Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 736: Past and Present (3)

Chae Mi-Hyun, queen of romantic comedies, had spent fifteen years at the very top, building a career as a beloved star with 1.5 million followers on Instargem.

That was the reason I had planned an Instargem live broadcast to begin immediately after the show aired, so we could leave an even stronger impression on fans still riding the emotional wave.

Park Eun-Chan's voice buzzed with excitement.

-Chae Mi-Hyun's going live on Instargem?

"Yes. And Deok-Bae's on his way here too. He'll be joining the stream midway through."

-Nice! All right, I'll tell the tech team to upload the VOD as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Mr. Park. And today's broadcast... it was truly excellent."

Because they had shown Chae Mi-Hyun and Kang Eun-Gi honestly confessing their regrets and reflecting on their pasts, the whole thing had felt like a touching human drama. That was no doubt what brought in those viewership ratings.

-Come on, it's not like I did anything. The two of them spoke from the heart and that's why the response was so good. Anyway, great work, everyone!

With the show peaking at 16.2%, Park Eun-Chan's voice sounded brighter and more upbeat than I had ever heard it.

As soon as the call ended, Lee Ho-Jae gave a lively shout. "Camera setup's done! Let's move to the next room!"

Kang Eun-Gi took a deep breath and addressed everyone. "Let's knock this out, then hit the afterparty."

"Yes, sir!"

The current time was 12:35 a.m. It was time to start the Instargem live.

***

The current time was 12:50 a.m. Just fifteen minutes after the live broadcast began, the viewership had already passed twenty thousand.

[Chae Mi-Hyun's Instargem Live]

[Current Viewers: 23,230]

Chae Mi-Hyun, Chae Seok-Hyun, and Kang Eun-Gi were all wearing white T-shirts with black lettering on the chest: "Chae Mi-Hyun," "Chae Mi-Hyun's Little Brother," and "Chae Mi-Hyun's Talent Agent."

They were answering questions I read out loud from fans during the Q&A session. Since viewers often threw out some pretty tricky questions, I had taken on the role of MC myself.

That's when a new comment popped up in the chat.

(Live Chat)

-barobaroman: Can you ask Seok-Hyun if he has anything he wants to say to his sister?

I read the question, then turned to Chae Seok-Hyun. "This next question is for Mr. Chae Seok-Hyun."

Chae Seok-Hyun shot his hand up. "Yes! I'm Chae Seok-Hyun."

"Do you have anything you've always wanted to say to your sister? It's technically a question, but feel free to answer however you want."

"There is something I want to say to my sister!"

"Is that so? Then would you mind looking into the camera and saying it?"

"Got it!"

Still seated in his chair, Chae Seok-Hyun turned his body to the left. Then he rummaged around in his pocket and pulled something out. It was a crumpled A4 sheet folded tightly. Chae Seok-Hyun smoothed it out carefully, then began to speak with his eyes locked on his sister.

"My sister is strong.

She endures anything hard for my sake. She overcomes any difficulty for my sake. She pretends not to notice any sadness for my sake.

But even so, I don't like that my sister is strong. Because she doesn't realize how much she suffers because of me. Because she doesn't realize how hard her life is because of me. Because she doesn't realize how sad she is because of me.

But, noona. I'm okay now.

Uncle Eun-Gi and Uncle Yoon-Ho are my friends, so I'm not lonely anymore. And I'm not hurting anymore.

So now, it's your turn to be happy. Now, it's your turn to stop hurting. From now on, just come to Jeju once a month.

And meet friends other than me. If you make lots of friends, you won't be lonely either. And you won't be hurtin' anymore.

I'm sorry for making things so hard for you all this time.

Please forgive me.

I love you more than anyone in the world, noona."

Chae Seok-Hyun finished reading the letter he had carefully prepared, then raised his arms above his head and formed a slightly clumsy heart.

