Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 703: Setup (1)

-One of the child cast members for the popular segment 'Drawing Time' on Round and Round Friends! had dropped out. How about Miso? I reached out because Miso said she liked to draw during that day's Haze audition interview.

As grateful as I was for the offer, there was a big problem. Miso did like drawing, but her style wasn't very mainstream. If I had to compare, it resembled the style of Kandinsky, the father of abstract art, or Cézanne and Picasso from cubism and modern art.

In other words, it was so original that I was afraid to show Miso's artwork to the public. I was worried Miso might lose one of the joys in life if others judged her art.

On top of that, EBC's Round and Round Friends! 'Drawing Time' segment also included a 'Follow-Along' part taught by the famous overseas-trained artist, Jamie. That segment featured three other kids her age, and I worried that Miso might be compared and become the target of teasing.

As I struggled to decide how to respond to PD Yang Tae-Ji's suggestion, Miso, sitting across from me, looked up with bright eyes and asked, "Uncle Yoon-Ho, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

'Yeah. I'm sick. My heart is aching, Miso.'

I felt bad because I couldn't get Miso on the show she wanted.

Then, Yang Tae-Ji asked again.

-Hmm~ Why? Was it a hard request? Well, Miso had become a star now, so I thought it wouldn't be easy...

"I'm sorry, Ms. Yang. I was checking Miso's schedule, so it took a while. If it's okay, could I give you an answer after discussing it with Miso and Yoo-Jin?"

-Oh~ sure. By the way, if you had any of Miso's drawings, could you send them to me via Kk Talk? Now that I think of it, I've never actually seen her work.

'Oh, she wants me to send Miso's drawings via Kk Talk? That's perfect.'

Once they saw her drawings, there was a good chance they would cancel the casting first.

'Thank you, Ms. Yang.'

"I'll send them right away!"

-Huh? Why did your voice suddenly sound so cheerful?

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that the beef was sizzling right in front of me."

-Haha~ Having a team dinner, huh? Got it. Enjoy your meal. I'll check the drawings as soon as you send them.

Even over the phone, I could hear Yang Tae-Ji smacking her lips. After hanging up, I looked across the table at Miso. Miso was dancing with the tongs while watching the beef cook.

"Meat~ meat~"

The silver tongs in Miso's right hand clicked like castanets. At the same time, her head bobbed like a metronome.

At that moment, I made up my mind a little more firmly. I decided to protect Miso's joyful smile like that. I didn't want to see Miso suffer from malicious comments if her boldly drawn, original artwork was aired. After all, even adults had a hard time enduring online hate.

'I should tell Yoo-Jin about this later, too.'

Just then, Miso looked at my worried face and tilted her head. "Uncle Yoon-Ho! Meat~ why aren't you eating it?"

I forced a smile at her. "Oh, I will. How about you start eating first, Miso?"

"Umm. I can't... adults had to eat first..."

Kind-hearted Miso had thought for a moment, then picked up a piece of meat with the tongs. She placed it on my plate and said, "Uncle Yoon-Ho goes first!"

"Okay. Just let me send this real quick."

I quickly selected just five of Miso's drawings saved on my phone and sent them to Yang Tae-Ji.

[Sent]

After I hit send, my heart started pounding. It was the first time Miso's drawings would be evaluated by someone else.

To calm my racing heart, I reached for the perfectly grilled beef that Miso had placed on my plate. I could feel the tender texture of the beef at the tip of my chopsticks. The Maillard-reacted beef had a rich, dark brown surface.

As I brought it to my mouth, the savory juices filled my mouth completely. As expected, eating beef brought peace of mind and erased all worries.

'It'll all work out somehow.'

Suddenly, I felt like everything in life was going to go well. Truly, beef was the ultimate remedy for the soul.

***

Sizzle~

After grilling one round of beef, I moved on to grilling the chuck flap tail. As I observed the shimmering S-grade snowflake marbling, I grilled it with a prayer in my heart since each piece of beef cost a fortune.

