Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 20, 2021]

-10:00 p.m.: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin]

Top star Miss J. Secretly Dating Third-generation Chaebol Mr. S. (Additional Notes: Clarify misunderstanding regarding blurred photograph. Determine Sung Joon-Sang's whereabouts and respond aggressively.)

Before my regression, I had seen the women Sung Joon-Sang dated. With his handsome appearance and status as a third-generation chaebol, the women around him were usually top-tier idols or actresses.

However, there was absolutely no chance Yoo-Jin would ever get involved with someone as obnoxious as Sung Joon-Sang. Which meant this article was one hundred percent fake. In other words, the schedule entry shown by Everyday meant that Sung Joon-Sang intended to use Yoo-Jin to promote his new burger brand—just like how he had leaked rumors today claiming Yoo-Jin would become the model for DCH Burger.

At the same time, considering the woman chasing tendencies of the bastard in question, there was also a high chance he genuinely had his eye on Yoo-Jin.

'You bastard. How dare you set your sights on Yoo-Jin?'

My blood boiled, but I couldn't confront him over something that wouldn't happen for another three days. Instead, I decided to prevent the "blurred photograph" mentioned by Everyday from ever being taken. I would eliminate every possible situation where Yoo-Jin and that guy could end up alone together.

Immediately, I lifted my eyes from my phone. Sung Joon-Sang had already walked right up to me, carrying the scent of expensive cologne.

"Chief Jung. Mind stepping aside? I'd like to have a private conversation with Miss Yoo-Jin."

Sung Joon-Sang's tone treated me like a subordinate. Still, I responded politely. After all, the business leaders attending the fundraiser were all watching us.

"I'm afraid not," I answered.

"What?"

"Because of today's false article involving DCH Burger, people will assume the rumors are true even if they're simply seen standing together. If you have something to say, please say it here."

The moment my words rang out, the executives nearby began whispering among themselves.

-So today's DCH Burger article... Sung Joon-Sang pushed that out himself?

-I thought it was strange. Jung Yoo-Jin is practically the face of Burger Queen. But suddenly DCH Burger?

-Hasn't Joon-Sang been out of the Daechon succession race for years? Looks like he's trying to climb back up by using Jung Yoo-Jin's name.

-Honestly, who even pays attention to Sung Joon-Sang these days? Jung Yoo-Jin's name carries far more weight.

As the guests at the fundraiser began criticizing Sung Joon-Sang, Han Yoon-Seok, his chief secretary, bowed and apologized in Sung Joon-Sang's place.

"Mr. Jung, I sincerely apologize. While speaking with a reporter, we mentioned that we'd like to use Miss Jung Yoo-Jin as a model for our new brand. Unfortunately, an inaccurate article was published. Though late, I'd like to offer my apology."

According to my memories from before the regression, Han Yoon-Seok, now thirty-three, was the type of man who would do absolutely anything to protect his boss. Apparently he intended to take the blame himself to shield Sung Joon-Sang.

'Not a chance.'

I asked, "Then why wasn't a correction issued?"

Han Yoon-Seok's eyes darted around as he failed to answer immediately. "Well..."

I didn't let the opportunity slip away. Instead, I immediately pressed the attack. "I assumed the son of Daechon Inc.'s former chairman would have the courage to apologize personally. I never imagined he'd be the type to dump his mistakes onto his subordinates."

The murmuring throughout the hall grew even louder.

-He could've just apologized himself. Instead he's hiding behind his secretary. Doesn't he have any shame?

-He's already a fallen heir. Does he still think he's Daechon's third-generation successor?

As the atmosphere turned increasingly hostile, Sung Joon-Sang lowered his voice and spoke urgently. "Hey. Are you really going to do this? You're going to embarrass me in front of everyone over one lousy article?"

'One lousy article? This is just ridiculous.'

Actresses had seen their entire careers destroyed by a single false report. The absurdity of it nearly made me laugh.

Burger Queen had only reacted so cautiously because the actress involved was Yoo-Jin. If she had been a lesser-known rookie, they would have spent the entire day running around explaining the situation to Burger Queen headquarters.

I said, "And why exactly should I care about your reputation? What makes you so important?"

"Did... you just use casual speech with me?"

"Why? You use casual speech with me, so why can't I do the same?"

Even if Sung Joon-Sang was technically a year older than me, anyone targeting Yoo-Jin was an enemy. So when I dropped the formalities while speaking to him privately, he exploded with anger.

