Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 771: The Owner of the Script (3)

President Choi Sang-Byung stormed into the executive meeting room with Kim Gyuk-Shik, the head of the drama division, right on his heels.

Seated at the head of the table, Choi Sang-Byung immediately began scolding Ga Ae-Joo. "Ae-Joo, how long has it been since you left the field for the broadcasting academy? You already lost your touch, huh? Do you really think of Chief Jung as just a lowly talent agent? Wow, that's the dumbest thing I've heard all week."

Choi Sang-Byung, who usually greeted her with a smile when they met, was now lashing out. Ga Ae-Joo was so stunned she couldn't collect herself.

"I'm sorry?"

"This is why you should never leave the front lines. Hey, Ga Ae-Joo, do you even know how much money Chief Jung brings into our station these days? Huh?"

"Brings in money? How could a mere talent agent do that?"

"See? That's exactly why you're spouting nonsense without a clue. Chief Jung brings in half the sponsorships for Hwaranjeon all by himself! He even does the producer's job on top of it. And you're calling him just a talent agent? Who the hell do you think you are, belittling Chief Jung like that?"

Ga Ae-Joo blinked blankly for a moment, then bristled with indignation. "But still, we're MBS! Are you saying we should cater to a talent agent?"

"You still don't get it. Listen here, Ms. President Ga Ae-Joo of the Academy. What if the actors under Chief Jung's management decide to boycott MBS? Can you take responsibility for that? Hwaranjeon is pulling in a 33.9% viewership ratings. KBC's special drama Queen Jeong-Hee is considered well-made and So Yi-Yung is giving the performance of a lifetime, but it's stuck at 18%. And you know why? It's all thanks to Jung Yoo-Jin! Do you even realize how much I've been strutting in front of other network presidents these days?"

Ga Ae-Joo trembled in silence, overwhelmed by the unexpected berating.

Choi Sang-Byung clicked his tongue, then turned his glare on Kim Sung-Woon. "Hey, PD Kim. What's the current viewership ratings for The Infinite Job Hunt Era?"

"We just passed 22% this Tuesday. It's number one in its time slot."

"And the sponsorships?"

"They're up 30% from last month. The additional sponsors came through Chief Jung's introductions."

Choi Sang-Byung then zeroed in on Han Seok-Yung, the head of the variety department. "Chief Han. What about The Omniscient Viewpoint? Chief Jung brought that back from the dead, didn't he? He even starred in it with Chae Mi-Hyun and Deok-Bae. Right?"

Han Seok-Yung wiped his sweat and nodded. "Yes, sir. Thanks to him, the viewership ratings have climbed to 15%."

"Right? And he even helped plan it, didn't he?"

"Y-Yes..."

"On top of that, Jinseong is pushing hard behind the scenes."

At the mention of Jinseong Inc., Han Seok-Yung couldn't even lift his head.

"And that's not all. Didn't Chief Jung also support Writer Wang's debut on Talk Show! Entertainment World?"

"Yes... th-that's correct..."

Suddenly, Choi Sang-Byung shouted. "And you still went crawling to Director Cheon? You backstabbing bastard! Don't you know anything about loyalty?"

"I-It's not like that, Mr. Choi..."

"He's pulling up viewership ratings and even bringing sponsors! After all he's done, you think it's okay to treat him like crap just because he's a talent agent? When something like this happens, it was you if anyone should've stood up for Chief Jung! Am I wrong?"

Han Seok-Yung bowed deeply, wishing he could disappear out of embarrassment.

"Tsk, tsk. Disgraceful, all of you. You're all good at taking, but none of you know how to show gratitude and give back! I swear, staying in this industry too long has made you shameless."

After cursing out everyone in the room, Choi Sang-Byung turned back to Ga Ae-Joo.

"Ga Ae-Joo. You've been in that seat too long. Announce your resignation on Monday."

"M-Mr. Choi! What are you saying all of a sudden?"

"Shut up and do as I say. This won't be resolved unless you step down. Do you know how ruthless Chief Jung is? What if he goes out and talks to reporters? 'MBS tried to steal a young writer's script and turn it into a movie!' 'MBS crushes the dreams of youth!' 'Was the broadcasting academy just a front to steal ideas from young writers?' What will you do if those headlines drop, huh? Can you handle that?"

'Wait, I never intended to go that far. How did my image become this twisted?'

I wanted to say it wasn't true, but there was no room to speak.

