokingly shouted that if I wasn't going to take it, then I should give it to him instead. Team Lead Oh Duk-Gu stared at me sternly like gifts weren't something you rejected. Gu Seong-Cheol practically begged me to stop refusing the writer's sincerity and just accept it already so he could ride in it once. Everyone else looked at me like they couldn't understand what was wrong with me.

-What's excessive about it? Compared to everything you've done for me, this is nothing. And this doesn't even count as repayment for helping me find my older sister. I'll properly repay you for that separately later.

I seriously didn't know what else she was planning to give me. I was just about to tell her it really wasn't necessary when Lee Ji-Yeon spoke first in a firm tone.

-And Yoon-Ho. There's another reason I'm giving you that car.

"Another reason?"

-Drive that car around and give hope to people doing the same work as you. Show them that talent agents can live glamorous lives too if they reach the top of the industry! How long are talent agents supposed to keep being treated like lackeys for entertainers?

Even now, entertainers were still looked down on and insulted as mere clowns. And we talent agents, who worked for them, were treated as something even lower—mere servants for entertainers.

-I used to get called a mere scribbler too when I first started writing drama scripts. But after I became successful and made sure people couldn't treat me carelessly anymore, nobody casually calls writers 'scribblers' these days, right? Because they never know who might become the next me.

Come to think of it, at some point Lee Ji-Yeon had suddenly started driving around in a Rose-Rise. I thought it was simply to flaunt her wealth, but that wasn't it at all. She had been showing people across every industry exactly how much influence and wealth someone at the top could possess, raising the status of writers themselves so nobody could dare look down on the profession anymore.

And because of that, writers in this era were treated very differently from the moment they debuted compared to the past. Since nobody knew who might someday become another Lee Ji-Yeon, people no longer dared to dismiss writers carelessly.

'So this was the real gift.'

The true gift Lee Ji-Yeon was giving me wasn't the expensive Ventley itself. It was the status of being a talent agent. If it became widely known that Korea's top writer, Lee Ji-Yeon, valued a talent agent this highly, then nobody would ever again be able to casually call talent agents "servants for entertainers."

"Thank you... Mrs. Lee. This is truly an incredible gift."

-I'm glad you understand. And if you don't think that car suits you, I can ask President Lee Dae-Boong to swap it for a Ramborghini or Ferrori instead. Want me to do that?

"No, that's okay... those hurt my butt."

I had driven Ramborghinis before the regression, and Ferroris too. And my honest impression after driving both was simple—they hurt your butt.

-Pfft. You're probably the only person in the world who describes a Ramborghini as a butt-hurting car. Alright then. We'll stick with this one.

"Yes, Mrs. Lee."

-Oh, and thanks to you, my sister got through the danger safely too. They checked her overnight, and apparently her orthostatic hypotension had recently become pretty severe.

Apparently it hadn't shown up during her last regular checkup, so they said it was fortunate they discovered it early.

"That's a relief."

-Yeah. Thanks to you bringing it up, we avoided a major incident. Thank you.

"You're thanking me too much. I'm your talent agent, aren't I?"

-I'm grateful for the way you say that so naturally too. Anyway, I'll see you at home later.

"...At home?"

'Home? As in, our house?'

Click.

Lee Ji-Yeon hung up.

"Mrs. Lee?"

No answer came from the receiver. She was probably planning to visit our house soon. Well, after being separated for so long, she probably wanted to spend as much time together with her sister as possible.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and nodded toward Lee Dae-Boong. "Please unload the car."

Smiling, Lee Dae-Boong climbed onto the transport truck and opened the rear door. "Yes, I'll bring it down immediately."

He started the Ventley's engine.

Vroooom.

The deep roar of the heavy engine filled the entire area in front of the company. At that moment, not only the talent agents in the lobby, but even the actors themselves stared at me with eyes full of envy.

Maybe because of that, it honestly felt like the status of talent agents had risen just a little.

***

After finishing the paperwork and signing for the vehicle, the transport driver left. But while receiving it, I discovered this wasn't the Ventley Flying Spur V8 model. It was the even higher-class imported twelve-cylinder V12 version. Worth nearly four hundred million won, the sleek black exterior and orange leather interior were stunning enough to leave me speechless.

Still, the first thing I needed to do was park it. However, just as I headed toward the driver's seat, dozens of sparkling eyes followed closely behind me.

"Why is everyone staring at me like this? It's making me uncomfortable."