At that moment, tears poured from Chae Mi-Hyun's big eyes like a waterfall. "Seok-Hyun... I love you too."

Chae Mi-Hyun buried her face into her younger brother's broad chest and began to sob, her shoulders trembling. Chae Seok-Hyun stretched out both arms and pulled her into a firm hug.

And right then, the live chat exploded.

(Live Chat)

-T_T. Seok-Hyun...

-Wow... shit... why am I crying?

-My own little brother's a menace, but Seok-Hyun's a literal angel

-They're seriously such a beautiful sibling.

-Seok-Hyun, we'll be Mi-Hyun unnie's friends for you.

-Starting today, I'm friends with Chae Mi-Hyun. Day one.

-Me too! Me too!

I should have been reading out the comments, but no one could speak right now.

A moment later, Chae Mi-Hyun seemed to suddenly remember they were still filming. She wiped her tears and bowed her head toward the camera. "I'm sorry."

As the impromptu MC, I took a deep breath and replied. "No, it's okay."

Chae Seok-Hyun looked at me with a bright smile. "Uncle Yoon-Ho! I said everything I wanted to my sister!"

"You did?"

"Yes! But there's something I want to say to Uncle Eun-Gi too."

"What is it?"

Chae Seok-Hyun turned to Kang Eun-Gi with a cheerful grin. "Uncle Eun-Gi, are you really my friend?"

Kang Eun-Gi nodded. "Of course. We agreed to be friends, didn't we?"

"Friends do things together when they're happy. Right?"

"Of course. Why? Is there something you want to do?"

Beaming with joy over Kang Eun-Gi agreeing to his request, Chae Seok-Hyun nodded enthusiastically. "Then let's sing together! When you're happy, you're supposed to sing!"

Kang Eun-Gi's face turned pale. After all, Chae Seok-Hyun was asking for the theme song of Robot Warrior I-bic, a full-on group singalong. However, he didn't mean just Kang Eun-Gi.

Chae Seok-Hyun looked straight at me next. "Uncle Yoon-Ho! You too! Let's sing together!"

There were many ways to express happiness.

'But did you really have to drag me into this, too? Seok-Hyun?'

***

"Ahem."

In his hanok in Myeongdong, Chairman Choi Eun-Tae cleared his throat after watching a video on the tablet Choi Yung-Ho, president of Daeheung Savings Bank, had brought him.

Even a hedgehog thinks its child is cute, they say—but Kang Eun-Gi's singing was hard to endure no matter how much he loved him like a son.

"That boy... If only he'd taken after his mother..."

Choi Yung-Ho quickly tried to smooth things over. "Still, he inherited your voice, sir. Deep, dignified, and very striking."

"Well, at least he's got some manly spirit."

"And if you look at the comments here, most people seem genuinely moved by it."

Kang Eun-Gi's singing may have been rough, but the image of the three of them, arms slung over each other's shoulders, and swinging plastic toy swords had been genuinely heartwarming. Everyone could feel genuine innocence from the way they looked out for each other.

At that moment, Choi Eun-Tae's gaze landed on Jung Yoon-Ho, who was shoulder-to-shoulder with Kang Eun-Gi in the video.

'Thank you, Yoon-Ho. Thanks to you, Eun-Gi is able to smile like that.'

Kang Eun-Gi's face had noticeably softened lately, and Choi Eun-Tae wanted to keep watching. But there were more pressing matters to handle, so he reluctantly tore his eyes from the tablet and turned his head.

"Sigh..."

As he exhaled, the joy that had filled his chest vanished in an instant. And just like that, his eyes sharpened with the glint of a predator.

"All right, Yung-Ho. Let's get back to what you were saying earlier. You said that bastard Man-Sik is coming back to Korea?"

Choi Yung-Ho shut off the video and nodded. "Yes. Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill's office had been delaying the summons as long as they could, but it looks like pressure came down from above to bring him in."

"When's he arriving?"