But in that crucial moment, a call came in from an unknown number.

[Caller ID: 010-222X-901X]

'Who could it be?'

It had only been five minutes since I ended the call with Yang Tae-Ji, so I figured it was a reporter who had seen today's Haze audition article or an advertiser.

I thought about not answering, but eventually picked up. Every call that came to me now had its own weight.

"This is Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment."

Then, I heard the slightly awkward tone of a woman in her early thirties.

-Hello~ Mr. Jung~ This is~ Teacher Jamie~

If it was Teacher Jamie, then she was the beloved art teacher for kids on EBC's Round and Round Friends!

She was beautiful enough to be a celebrity herself and was a star artist who held solo exhibitions in New York every year. Despite her paintings selling for hundreds of millions of won, she appeared on the show for just three hundred thousand won in appearance fees. It was her way of donating her talent to help children fall in love with art.

Even before my regression, I had a good memory of meeting her. And now she had personally called me, her voice full of excitement.

-I saw the drawings you sent to Ms. Yang. The ones by Jung Miso~

"Oh, hello, ma'am. What did you think?"

And then, Jamie's enthusiastic praise poured out.

-Wow~ I had heard Miso liked drawing, but I never imagined she was this much of a genius~ A rediscovery of color and composition~ The sense of boldness and form was incredible~ Truly~ truly~ I'm so overwhelmed by how wonderful it is~ My heart feels like it's going to explode~ It's unbelievable~~

Though she held Korean citizenship, she had lived in the U.S. until she was twenty, so her expressions were unique.

'But what did she just say? Wonderful? Unbelievable? Has she really seen the drawings I sent?'

"You're saying Miso's drawings are that good?"

-Yep! Honestly, just based on what you sent, I'd want to feature them in my solo New York exhibition at the end of this year~ This fantastic piece. Miso is a genius!

'Is Miso really a drawing genius? That bright little one sitting across from me, cheerfully dipping grilled meat into sauces and taking a big bite?'

"Um, ma'am, perhaps you could check again? I think I might have sent the wrong drawings by mistake..."

Just in case, I resent them along with some others. However, that only brought even more excited reactions.

At that moment, Miso, still deeply immersed in her beef, looked at me and grinned. "Hehe~ It's so good~ Uncle Yoon-Ho, you should eat more~ Or it'll all disappear~"

I pulled some tissue from the table and wiped the sauce from the corner of Miso's mouth as I laughed. "Miso. You can eat as much as you want~ Got it?"

Then I said to Jamie, "Ma'am. Then are you saying Miso should appear on the program?"

Jamie's voice began to soften endlessly.

-No...... actually....... I said no.

I hadn't meant to send Miso on the show, but hearing that still stung a little.

'What was wrong with Miso, huh!?'

"You praised her, so why not?"

-Miso's art style would only be ruined if she went through clumsy formal training~ Oh~ no~ absolutely not~ EBC is more for general education, so that wouldn't be right, but I contacted you because I personally wanted to teach her~

An elite artist who was called a prodigy in the U.S. wanted to teach Miso. The unbelievable things just kept coming.

"I-Is that so?"

-So please don't be discouraged~ Please~

'Discouraged? No way.'

This was practically a perfect outcome, and there was no reason to be discouraged. Still, I figured I should do something to lift Miso's spirits.

"Would you mind talking to Miso on the phone?"

-Of course not~ I would love to~

Looking at Miso across the table, I said, "Miso, it's a call from Teacher Jamie."

"Really? The real Teacher Jamie? From Round and Round Friends?"

Miso was startled at the thought of getting a call from her idol.

"Yeah. EBC's Round and Round Friends! reached out, so I sent your drawings. But she said you're a genius, and instead of TV, private lessons might be better. Sorry, Miso. I know you wanted to be on TV."

Miso shook her head hard. "Oh, no. It's okay! Just talking to Teacher Jamie makes everything okay."