At that moment, Miso shot her hand into the air and shouted. "Uncle Yoon-Ho! I want to ride in the new car!"

So that was what everyone wanted.

I smiled. "Miso, you're the winner."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin quickly raised her hand too. "The passenger seat is mine!"

"You're a winner too!"

Right then, Ju Yung-Hoon shot his hand high into the air. "Me too—"

That was when Gu Seong-Cheol grabbed Ju Yung-Hoon by the back of the neck just as he was stepping forward. "You're eliminated, punk. And everyone else is eliminated too!"

With his collar caught, Ju Yung-Hoon got dragged backward. "Waaait, why?! I want to ride too! I want to take pictures in the Ventley and upload them to Instargem! At least let me take a photo of the emblem or something!"

Gu Seong-Cheol clicked his tongue and gestured at me. "Chief Jung. Hurry up and take those two and go. I'll handle things here. Alright everyone! What are you all standing around gawking for? Get back to work already!"

Just as I wondered why Gu Seong-Cheol, who had been the most excited of everyone, was suddenly acting like this, he mouthed words toward me.

'Just let me drive it later.'

As expected, people didn't become chiefs for nothing.

'Of course.'

The moment I agreed with thumbs up, Gu Seong-Cheol instantly suppressed the entire crowd by using Ju Yung-Hoon as an example and shoving the other employees back too.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I opened the driver's seat door and sat down. The luxurious seat wrapped around my entire body. A moment later, Yoo-Jin climbed into the passenger seat while Miso hopped into the back.

The instant both of them finished fastening their seat belts, they shouted energetically.

"Oppa! Floor it!"

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, let's gooo!"

'Go where exactly?'

If I turned into the side road in front of the company and entered the underground parking garage three meters away, we would already be done.

"We're going straight into the parking garage."

"Awwww... don't do that. Just take us out onto the main road once and then come back."

Even Miso pleaded with sparkling eyes. "Pleaaase, Uncle Yoon-Ho~"

Seeing Miso acting cute like that, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

"Then should we take the new car out for a quick test drive?"

"Yaaay!"

Listening to the noisy celebration, I inserted the key and pressed the accelerator.

Vroooom.

With the deep growl of the heavy engine, the car smoothly began moving. I drove to the end of the side street, headed out onto the main road, and then turned back toward the side road where the company was located.

Then, I noticed Ju Yung-In was standing in front of JU Entertainment waving her hand. Wondering what was going on, I quickly stopped the car.

Screeech.

Whirrr.

I lowered the window and asked, "Huh? Yung-In, what's up?"

Ju Yung-In shouted, "I have something to say!"

At that moment, Miso waved from the back seat. "Auntie Yung-In! Hurry and get in! Then let's go around one more time!"

"Really?"

Ju Yung-In glanced at Yoo-Jin, and Yoo-Jin immediately gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, get in!"

Ju Yung-In quickly climbed into the opposite back seat.

'No seriously, guys. I was trying to park the car, so why are you all acting like this?'

With Yoo-Jin, Miso, and now even Ju Yung-In added to the mix, all three of them started shouting for me to keep driving forward.

"Oppa. Floor it."

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, let's gooo!"

"Hold on. Let me hear what Yung-In has to say first."

When I turned my head, Ju Yung-In spoke urgently. "HK Entertainment is giving advertising deals to the actors appearing in Writer Nam Jong-Ok's A Life Lived Twice to make up for the low appearance fees. I think a lot of big-name actors are going to move over there."

Daily dramas operated on low production budgets, which meant the actors' appearance fees were low too. That was why the acting lineup often ended up weaker. It was also why they had cast rookie actress Jang So-Yeon. However, HK Entertainment was now trying to indirectly compensate actors for their lower salaries.

Still, it wasn't exactly unexpected.

I answered, "I know."

"...What?"

"I said I know."

Since I kept a close eye on everything involving HK Entertainment, I already knew exactly what they were doing.

"I thought this was super hot information..."

"Still, thanks."

At that moment, Ju Yung-In grinned mischievously. "If you're thankful, then two laps."

'Ju Yung-In... don't tell me you shared the information just because you wanted to ride in this car?'

The moment that suspicion crossed my mind, Yoo-Jin and Miso shouted together. "Two laps!"

'Fine. Let's do it.'

I let out a small laugh and shouted energetically, "Deal!"

Vroooom.

The heavy roar of the engine once again wrapped pleasantly around my whole body.

