Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 748: First Broadcast of Project I.O.A (4)

The current time was 9:55 p.m. Laughter echoed through the president's office at TNT Entertainment. It was because of the flood of articles lighting up the giant LCD screen mounted on the wall.

[(Breaking) Project I.O.A, Internal Info Leak. Is This Okay?]

[Project I.O.A, Info Leaks Already? Fair Audition in Jeopardy?]

[Project I.O.A, Foreign Contestants Are Just for Show? Team Setup Favoring Koreans?]

[Project I.O.A, Han So-Ye's Daughter Go Eun-Seo Gets Top Marks But Assigned to Team 2?]

[Project I.O.A, Riddled With Controversy Right From the Team Assignments.]

"Hahaha! I'd love to see Jung Yoon-Ho's face right about now."

All day, Bang Sang-Yung had thrown everything he had at Jung Yoon-Ho. And finally, he had landed a clean hit just when it seemed like a wash.

At that moment, Director Ahn Chae-Seon standing beside him clasped her hands and chimed in. "Sir~ You've worked so hard. I'd heard you were talented, but I had no idea just how incredible you are."

At Ahn Chae-Seon's sweet tone, Bang Sang-Yung burst into hearty laughter. "Great work, Director Ahn. Once I'm officially appointed as president tomorrow, I'll be promoting you to executive director. I'll double the salary as well. Consider it a bonus."

A bright smile bloomed on Ahn Chae-Seon's face. "Oh my~ Really?"

"Of course! With someone like you around, how could this company not thrive? Hahaha!"

"Exactly~"

Bang Sang-Yung needed people who would be completely loyal to him. Now that he had TNT Entertainment in his hands, it was time to build the Bang Sang-Yung's faction.

At that moment, the door to the president's office slammed opened.

Bang!

Legal Team Lead Woo Min-Sang burst in, pale as a sheet. "Sir! We have a serious problem!"

"What kind of problem?"

"We just received notice that Jinseong Foods is pulling every single one of our celebrities from their ads, effective immediately!"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"And it's not just them. Daechon Inc., CK Entertainment, LT Entertainment's sponsors—they're all pulling out. They've even canceled upcoming contract renewals."

TNT Entertainment had dozens of celebrities representing those companies. And now, every one of those lucrative ad deals was gone.

Bang Sang-Yung frowned. "Did our celebrities offend any of their executives or family members at some party or something?"

"No, sir. The reason they gave... is that we interfered with Project I.O.A."

Large corporations were always cautious about their image, terrified of being accused of abuse of power. They would never pull ad contracts so recklessly unless someone messed with their royal family. Yet just the fact that TNT had meddled with Project I.O.A, a show spearheaded by Jung Yoon-Ho, was enough to trigger this wave of retaliation.

"What the hell is going on? Who the hell is Jung Yoon-Ho that all these people would go this far for him?"

Woo Min-Sang hesitated, then spoke. "I'd heard rumors that Chief Jung Yoon-Ho had close ties with corporate heirs... Maybe that's the reason?"

"Hey. Don't you know those royal-family types don't even consider outsiders human if they're not on the same level? Wait... hold on... no way..." Bang Sang-Yung trailed off.

While he was talking, it hit him that Woo Min-Sang's comment wasn't just plausible. Actually, it made perfect sense. Bang Sang-Yung had met those corporate heirs countless times at business functions and luxury gatherings. And they were the modern-day aristocracy. They were utterly dismissive of anyone beneath their social tier.

Yet now, those very heirs were going to war for someone else. That could only mean one thing: Jung Yoon-Ho wasn't just a friend to them. He was family.

Cold sweat ran down Bang Sang-Yung's back. If that was true, then the way he had been handling Jung Yoon-Ho up to now all had to change immediately.

"Damn it! S-so what's the damage?"

"We lost one mega-deal worth over a billion won, three major contracts worth over five hundred million each, ten mid-tier deals over three hundred million, and twenty smaller ones below that. That's roughly 30% of our annual ad revenue."

Bang Sang-Yung's head spun. He felt like collapsing on the spot. However, there was no time for weakness. The billion-won mega-deal had belonged to So Yi-Yung, star of the current KBC hit drama Queen Jeong-Hee.

"Goddamn it! Then schedule meetings with the advertisers now. I'll explain everything myself."

At that moment, Woo Min-Sang spoke again with his voice shaking. "That... might not be possible."

"Why the hell not?!"

"They said if you show up... they'll pull every TNT actor from all projects. That includes Hwaranjeon and The Infinite Job Hunt Era on MBS, Haze on KBC, Director Ahn Jung-Hae's film Missing – The Lost Ones, and Director Na Tae-Yang's Doppelgänger."

The message was clear: Accept your punishment quietly or suffer total exile.

Bang Sang-Yung couldn't even think straight. That's when he received a call.