"Alright. Then go ahead and talk to her."

"Yay!"

I handed the phone to Miso and she cheerfully shouted.

"Hello, Teacher Jamie~ This is Jung Miso, 1st grade, class 1 at Cheonho Best Elementary School!"

With Miso's spirited greeting, their conversation began.

"Yes! Yes!"

I didn't know what Jamie was saying, but Miso was smiling and nodding. Five minutes later, Miso ended the call and said, "Yes, teacher! I'll talk to my mom and call you back."

Miso handed the phone back to me. As I answered, Jamie spoke with excitement in her voice.

-Mr. Jung, I explained everything well to Miso. And starting next week, I'd like to give her lessons once every two weeks. Please let Miss Yoo-Jin know~ okay?

Lessons meant there would be a cost.

"Oh, if it's lessons, then I'll pay for..."

-No. It's fine. I'll do it for free. Instead...

"Instead?"

-Let's plan to include her work in my year-end exhibition~ Please~

So the exhibition wasn't a joke after all. Miso was really a genius. I couldn't help but grin, and my shoulders puffed up a little.

"Alright. I'll talk to Yoo-Jin and get back to you. I'm sure she won't object."

Every parent wanted to raise their child well. And Yoo-Jin, who understood Miso's dream better than anyone, would never stop her.

After ending the call, I phoned Yoo-Jin. When she heard the story, she jumped and shouted with joy.

-See!? I told you Miso is a genius!

'Liar.'

She had sighed secretly with me about Miso plenty of times. However, managing an actor's mindset was part of the talent agent's job.

"Right. I always say you've got an eye for things. Anyway, keep filming well in Jeju. I'll fly over there soon."

-Heehee. Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow~

I passed the phone to Miso. Miso and Yoo-Jin shouted with excitement, voices rising in unison. None of us could hide our joy at the unexpected good fortune.

After finishing the call with Yoo-Jin, Miso handed the phone back. And at that moment, Miso stood up and came over to me. Then she opened her arms and hugged me tightly.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho~ thank you so much~~"

Miso's hug made my chest tighten with emotion.

I hugged Miso back and said, "Congratulations, Miso. Then let's hurry and finish our meal. We need to go visit Auntie Snow White, okay?"

Auntie Snow White was the nickname Miso had given Lee Sa-Yeon, Park Sang-Gyu's wife.

Miso shouted in a strong voice, "Okay!"

As Miso returned to her seat, I opened the air vent installed under the table. The white charcoal flared up once more and then dimmed. After that, we placed the third grill on the charcoal and began grilling the next round of beef.

Sizzle~

Once again, the sweet melody of heaven rang in our ears.

***

After the meal, we stopped by Guro Hope Hospital.

Lee Sa-Yeon had begun moving her upper body and arms, and we heard that she would start lower-body rehab next week. Miso held Auntie Snow White's hand and kept congratulating her, full of joy.

Afterward, I reminded Park Sang-Gyu of the press conference schedule for the film Doppelgänger next week and the script reading schedule for the drama Haze, then left the hospital with Miso.

At that moment, a Kk Talk message came in. It was the list I had asked for earlier—the companies that President Park Hyung-Moon had invested in.

[Sender: Bank President Choi Yung-Ho]

[True Angels (Park Hyung-Moon) stock investment companies.]

-LT Entertainment.

-CK Entertainment.

-LM Apparel.

-CK Foods.

-Jinseong Foods.

...

Every single one of them was a company I was familiar with.

Then, a call came in from Choi Eun-Tae. The moment I picked up, Choi Eun-Tae asked,

-Did you check the list?

"Yes, sir. But the companies President Park Hyung-Moon invested in..."

-That's right. That bastard Hyung-Moon has invested in every single company tied to you.

True Angels, the firm Park Hyung-Moon ran, was an investment company that specialized in entertainment-related businesses. Despite being hostile toward me, he had invested in the companies of advertisers I had partnered with.

