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Chapter 113: Winter After Spring? (2)

My lips began to curl into a smile. With a PD like Kim Sung-Woon who was known as the ‘viewership ratings hunter,’ a script by the hit-maker Lee Ji-Yeon, and the addition of Yoo-Jin, it was like forming a dream team.

"Congratulations!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Thanks, but it\'s really not something to celebrate. I thought I\'d take a break, but it seems the company couldn\'t stand to see me taking a rest so they handed me this project."

"Oh, come on, you did well in the last project. That’s clearly why they entrusted this upcoming project to you. The higher-ups must recognize your talent, Mr. Kim."

Kim Sung-Woon chuckled softly. "Well, I hope that’s the case. It was hinted that I might be the next PD for MBS\'s special drama, Empress Myeongseong 2021, which was the reason behind my wanting to meet you today. But things have taken an unexpected turn."

In that instant, it felt like the squid suction cups in the seafood pancake I was eating were stuck to my throat. The buzz from the makgeolli dissipated simultaneously and a cold sweat ran down my spine.

‘I almost got involved with Empress Myeongseong 2021, a project doomed to be a historic flop due to major issues with the investors and the writer.’

"Em-Empress Myeongseong 2021?"

"Yes, but now that I\'ve decided to take on In the Name of God, someone else will probably handle that project. But why do you look so troubled?"

"Oh, it’s just that... the squid got stuck in my throat.”

Declining an offer from a PD to appear in their work was no easy task. Thankfully, there was no need for me to do so anymore as the squid from the seafood pancake smoothly slid down my throat.

"Ah, by the way—I saw the revised script on my way here. Besides the shaman role \'Cheongmyung\' that Yoo-Jin is set to play, there seems to be another shaman character added called \'Wol-Ah.\' Have you seen the revised version?" asked Kim Sung-Woon.

‘What? Another shaman character? What\'s going on here?’

I recalled I was assured that Yoo-Jin would be given a prominent supporting role almost on par with a lead. If there were two characters with the unique identity of a shaman, the significance of Yoo-Jin’s role could be diluted.

"Well...this is the first time I’m hearing this."

Kim Sung-Woon clammed up. "Ah, I might have spoken out of turn. Let\'s pretend you didn\'t hear that."

Though I was curious, it seemed unlikely Kim Sung-Woon would divulge more even if I pressed him. It seemed that I should review Lee Ji-Yeon\'s script as soon as possible.

As more rounds of drinks were served, Kim Sung-Woon, now significantly inebriated, predicted a drop in the viewership ratings for Moonlight Starpour.

"The viewership ratings will plummet for sure...hahaha. Adapting that novel into a drama was a killer. Turning a novel into a drama as it is can be incredibly boring. Hehehe." Kim Sung-Woon rambled.

A gleeful smile spread across Kim Sung-Woon\'s face. It seemed Choi Sung-Eun must have been especially tyrannical to see Kim Sung-Woon wishing for the downfall of the drama he once worked on.

Feeling a bit relieved, I managed to speak up without pressure. "Now that you\'ve left the drama, the viewership ratings will likely take a nosedive."

"Right? As it should be. You have a keen eye, Mr. Jung."

Kim Sung-Woon chuckled and passed me another drink. It looked like it was going to be yet another night of not going home sober.

Just like that, I passed another eventful day in the life of a talent agent.

***

Kim Sung-Woon\'s prediction was accurate.

Without Kim Sung-Woon as the PD, Moonlight Starpour saw many disappointed viewers abandon the show. Thanks to this, the viewership ratings for Blue Sky began to soar.

By episode 11, Blue Sky’s viewership ratings had climbed to 15.9%. And by episode 12, they had reached an impressive 16.9%. The atmosphere in Actor Division 2 was electric, reminiscent of the eve of a festival, with many of them speculating that the viewership ratings might even surpass 20%.

This surge in popularity brought in a flood of CF offers for Yoo-Jin.

"Assistant Manager Jung, the sports manufacturer, Rocos, wants to shoot a golf club ad with Yoo-Jin. They came to meet us directly."

"I heard that the son of that advertiser is notorious. He\'s known for making inappropriate demands on the models."

"Okay, got it. I\'ll handle it and send them away."

Before Kang Gam-Chan left, he had instructed that all decisions regarding Yoo-Jin should reflect my opinion as much as possible. Hence, I had the final say on which advertisements to accept. This allowed me to utilize the knowledge from my past life and the planner effectively.

At that moment, Gu Seong-Cheol mentioned an advertisement he got for Yoo-Jin.