[Caller Idea: Asshole Jung Yoon-Ho]

Jung Yoon-Ho was calling. With trembling fingers, Bang Sang-Yung picked up the phone.

-So? Did you enjoy my little gift?

"You bastard! Jung Yoon-Ho! What the hell did you do?!"

-Do I look stupid enough to explain that to you?

"You son of a—!"

-Getting worked up already, huh? That's not good. Especially when your presents haven't even all arrived yet.

"What? There's more?!"

-Of course. I spent the whole day making sure you got just as much crap as you gave me.

At that moment, the door to the president's office flew open again.

Bang!

This time, it was Chief Jang Sam-Duk panting as he burst in. "Sir! We have another emergency!"

"What now?!"

"Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office are waiting downstairs in the lobby."

"Prosecutors? Why?"

"W-well...They've obtained testimony saying you were the one who requested today's illegal travel ban via the police. They're asking you to appear as a witness."

Breathing heavily, Bang Sang-Yung growled into the phone. "This too...Was this your doing?!"

Jung Yoon-Ho's voice came back light with amusement.

-Well, you shouldn't have messed with someone who was minding his own business, should you? Oh, and by the way... one last gift is on its way. Be sure to receive it. And have a delightful White Day.

"The last gift?! What?! What is it?!"

Click.

The call ended.

"Hey! You fucking bastard!!!"

Bang Sang-Yung frantically dialed back Jung Yoon-Ho's number. However, all he got was an automated message.

-The person you are trying to reach is not available. Please try again later.

It was the message you got when someone had blocked your number.

"Arghhh!!"

Crash!

Furious, Bang Sang-Yung swept everything off his desk with both arms. Nameplates, papers, pens, and equipment clattered to the ground and shattered.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Panting, Bang Sang-Yung turned to Woo Min-Sang. "Team Lead Woo! I don't have to show up if it's just a witness summons, right?!"

"That's correct, sir."

"Then tell them I can't make it! And tell Yoo Kang-Seok to keep his damn mouth shut!"

"U-understood."

"And as for the ads...We'll find replacements somehow. Just calm down the celebrities!"

"Yes, sir."

Woo Min-Sang immediately left the room, taking Jang Sam-Duk with him.

Bang Sang-Yung then glared at Ahn Chae-Seon, who stood frozen in place. "And what the hell are you doing just standing there? Get out there and work!"

Bang Sang-Yung now had to make some calls to Jin Myung-Gyu and Jin Myung-Hee of Jinseong Inc., and to former chairman Sung Hak-Soot who had given him this position.

He dismissed Ahn Chae-Seon from the office, but she didn't budge. She remained rooted in place with her face stiff.

"Sir... that last gift Chief Jung mentioned...What do you think it was?"

"That bastard's just bluffing. He probably doesn't even have anything left."

Then Ahn Chae-Seon looked at the TV screen at the leaked team list, and spoke again. "If Chief Jung went this far... What if the team list we received was fake too?"

Bang Sang-Yung's vision blurred. If the list was wrong, then the reporters who had flooded the entertainment section with headlines about Project I.O.A's security failure would not take it lightly.

"No way... there's no way..."

Bang Sang-Yung's voice began to shrink, lacking all conviction. The thought crossed his mind that this might end up being the worst White Day of his life.

***

I stood in the hallway outside the monitoring room on the third floor of the Project I.O.A dorm building.

I ended the call, having just listened to Bang Sang-Yung's panicked voice. Then I dialed the number of President Jin Sung-Joon of Jinseong Inc..

"Thank you, Mr. Jin. I know it wasn't an easy ask."

-We're bound together now, aren't we? You're the one who's going to help me become company chairman. Dropping TNT ads? That's nothing. Especially since you promised to fill the gap with I.O.A.

Just like I did to Jin Sung-Joon, I had made the same offer to every company sponsoring Project I.O.A. If they terminated their deals with TNT Entertainment, I promised the new I.O.A would deliver even better promotional results than their former models. And luckily, not a single sponsor refused.

"Which means we really have to make Project I.O.A a success."

-We're counting on it. Oh, and that list that's going around...

"It's fake."

-Thought so. Good. Then I'll enjoy watching the premiere without worry.

"Yes, sir."

Smiling, I ended the call and began dialing other presidents. Once I was done, I felt the presence of others nearby. It was China head Wang Long and Japan head Sasuke.

"Yoon-Ho. Have you seen the articles and community posts?" Wang Long asked, holding out a tablet with a worried face.

Since I hadn't made a move yet, the news portals were still buzzing with fake team lists and security breach headlines.

"Don't worry," I smiled and held up my own tablet screen

[PROJECT : I.O.A]

[Current Time: 09:55 p.m.]

[Current Subscribers: 65,239]

...

The official app for Project I.O.A had launched to the public at 9:50 p.m. In just five minutes, over 60,000 people had already signed up.