"Didn't Mr. Park dislike me?"

-He dislikes people, not money. That bastard has an uncanny sense for sniffing out where the money is. He'll probably keep investing in any company you're involved with, without even checking.

'So he had been deciding where to invest just by watching my moves?'

It was ridiculous, but it actually worked in my favor. If Park Hyung-Moon was using my movements to decide his investments, then it would be easier to mess with him.

"Thank you. Now I'm more confident in my approach."

-So, what are you planning to do?

"Investment firms like Park Hyung-Moon's usually use paid tabloid services from Yeouido, right? I plan to use one of them to feed him false information."

Most of the gossip that tormented celebrities came from professional paid tabloid producers operating around Yeouido. These paid stock-market tabloids compiled information leaked from people working in intel teams at the Blue House, conglomerates, and news outlets.

They were created by former NIS agents, police officers, and reporters, and were only accessible by paying hundreds of thousands to millions of won a month via email subscription. Even getting that information just an hour earlier than others could shake the stock market. After all, when scandals like corporate embezzlement, affairs, or celebrity corruption broke, stock prices reacted immediately.

That was why in the securities industry, everyone subscribed to these tabloids. Since Park Hyung-Moon ran an investment firm, he must have subscribed to several. So I planned to use one of those paid tabloid producers to leak false information targeting Park Hyung-Moon.

-But aren't those paid tabloid companies all organized in cells? I heard they're hard to track down.

"I know one."

-Do you? Haha. Is there anything you don't know?

'If I said 'Not really,' I would come off as cocky, wouldn't I?'

"I don't know everything...."

-Haha. Alright. Well then, it looks like you might be able to land a big one on that bastard Hyung-Moon. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask.

"Yes, Mr. Chairman."

After ending the call, I immediately called Kang Eun-Gi. I needed his help to deal with the tabloid company this time.

***

I arrived at the basement entrance of an old five-story building called the Geumgang Building located at the back alley of the K Securities district in Yeouido .

The path down to the basement was narrow, barely enough for one person to walk through. At the end of that passage was BM Report, a paid tabloid producer that had been operating there since a year ago.

The owner's name was Tae Beom-Gu, nicknamed 'Beol-Gu'. He was a former star reporter who had jumped into the industry after realizing paid tabloids could be profitable. In the financial world, he went by the ID 'BigMouse', distributing his work under the name BM Report.

Starting now, I planned to catch him and feed him a piece of false information to leak to Park Hyung-Moon.

Just then, Kang Eun-Gi, who had come with me, gave instructions to Lee Soo-Chan and the guys. "If you go around back, there's a karaoke exit—block it. According to Yoon-Ho, that's the rear door."

"Yes, hyung-nim!"

Lee Soo-Chan and his team put on masks and moved around to the back. There were supposed to be two escape routes, and I knew one of them.

Kang Eun-Gi looked down the narrow basement stairs and asked, "I heard these paid tabloid companies make a lot of money. So why would they open an office in such a shabby place?"

"They earn a lot and spend a lot. Plus, since it's illegal, it's easier to run if the police show up."

Kang Eun-Gi clicked his tongue as he listened. "Still, why did you bring me and the boys for this?"

Starting in a few days, Kang Eun-Gi would have to move in earnest toward becoming a celebrity with his appearance on The Omniscient Viewpoint.

He seemed slightly sulky, perhaps wanting to spend more time with Yoon-Soo and Eun-Soo before then.

"I'll wrap this up quickly and send you back. These guys won't talk unless you've got C&P."

"C&P? What's that supposed to be?"

Just before I was about to answer, the basement door swung open and Tae Beom-Gu came out, locking eyes with me.

Crash.

"Shit!"

Tae Beom-Gu immediately turned and ran.

I shouted to Kang Eun-Gi, "Let's talk later!"

I rushed down the stairs, chasing after Tae Beom-Gu as fast as I could. If I lost him now, I might never find him again.