"Yoon-Ho, what do you think about the summer ad for Cocari Sweat? The PR director there is a friend of mine and he\'s really hoping we can make it happen."

"Cocari Sweat?"

The Cocari Sweat summer advertisement was renowned for featuring only the hottest female celebrities of the year. Although the pay wasn\'t the highest, the exposure was significant, making it a coveted opportunity for many.

In my past life, Ju Yung-In was set to be the model for this summer\'s Cocari Sweat advertisement.

"Just a moment, Mr. Gu."

Pretending to search for an article, I flipped through the planner.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: May 29th, 2020]

-08:00 PM Ju Yung-In. Cocari Sweat CF meeting. (Hanul Korean Cuisine at Gangnam Station.)

The entry for Ju Yung-In\'s preliminary meeting for the contract was still in the planner.

\'So if we don\'t accept it, the opportunity would go back to Ju Yung-In?\'

I might have considered leaving it if Ju Yung-In were still with our company, but I no longer had any reason to, considering that she was now with Ace Entertainment.

I nodded as I closed the planner.

"Yes, Yoo-Jin would love Cocari Sweat."

"Okay. But Yoo-Jin wearing swimwear is mandatory because it is a summer ad. Is Yoo-Jin okay with skin exposure?"

"We have the great invention of rash guards, don\'t we?”

Yoo-Jin had requested to avoid roles or advertisements with significant skin exposure considering Miso might see them, but a rash guard would mitigate such concerns.

Gu Seong-Cheol smiled contentedly. "Alright, let\'s proceed with that."

"Oh, but could we add one condition?"

"Condition?"

"When it transitions to a global advertisement, let\'s include a clause for renegotiating the contract fee."

After all, this summer’s Cocari Sweat advertisement, which was initially created for the Korean market, would eventually turn into a global campaign due to its exceptional quality.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: December 25th, 2020]

-07:00 PM Cocari Sweat advertisement notification for a global campaign in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

Gu Seong-Cheol put his arm around my shoulder with a pleased expression and asked, "Did you hear something?"

"Yes, I have reliable information."

With an excited look, Gu Seong-Cheol started calling the PR director at Cocari Sweat. At the same time, the planner entry for May 29th was vanishing—Ju Yung-In\'s Cocari Sweat advertisement had become Yoo-Jin\'s, marking the moment she would become the hottest actress of the year.

***

I had arranged to meet with Lee Ji-Yeon regarding the script for Yoo-Jin’s next drama.

-Then let\'s meet at Soll-Ip\'s house tomorrow. Also, can you bring four liters of coffee? She can\'t work without your coffee these days.

"Instead of that, how about I send four bottles to the studio every week?"

-Ha ha. That would be much appreciated.

At that moment, an unfamiliar number called me as soon as I hung up the call with Lee Ji-Yeon.

"Hello, this is Assistant Manager Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment\'s Actor Division 2."

-I\'m Cheon Yi-Sang from TK Entertainment.

My expression instantly hardened. In my past life, Cheon Yi-Sang had been a formidable opponent who constantly attacked my weaknesses and poached the actors from Top Entertainment. He was one of the people who used to be in a fierce battle with me.

“What makes you give me a call?”

-It’s not something that should be talked about over a phone call. There is a cafe called Stone Grave near Hoop Entertainment. Can we meet there and talk about this then?

Meeting Cheon Yi-Sang was not something I would have entertained in the past. However, I was curious about his intentions which prompted me to agree to the meeting. After all, as the saying goes, knowing your enemy is essential for victory.

"I\'ll see you in ten minutes."

-Alright. I\'ll be waiting.

After hastily wrapping up some pending work, I headed out of the office to the cafe called Stone Grave which was just a two-minute walk away. There, a sharp-looking middle-aged man in an Ormani striped suit sipping an espresso con panna awaited me.

With his pomade-slicked hair and gold-framed glasses, he looked more like a financier than someone from the entertainment industry.

"Right over here." Cheon Yi-Sang hollered as he lifted his hand to gesture for me to join him.

We exchanged business cards and greetings as I took the seat opposite him and asked, "So, why did you want to meet me? It doesn\'t seem like you\'re here to apologize for Petite More\'s affair."

Cheon Yi-Sang grinned and said, "I see why Director Ma Dong-Pal was troubled by you—you are very direct right from the start. Haven\'t you heard that the Petite More’s incident was just Teddy Kim\'s personal indiscretion?"

"I find that hard to believe."

"Haha, life must be quite difficult for you since you\'re always so suspicious like this." Cheon Yi-Sang replied with a deep smile as he fiddled with his coffee cup.