"You little bastard..."

That was when Kim Ae-Ryeon, who had been greeting guests at the entrance, walked over.

"Joon-Sang, why are you causing a scene when you weren't even invited? Stop creating trouble and go home."

Sung Joon-Sang took his eyes off me and turned toward Kim Ae-Ryeon "Auntie. I'm part of Daechon. I don't need an invitation."

Kim Ae-Ryeon snorted. "Part of Daechon? Who? You?"

The veins between Sung Joon-Sang's brows twitched. "Are you really going to do this? In front of everyone?"

"The moment you tried to damage the reputation of Jung Yoo-Jin, the advertising model for our department store, it was no different from putting a knife to my throat."

Taking Yoo-Jin's and my side, Kim Ae-Ryeon began pressing Sung Joon-Sang relentlessly. Apparently he hadn't expected his only aunt to come down this hard on him.

With obvious confusion on his face, Sung Joon-Sang lowered his voice and whispered, "When my mother was vice president, you couldn't even treat me like this... Are you really doing this, Auntie?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon answered with a scoff, "And how long ago was that, exactly?"

Her icy response turned Sung Joon-Sang's face bright red. Then he spoke aloud.

"Auntie. Aren't you going to regret this?"

"Regret what?" Kim Ae-Ryeon answered calmly.

Sung Joon-Sang trembled with rage and opened his mouth. But before he could speak, the elevator doors opened.

"Mr. Jung! Miss Yoo-Jin!"

Burger Queen's Director Ahn Ji-Yoon appeared, waving enthusiastically. Standing beside her was Burger Queen's president, Kim Seung-Gyu. The moment Kim Seung-Gyu noticed Sung Joon-Sang standing near Yoo-Jin, his expression darkened.

Yet at that exact moment, Yoo-Jin quickly stepped out from behind me and warmly greeted them. "Ms. Ahn! Mr. Kim! It's been a while. How have you been?"

Ahn Ji-Yoon grabbed her hands and sighed in relief. "Ever since you started appearing in our ads, sales have been climbing nonstop, so we've been crazy busy. By the way, aren't we a little late?"

"Not at all. But why does Mr. Kim look so upset?"

As Yoo-Jin asked in a playful tone, Kim Seung-Gyu immediately relaxed the expression he had been directing at Sung Joon-Sang. "Ahem. I heard someone was trying to steal the face of Burger Queen."

"Oh, come on. You know I don't eat anything except Burger Queen~ When people think of Jung Yoo-Jin, they think of Burger Queen."

Yoo-Jin raised her right hand dramatically. Then she struck the pose of Queen, the hero drawing her legendary Burger Sword that could never be removed from its sheath.

The sight finally brought a smile to Kim Seung-Gyu's face. "Exactly. Jung Yoo-Jin is Burger Queen, and Burger Queen is Jung Yoo-Jin! Hahaha!"

After laughing for a while, he turned to Yoo-Jin. "Oh, right. I'll send a large burger truck to the She Was Beautiful filming set. Just upload a few photos to Instargem for us."

"Of course!"

Yoo-Jin immediately broke into a little victory dance. Then she spun around, looked at me, and stuck out her tongue.

'Jung Yoo-Jin. So you managed to get that burger truck after all?'

I couldn't help laughing at her scheming. Still, thanks to that exchange, every executive present now had a crystal-clear understanding of just how strong the relationship between Yoo-Jin and Burger Queen was.

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ryeon spoke again. "Sung Joon-Sang. I don't have time for regrets, so you'd better leave. I need to greet my guests now."

Ignoring Sung Joon-Sang completely, Kim Ae-Ryeon walked straight over to Burger Queen's president. "Mr. Kim, it's been a long time~"

Having been thoroughly brushed aside, Sung Joon-Sang trembled with rage from head to toe. Then he leaned close and whispered a warning to me.

"I'll never forget this, Jung Yoon-Ho. You're the reason this whole mess happened."

Leaving those words behind, Sung Joon-Sang turned and disappeared toward the elevators. After watching him leave, I immediately checked Everyday's schedule entry again. However, the entry was still there.

'I'm staying by Yoo-Jin's side the entire time. How exactly is he planning to get close enough to her to take that photo?'

I couldn't figure it out at all. Whatever it was, though, I intended to stop it.

***

The fundraising gala for the Arts and Culture Dementia Healing Project was being held on the twelfth floor of Daechon Department Store.