"Thanks to the noise marketing, we're getting over 10,000 sign-ups a minute. There's no need to worry."

When Lee Doo-Oh, the former programmer from Ticket King, had developed the app, he estimated a peak rate of 7,000 users per minute. We were almost double that now.

Wang Long's eyes widened as he asked, "People are signing up before the broadcast? Even though they don't know who the trainees are yet?"

I shrugged. "Who says they don't? Those airport photos earlier today already blew up on social media."

The stunning visuals of trainees from China and Japan had already turned Project I.O.A into a hot topic online. Wang Lina, Yang Bing Bing, Liu Lan, Miyamoto Aoi, and Kudo Minatsu were already trending with fans claiming them as their top picks.

Once the fake team list started circulating, users rushed to the app just to verify the truth.

"So the fake news actually turned into a marketing win, huh?"

"Exactly. Don't stress. Viewership ratings will be great."

Only then did Wang Long and Sasuke finally relax and nod.

"Alright then. Let's head in."

I opened the heavy, soundproof door to the monitoring room to watch the premiere of Project I.O.A.

Creak.

But inside, the room was in complete chaos. Someone was shouting.

"PD Ji! Why aren't you doing anything?! Are you trying to let this show crash and burn?!"

Han Tae-San, a director at SBC, was yelling at Ji Yung-Sik with Station Head Park Han-Jong standing behind him.

"Sir, please. I told you to wait! Chief Jung is—"

"You keep going on about Chief Jung. He's a talent agent, not a PD. Why the hell is a producer letting some talent agent call the shots? Are you even a real PD, huh?!"

"Mr. Han! Don't you think that's going too far? No one's just doing what he says! And Chief Jung has been running himself ragged trying to help us. Don't you know that?"

"This is the problem with PDs these days. Taking help from a talent agent? Just order them around! You give those types an inch, and they start crawling all over you!"

Han Tae-San, who had earlier arrived with Assemblyman Go Joon-Taek, was now clearly venting because things hadn't gone his way.

'Why is he taking it out on the wrong person?'

The visibly upset Wang Long was about to step forward. However, I stopped him with a shake of my head.

"Why not?" Wang Long asked.

"If you step in, it becomes an international issue. Just let me handle it." After stopping Wang Long, I turned to Han Tae-San. "Mr. Han, if you've got something to say, say it to me."

Han Tae-San turned sharply. "Perfect timing. You! Chief Jung! Get over here." I walked up to him, and Han Tae-San raised his voice even more. "What the hell did you say to PD Ji to make him so damn stubborn? Get that real team list out right now and calm those reporters down! Now!"

I was left dumbfounded. If I revealed the actual team list now, it would spoil the second half of the show before it even aired.

I shook my head and answered, "That's not possible. Once we cave to fake news, we'll have to do it every time." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Han Tae-San wasn't the type to be convinced by rising app subscriber numbers or marketing data. So I matched his bluntness with my own.

As expected, Han Tae-San scoffed. "Cut the crap and give me the list. I'll hand it to the press myself."

"I can't do that."

"Who the hell are you to say no?!"

That was enough. It was time to play by his rules.

"If the first episode's peak minute ratings doesn't surpass 5%, I'll take full responsibility. Is that good enough?"

Han Tae-San's eyes gleamed. It was clear he was surprised and pleased I had said what he wanted to say himself.

"F-fine, then. If the peak minute ratings for episode one doesn't hit 5%, you're done with Project I.O.A. Forever. Got it?"

The room stirred with tension.

Ji Yung-Sik even lashed out. "Mr. Han! That's outrageous! These days, even 3% is a hit for an audition show. And you're demanding 5?!"

The most successful recent show, Global Produce 47 which featured Kang Ha-Na, had topped out at 2.1% for its first episode. Han Tae-San was demanding more than double that.

"What, all that praise for Chief Jung and you can't even get past 5%? Back in my day, if a show pulled less than 5%, we bit our tongues and died!"

"That was before cable channels even existed!"

"And now it's just 'cable this, cable that,' always making excuses."

Despite the commotion, I accepted the terms. "Fine. If the peak minute ratings surpasses 5%, then you, Mr. Han, stay the hell out of Project I.O.A. from now on."

Han Tae-San smirked. "Deal. Let's do it." He then turned to the staff and barked new orders. "What are you all standing around for? As soon as the minute-by-minute ratings come in, put them on the main screen! Let's see who gets kicked out."

As tension reached its peak, the premiere of Project I.O.A. finally began.

-Good evening! Your vote, your idol! Welcome to the audition program to choose the next idol to conquer Asia—Project I.O.A! I'm your host, MC Kim Jung-Joo!

Now, my future rested on this first episode's viewership ratings. However, I didn't feel an ounce of doubt. After all, I had prepared too well for this day.

'Director Han Tae-San... I'll see you out of this room soon enough.'