"Nevermind. Forget Monday. Write your resignation tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Choi!"

Choi Sang-Byung ignored Ga Ae-Joo's protest and turned his glare on Director Yang Sang-Hyuk. "And Director Yang, if Ga Ae-Joo doesn't submit her resignation by tomorrow morning, you'll be the one holding the press conference."

"M-Me, sir?"

"Yeah, you. Isn't this whole mess because you kept siding with Ae-Joo?"

"N-No, sir. I've always been neutral."

"Neutral, my ass. You turned a blind eye to the corruption at the academy, and that's why no promising young writers are coming out of there! What's the point of writing good scripts when they just get stolen like this? Do we need to audit how many times this has happened since Ae-Joo took over the academy?"

"...N-No, sir."

"Then shut up and do what you're told. If Ae-Joo doesn't resign, hold a public apology tomorrow morning and announce her dismissal. The statement will say: 'There have been long-standing wrong practices within MBS. President Ga Ae-Joo has accepted responsibility and stepped down. From now on, MBS will be reborn as an institution that supports the dreams of young creatives, announced by MBS' Director Yang Sang-Hyuk.' Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Ga Ae-Joo began to cry, but I felt no sympathy for her tears. There had probably been countless young writers who could only weep in silence after having their work stolen.

Choi Sang-Byung ignored Ga Ae-Joo and turned his attention to Writer Choi Eun-Se. "Writer Choi, you've worked hard until now. Best of luck at your next network. You got this!"

"S-Sir."

"Don't tell me you're planning to cling to this station after all this mess? I heard you've been stealing your juniors' scripts lately. Figures—you've been tagging along with Ga Ae-Joo and picking up all her bad habits."

At that, Choi Eun-Se got off her chair, dropped to her knees, and started pleading with both hands clasped. "Mr. Choi, I was wrong. Please, forgive me just this once. I swear it won't happen again."

Choi Sang-Byung spoke to her as if she were a complete stranger, using formal language. "Ms. Choi, unless you want to stand next to President Ga Ae-Joo tomorrow and make a self-criticism statement, I suggest you leave now. I think it'd be best for everyone if you just walked out quietly."

Seeing her pleas fall flat, Choi Eun-Se stumbled to her feet. And with Ga Ae-Joo, the two women staggered out of the meeting room.

Right at that moment, the schedule for Everyday disappeared.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 27, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin]

<Entertainment Everywhere> "Is Jung Yoo-Jin's New Movie a Plagiarized Work?"

[Entertainment All TImes] "Jung Yoo-Jin's First Film Production Falls Through."

[Industry Daily] "A Blow to Hoop Entertainment's Rising Star as IPO Faces Unexpected Crisis."

(Emergency Meeting: More than 80% overlap confirmed between Director Go Gi-Dong's script and the original script.))

And just like that, Ga Ae-Joo and Choi Eun-Se, who had tried to shield Director Go Gi-Dong after he stole Wang Mi-In's script, ended up losing their own heads.

***

After the two left, Choi Sang-Byung took a sip of coffee. It was a cold bottle of THE Best, and as he drank, he sighed in satisfaction.

"Yup. Nothing beats this one, every single time."

Ding.

I could almost hear the sound of 1.2% of another sale landing in my bank account, per the licensing deal.

Having finished his coffee, Choi Sang-Byung gave one final look to Director Cheon Yi-Sang. "And Director Cheon."

"Yes, sir."

"I get that you want to boost Park Eun-Bin's career. But using someone else's script? That's just trash behavior. How did the Ace of TK Entertainment end up like this, huh?"

Cheon Yi-Sang's face turned beet red, but he said nothing.

Clicking his tongue, Choi Sang-Byung turned to Yang Sang-Hyuk. "Director Yang, I need to speak with Chief Jung and the drama division staff, so take everyone else and leave. And while you're at it, call Director Go and tell him he's banned from stepping foot in MBS again."

Yang Sang-Hyuk nodded, then led the others out like a defeated battalion.

Thunk.

The door shut, and Choi Sang-Byung turned to Kim Gyuk-Shik. "Chief Kim, start preparing for your promotion to managing director."

"Excuse me, sir? Me?"

"Yeah. You'll get promoted to managing director first, and then I'll move you up to director next year. We can't keep Yang Sang-Hyuk around like that or he's going to ruin the company. He needs to be axed in the next round of personnel changes."