Standing atop the temporary stage, Kim Ae-Ryeon personally took the microphone and gestured toward one side.

"Mr. Han Yung-Bok of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has arrived. Please welcome Mr. Minister with a warm round of applause."

Clap clap clap.

Everyone attending the event joined in applauding. Minister Han Yung-Bok climbed onto the stage with a broad smile.

Seo Yeon-Woo, who had appeared in the first public service advertisement for the Arts and Culture Dementia Healing Project, Director Park Bull-Chool, who had directed it, and Yoo-Jin, who would appear in future installments, all stood to greet him.

"Welcome, Mr. Minister."

"Haha. You're acting as though someone important has arrived."

After exchanging brief greetings, Han Yung-Bok accepted the microphone from Kim Ae-Ryeon.

"I'm Han Yung-Bok. I'd like to sincerely thank Daechon for hosting such a meaningful event."

Han Yung-Bok's congratulatory speech began. Meanwhile, Kim Ae-Ryeon quietly stepped down from the stage as she wanted all camera focus concentrated on the minister. After a brief introduction, Han Yung-Bok passionately explained the success of the Arts and Culture Dementia Healing Project and the measurable results it had achieved.

Once he finished, Yoo-Jin took the microphone and began the fundraising portion of the evening.

"I'm sure everyone is disappointed that Mrs. Kim Hyun-Ja and Miso couldn't attend tonight. Since I'm here instead, please don't be too disappointed and give generously! Also, I'll personally mention every donating company on my Instargem account!"

Yoo-Jin had just announced free publicity.

Immediately, President Jin Sung-Joon raised his hand. "Miss Yoo-Jin, then Jinseong Foods will donate two billion won to the Arts and Culture Dementia Healing Project this year."

Right after him, Acting President Jin Ah-Ram spoke up. "Jinseong Hotel & Resort will contribute one billion won."

Not to be outdone, Lee Ha-Yoon, Kim Ae-Ryeon's daughter, shot her hand into the air. "Hayoon Entertainment will donate one billion won too!"

From that point onward, it turned into something resembling an American fundraising auction. One after another, people raised their hands and announced donation amounts. Of course, the pledges weren't legally binding. Still, making a promise in front of a government minister carried significant weight. On top of that, top star Yoo-Jin—who now had over a million Instargem followers—had promised promotional exposure.

Hands immediately began flying up throughout the room.

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ryeon stepped down from the stage and approached me. "Chief Jung. Is it really okay for Miss Yoo-Jin to advertise those companies on Instargem?"

I nodded. "Yes. I told her to do it."

"You did?"

"If we don't offer something in return, do you think these people would actually donate?"

Most of the executives gathered here could casually spend tens of millions of won on a single night of drinking. Yet some of those same people would delay paying a rookie actor's fifty-million-won advertising fee for three months, only to hand over a six-month promissory note in the end.

That was why I had asked Yoo-Jin to dangle a simple incentive. The plan was to receive support for the project in exchange for giving a little publicity. That would speed up donations. And those donations would help further promote the increasingly popular Arts and Culture Dementia Healing Project. In turn, the actors and singers participating in the campaign would gain even more recognition.

"I thought it was strange when she suddenly offered free publicity. So this wasn't simple goodwill at all. You were planning to squeeze money out of those money-grubbing sharks?"

"Exactly."

"I swear, Chief Jung, your business sense is unbelievable. Sometimes it feels like you understand corporate executives better than I do."

"You're flattering me."

"Flattering you? Not at all. Chief Jung, and I mean this sincerely—have you ever considered joining our company? Hmm? Other than the chairman's seat, you can have any position you want. I'll make you my right-hand man, overseeing the entire Daechon Inc."

When we first met, she had offered me a blank check in exchange for information about her older sister's corruption. Now she was casually asking whether I wanted to take the wheel of Daechon Inc., the seventeenth-largest conglomerate in the country.

I smiled and politely rejected. "Being a talent agent is my calling. Besides, how could an ordinary person like me possibly lead a conglomerate ranked seventeenth in the business world?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon let out a short laugh. "Ordinary? Who? You, Chief Jung? You've gotten a lot better at jokes. What kind of ordinary person goes toe-to-toe with a third-generation chaebol like Sung Joon-Sang without batting an eye? And by the way... Daechon isn't seventeenth anymore." She proudly shrugged her shoulders. "We're sixteenth now."