"Suzuki from Japan contacted us saying he'll likely be transferred to Korea next week."

"Weren't we supposed to have him arrested the moment he landed for attempted murder?"

"That was the plan... but it's not looking so easy anymore."

"Why not?"

"Apparently the guy who swung the knife at Eun-Gi that day testified that it wasn't Choi Man-Sik who ordered the hit. He lied that it was the boss he was with at the time."

"What?"

"And now, several new witnesses have surfaced. They're all giving testimony that favors Choi Man-Sik."

Choi Eun-Tae scoffed. "You don't seriously think the prosecution will buy such a clumsy excuse, do you?"

"Prosecutor Seo surely won't, but the higher-ups might pretend to believe it anyway."

"Pretend?"

"Well, with the ruling party favored to win the upcoming by-election, even the prosecutors are starting to feel the pressure from Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon."

"Still. Are they really going to bend the law to let an attempted murderer walk free?"

There wasn't a single person in the upper ranks of the prosecution who hadn't taken Choi Eun-Tae's money. But lately, that money hasn't been working as well as it used to. Everyone still bowed and called him the Elder of Myeongdong. However, they were now quietly aligning themselves with Choi Man-Sik, Park Sang-Gon's son-in-law and his own adopted son.

Crack.

"They think I'm a toothless tiger, do they? I guess it's time I remind them that I'm not dead yet."

His body may have aged, but Choi Eun-Tae's will was more unshakable than ever. He knew that if he faltered now, his real son, Kang Eun-Gi, would be in danger.

"Contact the opposition leader and the deputy head of the ruling party. Set up a meeting. If we leak a story that Choi Man-Sik ordered a hit, it could tank the by-election for them. That should make them more cooperative."

Choi Yung-Ho nodded. "I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

"Good."

Just then, Choi Yung-Ho added one more piece of news. "Ah, and there's one more thing. Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon's daughter has been making some interesting moves."

"Like father, like daughter. What's she up to now?"

"She's been meeting with the chairman of HK Inc., the former chairman of Daecheon Inc., the Jin siblings from Jinseong Inc.... It looks like she's targeting Chief Jung."

Choi Eun-Tae pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Leave that to Yoon-Ho. If we butt in, we'll only make things worse."

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but stepping in now would likely do more harm than good. That being said, there was still one thing he could do.

"But make sure they can't lay a hand on Yoon-Ho or Eun-Gi, no matter what."

"I'll double the long-distance security detail."

"Good. Don't worry about the cost."

"Yes, sir."

With that, their conversation wrapped up and Choi Eun-Tae visibly relaxed. His gaze drifted back to the tablet.

"By the way, is that video still playing?"

"Yes."

"Ahem... Then since it's already late, let's just relax and watch more of Eun-Gi's video."

Choi Yung-Ho smiled and resumed the clip. On screen, Kang Eun-Gi was now doing a strength performance with Choi Deok-Bae, who had apparently joined them.

-Taai~ Taai~ Taa!!

Meanwhile, Jung Yoon-Ho was cooking Real Ramen beside them.

"Those rascals... Do they think they're some kind of Han Seok-Bong?"[1]

The legendary story of cutting rice cakes while writing poetry had somehow turned into cooking ramen while doing strength shows.

But thanks to their antics, a smile finally spread across Choi Eun-Tae's previously stern face.

***

Today was March 14 and the current time was 6:00 a.m.

After a brief nap following the late-night event, I made it to the company. Being the first one in, I prepped for the morning meeting by hooking my laptop up to the big LCD screen in the meeting room.

Then I checked the latest entertainment news headlines.

[Jang So-Yeon named new model for Louis' Batton's accessory line.]

[Jang So-Yeon's charismatic smile bewitches Louis' Batton.]

[The Omniscient Viewpoint hits 16.2% peak minute viewership ratings!]

[90 minutes you couldn't take your eyes off—The Omniscient Viewpoint.]