"...Understood."

Everyone tied to this scandal was being wiped out.

After issuing a storm of orders, Choi Sang-Byung turned to me with a sly grin. "So, Chief Jung. The drama version of She Was Beautiful... that's going to air on MBS, right?"

'Of course. That's expected of a president of a broadcast company. Do me a favor and expect something in return, huh?'

However, I wasn't about to hand it over without terms.

I nodded. "Yes. But there's one condition."

"What kind of condition?"

I took a deep breath and stated clearly. "Ms. Wang Mi-In must be given full authority over casting."

"You want me to give casting power to a rookie writer?"

Choi Sang-Byung's eyes widened, as he had clearly expected me to request a specific PD or production company. Even Wang Mi-In looked surprised. However, I had a very specific reason for giving casting rights to Wang Mi-In despite her being a rookie writer.

Before the regression, Wang Mi-In had gone on to become a successful variety writer, and later, a successful drama writer as well. She created shows like Woo-Ri Doo-Ri Brothers, a first-love story about twin teen soccer players, and Fired-Up High School Vagabonds, a fast-paced drama about runaway teens.

Both shows featured unknowns in the lead roles and idol actors in supporting ones, yet each surpassed 20% viewership ratings. In other words, Wang Mi-In needed control over casting to bring out the best in her performance.

"Mr. Jung..."

Wang Mi-In tried to say she was okay without it, but I shook my head. She didn't yet realize her own potential, but I did.

"Please trust me, Ms. Wang."

Perhaps feeling pressure from Choi Sang-Byung's presence, Wang Mi-In closed her eyes tightly before answering. "I'll do as you say, Mr. Jung." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Having secured Wang Mi-In's agreement, I turned back to Choi Sang-Byung.

Choi Sang-Byung chuckled in disbelief. "Giving casting power to a rookie... Well, I suppose with you helping her, it might work out. But what if we at least chose the lead actor? It's just to be safe. If things go south, the burden on Writer Wang would be too much."

"I already have someone in mind for the lead."

Hope lit up Choi Sang-Byung's face. "You don't mean Miss Yoo-Jin, do you? Are you planning to have her co-star in both the movie and the drama?"

I shook my head. "No. For the female lead in She Was Beautiful, I'm thinking of casting an idol-turned-actress, just as the role was written."

"An idol? Who?"

"How about Eun-Ah?"

"Eun-Ah? Yoo Eun-Ah? That Eun-Ah from Cherry Blossom?"

"Yes, sir. She just made her acting debut in Ballerina of Time."

"Ah, right. My daughter saw that and said Eun-Ah was really good. Yeah, she could work."

Choi Sang-Byung's face brightened. Cherry Blossom was hugely popular, so her appearance alone would generate buzz.

"You really know how to keep people guessing. Fine. Can we at least handle the PD and production company?"

"Yes. Though I'd prefer that Mr. Kim Sung-Woon took the lead, and that we give it to Mirinae."

Kim Sung-Woon, who had been standing nearby, chimed in with zero hesitation. "If Mr. Jung had given that project to anyone else, I would've thrown a fit."

Choi Sang-Byung laughed heartily, saying it sounded like I wanted everything. Yet in the end, he agreed to it all.

"Fine. No skin off my back. Just keep today's events under wraps. As long as you do that, you'll get everything you want."

"Of course."

"Then it's settled." Choi Sang-Byung gave a satisfied nod, then turned to Yoo-Jin. "Miss Yoo-Jin. I really hope your first film's a success. If the movie does well, the drama will ride that momentum too."

"It's going to be a huge hit. I asked oppa to pick a script that'd bring in ten million viewers."

"Ten million? Just hearing that makes me feel good."

Before the regression, She Was Beautiful had reached 3.5 million viewers with Park Eun-Bin in the lead. Now, Yoo-Jin was confidently aiming for ten million. Even seven million would be a big win, but the confidence in her eyes stopped me from doubting her.

'Alright, let's go for it!'

However, we would definitely have to change the director.

Meanwhile, Choi Sang-Byung looked at Wang Mi-In again. "Writer Wang. Things got messy today, but I'll make it up to you by giving you my full support. Think of it as a gift to celebrate your debut. If you need anything, talk to Chief Kim or PD Kim here."

Wang Mi-In shook her head, saying she didn't need anything.

At that moment, I leaned over and whispered softly, "The cafeteria."