Then, he looked up and said, "I\'m not one to beat around the bush, so I\'ll get straight to the point. I\'ve come to recruit you to our company."

\'What? Recruit? This is an unexpected turn of events.\'

"You want to work with me? I thought you\'d want me dead after what happened." I responded.

Cheon Yi-Sang replied with a chuckle, "Haha, well, you know how it is with work. You fight, you make up—that\'s just how it goes."

Although we had clashed numerous times in my past life, there was never a reconciliation between us. But now, he clearly saw me as a young contender he could easily sway to his side.

Cheon Yi-Sang\'s eyes sparkled as if he were looking at a delicious prey. Then, he made an offer.

"If you join our company, I\'ll immediately offer you a team lead position. Your salary will match that of a chief and I will also give you additional bonuses. This is in recognition of your achievements. What do you say to these terms?"

A chief-level salary at TK Entertainment would be around 80 million won. With bonuses included, the offer would indeed exceed 100 million won, which was more than double my current salary of around 37 million won as a newly promoted assistant manager.

However, the idea of moving to a company like TK Entertainment which had ties to organized crime was completely unappealing to me.

"The offer isn\'t too bad, but I\'m not sure I could get along well with Director Ma Dong-Pal or Miss Park Eun-Bin."

Cheon Yi-Sang\'s expression stiffened slightly at my refusal.

"Look, Assistant Manager Jung. Companies are places where you put up with unpleasant superiors and annoying juniors to earn money to succeed. I didn\'t think you\'d be unaware of such basics."

"It\'s not that I\'m unaware. It\'s just that the team members are more important to me than money and prestige. I didn\'t think you\'d be unaware of such basics."

When I used Cheon Yi-Sang\'s words against him, his expression turned menacing.

"Young man, you better think it over. You will definitely regret it if you don\'t," warned Cheon Yi-Sang.

His warning was delivered in a low voice and a cold chill seemed to emanate from his face.

But this reaction was no surprise to me as it was the same old pattern as in my past life—enticement followed by threats.

Being a lawyer, Cheon Yi-Sang often paraded around with a hollow laugh and rarely revealed his true intentions. However, his nature wasn\'t much different from Kim Tae-Kwon\'s. The fact that he got along with a former gangster like Kim Tae-Kwon meant they were cut from the same cloth.

I pulled out my phone which had been recording the entire conversation.

"Are you threatening me now?"

Cheon Yi-Sang glanced at the phone and chuckled. "You\'re more amusing than I thought. Hey, Assistant Manager Jung. You do know I\'m a lawyer, right?"

"I\'m well aware."

"And you\'re still recording, huh? You know this could cause problems, right?"

At that moment, Cheon Yi-Sang suddenly spoke in a much softer tone to a passing part-timer. "Excuse me, could you recommend a good dessert or sandwich from here?"

The part-timer answered kindly, "Oh, our sandwiches are quite delicious. Would you like to order one?"

"Sure. Can I get two, please? Also, here\'s my credit card. Please get a sandwich for each of the staff working in the store using this. It\'s on me."

When Cheon Yi-Sang offered his black card, the part-timer, who was smiling while taking the order, shook her head with a perplexed expression. "Thank you so much for the offer, but it\'s fine, really."

"Ha ha, I just appreciate seeing you all working hard. Think of it as a tip. Go on, take it."

The part-timer hesitated at first but then bowed gratefully as she received the card.

"Th-thank you so much! I really appreciate it."

The part-timer took the credit card to the cashier, and all three part-timers in the store approached our table shortly after to express their gratitude.

"Thank you! We\'ll enjoy the meal."

"Ha ha, it\'s great to see you all working hard. Keep it up!"

Cheon Yi-Sang cheerfully encouraged them, managing the situation deftly.

I hadn\'t anticipated the conversation taking this turn. Apart from Cheon Yi-Sang\'s voice and mine on the recording, there were now three others. The moment a third party\'s voice was recorded in what was supposed to be a private conversation, it complicated the use of the recording as evidence.

Cheon Yi-Sang knew this well and used it to his advantage. Then, he adjusted his Ormani suit and stood up.

"Assistant Manager Jung, think about the offer to join our company. If I don\'t hear from you by tomorrow, be prepared for some regrettable consequences."

Cheon Yi-Sang\'s gaze turned cold once again as he finished speaking and left the cafe without even touching the sandwiches.

Ring~.

The entrance bell of the cafe rang sharply. Despite it being a warm spring day, a chill seemed to permeate the air.

"By tomorrow, huh...what are you planning, Cheon Yi-Sang?”