[Chae Mi-Hyun's Instargem live draws 40,000 concurrent viewers: A warm broadcast with Chae Seok-Hyun and Kang Eun-Gi.]

[Choi Deok-Bae joins Chae Mi-Hyun's Instargem Live: Ramen cooking and strength show.]

[TNT's President Yoo Kang-Seok arrested! Accused of bribing reporters to smear competitors.]

[Jin Myung-Gyu and Jin Myung-Hee of Jinseong Inc. currently under investigation with President Yoo Kang-Seok.]

...

Thanks to yesterday's non-stop action, the number of articles mentioning me had doubled. Especially the The Omniscient Viewpoint broadcast and the Instargem live with Kang Eun-Gi and Chae Mi-Hyun, which peaked at 40,000 concurrent viewers dominated the section.

As a result, Chae Mi-Hyun and Deok-Bae had seen a massive jump in their follower counts in Instargem.

Creak.

The meeting room door opened and the team members began trickling in.

"Good morning, Mr. Jung!"

Everyone looked cheerful. They had clearly seen the news.

"Hey, good morning."

Once everyone was seated, I placed a basket of White Day gifts on the table[2]. After handing out small, fist-sized candy baskets to the female staff, we began the meeting.

Lee Yung-Jin started off with an update on Jiri Mountain, still screening in theaters. "Jiri Mountain is now at nine million viewers. So I was thinking—if Tae-Poong and Mr. Jae-Soo post viewing selfies on Instargem today, we could run a candy giveaway event. Maybe send out a hundred gifticons?"

Considering it was a thriller, nine million was already a huge feat. But with ten million in sight, there was no room to slow down.

I said, "PR pulled a big budget today, so go ahead and give out a thousand candy baskets."

"Got it, Mr. Jung."

Next up was Jung Sang-Bong's report. "Episode 3 of The Foodie Nomads just passed 7% in viewership ratings, so Haru needs to do his 'daily date pass' raffle as promised. I think we should tie it to today's Instargem Live for White Day."

"Sounds good. Let's do that."

Then Do Ran-Hee spoke up. "You'll be attending Haru's mom's wedding later, right, Mr. Jung?"

Haru's mom was getting married today in Suwon. And I was set to MC the wedding.

I nodded. "Of course. More importantly, did we block press access to the venue?"

"Yes. It's a private venue, so we'll be able to keep reporters out."

Then I moved on to today's most critical task. "Ms. Eun, is everything ready for the Project I.O.A premiere?"

At 3:30 p.m., the Japanese and Chinese selected trainees would land at Incheon Airport on a chartered flight. There would be a welcome event, followed by a trip straight to SBC's studio. All of this would be featured in Episode 1 of Project I.O.A, airing tonight at 10 p.m.

Eun Ji-Yoo answered, "Yes. The airport and studio are both fully prepped."

"Good. Double-check everything. I'll head to the wedding in Suwon, then straight to Incheon afterward."

"Yes, sir."

The division meeting ended, and I stood up. It was time for the team leads' meeting.

At that moment, someone tapped on the conference room door.

Knock knock.

"Yes? Come on in."

Click.

The door opened and in walked Chief Choi Eun-Seok from Actor Division 1, a fellow from the Seoyejong faction.

"Chief Jung. Heading up to the meeting?"

"Yes, I was just about to."

"Then let's go together. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Choi Eun-Seok and I had always had a strained relationship. He was from the Seoyejong line, after all.

However, I simply nodded. "Sure."

We walked out of the meeting room side by side and stopped in front of the elevator.

But as we waited, Choi Eun-Seok dropped a completely unexpected bomb. "Chief Jung. Division 1 wants to join hands with you. What do you think?"

Finally, a real fracture had formed inside the Seoyejong faction.

1. Han Seok-Bong is a Josen period calligrapher ☜

2. White Day is a month after Valentines. Men give reciprocal gifts to the women who gave them gifts. Originates from Japan ☜