***

After dropping Ju Yung-In off in front of JU Entertainment, I parked the car in the underground parking garage and got out.

Yoo-Jin took Miso's hand and headed toward the elevator. They were going to the basement recording studio for vocal training on the She Was Pretty original soundtracks,

Just then, I saw Han Gwang-Hyun waiting in front of the elevator in the underground parking garage. Since it would have been difficult to speak privately in the office, he had apparently come down here to wait for me instead.

'Seriously, this guy really is impressive.'

Han Gwang-Hyun was the talented talent agent recently promoted to team lead in Actor Division 3 under Ju Ho-Sung. At thirty-two years old, he had demonstrated exceptional business ability by reviving Kang Moo-Song, a thirty-eight-year-old actor everyone thought was past his prime, through a project called Out of Body. And even with the rest of his rookie actors, he had been producing notable results.

Because of that, along with Lee Yung-Jin, he had recently been mentioned as one of the strongest candidates to become the next Jung Yoon-Ho within the company. Naturally, he was also considered the ace of Actor Division 3.

'And he is...'

Before the regression, as a director at Top Entertainment, he had been my right-hand man—the one people called the God of Sales. But in order to earn that title, he poured every ounce of his energy into building relationships with broadcasting station PDs and production teams. And because of that, he became an incredibly inattentive husband and father at home.

Yet now, here he was, waiting for me with a bright smile.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting, Mr. Jung, so I came down here early."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin spoke up. "Oppa. We'll head down first and get ready."

"Okay."

Just then, Han Gwang-Hyun pulled a Powertuff Girls sticker out of his pocket and handed it to Miso. "Miso. Here, it's a gift."

Miso looked at me. When I nodded, she immediately broke into a bright smile and greeted Han Gwang-Hyun politely.

"Thank you!"

"Of course, Miso. Have a good day!"

"You too!"

Holding her mom's hand, Miso happily headed toward the elevator.

'If only he devoted even half the effort he gave to entertainers toward his own five-year-old son this year...'

Completely unaware of my thoughts, Han Gwang-Hyun finally spoke. "I heard Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon said she wouldn't use any actors from our Division 3."

I nodded. "Yes. Chief Ju irritated Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon, so that's how things ended up."

"Which is why Mr. Kang Moo-Song wishes to transfer to Actor Division 4. He wants to become the lead in Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon's project. That's why I came here."

Seven years ago, Kang Moo-Song had become an S-class box office actor after Fog Zone drew four million viewers despite being rated 19+. But afterward, project after project failed until one year ago, when he made a dramatic comeback through his career-defining performance in the cable drama Out of Body. And now, an actor who had only done films before the regression wanted to appear not even in a primetime drama, but a daily drama.

"Mr. Kang Moo-Song wants to do a daily drama?"

"Yes. It's Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon's project, after all."

At that moment, I realized this whole move had been orchestrated by Han Gwang-Hyun himself.

'Not bad, Team Lead Han.'

Just like before the regression, he really did have a talent for blindsiding everyone. If an S-class actor like Kang Moo-Song willingly cut his appearance fee to star in a Lee Ji-Yeon drama, it could build him even greater recognition.

'As expected of Team Lead Han.'

However, that wasn't the end of what surprised me.

Han Gwang-Hyun straightened his shoulders and spoke with complete confidence. "And... I want to bring my entire team. All of my staff members, and every actor under our management. I want all of us transferred under you, Mr. Jung."

If Han Gwang-Hyun brought all his staff and actors under me, it would shake Actor Division 3 to its core. And it would mean the man who would one day become known as the God of Sales, my future right-hand man before the regression, would now come to my side.

"So? What do you think of my proposal?" Han Gwang-Hyun asked with an utterly confident expression.

He looked one hundred percent certain I would accept him. After all, everyone wanted him.

However, I answered calmly. "I don't want either offer. Especially you. I have no intention of accepting you."

The face of Han Gwang-Hyun, the rising ace everyone praised nonstop, stiffened with confusion. "...Excuse me? Why? Even if you don't want Actor Kang Moo-Song, why reject me?"

"Because you have a serious disqualifying flaw."

Recently, people had started calling him the second Jung Yoon-Ho. But the Jung Yoon-Ho attached to that nickname wasn't the current me. It was the Jung Yoon-Ho from before the regression.

And more importantly, I couldn't accept someone as my subordinate when I knew he would end up dying if things continued like this.