Apparently Daechon's ranking had climbed one spot last month. Come to think of it, calling myself ordinary was probably a stretch. After all, not everyone could casually stand here having a private conversation with the owner of the sixteenth-largest conglomerate in the country.

Just then, Han Yung-Bok picked up the microphone once more.

"I will never forget the generosity everyone has shown tonight. We will make sure these funds are used properly for the elderly suffering from dementia. Now then... I'd like to invite someone special to today's celebratory performance. Please welcome singer Kim Hyun-Ji, who performed 'Youth, Once Again!', the song featured in our public service advertisement."

Clap clap!

Applause filled the room.

Wearing a white dress, Kim Hyun-Ji stepped onto the stage to perform 'Youth, Once Again!'

***

Standing beneath the spotlight, Kim Hyun-Ji gripped the microphone and began singing in a powerful voice.

『You only live once~

Don't leave regrets behind.

What is youth, really?

It's all a matter of mindset.

...

Life is a party.

And you're the star.

It's not too late even now.

So why not enjoy it while you can?

A second life.

Youth, Once Again!』

As the live performance of Kim Hyun-Ji continued, many of the older members of the business elite began singing along. The song had already become popular enough to reach third place on the charts.

At that moment, Han Yung-Bok approached our group and once again thanked Kim Ae-Ryeon. "Vice President Kim, thank you. Thanks to the timing of this fundraiser, people who normally donate one or two hundred million won ended up contributing ten times that amount."

Kim Ae-Ryeon shook her head. "The credit belongs to Chief Jung, not me. He was the one who made the public service advertisement such a success, and bringing Miss Yoo-Jin here tonight to ignite the fundraising was his idea as well. All I did was provide the venue."

"Is that so? Then it seems I've been thanking the wrong person." Han Yung-Bok immediately grabbed my hand. "Chief Jung, thank you. Thanks to you, we've received support from so many people."

"It's nothing, Mr. Minister."

While we exchanged pleasantries, Kim Hyun-Ji's performance came to an end.

Then Kim Ae-Ryeon spoke up. "Mr. Minister, after the event there's a small tea gathering scheduled with our Honorary Chairman. That's still alright, isn't it?"

At that moment, Han Yung-Bok, who had been preparing to return to the stage, tilted his head. "Hm? The Honorary Chairman's office told me a little while ago that we'd meet another time. Apparently he's not feeling well."

"My father?"

"Didn't they contact you?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon bit her lip and nodded. "If you received the message directly, then it must be true. In that case, I'll see you another time."

When Kim Ae-Ryeon bowed politely, Han Yung-Bok smiled. "Very well. Until next time."

The moment Han Yung-Bok returned to the stage, Kim Ae-Ryeon called over one of her secretaries. "Secretary Yoo. What's going on?"

The secretary answered, "I was just informed myself. Mr. Honorary Chairman instructed that once the event ends, Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho and Miss Jung Yoo-Jin should come to headquarters with you and meet in the main conference room."

'Instead of seeing the minister, he wants to see me, Kim Ae-Ryeon, and Yoo-Jin? What in the world was this about?'

***

A short while later, the fundraising gala came to an end. Nearly twenty billion won had been raised.

Honorary Chairman Kim Bu-Ho had requested that Yoo-Jin be brought along, but I called Lee Yung-Jin, who had been waiting in the car, and sent Yoo-Jin home instead. Afterward, Kim Ae-Ryeon and I headed to Daechon Inc. headquarters nearby.

Click.

We opened the door to the chairman's office and stepped inside. Kim Bu-Ho stood by the window with a cane in hand, staring outside with a rigid expression.

However, standing beside him was his grandson, Sung Joon-Sang, smiling with the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Kim Bu-Ho abruptly turned around. Then he shouted at us with a cold expression, "I heard that the ones who got Ae-Ja arrested were you and Chief Jung working together. Is that true, Ae-Ryeon?"

'So this is what Sung Joon-Sang meant when he asked whether we'd regret it.'

Kim Ae-Ryeon bit her lip and hesitated. "Well..."

Kim Bu-Ho's gaze shifted toward me. "Then you answer, Chief Jung. Was it because of you that Ae-Ja ended up in prison?"

The titan who had built the sixteenth-largest conglomerate in the country from nothing glared at me with eyes that seemed ready to crush everything I had.

Yet I didn't back down. I had always known a day like this would eventually come, and I had prepared thoroughly for it.

"Yes, sir. I'm the one who did it."