Realizing it, Wang Mi-In blurted out. "Although it doesn't apply to me anymore since I'm with Hoop Entertainment now, even if freelance writers aren't officially MBS, could you let them eat at the cafeteria for the same price as employees?"

Choi Sang-Byung looked a bit embarrassed as if he hadn't realized. "Was... was there a difference?"

"Yes, two thousand won more per meal."

"I-I'll fix that immediately."

"Thank you."

Having secured both fair script rights and lower meal prices for writers, Wang Mi-In smiled more beautifully than anyone else in the room.

She was just like the protagonist of She Was Beautiful, who rises from despair to find happiness.

***

Afterward, Yoo-Jin and I picked up the special combo from the pork bone stew restaurant in front of MBS, then met with Shin Jong-Ki, the president of LT Entertainment.

We explained everything that had happened. Upon learning that Go Gi-Dong had stolen a script, Shin Jong-Ki erupted in anger.

-Don't worry, Chief Jung. Director Go Gi-Dong's name will never be associated with LT Entertainment again. I'll also have his past projects thoroughly investigated.

Shin Jong-Ki swore to never let it slide. He also agreed that She Was Beautiful should move forward with Jung Yoo-Jin and the script only, and that a new director and production team should be found. We decided to discuss the details during the press briefing scheduled for tomorrow at Hoop Entertainment's small auditorium.

By the time I got home, it was 9 p.m. I parked in the yard and turned toward the passenger seat. Yoo-Jin was leaning against the window with her eyes closed. Through the strands of long hair covering her face, I could see her fast asleep.

'Yeah, let's have her get some real rest, even if it's just five minutes.'

She must have been dreaming a good dream, because Yoo-Jin was smiling contentedly. Her eyes curled into half-moons and her lips moved slightly.

'Huh? Wait a minute... Is she chewing?'

Right then, Yoo-Jin mumbled in her sleep, gently nibbling on her own hair. "Pork bone stew... I'm gonna eat it..."

It was no wonder she looked so happy—she was dreaming about food. I figured I should wake her.

"Yoo-Jin, we're home. Time to eat."

Yoo-Jin snapped her eyes open, quickly pulled her hair from her mouth, and covered her lips. "Slurp."

"Don't worry, you weren't drooling. And if you're tired, just go upstairs and sleep."

Even half-asleep, Yoo-Jin shook her head. "No... I have to eat pork bone stew."

"I knew you'd say that. Come on then, let's go. Miso's waiting too."

"Yawn~ Okay."

Click.

I unbuckled Yoo-Jin's seatbelt as she stretched and yawned. Then I got out first, retrieved the pork bone stew from the back seat, and went around to help her out.

"Ugh~ I only followed you around for half a day and I'm already dead tired. You really need to cut back on work."

"Scolding me the moment you wake up, huh?"

"I'm just worried about you."

"Alright. Once the listing's done, I'll rest. We'll hire more rookie talent agents too."

"Promise?"

"Promise~"

Yoo-Jin hooked her pinky with mine and even stamped it with her thumb before letting me help her up the stairs to the first floor.

Just before opening the front door, I said, "Oh, right. I have a gift for you."

"A gift?"

"Yeah, to celebrate your first film as the lead."

Now fully awake, Yoo-Jin looked at me with sparkling eyes. "What is it?"

"Check it out yourself."

"Tch. You could've just told me."

Grumbling playfully, Yoo-Jin took a deep breath and opened the front door.

Creak.

At that moment, Jung In-Ji, President Han Yoo-Sik, and his wife held out flower bouquets.

"What's with the flowers?" Yoo-Jin asked.

"Hehe. Miss Yoo-Jin, we just wanted to congratulate you on landing your first film."

Yoo-Jin accepted the bouquet, clearly touched. "Thank you all... really..."

She looked up at me with gratitude in her eyes.

I smiled. "It's not over yet."

"There's more?"

Just then, Kang Eun-Gi and Miso appeared from the kitchen corner carrying silver trays. It was the two Peking ducks I promised to buy her.

"Mom! Uncle Yoon-Ho and Uncle Eun-Gi brought Peking duck!"

On the silver trays, the caramelized ducks shimmered, steaming hot. Yoo-Jin's face lit up three times brighter than when she received the flowers.

Yoo-Jin turned to me and raised both thumbs high. "My talent agent oppa is the best!!"

Keeping a star smiling at all times was the true mark of a first-class talent agent.